Review preview pah. Who knows?
Quite frankly who cares? I saw some people this week who acted like they didn’t.
Don’t give me this ‘it’s only the third game’ and ‘don’t panic’ and ‘we’ve got injuries’ crap. Sometimes it just has to be said as it is. Tuesday was so poor I am struggling to find words to describe the apathetic display. It was like the match at West Brom last season when I was embarrassed by the complete lack of effort by the team. This time I think they may just have an excuse though! Albeit a small one.
Can you imagine the team talk before kick off? I can only think it was delivered in the guise of Baldrick and the squad placed their hands over their mouths to quell the laughter.
Act this bit out like you are rehearsing for the role of Macbeth in the school play, it makes more sense!
“I have a cunning plan my Lord. Boro are going to expect us to attack them simply cos we are at home. So to fool them we are going for the double bluff and will play Wally on his own up front. Ha, good eh? Then we are going to play Stan wide on the left (the players breathe out in relief) but get this, behind Clem (cue manic laughing). But here’s the killer though guys, I’m sure you all remember Tebs, who used to play centre half or right back but kept getting found out, well I’ve found the reason why. He needs a free role in the centre of midfield” Baldrick stands with his hands out and awaits applause. There is only quiet. “Wait wait, it gets better. I’ve persuaded Chelsea to give us their tallest player so we can hit high balls to him from the defence all night long. No, I don’t care if you prefer it to your feet, you’re a big lad, head the damned thing. What do you mean, to who?”
Five minutes later there is the sound of McClaren banging on Bruce’s door. “Stop buggering about Brucie and give me the real team sheet” All he can hear is a quiet chuckling.
By the time sanity kicked back in the damage was done and the fat Aussie had plundered two goals. In fact to be honest Tebs didn’t do that bad, he just looked like a guy who had been asked to do a job he wasn’t expecting to do. A bit like David James! And Clem did what all of us would have done perched out on the wing, he waited for Skippy to come bombing past and gave him the ball instead. After all you don’t have a kangaroo and bounce yourself.
As for poor Jiri, what do you reckon? Clearly he is going to be happy playing first team football in World Cup year. I’m not too sure he is going to be too pleased playing up front as a target man or as one of the many players wide left. He looked bemused. He looked like that Redwood guy who tried to sing the Welsh National Anthem despite not knowing a single word of Welsh! He wanted to fit in sooooo badly!
The fixture list had the eternal optimists dreaming of sitting pretty on top of the Premiership with loads of points. Fulham, Man City, Boro, Baggies, you could see us winning all four of those games.
Anyone who saw the majority of the pre season friendlies must have started to have doubts. And everyone must now see that the Albion match is a very important and dangerous fixture. The worst thing that can happen to us is that we start to get cast adrift and float along thinking that with the abundance of internationals on the books it is impossible to be relegated.
I agree that we currently have the best squad gathered at St Andrews in the last twenty five years. But we don’t have the best team. All over the pitch we have better individuals now than when we left the Nationwide, but we don’t have the same camaraderie, we are too frivolous, dare I say it, continental. Fancy flicks and casual play. Cameo appearances by players matched by superior opponents with a better work ethic. There can be only one winner. And it’s not the guy in blue.
I don’t agree with the ‘sack the manager’ brigade. Bruce is human and he makes mistakes, we all do. The importance is the lesson learned. He spoke with gravitas after the match and looked how I felt. He has plenty of games to get it right. No one is going to sack him and surely given his current run no one is going to try and poach him.
The start point is the Albion game. The others are in the past now and there’s nothing we can do to change the outcome of those matches. If Bruce’s old mate Bryan Robson has roused his charges into full battle mentality then we could be in for further misery if they want it more than we do.
Keep Right On. It’s a bit early to be tired and weary.