One point against Delia’s boys, nowt out of pin up Dowie’s lads and a big three off Robbo’s Baggies. It’s a surprise we are mid-table all things said and done! The cunning plan of robbing the weak and scoring the odd point against the bigger boys has been thrown out of the window.
Don’t read on in the hope of a pearl of wisdom that suddenly makes it all clear. Those teams at the bottom are there for a reason. They are crap. The table does not tell any lies over the full course of the season. Painful as it may sound but the teams that finish above us are better than us, yes I know, that includes the Villa. But the teams that finish below us are factually worse than us. No argument.
All the excuses in the world cannot change the hard facts. You can trot out the ‘Oi’ve only got a small squad’ and ‘they’re a good honest bunch of lads’ but the truth is in the final reckoning.
I can’t give you a review of the Norwich game due to many reasons. The main one is I didn’t go because of a birthday party. Mine. And so I also missed the chance to see it later on ‘Football First’ because I was drunk. Fact. However I have seen the sending off and if DJ is going to go around tickling butch Scandinavians then he got his just desserts. As for the penalty, Huckerby has spent a career running like Forrest Gump and falling over like the ‘Epidural 100 metres Champion’ and King Kenny should have known better than to go to ground.
Does Maik Taylor know that the object of the goalkeeper in a penalty situation is to save the shot? Just checking.
By all accounts the boys played well and were unlucky to leave the interbred backwater of The Appalachian duelling banjo country without all the points despite only having ten men. Some Birmingham fans might claim that the expulsion of DJ strengthened the team, but that would be cruel!
It’s been a strange season. We should be grateful that we are once again to play in the finest league in the world. I know of at least four teams who would love to swap places with us on this final day. Mind you the thought of playing the mighty Wigan does not make me salivate. I will be half expecting them to pick up the ball and run with it.
Our anthem suits us perfectly, from the joys of once again smashing the Villa home and away to the sorrows of such pitiful performances against the bottom teams. We started with such promise following the pre season acquisitions but the blueprint had a cup of coffee spilt all over it within weeks. Gronkjaer maintained the mercurial (ha!) form he showed the majority of the time at Chelsea. Crap. The Mighty Albino Finn got injured big time along with Dunny. How Anderton must have looked on in envy? And little Muzzy Izzett? I didn’t realise he was missing until he actually was!
Brucie’s plan of the wide men throwing umpteen balls for Emile to provide service to Forssell lasted about a week. The wide men couldn’t cross, Emile couldn’t do it all on his own and the lethal Forssell couldn’t walk. Plan B consisted of ten defensive players competing to see who could kick the ball the highest and furthest for Heskey to chase.
Thankfully we had managed to stay in touch with the peloton and the transfer window enabled a reversion back to Plan A Version 2. But even that had flaws.
El Rifle strutted into town, fired a couple of warning shots and then got disarmed. The wonderfully gifted Pennant gave a glimpse of his precocious talent before disappearing for a month due to driving someone else’s car, when banned, whilst drunk and with a lamp post underneath. Can’t see the problem myself!!! Nafti arrived with a ‘Nasty’ tag which was difficult for him to justify from the bench.
But there is the making of a good side down at St Andrews and these are heady days. There is a shape and a promise. The rumours abound of the return of the Forsse and surely David Dunn must soon be ready to kick start his career at the Blues. These two alone would make for exciting times.
People are quick to question the sanity in purchasing the Rifle and Nafti but it should be pointed out that we have struggled this season because of the effect of injuries to key players. The transfer window works against the smaller clubs as they are not capable of replacing long term injured key players. The successful teams have a host of internationals sitting on the bench busting a gut to get a game. Therefore players that have already been introduced to the club and have shown a desire to work hard and make a success of it should be signed up. And that’s the same reason why players like Diao can leave!
If Brucie secures Forssell and has a choice of four main strikers, assuming Morrison stays, then he is pretty much covered for not only injuries but also a change in game plan. Certain games will suit certain strikers. The manager knows what he needs and knows who he needs. Support him.
How pleasant it is to welcome the Gunners to our ground for the final game of the season. In previous years I have been so impressed by their style of play and their speed on the break. They have been very enjoyable to watch even though it has sometimes been embarrassing as they highlighted the gulf in class. We should acknowledge our gratitude that they sent us two of their ‘reserves’ in Upson and Pennant and politely request first refusal on any other players they feel are not good enough to play for the Mighty Arsenal! I reckon Henry and Viera are due for a move.
And so the curtain falls on another campaign that promised much and delivered little. Our hopes and ambitions are rising all the time and we all feel that the next level is achievable. I hope you’ve enjoyed reading some of the drivel I have managed to produce by striking these keys in a random sequence. I hope you all have a wonderful summer and come back with renewed enthusiasm for another season in the Big Time.
Keep Right On. Dedicated to my dear dad. Bless you.