When that fella sang 'It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas' I don't think he had a picture of crowds of nervous grey people shuffling about anxiously in his mind. I don't think 'Christmas Spirit' refers to a palpable sense of underlying unease either. I went to do some shopping in town on Friday. It did not warm the cockles of my (black) heart. Boarded up shops and anxiety. Spaces where famous old names once served as emporiums of wonder replaced by pop up shops that don't even bother to disguise how shite their goods are. Walking around a city in winter in 2021 is like traipsing through a painting by a dystopian futuristic Lowry. Gloomy crowds trudging through the a pound shop version of the Bladerunner world.
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| 'Shit, the 4g isn't working...' |
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| 'Covid passes ready please' |
I just want some noise and a good game. None of this shuffling back and forward slowly whilst the stands mutter discontent. Get into them. Attack. Play with fire in your bellies and all of that. This could be the last dance for a while. I hope it isn't. If it is, let's go down with the band playing. We might be lost at sea, but at least we can get lost in the music...
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The atmosphere pre match is kind of uneasy. Are we heading back to where we were and where no one wants to go? (no, not Rotherham... no, not even Gillingham... worse even than that...) Will Boxing Day happen? Will we end up on iFollow again? Fuck it. I don't care for the next few hours. We're here, it's now and I really like the team. Gabriel plays, the midfielders are both midfielders and Gaz is up front. What could possibly go wrong?
It turns out what can go wrong is that Peterborough can do absolutely the square root of fuck all and yet score first. We huff and puff, we press well and we make a few chances. Gary is in imperious form winning flick ons for fun, Lavery is causing their back line all sorts of problems by simply running a lot. We look well on top but they split the defense with a tremendous ball down the middle, Dembele skates through on to it, Grimshaw commits himself and Dembele just slides it past him and the defender on the line.
The 150-ish Petrborough fans go mental. It's tempting to mock them for the tiny numbers they've travelled in but I don't blame them for not coming in a climate where it appears fine to call games off last minute because actual fans are last on the list of things that matter. I also quite like their 'we're winning away, you must be shit, we're winning away' chant.
We redouble our efforts. Wor Gaz wins a header from a corner. It flashes just wide. That would have been my perfect goal. Lavery has a half chance. Bowler has flickered a bit but bursts into flame with a run and shot that is turned over. It's all good fun, but we're losing.
Keshi runs on to a beautiful ball from James. He's in! He drives it, the keeper sprawls. It bursts free. Lavery is bearing down but the ball nutmegs him and rolls away. It's one of those days... Or is it? It's worked back in, Bowler has it wide. He stands completely still. He takes off. He completely destroys his man, he slides it across and to the astonishment of everyone in Bloomfield, his ball finds a target, Keshi with a late Clarkson-esque run to the edge of the six yard box where he can't miss. Yes!
We absolutely deserved that and I'm delighted to see Bowler make something happen. It's true that he's more frustrating than those packets that say 'tear here' but really you need to find a pair of scissors for cos not even Jeff Capes could tear them with bare hands alone... but it's also true that he's electric. (once in a while at least)
The rest of the half is notable only for the ref's decisions being completely incomprehensible and Peterborough demonstrating a spectacular lack of self belief by indulging in time wasting even though we're barely a third of the way through the game.
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We've played ok. I'm happy enough. We attacked. Gary leapt like a salmon. We looked better than them. Yeah, we lack a bit of guile and sometimes the decision making is a bit patchy, but frankly, these are shite and so are most of the teams we've played. All the talk of 'can these players cut it at this level' does my head in. It's not that good. We've been crap for a few games but we've lost to crap teams that weren't much better. We're definitely less crap than this lot. Lets go and win it for we have wizardry and the ghosts of Matthews and Mortenson on our side and they have only Darren Ferguson and that no10 who is quite handy.
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We aren't very good in the second half. Actually, that's a bit unfair. Our attacking isn't very good in the second half. Marvin is terrific, blocking, heading and doing what he does. Jimmy is possessed by the life force of one of those madly brilliant Italian defenders who just has to stand near a player and they tackle themselves. Three times I stand up to applaud him not actually making a tackle. He's not always perfect but he's improved so much. He's a far better player than many are willing to concede. Gabriel is everything you'd expect him to be. We are always better with Gabriel playing.
We lose the midfield we'd controlled pretty well previously and concede a few scary moments that if Peterborough were any good, they might have made more of. They're a weird team. In flashes, they look really coherent, in long spells they do nothing. One cross fizzes, forcing Husband to crash it just wide of his own goal. One raking crossfield ball is ridiculous and slices us open. One bit of attacking leaves us flailing about before Marvin rescues the situation.
We don't offer a lot. Madine is still flicking it about, setting Bowler away but his shot is blocked. He's still getting on the end of things but his header from a corner is straight at the keeper. The game has gone a bit flat. I've enjoyed it thus far but it's turned a bit stodgy now. Their time wasting is now taking the absolute piss.
We lose the midfield we'd controlled pretty well previously and concede a few scary moments that if Peterborough were any good, they might have made more of. They're a weird team. In flashes, they look really coherent, in long spells they do nothing. One cross fizzes, forcing Husband to crash it just wide of his own goal. One raking crossfield ball is ridiculous and slices us open. One bit of attacking leaves us flailing about before Marvin rescues the situation.
We don't offer a lot. Madine is still flicking it about, setting Bowler away but his shot is blocked. He's still getting on the end of things but his header from a corner is straight at the keeper. The game has gone a bit flat. I've enjoyed it thus far but it's turned a bit stodgy now. Their time wasting is now taking the absolute piss.
Critch is bringing on Jerry. Lavery will be trotting off - He's done ok, but he's looking a little tired. Wait a minute... Critch is bringing off Madine too!? What are you doing Neil!? I like Sonny Carey but c'mon, what is this madness? It's Jerry and Gary, Gary and Jerry. That's what you need now! Ffs.
James gets away, he's done ok again today. He's not a player who is ever going to be described as 'elite' but he's an honest lad who gets stuck in and gets forward. He pulls it back. It's SONNY CAREY!!!
It's into the stand.
I'm gutted. He's got it all, balance, vision, effort, aggression, bravery and style but he keeps not quite getting a goal. I'm worried that's going to throw him. That was the moment. That's why Critch sent him, to drift from deep and hit it like that and when the chance came, he missed it. He's a kid. He needs one of those to go in sooner or later.
We're better for the changes though. A bit more forward thinking. We implore everyone's favourite right back to have a shot. Unfortunately, whilst he might be the most wholehearted and generally wonderful right back in the entire professional game and pretty good at everything else, he's also fucking awful at shooting. He manages to both look like he's connected well and yet put it out for a throw in. Next time Jordan. Next time... Maybe he was trying to help Sonny forget his miss?
Marvin goes to loft it forward. It clips a Peterborough player and a hopeful ball becomes a demonic pass. Keshi is a mischievous sprite and he's on it. He's annoyed me a bit today holding the ball too long but not this time. He's got a sight of goal but his vision is superb as he rolls it into the path of Carey. The young lad is just so calm. He sees the chance to find space, he steps one way, then trots a few yards the other, collects the ball and slips it into the corner, completely sitting their keeper (who to me, looks like a my little pony owned by an annoying kid) on his arse.
YES! I am absolutely ecstatic. Carey is the player we lack. He's a bit raw at times but at others, he's got the poise, the brain and the attitude to lift us from being a side that can try very hard to a side that can hurt you. Being sent on to win a game, missing a gilt edged chance but then having the composure to win it anyway is going to do him the world of good. It shows he's got it. He's got the stuff in his head to not give a fuck and believe in himself. For all the lovely flicks and clever play, that is often the difference between a play who does and a play who ends up not doing. It's not the mistakes you make, it's how you forget them that matters.
We're not done. Gabriel harasses their full back on the edge of their box. Which would be remarkable were it not Jordan Gabriel so that's just normal. Bowler has it. He doesn't even try to beat anyone, just sweeps it into the path of Jerry whose first effort isn't very good, but who slams home the rebound. YESSSS!
There's time for them to force Grimshaw into a wonderful save and then to miss the rebound in a comical fashion. There's time for the whistle and lots of singing and hailing of Critchley. I take a moment to soak it up. I don't really care that this wasn't the greatest display of our history. I really enjoyed it and I love being here. If there's so much as a fraction of a chance we're going to be seeing cancelled games or playing behind closed doors, I want to absorb as much of this as possible. There'll be all the 'quality' football you want on TV in the contractual obligations cup but this was proper stuff today. I'd rather watch this 600000 times than watch a game I don't give a fuck about on TV.
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I've already said we've played better and I've seen better games. That's not the point. It was two sides very short on confidence and a bit short on quality. So what? They tried hard. They got covered in mud and won the game. We scored three times and it was probably the three players who have got the most magic in their boots that scored them. The three players who, if on song and playing with confidence, you'd think could really impact against whoever, whenever.
I'm gutted. He's got it all, balance, vision, effort, aggression, bravery and style but he keeps not quite getting a goal. I'm worried that's going to throw him. That was the moment. That's why Critch sent him, to drift from deep and hit it like that and when the chance came, he missed it. He's a kid. He needs one of those to go in sooner or later.
We're better for the changes though. A bit more forward thinking. We implore everyone's favourite right back to have a shot. Unfortunately, whilst he might be the most wholehearted and generally wonderful right back in the entire professional game and pretty good at everything else, he's also fucking awful at shooting. He manages to both look like he's connected well and yet put it out for a throw in. Next time Jordan. Next time... Maybe he was trying to help Sonny forget his miss?
Marvin goes to loft it forward. It clips a Peterborough player and a hopeful ball becomes a demonic pass. Keshi is a mischievous sprite and he's on it. He's annoyed me a bit today holding the ball too long but not this time. He's got a sight of goal but his vision is superb as he rolls it into the path of Carey. The young lad is just so calm. He sees the chance to find space, he steps one way, then trots a few yards the other, collects the ball and slips it into the corner, completely sitting their keeper (who to me, looks like a my little pony owned by an annoying kid) on his arse.
YES! I am absolutely ecstatic. Carey is the player we lack. He's a bit raw at times but at others, he's got the poise, the brain and the attitude to lift us from being a side that can try very hard to a side that can hurt you. Being sent on to win a game, missing a gilt edged chance but then having the composure to win it anyway is going to do him the world of good. It shows he's got it. He's got the stuff in his head to not give a fuck and believe in himself. For all the lovely flicks and clever play, that is often the difference between a play who does and a play who ends up not doing. It's not the mistakes you make, it's how you forget them that matters.
We're not done. Gabriel harasses their full back on the edge of their box. Which would be remarkable were it not Jordan Gabriel so that's just normal. Bowler has it. He doesn't even try to beat anyone, just sweeps it into the path of Jerry whose first effort isn't very good, but who slams home the rebound. YESSSS!
There's time for them to force Grimshaw into a wonderful save and then to miss the rebound in a comical fashion. There's time for the whistle and lots of singing and hailing of Critchley. I take a moment to soak it up. I don't really care that this wasn't the greatest display of our history. I really enjoyed it and I love being here. If there's so much as a fraction of a chance we're going to be seeing cancelled games or playing behind closed doors, I want to absorb as much of this as possible. There'll be all the 'quality' football you want on TV in the contractual obligations cup but this was proper stuff today. I'd rather watch this 600000 times than watch a game I don't give a fuck about on TV.
---
I've already said we've played better and I've seen better games. That's not the point. It was two sides very short on confidence and a bit short on quality. So what? They tried hard. They got covered in mud and won the game. We scored three times and it was probably the three players who have got the most magic in their boots that scored them. The three players who, if on song and playing with confidence, you'd think could really impact against whoever, whenever.
We attacked and we played our game. We didn't always do it perfectly, but we got at the opposition and we continued to do so even when we'd got in front. We went behind and we came back. Bowler actually found some end product. All of the strikers got involved in different ways. All of these things are good. Wins are good. Football is good. Being top half is good.
Can we do this again next week? Please?
Onward!
Can we do this again next week? Please?
Onward!
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Another entertaining read. Thanks
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