The big problem about writing up Robbers 3 Cops 0 is that even I can’t be moved to slag it off too much. This was in many ways the right performance : solid, if not entirely spectacular. An early goal, an improving defence and – perhaps for the first time in a long while – a team that knew it was in control and yet started to click in front of our eyes.
And in that paragraph above, I used a word that I haven’t used in a while. Not conciously anyway. No, not “performance” but team. Towards the end of the second half, we were starting to look like a unit. Not a collection of individuals, or of a side that was stuttering a bit, looking for the end product. But a unit.
No, it wasn’t the perfect performance, there’s no such thing. There’s still a little bit of ring rust, and at times when we were 1-0 up there was a slight feel that a better team could cause problems. And I don’t think SF will be extending his loan with us, somehow. But in the past, and especially last season, a 1-0 vs Hendon would have easily been 1-1. We would have been nervy, defensive and scraping home. Now, we really could have had 3 more in the last 20 minutes alone.
But I don’t hope for this level of performance each week – I expect. A team (that word again) who have realistic aims of promotion should make this the standard. And we’re now stepping up to the plate, loosening up with the trusty old Louisville Slugger, and wait while the pitcher scratches his nuts and makes fingered salutes.
Dare I risk catastrophe and suggest that finally, things may be starting to happen? Actually, I won’t, because it’s the surefire way of disaster next week. Remember, we’re still unbeaten and that will end one day.
The game? Well, Rosco capitalised on a defensive fuckup mis-communication after about 30 seconds and that almost settled the game there and then. Except that we sat back a bit too much for my liking. Still, I don’t know what’s happened with DA’s team talks but for the last two games we’ve looked a helluvalot better in the second 45 minutes.
After a period with me thinking that we deserved the second goal without actually getting it – we got it. Well, Steve Wales did, after a close range header courtesy Bubb. From then, we could have had a couple more. On second thoughts, I’ll rephrase that – we should have had a couple more. When Rosco put away that penalty, it merely reflected the play.
That enough for you? Good. Moving forward….
Plus points: Practically everything I said in the first three paragraphs, and quite a few of the others as well.
Minus points: First half after Rosco’s goal was a bit shit.
The referee’s a….: Hmm. To quote our manager after about 2 minutes, “we’ve fucking got Montgomery Burns running the line.”
Them: I like Hendon, and not just because of the three points. You know how you have teams that you have time for, and some you definitely don’t, and they’re in the former. Rather see them stay up than a certain other team down the bottom 😉 Bit crap though.
Three’s a crowd: 2274, and I can’t help feeling just a tad disappointed. Plenty of column inches have been written already about how to entice the crowds back, though if word gets round that we’re playing some good stuff at home who knows? Our aim by the end of the season is to get them back past the 2.5k mark. That said, I wonder if it’s because we haven’t had a “big” game yet?
Truth is stranger than fiction: (1) Just why do the Diet Coke bottles sold at KM come from Georgia? And I don’t mean Atlanta, GA either. (2) Sure Donsonline has them on view, but those banners at the back of the TE are a bit disturbing. There’s that neo-Communist “Form Follows Function” one. There’s the one with the double headed eagle that looks like it’s taken a mixture of PCP and caffine and is lashing out at a poor defenseless bit of grass. And now the one with the eyes staring out, in rather an evil manner. Can we next have a “Welcome To Hell” banner put up?
Franchise watch: Haven’t done one of these for a while, as writing about their relative successes is a pretty horrible experience. Well, to be more specific, this is not actually about Franchise. Yesterday, WISA had their meeting about the honours, and after a quick skim through their blurb, we basically get the honours back. The cups, the medals, even the name Wimbledon FC. That means badges and the like. In return, Franchise officially get left alone by us, WISA officially calls off the boycott and are allowed to join the FSF and all that.
First things first. If there isn’t a 95% plus vote in favour of the motion, I’ll eat a KM burger this Tuesday (maybe). Secondly, Franchise joining the FSF isn’t that big a deal – the FSF is about as effective as a toothless tortoise in the grand scheme of things. And as we’ve seen this season, friendlies are called off by the teams in question in the first place.
What really intrigues me is the possible return of the WFC name. Now, it won’t go to us, LBM will have it. To begin with, anyway. And here’s what I’d like us to do. Bring back the WFC name and the badge in a retro way. By this, I mean t-shirts, replica kits, videos of the old days at PL when somebody bought along a video camera. Give the old badge and name its metaphoric dignity back.
I don’t want to rename AFCW as WFC, though if we can use both the names at the same time let’s do it. If you want an idea of how this could be marketed, a little taster can be found here.
Will the Frenzies go for it themselves? I understand they have. There’s no real attachment there, and they want to be known as their own identity. And being realistic, they do exist and they are starting to flourish a little, unfortunately. We may think that they don’t have a right to exist, that this action “legitimises” them. TBH, it’s pointless expending energy over it – you’ll never win.
But we’ve won out far more than they have. OK, so they get FSF recognition. Big fucking deal. They’ve got our league place, but they’ve fallen so far that perhaps they’ll never get up. And league places are never guaranteed anyway. They’ve practically been forced to admit that they stole our identity, they’re now being forced to abandon their main selling point. We had to restart from scratch, but they’ve lost just about everything they had post-28/5/02. We’ve been wounded and “legitimising” them may hurt, but they’ve been humiliated by the traitors at the pub team. That’s far more of a slap in the face. And besides, you can individually do things to make sure they collapse – it’s not like after this every AFCW fan has to be grateful to them.
Perhaps in agreeing to it, they even have a twinge of guilt. Not holding my breath though….
Anything else? Yeah. I’ve made the JS stand (behind the dugouts) a sort of semi-permanent home now. Anyone who calls me a moaning piss-stained geriatric can fuck off and empty my colostomy bag. Bloody youngsters with their singing, and their so-called popular music. Some of them don’t even get married these days. Anyway, you do get to hear some interesting comments, but the one that struck me happened right towards the end. Forgot who said it, but somebody on our bench said to a few of the players, “after the game, you go down there, alright?”. Down there being the TE. It may be de rigeur, I may even be making far too much of it. But I’d rather hear that unprompted rather than “last one in the showers is a Frenzy”..
So, was it worth it? I would say so.
In a nutshell: Arresting.