Like Tudor (see post below), I wasn’t at Edgar Street, but given that some SW19 readers had 14 hour round trips on Saturday to/from the Wimbledon area it might have been a blessing.
To try and find much info bar what the OS says on the game is pretty difficult, but then it’s hardly surprising. The story writes itself – decent play to begin with, defence fucks up, slightly better in the second half, get a goal back yet have to rely on luck to get back etc etc etc.
Tedious to write every single week, beyond sickening to actually have to watch it.
I was trying to avoid writing something on this game just gone, but something struck me last night – the vibe has changed, even from people who one would normally consider “loyal”.
Apparently, some people were booing at Edgar Street which is the first time it’s been reported at games (instead of blowing off steam on t’internet). Reportedly, when the team got back on Saturday night they looked as dejected as they have all season – even more so than Swindon in January. Any bit of confidence and momentum built up from the Cheltenham and Crewe games has disappeared in a flash.
The ironic thing is that points wise, we’re more or less the same as we expected before we went to Whaddon Road – we expected Cheltenham to gub us and they didn’t. Crewe speaks for itself, of course, so why has defeat to Hereford blackened the mood?
I think it’s because we should be at least drawing games against the Bulls, but have ended up with an “L” next to the result. And you wonder if we’ll ever win a game again this season because of it. If we can’t beat fellow relegation strugglers, why should we be expected to win against Southend or Rotherham or Oxford?
I really don’t fancy having to go to Underhill to get a point or three, and we shouldn’t have to. The fact that we are expecting to do exactly that sums up our current state of mind. The big question here is whether the players feel the same way…
Which is why tomorrow is crunch time, the proverbial six pointer. And the game that could determine whether we’re at Barrow or Bradford next season. Jamie Stuart’s comments are interesting in more ways than one, and maybe it’s a few subtle digs being made? And not just at MMK…
Lose tomorrow, and it will be a case of when, not if people turn against various players and people at the club. And I include our top brass in that – they would be as culpable of us going down as much as the management and players, especially if it appears they are unable or unwilling to act before it’s too late.
Lose tomorrow and people really will be bringing up THAT Sheffield Wednesday game at Selhurst in the Drillo era. I’ve no desire to be transported back to that time when we knew the game was up, and our fans have long memories. Especially when you consider the stakes for AFCW remaining in the Football League are much higher than even WFC staying in the Premiership.
Lose tomorrow and TB’s position starts becoming untenable (lose Saturday as well, and it becomes impossible to see how he can continue). It would show that he just couldn’t get through to the players any longer, which is fatal for any manager.
While the highest profile managerial casualty this weekend was at Ponti Stamfordi, we also saw Tranmere get rid of a decent bloke in Les Parry because they had one win in 18. A rumour on Twatter this morning is suggesting that only scoring two goals against us may have cost Jamie Pitman his job at Hereford. Typically, I wrote that five minutes before Jamie Pitman got his cards. Reportedly, the chairman gave the Hereford team talk…
AFCW have won 3 times in the last 21 games.
Just thought I’d mention it.
I should balance things up and say how much a victory tomorrow will help us. And it will lift the mood for another couple of days, depending on how well we pull off the victory. The second half at Home Park was one of the best I’ve seen us this season, although before you get too confident Plymouth were playing 17 year old kids and had Peter Reid in charge.
Oh, and they pissed all over us in the first half.
Sorry, I was trying to be positive, wasn’t I? I’ll go back to what I said before Hereford where I said something to the effect that despite everything we’re due to thump somebody. That might be when Operation Survival is completed, and the pressure is off us. Or just as likely, when we’re about to face Gateshead in the first game of next season.
Whatever happens, one thing is clear. The next two weeks will determine whether AFC Wimbledon will be a Football League club. It will determine whether we actually belong in proper football or whether we have simply taken a sabbatical. While there’s still two months of the season left, the next fortnight is crunch time because after that there will be little chance of turning it around if we’re in freefall.
For a good while, the management, the players, and the top brass at the club keep saying how AFCW belongs in the Football League, how it simply has to be part of the 91 Club, how the club has gone full circle since that day in 2002 and how they owe the fans.
It’s time for them to shut up and prove it.