No, not a reference to Franchise – put your smelling salts down.
It’s funny that as I sit down to type this on a chilly Monday morning, warming up in the glow of beating Donny 2-0, it’s only now I’ve bothered looking at the league table.
Not bad, is it? If you offered any of us that at the beginning of the season, we would have snapped one of your limbs off for it.
In November though, the league position isn’t that important – unless you’re at the very top or the very bottom.
And while it’s nice to look at, there was something more important than even the three points from beating Doncaster.
Not only has it stopped the recent League gubbings, but Saturday was our first EFL win since Harrogate away.
And our first in SW17 since Tranmere in late September. That’s sobering.
The game itself wasn’t exactly a classic, by the sounds of it. I guess the official went to the nearby Home Bargains beforehand and got his referee licence there.
But that doesn’t matter. Two goals without reply, in a game we probably would have lost last year, is a good result regardless of entertainment.
OK, we had two sent off, which made it quite old skool – shitty November day at Plough Lane, shitty game, shitty opponents and a not-so-shitty result.
Hell, Alan Cork was there too. Good to see he’s back in the Wimbledon fold again.
If we’ve started to build some resilience for the first time in fuck knows how many years, then 2023/24 is a success already.
I haven’t seen the sendings off, though I notice JJ was getting some brickbats from the usual suspects about not making subs when needed.
While our current manager does continue his distrust of his bench for some reason, perhaps the players on the field could use their brain once in a while?
Oh.
It’s annoying that we’ll be facing Notts County in under a fortnight without Biler and Bugiel, although that game would be a great statement of intent from us.
Really, though, I’m not upset we won’t have a game this weekend. Especially that one at that place.
I have to admit, as funny as them getting relegated was, we have to deal with the circus twice a year again.
The club were doing its usual the-fixture-that-dare-not-speak-its-name approach, and while individuals can blank it – as a club, should we really be doing that?
Especially that for the younger elements of our fanbase, they’re chomping at the bit to be facing them.
I didn’t know Franchise had three internationals. Maybe they were discovered on a boat at Dover and were duped into thinking they were getting a better life?
I would have thought they would have been smart and gone ahead with it, knowing the Iraqi Scouser was himself on his travels.
As it stands, this will probably be shunted either into the middle of December or more likely in January too.
From our point of view, perhaps next month would be a good time to play them – AAH will be back, he’s definitely on international duty in the AFC Asian Cup** come January.
** – given the prefix we’ve had since 2002, anyone else think there was a previous Asian Cup that got franchised out to Brazil or something?
And his two goals on Saturday will have added another £500k to his transfer fee.
I expect the Iraqi Scouser’s last AFCW game to be either Colchester at home or FGR on NYD.
The rumour mill about him leaving is ramping up big time, and there’s no smoke without fire when it gets to that stage.
A bidding war for him would be excellent for the coffers though, and he should be the biggest transfer fee of the AFCW era if he departs (even if Wycombe take a cut).
We should be used to anyone half-decent leaving by now, and it’s good that the club have finally grown some balls and have started insisting on decent dough for transfers.
Most teams in L1 and L2 need to sell to survive, and we’re just one of them.
Of course, that means a more-than-adequate replacement, but remember we got AAH a mere ten months ago when Craig Cope wasn’t even settled in.
I’m not worried about his and Andy Thorn’s ability to scout for the new Al-Hamadi. It’s a shame I can’t say the same about whether the purse strings will be loosened…