No cash turnstiles

My first match was seen after I turned up on the day with two folding notes in my pocket. One goal but plenty of excitement and a big desire to come back. If you can not pay in cash on the day then aren't loads of people going to be put off or are only committed fans going to matches these days? Shame if so.

It is a marathon not a sprint...

But hey it is always good to have a headstart not a big gap to the front. We tried and failed. Anyway back to the quest: 92 clubs to visit and still over seventy to go so which next? Given the weather now I am thinking not a good idea to travel a long way. This means the rest of the local clubs first but hey my local club is flying so high can I get in? Wish me luck?

It took all hope away

It was the sort of game that takes some getting over. And there is potentially another one this weekend. I can take a valiant fight and defeat but when you never look in the contest it's galling.

The big one

So Lawro reckons on a one:one draw.  I cantake that but fear worse and don't know what to expect.  Depends who scores first, if anyone.  The tension is always unbearable and rarely is the football great but the result can be fantastic or dreadful.  That's football.

Stevie just cannot score!

By this point last season I reckon Gerrard had already bagged half a dozen goals, including a hat trick. He must have hit the bar that many times this season. Anyway the problems seem to be in defence probably because the increase in emphasis on attacking has removed some of the defence power.
And off the OT next weekend after midweek in France so high hopes for the next league match?

Back to basics

Well please let's get back to league football. And preferably at 3pm on a Saturday. I know I am getting nostalgic.

Predicting no qualification

So England loses in should convincing fashion - so are we back to the drama of qualification for a change? No longer do we have the certainty of knowing, under Sven, that we will get there but then fail to do anything worth shouting about.
Well I am all for excitement but joke football is another matter. Gary Neville breaks his duck with an own goal and Robinsonsays its just a freak occurrence.
Well for me is was cringing. Below is what my program thinks of our chances now.
Prediction on Thu 12 Oct 2006
Footy says ...

Pos.	Team	Pts	plus	(from)	Total	[Max]
1st	Israel	7	+19	(9)	=26	[34]
2nd	Macedonia	7	+18	(8)	=25	[31]
3rd	Croatia	7	+15	(9)	=22	[34]
4th	England	7	+12	(8)	=19	[31]
5th	Russia	5	+13	(9)	=18	[32]
6th	Estonia	0	+2	(9)	=2	[27]
7th	Andorra	0	+2	(8)	=2	[24]

Another international break

Will the football league season ever get going? Teams play 2 or 3 games and then there is an international break. For those in European competition more traveling. Ah, well it's football I suppose but my team just can't seem to get into any kind of run. Gone are the days of

"the same team as last season"

- Shankly I think said that.

This jinx thing with the Valiant!

I fail to turn up for a match and they win. I closely watch a match and they lose. Anyway I will report back when I eventually get to the ground.

Illness postpones Vale trip

Now aiming for next Vale home match. I needed to rest and even the moderate trip to Vale Park wasn't worth worsening my hope. Moreover they won! Maybe because I didn't turn up!

Looking forward to seeing the Vale fans

I am much looking forward to seeing the female Vale fans if this photo from the catalog is anything to go off.

I may be a Valiant jinx

Just watched the Vale throw away a home win! Please can they play better when I am at the ground? I have avoided watching my own team on TV because of a fear that I was jinxing the result. In short football fans will do anything to win even if it means not watching the football!

League Leaders no more!

Fine, already my plan to visit the League 1 Leaders falls foul.  Okay, so it is just that The Vale have slipped to second.  Must firm up travel plans...

We are off and stumbling

One game played, one point gained and two lost? Anyway more on the road to ninety two. First target match this season is down to the mighty Vale Park (see the symmetry here) to watch them take on Blackpool as League leaders (they may have lost this accolade by then of course). Having knocked out the Lillywhites can then get revenge on the Seasiders in the return fixture.
At least it should be warmer than when I visited Bloomfield Road!

wow 3 for 3

Every friendly match the score line gets worse. The only way is up!

Somehow I should have guessed!

Israel for the first European game! Always something to make things interesting. I hear many players that featured in the World Cup have yet to return to their clubs - seems sensible but difficult to see it helping them early on. At the end of the season you may get the same affect, to a lesser degree, as with Ashley Cole - he looked sprightly in the WC unlike most other English players. A high price for Arsenal though! All part of the fun me thinks.

Taking the Michael

When Real Madrid took Michael Owen the only thing that was annoying was the small price tag but given what I am about to say maybe it wasn't!  In his last season on merseyside he was not playing a full season.  So he was great in spells but all too frequently crocked.  There is definite value in having a player, of lesser quality, but who plays most of the season and steadily puts a reasonable number of chances away.  At Newcastle he wasn't ever present and for England, yoah!  A shame for all.  Now Shearer has always had something more physical about his play.  Ah well...

World Cup Withdrawal Symptoms

Why can't we have football on every day. Fifth place play-offs, and so on. Enough to ensure we do not have days with no matches at all. The human condition is such that you get use to a steady supply of world cup football. We crave the next match, not matter what the importance. Togo versus Saudi Arabia is not a match you see outside the tournament in a meaningful way. Friendlies are just are not the same. Come on FIFA take the medical advice and feed our addiction in a way that doesn't stress the body then wean us off slowly by following the final with the women's version or the U20 version, anything to make the withdrawal bearable. Come FIFA play ball!

And his Dad

And his Dad, normally such a sombre refined gentleman, looked even happier and this was before kick-off!
There is always next season.

1-0 to the Robins

Well it was a fun day out, up to a point (when the goal went and the final whistle blew up) and nice to see the stadium. I can imagine that when full it is a very atmospheric ground. We didn't try the catering but outside we had enjoyed a little something. Pity is was mostly empty (29,000 crowd).
Next time it's Wembley!