BFC 1-0 QPR, Saturday 12th February 2022

‘I’ve got more chance of winning the half-time draw than we have of winning today.’

What is that weird feeling? I can’t quite put my finger on it. A sort of tingly sensation, making one smile nonsensically like a demented patient of Bethlem Royal Hospital (‘Bedlam’). A strange sense of joy, of positivism, of joie de vivre (is that right? My French is merde.) Oh yes, WE WON A GAME. Was it the Righteous Brothers who sang ‘You’ve lost that losing feeling...’? Barnsley are back (Barnsley are back)!

We outfought and outshot a Rangers side lacking the creativity and fluidity which have taken them to 4th in the table. Who’d have thunk they were 7 unbeaten, and us 13 without a win? Yet they should have opened the scoring early, as a cross to the backpost had a Ranger on his own, 6 yards from his nearest marker. Thankfully, instead of simply directing it towards goal with his right foot, he did everything to get it onto his left and blazed it into the crowd. What is it with one-footed players?

Talking of creative, we have Benson, who nearly broke the deadlock with a sublime pass which created a 2 on 1. Unfortunately, the 2 on 1 was in Rangers’ favour, but hey ho. Small steps, and all. Helik legged it across to make a superb block. In the meantime, we took pot shots from 20 yards which, while often on target, never really threatened. The most eye catching effort was from Jordan Williams, who ran from his own half and burst past at least 4 opposition midfielders in a way no-one else in our team can, before launching it over the bar in a way many of our team can.

One thing I’ll say for the second half – Rangers didn’t once threaten. Even when that last minute cross was millimetres from Dyke’s head, I was never worried. Us? Gomes blazed over on the volley from 10 yards. Poor. Another couple of ‘sighters’ and the best we had was 2 breaks down the left with Quina. Shirley (Bassi) was ahead of him, unmarked, an easy ball and a chance to cross. Quina ignored him, twice, to get his head down and run into traffic, the ball greedy so-and-so. The danger with this approach is that Shirley will stop making those runs. So it was with some trepidation that Quina broke away again, ignoring my screams to ‘PASS THE BALL!’ to lash home from 20 yards. What do I know? (Well, I know he wasted 2 promising attacks with his earlier unwillingness to part with the ball.)

Onwards and upwards!

*** Quina. Am I really giving MOTM to someone just for scoring? YES! But he did bring the ball forward a few times, which is a few times more than anybody else save for Jordan.
**Helik. Am I really giving 2nd for someone making a goal saving block? YES! (I’m having trouble sorting the wheat from the chaff this week; they were generally much of a muchness.)
* Vita. Why not? Looked comfortable coming forward.

Official MOTM: Quina. Won….so we named one.

Londontykes’ MOTM: 1. Quina 2. Vita 3. Helik

Despatches:
Leaving the ground, there were people doing that weird thing they do, where open their mouths and show off their tooth decay. Smiling, I think they call it. ‘How many points are we off t’play-offs?’ I heard one fan ask amid joyful cackling. I was just happy we were off the bottom after Derby’s defeat. Oh. (I didn’t realise we were a staggering FOUR points behind a team who’d given us a 21 point headstart.) So, no, no time to get carried away. Just proof we’ve carried our midfield all season and we’re looking to a Watford reserve player (note: Watford are bottom of the Premiership) and a clean sheet to eke out a victory. I guess I was just disappointed Jonesy had finally seen a win this season. I was looking forward to us taking it to the wire!!!!

As for winning our 1st game in whenever, one must assume we did something different today. And I did – was it the pre-match steak bake? Or walking through the Alhambra to the ground, avoiding the usual hike around the train station while that bridge never gets built?

Drink du jour: What was that IPA in the record shop pub beginning with ‘E’? Epilogue? Epilepsy? Leprosy? No, can’t have been the latter, doesn’t begin with ‘E’. (What begins with an ‘E’? A decent night out!)

Away: 1,405. Never seen so many of ‘em. Took them 8 minutes for a round of ‘Barnsley’s a sh*thole, I wanna go home.’ Point of order on this one, chairman – QPR (or Shepherd’s Bush) is the only place I’ve ever been food poisoned pre-match, vomiting all over a pub wall within an hour of imbibing.

Number of league games since a midfielder owned by Barnsley FC scored a goal: 25. Can someone else check this, please? I can hardly believe it myself. Benson, Palmer, Styles, Brittain, Wolfe….ok, I believe it a bit more now. (FYI, Styles bagged in August. August!) Tell me I’ve missed one…

The Damage:
c. £32 petrol
£3 programme
£18 mugs
= c. £35

The Tunes:
BBC 5Live
Skywriting (The Field Mice)
Craig Charles’ Funk and Soul Show (BBC6 Music)

BFC 5-3 QPR, Saturday 14th December 2019

‘I got results back.  Ah’m all clear, Debs!’

Welcome to ....

A tempestuous week meant drinking from 9am on the Booze Express to Barnsley.  Heading out of the EU, and Tories even taking over my home constituency of Sedgefield, it was left to Barnsley FC to cheer me up.  Christ.  I don’t fancy my chances.  I hadn’t seen them win all season, in 8 or 9 attempts.  By the final whistle today we’d hit 5 and won our 3^rd game of the season.  Must be the Boris effect!

It's matchday, so obvs you can't use the station pedestrian footbridge.

Course, I missed the first two goals, as it took an age for the box office to assign next week’s Millwall match tickets (and I still didn’t buy enough, idiot).  I traipsed round the back of the Ponty in time to hear a distant cheer.  F***.  1-0 down before I’ve even got in.  So it was with some surprise upon entering the East Stand that ‘the scorer of the QPR equaliser was….’  We’d gone ahead, they’d hit back.  All-square, I’d missed nowt.

You have to be kidding, right?  £30?

I’m not sure what to make of the game.  Was it a thriller?  Or just two poor sides not having a clue how to defend?  At least ours took turns to give them goals, as Mads got caught on the wrong side for #1 (I’ve since seen it on telly), Diaby fails to track his man for #2 and whichever Williams isn’t Ben got absolutely ar5eholed down their left before the pullback eluded Mowatt.  Yes, we need to be scoring about 5 a game to have any chance of picking up points.

Match action in front of the Ponty.

However, in attack, one must give new coach Strudel his dues; he’s dropped Woodrow behind a front two of Chaplin and Brown.  Who saw THAT?  I maintain it makes sense, cos Woodrow's the only player we have who can kick a ball, so those loose balls on the edge of the box are meat and 2 veg to him; but on Satdy we saw the renaissance / beginning of Conor Chaplin’s BFC career.  Previously, all I’ve seen is a little fella running about to little or no avail.  Now he’s hitting hattricks, being in the right place at the right time without Woodrow to get in his way.  Even better, we discussed pre-match Slacki’s bet with Loko that Chaplin would get 10 for BFC this season.  He was on 4.  We all agreed we’d rather have Loko’s side of the bet….(course, it might still come in when Barcelona snatch Chaplin in the January window).

The Rangers hordes.  Thanks for coming!

Brown too was a revelation.  Was he involved in 4 of the goals, or only the 3?  Whatever.  Let’s hope he’s allowed to develop rather than be shunted around from position to position.  Aside from Chaplin's well taken threesome (his 2^nd, a half volley into the roof of the net being the pick), Brown laid Diaby in for a tap-in, the early free kick catching QPR asleep and sending Brown scurrying away down the right.  The other, a Woodrow pen (our 1^st at home in 3 years, who’d have thunk it?) was nailed on after Woodrow beat the full back all end’s up.  We were 5-2 up at this point and not even a late consolation could ruin a perfect week day.

Cauley buries the pen.  Just take my word for it.

Onwards and upwards!

*** Chaplin.  Official MOTM too.  Amazing what a hattrick does. 

** Brown.  Back to his best?

* Woodrow.  You can’t keep a good striker down.  Sell him in Jan.

Londontykes' MOTM: 1. Chaplin  2. Brown  3. Mowatt

Despatches:You know it’s an ‘interesting’ week when you’re getting lectured by a Dirty L**ds fan due to the inappropriate nature of a chant on the train back**.  ‘Think of the children’ he said, as he pointed at his 14 year old, who’d not taken his ear plugs out all journey.  He really did look angry too, but at least he (correctly) ascertained who the leader of the crew was (me!).  Problies cos he thought he could have me.  I was a little taken aback, to be honest.  And I thought I did well to maintain a calm voice as I told him I couldn’t believe what I was hearing, given some of the disgusting chants I’ve heard Dirty L**ds sing over the years (‘Jimmy Savile, he’s one of our own’ anyone?)  If he wants to protect his darling little cherub, I’d suggested watching anyone but L**ds.

**Course, he was right.  Any sane person would find that Yorkshire Ripper chant absolutely abhorrent, but it’s so…DAMN CATCHY.  I must point out that Nice Guy Chris did not join in said chant.  He’s better than that (and wasn’t as drunk as the rest of us)

Some Super Reds await a train.

We also met the full Reds team, minus Diaby (well, I never spotted him) at Wakey train station on the way back.  Seems they were off out in that there London for a meal, before spending Sunday at Winter Wonderland.  Isn't that for kids?  (Well, our team ARE kids...)  They were mainly hanging out in the coffee shop.  McGeehan came and said hello and had a brief chat, before I went in and dragged Toby out for a pic with his #1 fan Jonesy.  (I didn't say what Jonesy thought of his efforts at left back.  I merely said 'Don't worry, you'll be back in the team soon' cos he's too good a footballer not to be.  And we've too poor a defence as well.)

Oh, and I fell asleep on the bus home and had to walk the mile and a half back home.

Peckham Rye, last night.

Drink du jour: Leffe, Weihenstephaner, Spiced rum and ginger ale.  More beer at the Parcel Yard, where I became ‘tired and emotional’.  This country has officially gone to the dogs.

Away: 769 

The Damage:

£24 travel

£2 fanzine

= £26

The Tunes:

Let Them Eat Chaos (Kate Tempest)

Until the Hunter (Hope Sandoval and the Warm Inventions)

A Long Hot Summer (Masta Ace)

Behind the goal, pre-match.

Looking towards the away end.

The old Main Stand.

The Ponty v QPR.

QPR 1-0 BFC, Saturday 3rd February 2018

***photos to follow

‘They’re like a rock band…but s***’

I can’t believe I fell for it. I was weirdly optimistic beforehand. Who cares that we’ve 3 draws and 21 defeats in Shepherd’s Bush since 1950? I had channelled my inner gypsy: the trousers I’d picked up from the dry cleaners were surely the charm needed to break the curse.  I’d already decided that if they worked, they were coming next season.  Reedy tried breaking the optimism; we were nowhere near the side we were last season – when we’d been beaten comfortably, again.  Very true, very true. But QPR aren’t world beaters either, even if a certain Josh Scowen claimed the other week they were a ‘bigger team than Barnsley’. With less than 12,000 home fans there today, I’m not so sure – though they can certainly claim to have more supporters willing to pay £38 on the day for a middling second division game. Criminal.

After our undercover efforts to get into The Defectors Weld last season (hide your colours), we decided on a meet up in Notting Hill this time.  Only knowing the place from some film I’ve never seen, I imagined Notting Hill to be some kind of middle to upper class loveliness.  It reminded me of Reading.  Fortunately, the pub was pleasant enough (Windsor Castle) though I noticed it claimed to be in Kensington.  Yeah right.  Dave even paid me for the Sunderland tickets I bought 2 months ago.  While the group split between an uber and the bus, Phil went missing.  He later claimed QPR wouldn’t let him in; I suspect he baulked at the £38 asking price…

The match started well. 5 mins in, a free kick is curled to the back post by Hammill, for the header across goal and Mills….to clear the bar from 6 yards.  Beautifully crafted, only lacking the finish.  That feeling of ‘it’s not going to be our day’ starts very early at Loftus Road, though Andy did point out when we’d made 10 mins without conceding.  We spent the half looking the better side, but only had one other effort worthy of the name; a half volley from 20 yards by Hammill, tipped over.  We’d been the better side, still created very little, and scored less.  It didn’t look good.

We came out a different side.  Not literally, we were just s*** from start to finish.  And if it took Fulham 4 minutes of the second half to score last week, it takes their West London compadres 3, as Josh Scowen picks up the ball and floats a 25 yarder curler into the far corner.  I thought Townsend should have done better from that distance, but to be fair, it’s the kind of goal Davies concedes too. (I seem to remember wondering after the last goal we conceded from outside the box, when the last time WE got one.  I’m still wondering.  Everyone else has midfielders who can kick a ball.  Why don’t we?)  It was their first shot on target.

Hecky tried mixing it up, bringing on Hedges and McBurnie for Hammill and Moore, but it made no difference.  Then, after QPR were down to 10 men for a rash challenge on the byeline, he brought on Mahoney, the winger from Bournemouth, and went 3 at the back.  With QPR running clean through twice, it’s fair to say the lack of a 4^th defender made more difference.  One of these was direct from a THROW-IN.  I know I'm a keen fan of hyperbole, but this must be the worst defending I've EVER SEEN.  Mahoney was ignored for large spells by his own team, who appeared incapable of switching play quickly.  Who was it had 10 men?  Townsend, by the way, saved both, one being particularly impressive.  The sending off meantime, surprised Reedy, Dave and I, we all thought it was yellow at best from where we were, but our entire bench jumped up as it was in front of them.  The ref stayed impassive for a few seconds, stood  where he was (while everyone else was running around) and brandished the red.  Nothing like giving yourself time to think.

We did though have the one chance, the one ‘nearly’….as a ball is flighted in (Mahoney?) and McBurnie headed it down….Moncur sidefoots it into the corner…right in front of us….it beats the keeper….and a defender sticks his leg out on the line. Ba5tard.  Another year, another loss at Queens Park Rangers.  If there’s an upside, I don’t think we’ll be here next season.

Onwards and upwards!  (Not that I believe it.)

*** Mills.  I thought Pearson very unlucky not to keep his place after last week, but Mills did well.  Shame he missed that early chance though. How things could have been different!

** Yiadom.  Not a vintage performance, and effectively marked at times, but was trying to make things happen.* McBurnie.  He was everywhere.  Looks rangy and dishevelled, but puts himself about.  Doesn’t look like a footballer, but looks better than owt we have up front.  Go figure.

Despatches:
It was a shame to hear a few boos at the end, however badly we’d played 2^nd half.  That said, I flounced out at the end and went to Westfield for a bit of retail therapy to cheer myself up. (I needed a suit.)  I came out even more depressed.  Shopping centres are awful places, aren’t they?  The players?  Moore looked like a carthorse.  Bradshaw kept failing to control the ball with his shins.  Oh, and I nearly forgot, was put clean through by Moncur….and got outpaced to it despite a headstart. It is a COMPLETE WASTE OF TIME threading balls through to our forwards.  They can’t run.  Moncur was ok, including an early 50 yard run through the heart of the pitch, and got a shot off (on target as I remember, but didn’t trouble the keeper). Hammill disappeared 2^nd half, whileWilliams….Williams.  Great to see him back, making tackles and giving the ball straight back to them.  He does it ALL the time.  So that meant Gardner could push up and be useless (the Potts role?)  Lindsay and Penniless looked comfortable in defence.

Away: c700.  I couldn’t believe it either.  Who are these people willing to pay £33 (advance) or £38 (on the day) if they weren’t loyal enough (sorry) to be one of the 210 regulars who nabbed the £10 s*** seats in the corner?  Course, we were some of the 210, and with some rather efficient stewarding preventing us going through another entrance, we had to enter the stand at the correct place…before we moved along to sit where we wanted.  It’s one advantage of supporting a team who never fill this stand.  And I can get a bus from Shepherd’s Bush to Camberwell.  A cheap day out all round!

The Damage:

£10 ent
£3 prog
= £13

Drink du jour: Some pale ale or other.

The Tunes:
Utopia (Bjork)
Parallel LInes (Blondie)
Staring At The Sea (The Cure)

Queens Park Rangers 2-1 BFC, Tuesday 7th March 2017

‘I don’t feel too good….BLEEEUUUURRRGHHHHH’

Welcome to ....

Another season, another pasting at Loftus Road, and for some of us, an even more dire nite than usual, if one includes projectile vomiting on Shepherd’s Bush high street.  I ate a Mediterranean lamb stew and knocked it back with a pint and a half of Erdinger.  I thought it was the speed I ate and drank these things, but my innards today tell me there was more to that ‘stew’ than met the eye.  Tho any restaurant with a cat eating her dinner at the table (sat on a chair) outside is normally fine by me.  (Her name was ‘Boss’ and she was a 6 month old cutie).   

Nearly there...

Of course, that was before I got IN the pub.  Christ, we should get those 2 guys at the door in our defence.  No away fans, so half our lot pretended to know nowt about football (easy) or had to be picked up at the door by Phil (resplendent in a blue away shirt.  How does THAT work?)  It appeared that if you rocked up in the office attire of jumper and collared shirt, you were in.  Still, Erdinger on tap.  In plastic glasses.  So, they root out the riff-raff and still charge you the earth for the honour of drinking from plastic.  I problies felt sick before I left the pub.

The view from the top tier.

On to the match and at least we’d made the effort to buy a ticket in advance, limited view, £28.  (As expected, there was plenty of space, so we sat where we liked and plonked ourselves right behind the goal).  Marvellous view (as long as the rows in front were empty – they were), and about 6 inches of leg space.  Brentford was similar.  Is West London populated by dwarves?  But pity the poor few (Stu) who bought a ticket on the night: THIRTY SEVEN F***ING QUID.  Now, obviously, Stu only paid cos he likes our company, rarely sees us, and is a masochist anyway.  But this is CRIMINAL.  (Bearing in mind I wouldn’t even have paid the £33).  

I wasn't aware it had closed...

I missed the kick-off, and thereby the chance to see Ben10 mascot us for the hundredth time.  That kid’s made more appearances than Hassell!  I had a good feeling too.  For the first time since EVER, I felt I was going to QPR confidently knowing we are a better team than them.  This lasted for about 3 minutes, or however long I was in the ground when we conceded.  A cross, a flick, and the ball just hit the heel of a forward and trickled in.  Jammy ba5tards.  Still, poor defending, and there was plenty of it 1^st half.

Match action

Thereafter, both sides looked decidedly average.  Scowen put his foot through a couple of shots (over) while Marley (centre forward!) had one chance blocked with Kent blazing the rebound over.  Later, we went 2 on 1 and while Kent overlapped, Armstrong pussied a ridiculous sidefoot effort to the keeper.  Pathetic.  Then, with time ticking at the end of the half, Marley rounds a defender, fires across the keeper…and it’s cleared off the line.  Well covered, dammit.  QPR meantime hit the bar from a header and Davies dived low to his left to save a sweetly connected 20 yarder.  

It can’t be all bad though; Bristol City and Little Lee are losing to Norwich. And say what you like about the cosmopolitan nature (or not) of Oakwell and BFC, but we’ve yet to have an ‘always ar5e club’ a la QUEENS Park Rangers.  If I understood the half time announcement, Shaun Derry is the latest member.  You’d never have guessed to look at him (though the shaven head possibly gives it away.)  That was about it as far as my entertainment went last night.

The salubrious surroundings of the concourse.

2^nd half, I don’t think either side got going.  Mowatt was dragged off in midfield and a re-shuffle brought Bradshaw up top, Scowen moving centre and Marley out wide.  We still looked s***.  Or at the very least ‘unlikely to score’.  Then a ball was whacked out wide by QPR, it hit their man and proceeded to drop kindly for him to run onto and cross.  Jammy ba5tards.  And he whips in a beautiful cross to the front post where MacDonald and their bloke challenge to get the last touch.  Apparently it’s MacDonald.  Jammy ba5tards.  (Only kidding, great cross).

The game meandered on, then Hecky threw on Hedges and Hamill for the last 20.  Finally, we look like something going forward and a hopeful long ball is flicked on with his boot by Hedges and Bradshaw runs on, rounds the keeper and strokes it home.  We have pulled one back.  The atmosphere is still flat.  We know.  That’s it for another evening at Loftus Road.  3 draws, 20 defeats and counting…since our last win here.  It comes to something when fans are reminiscing about a draw, once (Martin Bullock scoring the equaliser, despite trying to clear the bar from under it).

A late free kick is wasted.

*** James.  Put his foot on the ball, rounded people, ran at people, gave himself time and space. 
Otherwise, I’m struggling, so….
** Kent.  Looked dangerous 1^st half.  (I know, I couldn’t believe it either) then disappeared 2^nd (I could believe that).  I’m obviously not the only one exasperated with this fellow, cos one Reds fans was giving him some right abuse, inviting him to p*** off back to Liverpool.  Unless it was Waddington, and he was talking about Hamill…
* Hamill.  At least there was some threat once the maestro came on.

Londontykes' Top 3:
1. James  2. Hamill  3. Roberts

Despatches:I can barely think of a morsel to write about the rest.  Yes, the centre halves cleared a few balls, but yes, the goals came from crosses.  As Stuart said ‘2-1 flattered both teams; it had nil-nil written all over it.’  Another crap nite in the Bush.  And Bristol City equalised.

Onwards and upwards! 

Drink du jour: Erdinger on tap.

Away: 526 Reds fans wishing they were somewhere else from the 1^st minute onwards. 

The Damage:
28 ent

I refuse to give ‘em any more of my money.

Loftus Road panorama

Full time.  Another defeat in Shepherd's Bush.

QPR 2-0 Barnsley, Saturday 5th October 2013

 Rangers'  stadium - the 1st sighting

'You euthanasia ba5tard'

Another part of me died yesterday.  Having vowed not to attend if it's 30 quid or more...I found myself attending, paying 30 quid or more.  And not one to do things by halves, I drank in an O'Neills.  Twice.  So losing was probably only the 3rd most depressing experience of my day.

As it was, how could I NOT go?  Meeting up with the crew, including Salisbury and Phil who'd travelled up from Hampshire, it would've been rude of me to put my principles above their joy at my company.  So, a couple of £4.40 Stellas and a massaman curry  (£7.50 - bargain!) later, we left the Churchill Arms in Notting Hill Gate to grab a pint in Shepherd's Bush and 'savour the atmosphere'.  O'Neills it was, then.  Time for a pint and a leisurely walk to the stadium.  So Gerry orders a burger and chips at 2:20pm and (to cut a story short) we crawl to the ground late.  So I'm getting 80 mins for my 30 quid. (Mind, I half hoped we'd be losing by then so I could still turn around and spend my money in the pub).


Decent turnout too.  With the £25 'silver' tickets sold, that was 360 fans straight away.  Plus us odds and sods meant around 500+.  Not bad if, like Andy, you were celebrating your 14th attempt at winning at QPR (sum total: one draw).

Midfield mediocrity

2 things happened in the 1st half.  Butland made an unbelievable save from a close range effort ('He's England's number 1') and we had a penalty shout turned down.  Altho at the far end, it looked a penalty to me.  The ball was pinging around inside their box and we laid the ball back for a player to strike it, only it hit the hand of their player and diverted away.  Technically the denial of a goalscoring opportunity, our 1st and last as it was.

2nd half, the game continued as it had been.  QPR showed little in attacking flair, forcing Salisbury to denounce how poor they were, while our midfield could barely put a touch together, let alone support O'Grady and Scotland in attack.  But if you'd seen QPR's goals column this season, you'll see they've made a habit of nicking low scoring wins.  They simply bore the opposition into submission.  And in Charlie Austin they have a player who only needs one chance. We gave him two.

THIS is what a 30 quid ticket looks like!

1-0 came from a corner.  I actually missed it, as did our defence.  As the corner was given, I thought I'd calmly sit down and watch the proceedings at the far end.  I think our defence did the same.  Unfortunately, QPR took a quick one, a well worked effort that ended with Austin firing home from the edge of the box (I'm told).  Apparently Flitcroft had warned our players about Austin's attacking threat.  Genius.

Now, I can handle losing at QPR.  It's what we do.  But what made me angry was that QPR had never looked like scoring, had never threatened our goal (aside from that early effort) and we weren't under constant pressure.  QPR had bided their time and took their one opportunity. 


Later, as their player headed towards the corner flag, he fell over under little pressure and the ref couldn't wait to award a penalty.  Game over.


So there it was.  As routine and perfunctory a victory as ever there was, with QPR breaking their record for consecutive clean sheets (could they have had it any easier?)

*** Crainie.  Solid, solid as a rock.  Then gave a penalty away, somehow.

** Butland.  Didn't have alot to do, but what he did, he did.

* Kennedy.  Why not?  That's how average the rest of them were.

(Actually, my real top 3 would be...
*** drinking till late with Andy and Selwood in Shepherd's Bush.

** THAT massaman

* Andy mocking the queue outside Walkabout, which was closing down.  'Why are you queueing?  It's rubbish!'   '.......YOU'RE rubbish!'  I've never seen an Aussie lost for words.)

Misc:
Has our season started, at last?  Sir Bobby of Hassell makes his 1st appearance of the season.  Flitcroft has tried everyone else and has to turn to our own caped crusader when Ramage has to leave the field to general indifference.  Sadly, Superman wasn't able to rouse us to victory, yet.  But he did get the fans going.

Gerry brought me a few Chronicles and I read an early season interview with O'Brien.  Apparently we shouldn't worry that we've changed our pressing game, despite 'having 3 of the best pressers of a ball in Dawson, Perkins and Etuhu'.  Which I found odd.  I was quite enjoying a high tempo pressing game last season which usually ended in victory rather than defeat.  Instead, what I get is death by a 1000 cuts that is watching Mellis, McCourt, Fox, etc etc.  Just give me a bit of pace and effort!

Do I even need to say Mellis STROLLED through another match?  I feel I do - otherwise you'd be disappointed at my lack of predictability.  The quickest he moved all day was when he was subbed.  (How many times have I written THAT in a report!?).  And the 'Derry Pele'.  My God.  He's like an unfit O'Brien.  Didn't take a player on until injury time and was probably only still on the park cos we'd made our 3 subs.  Liked to hog the touchline, which would've been great had he been given the ball.  Instead it took another player out of our midfield and as I said, one of the others was Mellis.  Christ on a bike.  Cwyka looked good when he came on, mind.

Equally, thank god Flitcroft is attempting to do something about our appalling defensive record.  We now have an England goalkeeper, and a centre half and defensive midfield player from Premiership clubs.  Has it stopped the goals going in?  Not really.  Perhaps it's the new STYLE of football (style??) we're playing, as well as the characters attempting to play it, who're at fault.  F*** me, I'd rather go down fighting playing the likes of Hassell, Dagnall, Dawson, O'Brien, Perkins,O'Grady etc etc etc

Angry of Peckham.

Oh, and yes I did fall asleep on the bus home.  Even when it's a London game I can't manage the simplistics of life.  'New Cross' is the answer to your question this time.

A