Virus, Dentists and Old Bombs.

Struggling a little bit this week with a virus infection; coincidentally reading a book (Station Eleven) that deals with a “post apocalyptic” world depopulated by the fictional Georgia ‘flu – and what happens to civilisation – or rather what remains and/or evolves as civilisation. Interesting reading, but not designed for those who have heavy spasms of coughing. I smile as I type this.

Apropos to which, big medical news is about the breakthrough in “bionic” technology: the development of a working mechanical hand that can grip with varying pressures and is managed by electrical impulses from the brain. This is the super side of humanity. The opposite to the terrorist shrieking demands and violence – and it is most welcome. As is the fact that I had my dental check-up this week and have no remedial work needed.

In the World Track Cycling the GB team threatened to overwhelm, then managed to win creditable medal places. Opinion is divided about whether this is a good omen for the Rio Olympics, but on balance I am optimistic. The races shown on TV include the omnium and the kirin, both of which are fascinating to watch and bewildering to score. One of our class cycling heroes, eleven times Paralympic champion,  Sarah Storey – officially a Paralympian but determined, sharp and easily able to compete with able bodied athletes – is intending to try and cycle a world record distance in one hour. The current record is 46.065km and was set by Leontien Zijlaard-van Moorsel of the Netherlands in October 2003. I wish her luck: trekking around the velodrome for an hour is said by Chris Boardman to be “one of the most painful things you can do on a bike.”

 

Meanwhile an unexploded Second World war bomb was discovered beneath the car park at Borussia Dortmund’s stadium (which has a capacity of 80,000). I am not sure if they were digging up the ground or it was a chance find.

And one of our former players, dean Holden is moving into management, though perhaps only temporarily: Dean Holden is stepping up at Oldham. Good luck to him – unless they play Walsall of course. He was centre half and coach at the Banks’s Stadium and I remember buying tickets for a charity his family actively supported; his young daughter died from a rare blood disorder. He always seemed a genuine guy.

So to Walsall. The week began with Walsall Football club – and, to be fair almost all clubs in league One still with a reasonable chance of making those important play off places.

An away game at Bradford on Saturday had Bradford going one up, but finished with a one – all draw. That seemingly indefatigable spirit coming back to bite Bradford on the bum! But not finish them off!

But, then again maybe the intense pressure of a lot of games in a short timeframe is taking a toll on our small squad; although morale seems cheerfully high.

The first allocation of JPT tickets has been sold and we have been granted an extra five thousand. Phone lines and queues have been the order of the day … and I cannot get through to ask about the Early Bird season ticket offer.  There are Wembley-linked prizes on offer if we buy before 14^th March.

A rearranged game against Preston North End has Romaine Sawyers rested and Ashley Grimes beginning the game. Young Rico Henry replacing Andy Taylor at left back and Paul Downing not starting due to injury. Ashley Grimes is a lot more physical than Sawyers, who maybe being rested. But, sadly for Grimes his hoodoo remains with him. He failed to make any real impact (lack of match practice/ lack of skill?  According to manager Dean Smith we – as a team –  took too long to get started: giving Preston too much of the ball, the play and the territory – and paid for it by losing one nil.

Perhaps there is something of an anti-climax here, or fatigue is setting in. It may be no surprise that we – finally – lose to Preston whose resources are far bigger than ours but …

We have Leyton Orient at home on Saturday, we are still in the mix and there is time to get points and table position still. But games are running out now.

Images; Sarah Storey; daily mail; Omnium: telegraaaph.co.uk; dean Holden: http://www.thenational.ae; Match action: Walsall Advertiser

Che Sera, Sera … We’re Going To Wembley

Three forty five. Pee. Emm. Friday.

I’m coming down the stairs, two at a time. My big orange anorak in my arms. Smile on my face. Signed timesheets in my fist.

“Hey,” she says looking up at me, “don’t tell me you’re going home already!”

“OK,” I reply, “I’m not telling you.”

Like most of the others, she will be here for some hours yet. A meeting, progress and target data, seemingly endless planning for jumping through next week’s hoops.

I haven’t been near my mobile phone all day, but as I edge into the last school-run traffic of the week – some courteous drivers out there, today, thank you – it rings.

My brother. He who had my season ticket and said he would be in the queue for nine o’clock this morning. What queue/ the one for Walsall’s first-ever Wembley appearance of course! I guess he’s ringing me to tell me mission completed: the Wembley tickets safely in his grasp. That he’s at home. When do I want to collect them?

NO! he’s still in the queue, estimating a couple of hours before he gets to the front. Been there since ten thirty this morning! Trying not to sound miserable … he does.

“D’you want me to come and take over?”

“If you could …”

Takes me forty or so minutes. Facebook is full of up-dates: the first people started the queue at three a.m!

I hop over the security fencing, people all around are quiet, resigned, full of Saddlers humour:

“Who would have thought this many people would want tickets for the Doncaster game tomorrow eh?”

On Ashley Grimes first goal (against Gillingham earlier this week); “they say there’s a new souvenir shirt on sale in the club shop. Says on it; “Ashley Grimes … I was there when he scored!”

This self-mocking is a happy characteristic, it seems, of many Walsall supporters; easy, casual and tongue in cheek; just in case we get to taking ourselves too seriously.

“Is this the queue for Elton John tickets?”

“My mate said that show’ll  be the first time a queen has been to Walsall …”

We have a game at home (Rochdale) on Tuesday night, then on Saturday, again at home against Port Vale. Saturday is Valentine’s day. “Is it?” somebody isn’t sure.

“Yes,” chips in somebody else, “I’ll have to do something about that then.”

“What? Like buy yourself a Valentine’s card?”

Repartee. Nobody taking offence. But perhaps you have to be English to get it.

I haven’t got any money, no credit card, so I have to borrow my brother’s. He tells me his P.I.N. I keep saying it to myself, so as not to forget it. Then the train spotters around me (yes, really) start talking locomotive numbers and I become confused.

   

During the day, the queue started in the car park, went in through the away supporters entrance, down the pitch side track, out of the exit and to the ticket offices. The security man tells me he’s been on duty since six this morning. There are four ticket windows in operation. The ladies behind the windows, clearly tiring, are nonetheless doing a sterling job. They have to check season ticket details, find the correct seats, take financial details and wait for the tickets to be printed – away from the desks. Another lady is ferrying the tickets from the printer to the windows.

Behind window 1 the lady signals and says to the security guard:

“No more here for a while!” Then moves away.

Stan, long-time fan and club legend, apparently he hasn’t missed a game: home or away since 1970-something, has an armful of season tickets. Every season ticket is allowed to purchase up to six tickets today; general sales commence later. He has to reel off names and addresses from a list on a multi-folded paper. There had been grumbles: tickets should be per person, not per season ticket, it’s not fair. But this is allocations. If the initial allocation sells out, the club simply asks for more (s I understand it).

The chief of security comes forwards:

“Why are we one down?” he asks over my shoulder, nodding to the vacant chair behind Window 1.

“She’s gone for a cigarette.”

“What!” he says.

“Really? There’s a three hour queue and somebody’s got to take time out for a fag?”

I can understand he is irritable. But I haven’t been there all day, I am getting civilly served and will soon be on the way home. I also understand that every now and again it is wise to take a breather (if not a cigarette) or mistakes will be made.

My niece is heading for South Africa tomorrow. My brother needs his card back, so I drop it off on the way home. Then I’m home and drinking tea.

Not as soon as I’d imagined when I joined the traffic in Burton some two and a half hours earlier.

But we have got the tickets.

A big, much deserved thanks to my brother for standing in the queue for five-and-a-bit hours, to the people in the queue for their company and humour – and to the staff in the ticket office and security team for their endeavours.

Oh and an interesting aside from the Express and Star last night. Every club bar one (Huddersfield perhaps) that Andy Butler has played for has got to Wembley the year after he left. Why did we have to keep him so long? As somebody (was it me?) asked in the queue that is already fading into memory.

Saturday. Five forty five p.m.

After a walk over Cannock Chase and an afternoon up at the allotment I listen to local radio to find that Walsall have won two – nil up at Doncaster (coincidentally where said Andy Butler is now plying his trade). Ashley Grimes a scorer? No: goals from Jordan Cook (in the first three minutes) and twenty year old loanee Jordy Hiwula in the second half.

Reality Check: Gillingham at Home.

The question to ponder here is what exactly do referees say to players who have committed offences; especially the brutal and heinous ones? These are professional footballers remember? Football is their livelihood and their lives. They train, train, play and train: set pieces, tackling, heading, off-sides … the whole nine yards.

So … does the referee need to remind them that, barging somebody over, thuggishly from behind is against the rules? Does the referee need to remind said offender (for which read cheat or bully) that this behaviour is not allowed, will not be tolerated?

Or should the referee simply blow the whistle and dig out the red card?

We played Gillingham on Sunday evening (yes I know it’s weird, but we’ll get to that okay?) and Gillingham were out to intimidate, scare and rattle the Walsall team. At one point James Chambers was literally bounced over the goal line and onto the pitch side wall by a blatantly unfair push in the back when shielding the ball from a Gillingham player. The ref spent an inordinate amount of time “talking” to the man responsible and instead of, justifiably sending him off pulled the yellow card.

What?

A Chelsea player, stamping on the foot of an opponent got sent off this week because his actions were deliberate and could have seriously damaged a fellow player. This was exactly the same: Chambers could have been literally taken out of the game for a number of games after the crash into the wall: a sold object. Deliberate! Intentional!

Now I do blame the player to some extent. He did it after all. But a greater responsibility lies with the officials. Make an example of these thuggish tactics and they will not continue.

This ref made enemies of both sets of fans during the game with mind-boggling displays of ineptitude all over the pitch, favouring neither one side nor the other. I do not think I have ranted too mush about refereeing decisions in this blog, so trust me: this ref was a clown.

Gillingham sacked Peter Taylor their manager some weeks ago and are currently operating some kind of management by committee structure. We joked about each of the four choosing a different line a la Football Manager computer game (“You get to choose the goalkeeper this week, I’ll choose the defenders”). They were beaten in the other Area Final of the Johnstone’s Paint Trophy by Bristol City and were, understandably out to get some respect back. Gillingham is a fair journey on a fair day, but with a six p.m. kick off on a Sunday evening ? Their few travelling supporters have my deepest respect.

This was a rearranged fixture, arranged for Sunday by negotiation. We cannot play our Sunday games earlier, because the Bescot Sunday Market takes precedence: so I set out, picked up my brother and parked up, feeling rather surreal.

“It’s not cold,” my brother cheerfully remarked. It got cold during the game and was well towards freezing as we trudged back to the car.

Cully is still tremendously excited about getting to Wembley and we spent most of the first half going over getting-to-Wembley options. The tickets go on sale to season ticket holders on Friday. A lot of the game went by, all but un noticed. I wondered if our players might be a little awe-struck; concentrating on staying fit and uninjured so as to be available for the Wembley game. And, while I was wondering I was hoping not. We still have a chance of play off places and promotion and that won’t happen if players won’t go in where it’ll hurt.

The players might have been tired and emotionally drained but there was no chickening out of challenges and we were largely in control of the game, but – as has happened so many times this season we were in little danger of actually scoring: on top, a lot of shots, but nothing to show for it.

James Chambers, nursing that injury no doubt didn’t come out for the second half; replaced by O’Connor.

Tom Bradshaw had some very neat, edge of the penalty area footwork and a tidy shot, but immediately looked uncomfortable, quickly replaced by Ashley Grimes – who hasn’t scored for a couple of years. And, with the defence expecting an off-side flag Gillingham broke away and they are one nil up. Deep joy for the travelling supporters, probably imagining a happy journey home at that point.

But we went on the Bradshaw-less rampage. Cook playing well, Sawyers missing a shot, Forde showing good control (amazing how little space players like Cook need down the touchline to get by defenders) and, finally thanks to a scrappy challenge from O’Connor  who else but Ashley Grimes stuck the ball into the net! Easy to see how relieved he was. But Bradshaw’s injury looked serious , so – with Manset leaving us to go the Cheltenham Town – Grimes might be our main man for a few weeks.  Please note, however we did pounce (if that is the correct verb) to secure a month long loan of rising Manchester City teenage star, Jordy Hiwula apparently a striker too.

Final score one all, not a great deal of help in our crawl towards promotion, but being a Walsall supporter is never easy. If it was, surely we’d get more supporters at home games.