Bradshaw, Blades and Christmas Coming Up …

So … that convincing home win against Barnsley stretches an unbeaten run and puts us four points off the play off places. For those of you unsure about the system: top two teams in the league get automatic promotion to the Championship and those placed three to six enter a play-off with home and away games aggregated score deciding which two teams play in the final for the third promotion spot. To qualify we have to finish better than sixth. That is real progress after a very poor start to the season and, I will reluctantly admit goes some way to vindicating the outwardly calm, no-panic approach of the management team. 

Walsall Football Club always seems to be run on a shoestring budget: if we cannot afford it we ain’t gonna risk it kind of approach. I’m all in favour of that, especially since we have a fine system of scouting that turns up gems like Tom Bradshaw (below right) and get some superb loan players in – Michael Cain (below left)  from Leicester is a current example. It must also be about the relationship between players and staff of course – so I guess something is going well. It certainly felt like it watching the Barnsley game!

 

But our next three games pit us against quality teams who are above us in the league: Sheffield United away, Swindon at home on Boxing day  followed by MK Dons away.

Sheffield United, the Blades, fresh from knocking Premier League Southampton out of the Capital One Cup are managed by Nigel Clough. They play at Bramall Lane. Sheffield, once the knife and cutlery making capital of the world: once the home of the mighty British Steel and the sought-after “made in Sheffield” mark meant quality all across the world. Certainly my grandmother had some of it, set, she always said in whalebone handles.

 

Before the game we take a trip to Cannock Chase to buy a Christmas tree. Choosing a five footer that is now decorated and set up in the corner of the living room. Sentimental attachments to many of the decorations that are reminders of our daughters growing up and of places we have visited. And, so pleasing when the lights come on …

Dreadful news from Peshawar, Pakistan, where a hundred and forty one people, including a hundred and thirty two children have been killed during a so-called terrorist raid. It seems inconceivable that any religion can claim that educating children is wrong but this seems to be the twisted logic behind the raid. Outrageous! Cowardly! The future can only be poorer unless everyone gets and education – surely? Although many students in the developed world may not see it as such – learning – and learning how to learn – is a privilege. The fact that  there are regions of the world that do not have this yet makes us all poorer. That a culture would try to prevent it is feudal and ignorant. Thoughts with the families there – for the very, very little that it is worth.

As a result the Pakistani prime minister has reinstated the death penalty.

Back to sport, where there is some degree of sanity. Rugby Union team Wasps have played ther first game at their new home, the ricoh Arena in Coventry – a long-running saga this one. One-time F.A. Cup giant-killers Hereford United have been declared bankrupt – after ten  court winding up hearings.  While in this year’s F.A. Cup lowly local team Worcester City, having forced a gallant draw in their  first game at Scunthorpe went out in a dramatic replay with a new record number of shoot-out penalties before resolution: thirty in all. Hope it brings few new fans to the Aggborough club.

BBC has had its annual Sports Personality of the Year, reflecting the highs, lows and dramas of sport. Lewis Hamilton (Grand Prix driver) won the overall people’s vote: Cristiano Ronaldo the international player of the year and the first ever GB team from the Invictus Games getting a fine award, with a marvellous tribute from Prince Harry who when asked how he felt gave credit to the athletes but added “like a proud dad!” with a  big, genuine  smile. I am really proud of how far sport for the disabled has come and how that label “disabled” carries no stigma in my country.

We have had no really cold winter weather yet. It gets dark, it is wet, sometimes windy and grey, but cold? Not yet.

So Saturday dawns and I get to the afternoon radio. BBC WM as is traditional for me. Better than BBC Sports Live as it concentrates on local clubs. I am reading with an ear open for the “goal horn” but the  irregular “catch up reports” from Sheffield are not exciting for either side. The commentator makes it sound dull – perhaps it actually is, but that’s not what I want to hear.

Neither some minutes into the second half is that Sheffield have scored. Better news shortly afterwards that Tom Bradshaw has equalised: a splendid header I later see as I watch highlights. That’s eleven goals for him this season so far …

A draw at Sheffield? Tom Bradshaw getting another goal? A run of seven unbeaten games? and Michael Cain’s loan period extended? Keeps me happy.

Merry Christmas!

Cornish Sunburn and the Commonwealth.

Ouch! Got up this morning after a poor night’s sleep. Intense headache. True to a morning ritual, turned on BBC morning TV. Straight into a shot of what looked like the beach we were on* – and getting sunburned (!) – last week in North Cornwall. An item about a people-science jellyfish survey. Coincidence or what? We actually visited the Blue Reef Aquarium in Newquay and my favourite tank there was the one with the moon jellyfish circulating – and the neighbouring tanks with different stages of jellyfish development.

This item was followed by one on the Commonwealth Games; the opening ceremony is on Wednesday. “The friendly games”. Fifty three nations and territories from what started off as the Victorian British Empire meeting and competing in Glasgow. Earlier this week there was  a rather stunning and pictorially brilliant programme titled The seven Wonders of the Commonwealth. Dan Snow, Denise Lewis (former gold medallist turned presenter), Reggie Yates, Anita Rani and Claire Balding variously in the Sundarbans, Papua, New Guinea, the Solomon Islands, New Zealand’s fiordland, Victoria Falls (“the Smoke that Thunders”), the Namib Desert and Fingal’s Cave … Funny I have been to Namibia, but hadn’t realised it was part of the Commonwealth. Of course during these games there is no Team GB, we have teams from each of the states and nations: anybody here from the Isle of Man?

   

Also on the news: more about the crashed Malaysian flight disaster. Overflying the Ukraine it may well have been shot down by Russian separatist or loyal Ukrainian forces. Or something more innocent altogether. But at the moment the separatists who occupy the crash site area will not let investigators in to find out more. The Palestinian Israeli conflict continues to worsen: neither side seeming to be able to accept even the shortest of cease-fire arrangements. Genuine political grievances aside this is another example of ordinary people (on both sides) suffering for an intangible greater good.

While we were away the F.I.F.A. World Cup Finals came to a close. Brazil looking poor and needing sympathy. Germany beating Argentina and Holland taking third place. But, being on a seaside, family holiday there were other priorities.

Oh, and we watched the intriguing sagas in the Tour de France as one by one those who started as favourites literally crashed out: Chris Froome, Mark Cavendish … and being away with a couple of serious cyclists has that must-watch effect on me.

Meanwhile Walsall’s low-budget publicity machine made much of the signing of – is he a winger or a striker  – Jordan Cook, from Shrewsbury and a lot of hype around “the youngsters” coming through the ranks (Reece Flanagan and Amado Bakayoko); only for Cook to turn an ankle in a friendly game (which we lost 2-1) and put himself in doubt for the start of the season. Local paper, the Express and Star quotes Dean Smith as saying, something like “I will be looking at strikers over the next couple of weeks.” Not really a surprising reaction.

Smith has been very good in the past at getting quality/overlooked players to Bescot on loan. It is to be hoped he can continue to work that kind of magic. I am looking forward to the season beginning but sense we need some firepower and some experience to go with it.

Need to stop typing now, that headache is starting to return.

*Actually, for accuracy, it wasn’t the same beach (Constantine ) but one nearby at Perranporth.