In or Out: Wigan at Home.

Sunday, 21st February; home.

We managed a walk around Walsall Arboretum this week. As David Cameron was whooshing around Europe trying to boost his “new Deal to reform the European Union”. The arboretum is, essentially what it says on the tin: a garden for trees, but is famous in my brain for the succession of autumn “Illuminations” (now cancelled). It has been largely refurbished, given a modern twist and is all the better for it. There is still the sense of space and tranquillity, still the large lake and, though the limestone rock is overrun by brambles and broken tumbled tree trunks the reflecting pool. What used to be the “nitty-gritty work area” and nursery is now a stylish café and visitor centre and the small stream still bubbles joyfully down the centre.

 

Cameron on the other hand has been having a hard time. His diplomatic scuttling has been at the beginning of a campaign that will end in a referendum here: about whether the UK stays in the EU or moves out. Sounds simple, but Dave the Cee has been wheeler-dealering to engineer new circumstances: with key points about sovereignty; the Eurozone; migrants and benefits and competitiveness. Tough talking going on and some close-to-the wire politics ended up with said P.M. announcing the referendum will be held in June of this year.

 

Watch this space.

Meanwhile – a lot more locally – another Dave – “Blind Dave” Heeley, the blind marathon runner who has raised hundreds of thousands of pounds for charity is about to embark on his toughest challenge.

He is learning to swim so he can take part in the Escape From Alcatraz triathlon in June. Competitors have to swim one-and-a-half miles from Alcatraz island, home to the notorious American prison in San Francisco Bay. They then cycle for 18 miles, and run for a further eight.

 

In 2008 Mr Heeley ran seven marathons in seven days on seven continents.

Of his latest challenge, he said: “I am questioning my sanity.”

So am I: but God bless yer Dave!

In the local sports pages Walsall players have been attempting to rouse up some support, by giving us credit for cheering the team on: it’ll be interesting on Saturday: Wigan, last year in the Championship are going great guns, mounting a real charge and throwing money at players like there is no tomorrow.

Indeed, when I turn off the main road to park, there are few spaces left – and there are five big Wigan coaches and three minibuses parked like fat slugs. The somewhat-smug car park stewards have coned the away car park off and are gleefully turning hopeful drivers away.

Inside the ground the Wigan fans are crowded and noisy. The Walsall fans, so noisy on the road are just the opposite.

I outlandishly predict that Tom Bradshaw will score three, make way for Jordan Cook who will score a further goal – ad Jack, looking nervous tells me he will “farm all the crops” on the allotment over Easter if that happens.

Of course – it was never likely to.

And, as we kick off we are just pressed back and only their poor shooting skills and some stout defending (twenty year old Matt Preston in again as O’Connor is still injured) keeps us in the game. Wigan have one-time Saddler Will Grigg at number nine and he has a few chances, but misses.

Bradshaw, as always is doing his best; but on his own has little or no chance. These are quality defenders he is trying to upset and bamboozle and he has no support.

Goalkeeper Etheridge’s kicking is staying on the field but long punts are just going to Wigan defenders.

Sawyers, is again a little off the pace and locking horns with a player who bests him, both physically and psychologically – and Sawyers cannot get away from him.

Matt Preston breaks out of defence, stretching his legs, but the ball is given away and very quickly Wigan have scored. It is a class move and, honestly had been a long time coming.

 

The second half opened with us more on the attack: and eventually a free kick came back off a solid Wigan wall to Sam Mantom who drilled a fierce shot back past the keeper and into the net.

 

Suddenly we were toe to toe with the team that had dominated proceedings so far – that and looking for the winner. Seesaw football, until, right at the death an efficient Wigan attack saw them net the winner. Sam Mantom got a goal on his birthday: Adam Chambers was, once again magnificent in his five hundredth game of his career, but a bit of a stutter in our promotion hopes.

Next week we are at Burton, who are beginning to open up a bit of a gap at the top of the table.

But, as I sent to my sick-in-bed brother “we are still in it!”

And, dare I add, safe from relegation?

Position	Team	Played	Goal Difference	Points
1	Burton	30	17	63
2	Wigan	32	22	59
3	Gillingham	32	19	58
4	Walsall	31	16	57
5	Millwall	32	11	53
6	Coventry	31	22	52

Rat Runs, Jonahs and Life After Dean …

“That A5 bit at Churchbridge is the tricky bit,” Andy warned me at the game on Saturday. We were going through the complex arrangements necessary to get all of us to Greenhous Meadow, Shrewsbury on Tuesday evening.

As plans unfolded I would try to get away from work, drive to Four Ashes to pick Andy up from work, then drive on to Shrewsbury.

I know a rat run to avoid the Churchbridge islands (A5, crossing the M6 toll and the A34 and the Orbital Way which leads to an out of town shopping centre and the tip (oh and Cannock).

I have enough time as it happens to drop in to home, eat a tasty bacon sandwich, then set off. A second “alternative route” I was going to use to save time ended up with barriers closing the road. A frustratingly short distance from where I needed to be; but I had time to spare.

We compared our busy days before we remembered we are without the “ginger Mourinho” and talked about histories of managers and players leaving (in some cases, like Paul Merson) player managers indeed.

So may names have been linked to the job by the papers: Tim Sherwood, Shaun O’Driscoll, David Kelly, Dean Holden, Paul Tisdale (Exeter City), and Adam Murray (Mansfield Town). At work an Everton supporter suggested David Moyes (I think perhaps he doesn’t quite grasp what paupers we actually are).

Also linked is Mickey Mellon, currently ensconced at Shrewsbury. What a great idea: stir up things by suggesting the next manager might be working at the club you are playing next.  Between us we decide that, in reality, nobody in authority at Walsall has even thought about drawing up any kind of list, other than who to send Christmas cards to and who to buy presents for. Too, too early. Not that this will stop the speculation.

We slide gently onto the M54 by the new i-54 centre (Jaguar Land Rover one of our Midlands success stories, will be looking to boost production and expand their plant in the near future. Real jobs, producing something: bostin’ !

Off the M54, round  a few roundabouts to find a parking space at the Brooklands Hotel  near to the ground: traditional nesting space for some years now. And we’re early enough to get a seat in the “posh end” of the pub; clearly a couple of blokes who will not be disturbing the peace then.  And are discussing the dominoes tables when the rest of the crew arrive. JB, Jack, and, making their season’s debuts (I think) Big Mike and Matt the Painter.

Crisps, Bombay mixes and lightweight banter. Then the stroll defying traffic on a number of dual-carriageway islands to show our tickets and take our places (not even remotely connected to the numbers on the tickets!

I find out later that there are, give or take, 1,500 Saddlers fans there; noisy, witty and in good voice. Just as well; I am losing mine! It is not far, but this is still a good turnout: Tuesday night and close to Christmas after all.

We have the same team out that began the game against Bradford. Looking sharp and busy. Shrewsbury look second best but still manage to get a frustratingly good percentage of the fifty fifty balls and rebounds. Sawyers and Evans have a couple of shots that come off the posts.

Then, one on one with Etheridge Larnell Cole scores.

It would have been possible that, having been deserted by the management team and going a goal down – against the run of play  team might have curled up and given up. This team? No! They quickly regroup, stung into action. Milan Lalkovic, never short of fire and passion, takes a ball from sawyers and raps it into the Shrewsbury goal. Half time: one all.

Painterman Matt is downcast (or attention seeking), going on about being a bad-luck charm. we cannot remember the  lasttime he came to a match … and he is not famous for winter matches. we talk about work, changing jobs ( a tralerman next maybe?) and I hope I convince him he is not the Jonah he thinks he is.

But we think we will miss Tom Bradshaw, who has gone off, following a hefty tackle from  Antony Gerrard (once a Walsall player, but looking really a tad overweight now). There is no messing: Bradshaw limps off the field of play and down the tunnel.

Jordan Cook comes on. He doesn’t have the physique, the match fitness (perhaps) and we wonder how we will get a grip on the second half. While we are wondering this, however, we are surrounded by a thousand and more positive thinking Walsall supporters who have anew song or tow.

“They’ve got Mourinho,

We’ve got the physio”

Shrewsbury are being stretched by skilful passing from the whistle. Rico Henry in particular is making space and can dribble like a good ‘un. The home team sink to the  physical. The referee has let some of this go, but by seventy minutes is sending Ian Black off: second bookable offence. He doesn’t like it: argues, stands at the edge of the pitch like an unruly, sulking schoolkid.

Then Walsall are in full flight, but they would have been anyway.

Cook grows in confidence. From a corner – completely unmarked at the far post Downing rises majestically and nods in an easy goal. His first of the season. We go just a little bit crazy – and some guy in a silver jacket, who has been jeering and gesticulating at us from the Shrewsbury seats gets a full couple of choruses. He is not happy. We are. Even more so when Sawyers slips a ball to Henry who guides it towards Cook. Cook’s first touch is a little too heavy. I think he’s messed it up, but he gets to it and hammers it into the roof of the net. Satisfying!

Three one!

The magic is still with us.

This is brilliant, taking us to third place in league one … but a special note of thanks to the players and staff at the Saddlers for keeping the faith.  

Meanwhile, the Conservative government have actually decided to go to Parliament to seek approval for the Royal Air Force to carry out bombing raids on Islamic State (so called) in Syria. They have been coordinating attacks against the same enemy in Iraq after being invited by the Iraqi government, but now want to extend this to raiding ISIS homelands around Raqqa.

David Cameron’s party have avoided doing this up to now, because a no vote would, frankly, have been  embarrassing.

To make matters more interesting, the Labour (her majesty’s Opposition) leader is absolutely anti-war. The question is will he (Jeremy Corbin) issue a party whip and expect his M.Ps. to vote as he would wish or will he/dare he allow a free vote?

Colchester Utd (home)

I’m at the allotment, loaded up with runner beans, pears and sweet corn and heading towards the car, when a thought strikes me.

“Hey!” I say to Mike (he’s a Wolves supporter), our allotment neighbour, “the world’ll be a different place when we get back, we may passports to visit Scotland!”

“Yes,” he agrees, “And Walsall might have scored.”

We’re off to New York, joining a tour that eventually returns from Washington D.C. I am certainly looking forward to it; not least after hard-working-no-win-in-sight day at Bescot yesterday.

Playing Colchester, who just sacked their manager, Joe Dunn and his assistant Mark Kinsella (father of our latest prodigy full back Liam Kinsella), for poor performances were not happy to play the role of weak and feeble victims to our “fierce comeback after Tongue lashings following the defeat at Scunthorpe last week” (as per the local media).

There’s an “international break” with no Premier league or Championship games and a number of players are in the stand: Febian Brandy, Brian Flynn, Mark Kinsella and Ben Purkiss to name but a few.

We start quite well, but Colchester match our passion and pace. Some fine challenges and Walsall lose the ability to create space and pass. Our one strength and feature so far this season.

I understand that it is too, too easy to be an armchair manager, but, despite this I cannot understand why Manset, with his frame, strength and ability to hold the ball under pressure is playing somewhere behind a workaholic Tom Bradshaw. Surely the point of having “Big Man” Manset is to use him as a mobile target man? I don’t doubt he has the versatility to play other roles but see the target man role as key to us having a plan B strategy.

 

Some of the challenges are early-exchange assertive; some are blatantly criminal, including one that has Manset crashing onto the track/wall down below us. He is, at least dazed, while being treated (if the holding hands and shaking them our physio was doing can be labelled as treatment) for some moments. But brave or stupid, he’s back on and getting involved again – in mid field. No action from the referee, who, I don’t believe actually saw the challenge.

It is, of course wrong that I am left criticising refereeing decisions: I would love to be concentrating on the play and players, but little was happening.

There were good, solid games from Reece Flanagan (some fine, subtle and determined touches), Liam Kinsella and Kieron Morris. I love the idea that we’re investing successfully in bringing young players through, that I was watching three of them today … but not quite as much as I like seeing my team winning convincingly and that hasn’t happened for a long time. Tom Bradshaw still has that energetic, keen edge, running everywhere, chasing what seem to be lost causes and making something of them. But again getting poor service and needing to drift back too often to get any touches at all.

I am convinced we have the players but something needs to be altered. I like the fact that we have a management team that inspire loyalty and team spirit, but am disappointed that we seem to have just the one strategy. And that one has been sussed already.

Meanwhile Sainsbury’s School Games begin this weekend; meant to inspire they are based on opening-ceremony to closing-ceremony events like the Olympics and include Paralympic athletes. Credit to Sainsbury’s for sponsoring this event, best wishes to all taking part in Manchester.

The Tour of Britain Cycle Race also begins on Sunday. The first stage begins in Liverpool. The race finishes in London. Glad that we have a premier cycling event in Britain, but cannot help but smile at the inevitable comparisons I draw with the Tour de France, The Guiro (Italy) and la Vuelta (Spain). One day maybe, winning the British race will have similar cache, but not for some years and much promotion I fear

In political world news what the media is calling “pro-Russian separatists” are still ensconced and seem determined in the Ukraine. Russia itself seems to be supporting the so-called rebels more and more directly. A N.A.T.O. conference in Newport, wales has some agreement on what action to take and David Cameron is talking tough “ruling nothing out at this stage” … but winter and colder weather is creeping towards us and we get a lot of gas from Russia (along with most of Europe). Watch this space, I guess, to see whether the current ceasefire lasts … and even leads to peace.

Indeed, watch this space, because if all goes to plan we won’t be back until after the referendum in Scotland over independence. It seems ridiculous to me that only residents of Scotland will be voting when the result will affect all of the United Kingdom countries, but hey, what do I know.

I am already aggrieved that Scots and Welsh M.Ps. get to vote in the Houses of Parliament on English laws and decisions, while M.Ps. with English constituencies have no role to play in the Scots or Welsh Assemblies.

Can somebody explain to me how that is fair?

Meanwhile, of course Mike deserved some come-back to his cheeky (if witty) remark about the possibility that Walsall might have scored …

Best I could manage was to ask how long he thought we were going away for …