Wolves (home)

It’s another of one-of-those-days days today.

But first, I suppose the maths: amazingly despite being beaten at Coventry/Northampton we begin the day still in with an outside chance of making a play-off place. We are no longer in contention with most of the top teams (table wise) but might challenge for sixth spot. Results being what results can sometimes – but unusually for Walsall – are. So, Wolves running freely away at the top of the table, scoring goals for fun and business it seems, dispatching their rivals cleanly and efficiently …

So no pressure then …

Popped into Great Wyrley Library to support the World Book Day “fest”. I am a member of the reading group there but had to miss the meeting last Wednesday because I was bound for Northampton (a.k.a. Coventry City’s home ground). There is a general concern that local libraries in Staffordshire, especially the – quite literally – smaller ones will be “rationalised to help the local council make cuts. Cuts somewhere along the  long line of deniable-accountability decisions that are being imposed by central government. Perhaps dressed up with explanations that this is “central funding being withdrawn” or similar. Interesting … was it Winston Churchill who once said that a democracy is defined by “what it chooses to defend rather than what it chooses to fight”?

I wonder where the money comes from that goes to “international aid”, how more of it can be found, how the government can come up with millions of pounds to promise for measures to assist “Flood damage areas” and why this isn’t used to bolster such community assets as libraries. A local business leader of – at least national repute – Digby-Jones recently stated that parents whose children could not read should have welfare funding withdrawn … now there’s an incentive eh?

My brother, who rode shotgun so entertainingly on the way back last Wednesday, picked me up and we parked early enough pretty much where we usually park. Huge police presence. Our visitors toady – the Wolves – Wolverhampton Wanderers were in the Premier league, what, two seasons ago and are on the championship trail. New manager Kenny jacket has the team firing on all six cylinders: mean defence and about to set a record eight consecutive win streak if they can today.

Crowds boisterous. Match sponsored by Banks’ Brewery. It’s a perfect game for this traditional local company to take on. Hope the beer doesn’t spill over into aggression and confrontation. P.A. announces the crowd as almost eleven thousand and it’s warm. Great to have such atmosphere: turning Bescot into another, more intense and rather marvellous world. How magical would it be to have this for every home game?

There are other people I know there – of course. Some nods, some talk, some about expectations …

We play Troy Hewitt and Romaine Sawyers up front as a double striker team, Downing is left out of centre back (our emerging and maturing star defender) and the first twenty minutes are even and fiercely contested. Wolves are clearly a powerful team, but our industry worries them a few times, we harry well and they make mistakes.

There were always going to be goals; for us Walsall supporters just a little sad that the first one went to Wolves and showed their mobility and dogged approach. Equally poor was the fact that one of the Wolves players quite deliberately ran along the Walsall fans end of the ground (Where the gaol had been scored to be fair) and antagonised the crowd. Undeniably poor reaction Also indefensible, however was the fact that – though understandable in one way – one of the Walsall crowd took it to heart and scrambled over the wall to “remonstrate”. The situation was never going to get better but three of the Wolves players coming over, trying to intimidate the guy only managed to do the opposite and stewards had to intervene (should have got there sooner guys ?).

Into the bar at half time; why the stewards are suddenly asking to see “season tickets” is frustrating and a half time chatter. Drew is off on holiday soon to Lanzarote … but isn’t overly concerned about missing the game that week.

We tell each other we can still get into the game, are very happy about the way Sawyers is playing, hope we can keep Febian Brandy, preferably on a contract next season … and hope that our management team will stay. Dean Smith, Richard O’Kelly and Neil Cutler (Goalkeeping coach) deserve much credit for the way we have played. A small squad run on little or no money, small crowds and big hearts. It is just possible that they will be away to bigger things having demonstrated such ability. Maybe not the premier League, but er Blues (Birmingham City) –just down the road – next season in the Championship ??

Second half we are still in there fighting. Then a Wolves shot comes back off the cross bar and is put into the net. Two –nil. Heads start to go down and we go into that pass-across the field or back to the keeper system. To be honest Wolves are good at this: two goals up they lock up the defence and seek to irritate. Some fouls conceded and taken. An ugly spell. Then their third goal.

Some substitutions but maybe our small squad is feeling the pressure. We never stop trying – we just haven’t this season and that is worthy of note! Great attitude. But at this point we aren’t exactly moving forwards, just keeping the ball – and that suits the opposition.  They are, after all, winning.

Out of the ground. Police everywhere. White vans blocking access: I am sure there is a system but would love to know what it is. Cordons of uniformed officers. The helicopter growling and banking in the clear blue sky over the ground and the M6. It was a lot easier to park than I had thought it would be; and getting out is not significantly different to less-crowded games.

There is some passionate chatter on the car radio (BBC WM) and “Franksy”, the presenter does his best to stir it up get more people to ring in with their opinions. One woman, a Walsall fan, is near to sobbing as she rails about the “scandalous” gestures so-and-so (Wolves player) was making at the Walsall fans.

Later there is some official statement that there were racist remarks being made by the Walsall fans and that the “police” would be “looking into it”.

Cannot see it myself. How will you collect evidence on that one? The Walsall fans will say one thing, the Wolves players are bound to say the opposite. More importantly, surely – the football.

We have been good this season, on some days extraordinarily so. Today we were beaten by a better team. More skilful players (costing and earning more money than we can dream of), with parachute payments from the higher leagues they were in before. They should be promoted, given all of the advantages they have. It is good to be proud and passionate, tribal even, about your own team, but let’s stick to the football eh when talking about the games we can’t or don’t win.

It was a local derby, fought like one, fanned like one and our neighbours, those we garden next to, work alongside or stand by in the pub or at the concert (maybe the Heart and Tom Petty tribute one next week?) have the bragging rights this time … like we had them earlier in the season when we won at Molineux.

A little short-sighted of their fans singing, mockingly

“Can we play you every week?”

In the Championship would be good eh ?

(Unless they still want to be in League One next season!)