What’s In A Word: Drone?

 

Earlier this week high drama at an international Euro qualifier match being played in Belgrade, Serbia against Albania violence erupted; first on the field of play, then involving spectators. Because of tremendous political enmity between the two teams Albanian fans were banned from the game. However, a drone (pilotless remote controlled flying machine carrying an Albanian flag entered the airspace above the players. One of the Serbian defenders, Stefan Mitrovic, ripped the flag from the machine and the Albanian players – offended perhaps by this abuse of their national banner – attacked the defender. The situation worsened. The experienced English referee, Martin Atkinson, lead the teams off the pitch. On the way off players continued to scuffle and fans also joined in. Thirty minutes later, with Albanian players stating that they were in no emotional state to continue, the game was called off.

 

 

Even if it was misguided, this is passion eh?

It’s been a busy week with wet weather and a visit to the Black Country Living Museum – thankfully in fine autumn sunshine.

… and swapping short text messages with a Mark Savage, author of e-book 120 Grounds for Divorce. We were trying to make arrangements to hook up before the game. I offered canned soup, bread and cheese at our house, he responded with The Saddlers Club at 2.15. No competition there then?

So my brother drifted in with fully lubricated Alfa Romeo (plus two new tyres on the front) and off we spun. Sun happily shining down and filled with the wonderful enthusiasm that’ll get the best of supporters when you know you are playing against the bottom team who are conceding goals at the rate of about three a game. So far that is.

This being me, I waltzed straight past the paying desk in the club and was about to be dragged to the ground by a reluctant but-still-burly security guy … before his feet could leave the ground I had slowed and turned to see my brother (cheers mate) paying my dues. I think the security man was also relieved.

 

Over to the bar, chatter pouring between us. They now have Febian Brandy – a one time rescue project and agile hit man loanee for us – playing for them (on loan from Rotherham). Have no doubt that he should have stayed at Bescot, but equally have no issues with him gong for the money he was certainly promised at Championship Rotherham… but not looking forward to his raiding runs against our defence – even with iron man Andy Butler there (for perhaps his last game for us; he being on loan from Sheffield United (ironically our November opponents in the next round of the Johnstone’s Paint Trophy – to be televised apparently).

 I ordered a pint from a tap displaying a label saying “Golden Ale” but even as I watched it being poured I knew it was no such thing. The bar man didn’t seem to understand …

“What? You think the label on it tells you what it’s going to be?”

Then a quick dash across the car park, up the stairs, through the Bonser Suite to meet the others. Walsall sat back in the first half. Cook the lone man up front – I am disappointed by this especially when we have so many forwards. Sawyers playing a blinder, energetic, challenging and physical: really up for it. So good to see. Ben Purkiss in at right back, Taylor (out with a sickness bug last weekend) as left back and Benning on the left wing. Crewe playing a wide attack, using the wingers a lot and attempting to push up and catch our players off-side.

A comedy moment when Richard O’Donnell saved well and the ball bounced off different bits of his body, between his legs before he got it under control. Well, I say comedy … could have gone seriously wrong.

Flanagan had an exceptional game – guess he’ll be a star of the future – but ran himself into the ground and was duly substituted (Billy Clifford) in the second half which Saddlers started aggressively. Why oh why can’t we start games like that?

Manset came on, but this meant Cook was pushed out to the wing leaving us again with only one striker up front. Go figure, I have this fantasy about how well this pair – or Manset and Bradshaw – would play together in a 4 – 4 – 2. And Baxendale came on. But it was like some kind of shadow boxing, like watching one team play itself, with a lot of lateral passing and skill, but little attack and woefully few shots on goal. Either way.

In the stand we talked about preparations for the family bonfire, going to Crawley on Tuesday, why home fans boo-ed former players (in this case Brandy) and storylines in the classic Eagle comics. Of course there was also banter and work-talk.

But Walsall just couldn’t make the direct approach – perhaps because this is not possible with a target man alone. So there were passages of marvellous passing – from both teams actually, but little passion.

Until our defenders failed to clear a corner on eighty four minutes and Crewe centre half Dugdale stuck the ball in the net.

Crewe fans went wild – of course they did! – and they held out until the final whistle. Of course they did.

Now we are in the relegation zone and trouble is a wolf knocking on the door, while we listen to a different kind of drone in the media. About how the players and management are frustrated and upset and just cannot seem to score goals. Excuse me: whose job is it to sort that out?

Gillingham: Home

Strange how days seem to merge and blur over the Easter break. With the game at Carlisle on Good Friday the day seemed like a Saturday with me typing on the computer, listening to the radio commentaries and actually expecting there to be a Match of the Day on TV (there wasn’t of course). Saturday seemed strange with Premiership matches going on (including Sunderland beating Chelsea at Stamford Bridge handing Liverpool a good chance to establish a real challenge for the title in Sunday’s game (they took it, beating Norwich City fairly convincingly)).

And today’s bank Holiday home game against Gillingham adding to the confusion.

Or was it only confusing for me?

The people at the booking office have been great this season, courteous, efficient and helpful. I will not be needing this service next season as I now have a season ticket (apart from advance buying away tickets and – ooo-er – tickets for our –we can but hope – Cup run). My thanks to them all.

Bright, sunny journey. Birds singing, my car freshly cleaned inside and flowers springing up everywhere. Gossip on BBC WM is that David Moyes will be sacked by Man United (this is the way that rumours start, I’m thinking, start, build up credibility and become fact). I am deeply jealous of the resources that man Utd have (or apparently command) but aware that behind that is the spiral-drive for success and then success-plus. I had hoped that a club like United would stand against the trends. Moyes was reasonably successful at Everton after all and, in my opinion deserves a longer bedding-in period. Sir Alex Ferguson was always going to be a tricky act to follow; he managed the football and commercial aspects of the job well – the pressures too!

Meanwhile – it could all be rumour and supposition a la radio – in local place and time I am parked and marching to the ground, past loitering supporters on mobile phones and deep in desultory conversations I head for the seat that will have my name on it next season.

Westcarr’s back from suspension, Lalkovic recovered from his hamstring strain and Gillingham, on paper, poor opposition.

We start strongly, rattle the Gills defence then settle back a little tamely. Febian Brandy is, typically, keen to do well, so too is Lalkovic. They might both be playing to attract attention from Championship scouts, hoping to get deals for next season. I hope we can keep Brandy, but also sensibly think he may cost too much for our means. Lalkovic too.

Paul Downing appears to lead a charmed life today, the referee not penalising what looked like fouls and at least one penalty, eventually and predictably getting booked for a fairly innocuous one later in the game. No appeals from the Gillingham players either, who are starting to look direct and capable. Mal Benning meanwhile, playing at left back is raiding up the wings like a good ‘un, full of pace and ambition and tricky ball skills taking him into some good positions. He rains crosses into the penalty area. Too bad no Walsall player can get on to the end of them.

There is a good following from Gillingham, it’s a long way to travel (a hundred and sixty something miles, translates as three hours or so of travel) at this stage of the season, so fair play to their faithful (a.k.a. noisy) supporters.

Not so many Walsall supporters here. Busy gardening? Decorating? Lost interest? Out of money?

We talk about the November stag night. Venue fixed. Tallin. Flights and hotel to be organised. Leaving Stansted at seven a.m. doesn’t sound too bright but gives us more time in the city I guess. I am looking forward to it – fly out on Friday, back on Sunday … but hope there isn’t a home match that weekend.

Half time. Inside for a coffee. Talk about families, work. Almost forget we are at a football game and kick off has been taken and play is under way as we saunter back out to our seats. Nearby a man is scribbling notes on to a paper. I guess he is a scout for one of the teams we have yet to play. What an interesting task and I wonder how they actually do it? Some pre-arranged format?

Good open play from both teams, but Westcarr tried a couple from long range (unusual for Walsall this season) and from one of them the ball came back off the keeper’s outstretched hand to Brandy, running in to blast into the back of the net.

Some minutes before the end Gillingham are level. The umpteenth team we have helped avoid relegation in the last few weeks … and we have won only two of the last sixteen games. Good job we put a shift in early on in the season.

Elsewhere, tensions are still going on between Russia, the Ukraine and the rest of the world.

It’s Queen Elizabeth’s eighty eighth birthday. She celebrates with a rare “private day” at home with the family, while all over London there are military gun-salutes. We do pageantry so well.

It is also the fiftieth birthday of BBC 2.

Across the pond Boston is extremely security conscious about its annual marathon, following the harrowing scenes at the finish line last year, when terrorists exploded a bomb as runners were finishing. Dreadful!

We were in Boston in October of last year. Having been on an escorted “leaf Peeper” tour of New England and out in the rural parts for many days, Boston seemed intimidatingly cityish as we drove in, but soon took on human proportions as we walked out across the Common.

match images; saddlers.co.uk and Walsall Advertiser

Open Training Session

                            

Nothing to do (well, nothing to do immediately anyway) and the lure of an open training session at the Banks’ stadium. Free.

Enough said eh?

Driving through the lanes I noticed the hedges greening up; large sections of blackthorn blossom (“sloe winter” I think my grandfather would have said, with a smile). Past the arboretum. Talk on the radio is about the approaching Commonwealth Games (Glasgow, Scotland, The World Cup in Brazil: first game is England v Italy!) and the start of the cricket season (which doesn’t and never has particularly interested me).

Bright sun, inflatable have a go goals outside the stand, car park full.

First day of the Easter holidays of course. Well done to whoever organised the day, picking up local school kids (and their parents). About three hundred there. Young children, grandparents, teenagers (trying to look cool – and why not?).

Playing surface is remarkably good. In the stand where a couple of days ago, Bristol City fans celebrating managing to avoid promotion (and doing the double over us!) a couple of people are tidying up rubbish with brooms, gloves and plastic bags.

I have mentioned Stadium Disasters in recent posts (Hillsborough was followed quite quickly by a fire at Bradford). This fire was caused when a match or cigarette ash fell through the boards of the stand into piles of rubbish tucked “out of sight/out of mind” and quickly spread. People rushed – sensibly enough – to get out of the ground, but the outside doors were locked and people died in the crush: those at the front of the rush. And, rather morbidly my mind is taken back to that time.But then Dean Smith is being interviewed on the pitch by our, hmmm, let’s say portly stadium announcer.

There is a deep modesty about Smith here. He speaks well, quietly, no dissembling. He talks about this being a “routine, no-tricks, usual Monday training session”. He mentions the play-offs (“now it seems we can no longer make the play offs” …) and confirms we will be doing “our duty to the other League One clubs” by going out for results in the remaining games and goes on to talk about ambitions for next season, looking for players coming in, young academy players stepping up (for me Bakayoko is a great example of this happening already) and the success o Jamie Paterson and Will Grigg.

But, and I paraphrase here, he also says that while we are looking for players to do a job, we will only take on players if they can add something to the squad and are better than what we already have.

I am reassured. Then announced as on match day with the phrase

“… the pride of the Midlands, the Saddlers: Walsall Football Club” on come the players. They stroll, walk and skip to the centre.

Down below me there are three guys who strike me a professional types. I wonder, lazily if they are scouts. There are players here that have had a good season, should be attracting the attention of higher league clubs. Others, out on loan, Ngoo, Lalkovic (nowhere to be seen), Brandy well worth a look. It might be worth finding out about their attitude to training. They have books, folders and I try to sneak a look but am too far away.

I quietly fill in a form that might win me two tickets to the game on Bank Holiday Monday. If I try hard enough I can visualise myself winning. Can’t I ?

There’s an announcement that the day will be Family Fun Day, cheaper entrance, activities. Again, great local promotion. I hope it brings a few extra faces, young ones to the game. We need fans, that loyalty. This is one way to do it.

The “cleaners” have moved around and are now in the upper tiers of the Tiles R Us stand.

Exercises are intended to stretch the players, a lot of core work, getting rid of the effects, tensions and toxins from the game on Saturday.

Andy Butler is obviously aware of his physical strength; a shame he isn’t this imposing in every game, but shows his strength. The way he did in riding a couple of strong challenges early on in the Bristol game. Confident, relaxed: a captain.

The second training session alongside is run by Richard O’Kelly and is a series of game situations.

I take some photos (A lot actually), enjoy the sunshine, the lack of pressure because this is not a match day and, failing to win the free match tickets, creep away, passing Milan Lalkovic sitting in the stand; presumably resting his hamstring injury.

Carlisle away on Good Friday. Won’t be able to make that long journey (although it was where our first fight back against relegation under Dean Smith started (was that last season or the one before) when we won 3-0 (goals from Will Grigg as I recall).

Then at home to Gillingham on Bank Holiday Monday – have to get my ticket.