So It Begins: Expectations.

All to play for …

That wonderful, still-summer-hot and wide blue skies time before the kick-offs and the inevitable disappointments begin – hopefully along, this season with the surprises, successes, automatic promotion and a good run in at least one of the cups.

First game away at Port Vale. Never one of my favourite teams, but you usually know what you are going to get when you go there. Famed, if that is the right word as a physically challenging team they are our local “derby” game.

A good one to get out of the way as the first game perhaps?

The friendlies are done – management trying to put a positive spin on the whole inter-season malarkey – and now, roll up yer sleeves and let’s get down to brass tacks business.

No quarter! Get stuck in and mean it!

We need to make a point, early on, to put the ball in the net more often than the opposition do, get maximum points and put fans in the habit while the weather is good. Do that, with the fine, pretty football we used last season when appropriate – and, when the weather turns colder, and days and evenings get sharper and darker we’ll keep the support going.

Looking forward to the trip to Burslem in, hopefully – at worst, warm rain – and the journey back with smiles on our faces and tales to tell.

Meanwhile, some protesters have been taken off a roof top protest a little way down the road. They occupied the rooftop of a factory in Shenstone in the belief that the company is supplying parts to Israel’s armed forces. The ongoing saga of quarrel, stubborn counter-quarrel, retaliation, vendetta and warfare that is dogging the Gaza-Israel communities. I have no idea how to solve the situation; but it is surely self-evident that both sides have to sit down  and talk – away from the bravado of aggravation and escalation being perpetrated – by both sides – at the moment.

Heir-apparent Prince William is to train as an air ambulance pilot, flying for east Anglian Air Ambulances. It always sends a small shiver down my spine when I see the – in our part of the world – red helicopters overhead: hoping that nobody is too badly injured. It is  great shame that government  seem to spend so much money on fripperies as a country but that these life-saving charities depend on public donations. Respect to the Duke of Cambridge for taking on this role (having previously trained as and flown in the R.A.F. Search and Rescue squadron). It is reported in the press that he will be paid a salary but that it will be donated to the charity.

There has been a Football League meeting today, but no announcement – about the Coventry City Debacle. They were playing home games at Northampton last season, following bankruptcies and financial skulduggery by many parties. A shame for the fans, mostly. Hoping they’re not holding their breaths waiting for justice from the Football League.

The pace and shape of weeks is going to change – again. The joys and othernesses of another football season about to descend upon us: the faithful and the fickle. What’s in store? A couple of short days from now, we’ll have the first clues as to how to answer that eternal puzzle: how is the season is going to shape up.

 Would three points and everybody uninjured be too, too much to ask for?

 

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.