...to rake up enough enthusiasm and energy to walk to work, I did work until midnight last night, having given myself the evening off to watch my team in the League One play off semi final, we lost on penalties having gone into the second leg behind and having then played ourselves into a lead last night, we had a loose moment in defence and their eighteen year old became a hero for the second match, to draw them level. I hate penalty shoot outs, I always have...some say they give the game excitement, but I've always detested them, ever since their inception. So it's not sour grapes because we lost, and I'm not sure how you'd replace them either...I'm not a mover and shaker within the game! Maybe the third team should be promoted...in this case Millwall, after all they did get the points! Okay, so shoot me!
So now, where does that leave my beloved team...if you read certain accounts, from certain papers...we have a whistle blower...since when have we had those? We had always been a friendly, family orientated, well run club...held up as such, but now we have, reportedly, a whistle blower?! Or cause for one...which is more to the point! I'm sure some will take great delight in that...but, as supporters of the game of football, not your or my specific allegiance, we have to wonder where this game of ours is going. With parachute payments for the clubs coming down from the Premier League set to rise to £48m over four years from £16m over two, where exactly does that leave everyone else!? We know from experience being relegated is expensive, trying to cut your cloth accordingly for the income of a lower league, and those contracts with players and managers are signed in blood it seems....air tight, water tight, and fireproof! And if you subsisted on the weekly turnover of the Premier League...you might be lucky if you can keep your team together for a push straight back, probably though you couldn't. Then you need to gather together a team to be ready for the next season, that bouncing straight back...but, you have to have them in place, playing together from the outset...and that's not always possible, throw in some injuries during a season and...you see where this goes... That £48m even at £12m a year is a good starting point to keeping your team or the nucleus of it, together. Go lower and what's happened to Leeds over the last few years shows what can happen. To get the right manager with the right players at the right time...it's expertise, isn't it? Or maybe just plain luck!
So last night...Nicky Bailey missed one penalty, one shot of the game...one second in a lifetime. It was cruel...he was devastated...but, at least he was brave enough to put himself there, to place that ball on that little white spot and try... Me? I wouldn't have even been able to pick the ball up, let alone run and kick the thing.
So I hope he'll be there next season to lead, but I have a feeling he won't be...I hope the team that played their hearts out last might will be there, but they won't be, either returning to their home clubs from loan...or moving on. And please don't say Liverpool to me! What about our youngsters?
Okay, now I'm walking to work!
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