This is Clarkeonenil’s regular comment column, cutting through the various passing issues of football and getting to the core principle in the shortest time.
Return to normality.
Suddenly it’s not so lonely in the land of the Yorkshire sceptic. Where up to 3 weeks ago you could wonder around and not meet many Leeds fans publically prepared to voice concerns over the prospects for this season. Now, despite the fact we could still go top after playing our games in hand and despite the FA Cup heroics, the place is crowded with squeaky bum sufferers. I feel I should be persuading them everything is ok so I can have the place back to myself but I am not going to do that as it would be cruel. The truth is this new found pessimism is neither illogical or unfounded but the natural state of mind for anyone paying attention.
When a football club has the last 8 years Leeds United have had, when the ownership is so secretive and debased, when the manager has still to prove a few things, when the players are either looking after themselves or living off temporary glories it comes as no surprise aspects of the support have suddenly found a voice that wasn’t there in the first 5 months of the season. Anyone who looks in here regularly knows that I consider the Beckford situation, mainly the refusal of the club to treat his disrespect the way it should, as the catalyst for the slump. No its not all over, yes we can still go up and yes thank you keep the FA Cup run going as long as you can, but let’s get real and accept nothings been achieved yet.
No doubt the forces of Uberloyalty are gathering forces to proclaim all is well, that in Grayson we continue to trust even if we go 6, 8, 10 games without a win and thus us sceptics are all heretics. And that’s the good thing about this slump; life is now back to normal.
Whatever next?
Life is interesting enough when a third party went and put Crystal Palace into administration never mind this: http://www.cpfc.co.uk/page/News/0,,10323~1946796,00.html unreal doesn’t cover it. I would understand it if Palace had a firm offer on the table, but if they did Moses would have been gone before lunch. The way the administrator explains his decision just stinks to me, reads so false and so concocted I can only assume something else is at play. Here is a conspiracy theory for you, Newcastle United have taken the money they were going to spend on Beckford and bid for Moses as Palace they arrived at St James Park that was, making it clear they don’t want him playing against them tonight. Totally unprovable but totally believable in this day and age.
The other aspect of this which is interesting is what happens if no-one decides to pitch for Moses, do they keep him out of the team until the summer transfer window arrives? To be honest maybe it’s me and my old school mentality but you play players to show their worth and if they get injured well such is life. The idea that a 19 year old is all the administrators can find value out of beggars’ belief on lots of levels. Neil Warnock must be fuming, he has gone from edge of the play-offs to a relegation dog fight in an instant and now finds a bean counter telling him who he can or can’t play. The world of football gets stranger by the day.
As an aside, love to open up a book on how quickly Shaun Derry moves on after the latest developments.
Delusions.
I recently saw an article written by the Times North East football correspondent http://timesonline.typepad.com/thegame/2010/01/north-east-football-supporters-an-apology.html where in a sarcastic style he apologised for suggesting in an earlier article http://timesonline.typepad.com/thegame/2010/01/george-caulkinnever-ever-bloody-anything-ever-rik-mayall-in-the-comic-strip-presents-mr-jolly-lives-next-doorthe.html that the fans of Newcastle United, Sunderland and Middlesbrough should feel that things are going ok. Now that kind of article gets a lot of positive feedback but can also be an hostage to fortune. For the benefit of this we will ignore the financial issues at Newcastle and the mid-table position at Middlesbrough, lets focus on Caulkin’s claim that Sunderland have it good.
After last night’s defeat at Everton the mackens lie 13th but only 3 points ahead of the relegation places. They haven’t won in 9 PL games despite Steve Bruce spending the American owners money all over the place. The chairman, one Niall Quinn, is public enemy No1 with supporters groups after a piece of draconian banning and the squad still carries 30 professionals it doesn’t need. All in all the perfect symptoms for a surprise relegation (and let’s be honest we all would have loved it last season if the nap hand of North East clubs had gone down last season).
If by any chance all 3 teams Mr Caulkin covers are in the CCC next season their supporters should ensure he never forgets writing those two missives.
