Sweder Wrote:Thanks mate, as much for not including Blackburn as for mentioning the Mighty Rooks. I'm off to The Pan for what could be a tense afternoon in dreadful conditions - the traditional 'leveller'. Hopefully two thousand Harvey's-fuelled Lewesians will prove to be a twelfth man rather than a millstone.
I'd like to add (gulp) Liverpool to that list.
One should never wish ill on others and my Mum's a life-long Fulham fan - Johnny Haines was locked in a perpetual tussle with Clarke Gable for her affections - but there's something delicious about the idea of waving Mad Mo Fayed off to the championship. Sorry Mum.
Woah -- I hope Blackburn suffer an appalling fate today. I should certainly have included that wish.
I'm pretty open I hope about my Prem sentiments. The only two sides who seem capable of playing decent football are Arsenal and ManU, and the title really ought to belong to one of them. In an ideal world, my preference would be for Arsenal though I'm not certain why that should be. I despised them in their "boring boring Arsenal" era under George "one-nil" Graham, but I've warmed to them as I've watched them work hard to reinvent themselves -- a but like Beckham after France 98. He forced people to admire him, and I've had a similar, slow-burning conversion to wanting Arsenal to do well.
But Arsenal aren't going to do it, so I'm rooting strongly for the Mancs. The thought of Chelsea nicking it is too much to bear, not just because of the long-standing West London antipathy thing, but because watching them is such a penance, not to mention how much I despise the Abramovitch thing, which I think has come close to destroying the credibility of the league. I don't much like the United industry, but sticking strictly to football, they would be worthy winners. A victory today is essential. My dream would be to see them win the title at Stamford Bridge, bringing down Chelsea's impressive home record while they're at it.
Actually, I quite like Blackburn -- another side who have worked hard, and against the odds, created something worth watching. Normally I'd be wanting them to do well, but I'll relieve them of that pressure this afternoon. I plan to watch the game in some grotty West London boozer after, I hope, seeing a good QPR victory over Charlton. We are, apparently, the only side in the Championship who can neither be relegated nor promoted this season. A fascinating observation by someone with way too much time on their hands. But it's quite a nice feeling. The older I get, the more I'm aware that being a football fan is actually a highly stressful way of life. Normally, there appears to be more anxiety than pleasure in there.
Sweder Wrote:I'd like to add (gulp) Liverpool to that list.
One should never wish ill on others and my Mum's a life-long Fulham fan - Johnny Haines was locked in a perpetual tussle with Clarke Gable for her affections - but there's something delicious about the idea of waving Mad Mo Fayed off to the championship. Sorry Mum.
Ooops, missed this bit.
Yeah, I agree. My dream (part 2) is that Fulham and Reading should drop down. This is a personal thing, but I sat and watched both those clubs, and their appalling glory-hunting fans, push QPR faces deeper into the mud as they lumbered over us on their way to Prem glory. Oh how they laughed at us. Oh how they crowed. I witnessed it at first hand, and as I sat there in despair, was comforted by just one thought -- that football is cyclical, and that what goes around, comes around. Enjoy it while you can, Plastic Hoops, I thought. Enjoy the laughter, Mo, sitting on your golden throne at Loftus Road*. It won't last forever, and boy am I going to enjoy it when it falls apart.
[SIZE="1"]*When Fulham ground-shared with QPR for a couple of seasons, Al Fayed complained about the directors box toilets, and had a special khasi constructed with solid gold fixtures and fittings. It had just one key, which he kept.[/SIZE]
The all new training diary.
