You Don’t Have To Be Big
I went to Reading today to see Ipswich play. We did lose 2-1, but Jay Tabb scored our goal.
He is not one of the tallest players being only 1.70 m., but judging by the reception he got from the fans at his old club; Reading, he was popular with the fans.
In some ways he reminded me very much of Terry Dyson, who I saw play for Spurs many times in their famous double-winning side of 1960-61. Dyson was very much an irritant and got a lot of his success by being persistent and in the right place at the right time. Tabb seems to play in a similar vein. According to Wikipedia, the much more successful, Kevin Phillips is the same height, and he’s just signed to play in the Premier League at 40. Having met Kevin Keegan, I can attest that he’s not much taller than my 1.71 m.
Given the fact that the next batsman in line to play cricket for England; James Taylor, is only 1.68 m., do we sometimes put overdue emphasis on size?
Depression Or Just Fed-Up?
They are talking about depression on BBC Breakfast this morning, saying that more anti-depressants are being prescribed.
Over the years, I used to suffer from mild depression, but generally my mother or later my wife, used to pull me out of it.
Since being diagnosed as a coeliac, fifteen years ago, I haven’t seemed to have suffered much, if at all. And it’s not that I haven’t had something to get depressed about, what with the death of my wife and son to cancer and my stroke!
But then due to my gluten-free diet, I’m getting all the vitamins I need, as my gut now works properly.
But I’ve been rather fed up in the last few weeks, as I don’t like the hot weather, the lack of an intelligent lady to take to art galleries, the theatre or the cinema, the non-progress on my building works and no football to watch live or on the television.
It all gets better this weekend with the football season starting for Ipswich at Reading and Stevenage!
All I really need now, is someone, preferably female and intelligent, to share meals and experiences.
I do wonder how many of those prescribed anti-depressants, just need a decent experience or two to give them a lift!
I’ve Got No Boxing Day Football Again!
This year Ipswich Town are away at Doncaster on Boxing Day. They’ll of course be no trains.
But how many other matches will be impossible to get to?
Derby on Tuesday, October 1st
Leeds on Tuesday, January 28th
Yeovil on Tuesday, March 11th
Huddersfield on Tuesday, April 8th
To The Hive To See Ipswich Town
Barnet have a new ground called The Hive and I went there yesterday to see Ipswich play.
As new grounds go, it is a good attempt to create a 6,000 or so capacity stadium.
Note Edgar Davids playing for Barnet and Titus Bramble for Ipswich.
To Burnley To See Ipswich
I went to Burnley today to see Ipswich play. I went up via Leeds, as in my opinion, First Class on East Coast is so much better than the offering on Virgin Trains.
I also didn’t suffer any delays, but apparently some Ipswich supporters, who took the Manchester route, got to the match at around half-time.
An Eat-Travel-Watch-Return Trip
I mentioned this in the previous post about next season and increasingly, I’m finding that this is the way I go to football matches.
I eat first, often at the London station, like Kings Cross or Waterloo, but sometimes like yesterday for the trip to Portman Road at home, which is a about twenty minutes from Liverpool Street station.
I then travel out in First Class, so I get a comfortable trip, getting to the match just before kick-off.
Afterwards, I usually take the first train back.
Next Season Is Starting To Take Shape
After yesterday, the matches that Ipswich Town will play next season are starting to come into line.
I can start to work out, which matches will be a bit more than an Eat-Travel-Watch-Return trip.
Looking at Championship promotion and relegation, it looks like the following.
Cardiff are definitely up and although I’ve never been to see Ipswich there, it’ll be one I’m happy to miss. Although, I quite like going to the Welsh capital on the best diesel trains in the world. I must go again to Cardiff or Swansea before the trains are retired from that route.
It looks like the others to go up are one or both from Hull and Watford, and possibly one from Brighton, Crystal Palace, Bolton, Nottingham Forest and Leicester. I would be sad to miss out on the trips to Hull, Watford, Brighton and Nottingham and I’d love to get rid of Leicester, as the ground is so far from the station. I think on balance, I’m prepared to put up with the dump that is Selhurst Park, to see an easy away match. It’s just a pity, that the two to go up can’t be Bolton and Leicester.
Sadly at the other end of the table, three of my favourite away places; Barnsley, Bristol City and Wolves are in line for relegation, along with Peterborough. The only one I’m not bothered about is the latter, as although the ground is one of the worst in the Championship, the city is worth a visit. After my last trip to Wolves, I think that I’ll miss that trip the most.
I’ll deal with who’s coming up first. Doncaster and Bournemouth are definitely up and although, I like Doncaster’s new ground, you have to get a taxi from the station and I would suspect, that Doncaster isn’t the most coeliac-friendly town. But as you go there from Kings Cross, it’s an Eat-Travel-Watch-Return trip. Bournemouth is an easy trip, the ground is very good and I’d probably fortify myself with a good breakfast at Carluccio’s in Waterloo.
Of the other candidates to possibly come up; Brentford, Yeovil, Sheffield United and Swindon, I’m really only against Yeovil, as that is an almost impossible trip. Brentford would be a low-cost bonus and Sheffield United and Swindon are more easy trips. Although, after my last trip back from Sheffield, I’d prefer one of the others.
The big question is who’s coming down from the Premier League, with Reading and QPR, who seem to me certain to get relegated. It’ll either be Aston Villa, Newcastle or Wigan. I hope it’s not Wigan, as that is a bad ground to travel to. I think I’d prefer Aston Villa to Newcastle, solely on the distance involved.
The team I’m annoyed about, who are coming down is QPR, as they have the worst ground for away supporters, where I’ve ever seen a match. Hopefully, they’ll get promoted or relegated quickly, or perhaps their rich owners, will walk away from their toy and the club will do a Portsmouth.
Since I wrote this post, we’ve seen Reading and QPR commit mutual suicide in a monochrome match. So I’ll just have to put on my strongest underwear and brave a trip to Loftus Road for a season or two.
I Didn’t Miss The Match
After a good drink of proper Aspall Cyder, I got the train to Ipswich for the match against Crystal Palace.
One guy was saying that Town would win 3-0 and his mates were teasing him strongly. I hope he put some money on it, as Town did.
Evening matches at Portman Road can be difficult for me, as if I’m unlucky with the trains, I don’t get in until after midnight.
Yesterday was such a day, and I fell asleep on the rather hot train.
But I got home safely, after using a taxi driven by one of the smallest and oldest drivers I’d ever had.
His driving skills were very much up to scratch, though.
I slept well after a successful day.
It Was Blue Skies, Sun And An Unlikely Win At Pride Park
The train got to Derby station in just over an hour and a half and then it was a short walk to the ground.
Walking To Pride Park
You walk through, an office park to the ground and it is all pretty easy going. Although a map or two and some more finger posts would be a good idea. For the first time this year, we saw a ground bathed in sunshine.
Pride Park In The Sun
Derby County had the bulk of the play by 57% to 43%, but despite this, Ipswich won 1-0.
The goal incidentally was the sort you read about in stories, but see rarely in real life. In the last minute of added time, at the end of the match, Carlos Edwards received the ball in the centre circle and runs towards the Derby goal, before unleashing an unstoppable shot from twenty-five metres out.
Mick McCarthy summed up the match like this.
We burgled it. I thought I heard the sirens and I said ‘shut the doors, the police are coming!
I would add that as my ticket to get in cost me £17.50 on top of £29 to get there by train in First Class, I can’t say that my day out wasn’t good value.
The Stand Says It All
At Millwall yesterday, we sat in the North Stand and could see this on the top of the stand opposite.
The Stand Says It All
Cold Blow Lane was the location and name of the old Den.
However, yesterday it would have been an ideal name for their current ground. Look at these flags on the East Stand.
Stiff Flags In A Cold East Wind
They are standing out ram-rob straight right across the pitch due to the biting easterly wind.
If you look at the shape of the roof, it might even act like a wing and create all sorts of vortices and downdraughts.
Whatever though, the cold and wind ruined the match.
For a lot of the time, play was consistently in front of the West stand, as the ball was blown across, with long sequences of throws-in. Passing was awful on both sides and the match is summed up by the score, as no-one seemed to be able to get a decent shot on goal.
Ipswich nearly scored an unusual goal. This is from the BBC report.
But Ipswich, themselves unbeaten in three games, came back into the match and nearly took a bizarre lead when Forde’s poor clearance fell to Hyam, whose 50-yard lob was headed clear by Millwall defender Mark Beevers.
Until, this point, Town were playing extremely badly and every clearance seemed to go to Millwall.
After the match, I talked to a couple of Millwall supporters. They said that they’d had several matches like this and this was the fourth goal-less draw. They all said that the pitch was rock hard, hence the watering at half-time.
Cricket may have Rain Stopped Play, but Millwall seem to have other weather related problems.
The match may have cost me only £17, but I would have enjoyed myself more if I gone to bed for the afternoon.
The Anonymous Widower 