So we’re back to league action on Monday night after our winter break. These lads are from google (hence their name) and are quite good and already beat us 2-1 this season with a last gasp goal. It was probably my finest ever hour in the goal and I was gutted to lose that night after I had thwarted them time after time before the heartbreak at the death. Like Nicolas Anelka and Barry Robson, I’m happy to stay where I am but if a bigger club comes in for me during the transfer window then I hope Rocko will give me permission to speak to them.
There’s strong media rumours of a change of formation from 1-3-1 to 2-2-1 but I think the manager has yet to collectively inform the playing squad of his plans. He’s possibly planning to spring it on us, like Roy Keane did by handing Martyn Waghorn his debut against Manchester United over Christmas.
Regarding contracts if any player doesn’t want to be at TFK then they’re welcome to leave, once a fair fee has been secured for their services. I’d remind them of the starry-eyed misadventures of Stilian Petrov and Shaun Maloney in recent times however. There may be “bigger” leagues on in the likes of the AUL and St Andrew’s but you’ll soon find out that these divisions have just as much dross as the YMCA.
While this has undoubtedly been a disappointing season we’ve a unique opportunity now to build for the summer league and I can guarantee trophies for TFK come summer time, otherwise I’ll gladly step aside.
An apparently improved performance tonight saw TFK lose 0-4 against The Searchers in Sandymount. An early injury to Jugs kept him off the team for the rest of the game and the lads had no more subs. Some sloppy goals conceded (as is par for the course) but I’m hearing the effort was first class and nobody shirked from it.
We’re really after becoming the new Sunderland what with being satisfied with a 4-0 reversal! Truth is they’re quite good and were one of the top couple of sides we faced in the first round of games and the fact we were depleted made it more difficult to begin with. Only having 7 players left us one short and then Jugs hurt his ankle at the start and we more or less played with the same six players for the full hour, which was a tough ask.
Overall, we tried hard and did the best we could in the circumstances. We actually started decently in our new 2-2-1 formation and had a few efforts on goal and a bit of pressure. They then scored on a break-away after we gave the ball away from a corner on the edge of their box. Again, we got our heads down and worked hard but they passed it through us coming up to the break before some fook slalomed by a few tackles before firing in a second goal. I didn’t have much chance with either of them really.
The second half followed a similar pattern with us trying very hard and passing it around well at times but lacking a cutting edge largely because everyone was knackered and we’d no interchange players to bring in to give lads a breather and to enable us to build up concerted pressure. I made a few saves as we tried to press before they got a third half-way through the second half. We had men back but didn’t get close enough to and press the man in possession and he was able to pick his spot with me pretty much unsighted.
Yet again, we kept battling and Colly was having a smashing game in midfield but nothing would drop for us. Farmerinthecity went mightily close with a tremendous, rasping volley that whistled past the angle of post and crossbar (of the goal out on the cricket field after his effort screwed off his boot and sliced highly and wildly out over the fence near the corner flag of the astro pitch we were playing on).
They got a 4th at the death when I rashly came off my line when I should have stayed in goal. Some fook won the initial headed challenge and despite my blatant handball outside the box as the ball bobbled around he still wriggled through and scored. I’ll take the blame for that one.
In general, 2-2-1 worked alright and Fats or Smelly generally stepped up into midfield when the opportunity presented itself. I’d definitely try it again before writing it off as it was difficult to judge how it worked in an attacking sense given we were short our strikers, Juhniallio, ClarkeyCat and Ro, and then only had the six available for most of the game with Rocko and Tinnion also missing.
I take offence to my shot ‘whistling past the angle of post and crossbar’. It actually went in - to the goals in the cricket field.
I was just straightening myself back up having arch myself for the wonderous volley when one of their lads said ‘You scored - look!’. I thought surely not. I then saw what he meant.
One of their lads legged it and got the ball after it when it became apparent that I could barely move. Fair play to him and The Searchers - they were fairly sound.
As a seal might be rereleased to the wild, I shall be taking a tentative first kick of a football in 3 months in DCU tonight. I don’t think I’m ready but I believe Gman is reappearing for Utd’s reserves tonight and I’ve always admired him(see knackertasche for details) so I’ll jump too. Details later of how it went.