Two home games to start a new year and maybe it's natural to be reflective. A walk along the Shrivvy Road, three generations of us who've known no better, who know well enough not to expect but just enough still to hope. It occurs too that I've been coming to the County Ground, hoping, for 43 years; so young that I remember almost nothing before climbing the terrifying, rickety steps of the old stand. So there's no place - no home or school or workplace, nowhere - that's been such a constant through my life, and meeting family for a drink beforehand reminds me of those constants and gives me something to treasure, and for a moment, I'm glad and reassured to be here.
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Soon, I'm looking at that green rectangle, trying in vain to hope whilst contemplating how Rodgers and Thomas are wearing our red shirt again. And others too of course: just how did it come to this? On Monday, I'd raged at our first half lethargy - playing a team with a day's less rest and no particular intent - this was a scandalous approach. True, the second half had developed into something much more purposeful with Vigs, Branco and Jones all excelling.
Today, Shrewsbury came out with that 150mph madness, that only the truly desperate can manage - if only we run around like this maybe they won't realise how hopeless we are. It didn't take long for the truth to out, and without being especially incisive, in the first 25 minutes we created opportunities at will. Sorry for those judging the game as a whole, but Rodgers was often an early catalyst for getting the ball forward quickly and creatively. Obika alone had four efforts, each of which I thought he should have done better with. And this is my biggest concern with the Williams years, it feels as if it just doesn't matter enough. I genuinely support our playing and developmental philosophy, but it has to be aligned with being desperate to win football matches. So SJO has his half-arsed efforts (that's harsh, but you know what I mean, fine margins and all that), and sloppiness and poor decision making creep in all over (and never go away), and the visitors realise they've not actually been hammered yet, winning their own corners and even having a header that went somewhere towards goal.
At half time I thought the few boos were borne out of frustation - we'd created plenty and really should have been ahead. And back crept the hope, surely we couldn't not beat these?
In a sense, I'm not bothered the game swung one way and the other based on strange officiating. I've not seen the highlights, but the incident that led to the penalty and red card followed a strange passage of play, with Norris (less involved and effective than of late) waiting for the spinning ball to settle before he was possibly hacked down. Their's looked a goal through 90 yards of mist and the wrong angle, whilst Hylton's was surely a penalty. I am bothered though at our approach - we've abandoned the pure Williams high risk 'Swindon Way' and regressed to sub-Cooper pure mess. The players - at best hugely lacking in quality and depth - look utterly bereft. For those not there, this can not be emphasised enough, the last 20 minutes were absolutely abject. It would feel cruel to pick on individuals, suffice to say that the collective (they are a team, after all) mentality, application, execution were soul destroying. Thanks to those who in some shape or form have shown the guts to front up afterwards - Vigs, Goddard, Embleton, Williams, Brophy.
Times like these are tough, and I'm as guilty as plenty in sometimes feeling hopeless, in saying that these are the worst players ever. However, in reality, most of us have seen and supported us through worse times...and things do, somehow, get better. Problem is, this is now, and finding hope walking back down Shrivenham Road this evening feels impossible. But give it a couple of weeks (and eight new players), it'll be back.
Here's to the next 43 years.
Loved that Christy. Great post
The shit we're seeing in terms of a clear lack of effort and passion from most of the players is shameful.
How so-called professional sportsmen can be so unfit, let alone have such low levels of self pride to put in such awful performances week in, week out, is beyond me.
We can all accept a lack of ability at this level, but it's not going to wash if there is a lack of effort and passion to go with it, but that is unfortunately where we are with this lot.
Not having a defined manager is not helping. The fans don't know what's going on, which isn't good.
I'm sure Power and Sherwood know exactly what's going on but are just bullying Williams in the hope that he'll eventually resign after a sustained period of having to front everything up, and they will then avoid having to pay up his contract.
Meanwhile, the players don't give a fuck as they're still picking up their salaries, driving round in new cars, no matter who's in charge.
And to think that Power openly blamed out previous shittnes on Cooper, saying that Williams was really the one responsible for the beautiful way we play, and is one of the best coaches in the UK, at the same time as awarding him with a new 5 year contract.
Where is Power now that questions are being asked of him? Where is the regular Wilts Sound phone in?
Where is Sherwood ffs??
Lots of questions, very few answers.
