Tag Archives: QPR

Here we go again

I have to admit that I feel nervous about today’s game with QPR.  As always, I think anything could happen and if we end up losing our third game in a row then I’m going to feel miserable. 

Even if we do lose, I won’t despair completely. I believe that Aitor Karanka is working on a long term plan and that it will bring us stability and safety eventually.  It will take time to get all the players  we need and to work our way up the table and I believe that he should be given that time.  And if he is allowed to continue for two or three seasons, I do believe that we’ll see an improvement in performances and results.  My prediction for this season is that we won’t be in danger of relegation at the end of it.

I’ll be watching the game online and hoping we will get something from it.   I do know that football is just a game and that losing is not really an enormous tragedy but I don’t remember that during a game. It take me about a couple of hours to calm down after a bad game.  But if the team plays well and gets a result, the good feeling lasts the whole weekend.

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Time’s wingèd chariot

Loftus Road is a small stadium, the third smallest stadium in the Sky Bet Championship this season. It’s not a comfortable place to visit. When I went there, I felt like a sardine crammed in a tin. Respect to the Blues fans who are going today, and I hope they see a good game. I’ll be listening on the radio.

There are things I like about going to away games. Birmingham City’s travelling fans are incredible and it feel’s great to be among a loud, supportive crowd. But standing for 90 minutes is tiring and by the end of a game I feel very old.

More and more things make me feel old these days.  I just read about Albert Finney dying and that brought back memories of watching him at the old Birmingham Repertory Theatre in the 1950’s.  I remember seeing him as Henry V and also saw him in less memorable roles.  Once when I was clearing out a pile of Rep programmes, I noticed his name listed in the actors playing the crowd. That was over 60 years ago.

And it’s nearly 70 years since my dad first took me to St Andrew’s. I don’t remember exactly when that was but do remember Gill Merrick, Jeff Hall and the roar of the crowd. I also remember the first time I heard ‘Keep right on’ sung, at the FA Cup semi-final at Hillsborough in 1956. My memories may be rose-tinted but I think the crowd back then was very supportive. That’s why I’m thrilled by the atmosphere at games this season, with our crowd supporting effort and commitment even when it doesn’t end with a win. It reminds me of the crowds I stood in when I was a child and it feels good.

By the way, the title of this post is taken from Andrew Marvell’s poem To His Coy Mistress:

But at my back I always hear

Time’s wingèd chariot hurrying near  
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Glad

I’m glad there’s a game to go to this evening.  Watching a game is usually better than reading online articles that regurgitate what others have already written about what a mess the club is in and a possible 12-point deduction. Even watching our last home game against QPR, which was not very good, was better than reading some of the rubbish that gets circulated on social media. Continue reading →

Darkest day

The solstice, when the sun reaches its southern-most position, is at 4:28 pm. In the Northern Hemisphere, today will be the shortest and therefore the darkest day . From tomorrow, the days will start getting longer. Unfortunately, we don’t know if we have also reached Birmingham City’s darkest day and whether things will start to get a little bit brighter from now on.  Continue reading →

Not all bad

Giving advice?

Giving advice?

Birmingham City’s loss to Charlton on Saturday was pretty bad.  Even I started yelling advice to the players and my knowledge of football techniques and tactics is minimal.  I probably should be grateful that I only notice the most glaring of errors. Watching a game like that must be more painful for those who understand more. Continue reading →