This was meant to be the pre-season game I missed. After seeing four of the five England World Cup games (supporting England has the same “oh my god, we are awful” feeling as supporting Sunderland) and going to the rest of the pre-season games, I thought I’d give this one a miss. I told our lass at the week-end “I am supposed to be going on a work team building canal cruise on Wednesday afternoon, I really ought to go, rather than go to Rotherham.” She had immediately starting packing the sarnies for the trip to South Yorkshire. I think after 23 years, she knows me rather well.
The first shock was that it seemed someone had nicked the pub. As you walk up from the car park in the scrap yard there is the Moulders Rest on the corner (now bordered up) and then at the top on the corner of the alley turning down to the away end there is the Mill Moor. But in between there is a pub we used to go to when we were in the same division as Rotherham. Except there isn’t. I stood there staring at where I thought the pub should be. It must have been knocked down in the just over 18 months since we were last here. As I was meeting my brother there I had to call him and re-arrange. He wasn’t bothered as he was staring at a space down a dead end road where his new satellite navigation toy was telling him a petrol station should be. The refusal to believe one’s eyes clearly must run in the family – and also be enormously useful in being an SAFC supporter. The ability to tell oneself within an hour of leaving the match can’t have been as bad as we thought we just saw is an essential defence mechanism to allow one to head to the next game for something that passes as optimism.
And so we ended up in the Mill Moor, the semi-official Rotherham supporters’ pub. There were loads of other SAFC supporters but precious few Rotherham supporters – although some that were there were sporting their new black and white striped away top. There was something unpleasantly familiar about it. The pub had a superb northern “beer garden” – a back yard with a couple of tables, a mattress on a spring bed and the washing line (complete with washing) strung across. It was like sipping summer cocktails at Monte Carlo.
There was a good turnout of SAFC supporters (about 1,200 someone else reckoned – and who am I to argue). It seemed to take the catering staff by surprise as they ran out of pies well before half time. Since we were last there one stand at the side has been knocked down and half replaced by what will be a nice new stand when it is completed. Unfortunately Rotherham are really in the poor and can’t afford to complete it. I hope they pull themselves back together as I have something of a soft spot for Rotherham (for no particular reason).
It was still sweltering as we kicked off. Once again we used the game to give load of players a chance. Fair enough I guess – but not too pleasing as an entertainment spectacle. Davis was still nowhere to be seen. Rumours are that Southampton won’t quite match our asking price. If anyone is reading this from Saints can I just say that you really ought to pay the money. You will be getting a quality keeper who commands his defence with confidence and always makes the right decision as to when to come for the ball or stay on his line. He is particularly strong with crosses. We will be gutted to lose him. Alnwick played most of the game this time. Particularly in the second half when he was just in front of us, he played very well indeed and got a good reception when he went off. I have a lot of confidence that he’ll be a strong goalkeeper in the CCC for us.
There was no Elliott (a hamstring injury in training! Give me strength). Also no Arca – something about carrying a knock but everyone assumed that was a lie and that he is off to Boro. Bit of a pity as I think going to Espanyol would have left us with fond memories of him. I can’t quite see why Boro want him as he will never replace Downing and he is not a strong enough defender to play left back in the Prem (although he is canny there In the CCC). Ho, hum.
I am guessing that our strongest 11 (everybody fit) is Alnwick, Wright, McCartney, Caldwell, Cunningham, Welsh, Leadbitter (who now has signed a new contract), Whitehead, Lawrence, Stead and Elliott. I am not sure that the fit members of that team ever were on the pitch at the same time. It does mean that players like Delap, Miller and Kyle – and even Murphy and Basilla, who might regard themselves as first team players are looking at a place on the bench at best (and that is assuming no new signings).
Anyway, we were behind the goal but unfortunately we kicked towards us first half. That was particularly unfortunate as the first half was very poor. Kyle missed a couple of chances (one very decent one by a country mile) and Murphy had a couple of decent efforts. Put it down to the heat or still being rusty but we looked poor.
Second half we improved a little and scored two good goals. Shortly after half time the ball came out to Murphy. I have heard others say it was 20 yards but it seemed even more to me. He curled a beautiful shot in (I was in direct line behind him looking towards the goal so it looked gorgeous from my angle). This lifted our game a little – or at least gave us the confidence to look like we were in charge. A lot of changes started happening, which meant that some players didn’t get the chance to recover from their poor first half showing. I though McCartney looked somewhat off pace – and made me think he had been given an easy time down at Forest Green. Cunningham came on and looked OK – what more can you say?
We made the score line look more respectable when our goal machine Stead took a peach of a through ball down the right channel and slotted home comfortably to cue singing and dancing in the away end.
Just over a year ago we were in the same division as these chaps and were very pleased to win 1-0. On that basis a 2-0 win should be pleasing. It was not a good performance and it was not good entertainment. But, hey, this is pre-season. If you get wound up at this stage, you are going to be apoplectic by the time we reach Christmas.
On the way home we heard on the radio O’Leary had gone from Villa. We were relaxed. A source close to a source close to Quinny had wanted it made clear that Dreary would not be coming. So that was good. But it would be nice to have a manager.
Some time.
Soon would be canny.
