Well, scoring goals is always better than not scoring goals. Galway might well have been the weakest team we have faced pre-season. And they did play two different sets of 11 players in each half. But it was still nice to finish our trip to Ireland convincingly. I am told not to read too much into these pre-season friendlies as they are just slightly more competitive training sessions. But my answer is that I am the sort of person who uses up holiday to travel around a foreign country, sleeping in a tent watching my team in said friendlies – do I sound like someone who is likely to have a sense of proportion?
I was particularly pleased to see Chopra score – a very well taken lob over the goaly after a nice bit of passing from Etuhu. Chops needs these goals – it would be great if he could get on the score sheet on Saturday against Juve at the SoL. There are a few hundred idiots waiting to boo him if he struggles to get on the score sheet in the early matches. The surest remedy to that is some goals that have tens of thousands of us singing his name.
But I get ahead of myself. We travelled up from Cork to Galway on the Tuesday, the glorious sunshine giving way to driving wind and squally rain. Our campsite is right on Galway Bay. While this means we have superb views, it also means the wind has the full Atlantic Ocean to take a run at you. Like a good fast bowler it was using every inch of that run up as we tried to erect the tent. With some fierce holding down while others hammered in pegs we got it safely secured. I have to admit it does give one a perhaps misplaced sense of machismo to get a tent up in difficult conditions: “lo, I have provided shelter for my family.”
Wednesday and we woke to the strains of the wind trying to give us an early ride over to the North-East for the Juve game. We sat inside reading while the rain beat a furious rhythm on the canvas (well, actually nylon – but canvas sounds a much more outdoor manly sort of material). As lunchtime approached we thought “oh sod this, we need Guinness”) and so headed for town. As we did the clouds separated and the sun shone down for the rest of the day. Surely this was a sign that God approves of drinking Guinness?
Last time we were here for a pre-season friendly 10 years ago I had a guidebook that described Galway Cathedral as the ugliest cathedral in Europe. The Galway Tourist Board clearly have got to the guidebook writers because my new guidebook described it as “an interesting architectural piece”. Both descriptions are accurate. It is tempting to draw an analogy with the phrases “we are rubbish” and “we are ill prepared for the Premiership”.
In town our lass and me decided we’d head up to re-visit the cathedral. “Would you like to come and see the ugliest cathedral in Europe?” we asked the two 16 year olds with us. “Wow, that sounds as exciting as a butter museum” they replied as they lay back on the grass in the main square. They instead played “tramp spotting”. Apparently you have to spot who is going to ask you for money from 100 yards away. You score double if it is a charity worker with no obvious sign of being such from 100 yards.
Our pleasant walk around town lead us inevitably to the Fox pub on the main square which seems to be something of a Galway United football club hangout and was the destination for quite a few of the travelling red and white army – including one lad who couldn’t work out if he was at home or away as he came from Galway but was studying at Sunderland University and so had picked up the red and white bug.
Since our last visit Galway had built a new stand down one side of the ground. They previously had only one stand on the opposite side. The new stand was reserved for god only knows who and the old stand was first come, first served. Despite getting to the ground 45 minutes before KO (i.e. 45 minutes earlier than we usually do) the old stand was completely full. We didn’t mind too much as our plan had always been to stand behind the goal we were attacking in each half. However, we are somewhat more of a draw than we were 10 years ago and the ground was heaving. Trying to find a vantage point was no mean trick. In both halves we could see the build up fine and we could see the goaly from the chest up – but anything happening in the six yard box or the far side of the 18 yard box below chest height we had to rely on crowd reaction.
It is still hard to tell what our line-up will be against Spurs – even putting to one side any further additions to the squad. Fulop started the game and played all but 10 minutes or so. He seemed OK and made one superb save with his right leg from a one-on-one. His kicking still seems to me to be either too long or inaccurate or both. Ward did play the last 10 minutes and still had time for an excellent tip over. If I was to bet I would say that we’ll have a new goaly before the end of the transfer window and Fulop will be the benchwarmer.
Stern John didn’t start but came on in the second half – and scored one and made one. He has played a lot of pre-season football. Is that because we intend to rely on him to get goals in the Prem or because he is in the shop window? Your guess is as good as mine.
Stokes again played on the wing. I retain confidence in this lad (if he can keep his head straight) – but as a striker. I really don’t see him as a winger. Etuhu played a lot of the match and my nephew and my son thought he had a good game. I am still a major sceptic. The comparisons with Bascilla (who was not particularly bad – just not very good) are too great.
Chopra I am warming to. He plays a committed game and at present we have to throw our support behind him as he is the only player I can see getting goals for us in the Prem. I hope Connolly does (he too scored one and made one) but that is more hope than expectation.
In defence I think we have made two superb buys in Halford and McShane. Both played quite a bit of this game and performed well. I hope Anderson will be our mature holding player but partly because of injury and partly because it has just worked out that way we haven’t seem much of him.
After Chopra’s goal in the first half the game threatened to get out of control. There were some rash tackles and some even rasher reactions. For some reason the ref seemed happy to book our players but not Galway players – even for almost identical infringements. Our players need to calm down as Prem referees are there to ensure the established teams vote to keep them on the Prem list – not to referee the game objectively. A foul on Gerrard is a sending off, a reaction by Gerrard is a mild request not to let the nasty little team get to him. A foul by Gerrard is at most a polite request not to do it again too many times, a reaction to a foul by Gerrard is a sending off. It may not be fair but it is the way the refs work – we have seen it plenty of times. There is no use whinging – we just have to adapt our play to this inbuilt cheating.
We continued to push the rest of the first half but disappointingly didn’t score further. The second half saw a change of personnel of Sven Goran like proportions. As I said Galway changed all 11 at half time. We didn’t but by the end of the second half it seemed like almost none of our players who had started were still on the pitch. The second half did at least see us score three goals. Stern John and Connolly swapped roles for each other as provider and scorer. John with a nicely firm, accurate (!) shot and Connolly with a header. Richardson had a fine dribble into the box from the left (where we were – hurray – so we could see) to send the ball either across the goaly or in at the near post – by now it was below chest height and across the 6 yard box so I had no idea.
A 4-0 win was a happy way to end the tour. We’re off to Galway races this afternoon to hand over money to bookmakers. And then back over to England via Wales tomorrow. The ferry gets into Fishguard at 5 and then it is a long Friday night drive across to Hertfordshire. Then up early Saturday morning for the drive up to the SoL via the Harbour View for some ….well, I guess Guinness would be nice.
It has been a great week, with mainly good weather compared to what we’ve had most of this summer. The craic on these pre-season tours is always tremendous. As a way to spend a week I would recommend it to anyone. I hand over for the next two games to the RTG home reporters. The next time I’ll be typing at you will be after Brum. By that time I’ll either be talking ludicrously of Europe or looking for razor blades to hack at my wrists. Such is the emotional rollercoaster you sign up to the day you become an SAFC supporter.
Keep the faith.
John aka Herts