The Diary

30 October 2004: A Time For Reconciliation?

Today has been a bit like the curate?s egg for me, really, good in parts. This afternoon, after shifting a load of emails out of our inbox, and shoving out what personal replies I could in the time, I then carted myself along to Dudley Road Hospital, where I received the news that the earliest they could discharge me was next Saturday morning! And then it?s not flaming well guaranteed. Something to do with the nature of the op, apparently, so unless they cancel because of emergencies, I?m not going to be at St. Mary?s next Saturday. A bit of a bummer, that, and rather annoying, to boot, as I?d been told originally one night was the worst-case scenario. Still, look on the bright side; at least I haven?t got oral, throat or oesophageal cancer, which is what some of the others waiting to be seen had, apparently. There was one lady in the waiting area, a bit older than me, I reckon, all skeletal, she was, and looked really apprehensive about what might be in store for her on the other side of that doctor?s consulting-room door; I couldn?t really envisage her coming out of there punching the air with joy, somehow.

As far as our current managerial vacancy goes, most of the media are saying that Sir Bobby is completely out of it. Remember, though, a ?no? means ?maybe? in football ? Paul Thompson told us that the first season he was chairman, and, you know what? He was dead right; since he cast those pearls of wisdom in our direction, ages ago, now, it seems, I?ve genuinely lost count of the number of times we?ve been negotiating for players, their agent has then said the deal?s off for various reasons ? only suddenly to become a ?goer? again, once whatever remaining obstacle to the transfer, monetary or otherwise, had finally been surmounted. Amd the same must apply to managers. Although there are irksome legal complications surrounding Sir Bobby?s contract with Newcastle, should an agreement acceptable to both parties suddenly materialise out of the blue, that would turn the situation around completely. The trouble with that thought is, sadly, I don?t think time?s on his side. I strongly suspect Jeremy Peace will want the new man in position sooner rather than later.

When I last cast a cursory eye over what the betting on the vacancy was doing, Glenn Hoddle was clear 7-4 favourite to land the job, and bar one other, the rest of the field trailing way behind. Is The Sainted Glenn soon to be on his way here, I wonder? Complete with Eileen Drewery? (Meow, hiss, spit?stoppit, yer bitch!) I?m no betting expert ? I leave all that sort of thing to my two elder sisters, both of whom seem to have inherited my late dad?s DNA in quantity when it comes to investing small amounts of their disposable income with Ladbrokes, among others ? but it sure seems like it. I can?t say I?d care for him, personally, what with his track record of not engaging brain before opening mouth, and feedback from Saints followers suggesting he wasn?t exactly flavour of the month when with them ? was it what was perceived at the time to be an ?arrogant? attitude that was to blame, I wonder? - but, as I?ve said before, should he come as a package with John Gorman, I?d have that, pretty please. See column passim. Sure, Hoddle?s in Spain at the moment, but don?t forget, it?s only a two-hour plane journey to both Brum and the Shrine, should the clarion call from Jeremy come within the next few days.

An alarming late twist to the betting now sees former bull seal John Gregory hurtling like shredded sheet lightning into the second-favourite spot. And guess what, today, he?s been making increasingly strident noises in the local rags about wanting the job. Oh, dear. Surely Jeremy?s not entertaining serious thoughts about giving him the nod, is he? Er ? is he? Eek! Sure, the bloke kept Villa in the upper part of the table for the most part when he was with them ? while there, he also spent loads of money on players like Balaban, and Angel - but he certainly didn?t do all that well for Derby last season. Money, or the lack of it, may have been the prime factor in operation, there, and, to be fair, when we played them at their place early last season, despite us sandbagging them to the tune of three sucker punches, they did at least try to play attractive football while they being totally walloped by us. I remember saying at the time to the others that the game strongly reminded me of someone quietly sneaking up behind a three year old kid then mugging it for sweeties.

Houllier and Strachan? Both have one beady weather eye cocked for the Welsh and/or Scottish jobs, it would seem, although Ceefax tonight seems to say Ian Rush of Chester might be taking on the Taff task. Paul Jewell must be well and truly out of it by now; I suspect even wild horses on strong amphetamines wouldn?t drag him away from Wigan, especially given that they?re doing so well right now. As for our former manager, it now looks very much as though the Leicester City job will pass him by; that post seems to have gone to the boy Levein, from Hearts. Once more, the problem is ?gardening leave?, which leaves in its wake not only terracotta flower pots, seed, compost bags and mulch, but a whole lot of legal tangles, too. Unless some bright legal-eagle can come up with the judicial equivalent of weed-killer, of course.

And so, to tomorrow?s game. It?s my fervent hope that whatever supporters? feelings are concerning what has been a highly-contentious issue for some, now Gary Megson has gone, perhaps it?s high time for everyone to step back a little, draw a line under the whole damn affair, and look towards supporting each and every one of the players battling on that pitch tomorrow. Don?t forget, the upheaval must have been as unsettling for them as much as it was for us, and it?s no good trying to assuage our sorely wounded feelings by taking it out on them, is it? And it?s no good pursuing personal vendettas, either. What?s done is done; as the saying goes, ?the king is dead, long live the king!?.

The South Africans had the right idea, following the death of apartheid; they set up what was called a ?truth and reconciliation commission? where both sides, black and white, were each given the opportunity of publicly acknowledging there were dark deeds and injustices perpetrated by both sides, without fear of either prosecution or retribution. Once that had been done, it served to clear the air, and thus paved the way for better relations between both black and white races in future. The South Africans saw that as the only way to move forward following what had been a particularly dismal chapter in that country?s turbulent history, and, in our own way, that is what we Albion supporters have to do now.

Megson?s gone, fact. Nothing will bring him back, so the next step has to be drawing a line under that part of the club?s history, turning the page, then preparing to write the next chapter on the pristine sheet of paper now laid open in front of us. Over the last few days and weeks, we?ve all, myself included, maybe done and said things we might have wished we hadn?t in retrospect; now?s the time to let bygones be bygones, and get back to the matter in hand ? supporting West Bromwich Albion, period. Remember, people like Megson, Jeremy Peace, the players, even, are ephemeral creatures; their transient existence amidst the centuries-old pages that relate the Albion story thus far to younger, newer, supporters is naught by comparison. They, we, me, you, everyone, will eventually be gone, turned to dust ? but the club will carry on. And that?s what it?s all about, the future. Right now, the greatest kick I could ever imagine over the remainder of this season is to see us prove the doomsayers wrong, and stay up. And I reckon we?ve already got the nucleus of a squad capable of doing it, and, providing the appointment?s a shrewd one, doing it with not a little flair chucked into the mix. But the appointment has to be spot-on; stuff up and, what with the rapidly-increasing disparity between the Championship and the Premiership and everything, we might have to wait a very long time indeed to play football at this level again, if at all. When you look at it in that light, then all the petty internecine spats going on around us right now seem pretty trivial by comparison. So let our watchword be ?forgive and forget?.

So what will Frank Burrows do tomorrow, as far as team selection goes? I don?t reckon he?s going to set the world on fire by making radical changes to the side. Whatever bunch of lads we put out, unless we?re very lucky, or everyone plays completely out of their skins tomorrow, then I reckon the best we can hope for is a narrow defeat. Houlty will still be between the sticks. Darren Purse remains out ? he?s still to serve one more game of that ban, of course ? but the good news is that Clem will once more be up and running and in contention following the completion of his. Incidentally, according to my step-mother, both Clem and Earnie were seen jogging through the Scott Arms shopping area the other day; hardly surprising, really, as that junction?s only about a mile from the training ground.

There?s oodles to choose from in most positions, tomorrow, but the one exception is up front, unfortunately. Houston, we seem to have a problem! Geoff Horsfield is our major injury doubt; the vet has said he has only a 50-50 chance of being sound enough in wind and limb to face Chelsea. It?s his knee, apparently; the media say he?s had an injection to try to cure the blasted problem, but with that sort, of thing, the word ?cure? can be a tad misleading, sometimes. An injection, would, I reckon, only serve to scab over the problem on a temporary basis, and his age wouldn?t help either. We do have two other strikers to call upon, of course - Kanu and Earnshaw ? they also have toe and rib injuries from last Saturday, but their problems are not thought to be as extensive as those of The Horse. Result? I have to be pragmatic, here, by going for a 3-1 home defeat. And if I?m completely wrong, and we tear up the form-book by actually getting something tangible from the encounter, then fine.

And finally?. A fond farewell to Blighty for my middle sis, who?s going to Tenerife for a couple of weeks, to see her daughter and young grandchild, who are both resident over there. I?m not saying she?s mouthy, but at least while she?s gone, all those little bones in my middle ear will be given a fighting chance of getting back to normal once more!

 - Glynis Wright

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