The Diary

01 September 2003: A Day On The Farm - And A Ram's-Eye View!

Back to matters Albion once more, and, for a change, a view of yesterday?s game from the opposition. I have in my hand a piece of paper, not from Herr Hitler as per the Munich Agreement, but a match report lifted from the Derby supporters? website. Interesting stuff; in it, they describe their team?s performance as ?the best of the season, so far, dominating the game for long periods.? I wouldn?t quibble, also, with their assertion they should have gained at least a point from the game. As for the penalty, they reckon not only should the ref have pointed to the spot, Siggy should have walked. As I said yesterday, it?s hard for me to pass judgement because I was situated at the opposite end to the incident, but it certainly looked ?iffy?. Was it inside the box? Was Siggy the fabled ?last man?? Perhaps, it?s yet another example of vital decisions going the way of a successful side. I?m not saying that to annoy any Rams who might be reading this; it?s simply a recognition of the fact that Derby were hard done by yesterday. Having said that, I did see a report in one of the broadsheets today where the hack responsible was equally certain Siggy struck outside the box, and not in it. I really couldn?t argue either when they said Derby had all the possession in that half, but simply couldn?t convert their chances. Echoes of some of our Prem games last season, there.

As for the goal in the second, their description of events leading up to Hulse?s strike is one of, ?The Rams? luck turned sour again???(the referee) gave a free-kick in midfield for a foul on Hulse that few others in the ground had spotted. Taylor was booked for protesting, and the kick moved ten yards forward. Gregan punted it forward, and Sakiri did well to head it back across the Derby box for Hulse to score from close range.? They do, also, point towards the failings of one of their defenders as a contributory factor in conceding. After the goal ? a ?sucker punch delivered after the home side had made most of the running? - they described the feeling of having ?all the stuffing knocked out of them?. Can?t say I?m surprised, really. How many times did we express similar emotions last term? Oh ? and yet another familiar comment surfaced on their website: ?the side still lacks balance, and doesn?t look like scoring very often?. That won?t be helped by the fact that Costa will shortly be suspended as a result of the red card he received at Cardiff the other week. As the piece concludes, ?there is much to do if Derby are to put their dreadful start behind them and climb the table?.

Mind you, if their followers are puzzled as to why they didn?t get a spot-kick, I?m just as equally mystified by the actions of the Derby police before yesterday?s game. There we were at around half-twelve, in the city centre, with nary another Albionite in sight (well, not any wearing colours that I could see), and yet there were simply oodles of fully-helmeted, booted and spurred bobbies absolutely everywhere. On intersections, junctions, outside shops, miles and miles from the ground, you name it, they were there. It really wouldn?t have surprised me to discover a brace or two hiding up someone?s chimney, or lurking down handily-placed man-holes. What on earth had they been told to expect, for Heaven?s sake? A pillage-party, with Attila The Hun in full control? Talking of law-enforcement, one mystery?s been solved, and that?s the relatively-benign behaviour of the stewards at Pride Park yesterday. The reason? I hadn?t spotted it until ?Im Indoors told me today, but we?d actually brought our own with us. It?s something that used to happen quite frequently, but I?d not seen it done for a good while; much better to have people there who know their own than some oafish goon who couldn?t give a toss about who he upsets as long as he gets his remuneration at the end of the game. Long may it continue.

And finally?? Off to The Shrine tomorrow to pick up yet more away tickets and partake in what?s rapidly shaping up to be The Great Hartlepool Lottery. What with our stratospheric position in the table, it might well turn out that there?s more interest in this one than I?d anticipated, in which case, all the regulars will be sweating bricks. I?m not the only one to express doubts about this idea; today, Sauce, he of the away coach trips for those inclined to partake of the hop, grape, and grain in pubs en-route, rang us also to express the deep misgivings he had about the whole thing. Hopefully, the numbers wanting to go won?t come to a ballot ? as I commented the other day, it comes during a very expensive time for away supporters ? but if it does, will someone please explain to me why carefully number away season tickets if the distribution of tickets in short supply isn?t going to be done on that basis? Oh, and in case you?re wondering, I?ve no particular axe to grind; because of a cock-up when our tickets were ordered ? for some reason, mine had been overlooked by the club ? unlike my co-editors, I was subsequently issued with one of the higher-numbered ones, so if anyone had dipped out as a result, that person would probably have been me.

 - Glynis Wright

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