The Diary

31 October 2006: More About Last Saturday.

All the bungling hallmarks of outfits suffering from that particular malady were there in abundance. On at least two occasions, Boro found themselves with the City goal at their mercy, but somehow contrived to hit the post instead, not once, but twice. City, not to be outdone, had their moments too, and could thank their lucky stars that the opposition that night was so spectacularly inept, otherwise they really would have had something to grouse about come the final whistle. Even the ref had his work cut out for him: a flurry of bookings over the entire 45 minute period, which wasn?t surprising, considering both sides are gaffered by blokes whose forte, during their playing days was ? erm ? uncompromising defending! I guess the hapless whistler found himself writing up ?charge sheets? for ever more tonight, and cursing richly while he was at it, too.

It?s now been a good two days since the incident that saw Paul Robinson go for a slightly earlier bath than he would have done had he not had that ?close encounter of the physical kind? with Damien Johnson, and at last, I?ve had chance to cast my peepers over the replay. Conclusions? I?m now even more firmly convinced that Robbo was trying to get out of Johnson?s way, rather than crudely foisting an introduction to the dubious delights of hospital food onto the hitherto-uneducated palate of his Bluenose opposite number.

As I saw it on the replay, Robbo saw Johnson coming at him like an express train, at an angle, and, as he arrived, turned so as not to give his opponent any chance to make contact with that foot of his. The ?elbow? bit was unfortunate, sure, but purely accidental, in my view. It just confirmed what I?d suspected in the first place. Mowbray appeared on Midlands Today this evening, stating that as far as he was concerned, the matter was closed, so that means Robbo won?t be getting on the wrong end of a club fine, or similar. That, I reckon, speaks volumes: had our gaffer thought otherwise, he?d have undoubtedly had the book thrown right at him.

Talking of our gaffer, today saw him come out with a pretty interesting observation regarding the incident, to the effect that had Robbo?s actions been deliberate, or perceived by others to be so, then every single Blues player within sight and sound of it would have piled in to make their feelings abundantly clear, both to the perpetrator, and the referee. But nothing of the kind happened, of course, and it was only when the ref showed Robbo the red card did we finally clock how seriously the match official regarded what Robbo had allegedly done.

That, I reckon, spoke volumes, and provided a fair indication that the incident was nowhere near as clear-cut as some might have supposed. The upshot, of course, is that we?re going to lose a valuable member of the side for three games: versus QPR tomorrow, Derby this Saturday, and the visit of Norwich to The Hawthorns seven days further down the line. This could lead to problems, as we don?t have a natural replacement handy. I reckon there?ll be much managerial head-scratching going on between now and tomorrow night.

At least one other matter arising from that incident has been cleared up: it transpired today that Johnson really did have a fractured jaw, moreover, one bust in two places, not one. Mind you, according to the Daily Mail website, there?s no less than THREE breaks to sort out: that?s inflation for you, I guess. For expressing doubt I apologise: clearly, I was wrong. But that still doesn?t explain why he wasn?t subbed straightaway, does it? That, I really don?t understand; were it me in the same boat, I?d have been screaming blue murder for every medical aid and painkiller in existence! Unless St. Andrews is taking a leaf out of its owner?s book, of course, and quietly transforming itself into a clandestine S and M venue!

The other matter coming from the Mail report is the bit that mentions footage of the incident being drawn to the attention of the FA. In times past, the game?s national body would have contented itself with whatever the referee did to sort it on the day of the game, but following the Ben Thatcher incident a few weeks back, it might well be that The Gnomes Of Soho Square will be acting more proactively than they have before. That could be serious: given I sometimes vociferously doubt the game?s leaders? connections with reality, I can only hope that the tape doesn?t land squarely into the lap of some old duffer or other whose sole links with the beautiful game as played professionally are via some hospitality suite or other. What we don?t need right now is another misinterpretation of what actually happened.

Of course, it might just be the Mail getting a bit bumptious in their old age. All this is coming, remember, from a newspaper that once hoodwinked the entire country with what was later to be called ?The Zinoviev Letter?, a sensational missive purporting to come from Soviet Russia, and seemingly providing clear-cut evidence that if elected, the Labour Party would turn Britain Communist also. It must have worked, because it cost Labour the 1924 election: it was only much later that the letter was proven to be a fake, and the fictional work of MI5 spooks. Yes, I know it was a long time ago, but when you come to examine some of the stuff they put out for the delectation of their readership these days, you really have to wonder again, sometimes!

Despite Saturday, and the disappointing outcome to that Blues game, life still has to go on, and in our case, that means the very next fixture, versus QPR, tomorrow night. Win, and the damage inflicted by our uncouth neighbours is minimal: draw or lose, and we?ll be quickly overtaken by other, equally-ambitious, outfits. It being Halloween tomorrow, perhaps we might enlist the aid of sundry spirits using the time of year as an excuse to take to the streets and scare the living daylights out of people? Failing that, though, it?s got to be down to our normal performers, as per usual.

The really great news, though, has to be that we just might get Kev Phillips back in time for this one. The word on the street is that he?s now back in full training after recovering from that calf injury of his (what on earth possessed him to contemplate taking on a calf, with its mother in close attendance, that?s what I want to know!), the one that?s kept him out for the last four. Also a ?wounded little soldier? as a result of Saturday?s trip to St. Andrews is John Hartson. He has a wrist injury, according to the club website. Hmmmm. Are you thinking what I?m thinking? No ? don?t tempt me?..

With Darren Carter still hors de combat, and Clem still a long way off being ripe and ready for first team duties, as I said earlier, that?s going to create a bit of a dilemma for our poor gaffer. Just who can we stick in that spot, I wonder? I was quite surprised tonight to learn that the last time we played the Loftus Road side was back in January 2001, when they won their home encounter 2-0. Mind you, what with us going into the Prem, and them getting relegated, I suppose there?s not been all that many opportunities in the intervening period for either side to engage in any form of meaningful conflict.

QPR? The last time we played them was back in January 2001, believe it or not, when we lost 2-0, at their place. Our last Hawthorns encounter was in September 2000, when Lee Hughes knocked in the winner, to give us a 2-1 final scoreline, and our very first three-pointer of the season. Pat Kanyuka may not have recovered from a knock sustained over the weekend in sufficient time to turn out tomorrow night: apparently, he had to hobble off, following the injury. Should that be the case, then Michael Mancienne, an 18 year-old on-loan Chelsea defender, will be called up for the pierhead jump, not to mention his debut for the club in central defence, instead. Additionally, there?s a problem with Marc Bircham, so he might be out. Not good news for Paul Jones, though (no, not the ex-Manfred Mann lead singer, or the chap that almost single-handedly founded the US Navy, come to think about it!); he could be out and Simon Royce shoved between the sticks instead.

Thoughts? We really do need to get back the winning momentum we built up via those important wins over Leeds, Ipswich, Palace, and the Dingles. Should our attack run on all four cylinders tomorrow night, then, theoretically, at least, Rangers might well be in for a torrid old time at the back. What we don?t need is them getting in their retaliation first. Personally, I reckon we?ll bring home the bacon, and, more importantly, all three points. That should give Preston and Cardiff something to think about, not to mention a smile back on my mush again!

And finally?.. One. I wonder who eventually won out in what one might term ?The Battle Of The Ex-Baggies Gaffers?? Yep ? that really was the case today, as both Gary Megson and Bryan Robson went head-to-head in their efforts to land the Sheffield Wednesday job that?s currently up for grabs. What a choice for Wednesday to be lumbered with! They?d spoil another couple, they really would. I can just picture them both, looking daggers at each other as they sit in the ante-room, waiting to be summoned in turn by the Wednesday board, and every single air molecule in that room absolutely boiling with the sheer mental intensity of it all. If that?s really the case, then I reckon Meggo should win that one hands down. That ?Megson Death Stare? ? once seen, never forgotten, believe you me! Perhaps the Wednesday board should leave the announcement of the appointment to Halloween: between you, me and the goalpost, I can?t think of a more appropriate time for either of ?em!

Two. I was absolutely staggered yesterday to learn that Luton Town?s Sol Davis had suffered a stroke on the team coach taking the team to Ipswich Town on Saturday. What a shock to the rest of the side, who were present when it happened. Reports tell of him suddenly losing the power of speech, and all feeling on one side, although it would appear that he has partially recovered in Addenbrookes Hospital since then, and is now taking first tentative steps around his bed. I?m also given to understand that Davis is still in his twenties: although people can have strokes at any age ? I have heard, in the past, of kids as young as ten being incapacitated by the condition ? at Davis?s age, and bearing in mind his superb fitness levels, it?s so far off the radar, there?s probably more chance of someone getting six balls up on the lottery than get the same thing at a similar time of life. The nearest I can come to it is young girls on the Pill getting embolisms (not quite the same thing, true, but fairly close, all the same) with equally-serious results.

Despite being considerably younger and fitter than the average stroke victim, it?s going to be quite some time before he plays again. Mike Newell, Luton?s gaffer, has spoken to the medics there, apparently, and he seems to think in terms of three to six months out of action, maybe less. If that is the case, then the lad will have really done well. Stroke is a pretty serious condition, one of the major causes of disability in this country. That?s where his overall fitness will really count, enabling him to be further ahead of the game than most people who end up in hospital as a result of the same thing.

Let?s all hope he recovers well, then, and with minimal after-effects, some of which can be really distressing for sufferers at times. Provided that?s the case, there?s no real reason why he can?t continue in the game, although he will have to be monitored for some considerable time afterwards, I would think.

 - Glynis Wright

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