The Diary

18 September 2003: Wigan: A Blip, Or Worse?

Unsurprisingly, the post-mortem on last night?s defeat continues unabated, both on the list and off it. We now seem to have two schools of debate on the loose; the first comprises the ?If it wasn?t broke, why try to fix it last night?? brigade, and the second takes the view that although we dipped at the JJB, we?re still fourth, it?s only the second game we?ve lost thus far this term, we?re still going great guns, there?s less than a quarter of the season gone, and normal service will resume come Saturday, so why worry? Although I appreciate the sentiments expressed via the latter persuasion, and, yes, the magnitude of the defeat has to be put into perspective, I have to say I instinctively fall into the first category. More so because our manager today as good as admitted he might have got it wrong last night; sorry, but I have to say it again, why muck about with a winning side? I?m not that appreciative of watching talented performers like Hulse running around like headless chickens because they?re unsure of what?s required of them, and, I daresay, neither was he. And I?m not a lone voice in questioning what happened at the JJB last night; oodles of people, highly respectable and articulate folkies, the lot of them, are saying precisely the same thing.

Mind you, when Meggo admitted he might have called it wrong, he then qualified the statement by saying that some of his players hadn?t performed to the best of their abilities either, and that five or six first-team places could well be under threat. ?Living on borrowed time? was the phrase he used, I believe. It?s an interesting threat to dangle over the collective heads of our first-string because I harbour serious doubts as to whether Gary could actually carry it through. Sure, we?ve got cover for most positions, but are all those fall-backs really ready for Saturday?s trip to Palace? In any case, reports suggest our reserves had quite a hard battle on their hands at Morecambe tonight ? they lost 5-3 to Blackburn Rovers, after being 4-0 down at half-time, Wallwork, Marshall, and Simon Brown (penalty) partially rectified the damage ? hence a gruelling trip to Palace two days later for those guys would be absolutely what the doctor ordered. Not. Whatever Gary chooses to do for the Palace game, I think we can all take it as read there will be no more bizarre tactical excursions into the realms of the untried and untested this time around. And I daresay our regular lot, stung by the inevitable post-match paint-stripping session last night, will turn in a virtuoso performance on Saturday, and everything will be hunky-dory once more.

Tomorrow night, we?ll be heading on over to Sutton Branch for their meeting, where the star attraction is Jeremy Peace. I daresay that our chairman will find much to occupy his mind during the session, especially as the Sutton mob are, to a person, some of the most astute and perceptive questioners I?ve ever encountered on the supporters? club circuit. One small niggle though; that meeting clashes with another at Main Branch, where several of our finest are also guesting. It?s not the fault of Sutton, I hasten to add, more a case of inadvertent ?double-booking? on the part of the club. I?m sure there are many in Sutton Branch who would have loved to attend both functions, but there you are. I hope to give you some idea of what?s discussed tomorrow night, but it may be that my reporting efforts might be restricted to a greater or lesser degree ? I?ll just have to see which way the mop flops on the night. Until then, keep ?boinging?.

And finally. One. According to the local rags, the 43 Chief Executives of the current Premiership and First Division sides are being invited to a seminar organised by the people who supplied the software for Albion?s - their words, not mine! ? ?access control system?. I presume the idea is, they have a dekko at the stuff we use, then get the sales-talk from the makers afterwards. Bearing that in mind, all I can say is I hope that when this event comes off, Albion choose a day when, unlike last Saturday?s shenanigans, the system is totally virus-free!

Two. Anyone out there with an interest in film-animation? The reason I ask is because of something curious I noticed in the Guardian obituary column today. The deceased in question was someone called Jules Engel, who worked upon such animated classics as Disney?s Fantasia and Bambi. Reading through his career highlights, I happened to notice that the writer credited him with the development of ?theatrical cartoons? just after the second world war, one character in particular being ?Gerald McBoing Boing?, who was a Dr. Zeuss creation originally. This has made me curious; exactly what did he look like, and did he perform our trademark celebratory dance at all? Come to think of it, did some unknown Albion-supporting genius get the idea from this animated character in the first place? Anyone who can shed some light on this curiosity for me, a mail, please, to the usual address.

Three. Was The Old Fart ?on a promise? last night? The reason I ask is because when he rang his beloved on his mobile after last night?s game, he finished the call with the seductively-phrased words: ?See you in bed!?

 - Glynis Wright

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