Tiny Acorns FC 0 vs Massive Oaks Forest 1, (Wood, A, 23)

Almost 2 years of SAFCBlog now, whilst it was started as a laugh after a German Beer Breakfast on the way to watch SAFC destroy Walsall 2-1 at the SOL, it seems to be gathering pace. It should limp past 350’000 visits during tonight’s match, obviously there are opportunities for advertising income, pop ups etc – but they are just annoying. Whilst it may surprise many, this isn’t my proper job. After yesterday’s game changer of feedback not just saying it’s a load of shite, SAFCBlog has been inundated with emails today pouring scorn on my Human Compass Claims, mostly along the lines of, how come we got so lost at….., how come we went to wrong ground……. how come we drove past Villa Park 40 minutes after driving past it twice already……. how come we got on the wrong train at……why did we get a taxi 100 yards…….once we are allowed back to the match and to travel, I will substantiate these claims. It is literally like a Sixth Sense….

I’m worryingly optimistic about tonight’s game, I should probably know better, but it’s just not what we do as fans and as often cited, it’s the Hope not the Expectation that hurts the most? Supporting Sunderland generally means you’re not that fond of Newcastle United, I don’t tend to comment on them, although obviously it’s nice to see them struggling, (just as I’d hope and expect their fans to have enjoyed our demise). I don’t live in the North East, I know more Mags than SAFC fans where I live and to be fair they’re all decent enough. The meltdown in the media is just brilliant, they have a high proportion of fans who are just a completely different breed, going back to Expectation, apart from gassing the league under Keegan and getting hammered in the odd cup final, it’s hard to rationalise where such Expectation comes from? The next few weeks should be priceless entertainment, expect lots of writing on bedsheets & shouting at shops, if we’re lucky that idiot might pitch up at the FA Headquarters again. We have had worse owners than them of late, just imagine the outrage if they’d had Donald at the helm, I genuinely believe they’d be cancelling their Bridle Car Insurance, turning up at the Boat Race to boo Oxford etc, they genuinely are a different breed? Prior to last nights game Steve Bruce had a Premiership Points Per Game Index, (PPPGI), of 1.13 and he is their worst ever manager, the Fat Spanish Waiter had a PPPGI of 1.18 and he is a managerial genius. They got a paltry 44 points last season under Bruce, compared to a much better 44 points under Rafa the previous season. Whilst it’s probably a romantic notion to think that there’s destiny or a script in football, “I would love it, absolutely love it”, if Big Sam sent them down again…. Anyway enough about those idiots and into tonight’s MASSIVE game at the SOL

Onto Tonight’s Game

“I’m a substitute for another guy….. I look pretty tall but my heels are high”

The new 5 subs rule is now in place in Division 3, Liverpool won the PL last year because they had the best 11, I don’t think anyone would argue that City have more strength in depth. The 5 subs rule is huge to us, I didn’t think of this til I heard it on the Wise Men Say Podcast this afternoon,,but it plays right into our hands….. our bench is stronger than anyone in this league, due to the depth of our squad. I don’t know, but I’m pretty sure the likes of Lincoln & Doncaster who are doing great, won’t have anywhere near the strength in depth that we have?

Match off?????

It’s clearly been lashing down all day in Wonderland, Social Media is rife during The Chase, that the game may be off. I’ve never been concerned about a late postponement, off the top of my head…..

• York at Huddersfield called off at 1.50pm, not arsed
• Ditto Rochdale
• Slightly different, but turned up for a 7.30pm kick off at Torquay that was changed to 3pm
• SAFC at Man City, windy as fuck, we weren’t going to get there in time
• Swansea in the rain, mattered not as Big Phil had arranged a purchase in Cardiff
• Accrington, we could have stayed in the pub?
• Oxford last season, if it’s off it’s off?
  

When we were allowed to go to the games, a postponement was of no consequence… if anything it was a positive as we got to replicate the day out? It’s the journey not the destination? Yes…. SAFCBLog dipped out of Bournemouth away after 12 minutes, El Crappico at Boro after 10 minutes, Arsenal after 8 minutes….but tonight, I’m desperate for the game to be on so I can watch from my armchair….. if it’s off, I’ll just watch something shite on TV, if it was off and I was out for the evening, the opportunities would be much more exciting….

Pitch is shite, but it’s the same for both teams, just fucking crack on?

Pre Teamsheet Teamsheet Thoughts

Ordinarily after a 3-0 away win, you’d probably expect an unchanged starting 11? Whilst this is possible, I reckon we’ll see a few changes, I think Grant will play tonight, but he’s unlikely to play 4 times in 12 days. Only LJ will know the fitness of O’Nien and the Covidness of Gooch, but I’d be surprised if either in the 11. The two changes I reckon we’ll see are,

• Whilst Scowen didn’t do anything wrong on Saturday, I reckon Winchester will start.hopefully he can take corners?
• I wouldn’t be surprised to see Sanderson replace McFadzean at left back, again McFadzean didn’t do anything wrong, I just think that Sanderson is too good to be omitted, especially given noises from Cardiff about perhaps wanting him on loan, Wolves will understandably want him to be playing. I’m hoping that Wright/Willis is now our regular CB pairing again, so I reckon we’ll see Dion in at Left Back – but what the fuck do I know

Burge

Power Willis Wright Sanderson

McGeady Winchester Leadbitter Embleton

O’Brien Wyke

Actual Teamsheet Teamsheet Thoughts

7pm ….. GAME ON

10 minutes……. they’ve started better than us. They score 0-1

17 minutes……. Wyke wiped out, probably a penalty, ref gave nowt

22 minutes…….. first bit of quality, good move, McGeady should probably score…. but denied by a decent save

23 minutes……..during the first lockdown, I had 4 or 5 penalty shoot outs a day on the front lawn with my youngest….. by day three, I was absolutely deadly, 5/5 without fail. We’ve had 5 corners in the opening 25% of this game, how fucking hard is it to deliver a decent corner? I genuinely believe I could achieve this, and I’ve not, (to date), been a professional footballer

The pitch…… it’s Shit, whilst it’s rained a bit, it’s absolutely shite…… although it rained in the Premier League? SAFCBlog has a modest patch of lawn, I’m fortunate to have some gardeners look after it, it looks nice, I’d guess if I cut costs and got rid of said gardeners….. it would look shite?

HALF TIME…… 0-1

2nd HALF……

FFS lads, let’s beat these Dockyard Jobbers….. please…..

Absolutely no reason not to beat these? Score before 60 minutes and we win? As discussed so, so, so many times… we lack pace. This makes set pieces vital? 8, (eight), corners so far with zero, (0), threat…

51 minutes……. decent possession, great cross, decent header 1-1 we win this 3 or 4-1

57 minutes……. fucking hell, goal to Plymouth 1-2

71 minutes……. not a great watch, Maguire just come on…. he’s probably the one player who can change this game?

in the real world…….

JourneySouth…. Desperado?

shit game – shit performance

in the current climate, it’s easy…. shut the laptop and watch something shite on TV….

in the real world….,

• A19 services for some ale
• Chat shite
• Kebab in Wetherby
• Home to see the goals on Sky Sports News at midnight
• Fall asleep on sofa

…… we lost, we lose lots…. that’s ok in the real world, I miss losing with bearded idiot, Jamie and John, 007, shit hairdresser, steve, Custard Simon etc….. the game is such a small part of things…..FTM

These blogs don’t write themselves, I penned the first part on my lunch hour today…. Better Days, seemed the perfect tune, can’t be arsed to change it….. and to be honest, if you wanted one man on your side in a shitstorm, you couldn’t do much better than The Boss?