Blind Faith

My other club, Ebbsfleet United, who I have a membership with via www.myfootballclub.co.uk have got themselves promoted back to the Blue Square Premier at the first attempt after being relegated last season.



They bounced straight back via the Blue Square South Play Offs beating Farnborough in the final on Farnborough’s own turf. Hopefully this will also boast their membership figures. Anyone can sign up for a free 30 day trial via www.myfctrial.com.



Now they’re back in a national division I might even get to see them play again. It can’t be any worse than watching Derby. Next season there’s also the re-launched Ilkeston Town to support. So who needs league football? Ah, obviously me. I’m one of the 16,200 blind faith-ers at Derby who have already renewed for next year. Amazingly that’s only 500 down on the renewal level last year. There really mustn't be anything to do in Derby on a Saturday, as well as Sunday to Friday obviously.

It could also be to do with the 'your money back if you’re not happy with the pre-season signings' offer. Of which there are none yet, apart from capturing the signatures of the loan players who propelled us to the dizzy heights of 19th place this season. No doubt some season ticket holders will already be sharpening their pens and getting ready to fill in their refund request forms before the rush. What would be really funny is if 16,100 asked for their money back come August, unfortunately it won’t happen.

My other other team e.g. Fantasy Football, lose in the newly invented Play Offs, at the semi-final stage, by one solitary point. Why do I always lose every year by one point?

As its British Sandwich Week (15th - 21st May) it’s appropriate that Sainsbury’s have run out by the time I get there at 1pm.

No dog training tonight. We hit the park instead.

(Monday 16th May)

They Don’t Have Rain In Spain

Before I ask... apparently he was almost a saint. That means MD’s walk went well. I must admit I was surprised when he hadn’t been returned home by the time I left for work.

Perhaps he and L have bonded or perhaps he’s just couldn’t be bothered today. Very little barking and no hurling himself at cars apparently. He didn't even shout abuse at the dog with no knees, which is an open goal really that he declines to take this morning.

I collect my bike from the doctors. It’s been fixed, serviced and is looking good. The price also wasn’t as bad as I was expecting. I didn’t need a new wheel after all.

L asks when I think I'll be fit enough to bike to work. Well the cough is subsiding nicely but my leg is still painful and I’m finding standing up easier than sitting, which is quite a dynamic way of working. So perhaps April? I think L might have to trade me in.

Then again, cough wise, Wednesday should be possible... I’ve just got to shake this knee injury.

L suggests I should cancel squash. That’s a bit rash.

It’s a tricky game in the FA Cup tonight for Derby away to Crawley Town, who are flying at the top of the Blue Square Premier. They’ve also thrown a lot of money at their squad in an effort to get into the Football League. Which means they've probably spent more highly on their squad than we have this season and they’re in form, which we certainly aren’t.

Anyway like most ‘big’ clubs I imagine we have dismissed the game as being an irrelevance, as finishing 15th in the league is clearly of more importance than a cup run. Not.

So assuming the worst, that Derby wouldn’t cause a shock and win, I arrange to go out rather than listen to it on the radio. I have no idea how you get ESPN to watch it on TV.

Defeat is as a good as confirmed before kick off with Derby not only repeating recent mistakes by playing the best right back in the division at centre half and a midfielder at right back but by bringing a centre half into centre midfield and pushing a central midfielder up behind the striker, a position he hasn’t played before. Then just to make sure of defeat, we leave our second best player, our on loan Spanish striker, on the bench all evening... I suppose it was raining, I understand they don’t have rain in Spain. Well ‘mainly on the plain’ so I'm told, not that that’s likely to be true either.

So we lose, although it’s closer than I expected and I don’t find out until later we even missed a penalty. No one from the club would speak to the press afterwards. I imagine the manager is still trying to understand his own team selection.

Mind you, I had a good night out. Glad I didn’t ruin it with football.

(Monday 10th January)