a gate of 7,000 plus proves the point, would rather sit at home and
catch the replays or have a pint in hand and cheer on the lads.
Only 400 odd Cardiff supporters as well for a team top of the league,
though I have sympathy for the away club, however if Cardiff dream of
Premiership football they better get used to odd kick off times, it
will only get worse.
Also, as I made my way from London W12 via a closed down Central Line
and only two trains an hour from Liverpool Street, I wondered if I
shouldn't be joining them, seeing as I hand over Mr. Murdoch a few
pounds every year.
However, being a tight git and having payed my £380 I was at Roots
Hall, on a Sunday, at one bloody fifteen, with the cheers for Monty
as he went two up against the yank pouring out of my ear-peice, I
could see that Sky had won another battle for keeping supporters away
from grounds.
I was still pleased I was there, shouting at the ref, were all small
refs bullied at school so they have to take it out on the big boys on
a football field?, is not the same when focused at the TV set. If we
had scored in the first 10 minutes when we looked marginally the
better side I would have certainly regretted not being there, anyway
you can't have a pint with your mates after watching on Sky and
missing out on all those Clarke is crap comments! (In the pub and in
the ground.)
Guys, we are going to lose football games this season and I believe
Tilly and the lads are owed a bit more support that we heard on
Sunday from small sections of the crowd. Clarke was poor and I'm
sure Sodje will get a run sooner than later, a la Hunt for
Gutteridge, but having a go consistantly through 90 minutes will not
help the cause. No team ever got relegated in September, we will not
win every game, so let's give the boys a chance, of which EIGHT were
playing last year in League One, and how many in League Two the year
before?, and this championship is one hell of a learning curve.
So back home and the game on tape. Well at least no Fat Fry or the
drunk Whelan. Steve Claridge and Tony Gale, before and during the
game, were fair summarisers. We were, in the end, certainly
outclassed. What did TV add to the game?
Paynter's technique was certainly shown up when he hit the bar off
his shoulder from Gowers brilliant cross. Off his actual head and we
might have gone one up, except we were one down one minute later
after Francis was unfairly judged to have hand balled. Intentional?
Still, the defending was rubbish to a well planned move.
When the day's against you. The slowest of freeze frames showed
Paynter was in line with the defender, Eastwood was in the offside
position, when the ball was chipped ahead. However, 9 out of 10
linesman, following the players not the ball, would have given it
even if it should be in favour of the offensive player.
The second Cardiff goal showed the speed of thought from Chopra more
than plain bad defending that everybody felt it was in the West
Stand. Same for the second half third, well created and, now, a
certain deserved Cardiff win. No Norwich fight back this time and
any of Dave Jones's sides never lack a work ethic.
I'm afraid I fast forwarded most of the second half, now if only you
could do that live!, but Claridge's post match comments accuratly
summed up the game.
So it's live for me every time though taping the game certainly
clears some pub arguments up. (Though Luton away might see me change
my mind! Well it's Luton, on a Friday night, with that away end!)
Onwards and upwards! As we always knew, those 52 points are going to
be hard to get but I'm still confident we will.
To those Cardiff fans that turned up, congratulations on your win and
good luck for the rest of the season. You certainly showed more
sense of humour than some of your Welsh comrades who read my preview
last week.
Chris Daniels