Woeful Blues Stung By The Bee's

What have the Romans done for us? Baths, aqueducts, roads in a straight line, making bloody Colchester, of all places, Britain’s first city and, depending on what story you believe, Valentines Day, maybe even giving us the old boy himself, a bit of an early dirty vicar.

A pagan fertility celebration took place every Feb.14 where Roman women would write love notes and post them in a large urn. The men would draw a note and pursue the woman who wrote it. A few hundred years later and the guys decided they wanted to see who they were choosing.

The good saint himself was about to be executed for practising Christianity against direct orders where, having taken a fancy to the jailor’s daughter, he sent her a note signed simply, “from your Valentine”.

Having been sacked, along with the helpful St. Christopher, that’s the thanks you get for giving the boy Jesus a lift, by the Pope in 1969, you would think that would be the end of it.

However it was already too late. In 1847 a certain Esther Howland of Worcester, Massachusetts, started mass producing embossed paper-lace cards through her fathers stationary store.


The idea, alas, caught on and that was it. The male species was doomed to believing for one day of the year it had to cancel all appointments, call Interflora, spend £2 on a crap card, buy a box of heart shaped chocolates, get ripped off at the local Italian where two pastas were now a Love Match special 200% more than you get at any other time of the year, and what about the pink champagne?

Of course if you’re a sad bastard who only takes his beloved out for a meal on one day of the year pushed on us by a spinster yank, you made the right choice, the alternative was far worse.

Still, Colchester drew at home with Walsall! (And the lady missed out on a red rose, nice touch Brentford, ta.)

A guy on his mobile at half time was telling his mate that “they are all over us” (Like bees?) Well, possibly, but sport can turn on individual moments and this game had one of the better ones in the 23^rd minute.

Up to then both sides had looked as if they would rather be in the local tandorri with the Mrs. than on a football field. Efe’s brother Sam did seem to be on a one man mission to show who was top dog in the family by hitting every piece of the Southend woodwork as well as making Darryl work a touch while if Gower had hit a similar shot in the 4^th minute to the one on Friday I might be writing a different report now, sadly he went for power and straight at the keeper.

Made the mistake for the opening goal

Goals, yes they do, change games and Brentford got in first. A niggly, all elbows and hands up front, powerful side, they were in the accent and we had handed it to them on a plate.. The second, unsurprisingly, coming from a set piece in the 34^th minute by Marcus Gayle, heading in a well hit corner.

Freddie did get the ball in the net but was just offside.

The second half came and went. Cole came on for a disappointing

A very poor performance

Eastwood had a great chance after exchanging passes with the Goat but hit the post summing up the night for the blues. The overused woodwork getting another battering when Pratley hit the bar for Brentford from a free kick.

Your correspondent still keeps to his play off prediction, 1 defeat in 15 guys, still top of the table, but Chesterfield on Saturday is now a very big game. The defence has to be sorted out. (A mention for Sodje who won everything in the air against forwards who seemed twice his size at times.)


However, its Luke that worries me. His frustrations are going to get him a red card soon as he has lost his spark putting the pressure back on Maher who does not create as much when his midfield partner is not getting his usual tackle and passing game going creating the time and space that the captain thrives on. Everyone goes through a bad day at the office but if we want top two rather than three to six Gutteridge has to find that mid season form quickly or we will continue to struggle.

Southend Man of the Match: Freddie Eastwood. Never stopped trying and unlucky with the offside ‘goal’ and the shot that hit the post. Plenty of enthusiasm that we didn’t see from many of his other colleagues. (Man of THE Match: Sam Sodje, no wonder Bees fans were pleased he didn’t go down to the south coast, what a player!)

Oh and me, the one who never celebrates the great con. Two tickets at the opera the night before, a lunchtime meal in one of the best restaurants in London, a bottle of Channel………and a card. A fortnight on one of the better Greek Islands would have been cheaper, didn’t have to do it, honest.