Tag: EPL

Squeaky Bum Time

Hamar WilliamsLeave a comment

It’s that time of year when (fill in blank). Let’s be honest this year doesn’t count as any normal year. I was expecting to be swanning around in Greece sailing, eating and drinking right now but I’m doing something else. Today though my focus is not on what would probably have been a Euro 2020 match, as I imagine the tournament would still be going. With Covid-19 forcing it’s postponement we’re instead left with the final instalment of a very long English Premier League season. And I’m nervous. We’ve got a massive game against Leicester City today which could have repercussions for years. If we qualify for the Champions League it could be a springboard for what is a young and exciting team to step up and take their game to levels we’ve not seen since the now mythological heady days of Sir Alex Ferguson. If we fail to either win or draw today we spend another year wasting our time in the Europa League, failing yet again. Big clubs need to play in the best tournaments; money and reputation can only get them so far. The best players can make the money in most clubs these days, they want the best tournaments. It has been a long season. Today feels massive. We’re five minutes from kick-off. I’m excited and nervous in painfully equal amounts. I’ll write the second paragraph upon the conclusion of the match. I hope I come back smiling.

Well that was a relief more than anything. We won 2-0 with the first goal being a penalty and the second with virtually the last kick of the match after a mistake by the keeper. It was nervy, no real major chances and wasn’t the goal fest I thought it might be. We’ve been fatigued as a team recently and I thought their game plan would be to hold us tight and hit us as we started flagging in the last fifteen minutes. Had we not got the penalty after seventy minutes that may have happened but it invigorated us enough to hold on for the win and finish third in the league.

I had a feeling before the game that we would win but the longer it went on with us drawing I got nervous. Next season will be interesting. The top two, Liverpool and Manchester City, will probably still be top two but I suspect swapping positions. Chelsea are buying some really quality players already with the likelihood of a few others being really high, Arsenal look like they may become something worth worrying about under Mikel Arteta and Jose Mourinho will turn Spurs into winners one way or another. Wolves and Leicester will improve too and they’re already quality teams. We need to not only improve our first team on the right wing and at centre back but need someone who can fill in at number ten and arguably another centre midfield of the defensive ilk. Let’s see what happens. We’ve been so badly run these last few years that I will resist getting excited but we do look like we’re finally heading in the right direction. Time will tell, but time for a rest now I say.

The Game

Hamar WilliamsLeave a comment

Without having news to talk about, which I’m really enjoying, I think football is in order instead. As I’ve mentioned recently it’s my one weakness. I remember travelling all those moons ago and hanging out with forest and caravan dwellers, football always felt like my dirty little secret. I know it’s total bullshit. The money involved is obscene especially when I attempt to discuss the ethics of money in other posts. And if I can suggest there is no real difference in my day no matter what the news says, the same must be said for football too. But you know what I like it. I love the thrill and excitement leading up to a big game. At the moment any game. The joy when a goal goes in for, the sorrow when one goes in against. Football has even managed to become more than the game itself. Like the news, football coverage is now 24/7 and like the news they have managed to sensationalise and create drama in every incident. Transfer season is insane. The managers falling out with the players. Being sacked. Being signed. The hope. The fear. On the whole it’s nothing more than a soap opera for men. If gender stereotyping were a thing.

My team are doing incredibly well since football has started up again. Genuinely I’m actually confident and expect us to win a game for the first time in seven years. We’re playing at a level we haven’t seen since the days of Sir Alex and even then the reality is that it wasn’t as common as nostalgia has convinced us. We’re two points off Champions League qualification and three points off third position. Chelsea in fourth looked good until they lost to West Ham last night so they’re fallible. Leicester in third are falling to pieces and to the point that I think they’ll finish sixth or seventh at this rate. Wolves behind us in sixth look like a really good team but they may lack the squad to make a sustained push. Football is a process, like everything in life and while celebrating qualifying for a European competition is not enough it is a sign that we’re heading in the right direction. I have a feeling we’ll finish third and I’m nervous of such confidence. Chelsea will probably finish fourth. We’re just playing so well and we have on paper an incredibly favourable run in. It’s dangerous to say but I think it’s ours to lose. Glory glory Man United et al.