Cod Almighty | Diary

Them's the vagaries

3 October 2014

Mardy Diary writes: Sometimes in football the team you support doesn't win. I can handle that, mostly. My expectations are geared to accept that will happen from time to time. When it does happen though, it's not always that bad. There are situations in which I will take a loss, such as the following.

1. We have dominated against a weaker team, creating chances and trying hard to break down a ten-man defence. The opposition keeper has had the game of his life and their defenders get lucky blocks on several chances. At some point in the game the opposition advance up the pitch and, with their only chance of the game, crack the ball into the top corner from 40 yards.

I will take this. I won't be happy, but I will scratch it off as plain unlucky.

2. We are being dominated by a bigger team with more resources and better players – whether in our league or another. We defend solidly, making saves, getting blocks in and occasionally breaking forward. Despite these efforts the opposition manage to break us down and score. They may go on to get a late second as we push for an equaliser.

I'll still be gutted at the end of the game, but I will accept we tried our best against a better team.

3. It's a proper end-to-end game. We create chances, the opposition create chances and both sides are matching each other. It might not be a brilliant defensive display by either team and we may lose 4-3 but it won't be decided until late in the game.

I'd not necessarily be upset about this game given the entertaining nature of the match. I'll accept the teams were well matched and that we gave it a good go.

4. The squad is depleted through injury and the first team includes youngsters with little experience and some players out of their normal positions. Despite this, the team goes for it, but doesn't quite have the experience and fluidity to play its usual game.

I will take this on the chin and applaud the players who tried their hardest despite the circumstances.

The defeats I won't take fit generally into one category:

1. The players fail to turn up, play at a half pace, lower themselves to the level of the opposition, fail to make two consecutive passes, show little desire, fail to test the opposition, don't play cohesively as a team, and generally waste everybody's fucking time.

I won't accept that. Ever. And these last ten years have seen far too much of this.

Yes, I'm still pissed off about Tuesday. Oh, and Rob 'Facking' Scott can shit off too.