Cod Almighty | Diary

When something's not right, it's wrong

31 October 2024

Good morning people (or, er, person). Your Guest Diarist returns from an early morning Brompton stock planting session - caffeine-free due to some weird creatinine thing. Pints of water are the new tipple. Unless I have a bizarre gardening incident I am very unlikely to dislocate a shoulder, nevertheless I listened with interest to Jordan Wright's experience in the interview published yesterday. It's good to see him back and probably a better world than when Dave Moore used to just pop 'em back in and tell you to carry on lad.

I did break a little finger as a young boy catching a cricket ball but me Mam refused to believe it was broken so that was that - a bit bent and we bugger on. The most interesting thing Jordan had to say was his frank admission that he became so obsessed with trying to play Artell ball that his actual goalkeeping suffered and he became a bit rubbish at doing saves and stuff. He says he has sorted that out after having a big think about it whilst he was crocked. Nice also to hear that he has suffered against non-league in the cup before with Lincoln so he knows nothing is easy in the FA Cup.

Conceding 10 goals in three home games is not a good look. Whatever the underlying data says the basic principles of defending should not go away. After a while it gets to be toe-curlingly embarrassing doesn't it?

But I am neither angry nor fuming, just feeling a bit sad that we have never got to pick a team from a fully fit squad yet. A couple of weeks ago I asked on that twitter what would be the Artell team if everyone was match fit. Especially the midfield, and the formation - it's a question I don't have the answer to. But perhaps more importantly, with a fully-fit fit squad, the bench would be stronger giving us more stability in the last half hour of matches. The defeats seem to be a combination of running out of legs and the problem of reacting with changes when the opposition work us out. And basic defending. They can practice hard on that one while we wait for the injured to return. See yer.