For the first time in living memory I find myself sitting at a keyboard, not knowing how to start this thing off. It's not normally an issue, I usually just type and the rest flows out behind it until I get bored. This time...nothing. Maybe it's a type of writer's block that you hear about, all the creative thoughts, crammed inside, unable to force an exit to the outside world. But I'm no writer so it can't be that. I'll put it down to my total disbelief of the events that unfolded before me on Saturday 16th October at Sixfields Stadium, between 3.00pm and 4.50pm. I am officially in shock!
Now that's not a long time in any one's life, but it felt like a bloody lifetime, in particular the minutes between 4.14 and 4.33. Yes that's just 19 minutes of either the most amazing comeback in a football match ever witnessed, (there's probably others, but it really don't matter), or one of the most unfortunate disintegration's of a football team imaginable. I side with the latter.
It's hard to come to terms with, and I have read plenty of comments on the outcome, on the Northampton Town Forums, views expressed with a passion and a feeling that was sadly lacking on the pitch for 30 minutes on Saturday. (There was plenty of frustration in evidence from the players, arguments amongst themselves, signs of petulance and plenty of gesticulation to the officials). (This is also true of the manager, who sadly lost it completely in a manner that would have been fitting of John Cleese at his finest). This didn't set a great example to the players on the park, and hopefully this will be a lesson quickly learned.
So, for what it's worth, how did I see it?
Despite the fact that we went into the interval 3 goals to the good, and how we celebrated Leon's first half hat-trick with him, I personally felt, and shared my thoughts with my son that;
a) I thought Hereford had more of the ball in the first half
b) Despite the lead, we weren't looking dominant in possession and were still giving the ball away cheaply
c) (Wish I hadn't have said the following to my son as we kicked off the second half - "Surely we won't let this one slip").
The half time tea tasted like nectar, (they've got to do something to speed up the serving process, it seems vastly understaffed in the West Stand, with queues merging into the distance), with the cushion of a 3-0 advantage. Life was rosy. On the back of three straight defeats all our troubles seemed distant memories. What happened next beggars belief.
For ten minutes of the second half we continued our positive step forward looking for another goal, however, it didn't come. Players seemed to be losing their discipline in going all out attack. They all wanted to get on the score sheet when passes would have created better chances. Chances were missed, how we would rue those misses come full-time.
Hereford introduced a couple of substitutions which changed the game in their favour.
Cobblers made three substitutions for whatever reason that didn't change the game in our favour.
1) Leon McKenzie off for Steve Guinan - It would have been respectful to Leon to give him a chance to leave the field of play from the centre circle, in order to milk the applause from the fans for his hat trick and not substitute him whilst he is looking to get back on the pitch. (Sammo has given his reasons and without further information on Leon's injury it's not my position to judge. However he looked totally p****d off at the decision. And Guinan, enough said).
2) Abdul Osman off for Nat Wedderburn - I have been very impressed with Wedderburn in the games I have seen him start. Saturday he looked out of place, perhaps it was a case of sending in a boy to do a man's job when we needed a steady head to calm the others. Sadly found wanting for the rest of the game. (Perhaps he's one of these players that cannot act as a sub and pick up the pace of the game when needed).
3) Josh Parker off for Paul Rodgers - Strangest decision of the day in my book. Our loanee from QPR seems to have his own idea on playing for the team and there were times before he went off that he seemed to be doing his own thing. However, he still seemed to be our most dangerous player on the pitch and probably would have benefitted from playing a central attacking role in the second half to use his speed on the break. Again, nothing against Rodgers, he tries his heart out every time he gets on, but wrong player at wrong time.
And so it came to pass, that Hereford totally over ran the Northampton eleven, (they weren't a team at this stage), and scored four times. Yes FOUR times.
Highlight of the day apart from Leon's hat trick was the amazing piece of skill by Guillem Bauza who did his finest impression of Christiano Ronaldo in crossing the ball from the dead ball line whilst running towards goal with the old cross over leg trick. Fantastic. It deserved a goal and they got it.
All credit goes to Hereford. They certainly never gave up. Played with nothing to lose and were a credit to their profession. Their supporters played like a twelfth man. Very Vocal.
So who's fault was it?
God Knows!
First of all it wasn't mine. I went to McDonalds, I bought my programme from the same vendor, I went through the same turnstile, (Second as always behind junior), I wore the same trousers, socks, shoes, shirt, scarf, ate the same half time snack - It wasn't me!!!!
Plenty have blamed the manager, the players, the chairman, and it's probably a combination of all these things but short term fixes very rarely reap long term rewards.
We could sack the manager, as is common place in football, but the world is littered with sacked managers who just move on to get sacked somewhere else.
We have a team to support thanks to the Chairman. There are a lot of good and bad decisions made by a lot of chairman and ours is probably no worse than anybody else's.
We could put all the players on the transfer list but that would leave us with the one's that no one else wants!
I probably wanted all these things as I was walking back to my car on Saturday, but hind sight is a wonderful thing and in the cold light of day there are probably a few things that we could all put right if only this were "Football Manager."
Life is very easy when all you have to do is click a button to make a decision. In fantasy football land, players join you when you ask them, you can change tactics to suit yourself and Chairmen give you money to spend as you need it.
But this ain't no computer game, this is real life and this is Northampton Town so reality check needed.
We are highly unlikely to see another game like that for a long long time. It may bring the squad closer together and it should be a lesson learned for manager and players alike that they must never allow anything like this happen again to our football club.
We are capable of playing a good game of football, we must tighten up our defence and most of all we must find a leader of men to grab hold of the team should we find ourselves under the cosh, and batten down the hatches instead of the gung ho approach.
Where are you? Our team needs you 'cause we haven't got one....yet.
There's still 34 games left this season. We won't go down and we don't need to panic yet.
We need to start winning at home and stop the opposition walking straight through us.
We need to tough it out on and off the pitch and keep the faith.
A couple of other things that frustrate the life out of me;
1) A player removes his shirt knowing he is going to get booked - and they still do it! (This is a ridiculous rule anyway but I can understand the reasons it was introduced. If that's the case book the player for wearing shirts with comments aimed at other causes, and in particular shirts with bad hand written messages on them!)
2) A professional player throwing the ball at another player through sheer petulance knowing that he will get sent off for it. We for one cannot afford to keep losing players for three games. they should have their wages docked for the matches they miss when they are clearly at fault for their offense. Ben Tozer. Sort it Out.
It's Gillingham next for me after a trip to Oxford for the boys. Do your best lads 'cause Bayo's coming back the week after. Surely not.
Come On Cobblers, Come On!
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