Often Partisan

So long, and thanks for the memories.

Normally, I produce my reflections. Today, things are a little different:

(caution, this will contain some choice language and references to alcohol)

06:55 Woke up again after a fitful night’s sleep. I’ve been plagued by weird dreams – nothing more weird than I normally get, but it’s obvious I’m nervous because I’ve not slept for more than a couple of hours at a time.

09:25 Finally got up.

09:45 Posted today’s piece on Often Partisan, which I wrote last night. Feel pumped up reading it back.

10:06 The nerves are really starting to kick in whilst talking to a couple of friends on twitter and Facebook. Survival Sunday has well and truly started. I’ve reminded the wife that today I’m going to be like a tightly wound spring and it might be best to leave me alone when the football is on.

11:37 Decide to eat brunch, to try and help relieve the butterfiles in my stomach.

12:53 Kinda getting anxious now for the match to happen. I hate the waiting, I hate the anticipation. I just want it over and done with now, either way.

13:37 Time to hit the booze. First can opened. Trying to think of songs to get me in the mood for the game – so far I’ve come up with “Tell ‘Em” by Sleigh Bells. Mrs recommends “Faith” by Limp Bizkit – which is a good shout. Can’t beat a bit of angry music to whip you up into a frenzy.

13:42 Have a guilty thought – surely I should have gone out – it would have made this a whole lot more interesting. Too late now. Also contemplating getting food ready so I don’t have to move from the computer during the game.

13:50 Reading on Twitter that Akwasi Asante’s agent is saying he could be our saviour. Early team news? I’d be happy about Asante being near the team – I’ve seen him three times for the ressies and he knows where the back of the net is. A young saviour? It’s a script that’s been done before (eg Darren Carter)

14:27 Waiting for team news, and the inevitable wailing and gnashing of teeth that will ensue.

14:38 The butterflies are doing laps of my stomach, and I can’t really describe how nervy I feel. Even typing this is difficult. I’d be interested in a heart rate monitor. It’s still frigging 82 minutes to kick off, I could be dead come 6pm.

14:58 Where’s the frigging team news?

15:04 Still no team news. Getting annoyed now.

15:08 4-5-1 it is then. Here comes the wailing and gnashing of team. Personally, I’m okay with it.

15:10 The bench is a bit of a surprise; no Super Kev, but Redmond, Asante and Valles all get slots. Wow.

15:13 News of KP’s injury coming through. It’s weird, but I’m more hopeful cos of the kids on the bench. More to prove, more likely to be running around like a hamster on drugs.

15:30 Everyone is backing us to down. Strangely, I find this comforting too

15:40 On the second can. After this, it’s spirits all the way. I hope they will be good ones.

15:46 Oh Christ Oh Christ Oh Christ Oh Christ.

15:52 Eck looked remarkably relaxed when interviewed by SSN. Does he know something we don’t?

15:56 Teams come out of the tunnel. Here we go. As things stand, Blues stay UP.

16:00 Here we go

16:01 Beausejour in the hole. Interesting – he did well there vs Everton

16:02 First corner. Pressure. Goes behind though harmlessly. And Breathe.

16:05 5 minutes without conceding. An improvement on recent matches.

16:07 Did Fergie handle it? Jesus. Good attack though, Beau did really well as did Jerome

16:08 Another corner. Giving them too much space, and Seb is limping. Joy. Foster makes a good claim though.

16:10 It’s been all Spurs so far. Heart is beating wildly.

16:13 Just hoping we don’t concede first. Can’t see us scoring. Saying that, Foster tips one over from Sandro. Fuck.

16:18 I can feel the Spurs goal coming. Also, the problem with booze is I need a tinkle.

16:22 Man U 1-0 up. Ji Sung Park. Good news. Blues currently STAY UP

16:25 Blackburn 1-0 up against Wolves. Good news for us. Jason Roberts apparently, ex-WBA

16:26 Thought we were going to concede then, but the ball ends up in Foster’s hands. Some fantastic blocks from the Blues backline in truth. Davies takes out Peter Crouch too.

16:28 Great challenge from Curtis Davies on Aaron Lennon

16:37 Impressed with Beausejour

16:39 Crouch off, Pav on. Could be ironic?

16:40 Blackburn 2-0 up. Brett Emerton. Means they’re below us too.

16:41 Man U 1-1 Blackpool, Charlie Adam. Blues still STAY UP. Wolves go down.

16:42 Foster makes a top save from Kaboul. Having horror thoughts of a last minute goal sending us down.

16:45 Ferguson booked. Deserves it tbh.

16:47 HT. So far, so good. One goal to them WILL send us down though, as it remains. Time for a tinkle.

16:51 Wolves 3-0 down. Need to hold it tight at White Hart Lane

16:55 I’d love a Stoke or Man U goal. I’d love them both to score even more. But most of all, I’d love a Blues goal. Score and we stay up.

16:58 Forty five to go. I’m trying to believe we can do this. I’m trying to be positive.

17:03 Here come the teams. Let’s hope we can hold it

17:06 A shot! A shot! Fahey scuffs it wide though.

17:09 Pav scores after Larsson and Gardner lets them through 1-0 Spurs. Blues are now facing RELEGATION. We’re fucked

17:10 Ridgewell booked. We need to change things. Time for Asante?

17:13 Carson looks pissed.

17:13 Stephen Carr going for it.

17:16 Eck, it’s time for a change

17:17 Manchester United 1 2 Blackpool – Gary Taylor-Fletcher. FFS

17:19 WE NEED ANOTHER FUCKING STRIKER ECK. Gardner booked and rightly so.

17:21 It’s not time to be cautious any more. We need to affect our own result, we can’t rely on anyone else.

17:22 Free kick attacking Spurs? Need Seb to step up and play a top ball. It is a good one. Anderson equalises for Man U. A goal will bring us right back into the fucking mixer.

17:24 A decent corner, Ridge keeps it alive and we get another one. Second corner is shit.

17:25 Gardner taking a dive. Nicht gut

17:27 Still no sign of a sub

17:30 TWO top class challenges from Curtis Davies then.

17:31 Are we allergic to shooting? Or making changes?

17:32 Gardner has one, easy for Cudicini though, it was about 30 yards out

17:33 Wolves 1-3. Oh, and Derbyshire might be coming on. Would prefer Asante though. Corner to Blues

17:34 Poor corner. Fahey had a chance, miles wide though. Here comes Matty Derbyshire for Larsson.

17:35 Ian Evatt og Manchester United 3-2 Blackpool. Come on you Stokie bastards.

17:37 Chants of “get into them, fuck them up” from the stands. I agree.

17:38 One GOAL blues. One Goal will do it. Corner Blues.

17:39 1-1 CRAIG GARDNER!!!!!!!. Wigan have scored too. Man I screamed like a bitch. Wigan 1-0 Stoke. Hugo Rodallega. As it stands, we stay up, Wolves don’t.

17:40 We can’t sit back. We have to stay positive. Free kick, 30 yards out to Blues. Man U 4-2 up. Gardner went close with the free kick too.

17:42 Eight minutes to hold on. Michael Owen with the Man U goal as well. Kranjcar on for Huddlestone

17:44 Spurs so close to scoring, possible free kick shout. Fucking hell. I’m shaking like a shitting dog

17:45 Derbyshire booked for diving. And it was.

17:46 What a block from Davies on Kranjcar’s shot. Dangerous FK to Spurs now. It’s so fucking tight. We can’t afford a goal from Wolves or Spurs. Stoke scoring would do us nicely.

17:47 Wolves 2-3. Blues GO DOWN on goals scored. This is fucking bad news.

17:48 If we go down on goals scored, you have to say we probably deserve it. Stephen Hunt scored for Wolves

17:49 I feel sick. Honestly feel sick. 90 seconds plus injury time. We won’t get another. Time for Asante?

17:50 Three minutes of injury time. Three minutes from relegation. FK to us. Foster to hoof it, we need a Koscielny/Szceszny moment.

17:52 Corner Blues, Foster has gone forwards. Last throw of the dice. Comes to nothing. Doomed.

17:53 Pav scores, Spurs 2-1 Blues. We’re down. The tears are coming here.

17:54 Wasn’t this game that sent us down. It was Fulham. FT

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3 Responses to “So long, and thanks for the memories.”

  • Michael says:

    I will be there regardless next season because I believe. After 48 years, why should I believe? because I am a BLUENOSE. What am I paid for being a BLUENOSE, NOTHING.
    Yet, I don’t like saying it but, I said at the start at the season and before a ball was kicked, that we would struggle and possibly even go down. Anyone who can drag out the pre-seasons comments from Small Heath Alliance and The Sunday Mercury for BLUENOSE1, will find my comments.And yet, I know nothing compared to the Owners and the Manager. I said we had not got any forwards who could regularly score goals. Why have we only scored 37 goals, the lowest in the premiership, and drawn 15 matches? We cannot score goals and that is why we draw too many matches. Just six more goals in six of those drawn mathes and we would have been in the top half of the table.
    I’ve heard all the arguments in favour of Cameron Jerome, saying that he brings something to the team more than goals. What a load of c**p. At least he has no excuses in the Championship which is where he probably belongs. Fergy, Bowyer and Carr were too old to cut it in the Premiership. Ridgewell is nowhere near a Premiership defender, he cwould probably been more effective upfront than CJ however. Zigic, we did not have faith in at the beginning when we should have had. KP just cannot cut it anymore for more than an infrequent run out.

    Then we have the fans. I have pride in the Blues because I still believe that our time will come. There must be a saviour out there who realises the potential of a Birmingham City Football Club. The fans have been fed all the hype by a succession of owners, and we still are left with ego-trippers who do not have the where with all to do anything for our great club.

    Please, next season, give us goals, more than the opposition, give us a true royal blue shirt, not a mikey mouse commercial item with edges here and there up the front or down the back and sides of white or hong kong fooey. Our BLUE BOYS must certainly be given the colour “For The Boys In Royal Blue, Keep Right On.

    The fans also have and are critised for not being behind the team.

  • Graham Andrews says:

    After supporting Blues for 60 years i am not surprised at the result, but why buy a football club if you are not prepared to fund its success. I believe that Alex can achieve success but only with the backing of a forward looking board and funding for a younger team that can survive the rigours of the top flight football. If the board can’t do that then sell to someone who can. KRO

  • BlueSue says:

    Blues are for life – not just the Premier League!!


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