Top of the Shop

By Stephen Farrell on Sep 14, 09 10:58 AM

I don't know about you but I'm really enjoying football at the minute. I've always looked forward to match day, but in the last couple of seasons it's more to do with the pre and post match beers with my mates. The 90 minutes in-between was an unwelcome distraction. It's a different story this season though. People are enjoying their football again, both on and off the pitch.

The team (what's left of it anyway) that took us down last year really seem to be knuckling down and trying their best to put right the wrongs. Players who have, quite rightly, taken a lot of stick for their performances are starting to come into their own and take the game by the scruff of the neck. Players such as Coloccini, Nolan, Smith, Shola and Ryan Taylor are all showing us what they are really made of and putting some fine shifts in. The cynic in me says that it's probably due to the massive gulf in class between the Premiership and Fizzy Pop league, but as the old saying goes you can only beat what is in front of you. If it's ugly, so be it. You don't get points for pirouetting and balancing the ball on your nose. As long as we score more goals than them, then happy days and long may it continue. It's been said a million times by everyone who is anyone, but we have such a small squad. Two or three more injuries and we will be well and truly up plop creek. It is imperative that we get some decent loan signings in the next month or so because after an international break that seemed to last an eternity, we're back to graft now. Including the Cardiff game, we'll have played 3 games in a week by the time next Sunday comes around with a difficult trip to Vegas of the North on Wednesday, and a home game with Plymouth on Saturday. Looking a bit further in advance, we then have Peterborough away in the cup next Tuesday. Come Christmas time, there's going to be a lot of tired legs combined with some niggling injuries. Put it simply, despite an amazing start to the season, we haven't got a squad that can maintain this for a whole season. We've had one of the most injury prone squads in the country in recent years, so why expect any different this year?

You may be wondering why I'm bitching and whining when we're sitting pretty, two points clear, at the top of the league. You can't argue with the facts though, There won't be many out there that think we've got a big enough squad to cope with another 40 games. We all know who to blame for all of this. A man who's pride and joy is being investigated by the OFT over price fixing. A man who dare's the clubs MD to run across the pitch naked. Things like this just show Ashley up for, what I believe, to be an incompetent and unprofessional buffoon. If I were to run through the office bearing all, apart from giving all and sundry nightmares for the rest of their lives, I'd surely be fired for it. Maybe I'm becoming a misery in my old age, but there's a time and a place for everything. Not entirely sure what the time and place is for streaking however...

Anyway, top of the league and a firm two fingers to the national press and Championship managers who said we'd struggle to adjust to Championship life.

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