The Fall

I think it's safe to say that the team is going down. Not only are we losing, we're not even scoring goals. Not even against teams that are not that good.

Watching from the sidelines and even while playing, it seems abundantly clear that the luck is not with us this year.

Of course this goes back to my theory since my perfectly valid goal was disallowed a couple of weeks back.

There were a series of offside decisions given yesterday which were never offside. I rail and fret now but as one of my teammates said afterwards, it's not about the poor decisions.... we were slower than the other team and didn't look as if we wanted to win.

This was a bit odd since last week when we were getting absolutely thrashed, it never became a question of morale.

Yesterdayone of the key players pulled a muscle while warming up. The goalie got hurt during the match, we were low on reserves and seemingly low on energy.

For the first time in four seasons I felt really low. It was quite depressing.

And the poor run continued. Back at home while sitting as a dispirited hunch, prodding at my lunch, the baby sitter phoned to say she couldn't make it on Saturday night.

Just one of those days in just one of those seasons.

I've perked up a bit since yesterday because, after all, it's only a game and it is not my day job.

But I want to do well and feel disappointed when I feel I haven't played my part.

In church this morning there was a christening and the father of the children read If by Rudyard Kipling.

There was a bit about treating triumph and disaster in the same manner. And I laughed wryly to myself.

I've also dipped into the book of footballers' clichés. "Keep my head down and keep working hard."

If I do that luck's bound to turn on the field. Off the field I have to prepare for a week in the Loire starting next Saturday morning.

Forget the football, follow the history and the wine.

Will be difficult. Fontevraud does chime rather ripely with Here we Go.