SO THAT WAS THE SUMMER

Musings on Matters County

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Monday 30th May. Hardly the time for a post mortem. When it comes down to it this time we blew it – not Bodenham nor offside goals allowed or disallowed. The fans, Danny, Elwood and anybody connected with the club who weren’t on the pitch were let down by the majority of those on it.  It took a first year pro, Connelly, to show those who should have known better how to behave. Yes, McMinn’s a cheat, Elleray’s a pompous prat and we would still have beaten them if we kept to 10 me,n but we didn’t. So it’s back to Crewe and Chester rather than Bramall Lane and Roker Park so we and the players had better get used to it.

Tuesday 31st May.  News of the retained list. Departures for Finners and Carstairs are hardly a surprise. I always thought they did a steady job but if he’s not going to pick them I suppose it’s time for off. Who is Paul Daughtry?  Ryan’s a bit of a shock – he started brightly but faded same as at Chester last year so maybe he’s a fair-weather player.

Wednesday 1st June.  Preece is feeling hard done to. Sure 28 goals is a credit, but for someone who season’s efforts effectively finished in January it’s all a bit rich. Given half of Kevin’s efforts from Preece it would have been the Vale at Wembley rather than us.

Thursday 2nd June.  Last season’s great underachievers Ward and Frain are whining to the press. I’m afraid 2nd division status equals 2nd division pay – how come if they are worth more we haven’t been trampled in the rush of offers from other clubs. It’s made even worse by news that Emerson’s been freed when all bar Danny know full well that if he had played regularly we’d have been sat on the beach on May 8th checking the First Division itinerary.

Monday 6th June. Full scale revolt. Frankly if most of these go it will be a blessing. Wembley was a watershed – whatever the result there had to be a new team next year and if they become free agents we and they will see how valuable they really are.

Wednesday 8th June. Keeley’s signed for 94/95. I don’t think there will be too many dissenters at that although quite where it leaves Edwards or Ironside or maybe both of them only Danny must know. Rumours of Kevin going to Goodison – if so the fee had better be right.

Friday 10th June. Good news – season tickets gone down by £20 next year but where am I going to find £170 by the end of June? Bad news – the pre-season programme for those who don’t have the time or money to go to the Isle of Man is the usual trek around the poxy non League grounds of Cheshire. Work on the ground must rule out anything at home why not have tried for a game at Barnsley or given the connection Sheffield United just so the players could be reminded of where they and we should have been going this year.

Monday 13th June.  Local news tells us that a barrel of poison has gone missing from EP. Supposedly it was paraquat but more likely it was distilled vitriol collected on the way back from Wembley.

Tuesday 14th June. Watched “Born Kicking” about a woman starring in the Premier League. Got herself sent off and who should be brandishing the red card but our old friend Elleray. There’s no escaping him – even the BBC recognised the right man to cast as the disciplinarian. Compare his performance at Wembley with those of Milford against York and also in the Derby v Leicester play off final yet the FA insist on giving “The Harrow Schoolmaster” the big games. He made a complete mockery of two vital Wembley games in two weeks.  Are these people ever brought to account?

Wednesday 15th June.  Spurs have got a caning from the FA  – but not half what they deserve. One law for the big 5 and all that. If it had been Wimbledon we’d have been seeing Vinny at EP next year. If it had been us we’d have been looking forward to a Boxing Day Derby at Staylbridge.

Thursday 16th June.  Murray is supposedly signing for next year. Maybe it’s hard to judge him on four half games but he didn’t look up to it to me. But then again neither did Angell or Kevin initially and Danny certainly made something out of them. Dean Connelly from Wigan is another target – all I can remember about him is Kevin’s tackle the Autoglass semi which left him with a broken leg.

Monday 20th June.  Wonder of wonders – transfer news on Teletext. Martyn Chalk is coming from Derby. I’ve never heard of him but it Danny’s last signing from the Baseball Ground is anything to go by we’ll be well satisfied. The downside is that it may signal Kevin’s departure or maybe (and more hopefully), Preece’s. All quiet at the moment from the moaners I suppose they’re waiting for contracts to run out next week.

Wednesday 22nd June.  Working in Ashton where copies of the Express Advertiser are as rare as an Emerson appearance it’s difficult to find out the latest news so a phone call from fellow TTP contributor Jeff Lawrenson was most welcome. There’s transfer frenzy at EP with four more players added –  2 from Newcastle, (Armstrong and Dinning); Deniol Graham from Barnsley, (erstwhile a ‘Fergie Fledgling’),  and Dean Connelly has also put pen to paper. It’s difficult to know how to react when you have no real idea of the quality of these players. What is interesting is that it’s been Coxon who was sealed these deals – does Danny know what’s going on?

Thursday 23rd June.  Paid a visit to EP to renew the season ticket. At a cost of £170 it is pretty good value especially with the £48 saving. The Cheadle End gates were open so I had a good look at the pitch. There’s obviously a lot of work gone on but it resembled Southport beach rather than a football pitch – with only seven weeks to the season it looks as though it’s going to be a squeeze to get it ready. Got home, clicked on Teletext to find that Monday’s feeling has come to fruition – Preece is off to Palace for £350,000 – snap their hand off I say but please Mr Elwood let Danny have some of it for experienced reinforcements. I suppose Preecey will be happy as well -Premiership football, playing with his old mate Armstrong and his cut of the fee should enable him to buy the car he couldn’t afford on his wages at County. The MEN had the fixtures – a start with Cardiff at home – memories of one of the games last season cost us dearly. The Christmas programme is reasonable for once with Wrexham at home and Blackpool away but the computer summoned up a beauty for the New Year game – Brighton away. It just defies all logic and reinforces the comments I made in the Christmas issue of TTP last year. We’ve got Preston in the Coca-Cola and will consequently be the first visitors to their reinstated grass surface.

Friday 24th June. The Wrexham fan at work sums up the Preece situation –  “We thought we’d done you when we got £15,000 for him.  Bergara should now put on a mask and change his name to Dick Turpin”.   Anyway it’s off on holiday now – I can’t see news of EP reaching the South Coast so I’ll see you in 2 weeks.

Wednesday 29th June.  Walking along Eastbourne Pier there was a souvenir kiosk selling amongst other things various football items. Plenty of United, Arsenal and West Ham bits and pieces when what should catch the eye was a County car pennant. I suppose it’s a measure of how far we’ve come in the last four years – before that you’d have been lucky to find anything on Castle Street never mind 270 miles away.

Saturday 8th July.  Back home and the Pink tells me that Kevin has been offered a contract extension. Reading between the lines I reckon that this means a deal is imminent but that the valuation is likely to go to a tribunal. Elwood’s offer will add some weight to our arguments.

Monday 11th July.  Get your kits out for the lads!! The MEN tells us that Elwood has decreed that last season’s TV interference kit is no more and that we are returning to a more traditional strip. Amen to that, but the statement regarding this not being a rip off rings somewhat hollow. In the last five years I reckon there have been three home, four away and the Wembley special, (the one with the white band to enhance the Robbie’s advert), shirts the club had marketed. Add the two new ones for this season and we must be overtaking United. Still Brendan is right about last season’s – the blue one was an abomination and whoever chose it should be brought to task. Incidentally was the green shirt not a talisman – did we ever win in it.

Wednesday 13th July.   Caught the MEN headline that Bill Williams is giving up following a “derisory” offer. Pretty sad given the sterling service he’s given us although in this instance I can understand the club’s position of wanting to pay him on an appearance basis given his injury problems over the last two years. No news of any use of the Preece money  – signings so far have been youngsters, albeit that a couple of them are going to Tribunal to set a fee. Frain and Miller are supposed to be off and James is training with Rotherham which I think is a grievous mistake on the club’s part. Adding all this up means that there must be a few bob in the bank so why not use it on a cover for the Railway End?

Monday 18th July.  Saturday’s Pink suggests that Stuart Rimmer is a target – seems to me like pretty good idea. I can see Kevin and him playing well together. Problems at the ground with the licencing people – talk about not being ready, the Cheadle End is closed and no backup power source. Is it me or do County deliberately leave these things until the last minute?  Whether they like it or not these people have the force of law behind them so why not act promptly and save all this grief. Surely they learned something from the Popside fiasco 12 months ago.

Tuesday 19th July.   An unusual signing in Eckhardt from Fulham – not a place you would associate Danny looking for players until the Sheffield United connexion becomes apparent. Is he worth £50,000?  I suppose only time will tell. Last night’s MEN suggested that Rimmer might be going to Rochdale but Teletext said that he was talking to a couple of clubs. I’d still like to see him at EP. Pre season games start tomorrow at Woodley and Halifax with a game at Witton on Friday – now we’ll be able to put faces to some of those names. It’s probably an appropriate time to send this diary into TTP – hopefully the rest of the summer will be covered in the next edition.

July 1994