Like the night before Crimbo
By Bobby Ellis
July 29 2022
Here we are then, a new season awaits. Starting a bit early this year, and there's the weird bit where we have no League matches whilst the World Cup is on, but tomorrow we go again. The waiting is over, and I for one am as excited as a kid on Christmas Eve.
Don't get me wrong, I am not expecting much. I don't even want to say where we will finish, or even if we will come away with a result against those footballing giants Stevenage. No, for the moment none of that matters, what matters is football is back.
Haven't we all been here before? We spend the summer, firstly waiting for the fixtures to come out and then contemplating the matches ahead. We are like dieters set free from our restrictions now. We can get to the ground early if we want, sink a few jars, go in the fan zone, look at the newly, slightly refurbished, Aldo's. Take our seats early, watch the players warm up, trying to work out which of the new signings are a genius stroke, and those that will end up giving us a stroke. The weather will be warm, t-shirts not winter coats, and the season ahead will stretch out in front of us like a long distance road trip. It's a marathon not a sprint, but if we win on Saturday everybody will hail a new dawn. If we get beat depression will sink in, another 22 home games to endure. Neither response is right or rational, but let's face it, supporting Rovers isn't really a sane choice. As Leonard Cohen sang, ' I've got you like a habit, and I never wanna stop'.
Then there are the away matches, glamorous trips to Barrow, Stockport and Gillingham. No trips to the South West this year, Swindon being the closest to that part of the world. 12 teams in the North though, some relatively close by, others further than you realise. Hartlepool & Carlisle are both treks, but Gillingham looks like being our longest away trip.
Come May, what will we have to show for it all? A stack of matchday programmes? A new home and away shirt? Promotion? The play-offs? Relegation!? We don't know do we? The only degree of certainty is we will do it all again. It doesn't matter if we play like donkeys or play like world beaters. Nor is it about individual performances. We may well have signed someone sensational, or brought in players who we worry won't find their way back to the dressing room, it matters not, we will be there. As the song goes 'I'm Tranmere 'til I die'.
Enjoy the season ahead, the good bits and the crap bits, the obvious penalties denied, the stuffy equalisers conceded in the 6th minute of injury time. Rejoice, stay well, football is life and life is football, nothing else matters.
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I remember all the sense of anticipation at the start of 1956 season when we opened with a Workington. As did the skies that day and the match was abandoned at 1-1. It was a suitably drab start to a season where we had to apply for re-election.
I woner if it is the only time a first game of the season was abandoned
Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2022:07:30:18:48:47 by youllKnow.
The last month of the season was frantic but it did leave scope for cricket to have an extended period as our main summer sport
Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2022:07:30:18:49:36 by youllKnow.
Quote:KenBeamishPenaltyHitsTheCornerFlag
Presumably the 235 formation days with thick shin pads and equivalent of hob-nailed boots and a ball so heavy it was just slightly short of becoming a black hole? Game played on quagmires during the winter period as well where diving would not be something a player would choose as an option And players could barge into the goalkeeper to try and get the ball over the line with him in tow. And players simply avoided tackles or if they couldn’t, they just got up and got on with the game instead of rolling about clutching whatever part of their body they felt could help justify a free kick. And shorts that were almost a pre-cursor to a bay-city-rollers fashion.
Well said Oh to revisit just one of those games and watching Eggo flying down the left wing. And no screaming with pain
Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2022:07:30:19:39:01 by youllKnow.
Quote:Was about to say the same. Hope my parents kept the receipt. The can take that Jameson fella back to the bargain aisle at Aldi on Boxing Day 😁Kennys_Iron
Well Santa took a @#$%& in my stocking then