Southend 5 Q.PR 0



A home game. After three successive away fixtures it felt kind of rather
strange to be going through the rituals that precede any visit to the
Hall. It's well documented that many players have superstitions that
they follow before a game and it's just the same for supporters. However
this season has presented quite a problem in that, until recently, our
results have not reflected the care with which I've been making my
offerings to the Goddess of Luck and her fickle brother the God of
Chance.



The order in which I did things last season has been followed to the
letter. Get in the car, switch on the radio, tune into Radio Essex (Even
though its still some gardening program) , head for Roots Hall taking
the shortcut down the side of the park and getting stuck at the lights
for ages. A foreseeable problem that totally negates the shortcut but
hey it's a ritual, what choice do I have ?



And that's the nub of the matter. You really do not have any choice,
once hooked into a routine you're in the keep net for the duration mate
! Its matters not how the superstition began, the mere fact that is
there is enough to make grown men do daft and stupid things over and
over again. What is even dafter is that the rituals have no proven track
record and hold no promise of holding true for ever.



Last year I and Uncle Albert took to standing up until after each kick
off had been taken. Not for each goal you must understand, just at the
start of each half. And it regularly produced results ... well if you
count the colourful abuse that we were subjected to by people in the
seats behind ! How our decision to do such a thing arose neither of us
have a clue (No change there then ! ... thought I'd say it before anyone
else jumps in) but we were picking up results, steadily holding onto our
position at the head of the table and eventually getting our due reward
in the form of a Championship and promotion.



The pundits in their ignorance gave the credit to Eastwood and his
chums. But we knew who had really gone that extra mile. Ears ringing
from our fellow supporter's advice to 'Sit Down' we'd played our game as
well as any of those wearing the boots on the pitch. And, as sure as
eggs are eggs, if we did the same thing this season then the fruits of
our bravery would be a nice position around mid table somewhere.



Sure there was the odd result, most notably our thrashing of Man Utd 1 -
0, but the expected fine run of results never occurred. Again a strange
thing, because instead of changing your ritual, you actually start
adding bits onto it !. I found myself buying the obligatory cheeseburger
from inside rather than outside the culinary oasis at the back of the
West stand. I also had to make my way to my seat following a specific
route. And it was only when I found myself deliberating over which
shoelace to tie up first that I realised that things had gone too far.
It wasn't my rituals that were at fault at all ... it was Uncle Albert's
!!



Old age perhaps, too many visits to the bar. Whatever, time was taking a
toll on the poor fellow and he was tending to hover over his seat rather
than stand up straight before kick off. And such sloppy habits were
having a bad effect upon our results. Something had to be done... and it
was. Both of us deciding to give in to the pleas (well threats really)
of our fellow supporters to be seated as the kick off's were taken !



And this cunning twist on an old theme actually worked ! Since we've
been resting our posteriors the teams results have noticeably improved.
Even so, Boyce is still complaining that we should have realised our
'mistake' earlier as it was obvious that 'saluting' the kick off wasn't
working and anyone with half a brain would have worked that out long
ago.



So there we were, buttocks firmly squeezed into our plastic seats, as
Blues kicked the game into action. We looked up for it right from the
start. JCR, a player that is slowly beginning to convince me of his
talent, in particular taking the game to QPR. In fact the only downer at
the start of the game was the identity of the referee. It was the same
individual who had taken 21 long minutes to award Southend a free kick
at the away game against Leeds in October, and he was not doing anything
to assure me that he was of a different frame of mind tonight. QPR, no
longer the subtlest of teams, were attempting to run the game their way.
Brute force and late tackles being their response to Utd's usual 4 4 2
formation. Meanwhile the ref and his two henchman nibbled on their kit
kats and made like Brier Rabbit in the cabbage patch.



Rabbit's feet, in other various forms, were however working. A Blues
attack broke down as a defender playing a long ball back to his
goalkeeper. The said protector of the goal was surprised, as indeed many
of us were, by Bradbury urging his legs into action to chase the ball
down. Accordingly his startled reaction was just to kick the ball
straight up against the onrushing Number 10 right peg where, before you
could say 'What's up Doc', it rebounded straight back and into the goal
!.



Blues a goal up in a crucial, crucial game. Absolutely brilliant !



It has to be said that the rejoicing home crowd were not very nice to a
former hero of the Roots Hall turf. The stands reverberating to the
chant 'Royce is a Shrimper, Royce is a Shrimper'. Lubbly stuff and quite
funny.



QPR did not get the joke ! Their response was to go in even harder. JCR
spending more time in the air than on his feet. Referee Walton
responding with some lack luster conversations with no sign of a
coloured card.



Earlier times would have seen Blues submit tamely to such strong armed
tactics, but no longer. We now play our game with much more conviction,
steadfastly refusing to let the other team effect our way of playing. So
we continued to keep the ball on the grass, passing it around to great
effect. QPR, once they had calmed down, also began to play a more
attractive game. And so the ball flowed around the pitch without either
team really getting the edge over the other.



Remember how Cambridge used to play last century ? Long ball, intention
only to get a throw in close to the oppositions penalty area, followed
by a long throw into a packed penalty area, playing the percentages ?
Well QPR have read the same page in the book. Fortunately however they
must have only looked at the pictures because the tactic never really
looked like working, especially as on several occasions a more
considered approach might have borne fruit.



They did nearly create a scoring chance when one of their forwards,
thinking to get some practice in before the Olympics, did a triple flip
over as they dived inside the penalty area under a challenge from
Clarke. The officials were totally unimpressed and so a low score of
zilch was QPR's only award at half time.



Although Blues had played the majority of the football that was on offer
in the opening half. QPR had, on occasion, looked dangerous, and so the
half time chatter reflected peoples concern that at least one more Utd
goal would be needed if three extremely valuable points were to be
gained. Those concerns became real fears as QPR laid siege to our goal
for long periods during the opening 20 minutes or so of the second half.



Then, a quickly taken free kick by Blues captain Maher, found the feet
of Gower as he ran into the Rangers penalty area. A pull back of his
right foot, and Blues were two up ! Racing hearts could now slow down a
little, but not much as QPR nearly pulled one back , a 20 yard curling
shot providing a photo opportunity for Flahavan !



We were now controlling the game, playing some fluid attractive football
that resulted in a corner in front of the noisy South stand. A pin point
left wing corner by Maher finding the powerful head of Sodje. Result ...
Blues now 3 - 0 up courtesy of a bullet header from the head banded
centre half. Celebrate ? ... you bet we did.



Uncle Albert was blabbering away something about forecasting a 6 - 0
win. And whilst QPR were now as effective as Canute in turning back the
Blue tide such a score line was still in the land of fantasy. But what
was this, McCormack, surely the signing that had turned our season
around had just headed the ball into the net. Four up and ages, well 5
minutes to go, six goals began to look a real possibility. But alas, the
linesman was waving his flag for offside like an over excited station
master. Goal disallowed. Bah hum bug ... still 3 - 0 can't be bad !



Barely a moment into extra time though and our goals for count had been
increased yet again. Maher, and it could only be for the fun of it,
hitting a pass from my 'Man Of The Match' JCR into the goal from 25
yards out. Massive grins all around and Maher's third goal in six games
!



There was just time for a single Tick Tock before it was four goals in
six games for Maher as he scored directly from a freekick that had been
awarded on the edge of the box. "Five Nil to the Super Blues", "Five Nil
to the Super Blues' warbled the ecstatic home supporters. "I want six"
yelled our O.A.P of the Match !



The QPR supporter (The rest had headed for home when the score line hit
4 - 0) remained silent. His team were also subdued by the Hawaiian score
line, their relief at the referee's final whistle clearly displayed.
Southend, and their fans on the other hand were having a party. 'Now
you're going to believe us the Blues are staying up', ringing around the
stadium. A great night to be a Blues player, a great night to be a Blues
supporter. Now for Sunderland !!


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