Out of shape...

Another Friday, another game, another deluge of goals, another festival of bad defending, another round of drinks in the pub.

With both the new recruits and those returning from their post-Finsbury Leisure centre sabbatical swelling the ranks once again Simon engineered a lively eight aside to keep us out of the pub for an hour.

From memory, the two teams were as follows:

Bibs: Yev, Simon Ink, Mick, Alex, Geoff, Spizz (!), me, Matt

Colours: Dan, Ian, Simon Gas, Alan, Danny, Andy, Kiwi Nick, Phil

I think it’s fair to say that the Bibs got off to a truly dreadful start, shipping in five goals for just one in reply. Although they were hampered by an injury to Simon Ink’s quad and a lack of goalkeeping gloves the real problem was that no-one was organising the midfield with the all too predictable result that Dan, Nick and Danny eviscerated the Bibs’ defence. Too many Bibs players were caught upfield with too few back defending. So while on paper a team containing such attacking talent as Alex, Yev and the mercurial post-punk legend Spizz should have made life difficult for the opposition, on the pitch there was an absence of shape which meant that Dan, Phil and Danny tucked in like an American tourist at an all you can eat buffet.

Following the fifth Colours goal Yev selflessly decided to drop back and from that point the Bibs became more competitive with Alex and Matt in particular proving a potent attacking force. Spizz was slightly off the pace, as befits someone who hasn’t played for some time, while Geoff beavered away gamely.

The final score was 10-5 to the Colours; although the scores got to 8-4 and 9-5 the final nail in the Bib’s coffin was Spizz reluctantly going in nets and electing not to save the ball owing to a mysterious hand injury which has been seemingly plaguing him since 1976, (Phil being the chief beneficiary). Ian supplied the coup de grace as the cycling colossus deftly finished a sweeping move to get the final goal, just after Alex had bagged the fifth for the Bibs from close range. Ultimately, Danny ensured that the Colours’ lead was well defended by corralling his men behind the ball to close down the options as the Bibs laboured to make telling any breakthroughs.

A bumper crowd at The Skinners this week, as Alex, Matt and Dan all joined the usual hoi polloi. In between Andy checking the play-off score between Yeovil and his beloved Sheff U (sorry, Andy), conversation flittered between the difficulties associated with playing sports with your hands – golf, cricket, rugby, snooker – and likely transfer targets over the Summer, (as well as what a massive tool David Starkey is).

I think it’s fair to say that none of us would have believed that within seven days Manchester United would be looking for a new manager for the first time since 1986. Personally, I have always wondered what Big Ron Atkinson could have done with a Champions League-style budget. What better time to find out?