Good evening Northenders. I don't usually post articles on here as I'm not very good at putting my thoughts down into words, but bear with me and I'll try and put this across in the best way I can. It's been two days since our fate was sealed and I'm sure we've all been mooching around with our bottom lips hanging out, trying to put our fingers on where it all went wrong. I'm at the conclusion that it could be one of a few things (all previously discussed in length with different opinions, so I won't go on about them) but does it matter now? What matters is that the club gets a bit of stability, financially and on the field. This is a very low spell for us. Some of out younger fans have only been used to some success, whether it be from when our then talisman Andy Saville propelled us out of that Godforsaken bottom division or whether it be in the Championship and our relatively successful spell in there. I started watching PNE in 1982. I was 13 at the time and my parents would never let me go to a game before that, in fear of my safety if wandering niaively into a "set of wrong uns" (as they used to say). Nonetheless, I went on Deepdale with my mate in a 2-2 draw with Burnley. That was my first. I did my paper round the next morning chanting "Tommy Booth, Tommy Booth, Tommy Booth" and I was bitten by the bug. I've seen highs and lows, along with others that remember them, the most turbulent times in the mid Eighties to early the Nineties when Baxi came in and saved our bacon. Robbie Williams once sang " Let me entertain you", and in the lyrics were the words "you've got to get high before you taste the lows" ( I know this because my ex wife told me!) Anyway, I think that line is the wrong way around. IMO you have to taste the lows first. An example is Arsenal. Some of their fans are calling for Wengers head. They are very rarely out of the top four, play some of the most attractive stuff on the planet and have always got a chance of winning a trophy. This season is a failure for some of their supporters. If they were to win something next season, their fans would no doubt be joyous and relieved. Joyous and relieved after winning a major trophy? Not for me thanks. I'd rather fell the ECSTASY that we felt when we climbed out of that bottom division as Champions, the BEDAZZLEMENT in the Sumners as Jon Macken, Iain Anderson and Mark Rankine joined us supporters for celebrations after we'd been promoted to the second tier, again as Champions. The utterly INDESCRIBABLE EMOTIONS that we had as Rankine equalised against Brum, and McKenna stepped up with the match winning penalty to send us to Cardiff in our first season back in tier two of the football pyramid. Arsenal fans may feel quite low now (this by the way, isn't a dig at Arsenal, it's just the best example I could think of), and who am I to say that they shouldn't? But I reckon that we've felt a lot lower a lot more times. My point is, Arsenal may well have success at a higher level than us but their lows haven't been anywhere near as low as ours. And when you get to our level, any success tastes so much sweeter. IMHO we may well be down in L1 for a while, until we are on a sound financial footing again, but we'll be back and it'll be so sweet. I've put my thoughts down as well as I can and I hope you get my drift. LF
Interesting post this, I can remember the time when we finished next to bottom of the football league, the team was absolutely pants but it was fun following them, you get the rare victory like Mansfield away with Allott shinning in the winner, it poured down all match we wom 3-2 got soaked it was brilliant. The play off game against Birmingham when Trevor Francis lobbed the toys out of the pram will be rememebered. First ever promotion under Alan Ball snr winning the titlem in front of 28000 with a 3-0 win over Rotherham. The cup tie against Arsenal 2 up at one stage. The Moyes years when we had a forward line on Macken, McBride and Healey. OK we may be in for a tough few seasons but I'll still go and next season will do more away games than I have done since the first season in the Championship. Agree about Gunners fans in total misery because they failed to win the league. Have they ever known the misery of losing at Torquay on a cold February afternoon and going from 91st to 92nd in the league. We may be down but we are not out.
That forward line was a joy to watch, and all of them ended up playing in the PL, along with a few others from that side and sides to follow. It showed how far forward we'd come as a club in the space of ten years. I remember sitting in disbelief that we had Macken, Appleton and Murdoch all sat on the bench...we'd just paid more or less ã1million total for them and they were sat on the bloody bench! It was surreal at the time. Agreed maclad, down but not out.
Lilywhite forever.. A fine and well written article, keep up the good work and pleased to have you around. If I had to put down in print all the highs and lows I have endured since 1946 it would take for ever more.
TPF Thank you for your kind comments I can only but imagine the peaks and troughs you've seen in that time! World class players at Deepdale, punching their weight with the best of them, FA cup finals right down to the likes of the mid Eighties teams applying for re-election and being put to the sword by Telford United in the cup. What a rollercoaster! Things aren't quite as bad as they seem really when you look back and see how it was not too long ago.
I remember THE FRT game against Burnley in 1987 couldn't think of any thing that would stop us going to Wembley then promptly lost 2nd leg 3-1
Was that when we had to play in the mini leagues to get through to the first round proper? Or am I thinking of something else? Well, we're back in that competition, albeit under a different sponsor. Might well get that trip down there if we take it seriously enough maclad
No it was knock out.though there again it might have been mini leagues in the early stages can't really remember to be honest.
I like it on here! Lots of good comments and great memories that I share. After 40 years of watching PNE, the highs and lows are soon bought back from the memory banks. Anyone remember Andy Saville rising at the far post to score the winner at Northampton, and the stewards there having to open more of the ground to let us all in on a Tuesday night? But, the play-off v Birmingham is the absolute pinnacle for me.
