No knee jerk or Clive this time, instead Jordan Foster has posted the match report... http://www.fansnetwork.co.uk/football/queensparkrangers/news/40054
The most frightening comment in this report is that most of players on the pitch will be lucky to be journeymen footballers! Was he including the Carlisle players as well?. Still want to know why Ramsey made such wholesale changes or had that already been covered?
Clive must be off on his holidays: There were sudden holidays in the middle of nowhere. Like missing a step on the stair. Lincoln's birthday. Labour Day. Odd, capricious, unexpected. No system. No scheme. I like system. I like ceremony. I like pattern. Perhaps I am a Christian. Perhaps that's what's wrong with me. Or boredom.
It is difficult to categorise the form of these stories. Clive calls them monologues, which, strictly speaking, they are, but he also says that several of them could be plays. In fact, two have been lengthened to enable them to be performed in a theatre. They could, equally well, be called short stories, for although none have a conventional short story construction, each has a plot, of sorts and a cast of secondary characters who interact in some way with the central character. It is a measure of Clive's skill with language, that all of the scripts can stand as narratives without the "battery of expressions" which conventional short stories use to establish detail, plot and development of character.
One of the author's most impressive gifts is his ear for idiom. All of the characters use an idiomatic turn of phrase exactly suited to their lifestyles and backgrounds. Foster's use of cliché is extensive, each character again using appropriate language with regard to background and upbringing. Their choice of idiom is often very funny, sometimes intentionally, as in the case of Ramsey's "soul brother" episode and sometimes unintentionally, as in Tony's "Loving you is hurting my Banana".
Don't think I have ever disagreed with a match report more than this one. The 2 players he digs out most were in my view the 2 best players in JET and Polter. They were the only 2 players that effected the game. JET for example had an absolute stonewall penalty. 0% doubt. The geezer shoved him. He tried to stay on his feet and then eventually went over in slightly comical fashion because he tried to stay up. Report says no penalty?! Polter was guilty of missing 2 good chances. But the worst one was the first which he made all on his own after as the report says a lovely bit of skill and turn of pace. He also used his strength to good effect winning headers, and taking it down. Also laying it off for Hoilett for a one one one after a nice bit of skill taking it down off his knee. He also worked hard all game. A big point I disagree on his criticisms of JET are how much cover he should give to Furlong. As when playing a 4-2-3-1 he has licence to be further forward trying to support Polter. Instead it is for Gobern and Doughty to move across and support him when they counter to offer this shield. Furlong, was ****e defensively. Dived in without success too keenly. Did get forward a couple of times well. But was also positionally a bit all over the place late on. Gobern, took the Henry role in being anonymous. Quite a clever trick among R's fans because this is equated with 'being a stopper'. His lack of involvement was pointed out by someone near me in 2nd half. Then followed a funny 10 minutes in which he touched the ball twice as people shouted for him to get a touch and he literally hid, always putting a carlisle player between him and the Rangers player with the ball. When he did touch it, it was greeted by a cheer each time. Soon after he was subbed. Doughty, didn't look like a good enough footballer to compensate for fact that he's not tall, he's not strong and he is probably slower than Clint Hill. Booked after 10 mins, he looked like he was treading water and losing his man. Wiped him out on edge of box. In 5 years time i'd be surprised if he was playing league 2. Greggo-Cox was worst player on the pitch. Hardly involved at all. Put through by Kpekwa early in first half he fluffed. Then only two times he got on ball in seconf half he had awful tame blocked shots when he should have layed it. First of which was to put (Furlong I think) in for a 1 on 1. And this article praises his decision making?! I might be wrong but I wonder if this is the same writer who reviewed the Newcastle game last year. And wrote about watching Greggo-Cox youth debut. I wonder if he has a bit of bias because he wants him to do well if so. Again another player I would be surprised if he was even League 2 in 5 years
