…A wise man once said that rules are meant to be broken. I’d quite like to buy that man a drink right now. No idea who said it first, but whoever it was has given me a very easy opening line for two match reports that contain a contentious subject, if you’ve been following my exploits all season.
So yeah, when I started this project I decided that I wouldn’t go and watch my own club all year. I’d focus on going to new places, meeting different fans and enjoying the best game in the world whilst on the road doing my job. And for twenty four games, that’s what I did. Yes, I sneakily watched a League Cup game from the press box earlier in the year but I didn’t write a report on it. But then this past weekend I was in Birmingham and… I just couldn’t help myself. I’m sorry. I really am.
Actually, it’s not just as simple as geographic proximity. I’m not sure whether regular readers will just understand my desire to watch my own club because they feel a similar love for their own team, or if some people will be genuinely annoyed that I’ve fallen off the proverbial wagon. So let me fill you in on some details that you might have missed during the season.
I’ve had a difficult year. Work has been fine and I’ve got married (yay to both of these things) but at the very start of the season my Mum was taken ill and as you may be aware, she passed away in February. Her funeral was in March, and at the funeral to cheer me and my Dad up my mate Big Dave (everyone has a mate called Big Dave, and I am no exception. His name is not ironic. He’s a big lad, and bloody awesome) suggested that we all go to watch Leicester play over the Easter weekend. As I knew I would be in Birmingham, I agreed after explaining that I would be breaking my own rules. Dave then pointed out that it would probably be the day we clinched promotion. This in turn clinched it for me…
Jim Smallman - The Football Neutral 