Alan Irvines introduction to the Hillsborough faithful

OK…I’ve got some information for you now…this good run is nowt to do with the new manager, it’s all down to my pre match preparation. Yes I’m back doing the 3 Sh’s without fail now but the big influence is the get up…I’ve worn the same 2 shirts and jeans for the last 3 games…and here’s the rub…I haven’t weshed em.

I know, I know….you’re calling me a dirty filthy dingle bastard but I daren’t now.
I mean it’s OK you all thinking the worst of me and thinking me pikey genes have kicked in but think about this…If I wesh em now, before Scunthorpe away, or change the gear totally are YOU gonna take the responsibility of us losing?

Anyway…you don’t need to tut and roll your eyes at me, the Young Un did that when she got in the car and saw me in the same clothes and called me ever name under the sun, most of them starting with ‘You Dirty Smelly…’
Fortunately the two shirts are pastel shades and everyone knows I can carry off pastel shades like no one else…it sort of compensates for the smell if you like.

Anyway…it’s strange driving to games with an air of confidence, it’s almost scary. Not just THINKING we’ll win but KNOWING we’ll win AND expecting us to play well, it certainly makes for a more pleasant start to the footy day….I could get used to this ya know.

I was just hoping that with the kids for a quid offer, the last two away results and the promise of a decent crowd that we could make Alan Irvines first home game one to remember. Not just for the result but with the noise, really make him see and hear what we’re capable of at home. When he was introduced before the kick off the crowd DID make some noise and it was a good feeling, not quite the buzz and noise of Barnsley, but it was a decent introduction and there was some genuine warmth there that I’m sure he felt…He’ll certainly not have had owt like it at Preston that’s for sure.

Master of Hillsborough

Master of the wave

One thing he DOES need to work on is his wave… I mean come on Al. Brian Laws may not have had a plan B. He may not have been the best tactically or know when to sub. He may not have had a clue how to motivate an individual or team but what Laws was excellent as, the Don, the big cheese, the master of all….was ‘the wave’. He knew how to milk that bugger for all it was worth.

The idea is to let the noise build up a bit Al…I know there wasn’t too much at Preston mate but if you wait a minute or so we can really get some volume going in that ‘Alan, Alan give us a wave’ chant and it always makes your audience feel more wanted and just a little bit needy if you let em build it up….and don’t just flick it up…put ya hand up and pause for a second…or two….or three…maybe mix it up a bit and incorporate a clap…or punch the air…It’s OK getting the club videos to look at how the players are performing and getting them in one by one to discuss stuff but you need to get this right mate…watch Brian on the videos, give him a ring and ask him for tips…get a full length mirror installed in the office so you can practise….You seem have to sorted a lot of stuff ON the pitch so it seems daft to leave this area, this VITAL area unsorted.

THE MATCH
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Well the teams come out and having made the new manager feel welcome the crowd made a good bit of noise for the team too, oh aye the feelgood factor was back at Hillsborough for the first time in a very long time…We just needed the performance now…

Well, we got it…and right from the off.

In the opening minutes the ball comes in and to Leon in the box, with back to goal and he spins on a tanner and twats a volley goalward, it was all over a goal but Lewis in the Posh goal was having none of it and pulled off a superb save. Great start.

We didn’t have to wait much longer for another decent attempt either as Potter, back playing at his very best, unleashes a superb shot from the edge of the box that rattled the crossbar with a right THWACK! We played some lovely stuff and just needed to apply the finish but it looked for ages like the excellent Peterborough keeper, Joe Lewis was gonna take our punches and have one of those days where he keeps everything out.

We passed, we moved we worked hard, the team looked as though they not only wanted to win but show the 25k crowd what we’ve been doing on the road this week. Some of the interplay, the flicks, the touches…the one touch football from Leon, Gray, Potter, Tudders, Soares,…even Tommy and Buxton…it was lovely to watch and a clear sign that the confidence was returning….

But…for all the play we weren’t applying the killer touch at the end…and Lewis, helped by the admirable and super tall Exodus Geohaghon seemed hell bent on repelling all boarders… There was a header from Purse that Lewis tipped over the bar with fingertips and just as it looked like we were going in again without capitalising on our dominance from the ensuing corner from that save we scored.

Gray stands over the ball South stand kop corner with Mike Newall’s favourite ref’s assitant Amy Rayner building her part up and putting her arm across Gray to stop him taking it too soon…she gives him the thumbs up and Mickey Gray delivers a good inswinger with pace and Tudgay glances it in…GET IN!
The look on his face as he ran past us….he never holds back does he when he scores Tudders does he?
He has a very emotive face he does give belting goal face.

We went in at half time a goal to the good and it was the least we deserved TBF.

There was a good buzz about the ground when the whistle went, the crowd had seen their team back to their best and we couldn’t wait for the second half…more of the same please…

When they did come back out and got underway, we hadn’t been playing long and we couldn’t believe we hadn’t scored…it seemed like there was a shot coming in every couple of seconds but we just couldn’t make it count, we couldn’t force the ball over the line…it looked like they were being cleared off the line, and even behind the line from where we were…incredible stuff…

It was surely only a matter of time before we got another…It was, we did.

This time a corner swung in by Potter, flicked on and nodded in again…by Tudders…you wait a dozen games for a goal from a player and two come along at once…It was well deserved for the lad too. He’d shown in the last couple of games he was getting right back to his best and the second half against Blackpool more than anything he showed he was hungry, ready and willing to make someone pay…

TBF, both Tudders and Leon had worked their socks off here, they played well together and individually and it’s just a pity for Leon he couldn’t add to to the score himself because for the best part of an hour he’d been almost rampant. He’s a confidence player is Leon and he was full of it today, trying things, working hard, running, looking mean and in the mood and the crowd lifted him by chanting his name…he NEEDS that does Leon. He needs to KNOW he’s wanted.

When he was subbed with 15 minutes to go he’d put in a right shift IMO and we’re gonna need that now JJ is out for 6 weeks and as he walked off to be replaced by Varney the Wednesday fans stood on all 3 sides and cheered him to the rafters. It was a proper ovation for the lad and he’d earned it, he’d played a blinder.

So quarter of an hour to go and we were home and hosed, 2-0 up, easy….

Hmmm…

One thing that hasn’t changed is making things difficult for ourselves and inviting pressure onto the defence…

For some reason, after 75 minutes of being overawed and overrun Posh decided to play and they showed what they’re capable of, FOOK knows why they didn’t play like this to start with as they looked impressive at times…
None more so than the giant defender Exodus Geohaghon…what a fookin lad that is!
He was excellent at the back for Posh, as was left back Griffiths, but Geohaghon had an extra in his armoury, not just being 17 foot tall but his incredible throw…as soon as Stoke find out he makes Delap look like a toddler, they’ll sign him up straight away…I’ve never seen a throw like it, incredible stuff. From his own half to opposition box in one deadly accurate throw, bloody hell!

The pressure Posh applied, with quite a few shots all at once, including one from Griffiths that brought out a stunning save from Granty, eventually got it’s just reward as Livermore on the edge of the box twatted a low drive home.

Chuff me! What’s happened here? We’ve gone from playing lovely footy, looking in total control and looking to knock Peterborough’s back doors in, to all hands on deck backs to the wall stuff. I mean I know we’d done this at both Barnsley AND Blackpool late on but Posh looked like they really fancied this now and they were literally giving it everything as they brought keeper Lewis up for what seemed about a dozen quick fire consecutive corners.

For some reason we were again defending very deep and letting Posh come to us…Don’t get me wrong, the Peterborough pressure deserved the reward and the travelling, much beleaguered Posh fans certainly deserve any high points they can get and they celebrated like their lives depended on it…kudos to em.

It was gonna be another tense ending to a Wednesday game but once again the defence to a man did fookin outstanding…at different times each of them pulling out incredible personal moments but collectively they repelled them all…Purse at times was magnificent’ including when the ball bounced invitingly for a Posh player in the box but Purse stood strong and protected Grant really well, proper old school defending and proper captaining….he followed that with a cracking no nonsense header into touch that a few games ago he’d have messed up totally…it’s a measure of the change in attitude and spirit amongst the players, as is another good performance from Buxton and an ever increasingly confident Tommy Spurr…there was a moment late in half when Tommy jinked his man, inside the box, and left him for dead, strolling manfully forward with the ball to clear….Buxton getting forward, driving forward with the ball at his feet, it’s great to see and at times, touch and go football from him, wonderful, wonderful stuff….add to those three performances, the great saves from Granty and a back to his very best and most promising Mark Beevers and this defence is now full of self belief….kudos to every single one of em…and the rest of the team that helped out with defending duties for holding on to the final whistle for what was a well deserved victory.

If there’s something to pick on it’s the players listening to the crowd… Shouting at Tommy to SHOOOOT!
This happened more than once and with more than the one player listening to the crowd and Irvine needs to make sure the players know the crowd knows fook all and not to listen to them.

That aside this was another decent performance…There’s still plenty to work on and we’re far from the finished article, which the manager is clearly aware of and whilst our defence is looking far better than at any other time this season we still invite pressure and we still make ourselves nervous and edgy but we should enjoy the moment.

Excellent performances all over the place, the best being from Tudgay who along with scoring 2 goals defended as well as anyone…We have a team that looks like and plays AS a team and 3 wins in a week, we’re out of the drop zone, scoring goals, players enjoying themselves and fans going to games LOOKING FORWARD to their football, THAT is nothing to be sniffed at, there’s a proper buzz back about Hillsborough, you could hear it and you could feel it… WELCOME BACK!

Barring the last 15 minutes this wasn’t the same Posh we saw at their place, they looked short on ideas, conviction and belief. When we drew at theirs I thought they’d be OK in this division and looked forward to another trip to London Road next season…Sadly I can’t see that happening now.
If they can play like they did for the last 15 minutes they’d be fine but I’m guessing they play too much and too often like the first 75. (As we’ve been doing until Irvine arrived)
If they do go down I genuinely hope they can do a Scunthorpe and bounce straight back up, I’ve missed them up to this season and they’ve been a welcome (back) addition to this division. I hope they aren’t in too much of a mess as a club.

One more thing…
I know it’s not considered cool these days to big up the chairman as it seems every fooker and his dog wants a piece of him but he deserves loads of kudos and gold plated urinals for bringing Irvine to this club. Whilst everyone mythered and moaned that everyone else was getting managers and leaving us standing, he didn’t panic and whilst most fans were at best ‘underwhelmed’ by Alan Irvines appointment we may have landed on our feet big style this time and have what could turn out to be a real gem.

Well done.

Cheers

Steve:Beastie
Owls Alive


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