Here’s how the teams line up in the Championship table this afternoon, after one game. And the funny thing is, I can imagine the list looking exactly like this in nine months’ time when the season comes to a close, assuming poor old Derby don’t suddenly find some form. Let’s check back next May and see how accurate it was.
(Image swiped from BBC sport)
I heart Palace’s new strip, which was voted for by the fans and recollects a design used in the 1970s and 80s. But I’ve just noticed that it bears an uncanny resemblance to what Rangers are wearing away this season. Boo!
The new season starts today, for people who follow proper football. We’re at home to Watford, and I can’t go because I’m on call for work, which entails being within fifteen minutes of a broadband connection at all times.
I’m predicting Palace 2-1 Watford. We went to watch a pre-season friendly against Fulham, which was actually Dougie Freedman’s testimonial (WHO LET THE DOUG OUT!), and, whilst it was a completely rubbish game, there were some points from which I thought we could take cautious hope. The two youngsters, Scannell and Moses, both looked good, as did a new signing from Bristol City, Nick Carle, who if he continues to play well I will forgive for acting like an arse in the away leg of the play-off semi-final last season, when he took five minutes to leave the pitch after being substituted.
Meanwhile, I’m watching the swimming, the builders who have been making car crash noises on the roof all morning appear to have disappeared, and Final Score is back this afternoon. It could be worse.
Update: it ended 0-0. Still, a point’s a point. Onwards and upwards!
I’ve just finished reading We Don’t Know What We’re Doing, Adrian Chiles’s account of the 2005-06 season as he travelled around the country watching games with West Brom fans even more fanatical, in some cases, than he is. I’d recommend it to anyone, but especially to anyone whose team aren’t traditionally a big winning side. It’s heartening to discover that promotion and relegation feel the same for everyone else, too. Although I can barely call myself a fan in comparison to most of the people he meets.
But it’s a really really wonderful, heartwarming, funny, sad book and I’m glad I picked it up. Buy your copy now. Buy two!
I probably won’t get to post between now and Sunday evening, so I’m calling it now for… Spain. No, Germany!
I’m quite pleased that every single prediction I made in my last post (Van Persie scoring, Holland continuing on good form, Turkey exiting against Croatia, Spain losing to Italy) turned out to be wrong. I still think Germany will win it, but at least we’ve got the prospect of two interesting semi-finals along the way. And who’d have thought that Turkey would be in the last four? Awkwardly, it was me that set up the office sweepstake, so if I win I probably have to give the money away anyway. I’m already being accused of some sophisticated type of cheating involving insider knowledge and a direct personal line to some of the tournament’s key players.
I’ve resisted writing about Euro 2008, because I could wibble on for a very long time without having very much to say. I drew Turkey in the office sweepstake, which seemed like a poor choice at the time but they’re still in it, at least for the next five hours. More promisingly, I drew Robin Van Persie for the golden boot, which if Holland keep up the form they started off with might get me somewhere.
Before the tournament started I confidently predicted Germany would win. Now I’m not so sure, even though they looked good against Portugal (my second choice) last night. Mainly, though, I just don’t understand football. How can a national team maintain the same characteristics over decades and across completely different players and coaches? But history still works better than form as an indicator of a team’s chances. As I said to my beloved last night, Portugal should win because they’ve looked three times better over the competition, but traditionally, Germany win difficult knock-out games. And lo and behold, they breezed it. It’s all very odd, and means that my latest tip for the trophy, Spain, will probably go out on Sunday. That’s what Spain do after all, isn’t it?
I realise I was confused when I wrote about conceding goals “at home” before the last game, because as far as I know there’s no away goals rule in the play-offs, which means a 1-0 win tonight would be enough to take us into extra time and penalties. I was caught out by this the last time we were promoted, when it ended up 3-3 over two legs between Palace and Sunderland but they had scored more away goals and I thought it was all over. I think I was even about to leave the pub when I realised that the players weren’t leaving the pitch.
But I’d still rather win 2-0, please. I can’t bear penalties, even during regular play, and a shoot-out is enough to send me outside, cowering with the smokers.
Oh well. At least Man Utd won the Premiership. I don’t love them, but I love them more than I love Chelsea (or Arsenal).
Well, I got the scoreline right, just the wrong way around. But we’ve got time to bring it back to a win tomorrow night – and, as my brother pointed out, if we don’t make it we’ll be able to stay in the Championship and win games, rather than having to play in the Premiership and lose 9-0 to Liverpool every week.
(We were rubbish, though.)
