GLASS HALF FULL OR HALF EMPTY?
Posted on: Sun 04 May 2008
We all have our views about the season that has just ended. The hard part, sometimes, is getting those views into perspective - here's one correspondent's offering:
By Howard Borrell
Late January saw us produce a performance against Hereford United, live on Sky TV, that was as near perfect as most of us have ever seen. Five days later those same players lost 1-0 at promotion rivals Wycombe Wanderers yet churned out a performance that bore absolutely no similarity to the previous show of skill and tenacity.
You could argue "that's football" and I suppose you'd be right but isn't it frustrating ! Three days later atStockport the effort was back, albeit we only brought back one creditable point from a very entertaining Edgeley Park fixture.
Possibly those three games epitomise the season - at times frighteningly good, at other times lack lustre at best and other times we showed plenty of fight but didn't always translate that into the 3 points we probably deserved.
Not surprisingly through over 40 years of supporting the Spireites I've come to never expect consistency. Alan Hansen, a few weeks ago on "Match of the Day", explained an old adage that he believed still held good. He explained "Most teams only play very well in 10% of the games, in 30% they put in good performances, another 30% of the games the fans get something like an adequate show but for the remaining 30% it's often poor."
It goes without saying that the teams that have success don't just pick up points when they are playing well; in fact it's probably most important (and certainly most satisfying) to claim points when the performance has been less than satisfactory. We seem to have spent a lot of this season reflecting on how other teams have done this to us rather than the other way around.
Of course the overall age profile and lack of experience in the side made it harder, the horror goals we've regularly conceded gave us a few mountains to climb but predominantly it was the lack of consistency (win at Milton Keynes and get stuffed a few days later at home by Rotherham) that cost us.
It's not easy being a Spireite so really the best thing to do is to think about and enjoy the highlights of the season. Acquiring the services of Jack Lester was a masterstroke. In my time supporting the Spireites Jack, in my opinion, is the best striker to wear theChesterfield shirt. Some of his goals have been spectacular others downright cheeky and some even claimed after the event but they've produced a total that should have brought the team more reward. I look forward to more of the same next season. Since Jack's broken nose we've started to see the best of Jamie Ward too who has reveled in the central role and we all hope has many more good years to come.
In defence Janos Kovacs has grown into his role as defensive colossus and must frighten the hell out of most defenders with his passion and determination and, of course every fan loves him for displaying that commitment so openly.
The game I enjoyed the most was our emphatic win at Sincil Bank when Jack and Jamie Ward played as if footballing telepathy was in-built; the goals were sublime but the understanding within the team probably hasn't been bettered since. Witnessing a first league victory atGigg Lane for 61 years was also something special - Bristol City hoodoo smashed recently, now Bury.....what next ?
The season could and probably should have been more successful (it certainly wasn't helped by the assumption that promotion was almost pre-ordained) but there is still some good news. It really does look as if the new ground is at last going to happen. It's location is as near to our current home as we
could hope for and will hopefully enable us to attract a new generation of Spireites to support their local team because, without that improved support, it's going to be difficult to achieve the level of success that many people seem to think is our right.
By Howard Borrell
Late January saw us produce a performance against Hereford United, live on Sky TV, that was as near perfect as most of us have ever seen. Five days later those same players lost 1-0 at promotion rivals Wycombe Wanderers yet churned out a performance that bore absolutely no similarity to the previous show of skill and tenacity.
You could argue "that's football" and I suppose you'd be right but isn't it frustrating ! Three days later at
Possibly those three games epitomise the season - at times frighteningly good, at other times lack lustre at best and other times we showed plenty of fight but didn't always translate that into the 3 points we probably deserved.
Not surprisingly through over 40 years of supporting the Spireites I've come to never expect consistency. Alan Hansen, a few weeks ago on "Match of the Day", explained an old adage that he believed still held good. He explained "Most teams only play very well in 10% of the games, in 30% they put in good performances, another 30% of the games the fans get something like an adequate show but for the remaining 30% it's often poor."
It goes without saying that the teams that have success don't just pick up points when they are playing well; in fact it's probably most important (and certainly most satisfying) to claim points when the performance has been less than satisfactory. We seem to have spent a lot of this season reflecting on how other teams have done this to us rather than the other way around.
Of course the overall age profile and lack of experience in the side made it harder, the horror goals we've regularly conceded gave us a few mountains to climb but predominantly it was the lack of consistency (win at Milton Keynes and get stuffed a few days later at home by Rotherham) that cost us.
It's not easy being a Spireite so really the best thing to do is to think about and enjoy the highlights of the season. Acquiring the services of Jack Lester was a masterstroke. In my time supporting the Spireites Jack, in my opinion, is the best striker to wear the
In defence Janos Kovacs has grown into his role as defensive colossus and must frighten the hell out of most defenders with his passion and determination and, of course every fan loves him for displaying that commitment so openly.
The game I enjoyed the most was our emphatic win at Sincil Bank when Jack and Jamie Ward played as if footballing telepathy was in-built; the goals were sublime but the understanding within the team probably hasn't been bettered since. Witnessing a first league victory at
The season could and probably should have been more successful (it certainly wasn't helped by the assumption that promotion was almost pre-ordained) but there is still some good news. It really does look as if the new ground is at last going to happen. It's location is as near to our current home as we
could hope for and will hopefully enable us to attract a new generation of Spireites to support their local team because, without that improved support, it's going to be difficult to achieve the level of success that many people seem to think is our right.
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