I don't know about you, but as an AFC Wimbledon supporter I'm absolutely loving the season so far. I think if there's one thing that EVERYONE can agree on, it's that L1 is miles better than L2. Yes it's more challenging but the away grounds are better, the opposition have better players who are worth watching and when teams play at Plough Lane they bring loads of fans and make a great atmosphere. It's brilliant, we should do everything we can to stay in this division.
Another aspect of it that I really enjoy is that I personally have an impact on how many points we get, how well we play. Obviously not ON the pitch (God forbid), but I am absolutely convinced that by getting behind the team 100% I and the faithful have an impact upon how well the lads play. How much impact? Gawd knows, but I reckon the crowd at Anfield (the ground where such things are most prevalent in my view), has at least a 15% impact on Liverpool players, probably as high as 10% away. The crowd there ALWAYS stay with the team, always push them on, never give up on the eleven lads wearing the red shirt. I'm not pretending our following gets to that level, but I've never in my football obsessed life seen anybody who doesn't play better when encouraged from the sidelines, doesn't play worse when lambasted. That's as true for little kids all chasing the ball in a seven a side game as it is for professional footballers, people like to be loved. So while my input and influence is minimal, I'm convinced it's there.
Take last night's game for example. I went along along with 1300 others, and I'm not gonna lie we got absolutely taken apart by a very good Stevenage second eleven. It was 5-1 but in truth it could have been many more, it was men against boys. The thing is though, their second eleven would be a very decent League One outfit, our second eleven contained LITERALLY boys. I think we had four kids making their debuts last night, and in the case of young Harry Hedges in particular I'm talking a PROPER kid. He won't even be shaving yet never mind up to playing against men at football, and though he obviously has bags of talent (I really liked him) he's a country mile away from being the player he WILL be in three or four years time. I and many others stayed to give the lads a standing ovation off the pitch, the manager too. Not because obviously we were happy with getting whupped 5-1, but because under difficult circumstances the players gave everything. As it turns out, the everything was miles away from making it a proper contest, but that's not their fault.
Now I noticed online some supporters calling the result a disgrace, how we should be embarrassed and the like. I couldn't disagree more. In order to compete last night we had two options. One, we could have played Jake Reeves, Ali Smith, Marcus Browne, Matty Stevens etc etc. Or, we could have spread the money we had in the Summer so as to try and get a stronger squad of 22 players as opposed to concentrating our resources into having the best first team possible. It appears to me that we DID concentrate our resources into getting the best starting eleven possible, and in so doing we compromised a little on the "back up" front. I for one totally agree with that decision, it seems to me to be the only chance we've got.
So we get hammered, in a competition that is a bit of a farce anyway, BUT some lads who needed minutes got them and some kids who needed a start got them. All fine and dandy by me.
Someone else online said "But that's three in a row we've lost now", and it is. I'd say to anybody who looks at things that way though, you'd better get used to it and quick. And to echo that famous Mick McCarthy "It can't go on like this" meme (In a broad South Yorkshire accent) "It CAN" it might well be four consecutive defeats after Saturday. Put it this way, Bolton with their budget and wage bill will be absolutely gutted if they don't win the game against us. By all measureable metrics, they absolutely SHOULD beat us. We oughtn't really to have any chance, the fact that we have is a tribute to the manager and the players. Not only that, but we are going to lose lots of other matches too. When the injuries come, points are going to be VERY hard to come by.
But we knew all of that before we started didn't we? I've heard people say we might make the playoffs, cloud-cuckoo land. I personally think that if we finish above the bottom third (16th or higher) it's an astonishing achievement. We are ALREADY in a relegation battle in my opinion, but I'm not being defeatest in saying it, I'm just preparing myself to get behind the team more than ever.
Because given where we are, let me tell you that given our opening six fixtures, nine points from eighteen is an absolute gift from God. It's quite possible that will be our best six game return of the whole season, such is the steepness of our task. So DO cheer for the lads, yes even when they get beat. DO back them even when they're getting battered, doing it makes a fraction of a difference. That fraction might keep us up.
One last thing, for us this season there are no such thing as "consoltation" goals. If we're 3-0 down and we get a last minute goal, it isn't a "consolation goal" it's a goal. We would by no means be the first team who stayed up on goal difference, and if we do it we won't be the last.
That's my thinking this season and always has been. We battle for every inch, every angle, every blade of grass. We give it absolutely everything, leave no percentage gain on the shelf. And as long as the manager and players do the same, I'll stand and applaud them off every game. They did last night, even though we got stuffed 5-1 at home.
It happens, it's football. I'm going to make sure though that I give 100% as a fan, how could I not if I demand if off the players and manager?
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