Day 2 :

"You know it's funny when it rains it pours. They got money for wars, but can't feed the poor. Say there ain't no hope for the youth and the truth is it ain't no hope for the future."

Despite a sustained absence from any writing responsibilities, I return once more to give my ten pence worth on the current state of the football club, happenings both on and off the pitch [of which there have been many] in the hope of bringing some degree of seasonal cheer. Since my last article some 2 months ago I have lost track of how many games we have actually played, maybe half a dozen, unfortunately results haven't generally been in our favour. Aside from football, the team spirit seems to have been recaptured, and hopefully things will continue to improve into the new year.

As mentioned above results on the pitch have not quite lived up to expectations, with the team losing their last four games against Red Lion Frodsham, St. Werburghs, Team Boot and most recently The Shropshire Arms. As a result the lads have dropped down the Section C league and are now in the bottom half. Prior to those loses however was a win against current Section C leaders [I think] Tattenhall in what has been described as a fantastic fighting display by a squad made up of only 11 players. I wasn't actually at that game myself but understand that the players who played did a superb job against a team who, based upon there league position both this season and last, are no mugs. Following this impressive win came the run of defeats which has left us all with a lot to think about. Although we lost all 4 games we didn't necessarily play poorly in every game.

In my opinion we played reasonably well in the Werburghs game and were unlucky not to get a point. The performances in the Red Lion and Team Boot games were likely our worst performances so far this season, with the Team Boot game standing out as the worst. Looking at the Red Lion game first, a game in which manager Brazier selected the same team who beat Tattenhall a week earlier, it seemed to me that the team had no fighting spirit in them. A few of the players who started weren't regular starters and while they had embraced the Tattenhall game, it appeared that players were complacent in having kept their places for this fixture. Plus of course some questionable refereeing which led to us finishing short of the allotted 11 players - but that's not for me to comment on. The Team Boot game was arguably our worst game this season, and the worst game I have played in for the ISA. There was no fighting spirit and no one who started that game can say they took it completely seriously. After all, Team Boot were a team who had lost all their games and sitting bottom of the league. How could we lose? We did, and again we were complacent. Too many players [me included] were happy to get forward to try and score while not helping out in defence. As a result we lost a game we should have won. Thankfully, there was some light at the end of the tunnel, so to speak, and while we lost against the Shropshire Arms, we at least played well and fought throughout the 90 minutes. All that and we weren't even able to field a full strength side. Special credit must go to manager Paul Brazier for his performance in goal, not least as I was a coin toss away from playing between the sticks myself. Fingers crossed that the good performance was due to a new sense of fight from the lads, rather than events which transpired before the game. With that said, hopefully we can look forward to a few decent performances in the future.

With things on the field taking a turn for the worse it now looks like affairs off the pitch are on the upturn. A bit of stability has returned to the dressing room and the message board, despite postings from the likes of "Xander Cage", has calmed down a bit. The club had a Christmas party on the 6th December at the Deva Stadium in conjunction with Chester City Ladies and the ISA organisation. All who attended seemed to have had a good laugh and it rounded off what has been a pretty good year for anyone affiliated with Chester City and the ISA football club. Despite the fact that we don't always win when we play on a Sunday, I think most would agree that we've got a great bunch of lads and do have a laugh. You can't beat the camaraderie. I think it's a shame that players like Greenie and Sarnie have left the club, you can't condone their actions and it isn't my place to discuss nor cast judgment, but from what I know of the 4 who have left, it's a shame. To finish, in the style of Mark Howell, I will list the highlights of this year from an ISA and personal perspective:

Highlight of the year: Winning the Section D Championship. Also, the day's drinking following the win was one to remember.

Player of the Year: As Maka said, far too easy to say Andy Johnson, so I'll go for Scott Ditchfield. How many goals would Johnson have scored if Ditch wasn't there to put him through? Plus, I don't know anyone who played so often when hung-over from the night before.

Goal of the Year: Andy Johnson's free kick against the Ship Inn when we beat them 9-1 at the Imps. Not renowned for dead ball kicks, Johnson curled the ball right into the top corner for his seventh of the game. [with Brighty's thunderbolt against Flo-gas in Saltney and Johnson's Pele inspired goal against Egerton Arms battling for second]

Game of the year: Tattenhall at the Imps. It may have ended up a comfortable 9-1 win, but going into the game following a 4-4 draw away, everyone was nervous. Plus, it was the game in which it became clear we would win the league, having beaten our closest rivals.

Film of the Year: Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers. If you haven't already seen it, why not?

TV show/comedy of the Year: Tie between The Office and Phoenix Nights [showing Only Fools and Horses how it should be done].

And a few random thoughts to finish...

- What's going on with Liverpool? 10 games without a win, the Championship surely beyond them. Time to change to a good team. When's Chester's next fixture?

- Quick WWE note, with Wrestlemania close, superstars like The Rock, Steve Austin, Goldberg, Steiner, HHH and Hulk Hogan are all rumoured to be in attendance, making for a potentially huge spectacle.

- Given that it's the beginning of 2003, it's only appropriate to thank those who run the club and make it possible for everyone at the ISA to play on a Sunday morning. Playing's easy, but people like Mark Howell, Paul Brazier and Paul Brighton [not forgetting anyone else who I haven't mentioned] do a lot of work behind the scenes which goes unnoticed by many. So, thanks.

Exit Tyler Durden

To read The Seven Day Theory Day 1 click here