#2

"I saw this in a movie about a bus that had to SPEED around a city, keeping its SPEED over fifty, and if its SPEED dropped, it would explode. I think it was called, 'The Bus That Couldn't Slow Down'". Homer J. Simpson

With the ISA season continuing in earnest and things not going as well as hoped [and expected in all honesty] now seems like an appropriate time to return with musings on the current state of Chester City ISA and everything to do with the same. Unfortunately this will be somewhat of a morbid affair, so you have been warned in advance, but perhaps there is some light at the end of the tunnel.

Since I was last at the keyboard things haven't exactly gone according to plan as we have managed to lose 5 of the 6 games we have played, 4 being league matches, 1 being the second round of the cup. Our only point was last Sunday against the Egerton Arms on Westminster Park. Things started off reasonably well following the humbling defeat to the Dee Miller as we fought hard and gave title challengers MBNA a run for their money on the Imps, narrowly losing 1-0. A bit more clinical finishing and a stone cold penalty award that was turned down and things could have been significantly different. A week later and the lads were at the Chester Business park to face MBNA in another league fixture. If you know the result of this game you'll also know that the best thing to come out of it was a visit to arguably the best pitch most of the ISA lads will play on and a sight of that new artificial turf that looks and plays like real grass. MBNA are sort of like the Chelsea of Sunday League Section C football. Who we are a lower league analogy of I dread to think. Perhaps Leeds. I digress.

The following week the lads travelled to Frodsham to play the Red Lion in the second round of the cup, and were beat 2-0, in a close fought game. In what turned out to be a bitterly contested encounter [against a team who are undoubtedly the biggest wankers in Section C] the plus points of Neville Mann's debut and Ellis' return to the sticks, were unfortunately outweighed by the injuries sustained by Howell and Reynolds. While Reynolds continued to play with his injury, Howell has amazingly broken his leg. What a shocker and all in all definite incentive to stick one over the plastic scousers when we get them in the league, a fixture they somehow managed not to turn up for the previous week. Andy Johnson - if you were ever needed by the ISA to play in a game it is this fixture. Despite the exit from the cup the lads went to Tattenhall  with a renewed hope and following a first half performance of some grit eventually went down to a 4-2 defeat, despite goals [the first since the Deva Social game] from Edwards and Reynolds, who replaced the injured Howell up front. This was a very closely fought encounter and the ISA were in it right until the death when Tattenhall scored their fourth. Then last Sunday week the lads returned to Blacon to face the Egerton Arms, in a game that ended 4-1 to the visitors. Hard to see any real plus points from the performance, although I suppose it was good to see that we actually managed a bench for the game. Following that there was a much more spirited performance against the Egerton in a game we could well have [and arguably should well have] won, in the end drawing 2-2. A late comeback was crowned by the king of subtlety, Bryan Coleman, proving his worth in the outfield. Also of significance was the highly anticipated return of 'keeper Dave Ellis, which once more cemented his number one status between the sticks.

It is difficult to determine exactly why and where things are going wrong this season. Perhaps it is a lack of commitment, perhaps it is a lack of ability. Who knows. Or are we just unbelievably unlucky? It's very difficult to pinpoint and I'm sure everyone has their own opinions one way or another, but in my humble opinion, it comes to down to silly little mistakes that cost us dearly and players not being as committed as they should be to the ISA cause. I'm not pointing any fingers, but we do tend to make unforced errors that cost us possession at key parts of the pitch and stages in the match. Similarly, as Ditchfield continues to emphasise, we all need to be committed and get in amongst the teams we play. When it comes down to it we play in Section C after all the the league isn't all about skill, players who play hard and intimidate their opponents can go places - Section B in fact. In my opinion, and I accept that I am by no means beyond criticism, we've got a lot of players who just don't get stuck in, perhaps I'm one of them. And in our league, you play with that sort of attitude and you come unstuck. It also strikes me that we seem to struggle to get a squad turning up for every match, for one reason or another, which leads me to think that those in the upper echelons have miscalculated the signings that were needed to be made at the start of the season. We have gone from what was a tight knit squad with a good team spirit to one which is seriously lacking in numbers. This hasn't been helped by the departures of Dave Bolton and Steve Wainwright, but it stands to reason that the bad results we have recently seen are divisive. Hopefully last Sunday's performance and commitment will be built on this coming week. Ditchfield has made some recent signings to enable us to field a bench, and it is hoped that 'keeper Ellis will turn up regularly, the importance of which cannot be underestimated.

One final point before I retire; what has happened to the trophies from last season? You play all season, giving your all and what do you get at the end of the season? Not trophies or recognition, not that I am advocating players being materialistic of course. Make Trade Fair and all that. So this raises the question: where's the incentive for this season? We're obviously not going to win the league, so where do we, as players, stand? I'll leave on that note.

Tyler Durden

Episode 1 can be read here...