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It is now ten games without a win… I know many Blackpool fans read my diary and it’s hard for me to talk about our downward spiral, to try to find an excuse, to argue what is impossible to argue. If it’s not a missed penalty, it’s an own goal or helping the other team score a goal. It’s crazy and it seems a joke but it is true and this way it is very hard to be competitive in this league.
I said it last week and I stand by my words. No one walks all over us but everybody is above us. I was thinking about the game against Norwich, the new leaders, and I couldn’t find any reasons why they beat us so easily. We were controlling the game, we were winning…and there you go, the “gift of the day”. And then it was like the sky has fallen all over our heads.
I left Bloomfield Road with wet eyes. I didn’t actually cry, I won’t lie to anyone, but I have never felt such an intense anger, I have never felt so frustrated. I am really sorry but I am not used to this. I can’t be happy when all the effort we put through doesn’t translate into good results. When I got to the family area at the stadium, only Norah managed to make me smile slightly. But I am still really pissed off.
And to make it worse, I was sent on in the 91st minute when we were 3-1 down. An anecdote to tell my grandsons, I will be an entertaining grandpa I guess…. This start of the season is going to make me go grey!
Against Norwich it was the debut of my friend Cubero, and he played quite well and helped the team until he ran out of fuel. I am sure those two minutes that the coach decided to give him when I substituted him, will do him good for Tuesday’s game…. Joking aside, we are mentally affected. We trained yesterday and the atmosphere in the locker room was really bad, everybody seems down and very distressed by the current situation.
The calendar doesn’t help as we have a tough game in Middlesbrough tomorrow and a home game against Cardiff on Friday. Another two difficult games. Boro changed their style of play when Karanka took over and now they play a good passing game, they have Tomlin, number 10, who is an excellent player. If you met this guy on the street you wouldn’t believe he is a football player…but on the pitch he’s a constant headache, a top player.
At home it’s also been a difficult week because both girls got sick, first it was Norah and then Emma. Norah was about to start going to nursery but we had to postpone it. We have finally found a nursery which has places available and it’s close to home but we are starting to realise how difficult it is going to be given the challenging experience that we had in Brighton.
But if you want to really be entertained you have got to look at the Oriol twins. It’s very nice that they are here and somehow they help me to take my mind away of the difficult situation of the team, but how hard work they are!! This week, the problem was the internet. Edu has already got a house, close to mine, so he asked me to open an internet account for him. Easy? Not that easy in the UK. I opened an account with my computer and everything was fine. On the day you have arranged they bring the router and after 48 hours they come to set it up, simple isn’t it? Well, we are still waiting for someone to come. After more than 700 calls trying to solve the problem he still doesn’t have internet at home. It seems harder to get the internet installed in your house in the UK than getting an appointment with the Pope (Recre just managed to do that!)
By the way, on Wednesday a member of the FA came to talk to the players. All the professional football players in England are members of the FA. The registration costs 150 pounds a year and normally it is your club which pays this fee by taking the money out of your wage. Out of 92 professional clubs in England there is only one which doesn’t do this. Blackpool of course! Therefore, it’s us the players who have to make sure the payments are up to date. He also talked to us about betting, to make very clear that we are not allowed to bet on football games, no matter what league or competition. And he reminded us that we still haven’t paid our fees. No comments.
I have always considered myself to be a happy and optimistic person but I have been really down for a few days. I can’t smile or be happy seeing how the team is doing, let alone seeing the faces of our fans after the games. I have never been a player who doesn’t care about the people who support my team and I can’t do it now either. It really bothers me and I can only say what I always say, although it’s getting harder and harder…
Come ooooooon!!!!
