The Omens Are Not Just Bad...

Two park sessions in two days with the footballs seem to be too much for the dogs. They’re supposed to be outdoor dogs, which allegedly go on forever... simply not true. I cut it short as I’m the only one of the three us still playing football.

Then I head over to Derby with trepidation. My mate predicts the score line Derby 0 Forest 3 and lots of booing. Not sure what he means about ‘lots of booing’, probably be from the Forest fans if they only score three.

Did he say 0-3? I’m not that optimistic. Forest are nineteen games unbeaten, unbeaten away all season and they won 5-0 on Tuesday night whilst Derby were losing at lowly Plymouth... the omens are not just bad, they’re horrific.

Football though is a funny old game, so they say. Which I suppose is why I retain an interest amidst such adversity. Almost from the kick off, the game is all Derby. Forest are, if we’re being honest, largely rubbish and rely on high balls forward, which are probably the one thing our defence can cope easily with. So perhaps it’s not going to be a thrashing, although I still expect Forest to nick it as we simply don’t score goals very often. It’s also a feisty game but only really because we have one of those referees who insist on stoking it up at every opportunity. As if a local Derby needed any spice adding.

Then with twelve minutes to go Rob Hulse powers in a header and Derby have a lead that they manage to hang on to.



There’s even an entertaining bust-up on the touchline over a throw-in as the game headed into stoppage time. As players and staff from both teams piled in, goal scorer Hulse appears in the centre of it, despite already having been substituted five minutes earlier. Afterwards Nigel Clough declined to comment, as he was accused of kneeing Forest manager Billy Davies in the leg during the melee. Excellent stuff, pure comedy. I'm sure they’ll be some great chants emerging in stands about this soon.

In the evening we’re at a party, L's brother's 30th. The bash clashes with one of Daughter’s gigs, Emilie Autumn at Rock City. I’d never heard of her... quick Google... quick Myspace... hmmm... she looks interesting.



I would quite like to have gone and been an embarrassing parent there but never mind.

A quick perusal of the menu for L's brother's do informs me that it’s a post-Christmas party... which means they're serving Turkey with all the trimmings and Christmas pudding on the 30th January! Honestly how long does this Christmas lark go on for these days? Or is this the start of next year’s build up. I bet there will be some saddo sitting there already saying ‘Phew, I've just finished my Christmas shopping’.

We resist the temptation to turn up in reindeer antlers and have a pretty good evening. As good as possible considering it’s over on the outskirts of Derby and we end up driving. We leave just before eleven and drop Son off at home before slipping into town for a few, thanks to everywhere being open until 1am these days. Although we seem to tumble from one 30th party to another, as there’s the dregs of one still going on in the Ropewalk. Just hope Geoffrey didn’t mind us gate-crashing.

Revision

I park the car at my parents place and run the 8km (5 miles) into work. The temperature seems to have stayed marginally above freezing overnight. So although there are a few icy patches left it’s not too bad underfoot at all. The worst stretch was along the river path, so when I do the journey in reverse this evening, in the dark, I avoid that bit. Instead I stick to the well lit main roads and do another 8km.

This morning I skipped over the ice to Los Campesinos and this evening I ran back the other way to Sunshine Underground. I am revising for our next bout of gigs. These are two of the next three artists we are down to see. I just haven’t been able to bring myself to revise the one that falls in between them two yet.... Mr Michael Holbrook Penniman.

I’ve stayed in Derby for the match tonight, for which I’m really surprised we still have a manager. Nigel Clough had the look of a manager about to resign as he stood forlornly on the touchline on Saturday. I suppose defeat tonight could tip him over the edge but who knows. To win, we’d have to score, which we won’t do if he continues to insist on leaving all his creative players out of the team. At best we’ll lose on penalties after a 0-0 draw.

Makes you wonder why I’m going... but what else is there to do on a Tuesday night. I doubt they’ll be many of us there; the club have set high ticket prices. I assume this is to try and keep the gate down, to minimise the embarrassment. I can’t think of any other reason why they’d charge nearly full price for a mid-week cup replay against a mid-table division three side.

Armed with a larger flask of coffee than Saturday, my Dad and I brave the cold and it’s not a bad game, if you forget that fact that the opposition are from a lower league. Derby, with thankfully a slightly more attacking line up tonight, have the majority of possession but still create very little. Almost from the start, you can see that this game is heading for penalties but then at the start of extra time, Millwall awake from their slumber and attempt to win the game. They very nearly do, taking the lead at the start of the second period of extra time but Derby bounce back and equalise, so the promised penalty shoot out ensues.

Oddly for a side that can barely muster a shot on goal in two hours, once they are faced with no other option from the penalty spot they all suddenly know what to do and we score five out of five, taking us through to the fourth round. Where it’s another glamour tie against Brentford or Doncaster, should they eventually manage to stage their weather delayed third round tie.