Local Soccer - And Liam wasn't happy ..

January 9, 2005 3:07 PM from

JoeUser Forums

Liam wasn’t happy, and neither was I ...........

This is one of those postings that I have deliberately left for an hour or two.

The sight of my Liam,my “little” boy (and anyone who’s seen him will know what a joke that is), storming off the pitch at the end of this match, with tears in his eyes made me so angry that, if I’d have said something when we first got home, it would not have been “fair comment”.

Both myself and Liam have set our-selves high standards, perhaps too high in some cases, but the way that this game finished, it appeared to me that it was Liam who felt that he had let the side down.

But it wasn’t.

A Football team is made up of 11 players and if they don’t ALL play, the Goalie can only be but the last line of defence (and for some parts of this game the only line of defence – bar Jake). If it hadn’t been for Liam, they could well have lost 7 – 0.

But that wasn’t enough for Liam. The anger and frustration in his face at the end, the tears that welled up in his eyes – I felt for him. But it was more than that. It was something else, something greater?

All in all, I think this comment , that I posted several games back, may well explain the way Liam felt as he left the field:

“I know I'm biased (I wonder why? - ) That said, by the end of the match Mr "Tall and Lanky " would leave the field with a face "as long as a wet weekend" - and all because he, like I, had set ourselves a set of standards higher than we could probably supply.”

and I’ll add, to the end of that statement – “in the circumstances”

Sunday 05th December 2004

App Frod Saints 3 - Park Tigers 0

“All the words below are only a simple Parents' opinion of what he sees, and how he sees it. “

Man of the Match – Our Liam

Was the weather sunny and pleasant.

I wish.

It was, after the last 24 hours , quite calm and “warm”. The high winds and cold of Friday and Saturday had given way to cloudy skies and a slight breeze. As we walked up-to the ground it was “nice”. Not to hot and not to cold, especially considering it is supposed to be the middle of winter.

The calm didn’t last, as you will see, but you have to accept the good with the bad.

1st Half

After the cancellation of last weeks match because of “migrating trees” blocking the pitch, and after having a short break over the Christmas period, it was hoped that the problems of the last few games could be put aside.

But it would seem that the malaise of the previous few games was to continue. Almost from the start, it was obvious that the Frod Saints were the better team. The Tigers seemed to have little or no commitment. The passing was ragged and there were plenty of legs flying at the ball, but very few making a reasonable connection with it.

There was a little “end to end” play, but , for the main part, the Saints made most of the game. There were a few breaks from the Tigers Mid field and attack, but these came to nought. Our Liam (

) used his psychical size to his advantage several times, but that didn’t stop two balls bouncing off the cross bar, and then Liam himself, having to make two good saves. There was a couple of times that I (we?) thought OK. In some ways it was a good that the whistle blew for the end of the half (did the ref’s watch seem to run slow)

What a devil -

Saints 0 – Tigers 0

2nd Half

The second half started little better than the last half had finished.

The wind that had once been a breeze, began to pickup and blow a bitter bite. Not for the first time this year did the weather seem to match the mood.

With barely a few minutes of the half gone, the Saints attack crossed a ball towards the net. The ball, strangely, from our view least ways, seemed to pass everyone, both Red and Yellow shirts. Liam dived for the ball, but it seemed to pass under him. And there he stayed for a few moments – was it shock and dis-belief? We all turned and looked at each other. We turned and looked back, and Liam still lay, looking.

Saints 1 – Tigers 0

Chris “cycled” his troops. People came on, and some came off. There seemed to be an inspired changed, as the recently returned Ben took the ball, shot off across the field and passed the ball to a waiting Josh, just to watch the ball skim the post. There were several more attacks, and the Tigers began to wonder – could we come back?

The last few minutes put paid to that thought. Within short shrift, the Saints scored two more goals – and both of them with , effectively, only Liam left to save the Tigers. But even “Mr Tall and Lanky” has human limits, and try as he might, he was bested by the Saints attack.

twice we had to ask – “where was the defence?”.

Saints 3 – Tigers 0

For me at least, I was happy to hear the final whistle.

Liam, sportsman to the end, came across and shook hands with the saints players, the Ref and the Touch judges, as he always does.

The Tigers team came off the field, with Liam at the back – which is not un-usual. That face, my little lad, his face began to show his frustration.

It wouldn’t have been the first time that Liam would have come off the pitch, “unhappy” (see some of the previous postings for confirmation of that), but the reaction after that was definitely a first.

It has been a hard week for Lee, with SATS tests and the like, but he has had weeks like that before.

But this week, the frustration was obvious. And I must say I didn’t like it.

Not the fact that he did “walk”, but that the whole thing had got to him. He took some convincing that it wasn’t his fault. He had done everything that he could do .

The game was over.

I don’t know what was said in the team talk at the end, but he seemed a little calmer when came out.

God Bless

The Smudger -

I'M NOT WORTHY

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