Baldy's Blog Episode 3 Derby Days

I hate ‘em! There. I said it.

Even though we've just been soundly beaten by Middlesbrough at home, it makes no difference to this game – we could win 5-0 or lose 5-0 and it makes no difference to a derby match, or my feelings about it.

I always go through the same cycle for games against the pigs, home or away.

1. Fixtures announced: Just like this is usually the moment that we are most optimistic about the season, this is when I’m most optimistic about the derby. My mind is filled with a mixture of images of previous victories and predicted moments of magic – this year: Tudgay’s wonder goal / Spurr completing his hat-trick in front of the Owls fans at the sty with an overhead kick from 30 yards. That sort of stuff. The “Bring it on” feeling is at its highest: they’re gonna struggle this year, we’ll be on top of our game and I expect nothing other than a double.

2. About a month before the first game: Thoughts start to turn to the derby and nerves start to creep in. How are they looking? How are we looking? Who are the key players that we need fit? How lucky are they being this year? Do their fans like their manager? What are the fixtures like between now and then? This is obviously harder to work out when the first game is barely 6 weeks into the new season. Confidence is still pretty high but (depending on the answers to the previous questions) doubts start to appear. At this stage I’d take being unbeaten in both games, especially since we have the most recent victory.

3. Two weeks before the game: Normally this is when the nerves really start to kick in and the fixtures between now and then are just an annoyance. Get them out of the way and we can concentrate on the rest of the season. Regardless of how well or otherwise the pigs are playing I start to see all their qualities that may cause us problems and our frailties that may be exposed. This season I was on holiday at this moment so was able to forget about it slightly, but this has now had the effect of leaving me feeling unprepared for it - not that I know what I have to prepare for. At this stage I’d take not having them do the double – let’s at least draw 0-0 in the first game and then the worst can’t happen.

4. The week of the game: Oh for fuck’s sake. Here it is. I’d just like to know now please, get it out of the way whatever the result, just tell me what happens and I can at least sleep at night. At this stage I’d take not getting hammered. They’re the favourites anyway. Just don’t embarrass yourselves Wednesday...especially on TV.

5. The match itself: The atmosphere at the ground for these games is just filled with pure hatred and while this adds to the whole occasion and the ecstasy if we win, it ain’t nice. This year will be different altogether as I watch my first derby on TV in a long while, and from London too. If we lose I’ll at least be able to slip into the masses of a Friday night and pretend that I don’t care. If we win I’ll be gutted I’m not there, or at least not surrounded by Wednesdayites to share the moment with.

Either way I’m not going to enjoy it one bit...

Until Spurr gets his hat-trick anyway!


Baldy.
Owls Alive