A Week Of Emotions From An Albion Fan

Thursday 22/08/2013

WE ARE DOOMED! Sky report that Anelka ‘walks out’ of training and wants to retire, only a few weeks after signing for the club. Thousands of Albion fans sit at home crying into their receipts showing expenditure on a new Albion shirt with ‘Anelka 39′ printed on the back. The first game was a defeat that still depresses a fair few (mainly me), and now the club is a striker down. A striker down when we already lack sufficent strikers. The Albion mob on Twitter was in full meltdown. And to top it off, Collymore is on his high horse. Jesus Christ

Nicolas Anelka

Okay, so now we have solid facts. Anelka is on compassionate leave. Deepest sympathies to him for his loss. His retirement threat, it seems, was serious, I hope he doesn’t go through with it. For him and, admittedly selfishly, for the sake of the club. Time will tell.

Oh yeah, before I forget, Scott Sinclair signed for us. On loan for now obviously, buying people is so overrated it seems, and completely not the method Albion use… It is a bit of good news to slightly lighten the mood. But currently it feels like holding a lit match in a pitch black cave, a bit of a boost but still surrounded by dark doom.

Saturday 24/08/2013

A point at Everton, never a bad thing. A clean sheet, again always welcome. A goal some point this season wouldn’t go amiss though. It’s 2 games, 0 goals and I am not just talking about Rosenberg. It wasn’t the most gripping of games again- shouting ‘UNITED!’ to Leighton Baines arguably was the highlight. Plus, we were lucky when Fellaini’s shot came back off the post, likewise when Coleman’s cross/shot- hit the bar. Then there was the bad luck. A miserable week made worse by an injury to Foster. The sense of doom still lingers. Daniels did well mind, I’m sure he’ll say the 9 year wait for his Albion debut was worth it. Got a tad lucky at the end though, but hey beginners (can we still call him that?) luck I guess.

Tuesday 27/08/2013

WE’RE DOWN! PANIC! SOUND THE WARNING BELLS! FOSTER IS OUT FOR 3 MONTHS. The only consolation I can really find from this is saying ’12 weeks’ makes it seem slightly less. Misery, oh the misery, nothing is going right this season! Down we go! It’s not that I don’t trust Daniels,he looked okay in the time he got at Everton, but can he do it every week? Can he do it on the infamous and overrated cold windy nights in Stoke? Or does responsibility fall to Myhill? A more experienced choice, our second choice, but one who doesn’t fill me with the confidence of Foster. Or do we do what we are really good at and sign a free player to stick in goal or use as cover? Probably a bit pointless to do that when there are lots of other people we could not be signing.

Ben Foster

Talking of which we have been linked with signing some others. Two of them begin with ‘A’. I’ve never heard of them and cannot remember their names, but people advise me they are good. They could be lying though. The other is ‘Ayew’, a name which will sound oh so poetic when uttered in the black country tones. It could be a match made in heaven. IF he signs.

A bit later on Tuesday 27/08/2013

CALL OFF THE ALARMS! WE ARE SAVED! WE HAVE A SAVIOUR AND HIS NAME IS BEARINHO! (Pronounced Bear-a-hino, Bear-inio, Berino, the little lad up front, depending on who you listen to). Hat-trick hero, he becomes our top and only scorer so far this season. Clean sheet for Daniels too. A boost for him. So what if it was ‘only Newport’ that we beat? A win for a team with a fair few debutants, goals for a team that hadn’t scored in the other games, and one step nearer Wembley. Be happy!

Saido Berahino

But because we can’t go a game, it seems, without something going wrong, Vydra picked up an injury. Ah well, the positivity was good whilst it lasted…

Wednesday 28/08/2013

REJOICE! SING HOSANNA, FOR HE STAYS! (for a bit) Anelka will return to training tomorrow! He hasn’t retired (yet). He has bought into ‘Project Sandwell’- one for the Collymore followers to appreciate. So bring out the Anelka printed shirts, wear them with pride, tweet to the high heavens in celebration, because for the moment he stays. With him and the rising star that people are yet to be able to pronounce consistently, we are sure to fire in the goals and climb up the league. And then Vydra will return and more goals will fly in. We may even win this weekend. So tonight, if only for tonight, we can all be positive! Air your new found optimism. Dare to dream, before all the dreams are crushed.

That’s the Albion way, right?

What a difference a week makes! This post has reflected the diary accounts that would have been written by myself had I (1) written them down day by day, and (2) actually kept a diary. It records the different emotions felt by a football fan in what has been an eventful week for the club. There is never a dull week at the Albion, and the reactions recorded are based on as they were (for me , at least) at the time. They may seem somewhat overdramatic for what is only the 3rd week of the season, but every emotion there was real. Somewhere out there, another Albion fan or two may have felt the same.