Another Loan (Moan)

OK, i'll cover it, as briefly as possible; Wrexham FC... amongst everything else at the club off the pitch, I feel we have made too many loan signings recently (7 in 5 weeks with more to come). They just don't seem to have any heart in it, we're now in "the relegation battle" - ive tried not to write that before, or if i have it's been with a sense of fun, still in the hope and belief "Its just a phase, it's Wrexham!" - not anymore. A survival of football league status; 5 home league games remaining, just 4 goals and 3 points scored, no win, since Brian Careys appointment, 9 league games ago. Strong centre-back Steve Evans now serving a 5 match suspension for his red on Sunday. I believe Gareth Evans will be centre-back - a player so shit we couldn't even get rid of in the summer - and they tried.

Loanees replacing regular fit first team players places in the 'team', I don't get it!? Fair enough to patch up injury / suspension holes - but i think there are 4/5 loanees now, all starting - where is the sense of 'team' there?!

Got to get a Wrexham / Everton tie-in here; Wrexham currently have Evertons 3rd or 4th keeper "John Ruddy" on-loan, starting now ahead of international first-team keeper Ingham, who admittedly was a liability / shite in his last few games, though kept a clean sheet against Wales... From what i've been reading each game, John Ruddy is "Ruddy ...insert cheap shot here...".

In total fairness the Shrewsbury match report reads well for on-loan, Jeff Whitley (Cardiff) as perhaps the best player on the pitch - have i just contradicted my entire post? I dunno, but i do know that another loanee has been signed yesterday; a striker from Stoke City called Martin Paterson.

I'm behind Carey with my support. One of the best centre-backs the club has had is in danger of his reputation being tarnished by his work in a job he didn't even apply for. He may prove to be a great manager, but thrust into managing a depleted, low morale, injury riddled squad with loss of coaches, after the transfer deadline, at 22nd in League 2 with not many games remaining at the time of his appointment, is just cruel! I'm led to beleive this current run is the worst in Wrexhams "history" - of which, there is lots! Brian, be a hero!

Oh to start this season over again; Unbeaten for 7 league games, "hammering" Sheffield Wednesday at Hillsborough in the Carling Cup, and taking Birmingham to extra time in the next round! From the depths then, let's get it back for the final fight...

How good does: Season 2006/07, League 2, Wrexham - Pos. 23rd - Relegated from the football league Look on any players CV?! Pull it together!

I will leave posting about Wrexham FC for a few weeks now. Let it take it's course and see what happens. Follow the results on that vidi-printer people!

Todays Betfair prices for the drop:

Torquay United 1.15
Wrexham 1.67
Boston United 2.00
Accrington Stanley 3.55

* There is rumour of Boston Utd going into administration... how ironic! We're relegated to League 2 because of the 10 point ruling, the very rule which could keep us in the league this season! Dire. Ashamed to have included this paragraph in my post to be honest.

The Producers - Palace Theatre, Manchester -19.02.07

Ever since watching the fourth series of the mighty ‘Curb Your Enthusiasm’ I’ve been hoping to catch the stage production of ‘The Producers’. Last Monday I finally got round to it when I travelled up to Manchester to watch the opening night of the show at the Palace Theatre. Cory English and John Gordon Sinclair will be playing the roles of Max Bialystock and Leo Bloom for the stint up north but it seems no one is slightly interested in the choice of the lead actors. The appointment of Peter Kay as super camp choreographer Roger DeBris has monopolised any publicity surrounding the show. Driving into Manchester that morning I notice there are posters of Kay absolutely everywhere while flags of him hang from most of the lampposts in the city centre. Peter Kay is undoubtedly the face of this run. If you weren’t British you’d probably be wondering what all the fuss about as he’s only playing a supporting role, of course any one from this island would know the marketability of brand Kay. To be fair he didn’t disappoint, lucky really as most of the crowd are fans of him rather than the musical. This became obvious with the ovation Kay received when he walked on to the stage eclipsed anything the other actors got. One or two people in the audience were annoyingly over zealous. At one point right in the middle of a scene a drunken woman yelled “C’mon Peter!” Clearly this woman thought she’d come to see a pantomime. He coolly brushed her off replying “The name’s Roger darling”. Despite the attention he never broke character and was very impressive in the role. I’m not the biggest Peter Kay fan, I thought ‘Phoenix Nights’ was great but I went off him when he did the John Smith adverts. Digging up fucking Tony fucking Christie for that fucking song didn’t help matters. Seeing him on Monday has really got me into him again, I’d forgotten how funny he can be. I like to see him get away from “Garlic Bread!” bollocks and carry on taking these kind of roles for a while because I’m sure he’s up to it. The rest of the cast were great too. Cory English was amazing as Bialystock, a real force of nature.

Fair play, the show was highly entertaining. I knew it was going to be good but not like that. I strongly recommend anyone to catch ‘The Producers’ while it’s at Manchester. I’m even contemplating going to New York to watch it. Hang on, I think I’m building it up a bit too much. I think perhaps if I hadn’t become so familiar with the show through my love of ‘Curb Your Enthusiasm’ I may have not enjoyed it as much. Maybe watch the original film to test the water before buying any tickets. I suppose the humour is quite specialist, anything with dancing Nazis could be considered specialist.

Such a Beautiful Horizon

Barcelona, awesome. Gaudi buildings and monuments at each turn, business district buildings in the sunshine only yards from the Mediterranean, narrow lanes with boutiques, cafe surrounded squares every couple of hundred yards, decent bars and mostly every restaurant was newly kitted out in an art deco style all playing cool ambient music, and everything just "so". Loved it! Oh, and if you were wondering the "Sagrada Familia" is truly breathtaking, "look at the size of the thing"! Trip to Camp Nou... what a stadium, another "look at the size of that thing" moment, took the tour and got Emma to take some classic must have done pictures, including the "here's me walking down the Nou Camp tunnel", "here's me stood next to Ronaldinho's locker", oh ye! Immense place - the urge to chant "Wrexham!" repeatedly from the Presidents box was too much to supress! Other highlight was Gaudi's "Park Guell", something else!

I hadn't been abroad this century... had to get accustomed to flying again; I was a bit of a veteran back in the day, but lost my cool in a little turbulence over the Pyranees mountains last week. Kept thinking maybe Dennis Bergkamp is right, don't fly. Billy Connollys words of "We just don't fuckin' belong up there" and the line "In the event of an emergency put on your life jackets, as we'll be going into the ground like a fuckin' dart, and in years to come people will think there was once water here!" ringing in my ears, which I think is what made me laugh and regain 'some' cool. Fuckin' colliding air streams!

If I don't post before Monday - Charlie Brookers Screenwipe this coming Monday (BBC Four 10pm) features Stewart Lee, as they discuss 70's & 80's TV, a must watch!