I’m sure many of you will have been listening to the Today programme on Radio 4 this morning, and will have heard the dulcet tones of our manager, in responding to the inane festive questions posed by Garry Richardson. Nigel confessed he’d be bringing the players in for training on Christmas Day to help them shake off the after-effects of any yuletide excess and to make sure they were in the right frame of mind for the visit of Spurs on Boxing day.
He also rather sweetly talked a bit about making sure he switches off when he gets home and playing with his three lads and their new toys, although with 4 tough games in 9 days on the horizon, I would imagine if one of them gets Subbeteo for Christmas things could get a bit tasty.
When asked whom he thought might win the league this year, he really put the cat amongst the pigeons by replying that he thought it could be any one of three, and that Chelsea had real strength in depth in their squad. The man is a genius, although I think it illustrates rather well his aversion to risk; with just a few exceptions (the exciting formation deployed against Bolton most notable) he hasn’t tended towards the adventurous, in speech or deed, all season. He has now been forced into making a raft of changes on account of the 16 fit and healthy players he has available – cue a thousand interminable jokes about remembering to bring boots to the game, just in case.
Matt Svensson’s knee trouble looks set to keep him out just as Damien Francis and Phil Mulryne look close to a return, so it could be some months before the manager can pick his first choice team. I feel sure we will see some of the younger players get a run out at some point, in spite of Worthington’s comments on counting on key players’ fitness levels and will to see them through the holiday period.
In terms of results, which we badly need both to keep ahead of the relegation pack and to restrict the gap that seems to be opening just above us, the Spurs game looks like the one we are all counting on as the most likely to yield three points. This is still a tall order given the North Londoners’ current form and our injury crisis, but as the game against Bolton showed, we are starting to find our feet at home and in front of a huge crowd, we will be looking to exorcise the demons of the Chelsea game (and its petty journalistic aftermath).
The away trips are a worry, and we’ll do well to come away with a point from either, while the Liverpool game will depend greatly on the results of the previous fixtures. We’ll be very tired, but if we can grab some points then we might just spring another surprise.