Oh September….

Posted on September 24, 2021 by Sophie

Look, don’t take this personally.

TLF has never had anything against you before, but honestly if you were in competition with January for least favourite month you’d be in with a good chance.

You have had some good moments, but really the charge sheet is impressive:
Defeats against Man City AND Brighton
No TLF attendance at Europa League due to ridiculous ticketing approach (okay maybe the clubs’s fault but I’m not feeling generous)
Pre-operative self isolation meaning another football free weekend
Bad diary planning causing major theatre/football clash (yes I kno first world problems)
iPad and blog system no longer talking to each other so photos not insertable….if that’s a word.

Mind you if the petrol drama continues tonight and St Albans is petrol free by the morning, there might be some football and no theatre…

Possibly looking forward to October Fox

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From Bruges to Brickfield Lane

Posted on September 20, 2021 by Sophie

14 September 2016, under the lights with a trip to Brugge to witness Lesta’s first foray into the Champions League.

14 September 2021, under the lights with a trip to Brickfield Lane to witness Hadley’s game in the Spartan South Midlands League, sponsored by Davy Mac, in honour of what would have been his wife Sarah’s 58th birthday.

Different competitions, different continents, but apart from that the same – good company, a few beers and spookily, even the result.

Well actually they don’t have the half tennis ball game in the Champions League. A missed opportunity perhaps.

5 years ago Fox

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Two for the price of one (part two)

Posted on September 11, 2021 by Sophie

As a cub TLF went to a LOT of art galleries and exhibitions. No surprise really when you are the offspring of artists who also teach the subject.

Nor would it be much of a surprise for you to learn that the young TLF was not always as grateful as she should have been for these once in a lifetime cultural experiences, that she was privileged to be part of. Reality is when you are six or seven (insert age for several more years at this point), you don’t always appreciate the finer things in life. There were of course fringe benefits – the cake at Royal Academy cafe was the business and if we went to that there Lundun on the train, sometimes when we got there we got a black cab! With a fold down seat that faced backwards!! (And that my friends is why even now, in a black cab TLF will always take what is known in legal circles as the ‘trainee seat’).

Even with the no doubt childish dramatic sighing and dragging of feet, which must have driven the parentals to distraction, there was some appreciation too; the most cold-hearted, grumpy kid couldn’t be a little bit open mouthed at the Plazzo Pubblica in Siena, the Palace of Knossos, or seeing their first Dali close up. And the best bits stayed in that TLF head and slowly but surely art galleries became part of TLF weekends, holidays, even champions league adventures. And last weekend TLF hit the jackpot……

OOOOOH. Football shirts old and new EVERYWHERE!

An exhibition, in a gallery (although these days they call it a cultural space I think), of football shirts. True TLF heaven.

Arty Fox

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Two for the price of one (Part 1)

Posted on September 11, 2021 by Sophie

Tsk…tsk. The season has hardly started and TLF has already applied her equivalent of an international break to the regular ramblings. So we better catch up…one of two.

A new season will always bring change. Hopefully some new signings that bring hope, optimism and much needed cover…until they get broken as well (cf Lesta City). Of course the player changes can also involve departures and it was a big relief to see that for once the ‘curse of the Saintettes player sponsorship’ did not apply and not only was Romeo still at Clarence Park but he had a great pre-season.

There will also be change to the supporter experience, some will of course go down better than others. But it was hard not to be happy for the trip to Clarence Park of the season to see the ground furnished with not one but TWO outdoor bars. And one of them offering up draft San Miguel. That’s like signing a new star striker for a start.

TLF will be honest with you though. There was a bit of a wobble after a trip to the indoor bar. Something was missing. It seemed one of the club’s loyal servants had gone….Le Stella Artois depart. Ca alors. No one asked me.

But it was a momentary wobble. Cos look what they’ve got instead. That’s a true supporter for you; angst as star player leaves, mollified by discovering their replacement isn’t half bad either (cf Lesta City…sometimes).

Welcome to Clarence Park Mr Peroni Red

On the pitch? A very satisfying 5-0 victory thank you very much after a difficult first two games.

Onwards and hopefully upwards.

Embracing change Fox

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Dear Brendan

Posted on August 28, 2021 by Sophie

Now don’t get me wrong.
I am REALLY grateful for those two top five finishes (let’s gloss over the fact that top four would have been better).

And I am REALLY,REALLY grateful for the first FA Cup win ever.

And although it’s not a ‘real’ competition I am REALLY,REALLY, REALLY grateful for my trip to Wemberlee the other weekend.

But
PLEASE
PLEASE
PLEASE
No more defeats to West Ham, especially when it’s a televised game.
It’s not good for domestic harmony.
All the best
Sulking on the sofa Fox

Of course we don’t take it seriously. It’s just a game

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The best laid plans of TLFs

Posted on August 21, 2021 by Sophie

The opening weekend of the Premier League tends to follow a pattern.
TLF misses it. Simples. Because it tends to coincide with the musical extravaganza and Stella fuelled shenanigans that are the Cropredy Festival.

But not in 2021. Cropredy was yet again a Covid cancellation, so TLF had a cunning plan. Attendance at the parental mini festive Cropville, punctuated by a quick trip down the road to Filbert Way for a home game at the unheard of time, 3pm on a Satday.

All systems were go!
Briefly.

Turned out that there was an unwelcome Wemberlee postscript. The lads tested positive for Covid. So TLF was not Cropredy-ing, or mini Cropredy-ing or footballing. TLF was self-isolating.

A bit like Lockdown 1 really, but without the daily walk and not quite as sunny. And a fine excuse for a darts marathon; annoyingly ending in an honourable draw. Every silver lining has a cloud.

Lateral Flow Fox

The darts stadium

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It’s been 574 days (since you took my love away)

Posted on August 12, 2021 by Sophie

With apologies to Sinead O’Connor

No.
Not that many days since a very rude TLF called time on the season’s blogging without so much as a by-your leave-end-of season-reflection. (I can only blame a combination of work pressure, still be overcome by FA Cup win and finishing 5th AGAIN)

But that many days since TLF had seen Lesta City in the flesh and any of her Foxes football buddies. And there we were bringing that unhappy stat to an end at Wembley.

There were, as you might expect, tears.
There were, as you might expect, beers.
And there was, as TLF certainly didn’t expect, a trophy.

Nothing compares 2 that.

The FA Community Fox

Yes, it’s not flattering but we were quite happy

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A picture tells a thousand words

Posted on May 21, 2021 by Sophie

Still no words to do justice to how I felt on Satday so have a picture.

Yes, I did drink ALL of it

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Ingratitude, thou marble-hearted fiend

Posted on May 15, 2021 by Sophie

I know there hasn’t been a lot of the Bard in recent months, but this particular Satday, as any fule kno, is a bit of special day.

And it’s probably fair to say TLF has been the one with the marble heart in the last couple of weeks. Cross about league defeats, cross about lack of Wemberlee tickets.

It took two parcels yesterday to make Grumpy TLF realise that she owes Lesta City, Mr TLF and probably a few work colleagues an apology.

Exhibit 1

FA Cup Programme. Bit shinier and a tad more expensive than last time we were there


Exhibit 2

Unexpected gift from the club. We’ve decided against utilising the face paint

My team are in an FA Cup Final.
For the first time in my life.
52 years!

So get rid of that bottom lip TLF.
Embrace it.
Enjoy it.
Wipe a tear at Abide with Me.
And pace the living room for 90 minutes (extra time and penalties might send me over the edge).
Win or lose. We actually bloody got there.

Counting-Wemberlee-blessings Fox

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Football is dead to me….maybe

Posted on May 11, 2021 by Sophie

Well okay maybe that is a small exaggeration but it is holding on by a thread.

The patient started to look a bit ropey when Lesta went down a goal to 10 man Southampton. Even the equaliser barely increased the pulse rate. The only thing keeping TLF going that evening was the beer (and pity) fuelled ordering of some fine cheeses, with delivery designed to coincide with another year clicking over on the foxometer (thanks Sir Barry of Skillett for that lovely turn of phrase).

So a bit of sulking at the throwing away of precious points and a birthday seemed as good a reason as any to give myself a blog off…’I’ll save my rambling words for after the definitely winnable game against Newcastle’.
OH DEAR

And don’t get TLF started on the failed attempt at snagging one of the 6000 FA Cup Final tickets that Lesta were allocated. Or indeed the 9000 that have gone to Brent residents and the ‘FA family’.

Yep almost dead to me.
No watching.
No reading the sports pages.
And no football grounds as background for work Teams calls. Which as certainly raised a few eyebrows I can tell you.

Well unless we get a point tonight.
….and it would seem wrong to not watch our first FA Cup Final in over 50 years. Plenty of cheese to eat while we watch.

Resolute Fox

Not even a bit of Wensleydale?

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