Proust’s autobiographical novel In Search of Lost Time has many fine scenes and observations. Early on, in throes of a teenage infatuation with a girl, he imagines how their relationship could develop, what he’ll write to her, what she’ll write back, how they’ll meet.
At that point he tries to halt his imagining. Whatever might happen in reality, it could never be exactly as he imagines it; by fantasizing it, he’s ruling out that possibility and he must stop.
I found myself in a similar situation around 2.25 pm on Saturday. Ten minutes to go, and we’ve contained the rich attacking talent of Man City. How many other teams in the past year, I found myself wondering, had kept Man City blank? How will it feel if we do it?
It was a thought that clearly tempted fate and I tried hard to banish it. After all, they still had Silva and Aguero on the pitch, as well as £60m of talent in their central midfielders against our combined £2m of Jonny Howson and Gary ONeil. They’d brought on £50m Raheem Sterling from the bench. And we’d conceded so many late goals….
The answer, by the way, is that over the past twelve months Man City had scored in 48 of 53 games, netting 120 goals in the process. We became just the sixth team in 54 to hold them goalless – an achievement perhaps all the more remarkable as we’d conceded 24 in our last six meetings with them.
As you can tell, I’m quite keen on stats. But sometimes they don’t tell the full story, or even the gist of it. I was staggered to see one of our fans (a would-be writer, no less) criticising Sky’s choice of Gary O’Neil as Man of the Match. He argued that O’Neil’s stats didn’t put him among the best players in the game.
Well, sometimes you have to trust your own eyes. O’Neil’s tireless commitment, desire and encouragement of those around him made him an obvious candidate.
The only rider – and perhaps the best reflection of the game – is that he was far from the only candidate. Any one of our back four could have laid claim to the honour (yes, including Russell Martin), as could O’Neil’s partner in resilience Jonny Howson. An impressive first start from Patrick Bamford was icing on the cake.
The table may not look much different after Saturday, but the landscape does. I don’t know whether the players were losing belief after Swansea, but every social medium (and this forum) told us graphically that the fans were. The performance and result on Saturday has turned the mood around; that’s worth its weight in gold.
As a persistent optimist and advocate of hope, regular readers will expect me to be feeling vindicated this week. Yes, to a point. But that’s not all I’ve been saying. Without wanting to let any air out of the balloon of hope, we have to reiterate a point I – and many others – have made.
It’s fine to deliver a whole-hearted performance against the Chelseas and Man Cities, and this time it’s given us a precious point. However, it’s all in vain unless we replicate that level of desire against West Brom, Crystal Palace, and of course our two main relegation rivals.
Unlike a week ago, we all know we CAN do it. Now we have to ACTUALLY do it.
In his post-match comments, Alex Neil was at pains to acknowledge the role of the fans in Saturday’s achievement. To play against a team of Man City’s skills is physically and mentally draining; as our players flagged from their efforts, the crowd kept them going. That’s how we made a difference on Saturday, and can help our team over the next eight games.
Like the players, perhaps we should use the week to work on our mental set-up. Some on Twitter are now bemoaning the points we dropped against Swansea, Liverpool and so on. That’s appropriate for Villa fans, but for City fans it’s something we need to set aside until May 16.
Yes, we’ve wasted opportunities – but that’s done. Irrespective of what’s gone before, we’re in a fight and it’s a fight we can win. Only the present matters, not the past – and the present is where we can make a difference. Perhaps THE difference.
That’s not just fantasy.
That result actually left me feeling we can do it, which I’ve not felt since chrimbo. We can turn it on against the big boys and at Wembley which makes it obvious its complacency and not pressure that is our problem against the weaker teams. Complacency, altho unpalatable to Neil, is the only explanation, so its time these players did themselves justice, let alone the fans that turn up regularly to watch them whimper to losses.
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Oh and no…martin couldn’t get MOTM. He was steady, but definitely not stand out when O’Neil, Howson, Bennett and Klose were brilliant. That’s just shoe horning a great performance in to a nostalgic situation. He was ok, I’ll give you that but those 4 looked a different level to the rest of our team.
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I must say that performance, let alone the well-earned point that came with it, makes it plain that the players DO care, something that definitely needed reinforcing as some fans – me included – were beginning to wonder. Eight Cup Finals to come, beginning with a very difficult game on Saturday. I just hope we keep the same team subject to injury and AN is not tempted to bring back Bassong as Klose, Bennett and both our natural fullbacks were excellent against City. As somebody (who definitely wasn’t Marcel Proust) said – “I can cope with the despair, it’s the hope I can’t stand!”
PS: anyone know the true status of Redmond’s injury – I’ve heard all sorts and don’t know what to believe!
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I agree that the picture in front of City fans looks better after the fighting draw with Manchester City. But that will be for nought if City do not put in a performance against West Brom.
Over the last five seasons I have lost count of the Premier league teams who, at different times, have looked so inferior to City. Palace, Watford, WBA, Sunderland, Villa, Swansea and Bournemouth. Under Lambert, City ensured survival by doing the double over Swansea, Bolton etc and not losing to QPR. This season we have not shown that ruthless determination.
Wins against Newcastle and Sunderland and positive results against WBA, Palace and Watford could make all the difference. We have left it late but the City run in the Championship last season shows what determination can do. Come on, lets be having you!
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Stewart I read a lot of your stuff and would agree you lean very much towards the optimistic compared to the grizzled old pessimist-realist that is myself, so if that performance can inspire us over-50s in the UB, there really might be some hope after all. Just turn up at West Brom please lads!
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At last, the pendulum of hope swings back in to positive territory. There remains absolutely no reason why we can’t match and do better than Sunderland and Newcastle over the next eight games.
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As ever it’s a case of “Can we build on an excellent result”? So far this season we haven’t managed to do so.
After taking an early point at Anfield we thought we were well set up for the season. 3 points at OT made us believe we’d stopped the rot again. We hadn’t.
Have we now or was it another flash in the pan? I think there’s a good chance we have turned a corner – the Leicester and Chelsea performances really deserved points too – but we don’t half need a performance at the Hawthorns to build on this and get on a timely roll.
Some say we need a bit of luck too, and quote the Jerome disallowed goal and the Costa offside strike as justification. Well it’s true to a point – but when we do get some luck we need to take advantage of it. For example at Bournemouth Rudd could easily have been sent off, but it was irrelevant and is now forgotten simply because we had already capitulated.
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I know nothing of this Proust fella you mention but it’s difficult to stay positive and look forward after the run of results we’ve had, but it’s important to at least try as you clearly are.
There seem plenty who have already consigned us to the Championship (Ray Wilkins for one – who gives a s***?) but other teams have clawed their way back at the death in recent seasons, so let’s not dwell on the ‘R’ word and start looking up and not down.
I’m sure that’s the message from Alex at Colney and in the home changing room of Carrow Road, although no doubt he’s put it far more eloquently and effectively than I just have.
The “It’s not the hope…” quote is a perennial favourite on here and comes from the mouth of John Cleese in that (ahem) classic ‘Clockwise’. Wonder if he gets royalties every time it’s used by a football fan of a struggling team?
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We need the same desire and determination against the baggies
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” other teams have clawed their way back at the death in recent seasons, so let’s not dwell on the ‘R’ word and start looking up and not down.
I’m sure that’s the message from Alex at Colney and in the home changing room of Carrow Road,”
as Sid (8) says. Yes, and the good thing is Alex Neil has history in a tight situation.
There came a point two years ago when his Accies were one of four teams chasing one place in the Scottish Premiership. They got it. Last year, he repeated that story with us.
Again we are one of four teams who can retain their place. OK, there’s an outside chance that a Palace or Swansea implosion might complicate things but it’s unlikely – only 1 from the current bottom 4 to stay up looks the probable
outcome.
So Alex’s experience in the last 2 years and his record to date must be a major cause for optimism.
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Thanks for everyone’s comments.
Good stuff, maybe especially Keith B – excellent points about luck, and about Alex Neil.
Wish I could place a bet with Ray Wilkins, but I doubt he’d put his money where his mouth is.
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