Crumbs of comfort

Although this a blog predominantly concerned with the trials and tribulations of a small football league football club in South Somerset, it's not all about Yeovil Town. I like my football and will happily sit down to watch a match involving, well, anyone really. Indeed, as I type I've got half an eye on England Women v Germany Women in the European Championships Final, which is above and beyond the call of duty if the truth be known. Anyone who knows me also knows full well that I'm an armchair Spurs fan (quite handy in these times of loans from White Hart Lane) as well as holding a soft spot for Cardiff City, the Bluebirds being the first club I saw play in the flesh.

Admitting a liking for Yeovil Town, Spurs and Cardiff City would under the normal course of events probably be grounds for admission to the nearest psychiatric unit, or at the very least a short cut to a prescription of anti-depressive drugs. Unusually however both Cardiff and Spurs have enjoyed excellent starts to the season, something that's provided me with more than the odd crumb of comfort after the Glovers rather more mediocre beginning. Saturday's game at home to Stockport surely provides Terry Skiverton's men their most likely opportunity to pick up 3 points since the opening day win over Tranmere. If we can't beat them, then we really are in the brown stuff.

My team, for what it's worth, would be as follows (4-4-1-1):

Alex McCarthy
Terrell Forbes, Stefan Stam, Steven Caulker, Nathan Smith
Scott Murray, JP Kalala, Kieran Murtagh, Andy Welsh
Ryan Mason
Jon Obika

I'd move Forbes to right back to add some defensive solidity and bring Stam back at centre-half. Smith moves to his correct position at left-back and Welsh goes back to his correct position on the left. Murray starts a game for once. Why sign him if not to play? He's supposed to be good, time for him to start walking the walk as well as talking the talk. Kalala and Murtagh add some steel in the centre of midfield and it's a straight choice between Mason and Tomlin for the linking role - Mason edges it for me because he scores from open play, unlike Tomlin so far this season.

In the real world who knows what Skivo will do? The insipid performance last week against Swindon certainly gives him every excuse to make as many changes as he would like, I guess in practice most of us would settle for having the correct players in the correct positions. I think he'll find a way of bringing back Tomlin and Kalala, otherwise your guess is as good as mine.

Gambling corner: Yeovil win - 1/1, draw - 23/10, Stockport win - 14/5. Skivo needs a win, the team needs a win, the fans need a win, most of all I need a win. My fiver's going on the home win! Running total: -£7.00p

Muffwatch: To administrate or not to administrate - that is the question the Weymouth board has been facing. Ten days ago the struggling seaside scummers served notice that they would go into administration unless £50,000 could be raised - enough money to see the club through the next few months. In the intervening time it's emerged that if the administration route is chosen then former chairman Malcolm Curtis, or Malcolm Cu*tis as the Muff fans prefer to call him, will take over the Wessex Stadium site, leaving the club homeless, as well as potless. This seems to have had a galvanising effect on supporters and the good news is that the entire sum has now virtually been raised - all joking aside a bloody marvellous effort considering the entire sum has come through the auspices of the Terras Saviour 100 Scheme, where fans/local businesses donate £500 +VAT for the privilege of owning 2 season tickets and the chance to win various sponsorship packages, including the rights to the Wessex Stadium name. A Patron Scheme (as formerly practiced by YTFC) by any other name then. I can't help wishing that I had a spare £500 (I haven't!) as I think Weymouth FC playing at the Taff's Gloversblog Stadium has a certain ring to it. One can dream...

Just read: A whole bunch of crime novels/short stories, including: Not in the Flesh by Ruth Rendall; Double Cross by James Patterson; The Murder Room by PD James; Not Safe After Dark, by Peter Robinson; Tooth and Nail, The Black Book, and Beggars Banquet by Ian Rankin. Enjoyed the lot too, albeit some more than others. The conclusion I've come to? Quite simple - Rebus rules. Think I'm all murdered out for the time being now though, I feel a science-fiction binge coming on. Watch this space...