Golden Gordon

With no Poppies news of note this month, last month, next month but maybe a smidgeon of a tit bit in June (last week we fed on the crumbs of a Paul Cox chat in which he revealed that “initial conversations” have taken place with “certain players”, and consulted wise old men for clues to the meaning of such gnomic utterances), it’s probably as good a time as any to look back.

On the FB group Rob’s Unforgettable Kettering, Glyn Dobbs pops up regularly to post images taken with his trusty camera. Usually these are either a scenic shot of ducks waddling into Wicksteed Park Lake or a ‘spot the face you know’ team photo or presentation evening from a window of 1984-87 when Glyn seems to have been extraordinarily busy, attending every occasion of any note in the borough until mysteriously the gigs seem to have dried up. Why?  Who can say. Maybe the North Park Club skittles league enforcers applied their ‘no paparazzi’ rule a little too vigorously.       

But just recently Glyn dipped further back into his archive to offer a Poppies photo and a lovely one it is too.  I can’t stop admiring it.    

We’re seeing a snapshot from a home game, I’m guessing circa 1975, where Gordon Livesey in the Poppies goal is having a joke with fans at the Tin Hat end. It’s obviously more than an idle quip because the man two to the left is leaning in intently, as if listening to a particularly interesting observation. However there is clearly humour in what Gordon is saying, judging by the widespread smiles. Though not enough to amuse Joan Bambridge, the lifelong scourge of anyone wearing a no.1 shirt, who won’t allow her guard to drop just because this one is on our side.

Aside from Joan I recognise a number of faces in this photo, mostly people I couldn’t name but they were part of the fabric of going to a game. What I like the most about this image is the obvious camaraderie, the friendliness and the intimacy of the exchange. This was a bit before my time as a regular Poppies watcher but even a few years later there was still a good natured edge to proceedings, where opposition players would smile and pass a comment without risking an earful. Unless of course they played for Runcorn.

So anyway, thanks Glyn for sharing this and if you're seeking a gallery for nostalgic Poppies photography, I'd say now is a good time.       

The Doctor is OUT!

 

Dr Stephen O'Brien has been a calming, authoritive presence on Radio Northamton over the past year or more.

During the pandemic he has succinctly explained the ever-changing situation, and managed to allay many fears and dispell some of the more outlandish covidiot theories.

The good Doctor has become such a comforting fixture on Radio Northamton that his sage advice is often given on subjects beyond his qualified calling.

Joining in with the furore surrounding the supposed new European Super League Dr O'Brien was most forthright in his condemnation of the latest cash-grab by our leading clubs.  

He was sufficiently annoyed he threatened to dump his Liverpool season ticket in favour of attending even more Northampton Saints rugby, and Corby Town football games.  Leaving aside the hilarity of everyone losing their collective shit over the proposed Euro-League THAT WILL NEVER HAPPEN I wonder how long someone used to easy Premiership success would suffer the rugger-buggers at Franklin Gardens and frostbite at Steal Park.

Then, the good Doctor dropped his bombshell.  He admitted he was a Kettering boy and the Poppies were his "first love."  Perhaps, he mumbled, wreathed in embarassment, he should consider watching the Poppies.

YOU THINK?

Wow, just how many different clubs and even sports is this medico going to rack up?  He may have many laudable personal and professional qualities, but loyalty doesn't seem to be one of them.

Slim Pickings for Bloggers.....

Detail on a new advert hoarding at Latimer Park.

Please tell me we won't end up paying Chris Evans 
for image rights.

I told you it was slim pickings.......

FREEEEEEEEEAK!!!!

Is Ignorance bliss?

 The missus and I watched the Amazon Prime documentary about West Ham's last few months at the old Boleyn ground the other day.  It was quite well made and they spoke to people from all echelons at the club.  From Chairman David Sullivan in his hideously over-the-top bad taste mansion, all the way down to the man who sold dangerously spicy rib-meat baps out of a dodgy looking hole in the wall yards from the entrance to the stadium.  

The documentary also spoke at length to the guy who produced their version of Patgod. Well, it would have been their version of Patgod had we still printed hard copies,  were happy to sell it in the street, and took to tattooing the fanzine's name across our necks!

Anyway, the documentary revolved around the last few games at Upton Park and the relocation to the Olympic Stadium and the countdown to the move.  We both pondered whether this would be more or less painful than what happened to us?

None of us knew that when we won the last game of the 2010-11 season against Southport and relegated them (10 years ago this month!) that this would be our last match at Rockingham Road.  Within weeks Southport had been reprieved, Diamonds had been wound-up and Ladak was being conned into taking on the white elephant of Non Park.

We've since experienced an insane decade of court cases, multiple relegations and promotions and trying to create a workable stadium from the least hospitable quadrangle of grass in the country.

But, looking back, was it better to have been ripped from Rockingham Road without realising what was happening?  Or would we have liked an orderly transition period where we could have said goodbye to the old girl?

I still don't know the answer, although I did roll my eyes somewhat at unhappy Hammers fans bemoaning being practically given a spanking new 60,000 capacity ground just down the road.  It obviously wasn't quite as plush as Non Park, but you can't have everything can you?

I do know that if I'd known we were due to leave Rockingham Road I would have snapped a few more photographs of her in her pomp.  Sure, like everyone else I have a fair few images, but I regret not taking a shed load more.  This is why I'm a sucker for images like the ones below when they appear on places like Facebook.  Jamie Loveday posted them, from big post WW2 FA Cup games.  You can just about make out you are looking at Rockingham Road but just look at those images!  Thousands of locals filling the ground.  Flat caps and filterless fags abound.  Absolutely brilliant!

Voicing the questions "Poppies Voice" won't voice.

There's a reason why those of us who blog about a subject rarely engage directly with the subject.  We've written about the Poppies for the thick-end of four decades but have almost never used Patgod to interact directly with the Poppies.  Sure, we've used this vehicle to raise Poppies-related points and float questions, but hardly ever aimed specific questions at specific KTFC employees.  Partly because we feel it's more our role to speak AS fans rather than speak TO the powers that be.  And partly because, although now well into middle-age we still get a bit frit engaging with the professional Poppies blazer wearers!

But, the main reason we don't engage directly is that we're not very good at it.  Take the "Poppies Voice" initiative.  Poppies fans invited to ask any question of the good and great at the club.  Numbers of supporters have written in with very good queries, which the club have mostly answered.

Questions asked included the future direction of work at Frenchies Field.  Player contracts in light of the past two, unfinished seasons.  Work on the problematic surface at LP, and thoughts about an artificial pitch.  All good questions whose answers move us forward as a supporter body.  Unfortunately, as hard as I scratched my head, when actually asked to come up with a relevant Poppies-question all I could come up with....

.....will the next Poppies shirts come with a round or "V" neck.  This may seem like a pretty pointless question in the grand scheme, but bear with me.  With middle age showing every likelihood of not abating any time soon, one needs to consider how one's both flabby AND wrinkly neck might project from the next Poppies home shirt.  A "V" neck, while comfy to wear shows off the full length and breadth of ones jowly waddle.  A round neck, if on the snug size can push the wobbly turkeyness front and centre whenever one isn't determinedly gritting one's jaw.

A perfect solution would be for a roll-neck football shirt of a type that might have been acceptable over a hundred years ago.  I'd buy it.  So what if our players would regularly overheat and performances suffer.  I'D look better. 

In the unlikely event this idea to disguise my waning youth fails to find favour with Ritchie et al, a middle path might be to have a rounded collar with a looser neck, or a "V" neck with a slightly tighter fit.  Are these options that can be discussed before new shirts are shipped on the usual slow boat from China?  

Or are last seasons shirts going to be reused?  After barely a handful of games I'm sure they have a little more wear in them.  Sure, the BM pallets advert might need unpicking, but, still.....

All of which sartorial nonsense reminds me again why we don't often engage directly with the club.

"Does my neck look young in this?"

How to make everyone happy....

 Let's face it - National League North and South divisions are in uproar.  They narrowly voted to scrub this season and try again next year.  You'd have thought that would have been the end of the matter.  And it would have been were it not for a handful of clubs who are happy to get themselves and others in hock over the outside chance of squeezing themselves up into the top division.  F*ck everyone else.  F*ck Covid.  F*ck potential crippling debt.

It has all got a bit heated on social media as everyone has had their say.  Curiously the vast majority of supporters follow the lead of their clubs.  For example you don't find many Kettering fans happy about the club risking going bust just so Boston can try to get themselves back to the top table after decades away.  Equally you don't get many York City fans seeing the big picture of clubs going bust and millions dying during a pandemic.  Not when their club has an outside sniff of promotion.

Anyway, in the pursuance of a fair and even handed approach to making everyone happy, we've come up with the perfect answer.  The 2021-22 season simply has to commence thus: -

The National League 2021-22

Aldershot

Altrincham

Barnet

Borehamwood

Bromley

Chesterfield

Dagenham

Dover

Eastleigh

Halifax

Hartlepool

Kings Lynn

Maidenhead

Notts County

Solihull Moors

Stockport

Torquay

Wealdstone

Weymouth

Woking

Wrexham

Yeovil

AFC Fylde

Brackley 

Boston

Chorley

Gloucester City

Kidderminster

York

Chelmsford

Concord 

Dartford

Dorking

Eastbourne

Ebbsfleet

Havant

Hemel Hempstead 

Hungerford

Oxford City

St Albans

Welling

OK, with 42 teams in it, it does make the National League's top division larger than most.  But, at least, it will give the sulky bastards who are utterly desperate to risk life, limb and financial survival the only thing that matters.  Promotion.

If the League Board believe 42 teams is too unwieldy and that, at 11 months, the season might take a bit longer to complete than normal I'm sure Boston or York wouldn't mind being promoted further, leap-frogging back into the Football League itself.

After all, at the end of the day this is what all the #letusplay nonsense is all about.  Boston want to get back into the Football League they were ejected from because of that pesky, entirely proven fraud.  York, for their part still can't quite get their heads around the fact they have been so unremittingly rubbish over the past half dozen years and genuinely believe they are still in League Two anyway.

Happier more fraudulent days, eh, Boston....?

Poppies call upon old friend to inspect pitch ahead of Saturday's clash

Eager beavers Gloucester City are due at Latimer Park this coming Saturday, absolutely bursting with desperation to get three points closer to being top of the league ahead of the season being cancelled.

They will be gagging to force the Poppies to put out a team of any description that they can batter with their expensively assembled squad.

After Tuesday's postponement due to, ahem, a frozen pitch, the Poppies will again test the playing surface before Gloucester's mercenaries blitzkrieg into Burton.

Obviously, being incredibly keen to fulfil the fixture, Kettering Town have asked our old friend, and expert of the Latimer Park pitch, Russell Slade to come and perform the pre-match inspection.....

*Splash, splash*

"There's no f*cking way this pitch is playable,
Call the game off NOW!!!"

*Splash, splash*