What is love? The dictionary defines it as “strong, positive emotion of affection or pleasure”.

Mmm, well that rules out the feelings I have had recently at 5pm on a Saturday then doesn’t it? Frustration, exasperation, outrage, peevishness, seething resentment and petulance have all been levelled at me recently when I have arrived home after the match. And that’s just the dogs attitude to me!!

I’d say I was sulking. I suspect that I’m not alone among Shrimp fans either. The message board on Shrimpsvoices and the fan pages on Facebook after games are alive with acrimony, finger pointing, accusations and theories from the great and the good. One thing is for sure, is that there are many others who have that connection, that strong positive emotion of affection if you like, that make them vent their frustrations at our current predicament.

We all care.

We all have an emotional investment, as well as a fiscal one obviously, in seeing our team do well on the field. Both sex of fans will enjoy relationships with various different partners over a lifetime, (if they are lucky!!) that’s pretty normal. Some will divorce one another and move on. How many of us divorce from a club we love? If a person is depressed, their team losing can intensify that depression according to psychotherapists. Football clubs often are allied with a particular political or religious ideal, more prevalent on the continent and Scotland, the Shrimps thankfully don’t fall into that category. Winning is a habit, we seem to have forgotten this currently, hence the tension and hostility amongst the fans, all around Jim and Ken and their jobs.

Is it understandable? Of course, our home form is awful, results are going against us, despite us fighting hard, it’s not enough currently. Feelings are running high. At least there are still fans who are hurting enough to voice their opinions. On the plus side, attendances are holding up despite it all.

So what can we do? Opinions won’t change unless performances improve, and in plain terms that means wins and quickly. The recent signings of Sutton, Mingoia, Bennett, Dalby and McKay have been timely, as yet again we are losing Tutte for two months to another injury, no prognosis on the length out for Sam L yet. So on the Physios table we have Baz, Lamin Jagne, James Sinclair, Flemo, Aaron W, Vadaine, Tutte, Sam L, Mandeville and Ajay. Thats ten players, I would argue that 8 of them would be in a starting eleven of some shape or form for most fans? Thankfully Mandy might be back this week and Flemo and Aaron are a couple of weeks off, so there is light at the end of the tunnel, we hope.

Now I want to move on to a new slot I’m calling, You Know what I Know. Im naturally inquisitive and always try and get some background on what is happening etc, so here goes. The recent transfer of a forward in the window was, I was told, a done deal, yet he never appeared. Three weeks later we have Richie Bennett (2 in two, keep it up) but it wasn’t him,. Others were suggesting that it was Chris Dagnall from Bury. We did enquire, he was interested but Bury wanted rid, off their books, we couldn’t afford his wages so Tranmere signed him apparently. Tranmere now have Connor Jennings, Paul Mullin, Cole Stockton, James Norwood, Ishmael Miller, Chris Dagnall, John Aldridge, Colin Clarke, David Fairclough, Darth Vader and Gayle off Corrie available to start up front!   No, the player in question was courted by the club and looked round, lodged in a hotel at the clubs expense and agreed, verbally, he would sign the following day. The following day he signed for…….Cheltenham. Whom? It rhymes with Bakish Ringham!!!

However, Rich B has done enough to hopefully carry on in the same vein so that’s done and dusted.

So Bury – Saturday Feb 9th 2018, Globe Arena League Two.

Halstead Mills Sutton Lavelle Conlan Kenyon Tutte Cranston Ellison Bennett Mingoia subs used Old for Lavelle 43, Mendes-Gomes for Tutte 45, Dalby for Conlan 89.

Shakers – Murphy Aimson Thompson Wharton Rossiter Mayor Adams McFadzean O’Shea Moore Maynard, subs used Cooney for Adams 79, O’Connell for Mayor 84, Telford for Moore 86.

Ref – Antony Backhouse, the only thing I will say he was consistent. Three times he awarded free kicks to Bury fro a slight touch from behind, on McFadzean, Aimson and O’Shea all in the first half, did the same fro the touch on Bennett on the box, pen. stop moaning Bury, if its a foul for you three times, its a foul against you!!

Crowd – 2665 with 1086 from Bury, nice one.

Both sides started brightly, Mingoia teasing Wharton and drawing a free kick, which was wasted, and then crossing for Ellison to trap rather than hit goalward in the opening minutes. However, the Shakers started exert more influence through the width of Adams and the excellent Mayor. Halstead was the busier keeper as corners were repelled before Moore wriggled free, his shot from ten years was blocked by Lavelle, who chased the rebound, Moore fed Mayor who junked inside and shot low in off the far post on 17 to give the visitors the lead. Wave after wave of attacks were dealt with by the alert Sutton, as the width of Adams and O’Shea on the right and Mayor and McFadzean on the left were working well. The half belonged to Bury, but if we could just regroup at half time at 0-1 we might yet het something. However, fate had other ideas. Lavelle hurt his groin and gamely tried to continue but was replaced by Old. Then as we entered injury time, Tutte pulled a hamstring, Carlos replaced him, Steve Old lost his mind and presented a back pass to Moore who slipped it inside to O’Shea who slid home fro 0-2. Disaster.

The Shrimps regrouped, Carlos showing some neat touches and good vision as the game became more of a contest, but still Bury looked the more threatening. Mayor turned on the pace and breezed in field past three and teed up for O’Shea to gleefully side foot home for 0-3 on 59. Game over? Or so we thought!!

We were give a lifeline, a intricate passing move resulted in Bennett getting s oft shove which he took advantage of, PENALTY. Now, who was to take this? They have been having competitions to see who would, Cranston, scorer of spectacularly powerful long range efforts and devilish free kicks, was the allocated man. third pen this season, third miss!! Talk about shooting yourself in the foot? Jordan looks berry and shot low and soft to the keepers right, he was so surprised he almost dived past it, his hands lost it, he kicked it away, but Ritchie Bennett followed up to slam home on 65 for 1-3.

This gave us impetus, Bury looking, wait for it, SHAKEY, we piled forward, Mills and Conlan now forcing the wide man back to defend. A corner was taken quickly, short, Cranston crossed for Old to head home powerfully, 69 gone 2-3.

Game on now. Bury lost composure and were happy to hoof anywhere, despite a couple more corners and some hairy moments, they held on as we just couldn’t manufacture an equaliser.

So Macc drew and Notts County win, the gap closes. In truth Bury were the best attacking side Ive seen this season, we cannot afford to give daft  goals away to anyone and expect to get away with it. But we did rally and Bennet has 2 in two games, we won’t meet quality like this every week, but we have to start winning and bloody quickly.

Onwards to Vale Park and then Boundary Park, 6 points please? 4 would be good!! PLEASE?

Stick together, back the team, back the manager, its all we have at the moment, division and conflict don’t help in a hole. UP the Shrimps

Freez