Please Tell Me Thursday Won't Bring Something Even Worse

This has not been a good last two days for this football fan. It didn’t go from bad to worse, but horrible to awful. I’m continually going back and forth from feeling depressed to genuinely pissed (in the American, not British sense).

As I mentioned at the end of my last post, Oxford played Southend United in a Johnstone’s Paint Trophy match. Well, things did not go well at all. Just twelve minutes into the game, Oxford’s backup goalkeeper found himself outside the 18 yard box but still deliberately used his hands to block the ball. Of course, not only did this give Southend a freekick, but more notably the keeper was sent off with a red card. Normally, the manager would put in another goalie from the bench and take out an outfield player. The trouble is the JPT cup limits teams to only have five substitutions on the bench – and a goalkeeper wasn’t part of Oxford’s five. Asa Hall (normally a midfielder) had to take up the gloves and play in goal. That still meant however that Oxford was not only playing a man down, but also didn’t have a true goalkeeper in goal.

Southend basically capitalized immediately with a goal just three minutes later in the 15^th minute. It seemed as though that would open the flood gates, but miraculously Asa Hall would be a decent emergency goalkeeper during the game and made some great saves.

The game did start to get a bit scrappy however and in the 56^th minute a fight broke out and a player from each side were shown red cards. Unfortunately for Oxford the red carded player was one of the strikers, Tom Craddock. Sure it was his first game back from a long injury, but still that meant the Yellows had one less goal scorer on the pitch. The game was now 10 men versus 9 men (one of which was an outfielder in goal). It was really just a slow painful death for Oxford though in the match and Southend would go to win 1-0.

Looking forward, Oxford United have an opening round FA Cup match on Saturday against Sheffield United who are from League 1, the league above Oxford’s. It was looking to possibly be a nice match, but the Yellows have injuries that are piling up, as well as a backup goalkeeper and a striker neither of which can play due to red card suspension. With the FA Cup, anything can happen and it would be nice to be playing with a full deck. Still, with all that said and although I will be in the car Saturday morning during the match, you better believe I will be glued to my iPhone.

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If Oxford’s crash in the Johnstone’s Paint Trophy wasn’t bad enough, I try to have a nice relaxing night after work and go to the latest soccer news to see the most ludicrous news ever. Newcastle United’s ownership decided to change the stadium’s name from St. James’ Park to Sports Direct Arena, Sports Direct being the company owned by the main owner. The name was changed to try to encourage other companies to move in and buy sponsorship rights for the stadium. However, the grounds have been in existence since 1892. Does 119 years of history mean nothing? Is money everything these days? Even here in America where it is all money all the time for big sports teams, history takes precedence. Could you imagine Fenway Park or Wrigley Field being renamed? Those aren’t even as old as St. James’ either.

The tradition and history of St. James’ Park is a large part of why I became a Newcastle United fan in the first place. I grew up following the Chicago Cubs and St. James had that same appeal as Wrigley. At St. James’ Park one of the four stands is just simply known as the East Stand. It’s older, noticeably shorter, and holds far fewer people. Until just recently it also just simply said “Newcastle United” on its upper façade. (It now also of course has Sports Direct ads.) To me, again growing up following the Cubs, it was the equivalent of the ivy filled brick outfield wall at Wrigley. Just like the Cubs and Wrigley, I knew that no matter how bad Newcastle United were doing one could look at St. James’ Park and admire the history and the tradition that has never changed.

Whatever the park is named, or will be named, it will forever be St. James Park to me, to all the Geordies in the northeast of England, and to every member of the Toon Army. Newcastle United and St. James’ Park forever.