Hypocrisy in the local press

The Man From Coedpoeth

It might not have escaped your attention, but we seem to be in a bit of a crisis at the moment. Directly after the Cambridge debâcle feelings seem to boil over in a big way, with even Joey claiming that there isn’t much difference between the bottom of Division 3 and Division 4. He also claimed that he would hate the club to do a “Newport County” and disappear out of existence. Two valid points indeed, and probably echoing the fears of most Wrexham fans. What, with growing unrest on the terraces, sponsors threatening to withdraw much- needed funds, and even one of the most respected men in football voicing concern about the future of the club, it is clear that under such pressure, something must eventually give. Every fan has his or her potential solutions to the problem, far too many to list in such a small space as this.

The common concern, however, is definitely the future of Brian Flynn. It is hard to stick up for him anymore, and many of his most loyal acolytes over the years are now turning their backs on him. Probably the key factor is that we are playing better than we did at the same stage last season, but still find ourselves in the same (or probably worse) position, struggling to keep our heads above water in a relegation struggle. Despite the influx of quality players over the summer, Flynn still seems to keep to the same ineffective tactics: one winger (someone recently commented that you could play a separate game of football on the left hand side of the pitch!) and the inability of anyone to shoot from outside the box. It makes you wonder if they actually have goal nets at Colliers Park. Perhaps they have it drummed into them when they first sign: “must not shoot from more than six yards out”. Such dogged determination not to alter tactics and a general lack of motivational skills will probably prove to be Flynn’s ultimate downfall. Given that the manager’s substitutions are so unimaginative and often bizarre, many teams must feel that a game with Wrexham will provide their easiest three points of the season. And it isn’t the players who are at fault, despite the constant barracking of some “fans” on the Kop (as they proved against Middlesborough). Brian Flynn is often described as stubborn: is he stubborn enough to drag us back down into the pub league of Division Three? And, at the same time, tarnish all his good work and achievements at the club? He may be stubborn, but let’s hope he soon realises that he, or anyone else, is not bigger than Wrexham FC…and does the decent thing. I notice he claimed that he was considered a “hero” after the Boro game. No you weren’t, Brian - the eleven men who gave their all for the club were the real heroes on that day.

I noticed the reaction of the media with great interest after both cup games. The emphasis on Fergie was fair enough - it was the best journalistic angle to be found (both accurate and topical given his Dad’s decision not to enter his team of prima-donnas into the greatest cup competition in the world). However, the reaction of the local press post-Cambridge left me feeling a little bemused. The protests outside the club offices were entirely justified, but the press seemed to emphasise that the protests were led by “youngsters” and seemed to belittle this fact, as if young fans’ opinions were not important. A hypocritical view or what? This comes from local papers who are constantly reiterating the need for young fans to be supporting the club. The fact that “youngsters” are willing to express their opinions so vocally and passionately can only be a good thing. Perhaps if we were all to take up their attitude we wouldn’t have to stand for the outrageously poor displays seen on the pitch recently. Have the papers been toeing the Flynn party-line a bit too religiously?

I must confess that I’ve been a bit of a traitor recently. I’ve discovered the delights of Cefn Druids. The fact that they now play occasionally on a Friday night should tempt a few more Reds fans along to support the first Wrexham-based in the League of Wales and boost the club’s coffers a little. For three quid you can’t really go wrong, as most matches provide top-class entertainment and, unlike the Racecourse recently, you sometimes see a win! It’s a nice homely set-up, and a fantastic club. However, in mid-January I spent a whole week making my mind up about whether to travel to Bury or not…and in the end decided that I couldn't really afford it and that I couldn’t bear the suffering of another painful defeat. So, I decided that Druids v Caersws was a more attractive proposal. On retiring to the Druids social club for a swift pint after seeing them go down 3-1, it came up on Teletext that the mighty Robins had won 2-0: I was gutted!

It’s a funny old game. RP

The Man From Coedpoeth is
James Morris