A Season of Soul Searching

It's time for the smell of paint to waft across the pitch and all those other cliches as the new season is finally here. For me though, this is genuinely more exciting than normal as I look forward to spending the next 10 months watching the Welsh Premier League. I am searching for the soul of football.

Back in the day when the sport first captivated me football was a simple game. Top players could tackle. Goalkeepers didn't fall over if someone breathed on them. Chants from the terraces had an element of wit about them. The radio wasn't full of idiots spouting their non sensical opinions. (How long after Saturday's game until we hear a fan calling in to a radio station and calling for the manager to go? I reckon it will be the third caller!) In fact the wall to wall football coverage is damaging the game in my opinion, as more and more people sit on their sofas watching 'The Best League in the World' instead of playing themselves, or actually going to watch a match.

I'll always love football, but I honestly think that I can cope without seeing the megastars. Top level football is beginning to resemble WWE wrestling to me. It's skilful, entertaining and extremely popular, but it doesn't resemble real life. The players live in a bubble. They don't care about the team. Last season Adebayor may have kissed the cockerel, but he's already kissed the Cannon and the Eagle. When Graham Roberts or Steve Perryman played, they did it for the club as well as themselves. They cared.  It's also often extraordinarily predictable. Would there be less of a crowd at Old Trafford if it was actually decided beforehand that Utd would win 4-1? I doubt it.

I'm not knocking people who like watching the Premiership, I'm just saying it's not for me anymore. I'm more of a Greco-Roman Wrestling man rather than WWE. I like my sport a bit grittier, and less predictable. Normally I find my interest satisfied by the lower levels of the football league, but news of players in League 1 on 15 / 20k per week has ruined that. Certain negative memories of my time working for a then League 2 club also come flooding back. At least the players in the English Premier League are really 'big time'!!

Ronnie Corbett Launches the WPL.

I was meant to pick a WPL team to support for the season, but, in one of the greatest cop outs of all time, I will be following both Bala Town and Carmarthen Town. The 2 clubs could not have been more friendly. Both have printed me in their matchday programmes, even though I am just a random stranger! They reply to tweets and e-mails too, which is great, and helps me to keep intouch with what is going on. They league itself  showed an extraordinary sense of humour by getting Ronnie Corbett to help with the launch. (Corbett Sports Welsh Premier League in case you were wondering) I have underlying reasons for picking the WPL, but I imagine the same is true for all non league clubs, especially those below the Conference.

I urge you all to give a non league club a go. I'm not saying stop supporting your team, but why not pick a local non league team and give them a chance? You won't be being unfaithful. It's like following a completely different sport. It's like football used to be. For alot of you, that may not be a good thing, but for me it's perfect!

Bring on the season!

The Case For Bala -

On the face of it, the case for me choosing to follow Bala Town is less obvious as I have no family connection to the area, but there are certain aspects that make Bala unique!

Founded sometime in the 1880's they are a much older club than Carmarthen, but they didn't achieve promotion to the WPL until 2009. In their first 2 seasons in the top division Bala could have been relegated, but were let off by the fact that the teams who would have been promoted did not reach the required criteria to play in the WPL. Since then there has been a dramatic improvement in fortune for the club. They finished in the top 6 last season, qualifying for the Championship play offs when the league split. Infact, they finished one game away from Europe, when a final game defeat at Llanelli stopped them from competing in the same competition as Liverpool and Spurs.

Bala are a club that is constantly moving up. 10 years ago they were playing in the Welsh League (Wrexham area). A series of promotions and cup wins later and they have finished as the 5th best team in the Welsh football pyramid. The only team that I can think of to compare this sort of rapid promotion with is Wimbledon. It represents a fantastic achievement to go from being not much more than a standard Saturday team that you or I could turn up to play for, to becoming a decent semi professional team. I admire this sort of thing. Ambition is great. Too often clubs are laughed at for dreaming, but if a club is run correctly dreams can happen in reality. If they keep moving upwards in the next 12 months, following them could be a lot of fun!

Maes Tegid

Bala remind me of a local team who I have a lot of time for, Forest Green Rovers. Not only because of a series of promotions from a very low level to becoming a respected club at a much higher level, but also because of the fact that they are small town teams. According to the 2001 census, 1980 people live in Bala. They can get 400 / 500 people watching a game. Bearing in mind that people are not likely to travel a long way to support them, this could represent 25% of the local population supporting their team. It suggests to me that there is a real spirit of community about the club. That the players are seen as representatives of the town, and that the people of the town are right behind the players when they stick the shirt on. This appeals massively to me, as it is how I used to feel about my local rugby team.

Where I may have concerns about Bala it is in the way that they are funded. A couple of people have suggested that they have a principle backer who bankrolls them, enabling their continuous improvement. If this is true, it raises a problem. Part of the reason I have become so disillusioned with professional football is because of the game becoming less of a sport and more of a rich mans plaything. Even at the lower levels, Macclesfields are gradually being replaced by Fleetwoods, Herefords by Crawleys. I admire ambition, but only if it is through a gradual growth and that the club is sustainable in its own right. This will need a bit of research to see if it is true. I love the little team punching above it's weight if it is done properly.

Bala do apparently have a reputation for getting the ball down and playing. This ties in nicely with my belief of how football should be played. Premier League to Sunday League I believe a football is made to travel predominantly on the floor. Sport wise there is nothing so upsetting as watching 9 / 10 year olds lumping channel balls on a Saturday morning. If Bala play the right way it will definitely tempt me.. 

Another positive in Bala's favour is the fact that Mid / North Wales is my favourite place on Earth! Picking Bala would give me an excuse to spend the occasional weekend sat by Llyn Tegid.  Another plus side is that, according to the census, Bala has one of the highest percentage of Welsh speakers in the country. This would give me a great chance to practice, even if they do say milk in a funny way!!

Bala are said to be a friendly club, they certainly replied to my weird tweets and humoured my grammatically non-sensical Welsh. Both Bala and Carmarthen have replied to my messages and I am left in the odd position of feeling that both teams actually want me to follow them, even though I am a total stranger to them. I can't remember ever thinking that my League 1 team wanted me to support  them, they just take my love for granted!


I'd welcome the views of any Bala supporter.. Feel free to leave a message, it might help me make a decision!!

The Case For Carmarthen - The Everton of the WPL?.. Yr achos dros Caerfyrddin - y Everton Cymru?

Checking through my Twitter timeline yesterday I noticed that both Bala and Carmarthen were underway with their pre season friendlies. There is only a month until the season starts, and I need to make a decision on which team I will give my support to. For those with any interest,  Bala ventured into England and beat the magnificently named Glossop North End 1-0. Carmarthen gave the entire squad a run by playing 2 games on the same day, beating the once mighty Barry Town 2-3 in the morning, and then dispatching West End 2-4 in the afternoon. I'm massively impressed by the commitment of one D.Thomas who played in both games for Carmarthen!

I need to consider both clubs in detail and hope that after this an obvious decision comes forward. So here is the case for Carmarthen Town.

Founded in 1948, the Old Gold reached the WPL in 1996, just 4 seasons after it was formed. They can then, justifiably, claim to be an established WPL club. Their presence in the league is something that can be almost guaranteed. To make a weak comparison they are an Everton. Always in the top flight, with occasional forays into Europe mixed with intermittent relegation fights. By the looks of it, what you can guarantee with Carmarthen is an interesting season. There could be cup glory, there could be relegation. On the face of it, this is exactly the sort of team I am after. I have never followed a team in any sport that were nailed on for success. The fact that I can't predict where they will finish is a massive plus point. 

Looking at the squad on the clubs website, I don't immediately recognise any of the players, but I do know the manager. Mark Aizlewood is a player I remember from his Charlton days. I remember his sticker in my Panini Football 87 album, and a player I remember representing my country with pride and passion. This could be important, having someone who I respected as a player when I was young in charge could tip the balance. I am, after all, trying to find the love for football I had as a 6 year old!

A quick look on Wikipedia brought bad news though. Standing out from the squad list was the name J.Alsop. A man who largely made his name at the detested (by me) Cheltenham Town, and who then, as a senior pro at Oxford, at best bullied a youth trainee and at worst did something untoward with a banana. The truth of that will never be known, but Alsop took a 4 month ban for whatever did happen. The fact that this ban was not fought by the player suggests he was guilty of something.  It led me to the conclusion that I could probably get over the dressing room misbehaviour, but I'm not sure that I could forgive the crime of playing for Cheltenham. On the plus side, he is nearly 40 and may well not be playing in 2012/13!  Lets hope so!!

Richmond Park - Carmarthen

I'm reliably informed by Mr A.Nonymous, posting on my blog, that the club itself is a well run community club, with large amounts of volunteers helping out. As I work in community sport myself, this is important for me. I'm also impressed with the facilities on offer at Parc Waun Dew. The new stand is impressive, and suitable for European competition, meaning that, unlike many WPL clubs, they won't have to borrow a stadium if they do qualify for the UEFA Cup (I will never accept the Europa League!). This suggests a board with a long term vision for stability, a crucial thing at this level of sport.

Finally, there is the personal aspect of it. Although I've always lived on the wrong side of the bridge (apart from my 3 years at University in Wales), my family come from Pembury & Burry Port, about 15 miles away from Carmarthen. I am also trying to learn Southern Welsh, not Northern, so I should, in theory, be able to practice my learning a bit better if I was to visit Carmarthen.

I hope I've done the club justice here. There are several reasons for me to choose Carmarthen Town, but as I now move on to consider Bala, I know there will be good reasons to follow them too! Being decisive does not come easily to me! Carmathen fans, I'd appreciate your views!!

1 From 2 to Save My Love of Football!

I had a bit of a stinker of a season in 2011/12. I don't mean when playing as I've already reached the age when basic competence is the only thing I aim for when I stick the boots on! I had a stinker of a supporting season. The club I've supported since my youth barely still exist. I don't actually care if they win or lose at the moment. I'm just happy with each week that the club is still there.

My adopted second team bombed in the League 2 play offs, and the only game I went to see them play resulted in the 3-0 humping that lost them top spot and ended a long unbeaten run.

The Premiership ceased to interest me when clubs lost a grip on reality. This was round about the time that Charlton sacked Alan Curbishley because the fans believed he had taken them as far as he could. Remind me how that one worked out...

Bala Town

I need something to re establish my love of football. Of the game, the most basic of sports, not the big business. As a Welshman, I have found the answer. The Welsh Premier League. It ties in with my attempts to learn the language that my grandparents spoke, and should enable me the opportunity to find the things that I loved about football in 1986, without having to put up with the things I hate about football in 2012. I need to see players who I know are playing for the love of the game. S4C online will let me watch a match each week, but just watching a match won't be enough. I need a team to follow, a team to invest my time into. I need players to relate to. I need players to love. I need players to moan about. I need a team!

Carmarthen Town

There are 12 teams in the WPL. TNS were ruled out straight away on the basis that picking them would be like being a kid who chooses Man Utd. They will be the team  I'm going to love to hate!  Bangor and Llanelli were not considered because they have fairly recently won the league. I then narrowed it down to 3 teams. Aberystwyth, Carmarthen or Bala. Ideal for me because I need to support the underdog, but there were other reasons too. Carmarthen represented the closest team to the roots of my family. Bala lake is in a stunning location that reminds me of many a holiday to North Wales. Aberystwyth because I had an amazing run of success in Football Manager!



With nothing to choose between the 3 I decided to tweet them all!
Within an hour Bala and Carmarthen had replied to me.. Sadly Aberystwyth are too late.  So I am left with a month to make a choice. Which team shall I entrust my sporting happiness with for the next year! The Lakesiders or The Old Gold. The decision must be made by the season's start!

Much research is in front of me, but I am already re-energised! I will never stop supporting my (now League 1) team, but the WPL might just save me from losing my high level of interest in football.