A topical post from Tom Jenkins- how important is the opening day of the season?
It`s that time again. It`s the start to a season of joy or despair or potentially ambivalence if last year is anything to go by. I for one am quite optimistic (or deluded) about the coming year and while I`m in the minority, I think I have a good reason to be. We have Zach Clough who will hopefully become the best player in the league and we have a good manager who`s committed to the cause. Nonetheless many will still doubt us and a good start against Derby will probably be the only thing that rids the doom and gloom, if only for a few days. It could however spark a great season of success, but history tells us that isn`t always the case.
I was coming back from France on Day One 2011 when we played QPR. That game was fantastic. We looked a good outfit albeit against relegation fodder (which of course we would become) with a solid team and a manager we believed in. That illusion soon faded away after we lost the next 6 games. The manager we now know to be the main reason we are where we are today couldn`t pick a team. He persisted with poor players like Robinson and Ngog. In the end his incompetence got us relegated and our great start was soon forgotten. For every spark igniting success, there is one put out immediately
We also saw the reverse of this the next year in the Championship. Clueless Coyle was sacked after 10 games and we gained Dougie Freedman. While his impact wasn`t immediate (and in the end was found to be just as clueless) we ended up near the playoffs after a turbulent year and if it wasn`t for Danny Butterfield`s calamitous display at Leicester we would have got our shot at redemption. The point here is so much can change in a season that the start is almost immaterial. However we all want to see us win.
Winning breeds confidence and this is something our squad has seemed to lack for a while. We don`t usually want to express ourselves (even if we had expressive players) and resort to tried and tested tactics to avoid it. I feel this lack of belief has hindered us in the Championship where, because of the fast turnaround after each game, it is easy to put a run of wins together if confidence is high. A win against a team like Derby who are hotly tipped for promotion would be a big plus for us in terms of assurance and that`s why it is an important game. Both the team and the fans need a lift which a big opening day result could provide. Is Day One Important? This year it could well be.
BY THOMAS JENKINS