The Unbeaten Run – Tale Of A "Fair Weather" Fan

[Brian of Nazareth]

Awesome

[attjen]

Ha!

[uskopite]

Spav's a nasty switcher . . . Spav's a nasty switcher . . .

So do me a favor and put the wood to the Blues - hopefully relegation in thier future.

[Raptor]

Gloryhunter supreme

[Spav]

As always, thanks to everyone who posts in this story. Brian of Nazareth, attjen, uskopite and Raptor - enjoy things as I start to wind down to the end of this tale.

================================================

It had been a bugger of a week at work. Chris had started talking about this week’s Arsenal match back on Monday, but I had told him that I wasn’t sure that I had the finances in place to see the game. That was when Andy stuck his big head in and said that I was telling porkies. Go on, just ask him about going to see Aston Villa and whoever it is that they are playing this week, Andy said. Chris just looked at me and he could tell by the way that I averted my eyes that Andy was right. I don’t believe it, he said. How could you change teams just because Arsenal lost? You’re meant to stick with your team through thick and thin. What could I say? I was afflicted by this need to be with winners and disassociate myself from losers. You have serious problems mate, said Chris. You need to see a psychiatrist or something. In the meantime, don’t bother talking to me again. There was nothing that I could say. Later on I heard Andy and Chris organising to go out for a pint together. I knew that I wouldn’t be invited. Damn, there was another friendship gone because of this fair weather fan affliction.

Saturday 30th April 2005:

Everton v Aston Villa – Goodison Park, Liverpool

Aston Villa looked to have settled the quickest when they dominated the early possession and set up the first decent chance of the game. An incisive pass from de la Cruz in the 4th minute sent Cole running though the inside-right channel and the on-loan striker dribbled past Martyn. He was just about to put the ball in the net when Weir slid in to knock it clear. Yobo then thumped it away downfield where Ferguson nodded it out to McFadden on the left wing. An Everton counterattack was now on and McFadden’s pass found Bent angling in from the right. As Sorensen came out Bent rolled the ball square towards Li Tie, but Ridgewell anticipated the pass. He stuck a boot out, but unfortunately he only managed to knock it past Sorenson for an own goal. Bent had the chance to double the lead when he headed Pistone’s cross just over after 10 minutes and the striker got another chance when he outjumped Ridgewell after 17 minutes, but again his header was just too high. Villa made Everton pay for their missed chances when Park’s long ball allowed Vassell to use his pace and run clear of Yobo to strike the ball between Martyn’s legs and make it 1-1 after 21 minutes. It was then the turn of Cole to not take his headed chances as he nodded crosses from Samuel and Bierofka just wide in the 24th and 29th minutes respectively. Cole finally got a shot on target in the 34th minute, but Martyn was quickly down to his right to push it away. In the 40th minute Sorensen gifted possession back to Everton when his poor clearance went only as far as McFadden on the left wing. The Scottish forward curled over an inviting cross and Bent rose well in front of Ridgewell to bullet a header past Sorensen and give Everton a 2-1 lead which they carried onto half-time.

A sluggish beginning to the second half meant that there was little of interest until the 59th minute. Everton had built a promising attack, but a lazy pass by Cahill gave possession to Hitzlsperger and the German sent a long ball to the right for Cole. The striker skinned Pistone and got to the bye-line where he pulled the ball back for Vassell to head home at the near post from 8 yards out to make it 2-2. Cole took a knock in setting up the goal, so he had to leave the field a few minutes later to be replaced by Angel. The Columbian immediately found himself involved as he rose above the Everton defence to head de la Cruz’s free-kick flush against the cross bar in the 67th minute. However it was a 70th minute substitution by Everton that had the biggest impact. Chadwick replaced Bent up front as David Moyes looked for something to break the deadlock. It took only 8 minutes for Chadwick to make his mark as he headed McFadden’s left wing cross past Sorensen to give Everton a 3-2 lead. Any chance that Aston Villa had of coming back into the game was dealt a severe blow when the brilliant left winger Bierofka was sent off for his second yellow card in the 83rd minute after he fouled Watson. McFadden had become the real danger-man of the second half and he was looking to set up a clinching goal when he sprinted past Mellberg in the 86th minute. A pulled hamstring caused the Swedish defender to fall in his tracks and allowed McFadden to run on before unleashing a left-footed drive which smacked against Sorensen’s post. With all Villa’s substitutions having been made, they were forced to ply out the final few minutes with only nine men. Inevitably McFadden caught them out again in the third minute of injury-time as he burst through on the left before crossing a superb low pass into the box for Chadwick to sidefoot past Sorensen and wrap the game up at 4-2 for Everton.

I was just going through the motions this late in the season. I knew that my brief flirtation with Aston Villa was over and that I would be off to watch Everton and whoever they played next week, but there was no joy at the idea of following the winning team. I was now just a hollow man and each time the team that I supported lost a match I was just repainted with some new colours, but there was no emotion tied to the changeover. I seriously had to do something about all of this, but I didn’t have a clue what that thing should be.

Everton 4 Ridgewell own goal 4, Bent 40, Chadwick 78, 90

Aston Villa 2 Vassell 21, 59

Everton: Martyn, Watson, Yobo, Weir, Pistone, Osman, Li Tie (Carsley), Cahill, McFadden, Bent (Chadwick), Ferguson (Campbell).

Aston Villa: Sorensen, de la Cruz, Mellberg, Ridgewell, Samuel (Jensen), Park, McCann, Hitzlsperger (Barry), Bierofka, Cole (Angel), Vassell.

My MOM: James McFadden can be wildly inconsistent, but today he was in one of his irrepressible moods and he was unstoppable.

What I am looking forward to: All of a sudden I can’t answer this when it comes to football. Empty-minded and unhappy!!

What I am looking back on: A season of chopping and changing that has left me with nothing to show for it. Shattered and gutted!!

Next up: Fulham v Everton – Craven Cottage, London

[Spav]

<pre class="ip-ubbcode-code-pre">Premier League - 30th April 2005:

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|Pos | Team | Pld | Won | Drn | Lst | For | Ag | G.D. | Pts |

|------------------------------------------------------------------------------|

|1st | Chelsea | 35 | 24 | 9 | 2 | 71 | 21 | +50 | 81 |

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|2nd | Arsenal | 36 | 23 | 8 | 5 | 77 | 28 | +49 | 77 |

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|3rd | Liverpool | 36 | 18 | 11 | 7 | 48 | 22 | +26 | 65 |

|------------------------------------------------------------------------------|

|4th | Fulham | 36 | 17 | 9 | 10 | 53 | 43 | +10 | 60 |

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|5th | Tottenham | 34 | 15 | 14 | 5 | 54 | 38 | +16 | 59 |

|------------------------------------------------------------------------------|

|6th | Aston Villa | 36 | 17 | 8 | 11 | 52 | 40 | +12 | 59 |

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|7th | Newcastle | 35 | 17 | 8 | 10 | 41 | 34 | +7 | 59 |

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|8th | Man Utd | 34 | 16 | 8 | 10 | 56 | 39 | +17 | 56 |

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|9th | Bolton | 36 | 15 | 8 | 13 | 50 | 46 | +4 | 53 |

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|10th | Southampton | 36 | 14 | 10 | 12 | 53 | 48 | +5 | 52 |

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|11th | Birmingham | 36 | 13 | 10 | 13 | 41 | 44 | -3 | 49 |

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|12th | Charlton | 36 | 13 | 9 | 14 | 39 | 51 | -12 | 48 |

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|13th | Portsmouth | 35 | 13 | 8 | 14 | 49 | 50 | -1 | 47 |

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|14th | Blackburn | 36 | 13 | 7 | 16 | 51 | 47 | +4 | 46 |

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|15th | Everton | 36 | 10 | 10 | 16 | 55 | 69 | -14 | 40 |

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|16th | Middlesbrough | 36 | 9 | 8 | 19 | 35 | 67 | -32 | 35 |

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|17th | West Brom | 36 | 7 | 9 | 20 | 23 | 49 | -26 | 30 |

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|18th | Norwich | 36 | 5 | 9 | 22 | 21 | 55 | -34 | 24 |

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|19th | Man City | 35 | 5 | 7 | 23 | 22 | 55 | -33 | 22 |

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|20th | Crystal Palace | 36 | 4 | 6 | 26 | 29 | 74 | -45 | 18 |

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</pre>

[Spav]

Something happened to me on Tuesday night. I was looking though some old photos when I came across a shot of me and my Dad together. I must have been about eight years old at the time. We were posing together outside Craven Cottage and I was perched up on my dad’s shoulders with a Fulham scarf stretched out between my upraised arms. Dad was wearing his Fulham shirt as well. We both had such big grins on our faces. I tried to think back to when that game was and how Fulham did on that day. It was probably back in the days of the old Second Division and it was probably one of those years when Fulham ended up somewhere around the middle of the table, neither threatening the promotion chasers nor scrambling with the relegation contenders either. Dad and I went and watched Fulham at most of their home games back then. We went regardless of how Fulham got on in their previous match – Dad because he loved Fulham and me because I loved football and being out with my Dad. They were such happy and carefree days back then, so why couldn’t I look at things now the same way as I did back then? I suddenly realised that it was time to start mending some bridges. I picked up the phone and gave Dad a call.

Saturday 7th May 2005:

Fulham v Everton – Craven Cottage, London

Dad didn’t have long to wait before the first chance fell the way of his beloved Fulham. Boa Morte’s 3rd minute corner was perfect for McBride to hit on the volley at the near post, but the ball flew about a foot wide of the far post after passing though a crowd of players. When Jensen and Cole played McBride in after 16 minutes it looked like Fulham would take the lead, but Wright (who was returning for the injured Martyn) dived brilliantly to tip the shot away for a corner with his outstretched right hand. When the resulting corner was partially cleared back to Boa Morte he swung the ball over again and found Malbranque at the far post. His headed lay-off was perfect for Legwinski to strike on the half-volley, but Wright managed to parry the powerful shot and it rebounded away. Wright did even better in the 33rd minute when a long throw from Bonnissel on the left found its way to the feet of Cole. The striker flicked the ball to his left and swivelled around Pearce to crash a shot towards the far post fron12 yards out, but Wright reacted brilliantly to tip that shot away as well. It wasn’t until the 36th minute that Everton created their first real chance. Watson’s long ball from the back fell kindly for Chadwick and he raced clear of Goma, but his finishing skills weren’t as positive as last week and he hit his shot straight into van der Sar’s arms. Having taken so long to fashion a chance, Everton then created a second one fairly quickly. Kilbane and Osman were the architects as they combined to give Cahill some space just inside the left side of the box. The Australian midfielder hit a swerving shot for the top corner, but van der Sar was equal to the task and he punched it away for a corner. A few minutes later and it was half-time with the scores still locked at 0-0.

The good form that Everton had displayed at the end of the first half continued as the second half began. There had been 50 minutes of the match played when Ferguson and Chadwick combined to hold the ball up before releasing Osman cutting in from the right wing. He hit a firm shot low shot to van der Sar’s left side, but the Dutch international keeper reacted well to parry it. A few minutes later and Cahill’s long pass found Osman on the right wing again. This time he made it to the bye-line before crossing to the far post where Kilbane was on his own, but he wastefully headed the ball high over the cross bar. Chadwick was then replaced by McFadden and again it transpired that David Moyes had made a telling substitution. Osman’s hasty clearance up the right wing in the 63rd minute was retrieved by the fresh McFadden and the diminutive Scotsman turned towards goal. McFadden shimmied past Bonnissel and then nutmegged Goma before hammering a shot under van der Sar to put Everton 1-0 up with a superb individual goal. Fulham manager Chris Coleman looked for some similar inspiration from his substitutes as he bought on Diop and John for Jensen and McBride respectively. It almost paid off straight away as John volleyed Malbranque’s headed knock-back just a few inches over the crossbar after 65 minutes. After that came a ruled-out goal for either side. McFadden was denied a second after being deemed offside as he ran onto Ferguson’s pass and planted the ball past van der Sar in the 67th minute whilst John was ruled offside as Cole knocked home the rebound from Boa Morte’s shot in the 71st minute. However the Fulham substitutes had the last word as John flicked on Boa Morte’s corner in the 80th minute and Diop buried the ball with a firm close-range header to make it 1-1. The game had turned back in Fulham’s favour and they had the best chances of the last ten minutes to win the match. Legwinski forced a fine save out of Wright as he tested him with a free-kick after 83 minutes whilst substitute defender Leacock hit a cracking shot from the edge of the area after 88 minutes that also needed a quality save from the Everton number one. In the end a very entertaining match ended with the honours even at 1-1.

Fulham 1 Diop 80

Everton 1 McFadden 63

Fulham: van der Sar, Volz, Goma, Pearce (Leacock), Bonnissel, Malbranque, Legwinski, Jensen (Diop), Boa Morte, Cole, McBride (John).

Everton: Wright, Watson, Yobo, Weir, Naysmith, Osman (Carsley), Li Tie, Cahill, Kilbane, Chadwick (McFadden), Ferguson (Campbell).

My MOM: Richard Wright was superb in goal today, particularly in the first half and the final ten minutes as Fulham threatened to takeover the match.

What I learned today #1: Football can be more than just winning, losing or drawing if you look at it from a different perspective. Intriguing!!

What I learned today #2: Supporting your club, whatever the result, can give you rewarding moments. Just look at my Dad!!

Next up: Everton v Tottenham – Goodison Park, Liverpool

[Spav]

I’d had a good day at Craven Cottage with Dad last Saturday. Although I was nominally supporting Everton, I hadn’t really gone full tilt on the whole rabid, one-eyed fan thing. Dad still couldn’t come to grips with the fact that I was supporting Everton, but I think that he had noticed a change for the better in me. In the end we were both happy with the 1-1 draw, but we also managed to recapture a bit of those earlier days when we used to go to the football together as a proud father with his innocent eight year old son.

We had a family dinner on Thursday evening and we’d let my brother crow about Chelsea’s first title win for fifty years. It was fair enough too – they had been the dominant team of the season and they had thoroughly deserved their championship victory. The more I thought about it, the more I realised that my brother deserved to be over the moon. He’d stuck with Chelsea through the whole season (and many more before that, of course) regardless of their results, even if they had only lost three times and now he was reaping the reward.

Saturday 14th May 2005:

Everton v Tottenham – Goodison Park, Liverpool

As an Everton fan for the day, I wasn’t too impressed with their start to this match. Their play was disjointed and lacked confidence whilst Tottenham at least managed to get in a few early shots, even if they were off target. Two long distance efforts from Davis flew well wide of Everton’s goal whilst Kanoute and Keane had tame shots that Wright dealt with easily. It wasn’t until the 25th minute that Osman had Everton’s first chance with a free-kick that he curled about a foot over Robinson’s cross bar. After that it was back to more of the same from Everton, although Spurs appeared to have caught the same malaise as the Toffees as their play degenerated also. There was only one notable chance that followed as Taricco’s free-kick deflected off the end of the Everton wall and flew a few feet wide in the 39th minute. The first half ended at 0-0 after 45 minutes of uninspiring football.

The quality of football failed to improve in the second half and as the game moved past the 70th minute without either side producing a meaningful goalscoring effort, I honestly considered leaving a match before the final whistle for the first time in my life. Martin Jol then introduced Ricketts into the Tottenham midfield and he at last sparked his team into action. In the 75th minute Ricketts twice interchanged passes with Carrick and Defoe before setting up Davies for a shot from just inside the penalty area. The Welshman rifled the ball across Wright and watched as it just flicked the outside of the post. A few minutes later Ricketts worked himself into some space for a 20 yard effort of his own, but the low shot skidded across the Everton goalmouth and went a foot wide of the post. Having done nothing to deserve the three points, Everton then conjured up the winning goal deep into injury-time. A Kilbane throw-in on the left found Osman and he trapped the ball before swivelling and sending a curling cross into the box. It was really a hit-and-hope effort, but it found Yobo surging forward from defence and the Nigerian’s header powered past Robinson to put Everton 1-0 up with only seconds to play. Indeed Spurs barely had time to kick-off and play more than three more passes before the final whistle went.

Everton 1 Yobo 90

Tottenham 0

Everton: Wright, Pistone, Yobo, Weir (Carsley), Naysmith, Osman, Watson, Cahill, Kilbane, Bent (Chadwick), McFadden (Ferguson).

Tottenham: Robinson, Taricco, King, Gardner, Ziegler (Edman), Davies, Carrick, Davis (Ricketts), Atouba, Kanoute (Defoe), Keane.

My MOM: Leon Osman gets the nod for some enthusiastic – if not totally skilful – play on the flanks, as well as setting up the wining goal.

What I’m sad about: The end of a topsy-turvy, see-saw season of Premier League football involving ten different teams. I’m at a loose end!!

What I’m happy about: The end of a topsy-turvy, see-saw season of Premier League football involving ten different teams. Bring on the Ashes next!!

[Spav]

<pre class="ip-ubbcode-code-pre">Premier League - 14th May 2005:

|------------------------------------------------------------------------------|

|Pos | Team | Pld | Won | Drn | Lst | For | Ag | G.D. | Pts |

|------------------------------------------------------------------------------|

|1st | Chelsea | 38 | 25 | 10 | 3 | 77 | 26 | +51 | 85 |

|------------------------------------------------------------------------------|

|2nd | Arsenal | 38 | 25 | 8 | 5 | 80 | 28 | +52 | 83 |

|------------------------------------------------------------------------------|

|3rd | Liverpool | 38 | 19 | 11 | 8 | 50 | 24 | +26 | 68 |

|------------------------------------------------------------------------------|

|4th | Newcastle | 38 | 20 | 8 | 10 | 45 | 34 | +11 | 68 |

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|5th | Fulham | 38 | 18 | 10 | 10 | 55 | 44 | +11 | 64 |

|------------------------------------------------------------------------------|

|6th | Tottenham | 38 | 16 | 14 | 8 | 58 | 45 | +13 | 62 |

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|7th | Aston Villa | 38 | 17 | 9 | 12 | 52 | 42 | +10 | 60 |

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|8th | Man Utd | 38 | 16 | 11 | 11 | 58 | 43 | +15 | 59 |

|------------------------------------------------------------------------------|

|9th | Birmingham | 38 | 15 | 10 | 13 | 46 | 44 | +2 | 55 |

|------------------------------------------------------------------------------|

|10th | Bolton | 38 | 15 | 9 | 14 | 51 | 48 | +3 | 54 |

|------------------------------------------------------------------------------|

|11th | Southampton | 38 | 14 | 11 | 13 | 54 | 51 | +3 | 53 |

|------------------------------------------------------------------------------|

|12th | Charlton | 38 | 14 | 10 | 14 | 41 | 52 | -11 | 52 |

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|13th | Portsmouth | 38 | 13 | 10 | 15 | 51 | 55 | -4 | 49 |

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|14th | Blackburn | 38 | 13 | 8 | 17 | 51 | 48 | +3 | 47 |

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|15th | Everton | 38 | 11 | 11 | 16 | 57 | 70 | -13 | 44 |

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|16th | Middlesbrough | 38 | 10 | 9 | 19 | 37 | 68 | -31 | 39 |

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|17th | West Brom | 38 | 8 | 10 | 20 | 25 | 50 | -25 | 34 |

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|18th | Man City | 38 | 6 | 7 | 25 | 25 | 59 | -34 | 25 |

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|19th | Norwich | 38 | 5 | 9 | 24 | 23 | 59 | -36 | 24 |

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|20th | Crystal Palace | 38 | 4 | 7 | 27 | 29 | 75 | -46 | 19 |

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</pre>

[Spav]

Epilogue:

What a strange year of football the 2004/05 season had been for me. I had pursued the ideal of a season of unbeaten football by switching my allegiance to the winning side in a match and completely forgetting about the team that I had initially attended the match to support. I had thought that doing that would allow me to always enjoy that wonderful buzz that comes with the winning performance of your football club. It had worked well at first, but as the season progressed I had realised that those wins that I had achieved by this method were all hollow victories because they were not balanced by the possibility of defeat. There was no substance whilst the chance of a loss was not there to counterbalance the joy of a well-earned win.

And what about the effects of my actions on the people all around me? At work I’d alienated Andy who I’d got along with fairly well before the football season. However by October he had been forced to lie to me to save himself from getting wrapped up in my fair weather antics with Tottenham. Then there was Chris who’d started off as a good mate before I’d upset him by turning him into an Arsenal fan and then ditching him when they lost. There was going to be a lot of work needed before either of them would ever consider me as a friend again.

Of course I’d met a lovely girl in Karen and then gone and messed that up with the strange belief that the relationship only worked whilst we were both Tottenham supporters. Whilst it might have been difficult for Karen to understand why I felt the need to change allegiances with my football teams, I never gave her the chance to try and comprehend my actions. I think that relationship had probably been battered too fiercely in its infancy for me to try and backtrack and salvage it. It was a harsh lesson that I was going to have to learn on this occasion.

Finally there was my family – Dad, Mum and my brother. I’d upset my Dad earlier in the year, not so much through my choice of teams, but through my lack of loyalty to one team. He was a product of those times when loyalty was a trait that was expected and appreciated and my team-switching was simply alien to him. However by beginning to look at things from his point of view and accepting that there are two sides to football I’d gone some way to repairing some bridges with Dad. I had also realised that my brother was much more of a true football supporter than I ever was. The arrogance that I had detected was just his one-eyed support of Chelsea coupled with the fine season that they ended up having. Finally there was Mum who sat to one side when it came to football, but who suffered the strain when she saw her husband and her two sons at odds over the game. A resolution of the issues between my father, my brother and I would have gone a long way in making things happier for her as well.

So what had I really learnt from the last nine months? Mainly that being true and honest in my football-supporting endeavours would therefore allow me to live a life which would follow along similar lines. The lifestyle of being a fair weather fan in football forced a person into similar lifestyle outside of football. A person couldn’t live one way with regard to football and another way with regard to his personal life because the two were intertwined. I had thought that the two were separate, but that wasn’t the case. Now that I was attempting to follow a policy of honesty with my family and friends, I had to do the same with regard to football. It was the only way that the two could co-exist. It was going to be difficult, but it was the only way to go.

THE END

[Spav]

Postscript:

For all you statisticians out there, here’s the rundown on the facts and figures of the story. I went to 36 matches during the course of the season and listed below is the unbeaten run and the teams that it applied to:

5 – Crystal Palace

7 – Tottenham

4 – Bolton

3 – Manchester United

1 – Birmingham

1 – Charlton

1 – Chelsea

1 – Birmingham

9 – Arsenal

1 – Aston Villa

3 – Everton

I was also asked to figure how the various teams of the “Fair Weather Fan†would have performed in the Premier League if they had been a single club. Obviously the intention of the “Fair Weather Fan†was to suffer no defeats by changing his allegiance to the winning side on the day, but a table based on the results of the team supported at the beginning of the match reveals the following details:

Played-36, Won-15, Drew-11, Lost-10, For-55, Against-41, Points-56

<pre class="ip-ubbcode-code-pre">Premier League - The Fair Weather Fan's Final Position:

|------------------------------------------------------------------------------|

|Pos | Team | Pld | Won | Drn | Lst | For | Ag | G.D. | Pts |

|------------------------------------------------------------------------------|

|1st | Chelsea | 38 | 25 | 10 | 3 | 77 | 26 | +51 | 85 |

|------------------------------------------------------------------------------|

|2nd | Arsenal | 38 | 25 | 8 | 5 | 80 | 28 | +52 | 83 |

|------------------------------------------------------------------------------|

|3rd | Liverpool | 38 | 19 | 11 | 8 | 50 | 24 | +26 | 68 |

|------------------------------------------------------------------------------|

|4th | Newcastle | 38 | 20 | 8 | 10 | 45 | 34 | +11 | 68 |

|------------------------------------------------------------------------------|

|5th | Fulham | 38 | 18 | 10 | 10 | 55 | 44 | +11 | 64 |

|------------------------------------------------------------------------------|

|6th | Tottenham | 38 | 16 | 14 | 8 | 58 | 45 | +13 | 62 |

|------------------------------------------------------------------------------|

|7th | Aston Villa | 38 | 17 | 9 | 12 | 52 | 42 | +10 | 60 |

|------------------------------------------------------------------------------|

|8th | Man Utd | 38 | 16 | 11 | 11 | 58 | 43 | +15 | 59 |

|------------------------------------------------------------------------------|

|------------------------------------------------------------------------------|

|FWF | Fair Weather | 36 | 15 | 11 | 10 | 55 | 41 | +14 | 56 |

|------------------------------------------------------------------------------|

|------------------------------------------------------------------------------|

|9th | Birmingham | 38 | 15 | 10 | 13 | 46 | 44 | +2 | 55 |

|------------------------------------------------------------------------------|

|10th | Bolton | 38 | 15 | 9 | 14 | 51 | 48 | +3 | 54 |

|------------------------------------------------------------------------------|

|11th | Southampton | 38 | 14 | 11 | 13 | 54 | 51 | +3 | 53 |

|------------------------------------------------------------------------------|

|12th | Charlton | 38 | 14 | 10 | 14 | 41 | 52 | -11 | 52 |

|------------------------------------------------------------------------------|

|13th | Portsmouth | 38 | 13 | 10 | 15 | 51 | 55 | -4 | 49 |

|------------------------------------------------------------------------------|

|14th | Blackburn | 38 | 13 | 8 | 17 | 51 | 48 | +3 | 47 |

|------------------------------------------------------------------------------|

|15th | Everton | 38 | 11 | 11 | 16 | 57 | 70 | -13 | 44 |

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|16th | Middlesbrough | 38 | 10 | 9 | 19 | 37 | 68 | -31 | 39 |

|------------------------------------------------------------------------------|

|17th | West Brom | 38 | 8 | 10 | 20 | 25 | 50 | -25 | 34 |

|------------------------------------------------------------------------------|

|18th | Man City | 38 | 6 | 7 | 25 | 25 | 59 | -34 | 25 |

|------------------------------------------------------------------------------|

|19th | Norwich | 38 | 5 | 9 | 24 | 23 | 59 | -36 | 24 |

|------------------------------------------------------------------------------|

|20th | Crystal Palace | 38 | 4 | 7 | 27 | 29 | 75 | -46 | 19 |

|------------------------------------------------------------------------------|

</pre>

Thanks to everyone who followed the story and those who took the time to post their comments – it was much appreciated.

Cheers, Spav.

[uskopite]

The end of an era - the turning of the page.

Pity bout ending the season as a Blue - and I must say, the general malaise that you are feeling about football, is a direct result of team that you are now forever left associated with. Welcome to the abyss that is Bitter Evertonia. Once a blue, always a blue. LOL

That was a great story Spav - just another in a long line of great narratives from you. Looking forward to your next adventure, when 'er that may be.

[attjen]

Fantastic Spav. Classy stuff, and very good writing. Almost teared up at the end there.

Okay, not really, but still fantastic. What's next for you?

[Raptor]

Yeah, that was very good stuff, one of too few great stories this year.

For a second, I thought you'd end up at your dad's team by the end of the season. That'd have been nice for the story, if a tad Hollywood-ish

[Brian of Nazareth]

excellent story Spav - well rounded off too

[Spav]

Thanks uskopite, attjen, Raptor and Brian of Nazareth for the comments.

There's nothing new planned from me at the moment, but I'll be trying to think of a bit of a different angle for my next story. I may wait until FM2006 and tie it in with the release of the new version. In the meantime I'll be popping in to read other people's work and make a few comments.

[Amaroq]

That was beautiful, mate. Quite well written. I, too, though you were going to wind up a Cottager after that lead-in to the Fulham match!

Funny that you didn't get to 38 games, either!

[stebs]

i cant believe its over. awesome story Spav. well done

[haze.13]

Cheers for a great story Spav!

I still recall those heady days back with Palace at the start of the season, ah yes... and that horror run of nine matches as a arse-scum-en'al fan. Yes twas a long season wasn't it. Well played.

[Majalo]

Cracking story, great original concept and a good few sub-plots tied in too.