It was exceedingly hot when I made my way up yon brae from North Sydney station to Percy's yesterday evening, and a noticeable sweat was on my brow when I met quite by chance, Messrs Bross, Coy and Bowman, just prior to the game.
Mark and I may have had a recent cyberspace disagreement, but hell, that did not mean in the slightest that I couldn't pinch his chips in the pub!
I remarked to Mr Coy that he was unusually quiet....despondent almost... ...little did I know that Geoff must have had advance information on what the game was going to be like!
During the game had a laugh and nearly joined in with the McCartney stands chant of "This is f@#$%^ng boring.....this is f@##$$#$ng boring.."
But that was later in the game..
I started off on the family hill...'completely alcohol free'..I might add until GKW arrived direct from Harbour Cruise that is..... He had purchased two plastic cups of amber liquid but had been refused entry into the no alcohol bit, and had to leave the cups with a security guard near the toilets to get me to return to them..
(I'm only glad none of the "Bobstanders" on their way to the toilet knew who the glasses were for, or else there may well have been more liquid in the cup when we got back to them, than there was originally!!...8-)
And so it began, a now familiar story of watching a crap game, only to be spared most of the tedium through the welcome excess of alcohol.
We were joined at this point by reinforcements, two stout fellows in the shape of Jockodile, and Simon, two visiting Hibs supporters( and therefore automatically Marconi supporters), who certainly know crap games, and good beer when they see them by now...
Owing to my principled statement (which I adhered to ) that I would not 'directly contribute any money to the benefit of Rangers' it meant that I was given free beer all night.....hell, I'm going make these principled statements about every club...I'll save a fortune!
If this 'match report' says little about the match, then that is probably best, as very little happened, and both Sydney's dailies have today used terms such as 'boring' and 'short changed' to describe proceedings.
In truth, there was more entertainment in our singing...
Certainly on the bus trip back when the entire back half of the bus, broke into a rendition of "We want Archie Thompson..."
Two Marconi directors on board even joined in our rendition of "We're No Paying Yer Poll Tax"...although I doubt very much if they knew what this particular ditty was about...but good of them to join in anyway....with us 'juvenile' (copyright M Bowman) members.
One remarked that they would get Archie Thompson if we gave him the money......which prompted a round of..
"We give you all our money...we want Archie Thompson"
Smiles and laughter all round, but if Marconi sign Archie Thompson it will be as a direct result of our singing...shit I reckon they'd sign Maradona to shut me up after a few beers.
As we left the bus GKW and I called on our fellow travellers to donate via the pokie machines sufficient money to enable the signing of Archie Thompson to become a reality, and staggered off into the night to duly donate $40 each.
So a good time was had by all, despite the game, and it was good to meet up with some old faces.
However, I didn't feel too good this morning when the alarm went for some reason....dunno why, perhaps it is that North Sydney air that just doesn't agree with me.
Come to think of it...can't think of anything/body in North Sydney which/who generally does.......8-)
Forza Fred...off for some 'medicine' now