A casual buy no. 32

I owned my first pair of Timberland boots back in 1988, in fact I was the first person to wear them in an army barracks of about 800 soldiers. One of my best mates wanted to borrow them to go with his newly bought semi-flare jeans – I told him to fuck off and buy his own, these Timberlands were mine and mine only.

I’m still that enamoured of Timberlands, 23 years later, and I’ve owned a pair without a break since then. They are simply one of the most iconic items of footwear ever produced, a design classic, the Coca-Cola bottle of the footwear industry. They were also the bootage of choice for the paninari, enough said.

Here’s my latest pair, not that I get through them at any great speed, they wear very hard. Yes, you do see them on the feet of everyone nowadays, but that doesn’t take away from how good a boot they are, a pair of jeans are bare naked without a pair of Timberland hanging out the bottom of them.

Albion 3 – 1 Portsmouth

My first Albion game of 2011, and the first time I’ve watched a ball kicked in anger since FC United on the 8th December. And what a game to come back to. As I expected to miss this game through work, I only managed to get a ticket on Friday – for the West Stand, where I could savour the ‘atmosphere’ at Withdean from half a mile away, like opposition fans have been enduring since 1999. To be fair when the ball is down in your half it ain’t half bad, but second half was difficult, the low angle of view didn’t help, and I missed Franny Sandaza’s ping-pong goal.

Pompey brought a big following and as we were rushing from the pub to find the route into the usual away end (the West -away- Stand was home fans only so Pompey could take up their 15% ticket allocation in our bigger Family Stand), I saw John Westwood – AKA the Pompey Bell(end) Ringer staggering about the East/South Stand concourse. He really needs to put the hat, clown shoes, and wisket in the wash – filthy it was.

Sadly for Westwood and his boys his team never turned up. Getting a player as good as Kitson sent off early didn’t help them, but I genuinely felt we would beat the Skates yesterday, and was touting “2-0” as the final score in the pub beforehand. We battered them in the first half, and the amount of Pompey yellow cards handed out by, dare I say it, an Albion-friendly ref, was proof of their frustration at getting taken apart by a lower league side. Portsmouth seem to have a Premier League-sized collective ego, and hangover. You were shite, admit it.

Poyet started with three strikers (FLAIR!), and each had a fine game, Glenn Murray was the pick even though he was the only one of the trio who didn’t rattle the onion bag. I want to give Mauricio Taricco Man of the Match, as he not only stood in well for the suspended Calderon, but surpassed him in his brilliant 60 minute cameo. Treacle must’ve been some player in his younger days. Pompey were annoyed at being skinned by a 37 year old, and he got some rough treatment before he was subbed after tiring later on, but job done.

Adam El-Abd gets my nod, although any one of four of five players deserved the plaudits too. Bomber is fast becoming the cult hero here at Casa Hovian, another assured display with the rehabilitated Tommy Elphick at the back was the foundation that built the performance. After the game as we walked down the hill past the unhappy Pompey crowd returning to their coaches, a few started chopsing and giving it the big one (from behind a police line of course), that rounded off a perfect day back at the Theatre of Trees, one that I’ll remember fondly when I’m sat in my shiny new padded seat at Falmer next season.

The Hovian’s Team performance : 9 out 10

The Hovian’s Man of the Match : Adam El-Abd

Attendance : 7792 (1421 Skates)

I’m back….

…and I’m knackered to fuck, but will be sat at the Withdean this Saturday for the cup match, insh’allah