The Diary

08 October 2003: Tam Mkandawire: A Career Resurrected?

As there?s not that much doing on the Baggies front right now, this is just a quickie about tonight?s visit to Witton Albion, where ?Im Indoors and myself journeyed to watch the mighty Bulls in action. In case you hadn?t guessed already, that?s Hereford United to you, squire - and just to chuck even more cloudy stuff at the issue, it wasn?t Witton who were the opponents tonight, but Northwich Victoria, who are using the aforementioned club?s ground as a temporary roosting-place while they?re having a new one built. Confused? You will be!

There?s also another excellent reason for including the doings of The Bulls in what is predominantly a Baggies tale, and that?s the considerable Albion presence now at that club. There?s ex-Albion youth team coach, Richard O?Kelly, of course, and since the start of the present campaign, the Hereford line-up has been augmented on a permanent basis by one of ROK?s prot?g?s, Danny Carey-Bertram, otherwise known to this column as ?Danny Double-Barrel?; not only that, since then, the Baggies link has been further strengthened by the arrival on loan of Tam Mkandawire the other week. We should have guessed something of that nature was in the wind, because we saw Richard O?Kelly in what used to be the Directors? Box the night we played Man United Reserves. Clearly he was at the Shrine with a shopping-list in tow, and afterwards came away with Tam, if only on a temporary basis.

Anyway, returning to the doings of tonight, this was really the first chance I?d had to see the lad in action for the Conference side, although we?d received glowing reports of his performance during their previous fixture, last Saturday. On paper, tonight?s game should have been a lark in the park; Hereford, just like our favourite football club, are currently top of their heap, and prior to tonight?s fixture, Northwich were second from bottom. Easy-peasy? Well, if you take the superficial viewpoint, then, yes. Hereford were the victors by five goals to one, but the bare figures don?t do justice to the fact that Northwich really did try to play decent football, instead of trying to kick their visitors off the park, which is the usual modus operandi of desperate sides at that level.

Right, then. Back to the game, and, more specifically, back to Tam (now minus dreadlocks!). To be honest, I thought he struggled a little in the first half, although Hereford took the lead quite early on with a superb 15-yard volley from a pin-point cross emanating from the right flank. The problem, you see, is making the mental adjustment from football played at our level ? even second-string stuff ? to the way they do things in the Conference. Even we, as supporters, have difficulty making the adjustment sometimes, so what it must be like for newcomers to that level, I really dread to think. Down in football?s basement, to give but one example, stuff that would earn a yellow card (or worse) in our division, gets nary a stern look from the man in black. To really ruin a referee?s day for him, you practically have to perform a mid-thigh amputation on the guy you?re tackling, so it?s no wonder there?s quite a sea-change in attitude to be made. Returning to Tam, once more, this uncertainly manifested itself in important clearances missed, letting opponents give him the slip, passes upfield going astray; that sort of thing. In short, the necessary confidence seemed lacking, which was quite sad, as we well knew Tam had what you might term ?the right stuff?.

Come the second half, though ? Hereford had a two-goal cushion by then ? his game couldn?t have been more different. I reckon he was getting the general hang of things by then; as the half progressed, we began to see a different Tam emerge, a bit like a beautiful butterfly from a quite ugly chrysalis stage, I suppose. Suddenly, those clearances began to have a patina of class about them, less of the ?hoof and hope?, more about winning the ball with panache, then looking for colleagues in the most advantageous position to receive it. Not only that, when under considerable pressure in his own box ? you try having three or four attackers built like brick outhouses bearing down upon you at a rate of knots and see what it does to your anal sphincter! ? there was the calm receiving of the ball at his feet, the effortless making of sufficient space and time to get rid, then the silky-smooth measured pass to get the attacking juggernaut rolling once more. Tam may not have impressed Gary that much while with us, but as the game progressed, he really began to shine, and the small crowd of away-followers began to warm to him also. Towards the end ? Hereford were four in front by then ? we also saw Danny Carey Bertram come into the fray, and if I remember rightly, he had a hand in the making of the fifth for the Bulls. Strange to hear their supporters singing the same paean of praise to Danny as the one we reserve for Jason Koumas!

I was absolutely delighted to see the pair of them acquit themselves so well this evening. It must knock youthful confidence no end to be perpetually consigned to a twilight sort of footballing existence where your fellow-inhabitants are either old and cynical pros trapped in a cul-de-sac of their own making, or kids unfairly made to do a man?s job. It wouldn?t be so bad if there was even a glimmer of hope for youngsters of escaping Albion?s equivalent of the Siberian steppes, but to be brutally honest, at the moment, there ain?t.

Edgar Street might not be up there with the likes of Old Trafford or Highbury, but at least lads like Tam and Danny know their skills, enthusiasm, and effort are genuinely appreciated by their manager, the coaching staff, their playing colleagues, and, most important of all to youthful egos, the supporters. Danny is now a permanent member of the Edgar street set-up, and it wouldn?t surprise me in the least if Tam weren?t to get fixed up in similar fashion. And there?s still other youngsters at The Shrine ? Simon Brown, I mean you! ? who could benefit from a move from the grime of the Black Country to the place where cider is made in quantity, and, as is becoming increasingly likely, if United return to the bosom of the League once more, the increased media exposure that would entail could be just the kick-start to a flagging career these lads need.

And finally?. The other day, I somewhat foolishly asked whether anyone could come up with pre-match rituals as obscure and/or as arcane/plain daft as those of all four Dick Eds. Silly me. Just when I thought it was safe to leave my PC, up pops Diary regular Steve Sant to impart even more bizarre pre-match rituals unto me. OK, I asked for it, and just to demonstrate what a caring-sharing Albion supporter I am, I only think it fair you should have the chance of appreciating the full extent of Steve?s eccentricities as well, so take it away, Maestro!

Betting

I have us to win 1-0 every week. Last season it cost me a fortune, but the year before? Well, you can imagine!

Clothes

Wear pants of predominant colour of visiting teams first kit. i.e. blue when Ipswich visit, red for Stoke, white for Leeds, etc etc. For Wolves, I just neglect to wipe where the sun doesn?t shine for a week before the game!

Drinking

Only have half-time can at ?2 odd if we are not winning or losing by 4 goals at the interval. (i.e. always have can at ?2 odd at half time).

Others known

1.Home match shopping.

Know a chap who does food shopping prior to home games and always buys something in a blue/white tin or packet whether he needs it or not. (He has Tesco?s own brand stuff aplenty).

2.Tattoo kissing.

A couple from Gornal both have Baggies tattoos and kiss their partner?s body art before all games (in private, I hasten to add!). The chap?s is on his forearm ? er, and his girlfriend?s? Well, as I say, they do it in private!

3.The walker.

A Dudley based fan walks from the motorway island past the ground to Island Road and then back to the turnstiles. This originated from the play-off semi second leg when he had his brother?s ticket and went looking for him after the brother failed to show outside the Woodman where the pair always met. Knowing the brother?s usual parking spot our hero went looking for his sibling and found him in Island Road. Since the subsequent victory over Swansea he has, without fail, met his brother at his car with his ticket and always alights the bus at the same stop outside the cricket ground where he alighted that night ten years ago. Yes, he's a nutter.

That?s my lot for a few days, then. If there?s any significant Albion news before the end of the week, I may be persuaded to think again, but if anything should happen between Friday night and Monday afternoon, tough titty; we?re going to our caravan for a short autumn break. Normal service will be resumed on Monday night; until then, as John Homer might say, ?keep aert th?oss-road, aer kid!?.

 - Glynis Wright

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