Welcome back to WWYATS?

The last printed Where were you at the Shay? was a celebration edition following Stan Ternent's championship in 1997. It was never meant to be the last one, it just sort of happened that way. We'd laughed and moaned through several seasons and when all of a sudden you've been to Wembley and then had two consecutive promotions it seemed a little churlish to keep complaining.

Of course if we'd known what was to follow we'd have probably kept going, two seasons in the (real) 2nd division - now the Championship to those of you under 15 - the fall of Hugh Eaves, SOS, administration, BASE (remember them?), relegations, not to mention the combined mismanagement of Messers Warnock, Preece, Barrow and Casper have all gone without the barbed but considered comment of WWYATS?

In the world of the internet it is difficult, if not verging on the impossible, to produce a football fanzine that is reactive to current issues and come up with a different view, as dozens of people will have posted their thoughts on the message board(s) of their choosing within moments of them becoming common knowledge.

Hopefully this blog will allow the old team to sharpen its claws again, without the need to stand outside Gigg Lane in all weathers working out if we've broken even on the latest edition, and maybe even allow a new contributor or two to raise their head and have a say. The old favourites will be resurrected and a few new ones developed, and there'll be an opportunity for some WWYATS? gold with some classics from the old fanzines posted up for your enjoyment again.

Thanks for visiting, please pop back regularly and enjoy the blog.

Up The Shakers.

Sunday 9 September 2012

In an SOS sandwich on the M62

Halfway home after yesterday's dismal defeat to Preston I could bear it no more. I rang radio manchester. I'd been listening to Jimmy Wagg and Steve Eyre talking about the game and wanted to have my say.
Not many did, from Gigg to pulling over at Saddleworth (despite a bit of a queue to get away from the ground) no one had wanted to moan, vent, criticise or (improbable as it would be yesterday) praise. Radio Sheffield's original phone in - Praise or Grumble - would have been white hot after a derby capitulation during, what feels like, a prolonged dither over the replacement manager. But no I was the only caller during my ride through reception distance.

I'd wanted to ask how we had the least potent strike force in living memory, I'd wanted to politely suggest that Peter Shirtliff return to his assistant job, let Futch return to playing at Halifax and talk about the ongoing issue of the day with why lower league football fans are feeling marginalised and out priced. I think I got about 50% of my aims in with Jimmy trying to steer me to who I wanted to be the next manager and getting Steve Eyre to put himself up for the Shakers job.

Such was the Shakers heavy presentation I found myself neatly segued between a resigned sounding manager, and a frustrated sounding Skarz, the O (for other) in an Shirtliff Other Skarz sequence. No one offered any way out, we all bemoaned our lack of firepower and Shirtliff acknowledged that surely now a recruitment process would begin - with the transfer kitty spent and the team next to bottom.

I returned home mostly vented of my frustration, only to then read the various twitter comments later in the evening which filled my frustrat-ometer back to over brimming. Captain Schumi blamed everyone but himself (and he's been dismal since Barker's departure) and Marcus Marshall happily retweeted every comment supporting his inclusion and denouncing the current management set up. I read with amazement that the club believe LJL and Cullen will get goals and replied to the clubline tweet saying I believe in Santa and the Tooth fairy and that strike combination has more goals in it than our current selection.

Much has happened since I last posted to this blog, but the events of yesterday have raised me from my commenting slumbers. Hopefully the start of the process towards a new manager will set the Shakers back on a positive course, otherwise it could be a long winter on the M62 talking to Jimmy.
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