| Good Luck 16:36 - Feb 7 with 2930 views | rodneysafairy |
Just thought you may be interested in this , taken from a fan who is a press guy and writer of the history of the club Millwall fc
And also a prolific writer of many books including being a whisky expert
My Drivel is at the bottom or as they say my Pennyworths
ry very well known wall fan Lions of the South
Reproduced this in full
Good read
A Night of Shame to Blight Millwall's 133 Year History
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Read more:
This unquestionably was one of the most appalling nights in Millwall's history.
Not because we lost to Rochdale. But how and why.
Never before in our long, until this evening proud history have we ever sent essentially a reserve team to an opposing ground to do battle in the FA Cup. The fact that a 5th round home tie against Spurs, and a half million pound payday, has been squandered made the decision all the more appalling. The chance for young Millwall fans to see in the flesh the players they only ever see on tv. And chance of glory and revenge...
A couple of Rochdale directors I spoke with were utterly bemused with our team selection. It was not, to put it mildly, what they expected. I apologised to them sincerely, as a true Millwall supporter, for our team management disrespecting Rochdale as a football club, as they had our travelling support who had risked life and limb on icy roads to turn up - and hopefully return home unscathed - in good numbers. (As someone at Rochdale dryly commented: "Funny, I thought you were a Championship Club who we beat in the league last season. I hadn't realised you were a high and mighty moneybags Premier team who could afford to put your first team on the bench." Quite)
Also I congratulated them wholeheartedly because, to reach the FA Cup 5th Round for only the third time in their entire history, they had to beat what what was put in front on them....which turned out to be not very much, and wished them well.
Rochdale were a team. We were not. Just a ragtag bunch of mainly disorganised and disinterested individuals, with the exception of the goalkeeper and back line who must have surveyed what was going on in front of them with the same dismay the traveling contingent must have felt from the stands.
I was sitting next to a Premier League scout and his total inability to work out what was supposed to be going on on the pitch, especially when the substitutions were finally made, matched mine entirely. Neither of us could work out shape, who was supposed to be doing what, why we were so narrow, how Gregory was supposed to get any service....
The Millwall back four are above censure. Shackle in particular made some sublime tackles to get us out of trouble.
But Williams, Fred and Elliott in particular were truly pitiable. Absolutely shocking to a man: it was like playing with eight men. When late on Gregory curled a sublime cross between the Rochdale goalkeeper and his defence it needed Elliott only to attack it from two feet away and an undeserved equaliser would have been had. But he stood motionless and let the open goal pass him by. It summed up much of his and our game.
I will forgive Purley's plagiarism for his intro of his Just Back. It reproduced just about word for word my rant about Harris' decision to field our reserves in the first encounter with Rochdale at The Den. But in the context of this evening it was spot on and he was correct to say it.
Our manager has done much this season to be praised for. But every withering criticism of Neil Harris on here is deserved tonight. After 133 years he is the first manager ever to field a Reserve team in the FA Cup - all the more shocking considering it was Dennis Wise constantly playing a first team - even at Telford United on a pitch a lot worse than tonight's - that gave him probably the greatest moment of his playing career: an FA Cup Final at Wembley.
So he fact he should treat the competition and us - and Rochdale AFC - with such contempt makes this evening all the more unforgivable and unpalatable. And by fielding such an overly diluted team he has, as Moody sums up elsewhere perfectly, possibly weakened the ties of some supporters not just from the club but the game itself.
We are not going up. We are not going down. We have a game on Friday, but so what? The gap between Tues and Friday is no shorter than that between Saturday and Tuesday. So if we, a very average 2nd tier side, can't even be bothered to send out our First XI to win a vital FA Cup tie, then why as fans should we be bothered to support them?
Which then in turn begs the question: what is the bloody point of Millwall FC at all...?
Only One team deserved to win this tie and it was not the ones who came by coach from
London
ok the pitch was a disgrace tbh and we all know if it had been a lge game it would not have took place
We have our own scum who have held the club back with their "antics" so no comment from me on the kids on the pitch
Mind they were lucky the mad lot were not there or it would have got ugly 100%
The tickets that were sold were to only season ticket holders and members
Obvs the club have all the addresses and details of these people unlike when it goes open sale and this when the trouble starts
Some are even saying it was a conspiracy saying the chairman and the club did not want to play spurs , ha ha what with the policing costs and the the possible trouble and all the bad publicity
(The last time we played them at home 2001 there were 174 arrests ! and this was a testimonial !
What tosh
As i have said on here i have a soft spot for the Dale as years ago i came to a game (non wall) and on the train back i traveled with a Rochdale London based fan and we kept i touch and i look out for the results
He has since moved to the states but we still keep in touch and YES he has been on to wind me up via E mail
He may even come over for the spurs game possb i may join him , dont know how hard it will be ticket wise
Anyway the game, millwall were abstly shit a embarrassment
Many have gone a bit scouse and Leeds what with Neils comments and some asking the club OFFICIALLY for a refund !! i kid you not well the 2 coaches
They are saying they thought it was a first team fixture and not a reserve lge game
Must admit i would not have come if i knew the team
Being of a age when the cup was really really something maybe my views are different bit i think Harris is a disgrace , and the club he represents should be ashamed
This may not end well now, we play Cardiff live on friday sky and a few will make their feelings known
Its been reported , no its official the players were supposed to have today off but they have been told to report into to training today and a rumour 2 have not turned up
This is all the making of Sir Neil going all bertie big
Tbh i would rather win againts spurs and go down as thats what we do has we dont invest in players, we will go down as we always do anyway eventually
We strike lucky with players in a golden period then they go to bigger clubs and we replace them with shit like the 2 black forwards last nite who are Div 2 or non lge players at best
Our 4 best players this season never played last nite and are not injured so why
OK 2 CAME ON WHEN IT WAS TOO LATE, AND WHAT WAS THE POINT IN TAKING EM UP THERE sorry caps in the first place
The best memores for me are near enough all in the cup Knocking the Lge champions out last season Leicester, Beating chelsea at the bridge twice, Beating Arsenal at highbury,
sunderland in the semi final
I know this may sound like crying when some on here are saying the Spurs game is your biggest game in your entire history
Really aint you been in League cup FINAL ?
Anyway, well done and good luck with the spurs game, mind you may find some of your players switch off or will be affected by the big game
Dont want that with the battle to stay up
Have to say i thought Andrews gave us some big problems in the game and of course set the goal up
He actually played for millwall on loan and some were saying he was the worst player we had playing for us in our history
Spose it will be hard to get a ticket
I think if Spurs get a early goal or two tonite they could run Swanseas scoreline last nite close on that massive pitch
Sorry if ive bored , just thought id share
On a shit keyboard in a crowded internet cafe excuse type |  | | |  |
| Good Luck on 16:48 - Feb 7 with 2850 views | BartRowou |
Millwall are deffo my London team now.
I love the ground: it's cold, grey, not very welcoming and an antidote to the happy-clappy, shiny arenas so beloved by Sky's blimp.
Decent fans too who have shown themselves to be gracious in defeat without being patronising which makes the antics of our "boys" all the more cringeworthy.
Millwall is the football equivalent of standing on a plug with no shoes on. I hope they get in the Premier League soon enough and I don't think the Premier League will like it one bit. |  |
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| Good Luck on 16:50 - Feb 7 with 2831 views | D_Alien |
No, not bored us - or not me at any rate, with any of your posts
But just so you know - it's: Penn' orth, not Pennyworth! |  |
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| Good Luck on 16:52 - Feb 7 with 2824 views | Nigeriamark |
Both good reads and no trying to blame the pitch |  | | |
| Good Luck on 17:10 - Feb 7 with 2744 views | Yorkshire_Dale |
Big thanks for your contributions over the last couple of weeks Rodders.
This forum has been a bit flat lately and you and your team have given us all a new impetus.
Hope our Club go onto better things now.......revitalised for a crack at staying up. | | | |
| Good Luck on 17:11 - Feb 7 with 2738 views | 100notout |
Good read - thanks Rodney - he who dares ........... | |
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| Good Luck on 17:20 - Feb 7 with 2702 views | rodneysafairy |
Big thanks for your contributions over the last couple of weeks Rodders.
This forum has been a bit flat lately and you and your team have given us all a new impetus.
Hope our Club go onto better things now.......revitalised for a crack at staying up.
No probs , im more of a talker than typer ha, but have a go
And Yes he who dares born Peck ham breed and dragged up ha
If i see any funny stuff, that might amuse i will stick some up
shame they are on lock downs members only
I look for snippets to pass on to a blogger
Danny Baker aint happy, someone told him to "on your bike and go write another piece of fiction you ............. well you get the gist | | | |
| Good Luck on 18:10 - Feb 7 with 2551 views | NorthernDale |
Good write up and TBH the pitch was bad, but after all the rain and other issues we have had we were happy just to get the game on.
I must apologise and please pass the apologise onto the other MIllwall fans for the behaviour of the idiots at the end of the game, they do not represent the DALE and are a disgrace to the town itself.. | | | |
| Good Luck on 18:31 - Feb 7 with 2471 views | aleanddale |
until now I have not mentioned the Walls restraint at FT but fair play to them they showed a lot of retraint when being provoked.
in fact we have had zero bother in the last couple of years - it makes the events after yesterdays game even more cringeworthy.
Good Luck Millwall for the remainder of the season and you already know but the vast majority of true support are embarrassed by the occasional minority who spoiled it for the true supporters at the final whistle. | | | |
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