New feature : Raven's Ramblings

According to Gilbert's poem the policeman's lot is not a happy one but if recent event in recent weeks are anything to go by I think we should replace the eponymous bobby with a football scout. As I am sure all the folks at home are aware the role takes the scout far and wide to watch forthcoming opposition, players that catch the eye and, occasionally, players out on loan. A report on the opponent is compiled and presented to the gaffer who uses it to prepare for the match.....which then gets postponed. Or, after a lengthy journey the game gets called off just as you are reaching the ground (Concord anyone?). Or, the player you are there to watch breaks down in the warm-up and doesn't play and to add insult to injury the game that then unfolds is as entertaining as a trip to the dentist. The final injustice, as I have already mentioned this season, is when the side that you have watched then makes ten changes to the squad so the team that turns up is completely different to the one you watched three weeks ago!

We all love to see a little pixie dust sprinkled on the beautiful game and if there is any justice in the world then it will be beauty that tames the beast when Stephanie Roche becomes the first female player to win the FIFA Puskas award for the goal of the year. When you look at the ten excellent goals considered for the award - which includes Tim Cahill's volley for Australia against Holland - Stephanie is in very distinguished company and regardless of gender her goal deserves to be shortlisted. Stephanie's goal is a superb example of vision, technique and execution and is up against James Rodriguez's volley and Robin Van Persie's 'diving' header - how it can be a diving header when his feet appear to be on the floor is another matter - which were both scored at the World Cup.

While on a recent ramble I compared our progress this season to last season. A few weeks on and after nineteen games on we are a point behind on last season with a near identical won- drawn-lost record. We have scored fewer goals but have a meaner defence this season and have a positive goal difference - we were -2 at the same point last December. For me the significant difference and a real measure of progress is that last season we had largely kept faith with the squad that had won promotion whereas this season the squad was largely rebuilt from scratch and we are more than holding our own in what I have found to be a stronger division...just 15 points separate 5th from 20th as the league stands at the time of writing.

After the disappointing result at Margate a stern examination of our credentials will come in the next few weeks in the form of opposition who are arguably struggling this season but who are more than capable of scrapping for a result and we will have a much better idea of our progress before Santa makes his rounds.

Before I ramble off, spare a thought for the referee who finds himself being summoned to a disciplinary hearing for being unable to accept a match appointment from a league he is not registered with and for a team which he coaches!

Finally, to borrow the American MVP concept for a wee while, the Blues on-loan striker Freddie Ladapo has scored 42% of our goals...currently the best contribution by any player to his club’s tally anywhere in the division this season!

Raven's Ramblings is a regular column in our match day program. This article was originally published in our match program dated Saturday 6th December 2014