Four Generals and an Admiral

Some years ago we lived in High Wycombe. Ever since, my sons and I have - with more or less consistency and enthusiasm - supported, or at least taken occasional interest in, the local football team, Wycombe Wanderers.

Gareth Ainsworth's seven years as manager of the club makes him the longest serving manager in the professional leagues in England. He works fantastically well with the players, using a group of long serving senior players, who he calls his "four generals", to create and maintain squad unity. Vital given that, having very little cash, the club has each year had to bed in a group of loan players.

The latest loan player is a 19 year old striker Admiral Muskwe, a Zimbabwean International from Leicester. I've never heard of anyone called Admiral although I often given that moniker to my friend Tony, in honour of his service in the Royal Navy (although not quite at that rank).

Apparently there was a burst of popularity for this name in the USA for a few years around 1900, perhaps due to the Spanish-American War, but close to zero since then. Admiral as a baby's name was ranked number 11,433 in 2017 according to babycenter.com, although number 394 in 1898. I found a site listing the 50 most popular baby names in Africa but no Admiral. Sadly, I have no further info. If you know of anyone called Admiral, please let me (and my hundreds of readers) know.

Other names which boomed in popularity after the Spanish-American War included Maine, Manila and Havana (all girls). Could have been worse, for example Guam.

I've not heard of anyone being named St Austell. Except for the Saint, of course.

Anyway, the boy played really well in today's 4-1 victory in the FA Cup. Here he is, speaking during the period last May when football was inactive.

Three remarkable days

Monday July 13th, 2020. Wembley Stadium, London.

Wycombe Wanderers, a club with no reserve team, no under 23 team, no money. A team of loanees, free transfers and journeymen. Fleetwood Town, silky purveyors of possession football. The Final of the League One play offs. Winner gets promoted to the Championship. Loser slinks away gutted.

Do Wycombe have a chance? They have a charismatic rock star manager, Gareth Ainsworth. The longest serving manager in the top four tiers of English professional football. Previously a Wycombe player. Known as Wild Thing.

 

And Adebayo Akinfenwa, a 38 year old weight lifting centre forward. Known as The Beast.

9th minute: Wycombe score from a Joe Jacobsen deadly corner. 1-0.

57th minute: Fleetwood score. 1-1.

79th minute: Wycombe score with a Joe Jacobsen penalty. It couldn't happen, could it?

11 minutes of intense pressure from Fleetwood.

Full time: Wycombe, with 24% possession, are the winners. Remarkable. Spirit counts.

Wednesday July 15th, 2020. Emirates Stadium, London.

Arsenal, languishing in 10th place in the Premier League. A team of kids and has-beens. Liverpool, newly crowned champions of the Premier League, 20 points ahead of the rest, proud purveyors of heavy metal football. Winner gets pride, loser slinks away gutted.

Do Arsenal have a chance? They have a young manager in his first managerial job, Mikel Arteta. Previously an Arsenal player.

20th minute: Liverpool score, as expected. 1-0

32nd minute: chaos in the Liverpool defence, Arsenal score. Alex Lacazette. 1-1

44th minute: more Liverpool chaos, Arsenal score. Reiss Nelson. 2-1.

46 minutes of intense pressure from Liverpool.

Full time: Arsenal, with 31% possession, are the winners. Remarkable. Spirit counts.

Saturday July 18th, 2020. Wembley Stadium, London.

Arsenal, languishing in 10th place in the Premier League. A team of kids and has-beens. Manchester City, FA Cup holders, silky purveyors of possession football. FA Cup Semi Final. Winner gets to the Final of the FA Cup, loser slinks away gutted.

Do Arsenal have a chance? They have a young manager in his first managerial job, Mikel Arteta. Previously an Arsenal player.

And a deadly striker from Gabon, Pierre Emerick Aubameyang.

19th minute: Arsenal breakaway. Aubameyang scores. 1-0

71st minute: Arsenal breakaway again. Aubameyang scores. 2-0

19 minutes of intense pressure from Manchester City.

Full time: Arsenal, with 29% possession, are the winners. Remarkable. Spirit counts.

The Cold Blooded Hearts

How many football managers are rock stars? Or even look like rock stars? There are plenty who fancy themselves as style icons but not so many with rugged rock star hair, hairy chest and smoldering looks (think Rod Stewart). So all hail Gareth Ainsworth, long-serving manager of the mighty Wycombe Wanderers, aka the Chairboys. He is the longest serving manager, at 7½ years, in the top four divisions of English football (the average tenure is about 20 minutes).

Ainsworth is lead singer and songwriter of The Cold Blooded Hearts. Their latest effort The Wanderer is available on Spotify. It's cheesy country and western stuff. Great for a night out in High Wycombe (ask my sons about that).

Everyone has a nickname in football. His is Wild Thing.

Adebayo Akinfenwa is another wild thing. Also, like Ainsworth, a cult figure. He is Wycombe's centre forward (the modern usage "striker" might be a bit of a misnomer for him) and the word "figure" is apt; he weighs in at 16 stone (101 Kg), so says the purveyor of truth known as Wikipedia, and can bench press (whatever that means) 200 Kg. He roams around the football field like King Kong. Sprinting is not his thing but frightening opposing defenders (and sometimes his own teammates) definitely is. You have to play the ball to his feet. Do not expect him to jump. Do not expect him to run in behind defenders. Get the ball onto his chest and he will hold it up until teammates arrive to help him out i.e. take the ball from him and plonk it in the net. Don't expect him to run to the corner flag to join in the celebrations. But when his team scored the decisive goal tonight, even he was part of a huge scrum of flailing Wycombe bodies. I pitied whoever was underneath him; they may not be ready for next Monday's final.

Wycombe Wanderers are in League One and tonight  they fought their way through to the Play Off Final at Wembley Stadium. In normal times I'd definitely be up for the trip there. Unfortunately fans are not allowed at the moment. Boris, could you make an exception?

Somehow The Chairboys (High Wycombe is a furniture town) seems a rather feeble moniker for this burly group of lads. We really need something more gritty. Suggestions?