Hello Hello We Are The Butchers Bhoys (Again.The Good, The Bad and The Ugly)

The Good

African Cup Of Nations Update: The other night I was watching Guinea v Ghana and a certain Dianbobo Balde was winning his 44th cap for Guinea. The AC Arles Avignon player made my nostalgia strings play a sweet symphony when after 30 seconds he lunged widely at an attacker, missing the ball and sending the man spinning wildly in the air.

It could have been the 21st May 2003 in the Stadio Olimpico De Sevilla.

So, what’s good about this week? The end of the Transfer Window that’s what. Instead of wishing for what we want we can now moan about what we have and look into our crystal ball – that all fans have – and predict massive failure. That’s what we do anit it?

We missed out on a big striker fae Real Betis (and any BIG STRIKER for that matter). The Verdiblancos have massive financial problems (that sounds familiar) and our CEO turning up offering a couple of empty irn bru bottles, a voucher for a Pizza Hut buffet and an empty packet of Haribos at 10:30pm on DEADLINE DAY (that just needs to be bolded and put in capitals in respect of Jim Full Of $hite) wasn’t what they wanted for Jorge Molina Vidal and wasn’t going to sooth their troubled financial waters.

Leon Best, I reckon like the rest of us he realised that he was at the bottom or close to the bottom of that long list of big strikers and decided to stay in the Toon.

What did we get then for the zero pounds we spent? Aye, quite an interesting batch and we didn’t need to say goodbye to any of our top men. There was some I wouldn’t have minded getting rid of some but that can wait for the summer. They may all have a part to play. Goodbyes are easier in the summer anyway.

Mikael Lustig is the one I expect most from. 6ft 3in full Swedish international 25 times and a reason to look out those slightly ill fitting Swedish tops for EURO 2012 as he will be taking on the French, English and the Ukraine in Kiev and Donetsk.

Another defender is Jaroslaw Fojut. One of the two players Polish players we picked up this window. No reports if we attempted to bring him this window (we are well covered in the CB department) but another one (like Lustig) who at 24 has to be seen as now and not future.

The player from the Poland was Pawel Brozek who was transferred not only from Transbonspor but also from his twin bother. He has 6 Ekstraklasa League medals and was twice the league top scorer before his failed move to Turkey. That seems to be in vogue recently. Strikers failing in Spor Toto Super Lig, he’s in good company.

Rabiu Ibrahim is a child protege. Named as one of the 50 most exciting footballers by World Soccer in 2007 and Top 50 Rising Stars in The Times in 2009. Has had a glittering career at Youth Level (didn’t John Fleck?) but has only made a handful of senior appearances for Sporting Lisbon and PSV. That’s a worry but he has 3 and a half years to change it.

We are also claiming that Efrain Juarez is a like a new signing. The little Mexican has played 15 games in La Liga this season (better than the SPL they tell me) and scored 1 goal. The only reason he was punted was because Zaragoza wanted to add another foreigner and Juarez lost the game of paper, scissors, stones.

It’s hardly Viagra-like trouser moving but it’s certain enough to take notice.

Oh, also we have the small matter of a cup tie in Inverness. We are unbeaten against them this season and haven’t lost a goal. We have also won our last 2 visits to the Tulloch Stadium on Scottish Cup duty 2 goals to 1.

Surely we will stay on course to reaching our 4th consecutive Cup Final since 73/75?

The Bad.

Meeting Butchers Inverness again is worrying. I was hoping that Dunfermline would belie their crapness. They didn’t and again we are looking at the football gods asking: “Why us?”.

Butcher joined Inverness on the 27th Jan 2009. They played and drew with us (0-0) a week later. We have played them 5 times since and twice they have managed to stop us winning. Aye, we remember that one on the 4th May 2011.

Was that Butchers greatest moment against us? Did I feel more pain that day than I did on Black Sunday? Does Butcher fire his teams up more against us than he does them?

Yes to the first one. His team were as fantastic that night as we were bad (time is a great healer). Yes, I did feel more pain that night than Black Sunday. I was drunk on Black Sunday. Very drunk. I never felt anything to the Wednesday.

We had only ourselves to blame for Black Sunday. We missed chances when well in control and the team ran out of steam. It was a tired side, one that had lasted one fight to long. Murderwell fluked that victory. Skippy gave up his Albert Kidd status when he signed for us. That was enjoyable. Any Skippy Loyal that sprung up was soon disbanded in a pique of rage and loathing.

But we still have Albert. God bless and that sail in him.

Is he cheat like Stuart McCall? No. With Inverness he has a 50% success rate in stopping them winning games. That’s what makes it worse.

On to the ugly then.

The Ugly

In his pomp Butcher was an easily hateable ba$tard. Now, he just seems like a hard working manager who enjoys his bloody job, making our life miserable in the process. His teams are in his image. We have never played a decent game in Inverness (this stems back to to Pre-Butcher also) and he loves reminding us of that.

This is a HIGHLY winnable game for them and one, that wouldn’t rank as a shock if they do.

That is fecking ugly as is my lack of paranoid loathing of Butcher.

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Lhads,

Earlier on in the season we did a Live Blog for games. It was a sort of minute by minute thing where I would vent my spleen in real time.

I was thinking of resurrecting the format.

Thoughts please.