Weekly View from the commentary box

Well as I sit writing this weekly view from the commentary box Wrexham fans are doing everything they can to raise sufficient funds to pay the players, who perhaps understandably, are reluctant to play pre season friendlies in case they get injured and are unable to find a new club should the worst happen. What a shame that a promising pre season has been interrupted by a situation which has been building up for some time now. Who can blame Dean and the players for thinking about themselves at this time as it would appear that their employers are certainly not taking that course of action.
The problem is from my perspective that all the public posturing by the owners is alienating them from the fan base more and more each day yet as employers they have a duty to ensure the people they employ are paid for their efforts. The players, and indeed staff, have turned up for work each day and have been unbeaten in the last 4 pre season games, they therefore deserved to be paid. Yet the owners are saying the pot is empty.
I, like many other fans, do not know the true facts and circumstances around the takeover bid by the WST, but I do feel that they have so far acted more professionally and with more dignity than anyone else in this god forsaken mess that surrounds the football club I love and have supported for over 30 years. The trust are surely almost there and for the sake of a few more days or weeks then I feel that I must continue support them in their actions. We have elected the board to represent us as members and we have to rely on them to do their best for the membership and the club. They are true supporters and not money mad property tycoons with an eye for a quick buck.
Who knows if there is a benefactor out there who can help us through the next period in the clubs history, if not then we will not die for the want of trying. Robbie Savage has already pledged his support and fans can donate to the WSF initiative to raise money for the wages by donating cash or cheques at the club or by paypal to brian.davies1@googlemail.com Wrexham fans may be small in number but they are huge in heart and will do everything they possibly can to ensure that come 13th August The Racecourse is packed to the rafters to cheer on Dean and the lads. Come on you Reds.

Steve

Savage Fate

Dodged a bullet there, I think! What a surprise-he said some populist comments but didn't follow through!

It's not as if you couldn't see this coming: if you think I'm being harsh, I refer you to this and this! Even the incentive of hooking up with Rebecca Lowe's gone now!

Let's hope the media finally decide to drop these stupid "Savage to Wrexham" stories and let Mr Rent-a-Quote give them some other gems instead. I for one am heartily sick of it.

Tugay or Not Tugay?

So now we're signing a player who last season was looking good in The Premiership, eh? Forgive me if I contain my excitement.

Don't get me wrong: I'd love it to be true. It's just that I don't see a single shred of evidence that it is.

There are two basic truths about these types of stories:

1. Usually they're not true.

2. When they are true, nothing comes of them.

I'll stand by point number one through thick and thin. Show me one piece of information to confirm the story beyond an assumption based on Tugay reportedly being at Collier's park last week and has worked with Dean Saunders.

As for point number two, you might argue that the signing of Andy Crofts was, on paper, a "too good to be true" transfer story as he was clearly out of our league in terms of his pedigree (if not in actuality!) However, I'll see your Crofts and raise you a Savage and a Musampa.

The main source seems to be a thread on Red Passion. Now we all know that such threads can be hijacked by wind up merchants, but there's a lot of sense spoken on this one-certainly more than in The Mirror's flimsy excuse for a story. It raises a question which is worth considering, and the answer to which will solve the conundrum: why aren't The Leader and The Daily Post asking about this? My gut feeling is it's because they know it's not a story.

Hope I'm wrong though!

Remember Us Robbie?

Robbie Savage isn't all that keen on playing in The Conference after all, it seems!

I said in an earlier blog that Savage tends to speak whatever happens to be in his mind without a great deal of consideration for what he's previously pronounced, so I shouldn't be too surprised to see him announcing his horror at the notion of playing in The Conference, just a couple of months after he spoke of his desperation to sign for us.

It's no great surprise that he has forgotten about us really; yesterday seemed to be his dream come true; his links with Manchester United meant he was the centre of media attention when Derby played them live on TV. He loved every second of it, as indeed he should, and I doubt if swapping that for a monthly pitchside Setanta rendezvous with Rebecca Lowe's going to tempt him away from that.

Unless ITV stick an advert over his post-match ruminations, of course!

New Dragon Talk Podcast

There's a new Dragon Talk podcast up at www.wrexhamfan.co.uk in which legendary Seagulls fan and anti-establishment performance poet Attila The Stockbroker tells us how Robbie Savage's loan spell at Brighton went, spills the beans on Lewes and updates us on their protracted move to Falmer, and Altrincham manager Graham Heathcote tips us for the title!

The Savage Truth!

http://icwales.icnetwork.co.uk/footballnation/wrexham-fc/2008/03/23/sav-that-dragons-dream-is-over-91466-20661564/

I'm no fan of Robbie Savage-quite apart from his behaviour on the pitch, I feel he let Wales down badly. However, I don't think we should rush to harsh judgement over his latest pronouncement.

Looking for consistency from Savage, like Derby's season, is basically pointless. However, this story has a bit more gravity to it.

It's interesting how many away press boxes I go into where I'm greeted by a reporter from the other side who says he's Savage's main man and gets lots of great stories from him. That'll be because when you go to him for a quote he'll say the first thing that comes into his head, so the idea that he will come to play for Wrexham at the end of his career is a tale to be taken with a huge pinch of salt. I've met guys from Torquay to Preston who have a handy by-line in calling him and slapping down whatever comes out of his mouth. Frankly, they're exploiting his willingness to be open.

This story's different though. Chris Wathan is a sound bloke who's one of the few trying to actually get a bit of coverage for us on a wider scale. Unlike the reporters I mentioned earlier, he's a Welsh reporter, so his relationship with Savage is more natural and, dare I say it, not parasitic like certain others I could mention!

So this story is the logical bottom line on the whole saga. Savage probably won't be coming to play for us, he never was in my opinion, and frankly as he was never going to come back when there was a chance his legs could carry him at a decent level, I'm quite happy with that.

When he signs along with Kevin Ellison on Friday I might delete this though!