Agenda, stance and perspective are a wonderful thing. As the year looks to slip away under the snow dirfts and general #Bawbaggery of the weather, I've become rather contemplative about what 2011 has thrown up for me. If I look at it from one stance, it's been a bit of a shiter of a year.
This ranges from the mundanity of having to commute for over an hour each way, each day to work and putting weight back on which I'd tried hard to banish forever, to more serious matters. The more serious matters being having to move out of a flat which wasn't too great to begin with, due to what the Beano or The Dandy would describe as a dastardly villain.
Watching an episode of Glee used to end with me feeling a bit dirty as it was a guilty pleasure, but only one of them ended with my downstairs gem of a neighbour "allegedly" setting fire to my abode. Apparently, in a Spinal Tap like way, you can't fingerprint scorch marks. Anyways, that was probably the primary low, exacerbated by the stress of trying to find a new place to live. On top of this, saving for our impending wedding has not gone quite as to plan as we would have hoped, and earning less than I know I could be in my current job has put a dampener on my exponential spending. Indeed, to top the year off, I failed at the second hurdle to get a job, that I hoped would set up 2012 as a year to remember.
If I was a pessimist, I would look at that year and give a good old Ron Simmons style "DAMN!". However, that is one perspective. Another perspective could be that 2011 has been a pretty darn good year.
I moved back home in to the welcoming arms of my family, who I needed for a lot of support during previously mentioned times. I have a steady job, which, while I am looking to find something that gives me a better wage, is a job which pays me enough to let me get by and afford some luxuries. I live in a cracking wee house with the woman I love, which we are slowly but surely making a home. We went to Canada in April which was amazing and have recently purchased our first car, which I can drive, having passed my driving test 8 years after failing due to someone else's incompetence. I have grown within my job, to a level where I can do it to a decent level, and have also gained part time work with the football club that is closest to my heart.
And this is where the football stuff kicks in. Throughout the good and bad of the last 12 months, there has been one constant (other than my Mrs), the like of which I haven't seen in the 17 years I've been going to Fir Park. Motherwell Football Club have had one of the most successful 12 months I have been grateful to be a part of.
When Stuart McCall took over from Craig Brown 52 weeks ago, the club was in a bit of a suspended state. Having given his word that he would stick by us, Pa Broon left to count corner kicks in Aberdeen. When McCall came in, many had trepidation over his appointment, but a year on, there is no doubt he is Mr Right, not just Mr Right Now, as perhaps Brown and Knox had been. From December to May, Stu Mc took us to Hampden twice and gave us a fantastic run in the Scottish Cup, culminating in our first Scottish Cup Final in 20 years. The result was dissapointing, and some thought the ceiling had been hit too early. However, since the arse end of July, he has kept us in the upper echelons of the SPL, thanks to the team ethic he has instilled at the club.
This has been aided by the experienced core of our team. Messrs Craigan, Lasley and Hammell have been in outstanding form this season, bringing on the players around about them. The tenacity of players like Jennings, Hutchinson and Murphy has been evident in varying forms throughout the year, and the signings of Nicky Law, Omar Daley and Tim Clancy have had impacts that have spurred the team on to some outstanding performances as well as hard ground wins.
Pundits always say the sign of a good team is when they can get a victory when they don't play at their best. The games this season at Inverness and Aberdeen are examples of that. Tom Hateley's late winner against Caley was one of the most joyous goals I have ever seen scored by a Well player, as it signified the fight that the team has. Having lost only 4 games all season, 3 to the Old Firm, no 'Well fan should have reason to gripe.
But they will. There is always something, whether it's Michael Higdon's weight/jumping/running/ability being questioned, Chris Humphrey's hot and cold blowing or whatever they muster up in the chat rooms, there will always be a negative to cuddle all of our positives. But that's where perspective kicks in again.
Everyone has the agency to look at things from whatever angle they want, and while sometimes things get a bit heavy, other times they are purely majestical. So, when the time comes to put 2011 to bed, in some ways I'll be glad to see the back of it, and in others, I'll be wishing it could stay up a little longer.
Mon The Well and Mon 2012, give me your best shot!
No comments:
Post a Comment