Pav’s Gone: Get Your Violins Out

Nicely done chaps. Most enjoyable in the majority, some fine goals and a tidy victory. Not so impressive was how we mentally disappeared down the tunnel after 80 minutes, and with a little less fortune, might have found ourselves at 3-2 with a fair amount of time to go, but that’s just a minor grumble. Anyone see that tackle from Leds in the first half? Wowzerooney. Also nice to hear the home support, for the first time in my memory, give a heart string tugger of a ‘There’s only one Harry Redknapp’. Harry duly responded by applauding back. I barely heard him utter ‘’stop staring at me’’.

So Pav’s gone. Minutes per goal are misleading in extremis. If minutes per goal were a clear indicator of ability, then Peter Crouch is England’s greatest striker in the post-war era, or at least very close to that accolade. The reality is that more often than not, Pav decided his concrete boots and ‘little trots to make it look like I’m trying’ were the way forward. He reminds me of a guy I met when I was a 15 year old on work experience, who told me to always carry a broom around site to make it look like you were working when you were actually doing the sum total of bu**er all. Why wasn’t he a success? Lack of ability and lack of opportunity? Not a bit of it. Not turning up to training and game day with a burning desire to make himself undropable? A bit closer to the truth, but don’t let your rose tinted ‘misunderstood forrin’ genius’ specs slide down and get in the way of that violin you’re playing ‘Pav’s Lament’ on. Thanks for the memories, Roman. When you decided to turn up, you were a joy, and the goals at Bolton, Young Boys, as well as at home to Liverpool, Fulham and Chelsea will be remembered fondly, and I wish you the best of luck in finding the spark-tak that will unleash that undoubted ability on a regular basis.

I might be in the minority, but Saha has a touch of the ‘Gudjohnson’s’ about him, and I for one welcome his arrival. Still got something to offer on a bit-part basis; mobile, a good finisher, but most importantly, another title winner around the Lodge and on the bench to keep everyone honest in the run in. Between them, Levy and ‘arry haven’t signed too many lemons, and I can’t see Saha being one either. Nelsen? Let’s hope he’s a more reliable back-up than Bass.