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Max Bygraves' Story Of 2010-2011 - Part Nine
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#NoLoyaltyNoMorals
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By:
Max Bygraves
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20/05/2011
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Monday 11th April
Still on a high from a generally decent weekend, I was taking the first part of some time off work to go and visit family down in South Wales. Just as I pulled in to my stop on the train, I received a text from one of my mates. The time was 11:29am. This was another ‘where were you when..?’ moment, but not a good one. It was a short, simple message. It read the following: “Allen’s gone to Notts County.” Once again, a text about Martin Allen left me absolutely speechless.
I believed my mate, though I couldn’t believe what had happened. He’d even jokingly said a week earlier, when Notts County sacked Paul Ince, that they may come in for Allen. We laughed at the time, we weren’t laughing now.
I looked at the Barnet website on my phone, yep, there was the news in the ‘official’ sense. Then the reactions of astonishment, upset and anger on the various social networking sites from Barnet fans far and wide. This was a seriously bitter pill to swallow.
Initially if I’m being completely honest, I felt like I could burst into tears. The last 19 days had been the best I’d had supporting Barnet for such a long time, it almost felt like it had all just been taken away. Just like that.
As the day wore on, anger got the better of me. I briefly mentioned earlier about Martin Allen’s twitter page. Well, the ‘banter’ we’d all had with him soon turned to something else. Maybe it was all a little immature, but it was the most direct way of venting anger and frustration at what he’d done to us, as directly to him as we could. I was just glad I no longer lived in Nottingham, as I had done a year previous. I’d have got locked up!
It was quickly announced by Barnet that Allen’s assistant, Giuliano Grazioli would now take the reigns for the final five games of the season. What a big ask for someone with no previous managerial experience. However, we all know with Graz that he is a Barnet man and I remember saying at the time how much I would love it if he could now go on to be the man to save us and somehow raise his already legendary status at Underhill to an even greater level.
Later in the evening, Martin Allen appeared in the media. His reasons were that he had ‘bills to pay’ and that County had offered him long-term employment and thus greater financial security. The same Notts County who have employed about six different managers in the past eighteen months. It didn’t wash with me, but many on the outside at least seemed to buy into this sob story and the general reaction towards his move was ‘well done Martin on your move to a big club.’
We couldn’t dwell on it, though. We’d made huge strides in the past few weeks since his arrival, it was all about trying to carry them on now. The team still needed the same level, if not more, support. However, I’m sure we all had plenty of personal reflection time on what Martin Allen had once again done to Barnet Football Club. When he walked in 2004 it was devastating as we were seemingly getting close to achieving something. This time, smaller time frame, but similar in that it looked like he’d walked out just before we may pull something special off.
My analogy of it all is this; Martin Allen returning to Barnet was like that ex-girlfriend who you always still harbour some sort of lingering regret or pining for another chance with, turning round out of the blue and coming back to you. It’s just as good as the first time, almost better, the same excitement returns and you’re so happy, like everything has fallen into place. You’ve forgiven her for the way it all ended last time and just hope this time it will be all be ok and work out perfectly. Then, one morning, with no warning, the bags are packed and some obnoxious arsehole is waiting outside your house in a flash car to take her away from you. She wont be talked around, she’s gone. Slut.
The only difference now is that her fit mate who you’ve always been fond of too(this is the analogy for Grazioli, by the way) has turned around and offered you a shoulder to cry on. Maybe it’s more? Is it worth the gamble? Well why not at this stage, you’re on your arse! You can’t just go under, you’ve got to pick yourself up, be strong and see if in fact things can get even more exciting and better elsewhere. If this is the actual real deal, you can stick two fingers up to that bitch and know you’re better off anyway!
You can use ANYTHING to compare to football. See.
To conclude, even now, with all the time and events passed at the time of writing, it still is quite unbelievable what happened with Martin Allen. In the end though, it’s just all added to the story of the final part of the 2010/11 season. I can’t actually turn around and say I ‘hate’ him, because he made a huge impact in his brief stay and made me and plenty of others fall right back in love with Barnet FC. He played his part, but the way he left epitomises his character and as a result I will always hold a certain amount of contempt for him. He’s a good manager, but I can’t say I wish him well in the future. Especially not at that monstrosity of a club Notts County.
As the title of this part of the story says, to quite appropriately use a twitter ‘hash tag’, Mr Allen simply has: #noloyaltynomorals.
Click here for Part Ten
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