Assyriska 0-0 Trollhättan: Bloody Trolls [Bye Bye Promotion]

By: Luka | September 21st, 2009

Like I said in the preview, same old same old. I write the preview with optimism, pray for a win (which shouldn’t be necessary) and allude to our opposition’s crappy position in the table (both relative to us and in absolute terms). Then it’s time for the match review, where I basically repeat what I have written for the past 8 weeks. Disappointing, depressing, embarrassing, frustrating, lethargic and just rubbish – some, if not all, of these words used previously could apply to our latest display. Hujada, a magazine from Sweden that deals with Assyrian matters (such as reviewing Assyriska games) used a fine analogy:

When a starving man is served a festive meal, there is no doubt about what will happen. The food will at the speed of light disappear into the hungry man’s stomach. When Assyriska is served a “meal”, it instead chooses to poke at the food.

This tells me that today’s Assyrian is not hungry enough to take the step up.

Our players just didn’t have the passion and hunger to infiltrate the Trolls’ defensive line (their ability isn’t in question quite yet, though we are all beginning to have doubts). From the various reports (alas, again I couldn’t watch the game) and a graphic of where our shots for the entire match originated from, I deduced that we controlled the match but all of our “chances” (bar one, which I will explain below) were speculative drives from outside the area and ambitious efforts from the enthusiastic teenager Besara who was one of only a rare few to emerge from this match (and season) as still worthy of wearing the Assyriska shirt in the future.

About the shot in the box – by Xehvdet Llumnica (employed alone up front for most of the match). It was a 63rd minute howler where he managed to completely miss the target despite being totally free of both defenders and the keeper. In.Ex.Plicable. When it’s all said and done, it’s these horrible individual errors which cost you the match. When they are all added up, and amount to a significant sum, they represent the primary difference between a successful season and a total failure. Last week it was Lamine Conateh pathetically allowing an Atvidabergs player to waltz into the penalty area and nod in a header in the 93rd minute totally unopposed. That was trash. Eventually, trash piles up and you have to do something about it. It’s time for a clean up. Heads must roll. For that reason, I’m drawing a line in the sand.

What’s done is done. The season is gone. It’s time to rebuild. But, and I mean but, before then we have the small matter of the derby. Our next match against those confused pseudonyms Syrianska (which translates to “Syriac” in English) will decide whether our season’s capitulation is really a mortal catastrophe beyond repair. The players must forget everything that has happened until now. For the next 7 days, they are not footballers playing for 3 points, they are warriors fighting a civil war. Losing is no longer an option. An entire nation’s pride is a stake. Furthermore, our reputation of being the big boys of Sodertalje, for the first time in a derby (as much as it pains me to admit) is on the line. Fire the bloody hell up. We need to see passion, heart, commitment and determination.