Best Of
Re: Valley Wanderer - R.I.P
It’s truly touching to see the Gasroom community at it’s very best. I was lucky to be a family friend of Phil’s, having been at school with his eldest. From memory Phil & family moved to the area at the tail-end of the MoN era, what a super time to discover the club. Which meant there would now be a convoy of two cars heading from Hughenden V to AP on a Saturday. Many fond memories followed of Phil’s halftime routine of offering around either a drop of bovril or instead coffee&drambuie, in fact, thinking about it - the drambuie might explain the somewhat imaginative parking spots Phil would be able to pinpoint on Hillbottom Rd in the late 90s. And there were far too many great away days to mention them all. But a couple of my most memorable trips were the weekday evenings, bouncing straight off the school bus into Phil’s Astra, then off to the Vetch, Layer Rd or Ashton Gate. Phil clearly loved the camaraderie of the club, the atmosphere of a matchday, the personalities of the players and he bloomin’ loved a hobby. Though wasn’t short on the latter – being a sailor, aviator and of course he dabbled in silly cars, why not. His was a gentle soul, who liked to do what he could for others – be it volunteering to clear snow in the top car park or running the village junior football team. In recent years I’ve endeavoured to payback some of the petrol money by buying Phil the post-match pints in the Vere Suite – matchdays certainly won’t feel the same
Needless to say I could go on, there’s a great deal to say about a great man, but I’ll leave it there. Will pass on your kind messages to Phil’s family. And thanks Gasroom for creating this wonderful community – long may it continue. COYB
ArnoldLayne
Re: Valley Wanderer - R.I.P
I got to know Phil when we were both members of the 500 Club and during post-match chats with @bluntphil, @NorsQuarters and others in the Caledonian. Also met him and Val in the Chairboys Village on several occasions. A really lovely couple.
Back in December Phil and I had a long telephone conversation at the end of which we talked about the four of us meeting for lunch in the New Year. I’d told my wife what a lovely couple they were and how much she would enjoy their company. At the time of our telephone conversation Phil was about to start a course of chemotherapy so we decided to defer the lunch for a month or two.
Following the wonderful news yesterday about Matt Bloomfield returning as manager, I telephoned a few fellow Wanderers and was planning to contact Phil. Logging on to the Gasroom before retiring for the night, my heart sank when I saw the awful news. So sad that the lunch never materialised.
My thoughts are very much with Val and the boys.
micra
Re: RIP Motty
If anyone is interested here is what I wrote for the club website, sorry it’s a long read but don’t know how to post a link.
The news that John Motson has passed away hit me like a sledgehammer. Not just because we shared the same profession, not just because we were once colleagues at BBC Sport, not just because we played in the same football team, but because we were great friends for over fifty years.
I first met Motty after replacing him at BBC Radio when he moved to Match of the Day in 1971 and he couldn't have been more helpful in ensuring that I settled in to my new career.
He was an inspiration and taught me the importance of preparing thoroughly for every commentary and for treating people in the game with respect.
We got to know each other well by playing for the Commentators X1, a charity football team that played games all over the country.
On the field he was the opposite of me, Motty a cultured left winger who steered clear of trouble, me a rough house right back who loved a sliding tackle and a row with the referee.
It was in the bar after the game where we really bonded through our love of a beer or three and a good laugh. He was a very sociable guy and in later years we often put the world to rights over a meal and a bottle of wine.
I last saw him in December at our Commentators X1 annual Christmas dinner and he was as chirpy as ever, making the shock news of his death even harder to take.
Before that I had chatted to him when Wycombe figured in the playoff semi final at MK Dons where he was a regular being close to where he lived.
He would always be interested in what was going on at Wycombe whenever we met and I'm sure everyone remembers that iconic photo of Motty in his famous sheepskin coat at a snow covered Adams Park.
We have lost a master of his trade, a non viveur who would be the centre of attention in any room he entered, an amusing and entertaining character.
But most of all I have lost a great friend.
RIP Motty, I'll see you one day in that great bar in the sky and it's your round.
Re: Official: Matt Bloomfield announced as Wycombe manager
It has been a frantic couple of days on this forum, but I'm impressed with the way the change of regime has been handled, and I'm sure Matt can keep the momentum going.
It was also apparent that the regulars on here have a deep-seated passion for the club, and have posted mostly positive messages, compared with the snarky and disrespectful bile seen on certain other clubs' forums.
I was sufficiently moved to take out a subscription to Wycombe Wanderers Trust, and hope to attend most Saturday home fixtures, and perhaps the odd away trip to the likes of Oxford and MK Dons, although I don't particularly like the idea of away fans being segregated and herded into one stand behind the goal (that doesn't happen at rugby matches).
bargepole
Re: Thank you Gaz and Dobbo
Hi guys, QPR fan here and just thought I'd pop in to give mine and the supporters thoughts in general about Gareth's appointment.
I've been checking in fairly regularly on this forum over the past few days to see if there were any ITK scoops as I'm sure many of you were on the various QPR forums for the same reason. I've seen WATRB bandied about as one example but that place is like a dilapidated Slough pub on a Saturday night so it's probably not the best example of supporter sentiment.
In general I feel like most supporters are happy with Gareth's appointment - yes, you'll always have those fans that feel like we should have been aiming for a Guardiola+Klopp dream team in which case I can understand why they would be dissapointed with Ainsworth!
The worry among many of us with Gareth's appointment lies more so with how our club is being run in general though. Yes, we are a bit of a basket case right now under the stewardship of Les and Hoos who have left a lot to be desired over the past 8 or so years in terms of how they've run us. They have expressed numerous times about us wanting to be a tiki tacki, front foot ball playing team and that has been an aim of theirs since Shteve was in charge a few years back. So this appointment, on the back of a truly disastrous and misguided Critchley appointment feels like an attempt from the board to placate us with a club legend and likeable guy to take the heat off of them. Whilst I fully believe that Ainsworth's football isn't as bad as some people make out it is different to the styles we've had coached at the club and the ethos that Les has preached for many years.
We're worried that MAYBE our problems run so deep that an 8pt(!) cushion might not be enough, and trust me, if you'd seen us play over the last 18 games (of which we've only won once) you'd understand that fear and recognise that the club is in a deep pool of shit.
The club should have brought in the right man after Beale left as every fan immediatly had reservations about Critchley. Not as a coach, but as a motivator. Go watch any of his interviews and tell me if that guy would be able to inspire you to leave your house whilst it's on fire.
Now I personally do think Gareth IS the right man for the job and think he'll do a tremendous job with us. He is what we need, a motivator, a good man and someone to breath life and passion back into the club.
As a side note it does feel weird and maybe a tad dirty for me that we've taken your manager after so long. He was with you for an extraordinarily long time and found great success here despite all of the walls your club has to face given your size and financial assets at hand so its nothing short of amazing.
The culture from what I've seen over the past few days at this club is incredible, not just at the club but the supporters in general. You've all been incredibly classy, understanding, thankful and most importantly optimistic about the whole ordeal.
Everyone knew it would take something big for Gareth to leave. Not in terms of opportunity as he was never going to leave you for someone like Cardiff or Reading for example but big in terms of something close to Gareth's heart which is a testement to how much your club actually meant to him. If Gareth wanted a bigger and more lucrative job over the years then I feel like he could have gotten one but such was his love for Wycombe, and all the unusual aspects of managing the club like filling in rabbit holes, Gareth never wanted to leave until now. He's a truly one of a kind character and I really hope he can replicate what he did with you at our place but at a higher level (I'm not quite in the mood for your miracle at Torquey!)
I live in Bracknell so Wycombe is fairly close to me so I've always kept an eye out for your results. I really would love to see you guys back in the Championship again as you guys were cracking there last time and held your heads high right down to the last game of the season.
Bloomfield is probably the next best man for the job. You've got another legend and a promising manager to boot which I think is the best appointment you could ask for after Gareth left. You won't be in turmoil but lets hope you get back here for next year and we can have two good games of banter! Onwards and upwards!
Re: QPR sack Neil Critchley, let the rumours begin.
Just a reminder to everyone that the magic of Wycombe Wanderers is the supporters. Personnel come and go but it is we, the loyal fans that carry the flame that was lit by the men of Wheeler's field long ago. It was the thousands that poured through the gates in the post-war years that made us a force to be reckoned with. A dwindling but loyal support kept the faith in later decades and when Alan Gane blew on the glowing embers of our club, the fans returned in droves and the flame became a roaring inferno. They laughed when we said we would need more than 6,000 capacity at Adams Park but the fans were right and the club listened. It was the supporters that rescued us from the dark days of Hayes and the supporters that entrusted us to the safe hands in which we now reside. I could not be more excited about our new manager - welcome home! And we all know the reception he'll get from the Wanderers family on Saturday. Worried Shrews? You should be. COME ON YOU MIGHTY BLUES!
LDF
Re: Thank you Gaz and Dobbo
Thank you Gareth.
I was just starting university when your Wycombe era started, having only just begun to go along to games from the 2009 season onwards.
You’ve been a huge part of my life ever since, without me even knowing you on a personal level!
In the days where I was too anxious to go out and party during freshers, you were there as Wycombe manager.
In the days where I was bored in lectures and my mind wondered to my team on football manager, you were there as Wycombe manager.
In the days where I met my girlfriend (now wife) in my final year in Oxford, you were there as Wycombe manager.
In the days where I yearned for the nostalgia of childhood and struggled to adapt to adulthood, you were there as Wycombe manager.
In the days I started my first ever full-time job, you were there as Wycombe manager.
In the days I stressed to buy my first house, making sure it was close enough to Wycombe for me to still come along every other week, you were there as Wycombe manager.
In the days where I struggled to train my new puppy (now a happy 5 year old dog), you were there as Wycombe manager.
In the days where my son was born prematurely and had to live in hospital for the first month of his life, you were there as Wycombe manager.
Thank you Gareth for being a constant in an ever-changing world over the last 12 years. You are and will always be one of the most important men in my life, and the impact you’ve had on me will never be forgotten.
Jonny
Re: Ainsworth Out - Its Official
I left the ground on Saturday so proud of the team and the club. A fifth win, another clean sheet and another ‘big’ team sent packing with only their moaning for company. It was so Wycombe and so Gareth Ainsworth. I stayed to applaud him as always. His habit of shaking every players hand is classy but means I have to wait. He always deserves that wait.
I really hope he’s a success in his next challenge. Not a decision I would have made and a jolt to realise he wasn’t 100% Wycombe after all. I am really not sure about the dynamics at QPR but that is not for me to worry about. He’ll get another set of fans applauding him on Saturday and I’ll check his result.
Today is a sad day. An end of an era. I’m not ready for the ‘King is dead, long live the King’ stuff. Welcome back Blooms. You have my support, patience and respect. I just need some time to move on from an era I am proud of. I enjoyed having a long serving manager. Not being on the sack the manager merri go round. A unique figure who upset so many who knew what to expect but couldn’t cope with it. A man with class and more than a little steel. QPR are very lucky. I just don’t think they know it and that makes me sad too.
Re: Match day thread: Bolton
Hey all, hope you don’t mind a neutral posting and me sharing my thoughts on a first match at Wycombe! Just moved to Bucks, I’m actually a Torquay Utd fan but brought my 5yr old daughter to the Wycombe vs Bolton game as we are looking to also start supporting a local team. We really enjoyed the day, seems like a really well run and friendly club and a very good team against a strong Bolton side. Thought Wing was excellent all round aside from the great strike, and a brilliant late save from your keeper. Wycombe definitely edged it, the central defence kept the Bolton forwards under wraps and the whole team worked hard. Great to have a proper target man in Vokes, he was always a threat, and some nice touches from the No 12 too (McCleary?)....Hanlan was busy although gave the ball away a fair bit. Have to admit I thought it was a definite Bolton penalty, but still a deserved Wycombe win. Hats off to the Bolton fans who sang their hearts out, had a good chat with a couple as we left and they were complimenting Wycombe. Hope to be back soon.....
Zeb13
We want you to stay, Gareth Ainsworth!
Talks are presumably ongoing and I want Gareth to make the best decision for himself and his family.
However if talks are still continuing I guess the outcome is not decided. I would be sad if anyone casually dropping into the Gasroom gained the impression from our discussions of 'what if .....' that we didn't care about the result.
So I just want to say, unreservedly, clearly and as loud as I can on here:
railwaysteve