The Wanderer - issue 119 - http://www.wwisc.co.uk/

FAMOUS LAST WORDS
We look back on the times when managers have spoken a little bit too soon…
“The best that Wycombe could have done is match us. There is no way they could have
prepared better than us.” Joey Barton
The set-up – Football was on hold for four months and then Wycombe and Fleetwood got
into the playoffs after cheating and voting themselves into the top six ahead of championselect
Peterborough. Nobody knew how the game would go, with no recent matches to base
any form on and the two teams training in isolation. It was a unique situation that presented
a new challenge, but Barton was convinced nobody would be as ready as his side.
What happened – From conceding inside two minutes to having two players sent off,
Fleetwood looked out of sorts, whereas Wycombe were fit, prepared and ruthless.
“On a good pitch, playing the way we did today, we’d have beaten them.” Mark McGhee
The set up – After probably the least memorable match of the 2000-01 F.A. Cup campaign, a
0-0 draw at Millwall, McGhee claimed his side were the better footballing team and the
patchy turf at The New Den was the only reason we’d scraped a replay. He was fonder of
the Adams Park surface and was confident Millwall would pass Wycombe out the cup.
What happened – Goals from Andy Rammell and Paul McCarthy saw Wycombe through to
the bright lights of Round Three and as the Valley End Terrace emptied into the December
night, the chant was unmistakable… ‘Cheer up Mark McGhee, Oh what can it mean…’
“Any team we put out should be capable of beating Wycombe.” Chris Coleman
The set up - League Two Wycombe headed to Craven Cottage to take on Premier League
Fulham in Round Two of the League Cup and Coleman made a statement that, to be fair,
was accurate. Any side he put out should be capable of beating little old Wycombe…
What happened - Fulham, despite fielding seven internationals, lost. An early goal from
Jermaine Easter and a Tommy Mooney penalty earned a 2-1 win and Coleman was forced to
endure a rousing rendition of ‘Coleman, Coleman, What’s the score?’ from the gleeful away
fans, as he dejectedly made his way across the pitch at full-time.
“That goal changes nothing.” Paul Lambert
The set up – As we’re a fair, balanced and impartial publication (compared to TalkSport and
the Peterborough Telegraph at least) we’ll include one that blew up in our own faces. Paul
Lambert’s Wycombe took on Stockport County in the 2008 League Two Playoff Semi-Finals
and Delroy Facey made a few gamblers happy by giving us the lead in the first leg at Adams
Park. Ten minutes from time, Stephen Gleeson scored an absolute worldie completely mishit
a volley from a yard out that hit nine players, both posts and the bar before trickling over
the line at 0.0000000001 mph to make it 1-1 ahead of the second leg.
What happened – Lambert’s remark was odd, as it meant Wycombe needed to go and win
at Edgeley Park, rather than just draw. Lambert, in fairness, was referring to the fact that,
had the goal not gone in, Wycombe would still have gone to Stockport with the intention of
winning the game, rather than playing for a draw (although that in itself sounds unlikely,
given Lambert’s defensive minded approach to, well, everything). Yet it galvanised the home
support and a fired-up County won the second leg 1-0 to go through to the final.
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