Standard drew with Kortrijk. Kortrijk were bottom. That was last Friday, and it was a narrow one.
I read the match report at the chip shop on Monday, as usual. Walfoot speaks of a helplessness not seen this season. I read it twice. The score hadn’t changed.
Then came the press conference of Alexis Trouillet, Standard’s French player. A journalist asked him to compare Standard and Marseille. He said he didn’t know, but that Standard is a special club. I find that answer fair. In 1980, nobody would have asked the question. We knew Sclessin was Sclessin. Marseille was far away, and warmer. I’m not criticising. I’m comparing.
He also said: “If we had the answer to our inconsistency, we would put things in place so that the results from the start of the season come back.” In my day we had no inconsistency. We lost, or we won. The word arrived with video analysis. Note that I’m not against progress. I’m against this vocabulary.
And this sentence, which I’m keeping: “The people here are very authentic, they expect a lot from you. When things aren’t going well, they tell you. That’s also the strength of this club.” That has been true for a long time. Before the giant screens. Before press conferences with a wall of sponsors behind your head.
Silly question, Marcel, but in 1980, who did we compare Standard with?
With last year’s Standard, miss. That was enough.
The fixtures go on. Beveren at home, who would overtake Standard with a win on Friday. Then Lommel away, Lommel already above Standard in the table. I may go to Sclessin for Beveren. If kick-off is at three o’clock. I checked the time in my weekly. It doesn’t say. Well. It’s the times.
It’s true, we checked: Walfoot.
