Part 1 – ‘A difficult place to go’

Have you noticed how managers and coaches, interviewed about a forthcoming away game, always seem to fall back on the same old cliché about it being a ‘difficult place to go’?

So what’s the problem? Sat nav broken? Driver taken ill? Mechanical breakdown? Major roadworks? Severe weather warning? Jet lag?

Actually it’s none of the above and absolutely nothing to do with the opposition. Apparently, they’re all ‘difficult places to go’.

And the interesting thing is that if they’re asked the same sort of question at the ground, after they’ve arrived, they invariably say it’s a ‘difficult place to come’.

Confused? You’re not the only one.

All you can do is remember that this is a purely defensive and meaningless response and hope for the sake of the players that it gets better at the team talk.

Otherwise they won’t know whether they’re coming or going.