Anyway, the BBC or Pallet weren’t going to ruin my day. I went into the main stand, and all I could see and hear was Cardiff City fans jumping up and down and singing Sam, Do the Ayatollah! as he walked along the side of the pitch. As he was looking up, I waved to him and he immediately came up into the stand and hugged me. “Good luck, Sam,” I said. That opening game we won 2-1 and as we left the ground, we all felt like we were walking on water and finally the dream had begun.
The first home league game of the season was against Blackpool, once a big club, but had gone into decline. Years ago, they were winning FA Cups and boasted the likes of the great Sir Stanley Matthews in their side. They could have done with him now. Before the game, Sam was getting the media hyped up. He was still up to his old tricks, as he had done in his Wimbledon or Crazy Gang days. The City players used to train at Cardiff University playing fields in Llanrumney, which is owned by Cardiff Council. One day, while the players were all training, Sam decided to have a bit of fun. He saw a woman called June who was in the middle of putting water and oil in the engine of her car, Sam approached her and said, “Have you got any kids?” June was taken back by that and so would anybody be if a total stranger asked you that. I wonder what some people might have said or done. She replied, “Why do you want to know?” Sam said, “I will pay them £2 for every tyre that they deflate on all my players’ cars.” June realised Sam was serious, and was equally game for a laugh. She said, “Never mind my son Liam doing it, I’ll do it,” and with that, she did. It made all the newspapers and left the squad wondering what type of new owner they had. By the way, Sam never did pay her.
Sam was back again a few days later. This time, he wanted to play a trick on Andy Legg and his new car, but Leggy and the rest of the team had other ideas, and with the help of June’s son Liam, they managed to have the last laugh. Leggy had parked his car under the changing room windows. As Sam was poking his head around by Leggy’s car, they opened the window on the first floor of the building and poured a full bucket of cold water over Sam’s head. “One, One,” Leggy shouted. I actually believe these types of jokes by Sam built up a good team spirit.
Sam continued his madness into the game against Blackpool by having our newly acquired mascot ‘Mini the Sheep’ in his office. It wasn’t a plastic blow up sheep, but a real one. Sam didn’t do things by half. He then proceeded to parade it around the whole of the ground and, in return, the City fans sang Sheep, sheep, sheep shaggers and Mini, Do the Ayatollah! The atmosphere was a carnival one and the City team played well with a Kevin Nugent goal that nearly gave us a well deserved victory until Blackpool equalised to spoil the party.
www.annisabraham.co.uk
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