The Legend Lives On

A cryptic tweet from the club always send people into meltdown, does it not? Yesterday, just after 5pm, they announced something would be announced at 5.30pm. Nobody just announces anything these days, there’s always a short wait to build the anticipation. What could it be?

Could it be Lee Frecklington joining the club? Was it a so-called damp squib, nothing more than a fan zone announcement or something to do with tickets? The more educated sites speculated that it was probably something to do with new contracts for players. In this instance I didn’t have a heads up either, but if you looked hard enough the signs were there.

New contracts for players? Big hands off warnings for January?

— The Stacey West (@Staceywestblog) December 12, 2017

Within 30 minutes many had got what they wanted, a new contract for Matt Rhead, ‘the Big un’ himself. Had this ben announced eight weeks ago there would have been some mutterings of ‘can’t cut it at this level’, but he’s proven doubters wrong in recent weeks. Less than three weeks ago there were those championing his cause for a starting place, others who felt he was a spent force. Two league wins later and he’s back once again. Never write Matt Rhead off at your peril.

I’ve used the title above for one very specific reason: I think Matt Rhead will be remembered as a legend. Often the words get bandied about easily, especially when a player is at the club. Once I remember discussing Ben Tomlinson in that context, I even once said perhaps Scott Kerr could be one too. Neither of them are, neither remained in the fans hearts long enough to be described as such. No, to be a legend you must have a combination of several thing. Even the correct combination doesn’t afford you legendary status.

Matt Rhead has the unique combination of attributes and circumstances to be called a legend in my opinion. First up, you have to be a half-decent footballer. He may be a big lump but he’s got an exquisite touch and ability often hindered by his frame. His pass for the goal on Saturday, classed by Sky commentators as a ‘long ball’ was no such thing. It was a weighted, measured flick that he knew would be perfect for Matt Green to plough onto. If we go back even further his goals last season were, more often than not, delicately made and sumptuously finished. Yes, Matt Rhead has the ability to be an Imps legend.

Some legends have to fight back from adversity and again, Rheady has this box ticked. Even before the Cowley revolution he was being linked with a move away. ‘He’s not a Cowley player’ they said, time to move him on and thank him for his services. He looked poised to move all summer until right at the final moment he pledged his allegiance to Lincoln City. 12 months later we were back in the same situation. Sure, he’s the leading scorer in our league win but he isn’t Football League quality, is he? Maybe we should let him go back to the National League where he’s happy and be comfortable we got the best out of him.

Wrong again. even Danny and Nicky thought an alternative pairing might be better than Rhead and Green for a while, but that has been proved a fallacy. We struggled to score goal, Rhead and Green start two together in the league and we score five. Matt Green struggles for goals, pair him with the big man and it is two in two. Like him or not, Matt Rhead is just as effective in League Two as he was in the National League. Sure, we have to adjust a little to add more pace around him, but he works tirelessly and is proving himself to be a massive asset, literally and figuratively.

To be a legend, a true legend, you must have that special something that words often can’t describe. Matt Rhead has it. When he comes on the crowd lifts. When he plays his games with defenders or the keeper, he gets everyone feeling positive. Remember the free-kick where he ran circles around the keeper to confuse the defenders? Did we score it? Who cares, he lifted the crowd and got the fans cheering once again. He’s an unwitting one-man atmosphere machine, someone it is hard not to love when he’s on your team. Deep down we all enjoy having one player every other team doesn’t like don’t we? He might be an aggravating bugger, offensive, aggressive, niggly and unplayable, but he’s ours. Matt Rhead is an Imp and by signing another new deal he’s essentially written his name into the book of legends forever. Right now there are ten-year old kids who, in fifty years time, will be comparing the players of 2067 to Matt Rhead, just like my Dad compares him to Percy or your Granddad compares him to Andy Graver. Like it or not, that is now fact.

Will Rheady be a first team starter come February? I actually think it unlikely but what do I know, I’ve written him off twice before and Brand Rhead has twice come back stronger and more powerful. What he does have is a unique set of attributes, brawn combined with a brain, strength combined with a delicacy of touch, that set him apart from almost all opposition players. If he was more mobile he’d have played almost all of his football at League One or above, no doubt at all. That lack of mobility is one thing he can work around though, one thing we can manage and use at the right time. No, I don’t for one second think he’ll still be a starter after we’ve dipped our toe in the waters of the window, but he’s still got a big part to play in our immediate future. If there’s a game we need to go a bit more direct, he’s your man. If we’re entering the late stage of a match and need the ball to stick up top for a few minutes, he’s your man. If the crowd are beginning to wane and Danny needs them to lift the roof, bring on the big man.

Write Matt Rhead off at your peril, he’s a Lincoln City legend and history will only continue to solidify that.

Coming soon: #announcearnold or #announcehabergham – you heard it here first, or maybe you read it somewhere else first….. who knows?