Hwyl - Doesnt Translate

[Alan75]

Editorial

Hwyl is a word in Mark Hughes native tongue used by the Welsh that describes pulling together with passion and commitment in even the direst situations. It doesn’t translate or have a direct comparison in the English Language, but encapsulates fervour, enthusiasm, passion and commitment. It's about putting fire in ones bellies in order to achieve greatness against impossible odds under one banner.

Unfortunately in the modern game, full of mercenaries, there is little chance of Hwyl in club football and usually only evident in National football where qualification of an individual hasn’t been achieved due to their granny having cohabitated with a migrant.

The only way this would be achieved at club level if the team were made up of fans off the terrace, who although lacking in technical merit would shed blood for the honour of wearing the shirt.

Thursday night Rovers had the opportunity to draw just over 20,000 local supporters under the banner, encapsulating fervour, enthusiasm, passion and commitment, yet they only performed for 15 minutes in the second half.

To be honest the writing was on the wall, in the team selection. With the knowledge that there was a need to score at least 3 goals, the team kicked off with only Santa Cruz up front and Derbyshire out on the wing, in order to accommodate a defensive five man midfield. This could have been acceptable if Cruz had been given some service and that the midfield had played with some passion and commitment. As far as the first half went, it never looked as if Rovers would score in a month of Sundays and the goal only came courtesy of a penalty.

Some people may argue that Rovers had won their last two games with that formation, but it was a negative gamble, in the knowledge that a minimum of three goals were needed.

Rovers did show some commitment for the first 15 minutes of the second half, with Bentley making some useful runs down the right, which resulted in Warnock’s goal, however as soon as Larissa put two men on Bentley the threat disappear, along with Rovers passion and chances of overcoming a self inflicted hurdle, having conceded an early goal on the night, despite their five man midfield.

Over the two legs, Hughes was tactically beaten by Donis’s team of Greeks that played as a unit under one banner, cheered on by a strong vocal band of travelling supporters. As they would say in Hughes, Bowen and Savages native tongue, Larissa played with Hwyl. (fervour, enthusiasm, passion and commitment) Something that was sadly lacking in the Rovers on Thursday night.