retired_milla0225

Saturday 29th January There is a time and place for everything. And whilst panicing might seem to be the thing to right now, it isn't.

The bus pulled into the car park of the training ground. As it pulled up I rushed off, ran to my car and sped out of the car park leaving the players and coaches wondering what the hell was going on as I was probably supposed to say something about arrangements for the next match, a trip to Perth.

But those thoughts were far from my mind. I had to get away and think. I drove towards Geelong, as that wasn't really a direction I usually would go. I had a decision to make, where would I run to ? what would I do now ?

As I drove on I saw the next turning was for Werribee. I was, I knew "in more sh*t than a Werribee duck" as the locals would have it. I took the turn, and as I did so a plan began to form in my head.

retired_milla0225

Saturday 29th January You’re going to do what ??????

As I pulled into the sleepy Victorian market town of Werribee the plan began to take shape in my mind. It might sound stupid to you but what I was going to do was double bluff the Belgians. The one thing they wouldn’t think of me doing now was staying with the team.

Now that’s just plain stupid, I hear you cry. Possibly so, but they would expect me to run, so the best thing to do was not to run, see ? Besides, I wanted to take the boys to the Premiership title they deserved, the next game was in Perth, and that, of course had the added benefit of not being here. The assassin, at least the one I knew about, I couldn’t discount the possibility of there being two, but that seemed unlikely, wasn’t good with range weapons (not a safe assumption to make on one shot, but it was the data I had available) and would therefore be better as a close-in killer. Therefore, keep people around me and that increased my safety. At least that’s the theory, such as it was.

We were due to fly to Perth the next day. I booked into a motel, paid cash and went out and bought some clothes for the journey, an item at the hardware store, a suitcase, a large holdall, a pair of shades, and a hat.

The following morning I drove the car to Tullamarine airport and parked it in the long term lot. I put the holdall into the left luggage lockers and went to the Ansett desk carrying the suitcase and the bag from the hardware store into which I had also stuffed a copy of the Melbourne Age, which was clearly visible out of the top. I paid for a flight to Darwin with the Bruce Parker credit card, specifying that I wanted a vegetarian meal, checked in the suitcase and took the hardware store bag with me as my on flight luggage.

I walked down to the departure gate for Darwin with plenty of time to spare. I could see through the window the plane, a pristine 737 was still being loaded. Within minutes we were invited to board. At the gate my ticket was checked and I asked the girl to ensure I had the vegetarian meal option. I then boarded the plane and moved all the way down the aisle, past my allotted seat. As I neared the back of the plane I asked the stewardess stationed there if she could help an old gentleman just behind me with is bag. As she turned to help I slipped through the curtain at the rear.

As I expected there was no one in this part of the plane and the rear steps were still in place for the ground crew. I quickly took out the item I had got from the hardware store, a pair of blue overalls, and put them on and slipped down the back stairs. I walked across the tarmac of the airport went in through the ‘Authorised Personnel Only’ door. Inside the airport I slipped back into the public area, lost the overall in the public toilets, and reclaimed the holdall with my clothes in it (the suitcase on the plane had in it the phone book and bible from the motel).

I reached the Qantas desk, paid for a ticket to Perth in cash, and went into the waiting area at the gate, where all the players were waiting.

This time I got on the plane.

retired_milla0225

Sunday 30th January A difficult phone call to make

Mr DeVilliers hadn’t been looking forward to this moment. He punched the speed dial number for Mr. De Smet.

Mr DeVilliers (MDV): “Mr DeSmet. I fear I have to tell you that I failed. My attempt on the worm, Patch’s, life was unsuccessful.”

Mr De Smet (DS): “I know already Mr DeVilliers. You cannot know how displeased we are, but you are lucky as we already have a new lead. He used his credit card to buy a flight to Darwin. Check it out. Go to Darwin, and then kill him.

retired_milla0225

Wednesday 2nd February Take your mind off things with a game.

The few days in Perth had gone well. There was no whisper of trouble for me and it looked like I could relax a bit. The lads did well in training and we were ready for this game. This game was the A-League Championship Major Semi Final first leg away at Perth Glory Perth finished second in the regular season and were not to be taken lightly especially on their home turf. As usual I kept faith with the team in form, and was unchanged.

We had a disastrous start as we gifted the Western Australians a goal on 4 minutes, a mix up between Lia and Muscat allowing the Perth forward a clear run on goal. That set the tone for much of the rest of the half as the men in purple came forward and we struggled to clear our lines. We created very little positive ourselves and were fortunate to go in at the break one goal down.

It’s fair to say I lost my cool with them at half time and told them in no uncertain terms to get their act together. To my surprise it worked and we came out fighting. At least we were creating chances, thought the finishing was wayward. We got a break on 67 as the Glory centre back hauled back a breaking Vieri and was given a straight red for his trouble. With a man advantage we began to turn the screw and got an equaliser on 76 as Tadrosse crossed and Lia slid the ball home at the far post. And though we dominated the rest of the match we couldn’t get the winner. On reflection a draw was probably the most honourable result for this game.

Final Score : Perth Glory 1-1 Melbourne Victory
Set ourselves up nicely for the return leg, but how do I survive that ?

retired_milla0225

Wednesday 2nd February Meanwhile in the Northern Territory

Meanwhile in Darwin Mr DeVilliers was beginning to get frustrated. He knew that Patch, or Parker, or whatever he was calling himself, was here. The girl at the check in desk remebered him getting on the plane. She knew because he asked for the vegetarian meal.

And then the musclebound Belgian stopped to think. He realised he had made another mistake. Patch/Parker was no vegitarian ! He had done it to bring attention to himself ! It was a ruse !, a misdirection ! And, he had to admit to himself, Brilliant.

So where was he ? The press showed that his team, Melbourne Victory was playing at home on Friday night. It was as good a place as any to start.

retired_milla0225

Thursday 3rd February I'm leaving on a jet plane

Mr Devilliers woke early and took the red-eye flight to Melbourne. He didn't have much of a plan when he landed, and couldn't really think where to start with nothing to go on so he thought to read the paper for a bit, take his mind of his troubles, and come back to them afresh in half an hour.

As he read the Sports pages agin for the third time something that should have been obvious the first time around struck him. The Melbourne Victory report in the paper didn't actually mention Bruce Parker by name, and he now realised it should have done.

Indeed there were no references in the report to 'the mysteriously absent Bruce Parker' or anything like that, things that you would have seen if he hadn't been at the game.

So he had been at the game ! He was sticking with the team ! Audacious for certain, but not particularly clever, as Mr DeVilliers now had a place and a time that he knew Bruce Parker, Denton Patch, would be at. Friday night, and the home game against Perth.

retired_milla0225

Friday 4th Febraury Was this realy a good idea ?

I was beginning to have doubts about my plan to stay with the team. Of all the moments I had between me and 'safety' this was goign to be the most difficult to negotiate. They must surely know that I was in Perth with the team, and that therfore the likelihood is that I will be here tonight. And that is, of course, exactly where I am.

So it was with much in the way of nerves that I planned the night's game, though given the form of the team that didn't give me too many problems.

I left the car at the training ground, hopped on teh coach, and tried to look invisible.

retired_milla0225

Friday 4th February Don't you love it when a plan comes together

Mr DeVilliers sat in a crowded sports bar in downtown Melbourne. The screens were all showing the build up to the match and whilst the pre-match analysis was fascinating Mr DeVilliers was waiting for just one picture.

Ted Bannerman (Channel 9 Sports Host): And here we see the Melbourne Victory team bus arriving, and here they come off the bus now, led by their manager Bruce Parker who is sporting a distictly different shade of hair colour for the occasion. Have you ever thought of colouring your hair to look younger , Murray ?

Mr DeVilliers didn't stay to hear the answer, he'd seen enough already. He finished off his soda water and stepped out of the bar. He got in his car and headed in the direction of the stadium.

retired_milla0225

Friday 4th February Suppose we best play this game

At last I was in the ground and could concentrate on the match. Too many people here for a professional hitman to try anything. Your average professional would go fro something far less risky, but probably far more personal.

The news concerning the team wasn’t good. Keeper Theokolitos and midfielders Danze and Panteldis had all come down with injuries over the week. Of course the fit again Galekovic could step in between the sticks but in central midfield we were down to bear bones. Young Kristian Sarkies would get the startingspot with a patently unfit Michael Ferrante warming the spot on the bench left by Panteldis. Not good for a game we absolutely have to win.

The game started off very slowly with neither sid willing to commit much to attack. As the half wore on a bit our confidence grew, however, and we began to create some chances. Sarkies had one well saved and both Thompson and Vieri both squandered chances they could, and should, have done better with. At the other end Perth stung together four or five corners in quick succession, but couldn’t make that pressure tell, and we went in at half time goalless.

The second half was more of the same. Endeavour but little in the way of application. Chances for both sides came and went but at the end of it neither side did enough to warrant a goal and it finished goalless. Still it did have the end result we desired.

Final Score: Melbourne Victory 0-0 Perth Glory (Agg 1:1 Melbourne progress on the away goals rule
You mean I have another match to face ?

retired_milla0225

Friday 4th February Time to go home

I knew leaving the stadium by the same method as last time would be a bad idea, so I hung around for a bit giving out as many TV interviews as people wanted. I indicated to the coach driver that I would make my own arrangements and the players drove off.

Geoff Lord, the club chairman came strolling over. He congratulated me on a great achievement in getting to the Grand Final, in which we would have just as much chance of playing Perth again, as they had another bite of the cherry ,as it were, in the forthcoming Preliminary Final against Adelaide. I’d never get the hang of how this format worked.

Anyway he invited me to a nearby bistro for a meal and a drink. Jolly nice it was too, and both me and him drank rather too much Scotchman’s Hill red wine to even consider driving. Fortunately Geoff offered me the perfect solution as he invited the whole party back to his place in order to carry on drinking.

Celebrating is one thing, one of many things, Australians do well, and Geoff Lord was no exception to this rule. We crashed out in various parts of the house, I slept on a lounger by the pool, and when the morning came the problem of where to go next came to me.

Geoff asked one of his, for want of a better word, servants, to go and pick up my car for me. The lad was the Brazilian pool guy, and didn’t really look old enough to drive, but I was assured he was.

Anyway, I was pondering what to do next, where to go, with a black coffee by the pool when the phone rang. It was the pool guy telling me he’d just reached the car and was about to drive home in it. I heard him close the car door and put the key in the lock and turn it, then the call went dead and all I heard was static.

It took a couple of seconds to reach us, but I already knew what it was going to be before it reached us. A soft ‘crump’, the sound of a big explosion far away. So that’s how they were going to try and kill me. By blowing up my car.