By Old Kwin
August 23 2002

As many of you will know, I hold the position of Future-Archivist at NEC Harlequins. What many of you MAY NOT know, is that the club actually possesses quite extensive – if fragmentary – archives covering both the near and distant future

The source of these archives is obscure, and it’s not for me to repeat the rumours that circulate in the private VIP bar at the Stoop, over a pint of their well-kept London Pride.  Wherever they came from, however, they are certainly excellent and from them, with some close study and hard work, I find I am often able to piece together detailed forecasts of the fortunes of our club, enabling me to provide answers to the numerous and specific questions posed to me by the clubs mysterious owner. It is for that purpose, of course, that the unusual post of Future-Archivist exists and for which I am retained on the club’s (exceedingly generous) staff payroll.

 

As well as the money though, my post has a great perk: granted free access to the archives I find time for much self directed research, and last season I became pre-occupied with a project of my own – some extensive research on the season of 2022/3.  That season turned out to display some quite uncanny parallels with the season that were in the middle of (2001/2); when I showed some of my research to my close friend kwin, he encouraged me to share the key results on the old mightyquins.com website. The rest, as they say, will be history (you can still read that research here).

 

At the end of last season, when Prof and kwin set up comeallwithin.co.uk, they were kind enough to offer me front page space to publish any further material of general interest that I might come across. Since then, while kwin has spent the summer gallivanting around the south of France, I have spent my time entombed in the club’s secret bunkers (situated below the Mighty Quins village) taking advantage of the off-season break from the constant bouncing overhead, to extend my private researches into the following season – that of 2023/4.  

 

I am very pleased to say now, that I have found 2023/4 to be similarly well documented – and the archives certainly contain some material I think will be worth publishing. As to its relevance to the coming 2002/3 season…well as readers of Old Kwin’s 2002 Almanack will confirm, my knowledge immediate future is hazy at best; Alas, I therefore cannot tell precisely what the new season holds in store.  However from what I can gather, I think it is safe to say that the ups and downs we will experience 2023/4 are again (astonishing though it may seem) very likely to contain some relevant lessons for the coming season.  I have therefore accepted kwin and Prof’s fine offer (and lucrative remuneration) and starting next week will present what I hope will be a weekly look at the clubs archives in general, and 2023/4 in particular.