tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-39547169056849438602024-03-14T08:35:16.044+00:00Narrow The AngleFootball opinion, features and fun stuff.Narrow The Anglehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04807228260135695779noreply@blogger.comBlogger66125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3954716905684943860.post-9691130812215073902018-02-16T14:44:00.000+00:002018-02-16T14:44:54.229+00:00A groundhopper like no other: the story of George Willmott <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<i><b>Who is the
most obsessive football fan you’ve ever known? Not the most fixated with one
particular club necessarily, but the person who was the most fanatical about the
game of football. I’ll wager I can top yours… though for some reason it’s taken
me 15 years to put the story in front of a wider audience.</b></i><br />
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<i>In 2003,
while studying for a postgraduate journalism qualification, I was doing a
project on obsessive football supporters. I sourced a few diehard fans,
typically meeting them in the pub of their choice and letting them spill their
guts about the lengths they would go to in support of their club. These were
largely formulaic affairs – how they got the bug, how many games they’ve been
to, most memorable away trips, how many seasons it was since they missed a game
and why they missed it (generally it was because somebody died). However, one
fan stood out, not only as the most interesting person I spoke to for my
project by a distance, but also as genuinely one of the most fascinating people
I’ve ever met. <o:p></o:p></i></div>
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<i>His name is
George Willmott and for at least seven consecutive seasons he set out on a quest: <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: #38761d;">to attend a match
at all 92 English league grounds in one season without missing an Arsenal game</span>. </b>Below
is the article I wrote about George in 2003, published today for the first
time.</i><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"> </b><o:p></o:p></div>
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*****<o:p></o:p></div>
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George
Willmott is a football addict. His addiction began in childhood and has stayed
with him to this day. Now, ten years into retirement it is consuming him more
than ever and has almost completely taken over his life. He wouldn’t have it
any other way.<o:p></o:p></div>
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George, 75,
is an Arsenal fan. <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">[NB – this article was
written in 2003. If George is still alive, he’ll be 90 now.]</i> If he told you
that he goes to every Arsenal game in this country you might think that was
impressive. If George then said that he can count the number of Arsenal home
matches he has missed since the late 1940s on his bare hands you would say it
was extremely commendable. But that isn’t even the half of it.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Since
retiring, George has devoted his football seasons to an annual groundhopping quest
which is quite possibly unique in this country. <o:p></o:p></div>
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Every
season, while never missing an Arsenal game in this country, George endeavours to make an
annual pilgrimage to watch a match at every single one of the 92 stadiums in
the Premier League and Football League. It is worth considering the logistics of
such a challenge for a moment. <o:p></o:p></div>
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Just as an
experiment, next summer when the fixtures come out, consider how you might
visit all 92 grounds for a game IN ONE SEASON without missing a single game of
the team you support. Consider the ticketing, travel, accommodation, not to mention
the inevitable solitude of the quest and, quite frankly, the not inconsiderable
risk of a nervous breakdown.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Some people
prefer things broken down into bite size chunks, so here’s some bullet points
for you. Imagine doing all of this in one season: </div>
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<ul>
<li>Every Arsenal home game, including European games</li>
<li>Every (domestic) Arsenal away game</li>
<li>Every other league ground among the 92 where Arsenal don’t have a fixture.</li>
</ul>
Reckon you could do it? You’ve got about 270-280 days to do the lot. Arsenal games take up typically a minimum of 43 of those days (38 league, 2 cup, 3 Europe), often far more, so you’re left with about 230 days, maybe less. And – bad luck –
friendlies and reserve games don’t count towards the quest. Then imagine
attempting this over and over again each season.<br />
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<o:p></o:p></div>
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In the seven
seasons to date that George has attempted this daunting task, he
has succeeded five times, falling just short on two occasions. It’s a wonder
that he’s ever achieved it at all. Most football games are played on Saturdays.
Arsenal play most Saturdays.<o:p></o:p></div>
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George
agrees to be interviewed at his Clapham home. His little kitchen is full of
commemorative mugs, one for every team in the league. It’s colourful and endearingly
quaint.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Those who
like to think they are hardcore football supporters may now be realising that
they never knew what the top end of the scale was. To use a footballing
analogy: George is Thierry Henry and we are the trainees who clean his boots.
But then all groundhoppers have to start somewhere – even George.<o:p></o:p></div>
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“My first
game was at Chelsea on 15th October 1938, against Arsenal,” he says.
“It was 4-2 to Chelsea. I was only ten at the time and couldn’t see much. It
was a bit overwhelming, all these massive men around me. So they engineered it
that I went down the front and sat on the tarpaulin around the pitch. My
boyhood hero Ted Drake scored one of the two Arsenal goals that day.”<o:p></o:p></div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTi3CEC7mdm7sa5IIVgamZfpTiCDDOCVlNSWEoU_GkFh6BpQm2ebBMglms19NZUIRau67H_T0bf3a49pQfm3cwo5ZG6Evl477TthnvxZxqPGa6HDaNIrhdkEyrKxrCs2GzgRNT0FQnlKEN/s1600/6.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="786" data-original-width="736" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTi3CEC7mdm7sa5IIVgamZfpTiCDDOCVlNSWEoU_GkFh6BpQm2ebBMglms19NZUIRau67H_T0bf3a49pQfm3cwo5ZG6Evl477TthnvxZxqPGa6HDaNIrhdkEyrKxrCs2GzgRNT0FQnlKEN/s320/6.jpg" width="299" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-size: x-small;">Chelsea keeper Vic Woodley under pressure from <br />Arsenal's Ted Drake during George Willmott's <br />first taste of live football in October 1938.</span></i></td></tr>
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George’s
passion was born. However, he didn’t start going to games seriously until he
had completed two years of military service in the Army in 1948. Highbury was
rarely without him subsequently.</div>
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<o:p></o:p></div>
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“Between
1957 and 1965 I had eight seasons where I saw every match home and away,” says
George. “That’s my longest unbroken record. Getting married then curtailed my
efforts going to away games somewhat, but I still went to the home matches.”<o:p></o:p></div>
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So how does
George plan out each season? There must be so much admin required. Allowing for
Premier League and cup games, he goes to around two dozen grounds each year
when Arsenal are playing away. But what about all the rest?<o:p></o:p></div>
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“I have one
or two friends who go to matches with me,” he says, “so I find out where they
want to go first, to see if it fits in with my plans. I try to get the midweek
matches at grounds where I can get back to London after the match.<o:p></o:p></div>
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“I’ll spend
an hour planning from time to time, getting some ideas. It’s really not until
after Christmas that I sit down and make a list of all the grounds I haven’t
visited and put possible dates against them. Before then a lot depends on which
cup ties come up and which get replayed. You couldn’t do what I do by just
going to league games. You need to go to cup competitions, too. After Christmas
I’m hopefully getting down to the last 30 or 40 grounds.”<o:p></o:p></div>
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One thing
that strikes you about George is how normal he is. For someone to attempt
something this unusual, season after season, you would think they would have to
be at best eccentric. George is just a charming, well-spoken, mild-mannered
gent. Far from having a one-track mind, he is a keen fan of opera, enjoys
reading and particularly relishes getting stuck in to a crossword.<o:p></o:p></div>
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The one sign
of obsessiveness is his fondness for accuracy. He has a filing system of several
boxloads of index cards, detailing every game he’s ever been to. Any time I ask
about a particular fixture, George likes to be able to tell me exactly when it
was and what the score was.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Yet this
trait of wanting to get his facts and figures absolutely right is perhaps just
force of habit. George spent much of his career as an accountant, including
five years at the FA.<o:p></o:p></div>
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In January
1995, George needed a heart operation to replace a faulty aortic valve. (Coincidentally,
the same operation that Arsenal’s Nigerian striker Nwankwo Kanu needed while
playing in Italy for Internazionale in 1996.) George also needed a triple heart
bypass at the same time.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Understandably,
as a pensioner, George needed some rest after his operation. To put things in
perspective, Kanu didn’t make his comeback on the football field until a year
after his equivalent procedure. With the operation a success, George put his
feet up for just over a month and was back at Highbury for the 1-1 draw with
Leicester in mid-February.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGdYmJVxW_rz-8VAMoJuqbrAlgh_SlUOmkjMCd85M9nXGAPragNYVBsuHju4wZZIWvOcPxfKouvzZW0ppgk84ye9DygKJ9mfYpsBJ49TcdP8RWQ5_ESsP8qqVXcdrkwHnBNGFeGUxLW_jI/s1600/7.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="336" data-original-width="432" height="248" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGdYmJVxW_rz-8VAMoJuqbrAlgh_SlUOmkjMCd85M9nXGAPragNYVBsuHju4wZZIWvOcPxfKouvzZW0ppgk84ye9DygKJ9mfYpsBJ49TcdP8RWQ5_ESsP8qqVXcdrkwHnBNGFeGUxLW_jI/s320/7.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td class="tr-caption"><i><span style="font-size: x-small;">George Willmott required the same heart operation to <br />replace a faulty aortic valve as Nwankwo Kanu <br />had while playing for Internazionale in 1996.</span></i></td></tr>
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</tbody></table>
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The
operation appears to have been the catalyst that has driven George on to even
greater achievements. Since the Leicester game in 1996, a European tie with
Deportivo in 2000 is the only Arsenal match George has missed on UK soil. He
doesn’t travel abroad to watch Arsenal, though. When they are away in Europe,
George has to settle for watching on television – unless there’s a game on
somewhere. He doesn’t much care for watching football if he can’t actually be
there in the flesh.</div>
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<o:p></o:p></div>
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“I can’t
abide football on television,” he says. “I find it terrible. I don’t have Sky.
I can’t see any point because if there’s a match on I want to go to it. People
ask if I tuned in for Manchester United against Real Madrid – you know, great
matches like that – and I say ‘No, I was watching Swindon play Plymouth’.”<o:p></o:p></div>
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On 9th November 1974, George completed his set of all the league grounds at Exeter
City as they drew 0-0 with Scunthorpe United. He became the 13th member of a select group of journeymen football fans known as <b>The 92 Club</b>.<o:p></o:p></div>
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His
achievement inspired his daughter (Ellen) and son (Simon) to follow in their
father’s footsteps. Though Simon had already visited certain grounds, he and
Ellen visited every ground together with their father. They completed the 92 in
1983 while in their teens, becoming two of the youngest members of the club.<o:p></o:p></div>
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“Since then
I gather that somebody has actually taken a child aged two around the grounds,”
says George. “That will take some beating.”<o:p></o:p></div>
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It was also
after the heart operation that George started trying to visit all 92 league
grounds annually. He succeeded at the first time of asking in the 1996/97
season and has repeated the feat another four times since. Only twice has he
fallen short, on both occasions by just one or two grounds.<o:p></o:p></div>
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“I’ve done
it five seasons out of the last seven which is pretty good going really,” he
says, modestly. “I shall try again next season. I’ve been bitten by the bug
now. I’ll at least want to see how many grounds I can get to.<o:p></o:p></div>
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“So much
depends on the fixtures that are chosen for television,” says George with a heavy
sigh. “It was annoying from my point of view last season that so many of the Football
League’s televised games were kicking off Saturdays at 5.30pm, which is
hopeless. If they stuck to Friday nights and Sundays I’d stand a much better
chance of getting to them.”<o:p></o:p></div>
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In 65 years
of watching football, George has been to a staggering 1,628 games at Highbury
(including friendlies). One wonders how high the total number of games at all
grounds might be. Short of totting up all of the entries on each of his
countless index cards, this would be almost impossible to work out. One thing
is certain, though. Over six and a half decades, George has seen some great
games, countless wonderful goals and many tremendous players.<o:p></o:p></div>
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“My
favourite ever Arsenal player was a goalkeeper, Jack Kelsey,” says George. “He
played from the early 1950s for about ten seasons. He was a Welsh international
who unfortunately got injured in a friendly match against Brazil which ended
his career.<o:p></o:p></div>
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“Although it
has been said about a lot of goalkeepers, he had enormous hands. If he went
into a full-length dive for a shot, he wouldn’t push it round the post, he
would catch it at full stretch."<o:p></o:p></div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIra_JEEeMEDzLJTt8q2sbN2dCeVoOGnnO_iuZs7fMGKgSdF2CRW2kJfPb4IT9jzJIqcQw-TcOSq9bh8nhIv1-5DgQUF2LT9Vw_bcbHYW_CzfpbhKPIxFzQ6ri9LrkYog32YdMIxK9jBPA/s1600/8.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1266" data-original-width="1512" height="267" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIra_JEEeMEDzLJTt8q2sbN2dCeVoOGnnO_iuZs7fMGKgSdF2CRW2kJfPb4IT9jzJIqcQw-TcOSq9bh8nhIv1-5DgQUF2LT9Vw_bcbHYW_CzfpbhKPIxFzQ6ri9LrkYog32YdMIxK9jBPA/s320/8.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-size: x-small;">Jack Kelsey, the former Arsenal and Wales <br />goalkeeper and George Willmott's all-time favourite <br />player, demonstrates his enormous hands.</span></i></td></tr>
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“Tommy
Docherty took a free kick once up at Preston and it was going right into the
top corner of Kelsey’s net. As Docherty started to celebrate, these enormous
hands came out of nowhere and caught the ball.”</div>
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<o:p></o:p></div>
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So does George
appreciate the enormity of his achievements? You would be hard pushed to find
anyone else with the determination to match his feats. Most fans (this writer included) couldn’t
stomach long trips to Carlisle, Plymouth, Hartlepool and Swansea every year,
even if their own team was playing. To go on such long journeys as a neutral –
just for the love of the game – requires something more than enthusiasm. You
wonder if he realises that he is totally addicted to football. This question is
put to George as gently as possible.<o:p></o:p></div>
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He grins. “I
think one can safely assume that, yes.”<o:p></o:p></div>
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*****<o:p></o:p></div>
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<b>Postscript (Feb 2018):</b> I sadly lost the telephone number and address I had for George
many years ago, so I’m sorry to say I don’t know if he is still alive. If he is
still around, I hope he is still enjoying his football. But if he has passed on
then I hope all who knew him will remember him for his incredible dedication to
watching football. I told George back in 2003 that I hoped to get this story
published somewhere with a sizable readership of football fans, so I hope he wasn’t too disappointed that I failed. I did
at least pass him a copy of the above article at the time it was written, which
he said he’d enjoyed reading. <o:p></o:p></div>
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I sat on
this story for years after I graduated, with the idea of getting it published
in a national newspaper, football magazine or website. <i>Observer Sport Monthly</i> were impressed with his accomplishments but didn't want the story. At one point, <i>The
Guardian </i>were quite keen but they said they needed something to peg it on, such as a
strong Arsenal angle in the news that this could sit neatly alongside. In retrospect, I probably wasn't pitching it very tactfully and editors must have wondered what sort of copy they'd receive if they commissioned me. I never
really found a suitable peg and the years sort of drifted away. Eventually it
felt like the moment had passed and the story has sat on various laptops of
mine ever since. <o:p></o:p></div>
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Fifteen
years since I wrote it, I thought I should probably publish it for posterity, rather
than George’s unusual story be lost. At least this way there is one account
of his impressive achievements on the internet. <o:p></o:p></div>
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If you’d
like to use George’s story anywhere, you are free to take it, edit it, use
excerpts, or do what you like with it. I’ll appreciate a credit as the author,
of course, but on this occasion I mainly just want people to know the story and
imagine themselves in George’s shoes. </div>
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George was obviously
not groundhopping for recognition, but simply out of a deep love for the game.
But hopefully in future the occasional groundhopper will stumble across this
story and be inspired in some way by his accomplishments. Even groundhopping, a
pursuit that is both endlessly nerdy and yet strangely pleasurable, needs poster boys and George Willmott is certainly that. <o:p></o:p></div>
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Nice one,
George.</div>
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Narrow The Anglehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04807228260135695779noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3954716905684943860.post-42828094528283621612016-06-03T23:46:00.001+01:002016-06-04T01:46:38.600+01:00Claudio Ranieri Q&A at the Italian Cultural Institute: the best bits<i>Claudio Ranieri tonight gave a question and answer session at the Italian Cultural Institute in central London. He spoke with great eloquence and passion about football and his incredible achievement with Leicester City last season. </i><br />
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It was a pleasure to be in the room and listen to Ranieri impart his wisdom and wit and get to see a side of his personality that he perhaps doesn’t generally offer up to football journalists. Despite his impeccable manners and all-round decency, the impression that strongly came across is that Ranieri is a hugely motivated coach who is driven by his will to win. Even today you could tell that he is not basking in his and Leicester’s spectacular success. Instead, he is fully focused on next season and trying to make the bookmakers eat their words once again. <br />
<br />
There were plenty of media in the room (and I hope some of them will write stories based on Ranieri’s quotes that are widely shared and read), but there was also no shortage of (mostly Italian) members of the public, from ages 7 to 70, all grateful for an audience with the reigning Premier League champion. <br />
<br />
Italian football expert and author John Foot was posing the questions, before it was opened out to the floor for people to ask their own. Almost everything Ranieri said this evening was interesting. Below is a roundup of some of the many quotable things he said tonight. </div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption"><i>Claudio Ranieri took questions from John <br />Foot (right) at the Italian Cultural Institute</i></td></tr>
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<br />
<b>On being given the chance to join Leicester and come back to England and the Premier League…</b><br />
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I was so happy, so pleased to come back to the UK and coach a Premier League team, especially after my experience with Greece. It was completely different there. I didn’t feel like a trainer. Coming back to the most beautiful championship in the world made me happy. <br />
<br />
I had a great chemistry with the president straight away. We hoped not to suffer too much and to reach 40 points. The idea was that we would fight for two seasons. Then after that we would fight to qualify for the Europa League, and then finally we would fight for the Champions League. This was my plan.<br />
<br />
<b>On being asked when he first believed Leicester could win it…</b><br />
When Hazard scored! [laughs] In all honesty, it was when we heard the final whistle. This is the truth. <br />
<br />
<b>On the magnitude of Leicester’s achievement and the good feeling it has generated…</b><br />
Everyone was on our side – except for Tottenham. It was not a miracle, but it was pretty incredible. Only later will we be able to really tell this story. Now we are still too close; it’s like an erupting volcano.<br />
<br />
<b>On what makes this Leicester side special…</b></div>
<div>
Normally not all 11 players ‘play’. A team is strong when at least eight play and three are dragged behind. We had all 11 playing every single match, with one idea – trying to win.<br />
<br />
<b>On his coaching methods at Leicester and whether he is a ‘quiet leader’…</b><br />
It would have been difficult to get angry at Leicester this season! I would have to be really nasty to have got angry with them. I never told them off or made them feel guilty. Instead, we would analyse mistakes in training and try to correct them. I always tried to encourage. There was no blame. We tried to improve individuals and the team. This relaxed and united the squad. </div>
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<b>On the time he substituted Totti and De Rossi at half-time while managing Roma… and went on to win the game…</b><br />
It’s lucky I won! Otherwise I would have been crucified outside the Stadio Olimpico.<br />
<br />
<b>On the mindset of Italian football fans…</b><br />
We are more critical, more tactical. Here in England there is a cultural aspect that differs; people want to see a good game, the team winning and fighting to the end. In Italy, sometimes the whys and wherefores weigh too heavily on the players. <br />
<br />
<b>On those people – even among his friends – who said he was a loser because he always came second…</b><br />
Any town in Italy breathes football. You have to win. I was very happy in my career but some friends thought I was a loser until a month ago. I have always pushed back against this. I always had a will to win a great championship. But now that I have done it, I am focused on trying to win the next one. My strength is that I have an honest, transparent relationship with my players. I am really sorry if some of them can’t always play, but they know that the common good is the team.<br />
<br />
People said I was a loser, but those people forget the contexts in which I came second. I’m not a loser. I never felt like one. I believed in myself. I haven’t changed – the people judging me have changed. <br />
<br />
<b>On managing Gianfranco Zola at Chelsea…</b><br />
By coming here, [Zola] has been [Italy’s] best ambassador. At Chelsea, when we got off the bus, even the opposition fans would clap Zola. <br />
<br />
<b>On whether having no superstars at Leicester made them easier to coach…</b><br />
[In my career] I have trained everybody and anybody. I started with inter-regional football. It’s difficult to speak about the type of players you coach. It always depends on how the team goes – and so I can say that Leicester is wonderful and always full of sunshine!<br />
<br />
<b>On the bookies quoting pre-season odds of 5000/1 on Leicester to win the title…</b><br />
The bookies were wrong. They said I would be the first to be kicked out [sic]. They made a mistake. It’s wonderful. I am sorry, though, for the fan who cashed out his bet [before the end of the season] – his son was in a wheelchair and the money was important. But some people did win, at least.<br />
<br />
<b>On the resilience of his Leicester team…</b><br />
There were times when we were two goals down and we were able to come back and win 3-2. These changes in the wind gave strength to the group. I told my players, ‘I don’t care if you lose, but fight to the very last second’.<br />
<br />
<b>On being asked by a small kid in the audience how it felt to win the title…</b><br />
I can’t explain. It’s a wonderful feeling; a moment of deep satisfaction. I saw many happy people. This is something I like. I’m happy that I was the person who could synergise this team. We could feel in the dressing room that the whole world wanted us to win. But it’s impossible to say [how it felt]. Happiness maybe? I don’t know! [<i>Addressing the kid:</i>] When you eat Nutella, how do you feel?!<br />
<br />
<b>On living in Leicester… </b><br />
When I joined Leicester, I only knew the city from my time at Chelsea. I like to live within the city – I want to breathe what other people breathe. I tell the players that we are the representatives of the city of Leicester. I go to the supermarket with my wife and I push the trolley. I don’t like to hide. <br />
<br />
A fruit and vegetable seller asked if I would sell fruit for him if we won the title – so now I’ll have to go and do it. Maybe I’ll go at 6am when there’s nobody there!<br />
<br />
<b>On whether he’ll change his methods next season…</b><br />
I need to continue with these players in the same way. We are looking for new players, too. Psychologically, I don’t know… I need to feel it. After the first game last season, I told the players, ‘You’re so strong, but you don’t know just how strong you are’. You only see me when I’m playing with journalists but inside the changing room I am quite different. <br />
<br />
<b>On being asked by another kid: ‘Where did you get “dilly ding, dilly dong” from?’…</b><br />
It comes from a long time ago. A former Cagliari player sent me a bell – I used to use it to say, ‘You’re getting it wrong… dilly ding, dilly dong! You’re sleeping! Wake up, you’re getting it wrong!”<br />
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<b>On whether Leicester’s title win will usher in a new era and make football a ‘passion’ for people again…</b><br />
No. This has been a bubble. This is unique and won’t change anything. People say maybe others can do what Leicester did? But a lot of money will be spent and only one team can win the league each season and the others will have lost a lot. It won’t change. Money governs everything. I really hope there won’t be a Super League or this will make things worse; the spirit of the game will disappear. <br />
<br />
<b>On coaching being a balancing act…</b><br />
If we win, I bring the players down. If we lose, I bring them up. You can’t transmit any negative energy. You must keep the players away from pressure. It’s a balancing act for every coach to keep the windsurfer on the wave.<br />
<br />
<b>On his top three career experiences…</b><br />
Cagliari, which was my springboard; Valencia, which was my first time abroad at the age of 47, where I learned another language and won a cup; and this one [Leicester].<br />
<br />
<b>On whether there is anything he misses from Italy, or any aspects of Italian football he would like to see introduced in England…</b><br />
No. When I go to a country I want to enter into that country completely, to understand it. I think to myself: how can I be a part of this and improve what has been given to me? I just bring what I have accumulated over my years of experience. <br />
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<b>On all the praise he is receiving in the weeks since Leicester won the title…</b><br />
Things change. In two months these conversations will be ashes and I start from scratch. I’ll put my accolades to one side. We will have to fight to be in Europe – the minimum aim is the top 10. No team will buy me back now – I have no will to move. <br />
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<b>On whether he’d want to coach the Italian national team…</b><br />
The experience I had with Greece was not a positive one. With the Italian national team, maybe it would be governable [sic], but at the moment I feel the need too much to be out on the field every day. People ask if I’m stressed. No! I’m stressed when I don’t have a team to coach. I need this daily relationship. Maybe in 5, 6, 10 years [my feelings] may change. [<i>At this point he glances at his wife in the audience.</i>] My wife is shaking her head. <br />
<br />
<b>When asked if he has any advice to any managers of teams (not necessarily footballing or even sporting)…</b><br />
Would it disappoint you if I said I don’t know? I know I have empathy with my players, but I don’t know how I do it. I am myself. This is the way I am. I am given a task by my president and this is the law to me. I left big teams more than once because this spell with my boss had been broken and so I could no longer lead my team. <br />
<br />
<b>On whether he would like to sign any Italian players for Leicester…</b><br />
I never look at nationality or the colour of somebody’s skin. I see if they are integrated in our changing room. Depending on the country I’m coaching in I want an English ‘soul’, or a Spanish ‘soul’ – because those players are the pillars and others must adapt. If you take away that DNA then you lose something. <br />
<br />
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<b>On the wider significance of Leicester’s Premier League win...</b><br />
People falling in love with [Leicester’s win] is about something bigger. I could have been anybody, but people needed this in order to believe in the idea that we must never give up. <br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption"><i>Ranieri: "I really hope there won’t be a Super League; the spirit<br />of the game would disappear." [Photo: @iiclondra]</i></td></tr>
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<i>Note: Ranieri was speaking in Italian and a simultaneous translator was provided. As a non-Italian speaker, this service was necessary for me. While the translator did a superb job, in the event that any bilingual journalists write up any of Ranieri’s quotes with slightly different phrasing to that which I have used above, please assume that their version is more authentic to precisely what Ranieri said in his native tongue.</i></div>
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Narrow The Anglehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04807228260135695779noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3954716905684943860.post-44271232340499446432015-08-03T13:51:00.000+01:002015-08-03T13:51:52.921+01:00Leaked minutes from a meeting of the Fellowship of Footballers Forced to play at Fullback (FFFF)<div style="text-align: center;">
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<![endif]--><i>The following document is a leaked copy of the minutes from a recent
meeting of professional footballers forced to play at fullback. It is
reprinted verbatim in the public interest as this website seeks to raise
awareness of their plight. May they suffer in silence no longer.</i></div>
<br />
<br />
----------------------------<br />
<br />
<b>The Fellowship of Footballers Forced to play at Fullback (FFFF) </b></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b><br /></b></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b>Bi-annual Meeting minutes </b></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b></b></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b>August 3rd, 2015</b> </div>
<br />
<b>Attendees</b><br />
Leandro Bacuna, Elliott Bennett, Chris Brunt, Jack Colback, Craig Gardner, Bradley Johnson, James McClean, Kieran Richardson, Jeff Schlupp, Antonio Valencia, Ashley Young.<br />
<br />
<b>Chairman</b><br />
Kieran Richardson <br />
<br />
<b>Scribe</b><br />
Antonio Valencia<br />
<br />
<b>AGENDA</b><br />
<ul>
<li><b>Welcome and New Members</b><br /> </li>
<li><b>Old Business </b><ul>
<li>Tony Pulis</li>
<li>Strategies for confronting managers</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li><b>New Business</b><ul>
<li>FFFF as an abbreviation </li>
<li>Alex Neil: a new threat?</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<br />
<b>WELCOME</b><br />
Chairman Richardson welcomed the Fellowship to the meeting. Additional seating was sourced for first-time attendees Bradley Johnson, Elliott Bennett and James McClean. <br />
<br />
Craig Gardner will assume responsibility for ensuring there are sufficient chairs in place at the commencement of the next meeting, with Ashley Young now identified as having an ability deficit in this area. <br />
<br />
<b>OLD BUSINESS<br /><br />Tony Pulis</b><br />
Chairman Richardson picked up the discussion from the last meeting regarding current West Bromwich Albion FC manager Tony Pulis’s propensity for playing non-fullbacks at fullback.<br />
<br />
The Chairman noted that Pulis would appear to have dispensed with the strategy, deployed during his time managing Stoke City FC, of playing centre-backs at fullback. Consequently, Albion defenders Jonas Olsson, Gareth McAuley and Craig Dawson have politely declined an invitation to become members of the Fellowship, though Olsson has added the caveat that he would “definitely like this reviewed” in future if necessary.<br />
<br />
Craig Gardner and Chris Brunt (both currently employees of Pulis) then spoke at length about their manager's emerging trend of picking “literally any midfielder, regardless of stature” at fullback. It was noted by the Chairman that the FFFF recognises how severely this is hampering not only the careers of Gardner and Brunt, but also that of new Fellowship member James McClean.<br />
<br />
McClean then spoke with great emotion of his dismay at being deployed at fullback in friendlies since his signing this summer, stating that he was promised he would “definitely play on the wing” but hadn’t realised that this would entail marking the opposition’s wingers and playing at fullback. <i>[At this point the members all rose and linked arms in a show of support to McClean.]</i><br />
<br />
Pulis remains the greatest danger to the FFFF's ongoing work, with both members and non-members urged to avoid signing for one of his sides. <br />
<br />
<b>Strategies for confronting managers</b><br />
Members Jack Colback and Ashley Young spoke in turn of how they successfully overcame spells of being played at fullback against their will. Colback referenced his time at fullback under the stewardship of Paolo Di Canio at Sunderland AFC, noting that the Italian had placed Colback there due to a misunderstanding where Colback was adjudged to have “looked at him funny”, resulting in a lengthy spell in a previously alien position, from which the player gained nothing but humiliation and the loss of respect of his friends, family and loved ones.<br />
<br />
Colback revealed that he was only able to end his time as a fullback by "waiting patiently until the gaffer hated all the others even more than he hated me". This was assessed by the members to be a good strategy when managed by Di Canio, but too long-winded to deploy under most managers.<br />
<br />
Young spoke of how he was able to overcome his spell at fullback for Manchester United FC last season by “basically just still being a winger and waiting for the actual winger in front of me to lose form”. This was deemed to be one of the most successful strategies for ending an unwanted spell at fullback, one that fellow members Bacuna and Schlupp said they would be aggressively pursuing in the coming season.<br />
<br />
<b>NEW BUSINESS<br /><br />FFFF: a good abbreviation?</b><br />
The Chairman asked the group to consider whether 'FFFF' is somewhat unwieldy as an abbreviation for the Fellowship of Footballers Forced to play at Fullback, noting that it is quite laborious when spoken out loud. “Nobody can be bothered to spell out 'Eff-Eff-Eff-Eff',” he said, “but on the flipside, much as we’d like to be an acronym spoken as a single word like ‘Fifa’ or ‘Uefa’, public take-up on 'Ffff' may not be a resounding success. Chris Brunt summed up the feelings of the group with his closing remark that ‘Ffff’ would “look like someone had farted” in written form.<br />
<br />
A brief discussion of alternative options had mixed results, with perhaps the best suggestion being that of Craig Gardner, who suggested ‘F4’ as preferable to ‘FFFF’. The Chairman was then forced to remind the group of the seriousness of these meetings when Ashley Young flippantly suggested a rebranding to ‘Fullbacks 4 Justice’ and that Chairman Richardson could "launch the new logo dressed as Batman". Young apologised for this remark and concurred with the Chairman’s view that he is “not as clever as he thinks he is”.<br />
<br />
<b>Alex Neil: a new threat?</b><br />
New members Bradley Johnson and Elliott Bennett addressed the group for the first time on the subject of their manager Alex Neil playing them at fullback in pre-season friendlies. With both players established members of the Norwich City first-team squad, Johnson wondered if it was a case of Neil, a relatively recent appointment as manager, “letting the lads know who’s boss”, while Bennett felt that it may have been “because friendlies are just a laugh, a bit like training”, though conceded he was experiencing sleeping problems and recurring nightmares about “having to mark Hazard and Sterling” this season.<br />
<br />
The group agreed to monitor developments regarding Alex Neil's approach, with the Chairman stressing that Neil “probably isn’t another Pulis, but we can’t afford to be complacent”. Consequently discussion of Alex Neil will remain scheduled for the next meeting, but will not be upgraded to the permanent place on the agenda afforded to Pulis at the present time.<br />
<br />
<b>ADJOURNMENT</b><br />
The meeting adjourned after the singing of the traditional Fellowship anthem, <i>We Shall Not Be Moved</i>.<br />
<br />
The next meeting will be held on 4th January 2016.<br />
<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
ENDS</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
----------------------------<br />
<br />
<br />
<i><b>The FFFF's Mission:</b><br />Footballers should not be forced to play at fullback. Having to play at fullback is degrading and should not be inflicted upon elite athletes unless they have specifically chosen to play there. If you are a footballer being played at fullback without your explicit consent, contact the FFFF today and we can act as your voice. Together we can enforce positive change and stamp out footballers having to play at fullback against their will.</i><br />
</div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
Narrow The Anglehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04807228260135695779noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3954716905684943860.post-51191789200919219492015-06-22T12:18:00.001+01:002015-06-23T16:13:53.250+01:00AFC Bournemouth's financial underbelly<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSKsoybqYS1pb2yR87QDiZdgc9rL216ziOnOUyqdm29eOxYOZgCJFH1nhYW7mcky1Ko9LSqu3p8j3-HcXM4aex2wLRIjZ1BbpIQGlDbkQUPdmIpZubEF1ve3pq1Dy4w-j7RP6PFoiqWRmb/s1600/16659092456_a7c662e446_z.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="236" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSKsoybqYS1pb2yR87QDiZdgc9rL216ziOnOUyqdm29eOxYOZgCJFH1nhYW7mcky1Ko9LSqu3p8j3-HcXM4aex2wLRIjZ1BbpIQGlDbkQUPdmIpZubEF1ve3pq1Dy4w-j7RP6PFoiqWRmb/s320/16659092456_a7c662e446_z.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Image: Chris Parker, Flickr</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
*blows away cobwebs*<br />
<br />
Is there life in the old blog yet? It's been a while. But I have at last written a new thing, over on The Two Unfortunates, all about Bournemouth's finances, owner and promotion to the Premier League.<br />
<br />
Here y'are...<br />
<a href="http://thetwounfortunates.com/the-financial-underbelly-afc-bournemouth/" target="_blank">http://thetwounfortunates.com/the-financial-underbelly-afc-bournemouth/ </a><br />
<br />
<br />Narrow The Anglehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04807228260135695779noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3954716905684943860.post-59792463266118612392014-05-30T15:31:00.000+01:002014-05-30T15:32:03.311+01:00The 10 best names at the World Cup<div>
Once I had the idea to write this piece, I was dismayed to see that <a href="http://bwinbetting.com/internationals/world-cup-2014/ex-chelsea-star-ten-funniest-named-players-world-cup-2014,54858.html">Bwin</a> had already beaten me to it. They've got a couple of the obvious ones, such as Carlo Costly and the gloriously monikered Yeltsin Tejada. However, in my opinion there were some pretty key omissions from their list, so here's an alternative <b>Top 10 Best-Named Players at Brazil 2014</b>.</div>
<div>
<br />
<b>1) <a href="http://www.aldia.cr/futbol-costa-rica/alajuelense/Patrick_Pemberton-Alajuelense_ALDIMA20130301_0004_4.jpg">Patrick Pemberton</a></b> </div>
<div>
<i>Costa Rica and Alajuelense</i></div>
<div>
You genuinely cannot beat a reserve goalie from an exotic nation who sounds like he has every chance of being cast as the next Dr Who. Or, as suggested by <a href="https://twitter.com/GavHutchinson">@GavHutchinson</a>: "Right Arm, Fast (Vauxhall End)". That is also spot on. Patrick Pemberton: the most dashing, debonair name at Brazil 2014.<br />
<br />
<b>2) <a href="http://www.laststicker.com/i/cards/1498/359.jpg">Frickson Erazo</a></b> </div>
<div>
<i>Ecuador and Flamengo</i><br />
Wow! A name that is as satisfying to say as it is wonderful to gawp at. Frickson Erazo. FRICKSON Erazo. Frickson ERAZO. He sounds like man in a Vic & Bob sketch, perhaps a visiting cousin of Vic's from the Tropics, who keeps a bread-stick behind his ear for no apparent reason and carries a bright green tree-frog around in a Tupperware box with air holes. </div>
<div>
<br />
<b>3) <a href="http://www.sportsworldcards.com/ekmps/shops/sportsworld/images/usa-mix-diskerud-558-panini-2014-fifa-world-cup-brazil-football-sticker-66327-p.jpg">Mix Diskerud</a></b> </div>
<div>
<i>USA and Rosenborg</i></div>
<div>
Notoriously debauched Scandinavian hard house DJ, best known for releasing a banging compilation CD every summer.</div>
<div>
<br />
<b>4) <a href="http://www.crvenazvezdafk.com/sw4i/thumbnail/vranjes-ognjen.jpg?thumbId=1226&fileSize=26215&lastModified=1320764103000&contentType=image/jpeg">Ognjen Vranjes</a></b> </div>
<div>
<i>Bosnia and Elazigspor</i><br />
I'm refusing to call him anything other than "Onion Bhajis". Just you try and stop me.<br />
<br />
<b>5) <a href="http://www.sportsworldcards.com/ekmps/shops/sportsworld/images/ivory-coast-serey-die-234-panini-2014-fifa-world-cup-brasil-football-sticker-66127-p.jpg">Serey Die</a></b> </div>
<div>
<i>Ivory Coast and Basel</i></div>
<div>
An appealing figure, during his career he has: 1) cancelled his own contract; 2) been sent home from his new club after the president saw him in action and assumed they'd hired the wrong man; 3) been suspected of match-fixing; 4) <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=763njpamSLU">slapped a 13-year-old ballboy in the face</a> resulting in an eight-match ban. I like him already. He's also a midfield enforcer called Die. </div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
- "Hi, looks like you'll be marking me today, what's your name?" </div>
<div>
- "Die!"</div>
<div>
- "Hey, take it easy pal, game's not even started yet... Jeez, this guy's a loony."</div>
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<br />
<b>6) <a href="http://www.laststicker.com/i/cards/1498/532.jpg">Harrison Afful</a></b> </div>
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<i>Ghana and Esperance</i><br />
You just know the poor sod's going to score a calamitous own goal and have endless "awful" and (for those trying to be more original) "offal" puns made on his name. I'm hoping, like his Indiana Jones namesake, he runs as if being chased by a massive runaway boulder.<br />
<br />
<b>7) <a href="http://fiasports.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2014/01/Waylon-Francis-Invierno-Cartagines-ARCHIVO_LNCIMA20131011_0040_1.jpg">Waylon Francis</a></b> </div>
<div>
<i>Costa Rica and Columbus Crew</i></div>
<div>
Easily the most 'hick' name at the tournament, how delicious it would be if the boy Waylon becomes one of its surprise stars. It could only be better if he was called Cletus. The name Waylon also makes me think of Steve Earle's character in <i>The Wire</i>, so bonus points there.<br />
<br />
<b>8) <a href="http://www.laststicker.com/i/cards/1498/50.jpg">Fred</a></b> </div>
<div>
<i>Brazil and Fluminense</i></div>
<div>
- "Hi, I'm the main striker for host nation Brazil. I am, essentially, a figurehead for a troubled nation's hopes."</div>
<div>
- "Wow, you must have a really exotic name like Rivelino, Ronaldinho and all those other brilliant -inhos, right?"</div>
<div>
- "Well, not so much."</div>
<div>
- "Oh. Well I assume you're blessed with astonishingly silky skills then?"</div>
<div>
- "Nope. I'm pretty functional to be honest."</div>
<div>
- "I have to admit, I'm feeling pretty underwhelmed by this conversation. What <i>is </i>your name then?"</div>
<div>
- "Fred."</div>
<div>
- "Fredinho?"</div>
<div>
- "It's just Fred."<br />
<br />
<b>9) <a href="http://static2.dmcdn.net/static/video/079/474/10474970_jpeg_preview_large.jpg">Mohamed Lamine Zemmamouche</a></b> </div>
<div>
<i>Algeria and USM Alger</i><br />
Zemmamouche! Zemmamouche! Will you do the fandango?<br />
<br />
<b>10) <a href="http://i1.goal.com/files/images/stats/goal/player-images/86/56586_186x236.jpg">Mehrdad Pooladi</a></b> </div>
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<i>Iran and Persepolis</i></div>
<div>
Look, I've resisted including Miguel Angel Ponce in this list. I've avoided the temptation to chuck assorted Bums, Suks and Dongs from the South Korea squad in here, but I'm not <i>so </i>mature that I can resist a man called Pooladi. Plenty of great jokes start with a "poo" and so does his name. His name is sometimes spelt "Pouladi" with a "u". If you spell it that way then you are just the worst. Unless the BBC and various others have deliberately misspelt it for a giggle, in which case <i>we </i>are just the worst. Either way: "Pooladi woah-oh-oh, Pooladi woah-oh-oh..."</div>
Narrow The Anglehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04807228260135695779noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3954716905684943860.post-80482048011523621512014-03-03T20:34:00.000+00:002014-03-03T23:39:23.767+00:00England appoint Aidy Boothroyd U20s boss. Hope springs eternal, eh?<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Boothroyd: new Eng U20 boss. This is not a joke. <br />Well, that's debatable actually...</i></td></tr>
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<br />
Some days you wonder if anybody even turns up for work at the FA. I have visions of a solitary, fusty chap in his eighties steadfastly manning the ship – replying to letters, making a few decisions, pottering away quite happily in a small office in Soho Square. We'll call him George...<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<i>[dream sequence]</i></div>
<br />
George quietly bumbles about his business undisturbed most days. Occasionally Trevor Brooking pops in with a ham and mustard sandwich, scratches his head as if not knowing what to do, before leaving again with a baffled expression an hour later. That's unless there's a showpiece game coming up, when a load of haircuts in fancy suits suddenly rock up claiming they've been "working from home".<br />
<br />
But most days George is on his tod. He's been told he can bring in an office temp if he wants, but he doesn't like to be a bother, plus that would mean fixing that new-fangled computer whatchamacallit. The old thing hasn't worked since 1997. A dusty Encarta CD-Rom lies next to it, long since repurposed as a drinks mat and covered in coffee rings.<br />
<br />
Recently a letter arrived from Gareth Southgate's agent, which George opened, in which it became apparent that Southgate wanted to appoint a new manager for England's Under-20 side. "Under-20s?" thought George? "I don't think we <i>have </i>an Under-20 side. Perhaps he means Under-21s. I'd best give him a quick tinkle and check."<br />
<br />
The phone rings and goes through to Southgate's agent, Ashley Woolfe.<br />
<br />
"Good afternoon Mr Woolfe. I'm calling with regards to your letter about Gareth wanting to appoint a new member of coaching staff. I just wanted to check if there'd been an administrative error. Your letter discusses the matter of Gareth appointing a manager for the Under-20 side. But we don't <i>have </i>an Under-20s, as far as I'm aware."<br />
<br />
"Actually George, turns out you do. I must admit it came as a surprise to Gareth when he found out about it last week. It would appear that other countries have been focusing on this age group for some time now and we've been a tad left behind. Can't the FA find somebody who'd be willing to give it a bash?"<br />
<br />
"Well, it's just me in the office today. It's just me in the office most days actually. I try and pass things up the chain of command, but unless it's to do with a sponsorship deal I don't generally hear anything back."<br />
<br />
"I see. Well, since this appointment is rather small beans, perhaps you could arrange something yourself, George? I'm sure a man of your experience has a wealth of contacts."<br />
<br />
"I suppose I could see if Phil Neal's free. Although saying that, I think he's got rather a lot of after-dinner work on at the moment, wouldn't want to overload the chap. Tell you what, I'll have a look into who else is out of work and see what I can do. Stay on line, I'm getting my book."<br />
<br />
And so George reaches to a shelf on the wall. There, next to some signed photos of Tim Flowers and a dusty old box of Terry Venables' <i><a href="http://i.ebayimg.com/t/Manager-the-board-game-1990-Terry-Venables-/00/s/MTA3MVgxNjAw/$(KGrHqZHJFMFCg8cI6yfBQzPF!EnI!~~60_35.JPG">The Manager</a></i> board game, sits a tatty old contacts book. George's pride and joy. He flicks to the pages marked '2013/14 Managerial Departures' and thumbs down the list.<br />
<br />
"Still there Ashley? Right... hmmm... let's see.... Sean O'Driscoll? Too much of a fancy-dan for my liking. I don't like watching his teams play. You'd think they'd never heard of hitting the big man up top. Tony Mowbray? Personally I can't understand a word the man says, and again, his teams are a bit tippy tappy aren't they. Nobody ever won anything playing football like ballet, did they? Ah, now then, Aidy Boothroyd's available. There's a hot young coach with a bright future. I had him earmarked for the top job a few years back. Not sure why the hell he's out of work, poor chap. I'll offer him the job, it'll get him out of the house. Cheerio then."<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<i>[dream sequence fades to black]</i></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<i><br /></i></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
***</div>
<br />
So that's that. If you're still reading, sorry it wasn't very exciting. But now that I've created an ambiance of measured calm (read: boredom) with that gently paced opening scene, hopefully it affords the following highly considered and cerebral observation the necessary space to breathe. What I'd like to say, as eloquently as possible, is:<br />
<br />
<b>Aidy Boothroyd?! FOR F***'S SAKE, FA!!</b><br />
<br />
*downs bottle of bleach*<br />
<br />
Also...<br />
<br />
<b>Mmmmmnnnnnnnnrrrrrrgggggggghhhhhh!!!!</b><br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
***</div>
<br />
Deep breath. I feel mildly better now, but Jesus H Batman On Stilts, what are the FA playing at in appointing Boothroyd? Answers on a postcard.<br />
<br />
Have they <i>ever </i>watched a Boothroyd team play football? It's an absolute abomination. A relic harking back to the early 1980s – all high tempo, put 'em under, let 'em know you're there, game management and all that guff. <br />
<br />
When the news broke and one or two choice words were aired on Twitter, Northampton Town fan Ben Trasler had the following to say. (Boothroyd of course having recently been let go from Northampton for turning them into an incompetent shower of ugly hatred that was – and may still be – on course to drop out of the Football League). <br />
<br />
"When winning, it's ugly. When losing, it's barbaric," said Trasler. "God, it was awful. He's the reason we're in the poo*".<br />
<div style="text-align: right;">
<i>(*Not the actual word he used.)</i></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
I can't really better those sentiments. There are a few unscrupulous types managing in the lower leagues, but there can be none more steadfastly committed to winning ugly than Boothroyd. To watch a Boothroyd side is to willingly torture your own eyeballs. Seriously, my corneas would rather take a direct spray from a can of Lynx Java followed by a plunge into a heavily over-chlorinated swimming pool, than watch a Boothroyd side close out a 2-1 win. The closing minutes of a narrow Boothroyd win are football's equivalent of trolling. </div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Every time I've seen his teams play, I come away a little sickened. It's as if he spends serious time on the training ground teaching his players how to master little niggly fouls that aren't quite worth a yellow, how to charge down clearances with your studs up so your opponent might smash his toes to smithereens on the follow-through, how to spend 40 seconds getting ready for every throw-in when protecting a lead, how to pump the ball into the channels so it plops just short of the corner flag and both defence and attack then embark on a sprint race to get there first, before all getting there at roughly the same time, the ball almost an irrelevance as they inevitably crash into each other. It's a dispiriting experience.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
And this is how we want England's promising Under-20s to be taught how to play? Our mentality in England is that, if you're a gifted teenager, we'll bung you straight into the Under-21s anyway. Or even the full squad. So who goes in the Under-20s? The slightly less capable teenagers and 20-year-olds, I guess. The ones who need working on if they're ever going to make the step up.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
And Boothroyd will work on them, alright. You can take that as read. But in this age of pristine pitches in which highly technical sides like Spain and Germany dominate (while the England national side consistently founder), what good is Boothroyd going to do with our young nearly-good-enoughs that aren't quite the real deal?</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
He's probably going to make them play like grotty little sh*ts, isn't he. That's going to win us future World Cups for sure. Hey Sepp, maybe just give us all the trophies now to save time, eh?</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
*slow hand clap*</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Well done, FA. Top marks.</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Boothroyd: not a good thing.</i></td></tr>
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<div>
But I suppose we shouldn't be surprised. Stuart Pearce and Peter Taylor were hardly names to make us think the FA were going to propel this technically semi-talented crop of young English players into something that might make us proud. </div>
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<br /></div>
<div>
A key driving force behind this appointment would presumably have been FA 'director of elite development' Dan Ashworth. Indeed, he is quoted as saying: "I’m delighted with the appointment of Aidy, he’s an outstanding coach of younger players and has a fantastic record of developing youth."</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Wasn't Ashworth supposed to be a progressive appointment by the FA? I seem to remember some people being quite pleased when they prised him away from West Brom with the prospect of more than doubling his £200k annual salary. And yet apparently Dan Ashworth is "delighted" with Boothroyd. This ought to trouble anyone hoping for England to "do something" at any international tournament at any level in the future. And, frankly, if the Under-20s won the 2015 Toulon Tournament by playing to a Boothroyd template, it would give me very little encouragement for the future, because that way of playing is thoroughly old hat at the highest level. I know football tactics can move in phases, and maybe there's just a chance that kick-and-rush will have it's day again in the future, but we can't be planning for it on the off chance that a direct and heavy-handed brand of football has an elite resurgence.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
A couple of years ago <a href="http://www.zonalmarking.net/">Zonal Marking</a> editor Michael Cox tweeted this clip of <a href="http://www.thefa.com/video/England/Mens-Under-21s/Euro%202011/England-Training---10-June">England Under-21s training</a> under Stuart Pearce. If you haven't seen it, I urge you to have a look (it's less than two minutes long). </div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
The squad are playing a game of 'two touch'. It's both hilarious and heart-breaking as the young players, limited to two touches, resort to raining shots in from anywhere rather than rely on their technique and movement to craft something better.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
The FA put this video ON ITS OWN WEBSITE, as if it's something to be proud about. "Check out how much our young boys like smashing the heck out of footballs, folks! Brilliant eh?"</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Listen carefully and you'll note at one point a distant voice incongruously yells: "Is anybody there?" </div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Sometimes I ask the very same question about the FA. The lights are on but nobody's in.</div>
Narrow The Anglehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04807228260135695779noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3954716905684943860.post-65262904044350487602014-01-23T17:00:00.002+00:002014-01-24T12:43:14.986+00:00Bournemouth v Liverpool this Saturday lunchtime could be an FA Cup cracker<i>Saturday's early kick-off in the FA Cup Fourth Round sees AFC Bournemouth host Liverpool, in what should hopefully be an easy-on-the-eye encounter. Two talented young managers with similarly attractive playing philosophies </i><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;"><i>–</i></span><i> it might just be the perfect way to start your weekend</i><br />
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These two sides have met twice before, both in the FA Cup, both times Bournemouth were the hosts, and on both occasions they played out hard-fought draws before being given a hiding at Anfield in the replay. But given those ties took place in 1927 and 1968, it's probably about time the two teams were drawn against each other again.</div>
<br />
<b>BOURNEMOUTH DESERVE THEIR BIG DAY</b><br />
Bournemouth have been so impressive in recent seasons over the course of Eddie Howe's two spells at the club (though the less said of Paul Groves' lacklustre tenure in the middle, the better). When Howe first took the job in 2009, he inherited a team languishing at the foot of League Two, a 17-point deduction hanging over their heads. He kept them up against all the odds, but bigger surprises were to follow. The following season he got them promoted under extremely trying circumstances <span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">–</span> the club were under a transfer embargo for virtually the whole season and frequently failed to list a full complement of substitutes on their teamsheet. On one occasion teen striker Jayden Stockley was hauled out of his GCSE exams to make up the numbers on the bench. Slim pickings indeed. In short, Howe was a miracle worker right from the off.<br />
<br />
After 100 games at the helm, Howe was lured away in January 2011 to Championship football and Burnley. But he and his family struggled to settle, and by October 2012 he had made the difficult decision to drop back down to League One and return to Bournemouth. It proved to be a wise move all round, with Bournemouth rocketing up the table and clinching another ahead-of-schedule promotion, while Burnley have also improved markedly since Sean Dyche took over from Howe. Win-win situation.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Eddie Howe</i> </td></tr>
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Bournemouth have spent quite a bit of money to get to where they are now (bottom half of the Championship, but looking good enough to stay up). It's very possible to argue some of that money was badly spent, with the two biggest signings <span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">–</span> Matt Tubbs and Tokelo Rantie <span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">–</span> thus far not offering sufficient return on investment. But for the most part Bournemouth have signed talented, technical footballers with a strong work rate. Howe has a way of playing and it requires good technical ability and lots of graft. Most of his signings have bought into this ethos.<br />
<br />
<b>SIMILAR STYLES</b><br />
Howe's methods are not wildly different to those of Brendan Rodgers. Indeed, Bournemouth captain Tommy Elphick used the press conference ahead of the game to praise Rodgers and speak in glowing tones about how he tries to get Bournemouth playing in a similar way. "We aspire to be like Liverpool so it's a good time to play them to see how far off we are," said Elphick. "There's a lot to learn from a team like Liverpool and a manager like Brendan Rodgers. The key is having no fear. If you give them too much respect they will hurt you."<br />
<br />
In terms of similarities, both managers will shift between a single striker and two up front depending on the fixture and/or if the temperature of the game demands it. And both Rodgers and Howe like to have good technical players in central midfield that are constantly on the move, with a wide range of passing. For Jordan Henderson and Lucas Leiva at Liverpool, read Harry Arter and Eunan O'Kane at Bournemouth.<br />
<br />
Both managers like to play the ball out from the back too, so hopefully Saturday's encounter will be an elegant game with plenty of good technique on show. If you've only just crawled out of bed with a stonking hangover, there are worse ways to nurse yourself into the weekend.<br />
<br />
<b>WHO ARE BOURNEMOUTH'S KEY MEN?</b><br />
The aforementioned O'Kane is in a rich vein of form. The diminutive central midfielder is the sort of player for whom one's appreciation creeps up the more you see of him. His build is not particularly athletic, but he's constantly near the play, knows when to keep it simple, and is excellent at positioning himself in such a way that he either intercepts the pass or dissuades the opponent from releasing the ball at all.<br />
<br />
Harry Arter is in a similar mould, with but more bite to his play, a greater range of passing and a bit more of a goal threat too. A cousin of Scott Parker, you can see similar tenacity in his game at times, though too many of his all-too-regular yellow cards come from his inability to stay out of the referee's ear.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQ-7IiWV-Gh7TM2vm3d5BhhFFi98t1Ng5UkP9HG-dNfQldThq8Ie7GLGz3g30x14y94cKp9uU3072eLG21nFtovypPyvZ8h6MQp6PQGmb1d0tvC2h7nnHYm56HN5eCuqJwCaQoPNPnn_x6/s1600/eok.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQ-7IiWV-Gh7TM2vm3d5BhhFFi98t1Ng5UkP9HG-dNfQldThq8Ie7GLGz3g30x14y94cKp9uU3072eLG21nFtovypPyvZ8h6MQp6PQGmb1d0tvC2h7nnHYm56HN5eCuqJwCaQoPNPnn_x6/s1600/eok.jpg" height="238" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Eunan O'Kane. [Photo: Mick Cunningham]</i></td></tr>
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At right back, Simon Francis is the most dependable player in the team. When needed, he'll be up and down the touchline all game, and must get through a tremendous amount of running over 90 minutes. When he gets to the byline, he's capable of whipping in dangerous crosses.<br />
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Honorable mentions to: attacking workhorse Lewis Grabban, who has scored some invaluable goals this season and never stops running; classy wide midfielder Matt Ritchie, whose shots from range are as dangerous as his haircut is daft; and goalkeeper Lee Camp, who has proved to be an excellent shot-stopper and has recently made his loan move from West Brom permanent.<br />
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Of course, along with Camp, Bournemouth's busiest players on Saturday could well be their centre-backs. Particularly if Luis Suarez sees some pitch time. The club are fortunate to have three good ones. Elphick and Elliott Ward have been getting the nod over Steve Cook of late, but whichever pairing Howe opts for, they are all capable and competent. The worry is whether capable and competent will be enough.<br />
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Finally, if tiny right winger Ryan Fraser sees any time on the pitch, I'd like to see him in a race with Cissokho. Fraser is seriously rapid once he's got some open space in front of him.<br />
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<b>COULD BOURNEMOUTH GRAB A FAMOUS WIN?</b><br />
Anything's possible and it's not a bad time to be playing Liverpool. After their strong start in the Premier League, their recent points haul has been somewhat more modest, and they may be starting to prioritise finishing fourth over cup competitions. They will surely have half an eye on their huge game with Everton at Anfield on Tuesday evening.<br />
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They have some key men missing too. It's unlikely that any of Lucas, Johnson, Agger, Sakho, Flanagan or Luis Enrique will see any time on the pitch this weekend, so it's clear to see that it's in defence where they might be a little stretched. That said, they still have good options in Skrtel, Toure, Cissokho and Kelly. But will they really want to play all four when the same back four might be needed in the Merseyside derby three days later? Perhaps the likes of Aussie left-back Brad Smith will get a rare start?<br />
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If Suarez starts and is paired with Sturridge, you fear for Bournemouth's chances. But if Rodgers opts to keep them in reserve for Tuesday then Bournemouth must look to grab the initiative first half before Liverpool potentially introduce reinforcements later on.<br />
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Bournemouth don't have masses of cup upset pedigree, but they did knock Manchester United out in the 1980s and narrowly lost to them 2-1 in the 1950s. They would have knocked them out <i>twice </i>in the 1980s, had Steve Bruce not cynically <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/football/2006/nov/04/sport.comment1">trodden on Luther Blissett's heel</a> in 1989 when he was about to score a late winner. The referee hadn't kept up with play and missed the foul. Predictably, United won the replay. With apologies to Worksop, Heybridge Swifts et al, the Liverpool game this weekend is unquestionably Bournemouth's biggest game in the FA Cup since that day 24 years ago.<br />
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<b>ANY BETTING VALUE?</b><br />
If Suarez and Sturridge both start, Liverpool to be leading at half-time and full-time looks reasonable odds at 19/20 (BetVictor). If neither starts, I'd be tempted by the draw at 9/2 (various), but of course those odds could plummet fast once teamsheets are confirmed, so be poised and ready to bet around 60-90 minutes before kick-off if you're getting on that one.<br />
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Harry Arter's customary yellow card may well make an appearance, but 8/1 (Betfred) on him being the first player booked is not really value, so wait for Betfair odds nearer to kick-off. I prefer 31/10 on Victor Moses to score anytime (Unibet). The Nigerian has had hardly any game time since early December, but would seem likely to get a run-out here.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWcph-WvjMJyzTYTOcGfVYoTKnKHeyG9HlYsxsFmR5-dAmvts5XcVmJEj8_Rkce1xh02Gr9iSsQYsZK6S0N-IHUT9AXkvb_i8r1kK4ZmvFIDvSJ97cYkajDa84v355kHqSlPlNMDQIYubl/s1600/vm.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWcph-WvjMJyzTYTOcGfVYoTKnKHeyG9HlYsxsFmR5-dAmvts5XcVmJEj8_Rkce1xh02Gr9iSsQYsZK6S0N-IHUT9AXkvb_i8r1kK4ZmvFIDvSJ97cYkajDa84v355kHqSlPlNMDQIYubl/s1600/vm.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Victor Moses: a good anytime goalscorer bet?</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
The final word goes to Eddie Howe, ahead of what will hopefully be the game of the round. "It's a great challenge. It's a rare opportunity to pit our wits against one of the best teams in the world. This is a really special game. Not just for us as players but as fans, and the buzz around the town. We don't want to show Liverpool too much respect and freeze on the occasion."<br />
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"Better managers and players have tried to keep Suarez quiet and failed. It's one of the biggest challenges in world football."<br />
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<i>AFC Bournemouth v Liverpool, Saturday 12.45pm, ITV1</i><br />
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<!-- Blogger automated replacement: "https://images-blogger-opensocial.googleusercontent.com/gadgets/proxy?url=http%3A%2F%2F1.bp.blogspot.com%2F-AFq03yp0h8w%2FUuFDc37550I%2FAAAAAAAAARA%2FL58nSesJY6s%2Fs1600%2Fafcb.jpg&container=blogger&gadget=a&rewriteMime=image%2F*" with "https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVEti2ehUFTK-XQsgrpHXkSkFlNykaCEsRE2GryxNVRO7TKuYeHYQyABldoBZdc8A3IZVcjWlXBun-GX0ClCqyyIN3_IEEbj7zD3Afu1ywLAOIO859DAcdkiHeN1v8fZLikyz3DXl_TgiD/s1600/afcb.jpg" -->Narrow The Anglehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04807228260135695779noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3954716905684943860.post-4304851652821811612013-12-20T11:41:00.000+00:002013-12-20T16:24:29.638+00:00Narrow The Angle's Football Quiz, No. 2So, 2013 is pretty much done, and some footballing year it's been. Two German heavyweights battled it out in the Champions League Final; Wigan won the FA Cup and got relegated; messrs Van Persie, Carrick and De Gea won the Premier League by themselves; QPR imploded and not even 'Arry could save them; and England made it to the World Cup... but then got a stinky draw and found out their first game would be played just under a mile from the sun. Ultimately though, who cares, at least we're going.<br />
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But what you really need to round off your footballing year is a well-hard football general knowledge quiz. Right? Right.<br />
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Get your colleagues and/or Twitter people involved with this if you like.<br />
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Here goes then...<br />
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<b>QUESTIONS:</b><br />
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<b>Q1</b>: Which TWO players did Tottenham Hotspur sign from Hertha Berlin during the 2007/8 season?<br />
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<b>Q2</b>: Who is the only Scotsman with multiple Premier League hat-tricks?<br />
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<b>Q3</b>: Whose career progression is this: Odd Grenland, Stabaek, RB Salzburg, West Brom, Augsburg.<br />
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<b>Q4</b>: Who was Everton's caretaker manager for several weeks when Joe Royle departed in 1997?<br />
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<b>Q5</b>: What was the original inspiration behind Lazio's decision to play in a blue-and-white strip?</div>
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<b>Q6</b>: Which footballing statue does this arm belong to?</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmAn9kRNfNZoFRTet6YSbjqWYK2uzpNcBZ44nPS9JMV9iHTV_qqRRwVcJzABGYv-Jm1Dlv8ZooHY-7QdZBC_HA4WvYG6mDfrGtfXeJUyavlagLEkmm9rRXVpttCriwZ3Cl2iOsyDZzdg36/s1600/statue.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmAn9kRNfNZoFRTet6YSbjqWYK2uzpNcBZ44nPS9JMV9iHTV_qqRRwVcJzABGYv-Jm1Dlv8ZooHY-7QdZBC_HA4WvYG6mDfrGtfXeJUyavlagLEkmm9rRXVpttCriwZ3Cl2iOsyDZzdg36/s1600/statue.png" /></a></div>
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<b>Q7</b>: Who succeeded Tony Barton as Aston Villa manager in July 1984?</div>
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<b>Q8</b>: Which football moment of 2013 was responsible for the biggest spike in UK Twitter activity?<br />
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<b>Q9</b>: What is the main link between Bobby Gould, Ian Holloway and Gerry Francis?<br />
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<b>Q10</b>: What is the main link between Chris Kamara, Brian Little and Alan Ball?</div>
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<b>Q11</b>: Who is Manchester City's all-time record player sale?</div>
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<b>Q12</b>: In June this year Ronaldinho launched a new product called 'Sex Free'. What was he selling?</div>
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<b>Q13</b>: Who or what are the following: Domagnano, Faetano, Murata, La Fiorita, Tre Penne. </div>
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<b>Q14</b>: Who scored a hat-trick for Bayern Munich in a 2010 Champions League Semi-Final?</div>
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<b>Q15</b>: Name either of the finalists in the 1996 Cup Winners Cup Final.</div>
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<b>Q16</b>: In which city did Liverpool beat Alaves in the 2001 Uefa Cup Final?</div>
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<b>Q17</b>: Whose career progression is this: Farnborough, Barnet, Southampton, Fulham, Birmingham, Leeds, Millwall.</div>
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<b>Q18</b>: Which ex-footballer is being described in this sentence: "He had a Welsh mother and a Belgian father. On 19 June 1993 he married model Mandy Smith, the former wife of Rolling Stones bassist Bill Wyman, but they separated two years later and divorced in 1997."</div>
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<b>Q19</b>: Who is this former Premier League player, pictured after scoring against Arsenal in 2009?<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCC8p6jizbiG9chnjeYgUF0QBsXu8QJVNdJ5UgTNmWUDaljSl0hMVGHvgzFain1pcTQ047G1DHx4UT6KGdJoVj9CVJooynguhxQFJJmg68agFsbgesbKi5EHT23q2i54zM4skbkZTjz3ov/s1600/who.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCC8p6jizbiG9chnjeYgUF0QBsXu8QJVNdJ5UgTNmWUDaljSl0hMVGHvgzFain1pcTQ047G1DHx4UT6KGdJoVj9CVJooynguhxQFJJmg68agFsbgesbKi5EHT23q2i54zM4skbkZTjz3ov/s320/who.jpg" width="229" /></a></div>
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<b>Q20</b>: Which Paris Saint-Germain player started the 2010 World Cup Final?<br />
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ENDS</div>
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<b>ANSWERS:</b><br />
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<i>I know it may look like there's no answers here but... I've put the <b>answers below this paragraph, in white text</b>. This is to make it easier to resist the temptation to cheat. If you drag your cursor you should be able to select the text and the see the answers. It's like a sort of low-rent 'Reveal' button on Ceefax...</i><br />
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<span style="color: white;"><b>Q1</b>: Kevin-Prince Boateng; Gilberto <br /><b>Q2</b>: Kevin Gallagher<br /><b>Q3</b>: Somen Tchoyi<br /><b>Q4</b>: Dave Watson<br /><b>Q5</b>: The Greek flag and also the Olympic movement that came out of Greece, due to Lazio being a mixed sport club<br /><b>Q6</b>: Thierry Henry, Emirates Stadium<br /><b>Q7</b>: Graham Turner (current Shrewsbury manager)<br /><b>Q8</b>: Real Madrid knocking Man Utd out of the Champions League<br /><b>Q9</b>: They have all managed Bristol Rovers<br /><b>Q10</b>: They have all managed Stoke City<br /><b>Q11</b>: Shaun Wright-Phillips to Chelsea for £21m<br /><b>Q12</b>: Condoms<br /><b>Q13</b>: Teams from the San Marino Championship (Campionato Sammarinese di Calcio)<br /><b>Q14</b>: Ivica Olic<br /><b>Q15</b>: Paris Saint-Germain, Rapid Vienna<br /><b>Q16</b>: Dortmund<br /><b>Q17</b>: Maik Taylor<br /><b>Q18</b>: Pat Van Den Hauwe<br /><b>Q19</b>: Vladimir Weiss (then of Manchester City)<br /><b>Q20</b>: Gregory van der Wiel</span><br />
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Thanks for playing - Merry Christmas!</div>
Narrow The Anglehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04807228260135695779noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3954716905684943860.post-19126971200119082622013-11-19T16:00:00.000+00:002013-11-19T19:20:56.077+00:00Gibraltar v Slovakia. A rare chance to witness the competitive debut of a national side<i>Tonight sees the British Overseas Territory of Gibraltar make its debut in competitive international football with a friendly against Slovakia. <br />And, gloriously, it'll be live on the internet</i><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbZ0oL35VvWP6VIecE4kFda6vaTxdfbAAhFhocBCr485Wo4AhBDZfpA0OD0hbSsJchyjC9d3DRtO_2lTtgUuar97ACgt8BTzRX3OD-ZMtkMWJ24LH1wa0IbGRoDZrj8ryGS2eIZLMxoHYw/s1600/gib+shirt.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="285" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbZ0oL35VvWP6VIecE4kFda6vaTxdfbAAhFhocBCr485Wo4AhBDZfpA0OD0hbSsJchyjC9d3DRtO_2lTtgUuar97ACgt8BTzRX3OD-ZMtkMWJ24LH1wa0IbGRoDZrj8ryGS2eIZLMxoHYw/s400/gib+shirt.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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While not yet a full member of Fifa, Gibraltar were accepted into Uefa in May this year, and will subsequently be attempting to qualify for the 2016 European Championships. Their name will be one to watch out for when the draw is made on 23 February 2014. You'd have to have a heart of stone not to want them to be drawn in your country's group. Regardless of whether it may or may not prove to be an straightforward six points, the chance to hone in on their early fixtures as they try and get some sort of respectable side together should be a real pleasure.<br />
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Gibraltar's national stadium is not considered suitable for Uefa fixtures, so they are having to play their games at Estádio Algarve in Portugal for the time being. The game with Slovakia tonight kicks off at 6.30pm UK time (7.30pm local time) and will be broadcast live online by the Gibraltar Broadcasting Corporation (GBC). GBC are a public service broadcaster, so hopefully that'll mean no advertising or spammy pop-ups to interrupt our viewing. Here's a link.<br />
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<div style="text-align: center;">
<b><u><a href="http://gbc.gi/television/">Direct link for Gibraltar v Slovakia, 6.30pm kick-off (UK time).</a></u></b> </div>
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This means that any England fans planning to watch the friendly with Germany (or, for that matter, France v Ukraine or Sweden v Portugal) could tune in for an enjoyable first half of Gibraltar v Slovakia online before settling down in front of the TV.<br />
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I for one am planning on tuning in (provided public transport delivers me home from work in a timely manner). How often do you get to witness live the first tentative steps of a new international team? And, who knows, if the Gibraltar game is exciting then England v Germany might just have to be watched on catch-up a little later in the evening?<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmhc8ja7hhbkrp-alkzkuGApaq_ZCbNmTBU_GwS_gwZvsTvaLgn2K6BeL10MEUOpzo5QauN5TRzz1gNJtXAQ0UIS6jt2Ht_MnpALOp4mIu5jlC8L0bYyMIsqVQrHoUi21tXEKKHvNQNXRJ/s1600/fans.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="232" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmhc8ja7hhbkrp-alkzkuGApaq_ZCbNmTBU_GwS_gwZvsTvaLgn2K6BeL10MEUOpzo5QauN5TRzz1gNJtXAQ0UIS6jt2Ht_MnpALOp4mIu5jlC8L0bYyMIsqVQrHoUi21tXEKKHvNQNXRJ/s400/fans.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Gibraltar fans celebrate their acceptance into Uefa.</i></td></tr>
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Of course, a Slovakia win is extraordinarily likely, but anything could happen. The Faroe Islands beat Canada in their second ever competitive match in April 1989. Actually <i>beat </i>them! SÍF Sandavágur midfielder Torkil Nielsen (also a fine chess player, according to <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Torkil_Nielsen">Wikipedia</a>) scored his country's first ever competitive goal as the Faroes gained their maiden victory against the unfortunate Canadians.<br />
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And lowly Tajikistan, in their first ever World Cup qualifying campaign in 1996-97, lost just once in qualifying (to China), and twice handed out 4-0 gubbings to Vietnam. They really weren't a million miles away from qualifying for France 1998 – glorious stuff.<br />
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Could Gibraltar get a result against Slovakia tonight? Their opponents have some eye-catching names in their squad, including Martin Škrtel, Marek Hamšík and Vladimír Weiss, so ultimately it's hugely unlikely. One bookmaker will even give you enormous 50/1 odds on a Gibraltar win. But just the chance to see it all get underway is a treat.<br />
<i><br /></i>
<i>The Guardian</i> have previewed the game <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/football/blog/2013/nov/19/gibraltar-uefa-slovakia-spain-rock-full-international-football-fixture?CMP=twt_gu">here</a>.<br />
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And, for good measure, here's <i>Metro</i>'s "<a href="http://metro.co.uk/2013/11/19/six-things-you-didnt-know-about-gibraltars-national-football-team-4191331/">Six things you didn't know about Gibraltar’s national football team</a>".<br />
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Tune in <a href="http://gbc.gi/television/">here</a> from the wonderfully obscure programme start time of 6.22pm (UK time). It should be fun.<br />
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<i>Apologies for originally listing the kick-off time here as 7pm. The BBC (among others) listed the wrong kick-off time.</i>Narrow The Anglehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04807228260135695779noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3954716905684943860.post-60737730659655291422013-07-26T10:32:00.000+01:002013-07-27T09:45:43.376+01:00Taking my eye off the ball.I haven't watched a football match for two months and good grief I needed that.<br />
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I'd slipped into the habit of watching summer football in the last two or three years <span style="color: #00000a; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-bidi-language: HI; mso-fareast-font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-language: HI; mso-font-kerning: .5pt;">– </span>like some of you crazy cats do <span style="color: #00000a; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-bidi-language: HI; mso-fareast-font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-language: HI; mso-font-kerning: .5pt;">– </span>and I've realised it was a major contributory factor to my vague, uneasy feeling of jadedness towards football last season.<br />
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It wasn't that I'd fallen out of love with football, I'd just had too much of it. You can definitely have too much of a good thing. I mean, if I ate eat peanut butter every day for a year I'd certainly get utterly sick of it, but if I then didn't eat it at all for a couple of months it would no doubt taste delicious again. Same with football, I reckon.<br />
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In the internet age it's easy to fall into the trap of trying to keep tabs on every tiny happening in football over the summer. Well here's the thing: if Chelsea sign someone for a few million, or Ipswich lose one of their most promising youngsters, or Barcelona sign a new reserve keeper <span style="color: #00000a; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-bidi-language: HI; mso-fareast-font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-language: HI; mso-font-kerning: .5pt;">– </span>it doesn't actually matter if you find this out in May, June, July or even early August. In fact, by avoiding this news over the early part of the summer you allow yourself one of football's great pleasures, that of devouring a pre-season preview when you don't know who's signed who.<br />
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In the 1980s and 1990s, before we found out everything instantly on Twitter and the internet, I'd often only discover who Newcastle had spaffed a few million on by reading a new season pullout from my nan's <i>Daily Mirror</i>, or in <i>FourFourTwo</i>'s always-eagerly-anticipated "The Season Starts Here"/"Big Kick-Off" issue. Sure, occasionally I'd flick on Ceefax and have a brief browse, but often those printed column inches of "Ins" and "Outs" <span style="color: #00000a; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px;">–</span> with player names tantalisingly highlighted in bold <span style="color: #00000a; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px;">–</span> were the first I'd heard of these deals. You'd start reading with an idea in your head of where teams were last season, and by the time you'd read to the end your brain would be racing with possibilities for the new season.<br />
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And so, as July nears an end, it's time to dive in. For the first time in ages I get to enjoy some of these rather retro sensations again. Batteries recharged, now comes the rush. That glorious clamour for every fixture grid, pre-season preview, squad number list (have you seen <a href="http://www.avfc.co.uk/page/NewsDetail/0,,10265~3326722,00.html">Villa's</a>? What a thrill), third kit unveiling, transfer announcement (though I draw the line at rumours), and prediction article (ranging from the play-safe to the downright nuts) that I can get my hands on. I can't get enough of it now, because I've reached the point of genuinely missing football. If you'd asked me a week ago, I still wasn't there. It's only arrived the last couple of days. But, if I'm honest, perhaps I've been suppressing it for slightly longer. You can't start too early though, otherwise it's not as good, not as gleefully satisfying. It lacks a certain giddy fizz.<br />
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I'm back in the game. Football, you're welcome back in my life. But one thing I won't be doing is watching <i>any </i>televised friendlies. I avoid them at all costs. Managers are still experimenting, nobody is taking anything too seriously, and exotic new signings are still shaking off jet lag and learning what "nobody told me my squad number would be 38" is in English.<br />
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But if you really must watch a friendly on television <span style="color: #00000a; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px;">–</span> if that really is the best thing you've got to do with your time <span style="color: #00000a; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px;">–</span> for goodness sake don't read too much into it. Otherwise you'll be going around saying things like: "Mark my words, Bentley's going to be a brilliant signing for Spurs, he's been on fire in pre-season" <span style="color: #00000a; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px;">–</span> Me, Summer 2008.<br />
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It's just pre-season. It means next to nothing. Shouldn't you be in a beer garden somewhere? Still no <i>Match Of The Day</i> for another four weekends. And that's actually a good thing. Let the anticipation build. Go and buy <i>World Soccer</i> and read it in the park with a Calippo lolly.Narrow The Anglehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04807228260135695779noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3954716905684943860.post-19029096354554054392013-05-14T09:51:00.003+01:002013-05-14T10:17:55.189+01:00Getting Wimbledon fit for the Football LeagueHere's an article by me for the ever-excellent <a href="http://thetwounfortunates.com/getting-afc-wimbledon-fit-for-the-football-league/">Two Unfortunates</a>, a website devoted exclusively to the Football League.<br />
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After Wimbledon's final day survival act in League Two, this piece assesses the mess that Neal Ardley inherited when taking on the job in late 2012, while also looking forwards and wondering whether Wimbledon can avoid another struggle in 2013/14.<br />
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<a href="http://thetwounfortunates.com/getting-afc-wimbledon-fit-for-the-football-league/">http://thetwounfortunates.com/getting-afc-wimbledon-fit-for-the-football-league/</a>Narrow The Anglehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04807228260135695779noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3954716905684943860.post-21937768545947569732013-04-02T17:00:00.000+01:002013-04-02T17:02:35.054+01:00Everything in its right place.<i>Are most teams currently in the 'right' division? And is that healthy? </i><br />
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Over the course of this season I've increasingly been struck by the idea that almost every team in English football's top four divisions is currently competing in its rightful division.<br />
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What do I mean by 'rightful'? I guess I mean a blend of club stature, history and resources, while taking into account mistakes in its recent past that may have led to a downturn in fortunes. For instance, most people would argue that Leeds United are a Premier League team in terms of stature, but few would say they are currently playing in the wrong division thanks to the <a href="http://img.thesun.co.uk/multimedia/archive/00113/rids2105_113981a.jpg">mismanagement</a> of the club in the past decade or so. The Championship is almost certainly the 'right' division for them at the moment.<br />
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In seasons gone by you'd look down the table and think "Cripes! Sheffield Wednesday/Manchester City/Southampton - what are they doing in League One?" There'd perhaps be a few in every division that you'd think this about. Take the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1999%E2%80%9300_FA_Premier_League#Final_league_table">Premier League in 1999/00</a>, for instance.<br />
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This season, which teams are not in their rightful division? Here's the meagre list I came up with, and their 'right' division in brackets:<br />
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<ul>
<li><span style="color: #274e13; font-size: x-small;"><i><b>Reading </b>(playing in Premier League, 'right' division would be Championship)</i></span></li>
<li><span style="color: #274e13; font-size: x-small;"><i><b>Sheffield United</b> (playing in League One, 'right' division would be Championship)</i></span></li>
<li><span style="color: #274e13; font-size: x-small;"><i><b>Crawley Town</b> (playing in League One, 'right' division would be League Two)</i></span></li>
<li><span style="color: #274e13; font-size: x-small;"><i><b>Bradford City</b> (playing in League Two, 'right' division would be League One)</i></span></li>
<li><span style="color: #274e13; font-size: x-small;"><i><b>Dagenham </b>(playing in League Two, 'right' division would be Conference)</i></span></li>
<li><span style="color: #274e13; font-size: x-small;"><i><b>Accrington Stanley</b> (playing in League Two, 'right' division would be Conference)</i></span></li>
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Of course, this is all incredibly subjective and there's no need to write to me in an indignant huff. I realise I've probably just offended about three-quarters of supporters reading this blog who think their team belong a division higher, and perhaps flattered the other quarter who can't believe their luck that they're even clinging on at their current level. This is just my opinion - I'm not stating it as fact. If you like, make your own list and see how many teams you think are in the 'wrong' division. I doubt it will be significantly longer than mine. The only one that narrowly missed my list were Rotherham who, with their new stadium, bigger crowds and resources are arguably a League One team in stature now.<br />
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So what's my point here? I guess I'm intrigued by this levelling out that we've seen in recent seasons. Perhaps it's to do with traditionally bigger clubs attracting investment in recent seasons, enabling them to realise their potential and haul themselves out of stagnation? Perhaps the increasing importance of fitness, diet and tactics in the game means that the teams that can afford the best training facilities, sports scientists, scouting networks, etc are increasingly showing up their more old-school, disorganised counterparts on the pitch?<br />
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But is this a good thing or a bad thing? At the start of the season I worried it would definitely be a bad thing. I even wrote a piece honing in on <a href="http://www.narrowtheangle.com/2012/07/201213-worst-league-one-in-years.html">League One</a>, stating that it looked to be the worst League One on paper in recent memory and that it would just be a bunch of ordinary teams scrapping it out for the right to be relegation certainties a level higher the following season.<br />
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But it's turned out to be the two divisions either side of League One that are astonishingly even across the board.<br />
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In the <a href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/championship/table">Championship</a>, everybody from 24th to 8th (EIGHTH!) still needs to worry to differing degrees about relegation. Derby, Bolton and Middlesbrough are all on 54 points in 8th, 9th and 10th. They are seven points clear of relegation with all teams having between six and eight games left to play (so 18-24 points available for all). Obviously it's unlikely any of those three would go down, they just can't rule it out yet. Plenty to play for still.<br />
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While in <a href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/league-two/table">League Two</a>, even in seasons without a couple of administration-riddled basketcases adrift at the bottom, 50 points is usually ample for survival. Bottom club Aldershot are already on 44 points with another 15 to play for. And they're only four points off Dagenham in 17th. It's incredibly competitive at the bottom. Two from eight will go down and not one of those sides is completely rotten.<br />
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Has such a level playing field made for an exciting, nerve-jangling season for Football League supporters? Most would probably say it has. There's a cluster of around five teams safely ensconced in the middle of Leagues One and League Two with not much left to play for, but everyone else is still fighting for something. And <i>everybody </i>in the Championship still has plenty of reasons to see their next three points as potentially season-defining.<br />
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So while a small number of teams might put this season down as quite a boring one (Notts County, Oxford, Chesterfield) most will feel they've given fans plenty to be excited/petrified about. As a fan of two teams (Bournemouth and Wimbledon) I've had plenty to keep me on my toes at opposite ends of the divisions they play in. Come the end of the season I could yet be celebrating a promotion for one while still distraught at the relegation of the other. Or it could be another season of both in the same divisions next year. And I won't know either way for a while yet.<br />
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Next season could see a few more teams in the 'wrong' division. Sunderland perhaps? Yeovil? But it won't be many. And hopefully that continues to be as good/bad for excitement/utter terror as it has been this term. The football may not always be beautiful but the bigger picture is rarely dull.</div>
Narrow The Anglehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04807228260135695779noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3954716905684943860.post-87519655596468832852013-02-25T09:48:00.000+00:002013-02-25T09:48:06.575+00:00A new lease of life for Kevin Sainte-Luce<i>As AFC Wimbledon gamble on another so-called 'bad boy', will it pay off better than the last time they took a punt on a potentially troublesome player?</i><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Kevin Sainte-Luce in action for Wimbledon at Kingsmeadow</i></td></tr>
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Wimbledon boss Neal Ardley brought in Cardiff City's Kevin Sainte-Luce in the January transfer window, the winger leaving the Bluebirds (or whatever they're calling themselves these days) under a cloud after a judge spared him a prison sentence for assaulting two women in a nightclub.<br />
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Ardley knows 19-year-old Sainte-Luce well from his time as Cardiff's academy manager and, while acknowledging that the nightclub incident was "really bad", believed it to be wholly out of character for his former young charge and felt he deserved a second chance. “I do not condone what he did, but he is genuinely remorseful over what happened," said Ardley.<br />
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How glad Ardley must be today that he did offer such a lifeline after Sainte-Luce scored the only goal of the game as Wimbledon picked up a precious three points at Dagenham & Redbridge this weekend, hauling themselves off the bottom of the table and - for now at least - out of the League Two relegation places. With the game drifting towards a nervy 0-0 draw, a ball was cleared to the edge of the box where Sainte-Luce caught it sweetly, sending the ball swerving past a number of bodies, flush into the back of the net. The winger's spectacular cartwheeling celebration a sign of the relief both he and the Dons' large travelling support were feeling. Not to mention Ardley. Wimbledon clung on to grab a <a href="http://www.hounslowchronicle.co.uk/west-london-sport/afcwimbledon/2013/02/23/sainte-luce-fires-dons-to-vital-dagenham-win-109642-32868167/">desperately needed win</a> and Ardley admitted that he'd fancied his team to win as he'd seen the belief in their eyes before the game.<br />
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“It was a fantastic strike," said Ardley of the goal, "and Kevin has been brilliant since he came in – he deserved that. I have told people that he will frustrate the life out of you, but he has unbelievable ability."<br />
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Born in Guadeloupe but raised in Paris, Sainte-Luce arrived in South Wales as a teenager and worked his way through Cardiff's youth system under Ardley. Though he never appeared for Cardiff's first team, fans were sad to lose a player with such raw potential, although they sympathised with and fully endorsed the club's decision to firmly <a href="http://www.cardiffcityfc.co.uk/news/article/sainte-luce-contract-terminated-626431.aspx">show him the door</a>. <br />
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The incident which led to his release took place at Cardiff's Glam nightclub, and involved Sainte-Luce punching one girl and assaulting her friend. Judge Bodfan Jenkins spared Sainte-Luce a jail term of up to six months, instead telling him: “Because your promising career could be compromised by prison time, I want to avoid taking such action." Instead he ordered the player to pay £1,250 compensation to the two girls, gave him a 180-hour community service order and a ten-week 8pm-6am curfew.</div>
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Just as well for Wimbledon's survival chances that the judge took a lenient view; Sainte-Luce's weekend winner earned the Dons just their second win in eight games and a huge boost in their battle to earn a third season in the Football League.</div>
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Hopefully Sainte-Luce will continue to repay the considerable faith shown in him by Ardley - not just in his ability but also his character. With tricky winger Toby Ajala recently departed back to parent club Bristol City, there is a vacancy for some pace and trickery on Wimbledon's flanks and Sainte-Luce looks like he might be one player to offer those traits. </div>
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Searingly quick and with a deceptively long stride for a small man, he's capable of giving weary full-backs all sorts of nightmares when brought on late in games; though if he's able to do for ninety minutes too, that would be a bonus. If Wimbledon stay up by a point or two, then perhaps history will remember Ardley's gamble on bringing the player to the club as one that paid off big time. </div>
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But Wimbledon haven't always been rewarded for their altruistic tendencies when it comes to giving apparently difficult characters a chance to show they've changed their ways. Long-time readers of this site may recall a piece I wrote about wonderfully gifted but hugely frustrating left-back <a href="http://www.narrowtheangle.com/2010/12/has-andre-blackman-blown-it-at.html">Andre Blackman</a>. Blackman looked like a world-beater in his sole pre-season with the Dons during summer 2010, but a terrible attitude put paid to his chances of making it at the club. Somehow, Blackman ended up at Celtic, where he was loaned out, <a href="http://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/sport/football/football-news/celtic-bad-boy-andre-blackman-1368378">sent back</a> and, subsequently, quietly let go by the Glasgow club. We weren't the only club that thought we could tame him, but none have managed it thus far.</div>
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Released for assorted negative reasons at a string of clubs, the fear is that Blackman may never learn and will only look back on his career with regret.<br />
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Thankfully, in the case of Kevin Sainte-Luce, the early signs are that he is focused on rebuilding his career and that the nightclub incident was out of character; a momentary teenage lapse. Let us hope that he continues to make headlines for all the right reasons at Wimbledon.</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Neal Ardley hopes Kevin Sainte-Luce will repay the faith shown in him after <br />giving the winger a second chance to prove himself in the Football League</i></td></tr>
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Narrow The Anglehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04807228260135695779noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3954716905684943860.post-80655068802885120932013-01-24T13:39:00.000+00:002013-01-24T15:11:47.323+00:00When the others score<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<em>It happens at nearly every game we go to, yet it's barely ever spoken of. </em></div>
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<em>An attempt to sum up that anomalous feeling when your team lets one in</em></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><em>The pesky away team nick one. Fans try their utmost not to look.</em></td></tr>
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The balls nestles into the back of the net with an audible swish of synthetic leather on polyethylene. There are thousands of people here and yet, daft as it seems, you actually <em>hear</em> it. <br />
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Not ten seconds earlier this throng of people around you were making a terrific din, willing their lot – your lot – to score a goal of their own. Instead, possession given away cheaply (is it ever not?), in a flash there's a counter-attack. Quick pass, even quicker pass, shimmy, shot, goal. <br />
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Silence. A brief moment of almost total quiet, which despite lasting less than three seconds is somehow sufficient time for you to assess all the myriad ways in which your life is a steaming pile of horse excrement before the centre forward is even midway through his clichéd knee-slide-and-fist-pump combo. This momentary lull feels almost perverse. <br />
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Sure, a few people instantly swear, but you're often suspicious of them. The people who swear or shout immediately when a goal goes in always have an air of "I've paid £30 for this and I'm not even going to see a win" about them. There's always one and their squawks are annoying, yet irrelevant. The ones hurting most of all are keeping schtum. They know the drill. Suck it up, exchange a glance with your mate, get home, sulk, have another go in a fortnight or so.<br />
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Somehow you don't really get to appreciate this oddity in all its dismal glory on the telly. Those chaps who set up their furry boom mics at pitchside know what they're doing. When an away team scores on TV, unless their support amounts to less than fifty souls, you'd think the din of their celebrating was reverberating around the whole stadium, deafening home fans with its maddening blare. Actually it tends to be more of an annoying hum in the distance. Just don't look directly at them – the bastards – with their happy flailing limbs and their hope. Don't look, don't look – oh, too late – you looked. That could've been you.<br />
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The aforementioned skill of the TV sound guys means it's not as easy as you'd think to find truly delicious examples of the phenomenon online. Here's one from France though, <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=E1wJbWIQ4EA#t=31s">Ajaccio scoring at Nice</a>. Listen out for token sweary man in the crowd, but aside from him just take a moment to enjoy the almost total silence before a few whistles start. That's the sound of thousands of people indulging in a bout of self-loathing right there.<br />
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A couple more. You'll rarely hear the Bernabéu as quiet as when <span id="goog_384823734"></span><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pHmVN0CuyQM">Galastaray take the lead here<span id="goog_384823735"></span></a>. Ditto Ibrox, back in 1992, as <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=Ndai-x2F1GM#t=32s">Gary McAllister scores</a> in the first minute to immediately muzzle 43,000 Glaswegians baying for English blood. Rangers went on to win the tie, but it's the moment in isolation we're interested in here.<br />
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As the uncomfortable silence slips away, blame is usually apportioned in the direction of whichever talentless so-called midfield dynamo gave the ball away. But it's that awful instant as ball hits net that remains one of the eeriest moments you can experience at football.</div>
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<div style="text-align: left;">
<em>If you've got any more macabre clips of goals that silence the home fans – and the TV footage actually does it justice – you're very welcome to leave them below the line</em></div>
Narrow The Anglehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04807228260135695779noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3954716905684943860.post-90597374771996957792012-11-01T13:25:00.002+00:002012-11-04T21:20:21.897+00:00A glorious weekend of German footballI had my first taste of live German football this weekend, with three games in three days including fixtures at Cologne, Bielefeld and Hannover. To say it was a fun trip would be a huge understatement.<br />
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I've blogged about it in detail over at <a href="http://www.bundesligalounge.com/">Bundesliga Lounge</a>, a cracking site that's well worth bookmarking.<br />
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You can read the piece <a href="http://www.bundesligalounge.com/archives/1285">here</a>. Enjoy!<br />
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Below are a few photos that there wasn't room for on the blog.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLbgWlwgyt8k2Rzu-xjikjumHka4EsdnEwGIePnnVb6CYLFdNON66zS1kf7zb0KWNZ-cIJKGJReOEI83wPSeNAhRUCNFRp9gnsjvJlOYRgHXzdJwRgv1mDl54_OiDnCgcAv8iZt01qW4_V/s1600/1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLbgWlwgyt8k2Rzu-xjikjumHka4EsdnEwGIePnnVb6CYLFdNON66zS1kf7zb0KWNZ-cIJKGJReOEI83wPSeNAhRUCNFRp9gnsjvJlOYRgHXzdJwRgv1mDl54_OiDnCgcAv8iZt01qW4_V/s400/1.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>FC Koln's magnificent RheinEnergieStadion </i><br />
<i>at dusk, just as the famous towers light up</i></td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3N4oKEVy3FL61qFvBLoLdtE9dHK36hw0hav0qlwtW_whg-4HiCWqS7yc_ycBdWKWaO3Ho_IvAEfzzF6m26M283sDvXHZssvLjuNrJ186kslcVgAawon-MnNaxgunX3-kxVXPQrbchINhQ/s1600/2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3N4oKEVy3FL61qFvBLoLdtE9dHK36hw0hav0qlwtW_whg-4HiCWqS7yc_ycBdWKWaO3Ho_IvAEfzzF6m26M283sDvXHZssvLjuNrJ186kslcVgAawon-MnNaxgunX3-kxVXPQrbchINhQ/s400/2.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Arminia Bielefeld's hardcore support on the terrace at <span class="st">Schüco</span> Arena</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqksgGtIdUsbUUW7OquLuafw7oBDKJfn0JpKRj7d_IM4xjSkfPFxl5XVtz_ZwpNY76zHhs8UyUCacvRyMp_Qq8zTPFrpRHHryLmmMJ_QbHP1f_cq4F5lMgmzJzy66OiOqM3ZEn3wP9EiIy/s1600/3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqksgGtIdUsbUUW7OquLuafw7oBDKJfn0JpKRj7d_IM4xjSkfPFxl5XVtz_ZwpNY76zHhs8UyUCacvRyMp_Qq8zTPFrpRHHryLmmMJ_QbHP1f_cq4F5lMgmzJzy66OiOqM3ZEn3wP9EiIy/s400/3.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Robert Enke's old Hannover 96 jersey </i><br />
<i>in the supporters' bar near AWD-Arena</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6_BAskRum4sJf-oJmRGzj53aCZZ3yPO3smxHNXVwqT3GBjiC9pXc8FQb4Xj1PXukD6rtP9Ontd8HMb2mxMIghCom_xXSbeTjYLxlW0R6YpFTUuPqp1hvE9CVRzsg7n1M5rcn9YUhkAeHi/s1600/4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6_BAskRum4sJf-oJmRGzj53aCZZ3yPO3smxHNXVwqT3GBjiC9pXc8FQb4Xj1PXukD6rtP9Ontd8HMb2mxMIghCom_xXSbeTjYLxlW0R6YpFTUuPqp1hvE9CVRzsg7n1M5rcn9YUhkAeHi/s640/4.jpg" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Tasty, delicious wurst. Mmmm...</i></td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhqCCNY7YRXTbrkxoMTtK_H4yqEtoL_1KMMIypRvhsqCEnEbXrLi0R93VCLUZyFnjsHfBijGNHuPF7vjWP05F_8VnQRKVN_fTNYAG28T_p6Al1c457XIhL8OX_6uf5G2LKVH_bgzP5mbZk/s1600/5.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhqCCNY7YRXTbrkxoMTtK_H4yqEtoL_1KMMIypRvhsqCEnEbXrLi0R93VCLUZyFnjsHfBijGNHuPF7vjWP05F_8VnQRKVN_fTNYAG28T_p6Al1c457XIhL8OX_6uf5G2LKVH_bgzP5mbZk/s400/5.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>What a matchday experience a trip to the AWD-Arena offers</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgN9-E895RvxuxyB3kO5A83IgH7cZBkDE0TZDLvx7UG6J0qftQ4RPptBK4SvBBQrn0Uhz4fw1kLZLMPASJTUi11fWRT0uDjWOF7AP1ipJM2AnIba0eIAcoM7ORbw1zhKUGFgmXPZYqQ_Tdi/s1600/6.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgN9-E895RvxuxyB3kO5A83IgH7cZBkDE0TZDLvx7UG6J0qftQ4RPptBK4SvBBQrn0Uhz4fw1kLZLMPASJTUi11fWRT0uDjWOF7AP1ipJM2AnIba0eIAcoM7ORbw1zhKUGFgmXPZYqQ_Tdi/s400/6.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Hannover's Jan Schlaudraff (No13) pictured alongside </i><br />
<i>talented Gladbach playmaker Patrick Herrmann (No7)</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
Also, many thanks to everyone who's given the <a href="http://www.bundesligalounge.com/archives/1285">blog</a> a mention on Twitter. Seems to have been quite well received, which is nice. Perhaps I'll have another bash at a travelogue style piece in future.Narrow The Anglehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04807228260135695779noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3954716905684943860.post-81526175038071353012012-10-30T16:29:00.000+00:002012-11-01T13:55:14.313+00:00Revealed: How Ipswich Town pick a manager<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjd0WbkKAaszE_no4KcLX0T7NjhrZ-MCJ8ExJyGjXaIyXCt_NnRajYCtwe8O5zdOiLFK6Gtlld0gMjIZtcqVeqBhPXoRa_RNzp_WsOYIVjlXkW7mh_B6HTQGRWdJNXua_IFa29o-312RJCE/s1600/itfc.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjd0WbkKAaszE_no4KcLX0T7NjhrZ-MCJ8ExJyGjXaIyXCt_NnRajYCtwe8O5zdOiLFK6Gtlld0gMjIZtcqVeqBhPXoRa_RNzp_WsOYIVjlXkW7mh_B6HTQGRWdJNXua_IFa29o-312RJCE/s400/itfc.jpg" width="400" /> </a></div>
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Excuse my rudimentary Photoshop skills. Ipswich will probably appoint a really leftfield Eastern European manager now I've wasted 15 minutes doing this. </div>
Narrow The Anglehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04807228260135695779noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3954716905684943860.post-14286602373326202852012-09-07T17:59:00.000+01:002012-09-07T18:39:03.950+01:00An instant gut reaction to Harry Redknapp's return to Bournemouth<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzCd5i6bs9dWqRm6vPxN4UKX4n6kChfkNU8Ikc_tBwRlbQ1sVzJIY26IDRRwQgq0sU7WO5hshS2ZjcYDVuunW2pDFA83Sq2HM0GnUpEAfO-yw5N-DoUVl8oOTdiLyKZbmTp-y_gFYpneFW/s1600/redknapp.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzCd5i6bs9dWqRm6vPxN4UKX4n6kChfkNU8Ikc_tBwRlbQ1sVzJIY26IDRRwQgq0sU7WO5hshS2ZjcYDVuunW2pDFA83Sq2HM0GnUpEAfO-yw5N-DoUVl8oOTdiLyKZbmTp-y_gFYpneFW/s320/redknapp.jpg" width="271" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Redknapp during his time as AFC Bournemouth <br />manager, many moons ago</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
Oh my. The most successful manager in Bournemouth's history is back at the club, in a voluntary, "advisory" role. According to the board he will assist the current managerial team and offer advice on any footballing matters. <br />
<br />
The news has instantly gone global, with "Bournemouth" currently trending on Twitter. And, unsurprisingly, most of the people I follow on Twitter are assuming that this spells bad news for Bournemouth in the long term.<br />
<br />
Are AFC Bournemouth - a club suddenly apparently blessed with a chunk of money for the first time in their unremarkable history - about to "do a Portsmouth"? By which I mean a brief and giddy period of unprecedented success and rampant spending swiftly followed by abject doom, poverty and quite possibly liquidation. Jumping the gun a bit? Quite possibly. But that's the instant worry I get in my gut - I obviously hope it proves to be an overreaction.<br />
<br />
Or maybe everyone is jumping to conclusions? Redknapp lives at Sandbanks, which is only a few miles from Bournemouth. He likes a simple life away from football, choosing one or two favourite restaurants or a walk on the beach with his dogs over the normal trappings that someone of his status and wealth might enjoy. It might be that he's a bit bored kicking around the house and just wants to help a club that he has had an association with for several decades.<br />
<br />
Alas, it probably won't turn out that way. Results have not been good so far this season and manager Paul Groves is already under pressure. Redknapp has worked with Groves previously and rates him - which helps - but if Bournemouth's iffy form continues and Groves gets sacked... it's a fairly obvious script from that point forward.<br />
<br />
And if that happens - if Harry becomes manager of Bournemouth again - fans will have a quandary on their hands. There will, in all likelihood, be success and attractive football under Redknapp. We'd probably get promoted. But then what?<br />
<br />
It's incredibly early for speculation such as this, but these are the sort of daydreams (or nightmares, depending on the individual) that will be going on in fans' heads this evening, so let's not kid ourselves any different.<br />
<br />
As a Bournemouth fan, I want to enjoy any success the club has with intense pleasure. When we win a match, a league or whatever, I want that feeling to be glorious. I've not tasted that feeling very often in my 24 years as a Bournemouth supporter, and I don't want any glory to be tempered by a more-than-reasonable worry of what might be around the corner.<br />
<br />
If Bournemouth are about to enter a successful period in their history (that's assuming this doesn't all go wrong sooner rather than later) then it is down to the club to convincingly persuade supporters that the long-term future of the club is assured. A wealthy benefactor is not going to bankroll us for ever, and will surely want to see a return on their investment. The club really needs to urge Maxim Demin to talk about his interest in the club and what he wants to get out of it.<br />
<br />
Until we know more about him, why he chose to invest in us and what his long-term aims are, any enjoyment we take from milestone moments such as Redknapp's return will be considerably affected by the nagging fear that this will not end well.<br />
<br />
We hope it <i>will</i> end well - we've almost lost this club on more occasions than we'd care to recall - but that worry will always be there while there are so many legitimate question marks about the way the club is run/owned.<br />
<br />
One thing that is worth noting, though, is that, while Harry always seemed to be in it for himself at Portsmouth (and at Southampton and Tottenham, for that matter), there are two clubs that he has a genuine passion for and would presumably not want blood on his hands were anything bad to happen to them - Bournemouth and West Ham. <br />
<br />
Speaking of which, this blog is going to look pretty silly in a month or two when Redknapp is West Ham manager and is hanging out of a car window talking about how much he can't wait to get into the Olympic Stadium isn't it...<br />
<br />
Money plays havoc with a football fan's mojo. We want to win and enjoy winning, but even more importantly we want our children and grandchildren to have the opportunity to watch our club win when we're long gone.<br />
<br />
I was hoping that writing this blog might crystallise what I'm feeling this evening. But I'm not sure it has. Redknapp coming back to Bournemouth ought to provoke a thousand happy memories of my childhood, watching his excellent Cherries side from Dean Court's F Block with my dad. Instead, while a glimmer of excitement is certainly there, the worries are significant. For now at least.<br />
<br />
Phew, time for a pint...Narrow The Anglehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04807228260135695779noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3954716905684943860.post-32943816856119313192012-08-29T14:10:00.000+01:002012-09-05T16:32:40.940+01:00Revealed: How Martin O'Neill signed Adam Johnson for Sunderland<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8PK9Dwb8dQXXq4OoOQkX05tMZa2SszdvSunM1Sl6J4xd_7oyk_CXt2RQjm2z4R2vitZq-1Gwp_qynYIY8A6dZWMM0BlP9TLl94BZYL6Aam4e0yWzyh525AUSL5H4SBHXAf3R2SavXskAy/s1600/Adam+Johnson+and+MON.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="222" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8PK9Dwb8dQXXq4OoOQkX05tMZa2SszdvSunM1Sl6J4xd_7oyk_CXt2RQjm2z4R2vitZq-1Gwp_qynYIY8A6dZWMM0BlP9TLl94BZYL6Aam4e0yWzyh525AUSL5H4SBHXAf3R2SavXskAy/s400/Adam+Johnson+and+MON.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>"Oh, I love it when I get the ball here, Gaffer! <br />Guess what I'm gonna do with it now?"</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Thanks to NarrowTheAngle's web of fly-on-the-wall 'mole-droids' around the country, we were able to listen in and spy on the negotiations between Sunderland manager Martin O'Neill and winger Adam Johnson in the run-up to the latter signing for the Black Cats. Here is the transcript of their conversation.<br />
<br />
(<i>There is a knock at the office door</i>)<br />
<b>Martin O'Neill</b>: Come in! Ah, hello there Johnson. Good to see you, son. Have a seat.<br />
<i>(Johnson is clearly distre</i><i>ssed, and tugs at the label on his t-shirt as he quickly sits down)</i><br />
<b>Adam Johnson</b>:<i> </i>(<i>sniffing</i>) All I w... w... want to do is cut in from the wing and have a shot, Mr O'Neill. A low shot, hit hard into the bottom corner of the net. I'm really good at it but Mr Mancini keeps on not letting me play.<br />
<b>MON</b>: I understand, son. To be fair I do remember watching you on my tellybox a couple of years back. Saw you score a couple of great goals where, if memory serves, you cut...<br />
<b>AJ</b>: (<i>interrupting and suddenly cheering up</i>) Yeah, cut inside and scored with a low shot! GOAL! That's my favourite and my bestest thing to do. I really, really love doing that.<br />
<b>MON</b>: Great, well we could do with a bit of your incisive wing play here at Sunderland, especially during the first half of games. Generally we like to have the lad Cattermole sent off around the 55-minute mark, so it would be lovely if we could be going into the ten-man phase of our games with the cushion of a lead from time to time.<br />
<b>AJ</b>: (<i>doing puppy dog eyes</i>) Well... I could help you with that.<br />
<b>MON</b>: Good, well, I must say I'm pretty tempted. What would you say are your main strengths?<br />
<b>AJ</b>: (<i>defiantly</i>) I really, really love to cut inside and....<br />
<b>MON</b>: Yes, cut inside and have a low shot, I think you mentioned that. But what else?<br />
<b>AJ</b>: Well - and this is the clever bit - sometimes I shoot to the near post, but then on other occasions I shoot to the far post. Good, eh?<br />
<b>MON</b>: Well, err, yes. That's lovely. But what else do you do to bring some variety into your game?<br />
<b>AJ</b>: What do you mean?<br />
<b>MON</b>: Well, you can't always do the same trick of cutting inside with a feint and then shooting low. How else do you like to mix things up?<br />
<b>AJ</b>: (<i>looks blank for ages</i>)<br />
<b>MON</b>: Come now, Johnson, surely you don't do the same thing every time? What about getting to the byline and standing up a cross for one of our strikers? We've got the lad Fletcher from Wolves now. He's pretty good with his head.<br />
<b>AJ</b>: (<i>sulkily</i>) I don't really like doing that.<br />
<b>MON</b>: Or maybe you could play a simple pass to a teammate before you've cut inside?<br />
<b>AJ</b>: What? Shut up, I hate that! HATE IT!<br />
<b>MON</b>: Well, ok, how about if, sometimes, once you've cut inside, you hit your shot high into a top corner? That would at least be a bit different.<br />
<b>AJ</b>: No! I don't want to do that! I told you, I just want to cut inside and shoot low.<br />
<b>MON</b>: To be honest then, Johnson, I'm not sure we have a deal. I might not be the most tactically adventurous of managers but I can't have a guy in my team who only does one thing.<br />
<b>AJ</b>: What if I say I'll play for just 50k pocket money per week? That's loads less than the pocket money Mr Mancini gave me.<br />
<b>MON</b>: Only 50k a week? Well, Johnson! Why didn't you say so before?! I assumed we'd be talking big money, but 50k a week is an absolute snip for your services. I used to pay Reo-Coker that much just to sit on the bench at Villa. And that was if he was lucky. Whereas with you I'll have some pace down the flank and a player that can...<br />
<b>Both in unison</b>: ...cut inside and shoot!<br />
(<i>There is laughter all round. For a disturbingly long period of time. Until both men forget what they were laughing at and stare coldly at their shoes.</i>)<br />
<br />
<b>Afterword</b><br />
Adam Johnson signed for Sunderland, where he would often cut inside and shot low, sometimes to the near post and sometimes to the far. You literally never knew which side he would put it. He was <i>that </i>good. However, Martin O'Neill eventually became tired of the player's insistence on cutting inside to shoot, not to mention his refusal to pass the ball to a teammate, and instead preferred to leave Johnson on the substitutes bench. But since he was only on 50k a week that wasn't a big problem really.Narrow The Anglehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04807228260135695779noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3954716905684943860.post-588835098008525872012-08-21T13:02:00.001+01:002012-09-05T16:33:03.124+01:00AFC Bournemouth's Top Five Number 9s<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtXqoDWyBmZKCVfT53OnHZ3mR6R7SIpH75CSH671zdD-KTm2XOPn0JB1q7JWjiDyBLtRhlGF9zJ-vvuYqL6-wqIr8D91nswXzJFBKxLES3oBvw_cRd1N-eRz7U9sFls3cQnMVJExEcPKGx/s1600/ted.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtXqoDWyBmZKCVfT53OnHZ3mR6R7SIpH75CSH671zdD-KTm2XOPn0JB1q7JWjiDyBLtRhlGF9zJ-vvuYqL6-wqIr8D91nswXzJFBKxLES3oBvw_cRd1N-eRz7U9sFls3cQnMVJExEcPKGx/s320/ted.jpg" width="231" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Ted MacDougall</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div>
To celebrate the start of Prostate Cancer UK’s Football League charity partnership, here is an <a href="http://prostatecanceruk.org/get-involved/do-an-event/football-league/best-no9s/clubs/b/bournemouth">article</a> I've written after the charity asked fans from each of the 72 Football League clubs to count down their top five strikers to have worn the No9 shirt. This is in recognition of the fact that <b>prostate cancer will affect <a href="http://prostatecanceruk.org/information">one in nine men</a></b>.</div>
<div>
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: Calibri;"><b><br /></b></span><div>
If players <i>never</i> wore No9, they weren't allowed in, so no Jermain Defoe, Luther Blissett, etc in my Top 5. You can check who made the Top 5 for your favourite club <a href="http://prostatecanceruk.org/get-involved/do-an-event/football-league/best-no9s/weekly-articles/week-1/welcome">here</a>.<br /><br />Please feel free to plug my article or any of the others through social media channels or anywhere you like. It will make a fantastic difference to a charity that is doing very important work to combat this depressingly common form of cancer.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
On Twitter, it would be great if you could use the hashtag #bestno9s and/or mention that the piece was written “on behalf of @prostateuk”. Cheers!</div>
</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<a href="http://prostatecanceruk.org/get-involved/do-an-event/football-league/best-no9s/clubs/b/bournemouth">AFC Bournemouth's Top Five Number 9s</a>
</div>
Narrow The Anglehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04807228260135695779noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3954716905684943860.post-87931188731917433922012-07-10T14:51:00.000+01:002012-07-11T14:59:29.366+01:002012/13: The worst League One in years?<div>
<i>League One does not look a strong division on paper ahead of the new season. Perfect timing then for an outsider to put together a promotion charge...</i></div>
<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8sI2ZI_vDclTJgK4afi9C7qIBX0yQHYhLfqMA0ClBv-VfuYRTJb9cBuXVvZGmgvsoDoit2VaW-iSIyBL0BgAKEq0AQlNC3aU_evIOWwVaeDgkzseUcy7Ee2cW7dFMKn2gOYUbQ2boSJvK/s1600/cafc.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><i><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8sI2ZI_vDclTJgK4afi9C7qIBX0yQHYhLfqMA0ClBv-VfuYRTJb9cBuXVvZGmgvsoDoit2VaW-iSIyBL0BgAKEq0AQlNC3aU_evIOWwVaeDgkzseUcy7Ee2cW7dFMKn2gOYUbQ2boSJvK/s400/cafc.jpg" width="400" /></i></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>With Charlton, Sheff Wed and Huddersfield promoted last season, League <br />One looks unusually weak as teams prepare to go again in 2012/13</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
Cast your eyes down the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2012%E2%80%9313_Football_League_One#League_table">League One table</a> for 2012/13. Then, once you've finished yawning, pick your two teams to get automatic promotion.<br />
<br />
Congratulations on immediately selecting Sheffield United before, thinking yourself slightly shrewd, opting for MK Dons as your second pick. We've all got those two as well. Still, give yourself a pat on the back.<br />
<br />
Now the hard bit: pick your four teams for the play-offs.<br />
<br />
This is you: "Hmm.... errr.... ooh, bit tricky.... crumbs.... can I get back to you?"<br />
<br />
This year's League One looks like depressingly humdrum fare on paper. In most other seasons, relegated sides in dire financial straits like Portsmouth and Coventry would be settling for consolidating in mid-table, content to avoid the dreaded back-to-back relegations. Yet among such an average crop, they might actually fancy their chances. Although having just read <a href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/football/18780438">this</a> about Portsmouth's plight, perhaps not.<br />
<br />
Most of the famous names that have slipped into this league in recent times have now managed to haul themselves out again. In a division that increasingly looks like a gathering place for the country's most tedious teams to wallow in their inoffensively low-key mediocrity, if ever there was a season for surprise packages this is surely it.<br />
<br />
Carlisle looked to be quietly building something last season, and probably didn't get the credit they deserved for almost making the play-offs. Likewise Stevenage kicked on from their excellent run in recent seasons, only narrowly missing out on a date at Wembley as Sheffield United managed to nudge them aside in the play-off semis. Both sides will hope to go a step further this season. Heck, they'll never have a better chance.<br />
<br />
There are also great heaped tablespoonfuls of pressure on Preston and Bournemouth to have strong seasons. Both are ambitious and itching to get promotion, but we know from <strike>laughing at</strike> watching MK Dons in recent years that this doesn't necessarily equate to consistent results on the pitch.<br />
<br />
Preston manager Graham Westley, known for his eccentric methods and gruelling marine-like training regime, doesn't seem to be endearing himself to Preston's squad, recently informing a whopping <a href="http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/football/article-2169972/Graham-Westley-texts-players-turn-Preston-training.html?ito=feeds-newsxml">eight players by text message</a> that they needn't bother turning up for pre-season training. One of the eight was Iain Hume, considered not only one of Preston's best players but one of the best in the division. Westley does things his way and it either works or it doesn't, but it wouldn't be a huge surprise to see the Preston board's trigger finger twitching if they start the season poorly.<br />
<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiATngELz3eXEbv9oMQ5R4c2QpW8Q0zEDJJzfhyphenhyphenQTVZp-HzfBIeR1D2yHvgzFGBHJ4TCBuvH1nPOQAJOsJh53pfYfFns0MkUMDy7lA2XPmxJAMKSag6NcYfX1jVkZ-7IAOHZM9pRBItglmN/s1600/matt-ritchie.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiATngELz3eXEbv9oMQ5R4c2QpW8Q0zEDJJzfhyphenhyphenQTVZp-HzfBIeR1D2yHvgzFGBHJ4TCBuvH1nPOQAJOsJh53pfYfFns0MkUMDy7lA2XPmxJAMKSag6NcYfX1jVkZ-7IAOHZM9pRBItglmN/s1600/matt-ritchie.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Could Swindon be a surprise package <br />and win back-to-back promotions?</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Bournemouth meanwhile were very much the comic relief/car crash side of the division last year, with various incidents involving club chairman Eddie Mitchell and other board members (or, in one case, their <a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/football/2012/feb/25/wife-bournemouth-half-time-team-talk">spouse</a>) causing some considerable embarrassment and distraction for the playing staff and fans. This close season has seen Bournemouth make a couple of intriguing signings, such as Rotherham's Lewis Grabban, who starred in League Two last year, and Eredivisie striker <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frank_Demouge">Frank Demouge</a>, who joins the club from FC Utrecht. Bournemouth have also made several additions to their backroom team, including Dennis Rofe as first-team coach and former Torquay and Northampton midfielder Chris Hargreaves (author of <i><a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/Wheres-Your-Caravan-Footballs-B-Roads/dp/0007364148">Where's Your Caravan?</a></i>) as development coach.<br />
<br />
The Bournemouth board are determined to win promotion this year, with Mitchell rarely one to shy away from a bold statement. In any other season you'd put him saying "I want the club to win the league and that's the main aim" down to naivety, but with League One so lacklustre on paper perhaps that is a genuinely achievable ambition. Much like Preston though, don't be overly surprised if an early-season managerial change disrupts Bournemouth to such an extent that they start planning for 2013/14 season earlier than most.<br />
<br />
Anyone else? Notts County quietly went about their business in finishing seventh last term. They could be dark horses again. And what of promoted Crawley and Swindon? Under the thoughtful stewardship of Sean O'Driscoll, Crawley will play nice football and could challenge provided there's still some mysterious money left in the mysterious money pot. And who would bet against Swindon carrying on as they left off last season, as manager Paolo di Canio continues to inspire and impress in equal measure.<br />
<br />
There appears to be a great heaving mass of teams that seem unlikely to get promoted but are perhaps too good to go down: Brentford, Bury, Colchester, Doncaster, Hartlepool, Leyton Orient, Oldham, Scunthorpe. Most of these sides will expect to snuggle up to the cosy embrace of mid-table security. Yet while relegation is probably as likely as promotion for most of them, if ever there was a season to throw the kitchen sink at a promotion push, this is it. Brentford would seem most likely to surprise as Uwe Rosler continues his steady progress there. They seemed a bit of a Jekyll and Hyde team last season, but if they can find some consistency then anything is possible.<br />
<br />
If we get one or two surprise packages in League One this season, it could be all the more exciting for the lack of big names in the division. However, if those surprise packages fail to emerge, it could easily become brain-meltingly tedious.Narrow The Anglehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04807228260135695779noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3954716905684943860.post-15428809295762925902012-07-03T22:18:00.000+01:002012-07-03T22:18:14.412+01:00FSF need Premier League and Championship fans help with policing and stewarding survey<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6yh_qyEhB8SZF9RJIw0Oor1Bc3jm7wxot8-AHHwM27YA8xdwW676mJWxGtMYQF4eqZOsTWjU2kjnCbzhyk23o7dn7vi1HL2hHEy4-OAkOLByLfMlPI0Jl75DWB05UHyHbnRqF9lzReZ5j/s1600/stewards.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6yh_qyEhB8SZF9RJIw0Oor1Bc3jm7wxot8-AHHwM27YA8xdwW676mJWxGtMYQF4eqZOsTWjU2kjnCbzhyk23o7dn7vi1HL2hHEy4-OAkOLByLfMlPI0Jl75DWB05UHyHbnRqF9lzReZ5j/s400/stewards.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Photo: 'Ingy The Wingy', <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/ingythewingy/4112423291/">Flickr</a></i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div>
<span style="background-color: white;">Amanda Jacks is a case worker at the <a href="http://www.fsf.org.uk/">Football Supporters Federation</a> (FSF). She's been in touch to ask if Narrow The Angle could help promote a survey they're running into policing and stewarding ahead of the new football season. Here's Amanda...</span></div>
<br /><i>"The results of this survey will help us get a better overview of the opinions of supporters and also help us in deciding where to focus our efforts next season. <br /><br />An assistant chief constable of West Midlands Police has already tweeted that he’d like the results to help them improve policing next season and of course the results will be circulated to all and sundry within the footballing world and we hope to encourage meetings to discuss them further.<br /> <br />So far I’m only doing Premier League and Championship clubs but will survey the remaining leagues early next season."</i><br /><br />So folks, if you support a team in the top two English tiers and are happy to help, the links are below:<br /><br /><a href="http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/PremiershipFans">Premier League survey</a><br /><a href="http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/Policing-Stewarding_Championship">Championship survey</a><br /><br /><span style="background-color: white;">You can also follow Amanda on Twitter <a href="https://twitter.com/#!/fsf_faircop/">here</a>.</span>Narrow The Anglehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04807228260135695779noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3954716905684943860.post-5060908339076463722012-06-21T16:01:00.000+01:002012-06-21T16:18:09.655+01:00Italy XI to face England (in anagram form).I like anagrams. I especially like footballing anagrams. With that in mind, I've taken my anagrammatic eye to Italy's Euro 2012 squad (not including the injured Chiellini, that would be cheating) and come up with a fully functional starting XI. <br />
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8_-JUahLcKgm9GaSSOmx7XceTYVwf7aYQPFQPddg5_egUauU_gGOGOxbMtDs79fQ6166SRilpiSdpj0We6ifL4fznklcdd0ExAr8EM19QfKJqyBKVF8X-TH7Bf6xANNXbKHv5IyMUws8a/s1600/Pirlo%2520Juventus.png" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="193" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8_-JUahLcKgm9GaSSOmx7XceTYVwf7aYQPFQPddg5_egUauU_gGOGOxbMtDs79fQ6166SRilpiSdpj0We6ifL4fznklcdd0ExAr8EM19QfKJqyBKVF8X-TH7Bf6xANNXbKHv5IyMUws8a/s320/Pirlo%2520Juventus.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Rod Airplane could help Italy soar against England</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<b>Italy XI to face England at Euro 2012 (4-5-1 formation):</b><br />
<br />
<b>1. Denoting Sarcasm</b> <i><span style="color: #999999;">(Morgan de Sanctis, GK)</span></i><br />
<b>2. Haggis Mortician</b><i> <span style="color: #999999;">(Christian Maggio, RB) </span></i><br />
<b>3. A Chemical Urine Genie</b> <i><span style="color: #999999;">(Emanuele Giaccherini, LB)</span></i><b> </b><br />
<b>4. Rod Airplane</b> <i><span style="color: #999999;">(Andrea Pirlo, DM) </span></i><br />
<b>5. Angel On A Bongo</b><span style="color: #999999;"> <i>(Angelo Ogbonna, CB) </i></span><br />
<b>6. Caboodle Unicorn</b><span style="color: #999999;"> </span><span style="color: #999999;"><i>(Leonardo Bonucci, CB)</i></span><br />
<b>7. Aniseed Soldier</b><span style="color: #999999;"> </span><span style="color: #999999;"><i>(Daniele De Rossi, RM)</i></span><br />
<b>8. Ornate Onion Icon</b><span style="background-color: white; color: #999999;"> <i>(Antonio Nocerino, CM)</i></span><br />
<b>9. Alien Toad Nation</b><span style="color: #999999;"> <i>(Antonio Di Natale, FC)</i></span><br />
<b>10. A Malicious Orchid</b><span style="color: #999999;"> <i>(Claudio Marchisio, CM)</i></span><b> </b><b> </b><br />
<b>11. Nationalised Dramas</b><i> </i><i><span style="color: #999999;">(Alessandro Diamanti, LM)</span></i><br />
<br />
Reckon that team could take England? Quite possibly.<br />
<br />
As you can see, anagrams are no respecter of reputations, so the likes of
Buffon, Cassano and Balotelli are brutally cast aside. I was particularly disappointed not to
come up with an anagram for Mario Balotelli. If you can think of a good one, let me know.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7hzu2TGgaiG_t8JXtE1j6d4p3UUny7vSjdMMXlhR1UntlSvgD6FaHcOYQnsdyimkbLXNN0EGI6658Cym0lj5cgjUHJo28naLKHU2pnRGwunyb2ieJEG5zvFHuw_NgSR1LCSmDEnX111ot/s1600/di+natale.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7hzu2TGgaiG_t8JXtE1j6d4p3UUny7vSjdMMXlhR1UntlSvgD6FaHcOYQnsdyimkbLXNN0EGI6658Cym0lj5cgjUHJo28naLKHU2pnRGwunyb2ieJEG5zvFHuw_NgSR1LCSmDEnX111ot/s320/di+natale.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">All hail the Alien Toad Nation</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"></td><td><br /></td><td style="text-align: left;"></td></tr>
</tbody></table>Narrow The Anglehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04807228260135695779noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3954716905684943860.post-23117292425910501152012-04-19T14:30:00.001+01:002012-04-19T14:32:31.071+01:00Nostalgic football geekery: it's The Football Attic's League Of Blogs wallchart!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1nQawq2U1fzDYTwJshaS-U1-XFSMZRCP89Uk1Ttp4teLfhvgJWIXUoQ3WAGIEUtjpsGsO3O-MIIFlI2GfwWqM-cx3NKdKMX_oqdWIFHbsFjoa7V_lQmHwkNOb1Txs4cyjvP7RPsD9NaHi/s1600/narrow+the+angle_home.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1nQawq2U1fzDYTwJshaS-U1-XFSMZRCP89Uk1Ttp4teLfhvgJWIXUoQ3WAGIEUtjpsGsO3O-MIIFlI2GfwWqM-cx3NKdKMX_oqdWIFHbsFjoa7V_lQmHwkNOb1Txs4cyjvP7RPsD9NaHi/s400/narrow+the+angle_home.jpg" width="283" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Home kit, impeccably drawn in Photoshop by me. I'm very talented...</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
I was a little late in hearing about one of my favourite football blogging ideas of the season – so apologies if this is old news to some of you – but I absolutely love this homage to Subbuteo from The Football Attic.<br />
<br />
Their new 'League of Blogs' wallchart features kits lovingly designed by some of the <strike>geekiest</strike> most dedicated football bloggers in cyberspace. Click here [<a href="http://thefootballattic.blogspot.co.uk/2012/03/league-of-blogs.html">LINK</a>] to visit the League of Blogs. You'll need to:<br />
<ul><li>click the image to enlarge it, and then...</li>
<li>...click View Image to see it in its full size </li>
</ul><br />
I'm chuffed to say that I am now among their number, as my two kits were added yesterday. My kits are at No67 and No68. But as a special treat (since you neither asked nor particularly care), I've put the original versions of both my kits here for you to <strike>ignore</strike>... <strike>laugh at</strike>... enjoy.<br />
<br />
My home kit pinches from the colours of the two teams I support, Bournemouth and Wimbledon. A grotesque combination, perhaps, but memorable nonetheless.<br />
<br />
The away kit, sure to be a hit with <strike>colourblind</strike> fans, features some little half moons at the base of the shorts, which is my tribute to one of the coolest kits of my childhood – <a href="http://farm3.staticflickr.com/2641/3932589143_ee5a263cb8_o.jpg">this one</a>, worn by Gazza for Spurs in the early 1990s. <br />
<br />
Naturally, both my kits are sponsored by the classic 1990s Amiga football game Sensible World of Soccer, since we're so categorically going down Retro Street in this exercise. And my kit manufacturer of choice is Spall, maker of some <a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-657Wiyn9Ffk/TwXmM3rq1rI/AAAAAAAAATw/jep9DZ7tiTs/s1600/wimbledon415.jpg">legendary</a> kits and some <a href="http://www.historicalkits.co.uk/Scottish_Football_League/Partick_Thistle/images/partick_thistle_1989-1990-a.gif">rather fetching, less-famous ones</a> too, not to mention half the kits on show at Hackney Marshes most Sundays.<br />
<br />
As for the rest of the designs on the poster, I think my personal favourite has to be the enjoyably quirky effort from <a href="http://marceltipool.com/">Marceltipool</a> (No43 on the chart), who have opted for a nutty all-white number with red-hooped socks and a solitary green-hooped sleeve. I'm a sucker for an asymmetrical kit.<br />
<br />
Applause in the general direction of <a href="http://thefootballattic.blogspot.co.uk/">The Football Attic</a> for their efforts in putting this together. I highly recommend you follow them on Twitter here <a href="http://twitter.com/#%21/FootballAttic">@FootballAttic</a>, where they'll give you plenty more memorable nuggets of retro football heaven.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1gvDdEuxcHWyJeh4lIsaTy9N_FATV3KWmfEzoZJCHu_ONTEGrZVPYAf9qZKMPt2Psh-_q7N25JIoFZoi7PZZa17_JgpR9KMeW_W615vpbA5k6kYa8x3YmBYSP8M0ZRupAeLeF6Ob6K0t3/s1600/narrow+the+angle_away.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1gvDdEuxcHWyJeh4lIsaTy9N_FATV3KWmfEzoZJCHu_ONTEGrZVPYAf9qZKMPt2Psh-_q7N25JIoFZoi7PZZa17_JgpR9KMeW_W615vpbA5k6kYa8x3YmBYSP8M0ZRupAeLeF6Ob6K0t3/s400/narrow+the+angle_away.jpg" width="283" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Away kit, complete with non-matching 'half moons' on the shorts. Hooray!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>Narrow The Anglehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04807228260135695779noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3954716905684943860.post-84027610441383790002012-04-12T19:51:00.000+01:002012-04-12T19:51:51.816+01:00An interesting infographic (if that's not an oxymoron) about Euro 2012<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj18uWJV_T6Gpo4whoNJfuTXvAEN_K19cK5Z_UjAHaMN9Dpw7qonpPqV3B-y9TTO2UTDa_KWEYPhNj4UC7VUvqdODqfNJwpeecoZZEES3BNMAshqx9kVKCEcmw89CVjp8ECsWPyF2WOkQZQ/s1600/UEFA_Euro_2012_logo.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj18uWJV_T6Gpo4whoNJfuTXvAEN_K19cK5Z_UjAHaMN9Dpw7qonpPqV3B-y9TTO2UTDa_KWEYPhNj4UC7VUvqdODqfNJwpeecoZZEES3BNMAshqx9kVKCEcmw89CVjp8ECsWPyF2WOkQZQ/s200/UEFA_Euro_2012_logo.png" width="165" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Euro 2012: it's going to be way <br />
better than the rather creepy<br />
logo would have you believe.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>A chap I don't know called 'Jonas' from a gambling affiliate site emailed me about this Euro 2012 infographic that he and his affiliate buddies have made (see below). <br />
<br />
Ninety-nine times out of a hundred I roll my eyes when I get something like this, but at least Jonas's email was courteous and didn't start with some ludicrous opening gambit like "Hey, how are you today? Hope you're having a great day!" In fact, he only used one cliché in his entire email, which was mildly refreshing.<br />
<br />
So since his email was alright, I gave it the time of day and actually read it [spammers note, I <i>will</i> still delete most of your nonsense without reading it, so don't get your hopes up].<br />
<br />
It turns out that his infographic is reasonably interesting for those of us planning to have a few bets during this summer's tournament.<br />
<br />
Obviously, like all infographics these days, it's hoping to sell or get you to do something. In this case, it's hoping to drive traffic to Jonas's website. But that's obviously optional. If you want to just look at the infographic, indulge in its pretty patterns and statistics, and then click it away - as indeed I did - then fill your boots.<br />
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I can't vouch for the quality of Jonas's website because I haven't had more than a cursory glance at it. It's an affiliate site, so you know what you're going to get. Lots of links to deposit with bookmakers, and if you deposit then the affiliate website gets a cut. That's how these things work. If you're lucky then you get some decent content too, but I'm unable to comment on the quality of the content on Jonas's site because I haven't read it. Notice I'm not giving it a name-check, lest I get emails from people saying "I think you have a vested interest in that site!" I don't. I'm not really a fan of affiliate websites because for every good one there are several dozen crap ones.<br />
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But taking the infographic on its merits as a standalone thing, it's pretty good as a punter's tool ahead of the tournament. You're safe to click it to enlarge it to full size, though I should note that <i>the text link below it is theirs not mine, and takes you to their site</i>.<br />
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<a href="http://s3.amazonaws.com/ggn/Euro-2012-Infographic.jpg" target="_blank"><img alt="Euro 2012 Infographic" src="http://s3.amazonaws.com/ggn/Euro-2012-Infographic.jpg" width="500px" /></a><br />
<div>Provided courtesy of the <a href="http://www.gambling-guru.com/european-championship/">Euro Betting</a> Weblog</div><br />
</div>Narrow The Anglehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04807228260135695779noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3954716905684943860.post-70637010303682813392012-04-12T18:42:00.000+01:002012-04-12T18:42:31.196+01:00An assessment of AFC Wimbledon's first season back in the Football League<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMIEez27JFuGR8RQ4yHfRXSyX5aDma0Ci4YwN9mxawyaI1fEant-BRFC0lRdyqh3g4L9BP6icgxBrleju__CTphnKnB6941vJwfi3Kp_JO8nuiIV8XnXSGE9WQfZayPamiA1jNKZLOy3fN/s1600/afcw.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="267" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMIEez27JFuGR8RQ4yHfRXSyX5aDma0Ci4YwN9mxawyaI1fEant-BRFC0lRdyqh3g4L9BP6icgxBrleju__CTphnKnB6941vJwfi3Kp_JO8nuiIV8XnXSGE9WQfZayPamiA1jNKZLOy3fN/s400/afcw.png" width="400" /></a></div><br />
It's been a topsy-turvy season for AFC Wimbledon so far. As a season ticket holder standing behind the dugouts, I've seen first-hand the stresses and strains that the coaching staff and players have been through. It was never supposed to be this hard.<br />
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One of my favourite football websites, the dedicated Football League site Two Unfortunates, asked me if I'd write them a piece looking at how Wimbledon have fared in League Two this season - and what they perhaps need to do differently if they're to fare better next term.<br />
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<a href="http://thetwounfortunates.com/pausing-for-thought-at-wimbledon/">http://thetwounfortunates.com/pausing-for-thought-at-wimbledon/</a> <br />
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As someone who only got into watching Wimbledon towards the end of their non-league journey, I am hopefully well-placed to assess the 2011/12 campaign through relatively unbiased eyes. <br />
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Please click the link above to read my piece for The Two Unfortunates. If you have any comments, I'd be grateful if you could leave them at the bottom of the article rather than under this little plug. Cheers.Narrow The Anglehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04807228260135695779noreply@blogger.com0