Thursday 31 December 2015

The Midweek's Team Of The Year

It's that time of year again where we look back and pick out our heroes and moments from 2015.

In footballing terms it's been a random year of results, signings, sackings and look-alikes! Who'd have thought the likes of Neville & Sheringham would get a crack at managing? Considering Neville's first job is that of guiding Valencia up into the Champions League places - its school boys own stuff! It gives hope to all of us playing championship manager! As for Teddy it's proving a harder pack of assorted nuts to crack! Stevenage haven't kicked on under him and although the Hertfordshire team have been understanding in letting Teddy do things his own way, If they carry on sliding down that table towards the trap door that is non-league football ,that understanding will be pushed to the limits! I've heard a rumour that the Stevenage board have got the Midweeker on speed dial!
Now it wouldn't be an end of 2015 year blog with out mentioning Jose... Well we just have and that's all we are saying on the man (If you flick back to a few posts to an earlier blog we've covered all what we needed to!)


Right then down to the fun part  - wait for it... t's our team of the year! 11 players that have sexualised football fans throughout 2015! Making punters spill their tea all over the person sat in front of them! Forget the half time Pie this is all about the side portion of mash! 

We're gonna make this post short and sweet - Due to everyone wanting to get the first round of tea's in early doors ahead of NYE - But first we fill the keeper in our team needs a special mention!

This player has been outstanding throughout his career although things took a bit of a nose dive in the late part of 2014, finding himself on the bench at a club he had been at since 2004! During the summer he had a big question to ask himself! "Do i sit here at the Bridge on the bench playing with my iPhones drum app or do i find a new challenge?" After a lot of definitely maybes the big man got his switch across the capital to Arsenal.  

"Last summer, things changed and I understood I was no longer the first-choice keeper, but I felt it was not the right time for me to go. During the season it became clear that my situation would not improve and, as I know I am not at the stage of my career where I want to be on the bench, I made my decision to move on and look for new challenges." Čech 

It was claimed by some that Petr Čech was coming to the end of his career, that he was past his shot stopping best. "The helmet had finally gone to his head" This didn't stop Arsene spending £10 million on him, and what a signing it's turned out to be. For the unbelievers and Chelsea fans all i can say is that Arsenal are heading into 2016 as league leaders, from a neutral point of view it's sickening as Wenger shouldn't still be in footballing management he looks more like a school teacher! 

The main reason Arsenal are doing so well this season.. it's simple it's all down to a man named Čech!


Right you lucky bunch lot of footballing fans! lets get down to business! The remaining 10 places in our team of 2015! There's no room for the likes of Terry, Bony, Walker or even Radamel Falcao (I know Falcao has been electric this season and it may come as a bit of a surprise but he ain't gonna force his way into our team.) So after a good few minutes of thinking here's are team of the year! 












Wednesday 23 December 2015

The Other Neville


Our mate Gary has been getting a lot of press recently, It's possibly something to do with him taking over a bang average Spanish side by the name of Valencia. Who'd have seen that coming? Ok i know the owners of Valencia FC have brought a large stake in the Neville's side project - Salford City F.C - But honestly the guy is inexperienced as a manager and this could do him more harm than good! 

Anyway we've decided to focus on the other Neville... Phil. 

Phil started life at Man United along with his brother as part of the Class of 92. It took Phil noticeably     longer to break into the United team than it did his elder sibling although it's been well documented that during their school boy days, It was in fact Gary that struggled for game time. Phil would often find himself in the starting 11 for both county team and country. "Phil was always more talented as a youngster. He got in England schoolboy teams and things like that. I was struggling to even get in the county team - I was sub at times - whereas Phil was always one of the best in the country. I never got close to making England teams" Gary Neville 2003

Once Phil was established at United there was no moving him! He would go on to average between 30 / 40 games a season for the Red Devils. (386 in total) It was during this time Phil realised that he had no idea how to make a decent cup of coffee! (This embarrassing revelation came to light in Jan 2015 when Neville was asked to make a cup of coffee for a journalist visiting his home) *Keep it Tea!

After establishing himself in the United set up - International football soon followed, making his debut for the 3 lions aged 18. The Neville's had written themselves in the history books by becoming the first set of brothers to play together for the national team since the slightly less famous pair of Charltons. (Nope i've never heard of them either) Rumour has it that they we're part of the 1966 World cup winning squad! Phil went on to represent his Country 59 times, although it wasn't all singing and dancing for the younger brother.  In 1998 Neville was left out of the World cup squad - Something that still haunts him today. "It was probably the lowest point for me. I was almost sure I was going. I got right down to the wire and when I wasn’t selected it was a bitter blow." 

In 2005 Neville decided to move on from United and surprisingly enough ended up at Everton. (No United player has ever done that now have they???) The Toffee men snapped him up for a modest £3.5 Million quid! Still only 28 Neville had his best years in front of him. During his time at Everton Neville played over 300 games and in 2007 was handed the captains armband. It was also in 2007 that Phil would earn the last of his 59 England caps. 

Not one to find the net on a regular basis Phil managed to grab himself 2 league goals during 2007/08 and that proved to be his most prolific season for Everton! Many believe his best season as a pro came in the 2008/09 season. His versatility meant he played in an array of positions from right back to centre midfield. It's strange to think that Phil disagrees with this statement... Something to do with 1999 and a treble? Nope no idea either think he may of dreamt that one! 

The only thing missing from his time as a Toffee icon was silverware.  It was during his final seasons as a pro that he gained his UEFA B Licence.  

After hanging up his boots, Neville decided to join David Moyes on the coaching staff at United. The less said about that the better. (Although in fairness to Moyes, Untied haven't been hitting the heights this season either!) 

So what happened after that brief unsuccessful time a United with Moyes?? We need to rewind slightly to 2013 Shortly after the documentary came out regarding the Class of 92. The Neville brothers had this idea to buy a non league team and turn them into next big thing. After a few years of scouting different teams and persuading a couple of other ex pro's from the Class of 92 including a  certain Ryan Giggs to buy into the project they group decided to buy Salford City F.C. If you've got a spare few minutes and fancy a laugh have a google - There's some funny clips on the inter web with the likes of the Neville's acting like a Mike Bassett double act! One of the clips show's Phil pouring a hot drink for a fan.... Got a feeling it wasn't coffee! Unfortunately for Salford they just missed out this season on the FA Cup third round! But the signs are there that they will become a force within the next few years. 

*Before we forget... As if running a non league football team wasn't enough Phil can also be found on the coaching staff at Valencia! The man is a machine! 

So thats are brief history lesson on the living legend that is Gary.. Sorry i mean Phil Neville. 







Friday 18 December 2015

In a World of José



For weeks it's been a case of will he or won't he... Yesterday the news broke that The Special One was once again booted out the door @ Stamford Bridge and from a neutral point of view i'm gutted. Mourinho is the modern day icon. He is what the Premier League is about - The arrogance, flair, genius, outrageous, box office. Unfortunately for both him and the league he's management skills for now have come to an end. Depending what is written in his severance package it could be a hell of a long time until we see him managing back in the English top flight.

With so many clubs struggling to find their form this season it's outrageous that Chelsea felt they needed to sack arguably the greatest manager of the modern footballing era.

Ok a few results have gone a bit wrong and the league position isn't the greatest but they easily qualified for the knock out stages of the Champions League and face a winnable tie against PSG.

Have the board forgotten that winning the Champions League means your back in it the following season... It wasn't long ago Chelsea had a similar situation when they finished 6th yet won the CL.....

Now there is a slight ( i repeat slight) possibility that the board deep down were worried that Chelsea could end up getting relegated but in all fairness there is another transfer window about to open and on current form there are around 6/7 teams playing worse than Chelsea! But who's to say the new manager will turn the fortunes around this season???

Will big name players be up for a relegation scrap? Will their top transfer targets come or will the likes of Kane, Stones and co rather see out another few months at their current employers and see what unfolds in the summer?

Everyone has gone on record to say what a great leader John Terry is.. Well now the chips are down this is where the veteran defender will need to earn his keep!

We've got an interesting few months ahead of us.

Who will Chelsea have as their next manager???

Where will they finish come May???

What next for The Special One???







Thursday 12 November 2015

The Weekender


He may have been away for a while! But the big man is back. Herbal tea in the tea pot and no room for a custard cream! 

With no top flight fixtures this week due to the pointless international friendlies The Weekender has picked a few gems from the lower leagues this week! The form book has been thrown out the window! Going against all things football the 'Ender predicts big wins for Luton and Macclesfield. 

Stevenage make the long trip down south to Yeovil and the 'Ender reckons that their travelling fans are gonna come back signing all the way home with a 2-1 win predicted for Teddy's boys! The Boro are also laying on free travel for the fans! Quality little touch there from the Boro lads! 

In fairness Wigan made a slow start adjusting to life in League One, Their young Chairman making bold claims at the start of the season!  It hasn't stopped them being tipped to spank a Rochdale team who are on a decent run  of results themselves! 

Roll on the weekend and get them bacon sandwiches ready! It's all about the ketch-up! 





Wednesday 11 November 2015

Internationals....

We love a bit of international football here @ it's a football thing. Although we've never really seen the point of international friendlies... I mean what do they really tell you about the state of your countries football? For example Roy has guided us to the Euro's unbeaten through out the group stage and some future icons have been discovered during the way! Now England are about to play a double header against the Spanish & the French.. If we were to get beat in both these games the media will turn on Roy and all the good work done through qualifying will be forgotten!




On the other side of the coin if we beat both teams then the media will be in a frenzy and the headlines will be 'England must be clear favourites for 2016!'  Its a no win situation for Roy and The Three Lions. 

With the starting 11 almost nailed on for the Euro's (Give or take one or two places) it would be nice to see a few of the squad players starting these games. The likes of Walker, Butland, Gibbs and Carrick. If Roy is feeling brave he could even whack young Dier straight into the thick of it! 


Anyway if you don't fancy watching the friendlies, there are a few qualifying games on which include the likes of The Irish v Bos-Herze & Sweden v Denmark (remember bacon is bad for your health) so there is plenty of choice if you want to see proper football! 





Thursday 29 October 2015

Class of 92

Regardless if you are a United fan or just a football fan in general, it's great to see ex players involved with non league football! Salford City must be having a right northern knees up!

18 months ago it was first reported that a group of United legends headed up by none other than Gary Neville - were interested in making a cheeky purchase of Salford City F.C.

Salford, like most none league teams were just happy to be fielding 11 players each week followed by a swift pint and a pack of pork scratchings in the pub after. This was school boys own stuff! The kind of thing you dream about being a non league player.

Fast forward to present day and the amount of media (social and TV) that has been generated means Salford almost have as many followers as Jesus!


After a few impressive performances this season Salford find themselves up against the might of Notts County. This is the first time in the clubs history that they have reached this stage of the FA Cup and it's great to see the BBC have chosen to screen the match on the box! 

Obviously the United lads were over the moon, some people have reported seeing Ryan Giggs lifting his shirt up and running along the touch line, bringing back memories of that famous FA Cup goal against the Gunners! 


Phil Neville was a bit more reserved when interviewed "I'm sure it will be a packed crowd under the lights at Moor Lane" adding that 'anything can happen" Rumour has it Neville has been wearing his lucky pants to the matches and that he has had the pants since 92! 

So if like us you absolutely love football you need to either get yourself along to the match or tune into the BBC on Friday 6th November and watch the magic of the FA Cup unfold right in front of your eyes! After all this is the greatest cup competition in the history of the sport! 
























Thursday 15 October 2015

Klopp of tea....


What a week we've had in terms of domestic football.. Ok i know a ball hasn't been kicked on the pitch but off it... Theres been a lot of tea drinking and banter doing the rounds! Where better to start than up north in Sunderland! The Mackems finally have their man! BIG SAM! Ok i know a lot of people can't stand the type of football the big man plays but it will keep Sunderland up! So i think for now the fans need to get behind their team and let Sam guide them to safety! Remember safety first then team work! Theres no point playing attractive football if it doesn't get you anywhere.. just ask Spurs fans their team have been doing it for years!




It will be interesting to see who Sam brings in during the winter window i wonder what odds you could get on Andy Carroll on joining him up north (that media slagging match could be a perfect cover to get him at a knocked down price) First things first though Sunderland have gotta learn how to defend again otherwise they could end up setting a new record of the amount of goals conceded in the top flight in one season! Theres no Ham in Sam's sandwiches anymore! 



Now moving slightly back down South we check into our Scouse HQ and we find that they have replaced Brendan Rodgers with a chap from Germany who goes by the name of Jurgen... Hey Jurgen the German whats going on in Scouse land??  As much as we like Klopp the issue Liverpool and their fans are gonna have is that how can anyone take this bloke seriously? i mean stick a hat on him and he looks a bit like wheres wally? But honestly Liverpool you need to stop selling your best players!!! Rodgers isn't a bad manager and if things keep going bit wrong down at the Bridge he may end up landing a contract at Chelsea until the end of the season... Stranger things have happened just ask Wenger! 




Monday 5 October 2015

In the hands of Heurelho Gomes


As we head into the international break the weather outside has taken a turn for the worse, the Indian summer has now gone, no more jumpers for goalposts until next year and to top it off we're going to have to sit through another boring England match this week! We all know that Roy is going to pick the same 11, even though we have already qualified. Rooney up top running around aimlessly looking to link up with the midfielders that haven't got a clue what they are meant to be doing... don't get me wrong Rooney is top drawer but i ask you the question... How many goals has Neymar scored already for Brazil?? Before you lot jump on the 'well he plays for Brazil band wagon' just remember that Wales yes Wales are currently ranked higher in the Fifa standings than Brazil! 

Speaking of Brazil, it must be time that Watford keeper Gomes gets a recall? The octopus has been electric this season for The Hornets. At 34 he is in the peek of his powers and at this moment in time he is miles better than any of the other current keepers the Brazilians have at their disposal. 

It's funny how football works out. Gomes was down and out a few seasons back.. Not even making the Spurs reserve team. When the chance came to move Gomes decided to stay in the surrounding area and drop down a division to try his luck @ Watford. A season later Watford are promoted and a large part of that was down to the saves Heurelho was making! 



Went off on a bit of a Monday afternoon tangent there! So lets put the focus back on England and in particular a young Mr Harry Kane. Great to see 'Arry score again this weekend thats 2 in his last 2 games (ok in fairness it was an own goal by the lad but they all count) Is Kane the modern day Peter Crouch? Crouch had one prolific season for The Saints in the early 2000's and since then struggled to reach double figures again in the Premiership. But Crouch was quality for The Thee Lions, banging in goals left right and centre! Kane this season looks slightly off the pace - He has scored 2 in 2 for the national side but for his club side he has struggled. I wonder if he will discover the goal scoring touch for his club or will Kane be an England Cult hero like Crouch?? 




Sunday 4 October 2015

Two Men Walk into a Pub....

 The Mourinho Blues

Eight weeks in & those two old school pundits The Midweeker and The Weekender finally find a decent pub for a cheeky Sanchez burger and cup of tea/bottle of cider combo to sit down and chew the cud.

Midweeker - So what's going on with the British teams in Europe? Anyone would think that UKIP have branched out into football management!

Weekender - The Arse threw it away! Wenger showing his hands by dropping Cech or as some are saying 'resting' the big man! Meanwhile, Jose Mourinho is having much fun @ the Bridge! The way the Blues are playing they will be down @ the docks before the season has even really got going! Will it be a case of Costa coffee for Diego? If United & City don't pick up some points the Prem is in danger of losing a Champions League place!

MW - What about the Prem though? Chelsea have the blues, while those sly foxes have shocked us all and have ransacked the top of the table and even the Happy Hammers are Slaven away getting massive results near the top of the tree as well!




WE - It's pure madness! The way things are going Noble could be named in the next England squad (it's been overdue). The Foxes? Wow! Seven games in and they are practically safe already, who'd have thought of that from the Tinkerman?? Vardy is electric!
Not sure what's going on with Villa though? Thought Sherwood would be a hero for the Villains, he needs a new gillet and an Adebayour or Lerner will show him the Adebay-door!

MW -  Where has this Leicester striker appeared from? I'd Vardy heard of him last season?! Now he's an England striker??
What about Nolan & Big Sam @ the Boleyn Ground? An old school tough tackling bites yer legs midfielder and an even older school no nonsense football manager, surprised they haven't found new home already

WE - 'Arry to Newcastle? The Wally with the Brolly can't have much time left! The Looney Toons are in deep! Along with the Mackems, old Kaboul hasn't really done much! And Dick must be finding it hard with the amount of balls hitting the Sunderland net, could Big Sam end up @ the Stadium of Light??

MW - 'arry couldn't handle the commute! His old North London club are up & down like a hoe's drawers! Spurs threw it away against the Woolwich Wanderers playing Fazio in the back four when they were willing to pay his cab fare before the season started to ship him off to West Brom! It's was all doom and gloom with City due @ The Lane and Pochettino's men spank 'em 4-1!

WE - Yeah who saw that coming?! Even Kane scored! - I still think he won't hit double figures this season. Meanwhile Liverpool look proper w*&k! Rodgers must be glad Sturridge is back in the goals with rumours that Ancellotti is being lined up as the next boss of the Scousers

MW - Klop! Klop? Who's there? It's Jurgen the German banging on the Premiership door! Could he end up on Liverpool's doorstep?
Apparently Rodgers has lost the dressing room - he's been wandering around behind the scenes @ Anfield like a little lost sheep, surely it's signposted?? Someone point him in the right direct....

And with that, burgers polished off tea drank and cider downed there's a flurry of movement as sheepskins are donned and trackie tops done up to the chin. They are off into the now autumnal night parting with a firm handshake and murmurs of doing a podcast, (it's what the kids listen to nowadays apparently) they'll be back in a few weeks to do it all again





Sunday 9 August 2015

Tea and the first week of the season!

Well pre-season has been and gone! We're half way through the opening weekend of the new season and so far it's all going pretty much as the pundits have predicted. (bunch of know-alls) United started off with a 1-0 win over a shot shy Tottenham Hotspur - England international Kyle Walker decided to boot the ball into his own net for fun! (Can this man actually defend??)

Over @ The Bridge - Chelsea couldn't find a winner against a spirited Swansea team! Young Gary Monk has got the Swans playing some beautiful football, the Swan's have carried on where they left off last season. Jose may argue that the red card handed to Thibaut Courtois was a bit harsh - But at the end of the day if the boot was on the other foot he would of been screaming all day long for a red!

It was a busy day for Mourinho as he decided to let fly at his medical staff for apparently acting like headless chickens in responding to an injury picked up by Hazard! "I was unhappy with my medical staff. They were impulsive and naive," Mourinho told the press! Personally i feel the man needs a nice cuppa and a cheeky custard cream! that would put a smile on his face!!

On another note where's Eric when you need him? Swimming the channel is the latest rumour doing the rounds!

Tim's Villa got off to a flying start against 'Arry's old boys Bournemouth. I had Bournemouth down to finish the season in the top half - They look like they need to find that killer instinct in front of goal - Guzan made a couple of smart saves and it looks like the American could be back in Tim's guidebooks after a bit of a poor finish to last season.

The Toffee's can't seem to buy a win at the moment - The Hornets managed to leave with a point - There was no sticky Toffee pudding for the home fans at full time -  Although it was great to see Ross Barkley back to his best after a dreadful few months. Going off on a tangent - Everton's new kit is quality - Umbro look like they are back on form with their kit designs.

Else where in the league The Tinker Man managed to get Leicester playing some attractive football as they put Sunderland to bed a lot earlier than the 4:45 deadline! Can The Tinker Man guide The Foxes to a mid table finish or will the ghost of the ostrich come back to haunt them???? And it's gonna be a long hard season for The Canaries. Pardew's Palace spanked the newly promoted team for 3 and even had time to sign a few autographs in between pointing at objects on the pitch!

Roll on Sunday's matches!







Saturday 4 July 2015

Holidays, social media & Jon Stead


It's that time of the year when players are jetting off all around the world on their travels, and with the joy of twitter and Instagram we can feel as if we are taking that holiday with them!

Now we're big fans of young Harry Kane but dude.. Seriously you are on a bike on holiday - Why on earth would you need to take a selfie!

Imagine if moments after he took this, he came flying off the handlebars and a piece of the bike managed to lodge itself up young Kane's bum... Ouch! Remember the golden rule - Safety first then team work!

Anyway as we debate (over a cheeky Pimms and lemonade) who's gonna set the league a light this year, we wanna know who's your favourite one season hit wonder??

Cracking question the man in the flat cap shouts!

Personally we're loving the Jon Stead story.



Just over 11 years ago the big man was making back page news with some stella performances for The Terriers. It wasn't long before Blackburn (Yep the fallen giant of Premier League past) came calling and paid a cool £1million -  Stead was branded the next Alan Shearer.... unfortunately it didn't all go to plan! A move up north to Sunderland followed although he left his shooting boots back in Blackburn, the goals had all but dried up and it wasn't long before he was loaned out and on the move again.

After many moves and loans Stead had practally disappeared off the face of the planet, this one time future England international had been restricted to the archives of the footballing past! But the magic of the FA Cup was about to re-write Steads chapter in footballing folk law!

Last season Stead found himself shipped out on loan again - this time to Bradford. Things weren't going too well in the league -  failing to hit the net on a regular basis - it was if the goals had been sucked right out of him.

But then as if by magic......

We all say the FA Cup can make a grown mans dream come true! And it was the magic of the cup that put Jon Stead back on the footballing map! Scoring a hat fall of goals in Bradford's cup run to the Quarter finals! Including a peach of a goal against Chelsea at Stamford Bridge! A pure moment of magic! It's taken a while for Stead to make the back pages once more,  but hopefully at the ripe old age of 32 this charming man as many more headlines in him for his new club Notts County!



Saturday 6 June 2015

UCL Final - Juventus or Barcelona....


It's the one we've all been waiting for! 90 mins is a long time in the world of football.. especially if the match then goes into extra time! Theres a few golden oldies on show tonight, and rumour has it that 1 or 2 of them might not get another chance to ever play in a UCL final ever again!

It's already been confirmed that the iconic figure of Xavi will be making his final appearance for the Catalan giants. He is the most decorated player in the history of this beloved club, no one at Barcelona can rival his 24 trophies - (That figure could rise to 25 by the end of play tonight)

Another ageing icon is Andrea Pirlo! This Italian maverick looks anything but a footballer coming to the end of his career! With the younger legs of Pogba doing the running Pirlo has been able to slow the game down to his pace, although against an athletic bunch of Barca players 1 x Pogba might not be enough to allow Pirlo the space and time to pick out that killer ball!

The betting shop rumour which has been doing the rounds is that Andrea has been in talks with his mate Frank and Franks new buddies at NYC FC and has agreed to join the growing number of ageing players in the MLS for a mega pay day!

"Pirlo's packed his bags and is heading to the Big Apple for a season playing alongside Frank"



Hold that hobnob there! Put down that biscuit and take another swig of tea! We've not even mentioned the main man between the sticks! 

What can we say about Buffon that hasn't already been said?

How about the fact he likes to dunk custard creams (not hobnobs) an even number of times in his tea before he finally takes a bite!  Buffon 



I've got a feeling tonights game is gonna go all the way to pen's and when it does Buffon is gonna be the man of the moment! Tonight is gonna be a Buffon night! 




Sunday 31 May 2015

The filth is in football again!


In any other walk of life this would make a quality movie, (NB: Movie to be made by Universal in 2020 about FIFA) the bald evil villain with the world at his mercy! The fact it's ruining the beautiful game means we all need to sit up and take note!

The term 'Blatter' has taken on a new meaning, hard to believe there could of been anymore to add to the ever growing term in the dictionary but after last weeks events the term could eventually take up a whole page in the next edition of the oxford version.


It's about time the powers behind the super clubs come out in force and unite against this evil man child!

Sunday 24 May 2015

I am the resurrection


It's final day of the season! Two are down, and it's one from either Hull or The Toon! We've been in this situation before and it was The Toon that ended up sinking! Back then Big Al couldn't help stop the rot! It seems The Toon have this self destruct button they can't help but press! They've spent big on players that just haven't bothered bringing their boots to games! Updating twitter seems to be more important to them than putting in a solid 90mins for the fans! Even the returning Spider Man (Jonas) couldn't lift the players.


Now we find ourselves 90 mins away from seeing The Toon playing second tier football (again!) With the fact their playing against one of Ashely's so called lot -  The Cockney Hammer Mob from Down South, surely there shouldn't be any more incentive needed.... But wait a minute, put that cuppa down there's more to this story! This has all the makings of a Hollywood block buster! The extra added incentive for The Toon players, fans and management is that their facing a team managed by BIG SAM! (If you don't know the history between Big Sam & The Toon then you might as well give up watching football!) Add to the fact The Hammers look like their kicking the Big Man into touch after the match this game has got the lot! The half time Tea lady will have her work cut out! 


Personally i think The Toon should put out a team of kids! Whats the worst than can happen? The current 11 (minus Jonas & Krul) have been pure w`?k for the last few months! Throw in the likes of Tom Heardman  & Greg Olley - they will be fearless. The fans love a hero and unfortunately none of the current first team squad look like they would take a bullet for their mums let alone a stadium full of screaming Geordies! It's gonna be a long 90 mins today but for the sake of Football and a city full of Geordies i hope the men in black and white stripes deliver as The Premier League needs Newcastle as much as Newcastle need The Premier League! 






Saturday 16 May 2015

May day blues....



It's May the 16th, the sun has disappeared behind a grey cloud and Steve Bruce, along with a number of other managers can be seen sat with a cup of tea and a pack of hob nobs - wondering what on earth has gone wrong this season? With the news that one of his best players has now been suspended (the white stuff) for the remaining two games, realistically Bruce and Hull must be odd's on favourites to go down!

This time last year Bruce had guided Hull to the FA Cup final, they were safe from relegation and everything was coming up roses... a few months are a long time in football!

Likewise for the comedy club down South... 2 months ago Spurs were in the form of their lives, looking forward to a domestic cup Final, add in a Europa League match against an Italian team full of Premiership rejects and after a convincing 2-1 win over their rivals were Spurs finally going to live up to all the hype they have had thrown at them... In short No!

Spurs are now 6th in the league, drifting through the final few weeks and it looks as if they don't want another season of Europa League distraction.. in short If Steve Bruce can get his Hull team playing against Spurs then they will leave the Lane with a 2-0 win (Dawson double maybe!)


Meanwhile across the capital  Chelsea can afford to take their foot off the gas as they have nothing left to play for, title's in the bag and their out of Europe, Will Jose give youth a chance in the final 2 games?

And finally in the Championship playoff last night, Boro have managed to get to the final after beating a spirited Brentford team, Fair play to Brentford they have been a breathe of fresh air this season, playing some amazing football along the way on a shoe string budget! The Chairman needs a rethink about letting his manager leave in the summer! In short sign him up for next season! Who knows they could be 12 months away from playing top flight football!


Sunday 19 April 2015

FA Cup - Where's the magic gone??


April 19th 2015 - Liverpool v Villa in the second Semi final of the once prestigious FA Cup, theres no  double page pull outs in the papers, not much shouting about it on the box, and only a handful of people tweeting about it, mainly from the clubs involved. What on earth has happened to this ICON of the footballing world?

Theres more noise about this weekends Premier League games in the news than the two semi finals. Leicester City are off the Bottom - Chelsea grind out result against United thats all the back pages read, a small column in the bottom left hand corner mentions the result of the other semi final, theres no bells or whistles and no pun - Just the full time score.

British football is now dominated by the riches of the Premier League. Clubs would rather finish 4th than win the cup... how times have changed. In five years time no one will remember who won the FA Cup in 2015, yet they will remember who finished fourth that season! Just look at Spurs and Everton they have spent so long trying to break back into the monopoly of the top 4, yet if they had just given that extra push in the cups they would have surly won a few medals instead of having an empty trophy room!

One of the games greats - Gerrard is calling time on his Liverpool career to move over to the MLS, if you ask him right now what would he rather achieve in his final season with the club - a top four finish or a FA Cup medal, I bet he would be undecided! Yet years ago players like Gazza, Adams, Ginola, Gray, Rush would of laughed at that question, in fact that question wouldn't off even existed.

Something needs to change for the love & the future of the game! Maybe just maybe when the money dries up  the Premier League may fall from grace just like the FA Cup.

Saturday 11 April 2015

The Weekender

Its been a while but we're back! The Weekender has been off on his travels, sampling some of the classic footballing derby across the UK! Sunday league football is on the rise and black boots have made a come back! It's like going back to the 70's!

With the season drawing to a close it looks like we're gonna have a few newbies joining us in the dizzy heights of the top tier next season - 'Arrys old-boys Bournemouth look nailed on for top flight. The seasons other surprise package Brentford are trying to get into the playoff places, spearheaded by a young loan player by the name of Pritchard - With the youngster gaining rave reviews along the way... A future Frank Lampard maybe?

Anyway thats enough rambling on for a Saturday morning, lets have a cuppa and a slice of toast and get down to business!


The Weekenders - Weekend cuppa

Now we've had some crazy results in the last few weeks and my footballing brain is telling me we're gonna have some more this week! But if you have a cheeky fiver to spare stick it on a high scoring draw at White Hart Lane, Tim's back in town and he has a point to prove against his old employers, his got his big men firing and the fact Spurs can't defend it has all the makings of a cracker!

We're going for a 4-4 Draw with Harry Kane to score a hat-trick!