Modern Day Football..... What's all the fuss about?

The world wide web has changed the way we view and interact with the greatest game on earth, from blogs to tweets, every man and his dog as an opinion. One great game for a player now makes him a superstar, from ex pros to pundits they all jump on that bandwagon. We're being told just how good players are compared to the old days, how the likes of Best and Pele wouldn't be able to keep up with todays pace, but is the quality of the football really as good as it was 40/50 years ago?  

Over the next few months we're gonna be dusting off the archives and plough through the statistics that will hopefully answer this long running debate, the only spillage here, will be that of the Midweeker spilling his pint down his bright orange shirt! 

We want goals!

First up in this series, we will be looking at the great art of goalscoring, We've all seen Harry Kane shin it from 5 yards out, Ryan Giggs missing an open goal and that classic Arsenal penalty routine that would be better suited on strictly ballroom! But over a full season how does the modern game measure up to its past? Are we getting more goals on average over a full season? or should we be getting a refund on the ever increasing ticket prices? 

Lets go back to 1958/59 season, A random choice i know!  - Just a few things to point out - The old first division had 22 teams in it, meaning that each team would end up playing 42 league games per season, and to even make it harder, teams couldn't even make substitutions!  The only thing players needed to get through a match back then was that half time cuppa! 

So Wolves had just won back to back titles, banging in over 200 goals in the process (110 during 58/59), whilst second place, Man United also managed to get into the 100's in terms of scoring goals, not a bad effort when you consider most teams ended up playing 10 a side! 

Now back to present times - The top two teams last season (Chelsea & Spurs) only managed to hit the 80's in terms of goals, yet players now days have better nutrition and each team can make unto three subs! 

This pattern continues into the 1960's, During the 60,61 season three teams in the top flight managed to hit the 100's, The champions Spurs, third place Wolves (once again) and fourth place Burnley. Even relegated Newcastle managed to score 86 goals throughout that season. If we head back to 2015/16 when The Foxes managed the impossible, they only managed to hit the 60's in terms of their goalscoring abilities... Now is that entertainment... really? 

When you consider Jimmy Greaves still holds the record of being the outright leading goalscorer in top flight matches in England, (lets not forget he fell out of love with the game at the tender age of 31) it hammers home even more that we are being blinded by fancy advertising and over the top pundits! 

Now don't get me wrong, Big Alan Shearer was top notch but he was still over 70 goals shy of Jimmy's record, and you have to remember he was at The Toon into his late 30's! 

So in terms of putting the ball in the net over a course of a season, it seems the greats of the past found it easier than todays modern not so greats. 

                         

The Last Post

Whats worse than The Foxes winning the league? Arsenal winning it! Cast your mind back to the start of the season, the midweeker was convinced that the capture of Cech meant that Arsenal were nailed on to lift the trophy come May.... How wrong he was! Oh by the way he also had The Foxes down for relegation!
So as the two old timers meet with only eight games to go they are left pondering the meaning of life.

Midweeker: What's it all about eh? How did we get it so wrong? I'm thinking of hanging the old sheepskin jacket up for good!

Weekender: I blame Jose! If he had just apologiesed to Eva then all would be right in the footballing world! Instead he decided to carry on like nothing had happened and well the footballing Gods didn't take kindly to that and we are now left with Leicester and Spurs battling it out for the title. In fairness though i think it's safe to say that Spurs will bottle it and end up finishing 5th!

Midweeker: I'm still in shock that our predictions have been so wrong! We both had the Foxes to go down and Chelsea or City to win the thing, the sky blues put their foot in it announcing Pep with Pellegrini still in the hot seat. The players are hardly going to be motivated knowing the boss is out the door come the end of the season!
It's been a topsy turvey season all round, I keep pinching myself thinking it's been a bad dream!

Weekender: That dream better end soon! Who knows it could be the year England actually win the Euros... which in itself is ironic really... considering we're trying to leave the Euros. Harry Kane and James Vardy partnership up top??

Midweeker: Get Kane on the plane! I remember that campaign from a Spurs Facebook page! There's been some other success stories this season so far, Bournemouth and their manager who looks about twelve have done well and Watford and their hairy head coach have gone from strength to strength. But really this season nothing should have surprised us!

Weekender: Could Sir Alex come out of retirement? I've heard a rumour that he is being lined up as the next Arsenal Boss! He may even bring Giggs in as his number 2! On a more sobering note it was a shame to see Kompany go off again with an injury! The big man needs a nice cuppa and a good rest! Hopefully next season he will be back to his best! The way things are going though City may miss out on CL football next season! 

Midweeker: There's talk of a European Super League again but would any of our lot get in it? We gonna have Leicester in the Champions League and Gary Lineker in his speedos what has the footballing world come to?? Maybe it is time to call it a day and let the youngsters take over, it's all getting too complicated for me, bring back the days of Utd or Liverpool wining everything I knew where I was back then!

So with that, the two old timers finish up their beers, put on their sheep skin coats and make their way out into the night

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! 

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?? 

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

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!

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!

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.

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!

The new season ... and England

With the football league kicking off this weekend, the summer break has flown by! In just a few seasons 'Arry has gone from managing a Champions League team to a Championship team, Wolves have gone from a Premier League team to a League One team and Barnet are no longer classed as a league team... Although it's likely that with Edgar Davids as boss, it wont be long until they climb back into the football league! 

So what has been the reflection of the summer? We've had Brazil beating Spain in the CONFED cup, Manchester United have had their first pre-season without Sir Alex guiding them, Chelski have re-apointed the Special one, although he hasn't really splashed the cash as of yet and there has been so much talk about bloody Real Madrid and Bale... im so bored of hearing them two in the same sentence! 

So as we look forward to another season, spare a thought for Trevor Francis the first million pound..... 

The Midweeker

The Midweeker is back and he does like to stick the boot in! "No sugar in my tea love, im sweet enough!" It's all gone a bit wrong for Chelsea over the last few weeks, out goes Robbie and in came Rafa, but after boring draws at home to City & Fulham it was last weekends defeat to the Hammers that really took toll! I can't see him turning it around, they are gonna crash out of Europe and i fear that Rafa will be collecting his P45 a lot earlier than expected!

As for the rest of the British connection in Europe it's gonna be a long week, the best i can see for Wengers boys is a one nil defeat, i can't believe the bloke is under pressure, i mean a few weeks back they smashed their North London rivals 5-2! and now some fans are calling for him to get the chop! Pure madness. What kinda world are we living in at the moment?

Seasons to be cheerful....

Is the break between seasons getting longer and longer or is it just our imagination? We here @ It's a Football Thing have been chomping @ the bit from the second Man City's injury time winner hit the back of the net!
Throughout the league's last season will take some beating, but even if 2011/12 was named 'best Premiership season....... EVER!!' we've come up with a few good reason's why next term will knock it bandy....

The Summer of Sport

Ok, so England didn't win the Euros. But did we expect them too?? They did better than some thought though and while Woy's Boys wasn't everyone's cup of tea (with chocolate Hob Nob) Spain's 'tika taka' possession style of play would have had many a Football League manager reaching for the tactics board with new found zeal.....will it catch on over here we wonder?
While Euro 2012 extended our football watching pleasure for a couple more weeks, the exploits of a Brit from Scotland, a Mod in Paris and some event in Stratford will mean more interest in sport for the remainder or this and the rest of next year are guaranteed and while the price of watching a game has once again become an issue we will see once again record crowds @ football.

The heat is on!

We never thought it would happen, we'd seen the last of them.......or so we thought. This group from the North with a loyal following were about to achieve the greatest comeback since Lazarus to a joyous reception, that's right The Ston....er....sorry Manchester City were once again a force in English Football.! Maybe not the biggest of shocks once the billionaire owners had dipped their toes in the murky waters of Premiership football but those ripples will be felt well into next season with a wake up call reverberating amongst the chasing pack that will see them all reach for their wallets. Good news for fans as more top names head to our shores with Chelsea being fastest out the blocks to secure Hazard, Marin and Oscar to mount a challenge and consolidate their Champions League triumph, even Mr Scrooge Wenger @ The Emirates has dug into those deep pockets of his and got spending!


Under new Management


Round and round they go where they stop nobody knows. Yep the managerial merry go round has been spinning into overdrive this Summer! From what turned into a mini soap opera @ Spurs to the once again revolving door policy @ Villa, there have been more ins n' outs than Russell Brand on the rebound. But with these comings and goings brings new drama, pressure and interest around the country.
Can AVB now @ Tottenham put his Chelsea nightmare behind him and build upon the potential shown @ Porto? Chris Hughton once the people's favourite at The Toon - who were universally derided for giving him the tin tack, will be keen to bounce back with Norwich where former boss Lambert has jumped into the very hot seat at Villa Park. While another popular manager RDM @ Chelsea will have many people itching to see how long he lasts even after last season heroics with a certain ex-Barca manager watching from the wings.
Arguably though all eyes will be on Brendan Rogers, after King Kenny was ousted from his throne the Welshman - though having shown his pedigree with The Swans, may have gone too early to a 'big' club - only time will tell.......


Coming up?


Once again for some clubs and supporters it will be about getting up or staying up. In The Premiership Reading, Southampton and West Ham have made the leap. The Upton Park outfit have become a bit of a yo yo side in recent times and under Big Sam will be looking to consolidate on there Play Off Final win which the club itself has been treating like some kind of Champions League victory and I guess revenue wise it almost is.
The promoted clubs will bring a fresh batch of players for us to feast our eyes on as well, with Rickie Lambert @ The Saints and Alfie Le Fronde with Reading looking to make their mark at the top table.
In the lower leagues the long journey to riches starts all over again and added to the mix will be those dropped down looking to bounce back up at the first time of asking. Once the Premiership settles down to it's usual three horse race, it's in the outer reaches of the countries leagues where all the drama and action actually happens, along with some teams under new management it's worth gazing further down the tables to see where the proper footballing stories unfold.

20 Things I Hate About You.........

So with The Premiership twenty seasons old this week, we @ It's a Football Thing thought we'd take a look @ twenty reasons to hate top tier in England.........hold on to your hats here we go!
(In no particular order)

1 - The Untouchable - Sir Alex Ferguson
Can this man do anything wrong? Flashing back to when he jumped wildly in the air against Sheffield Wednesday, when United won their first Premier League title, to almost retiring a few years back! This ageing Scotsman just keeps getting better and better!

2 - Going Down - Diving
Simulation if you like, back in the day you actually had to be touched before hitting the deck and even if you were namby pamby enough to go down you'd get straight back up again for a bit of vengeance!

3 - Shit Kits
I remember not so long ago, when a kit would last a few seasons! Now it's all change every year! The problem is, a lot of the kit manufactures are running out of ideas, and the kits are looking shitter and shitter! Take the Kappa skin tight kits, not the best fit for pub crawling wanderers like ourselves! Now add to that a random colour!.. well infact they come in every bloody colour under the rainbow! From Newcastles orange and yellow sherbert mix, to Spurs Brown disaster and United's famous Grey mess!

4. Shake on it! - The Pre-Match Handshake
I walk into work in the morning and the first thing I do is shake my fellow workers hands..... no I put the kettle on and have a cuppa! Why on earth do we insist on the players shaking hands before the game?  I wanna see 11 grown men play a fair, full on contact game of football, then congratulate each other after the game with a proper handshake and a pint! The handshake before a game means nothing! They all end up trying to get each other sent off!

5 - The Men in Black - Officials
No longer in black, in fact every colour but! In a premier league we surely deserve premier referees and 'assistants'. But week in week out they get it wrong, whether they run the line or blow the whistle when are we going to get professional match officials??

6 - Off or On - The Offside Rule
Just get it sorted! All this second phase bollocks!

7 - Can I Kick It? - Multi coloured boots
Once upon a time, boots were black. Then they were white, now they are every colour of the rainbow, some players have been known to wear one of each colour!
It's another example where advertising and fashion have now taken hold of the modern game.

8 - All Weather - Games being called off
Oh no there's a bit of snow! With all this health and safety bullshit meaning more and more games are getting called off, whats the point of the orange/yellow ball anymore? Fans love a snow ball fight on the way to a game!

9 - Show Us Yer Tackle - Football is a contact sport
Along with diving, the major evil of the today's game. Football is in danger of turning into a non contact sport! Whatever happened to the sliding tackle? Obviously we don't want decapitation, but if you get the ball - One footed? Two footed - does it matter??

10 - Ronaldo
I could write 20 bloody points on this knobhead! The face, the diving, the step over, the cheating, the tan, the fact that he got Rooney sent off during the 2004 Euros, and then to top it all off demanding a move away from United to play for Real as he claimed La Liga is far superior than the English game....

11 - Take your seats - Modern Grounds
As teams look to make more dosh, the first thing they look at doing is tearing down their historic ground, and then creating a swimming pool like arena, an arena with no atmosphere, no identity, no sound! Just look @ the Emirates

12 - Bloody Foreigners! - The Rise of the Footballing Import
Now we're not talking about all foreigners, after all where would we be without Klinsmann, Bergkamp or little Frankie Zola. But then opened the floodgates, with every Thom, Rickard or Henry coming over here doing our jobs and stealing our women! The latest fashion accessory it seemed was a foreigner in your side and who could forget Brolin, Boogers & Veron!?!

13 - The Big Four - Over emphasis on the top teams
Every weekend, it's the big four this, the big four that! Who's says their the big four? Only Sky and what do they know? Do we really need it forced down our throats all the time? And don't get us started on them manipulating the fixtures to give us "Showdown Sunday" or " Armageddon Tuesday"

14 - Sweet FA - The Demise of The FA Cup
With the rise of The Premiership we've seen the fall of the FA Cup, with Man U bowing out completely one year for the World Club Championship. Do we need to remind you that this years final kicks off @ 5:15??

15 - Are We The Champions - The Rise of The Champions League
The Champions league, a league for winners! Why not give 2 places to the league (1st & 2nd) and then the FA Cup & Carling Cup winners should be given the other 2 places! Because @ the moment finishing 3rd or 4th means more than winning a cup!

16 - Club v Country - The Downfall of England
One of the fall outs from over emphasis on winning the Premiership & The Champions League is players taking a sickie when the International call comes. Not only that, but with the influx of players from abroad how are the youngsters expected to come through the ranks? Joe Hart England's Number One great 'keeper that he is, is really unopposed, where are our young goalies??

17. - Because I'm worth it...... - Adverts
It's all about how much players can make it a short amount of time, from Pepsi max to Pringles, to phones or even airlines! Grow some balls lads! Advertisement has gone mental! Shame no ones done an advert advertising diving hey!

18 - All Change - Player Loyalty
One team players how many in The Premiership Years have there been? Matt Le Tiss? Ledders @ Spurs? Donkey Adams @ Arsenal. There are a few others, but we are talking only a handful. With the promise of a fast buck players, with the help (or hindrance) of their agents will jump ship @ the drop of a hat! And it's not just the players...........

19 - Leeds
The last winners of the old first division, and the real first financial disaster in the Premiership, In the late 90's early 2000's Leeds had it all, England internationals, a great ground, history, a strong fan base, Champions League football and then over night it went all tits up! Placing their bets on Champions League qualification, Leeds over spent and we all know what happened next..... After too many years out of the top flight it would be fitting if our old pal Neil Warnock could guide them back to the Premiership next season!

20 - The Prawn Sandwich Brigade - The rise of the corporate fan
Back in the day it was a pie and a Bovril on the terrace. Now, it's a fiver for a warmed up burger and two quid for a KitKat! True fans are being priced out of the game in favour for big businesses 'entertaining' clients in boxes............where's the fun in that??

The underdog

Everyone loves an underdog! Whenever a top tier club play lower league opposition in the cup the British media can't help but cover themselves in underdog hype! The magic of the cup, the thought of a battered old war horse returning from the front line! From Luton to Bournemouth if they were taking on United @ Old Trafford you can be sure the neutral fan would be right behind them, hoping they would put one over Sir Alex.

Today we saw league one outfit Stevenage hold high flying Spurs to a replay for a place in the quarter finals of the FA Cup, in fairness Stevenage were unlucky not to win. Reducing Spurs to only a handful of half edged chances. 'Arry looked like he needed a cup of tea, while the multi million pound players on the pitch looked like they would rather be having the mothers sunday roast. Chris Day in The Boro goal used to play for Spurs in the 90's, he had his own point to prove towards the club he has followed since birth, and the keeper looked comfortable with everything the Spurs attack threw @ him. With the only real test coming in the shape of a long distance Bale shot, which was calmly tipped round the post. So how do the underdogs do it time and time again?

The underdog knows they only get one chance in life, so they go out and play every game as if it's their last, filled to the brim of passion and pride a sense of believe rises within and it turns boys to men! So as long as the rich teams, players distance themselves away from the public that follow them, the longer the underdog will be everyone's cup of tea!