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. 

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! 

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!

Remember, remember............

We're @ that time of year when the clocks go back and Winter draws on, footballing wise the trusty yellow ball is bought out to play and on the terraces as layers are piled on, autumnal fashion of a different kind can be seen as facial hair starts sprouting out like the first snowdrops of the season. But it's not just the women donning their winter coats, the men are joining in, as with recent years we see the start of Movember.......

Up and down the country top lip caterpillars can be spotted along with handlebar and porn star alike, but whereas it's now become a seasonal thing once upon a time in Football the moustache really was where it's at and so we pay tribute to those hirsute heroes of years gone by.

In the 50's a finely waxed moustache was the sign of a gentleman and back in the day football was a game for gents, everyone had a jolly good time on the pitch and smoked a packet of fags together afterwards in the communal baths.

The 60's & 70's were a hairier time both on and off the pitch, with free love in the air on the terraces tussled tressed hooligans ruled. Within the game itself moustaches had reached their prime and up and down the country hair was protruding from top lips at an alarming rate.

The ultimate team of 'taches surely was Liverpool of the 70's and 80's, a whole starting eleven could have been made up of mustachioed men alone, with the likes of Grobbelaar, Lawrenson, Rush and Aldridge all in favour of the lady tickler.

Throughout the seventies - the heyday of the nose neighbour - any form of facial hair (on a man at least) was seen as a sign of virility and in that glam rock era the hard men of football wore their 'taches with pride..........before a different kind of pride made them slightly less masculine. 

But you'd hardly want to point this out the Greame Souness

Souness - Hard

Though the moustache faded (or was it bleached) from the English game as the years went on, in some of those more liberal countries it gained a new lease of life, Ruud Gullitt setting off his porn star 'tache with a matching set of dreadlocks, while in Germany Ruddi Voller favoured the even more hardcore perm/tache combo. Elsewhere in the darkened corners of Eastern Europe we could still marvel at a lovely handlebar tash whenever the English clubs travelled abroad and with World Cups every four years those South Americans could always be relied on for a hirsute fix.

Nowadays the moustache is almost extinct with of late only Gary Neville @ Man Utd giving it a go, although even the scourge of football grounds and England Squads alike couldn't quite pull it off without resorting to a goatee to back it up.

Which leaves just everyone's favourite bad boy Joey Barton as the last recognised purveyor of facial fungus in football but even then he shaved it off after The Toon won a game.........let's just hope that when Movember rolls around and the bum fluff reappears some footballers man up and keep their 'tashs firmly placed on their top lips for seasons to come.

A Movember Masterpiece