Top 6? Yes, because I wrote it and realised I'd forgotten one. These were my favourite tweeters of the year, although anyone I follow provides entertainment.
@suttonnick
For services to providing the headlines of tomorrow’s newspapers the night before we can buy them. We must hope that this is part of his job – a current affairs producer for BBC Radio I think – because if I showed his dedication to providing Twitter with front and back pages on a nightly basis five days a week either I, or my wife, would get heartily sick of it.
@AndrewSteele
A Beijing Olympic 400m athlete, no less. Unfortunately for him since that appearance in China his career has been blighted by illness and injury that he still struggles to recover from as London approaches. Despite all this, his feed is full of dry humour and optimism and is well worth a follow.
@NickMotown
Consistently funny, coming up with 140 characters of witty wordplay on an almost daily basis. There are plenty that attempt this and it’s bloomin’ hard. I’ve had a go and managed one day (although it WAS a goodun). Follow, and watch how many you RT.
@katefruitnveg
A local tweeter for local (Glossop) people whose everyday life tickled me more than any other this year. ‘Tis a shame she is currently on a Twitter break. Look forward to her returning.
@Ca1_
My favourite story of the year. Callum Saunders was simply telling his mate that he was coming to Glossop to check on areas to live for a planned move North from London when his twitter feed was pounced upon by nosey-but- friendly Glossopians offering advice on houses, pubs, food and which Manchester club to follow. Despite a traditional High Peak drenching on their first visit, he and wife (@lucaluxes) still moved here, immersing themselves in the town, even supporting @glossopnorthend. A welcome addition to Glossop, and you can’t hear his funny southern accent on Twitter.
@yesitsnumberone
There have been many tweeters who have enhanced my obession with Top of the Pops 1976, not least the @totp1976 user itself. But @yesitsnumberone takes that obsession to new levels. Not just live tweeting the show, he writes a blog on the programme every week, and was the prompter for my best tweet of the year which combined 'Mississippi' by Pussycat and Chris Eubank. If you like your pop nostalgia, you must follow this account.
Other twitter highlights
Being retweeted by a Doctor Who writer was good, but a retweet by Wincey Willis was the bizarre highlight. Wincey Willis! It is for surreal moments like this that I continue to love the Twitter.
Friday, 30 December 2011
Friday, 9 December 2011
To usurp Fergie, Michel Platini must truly be a fool.
Has it really come to this? Have I really been moved to put finger to keyboard to...deep breath...defend Alex Ferguson.
Alex Ferguson is a man I have very little time for. More one eyed than a Cyclops, his simple equation on life of Man United right/everyone else wrong rubbed me up the wrong way for years until he took himself off my screens in a fit of pique with the BBC, lowering my ire levels at the same time in what was a happy co-incidence.
So who has made me stand up for a man who’s voodoo doll I’d happily stick pins into all day long. It must be someone of real idiocy, right? Step forward Michel Platini.
Platini has been pushing my buttons for a while. Firstly, he introduced his ‘Financial Fair Play’ regulations, which initially were aimed at preventing clubs having debt, a jibe that Platini aimed squarely at English clubs. This was subsequently amended to deal with what he called ‘financial doping’ – where a benefactor sticks in a huge amount of money – when it was pointed out to him that most of the big clubs in Europe had HUGE debts and that Manchester City, who let’s face it were the main target of the new evangelism about club’s finances, had no debt as Sheikh Mansour had turned his cash into equity.
The upshot of this banning of new money into football means that everything must come from the punter, and will see the continued rise of already astronomical ticket prices whilst more and more of the best seats are allocated to corporate fans. Whilst clubs might be motivated to keep ticket prices affordable to allow people from all walks of life to watch their team, they are now forced to extract as much cash as possible from their fans. Did you know there are clubs that charge £10 a season just for you to be on a season ticket waiting list. That’s just a rip off, but FFP is the driving force behind it.
That disregard for the paying customer was further embellished last week when after the draw for the Euro 2012 tournament, awarded to Poland & Ukraine, it emerged that for the games in the remote City of Donetsk, UEFA had already booked EVERY hotel room in the place. Not one left for supporters.
Instead, they are building a 6000 capacity camp site for fans to mingle in where, if they can get to sleep, they can dream of a comfy bed, hot water, a good old cup of tea and other luxuries that UEFA’s bigwigs won’t allow them.
So, onto Platini’s latest thoughts, which has led to the bizarre position I currently find myself in.
Fergie, naturally disappointed with his teams (hilarious*) early exit from the Champs League said the following when asked about the Europa League –
“That is our penalty for not qualifying tonight," added the Scot. "It's a competition I've never been in with United. It does mean Sundays right through and Thursday-Sunday matches. That has to be dealt with.”
Nothing about the competition, just that the scheduling was awkward and it’s their own fault that this is where they find themselves. This was Platini’s reply –
“I know Mr Ferguson would have preferred to be in the Champions League but so would many clubs who don't have that possibility. The world does not revolve around England. The Europa League is a brilliant competition."
It is the second part of that statement that I find utterly bizarre and rather exposes Platini’s dislike of all things British. Debt and financial doping only became an issue when English clubs formed 3 of the 4 Champions League semi-finalists – it was never a problem when this was achieved by Italian clubs. Ferguson made no reference to the standing of the Europa League, except to imply that it for inferior to the Champions League (and this does not really need pointing out to even the most laymen of laymen) yet Platini sees fit to suggest that the English have slighted his competition, even though City have been pretty positive about going into it and trying to win.
Platini is a disaster for supporters of football. In trumpeting a system that he claims will prevent the destruction of the game he is taking it further away from its working class roots, whilst taking every opportunity to take pot-shots at political enemies to try and smooth his way into Sepp Blatter’s position when he finally gives up.
Judging by his treatment of grassroots supporters, love of luxury hotels and disdain for all things British, it would seem he is the perfect replacement.
*sorry MU fans, couldn’t resist, please read on
Alex Ferguson is a man I have very little time for. More one eyed than a Cyclops, his simple equation on life of Man United right/everyone else wrong rubbed me up the wrong way for years until he took himself off my screens in a fit of pique with the BBC, lowering my ire levels at the same time in what was a happy co-incidence.
So who has made me stand up for a man who’s voodoo doll I’d happily stick pins into all day long. It must be someone of real idiocy, right? Step forward Michel Platini.
Platini has been pushing my buttons for a while. Firstly, he introduced his ‘Financial Fair Play’ regulations, which initially were aimed at preventing clubs having debt, a jibe that Platini aimed squarely at English clubs. This was subsequently amended to deal with what he called ‘financial doping’ – where a benefactor sticks in a huge amount of money – when it was pointed out to him that most of the big clubs in Europe had HUGE debts and that Manchester City, who let’s face it were the main target of the new evangelism about club’s finances, had no debt as Sheikh Mansour had turned his cash into equity.
The upshot of this banning of new money into football means that everything must come from the punter, and will see the continued rise of already astronomical ticket prices whilst more and more of the best seats are allocated to corporate fans. Whilst clubs might be motivated to keep ticket prices affordable to allow people from all walks of life to watch their team, they are now forced to extract as much cash as possible from their fans. Did you know there are clubs that charge £10 a season just for you to be on a season ticket waiting list. That’s just a rip off, but FFP is the driving force behind it.
That disregard for the paying customer was further embellished last week when after the draw for the Euro 2012 tournament, awarded to Poland & Ukraine, it emerged that for the games in the remote City of Donetsk, UEFA had already booked EVERY hotel room in the place. Not one left for supporters.
Instead, they are building a 6000 capacity camp site for fans to mingle in where, if they can get to sleep, they can dream of a comfy bed, hot water, a good old cup of tea and other luxuries that UEFA’s bigwigs won’t allow them.
So, onto Platini’s latest thoughts, which has led to the bizarre position I currently find myself in.
Fergie, naturally disappointed with his teams (hilarious*) early exit from the Champs League said the following when asked about the Europa League –
“That is our penalty for not qualifying tonight," added the Scot. "It's a competition I've never been in with United. It does mean Sundays right through and Thursday-Sunday matches. That has to be dealt with.”
Nothing about the competition, just that the scheduling was awkward and it’s their own fault that this is where they find themselves. This was Platini’s reply –
“I know Mr Ferguson would have preferred to be in the Champions League but so would many clubs who don't have that possibility. The world does not revolve around England. The Europa League is a brilliant competition."
It is the second part of that statement that I find utterly bizarre and rather exposes Platini’s dislike of all things British. Debt and financial doping only became an issue when English clubs formed 3 of the 4 Champions League semi-finalists – it was never a problem when this was achieved by Italian clubs. Ferguson made no reference to the standing of the Europa League, except to imply that it for inferior to the Champions League (and this does not really need pointing out to even the most laymen of laymen) yet Platini sees fit to suggest that the English have slighted his competition, even though City have been pretty positive about going into it and trying to win.
Platini is a disaster for supporters of football. In trumpeting a system that he claims will prevent the destruction of the game he is taking it further away from its working class roots, whilst taking every opportunity to take pot-shots at political enemies to try and smooth his way into Sepp Blatter’s position when he finally gives up.
Judging by his treatment of grassroots supporters, love of luxury hotels and disdain for all things British, it would seem he is the perfect replacement.
*sorry MU fans, couldn’t resist, please read on
Sunday, 23 October 2011
All the way to Wembley - Part 4b
There are thousands of stories from Glossopians about the final. Whether they travelled on the ‘Hogwarts Express’ from Glossop to Wembley, or gathered in Trafalgar Square on Saturday afternoon, or took one of the many buses that left Surrey Street, or simply nostalgically commuted half an hour from your house having economically migrated down south years ago.
All these stories had one thing in common though – everyone was going to enjoy the day. In the build up to the game the town had gone North End crazy, with merchandise sales hitting unprecedented levels for the club and ‘Wembley’ being the only topic of conversation in local pubs. Chairman Dave Atkinson was ubiquitous, pictured in the local papers more than MP Tom Levitt.
My own personal difficulty over my daughter’s communion was solved by an uppity letter from the school over the clash that so infuriated me I decided I would stick a metaphorical two fingers up at them. Her communion took place a week later at a different church where she made so many new friends she moved to the school shortly afterwards. It was meant to be!
Preparation for the day took up all the spare time and thoughts of everybody connected to the club. Players and management found plenty of demands on their time from various sources as the town and media latched onto the story, and at the same time they had the matter of a compressed season to complete without getting injured. Semi final hero Kelvin Lugsden picked up a nasty knock in a home game with Abbey Hey that put his participation in serious doubt, whilst captain Dave Young was carried off at Squires Gate the week before the final. Ash Gotham had also picked up a knock as the season ended.
The match was set for a Sunday, but the North End bus set off from Glossop on Friday afternoon, waved off by supporters and both the BBC and ITV. The hotel chosen was the same one that the club had used for the semi-final, this time without the Friday night disco thankfully, and after a late evening arrival and a few drinks, preparations were made for Saturday. However, there was one surprise waiting for the club, as on reception a silver salver from Arsenal commemorating the achievement of reaching the final.
On the Saturday arrangements had been made to train where England train – Bisham Abbey. The session went well as spirits were high, but whilst Young and Lugsden came through without problems it was obvious to onlookers that Gotham was struggling.
From there it was off to Wembley Stadium where the FA Trophy final was taking place between Stevenage and York City. They served up a turgid match, giving the Hillmen nothing to live up to the day afterwards, but it did give the players a taste for the stadium…in the posh seats too.
After the game and back at base, High Peak Radio were broadcasting live from the hotel and Ben Price did his best to relax the players with a light hearted quiz and interviews. As the team went early to bed again, you felt that the preparation could not have gone better.
The morning of the game began with a team meeting. Steve Young began by telling the team that Ash Gotham had told him that he wasn’t fit. It would be a devastating blow to Ash and his family, who had been staunch supporters since the beginning of the season, and meant an unexpected opportunity for Matt Cooper, brought in as cover for this precise event. Young announced the rest of his side – Young, Kay, Lugsden, Yates, Gorton, Morris, Hodges, R Bailey, Hamilton & Allen. Subs were to be T Bailey, Balfe, Parker, Whelan & Hind.
Everyone went off to put on their Wembley suits and then gathered on the lawns behind the hotel for photos with friends and family before the time came for the bus to depart. The Wembley arch was soon in view and as the bus headed into the bowels of the stadium a small band of North Enders cheered it into the darkness.
North End had the home dressing room. I say dressing room, but these were so far away from the Surrey Street changing areas to be believed. As you walked in there was a management team dressing room on the right. A bit further along had the showers, baths and mirrors (complete with hairdryers) on the left and on the right were around 10 physio tables. Only when you went through the next set of double doors did you come to the changing room for the team, with its individual overhead wardrobes and fridge full of energy drinks. And then through another set of doors was a warm up area. In short, they were huge.
It was a few minutes before the players were allowed out onto the pitch, so they spent the time having their photos taken with the shirts that carried their names. Finally though, the gates were unlocked and we were allowed into the arena.
Walking out of the tunnel and onto the pitch, you could not help but to be awestruck. From the giant North End badge hanging from the rafters to the images of yourself on the big screen and the 90,000 seats, largely empty but still impressive, everywhere you looked was a reminder of what the team had achieved. However, there was no greater buzz than the moment Steve Young and Terry Hincks led the teams out to line up on the pitch. It is a moment every football fan dreams of but only a select few achieve.
But as we all know, it wasn’t to be a trophy presentation at the end of the afternoon. North End probably shaded the first half - although both sides hit the woodwork through long range shots from Nick Allen and an extraordinary effort from halfway by Adam Johnstone - but Lee Kerr took full advantage of a collision in defence to score from an angle for Whitley Bay, and just before half time Paul Chow scored on the counter attack – David Morris could have scored but for a last ditch block and the long clearance ended up in Chow’s path, one on one with Cooper.
After the break Whitley Bay applied some pressure and probably should have added further goals but eventually they tired. The Hillmen tried to press but could not get that first goal that might have given them the momentum to grab a second. The ultimate goal was just beyond the team, but as they took the applause from the magnificent support from Glossop folk they could, and should, be proud of what they achieved in that glorious journey - from Sporting Khalsa all the way to Wembley.
============================================
NB - apologies for this final piece. Found it oddly hard to write. I think the weekend went so quickly and I tried to take so much in, I absorbed too much of the minutae and not enough of the big stuff - can barely remember a thing about the game.
All these stories had one thing in common though – everyone was going to enjoy the day. In the build up to the game the town had gone North End crazy, with merchandise sales hitting unprecedented levels for the club and ‘Wembley’ being the only topic of conversation in local pubs. Chairman Dave Atkinson was ubiquitous, pictured in the local papers more than MP Tom Levitt.
My own personal difficulty over my daughter’s communion was solved by an uppity letter from the school over the clash that so infuriated me I decided I would stick a metaphorical two fingers up at them. Her communion took place a week later at a different church where she made so many new friends she moved to the school shortly afterwards. It was meant to be!
Preparation for the day took up all the spare time and thoughts of everybody connected to the club. Players and management found plenty of demands on their time from various sources as the town and media latched onto the story, and at the same time they had the matter of a compressed season to complete without getting injured. Semi final hero Kelvin Lugsden picked up a nasty knock in a home game with Abbey Hey that put his participation in serious doubt, whilst captain Dave Young was carried off at Squires Gate the week before the final. Ash Gotham had also picked up a knock as the season ended.
The match was set for a Sunday, but the North End bus set off from Glossop on Friday afternoon, waved off by supporters and both the BBC and ITV. The hotel chosen was the same one that the club had used for the semi-final, this time without the Friday night disco thankfully, and after a late evening arrival and a few drinks, preparations were made for Saturday. However, there was one surprise waiting for the club, as on reception a silver salver from Arsenal commemorating the achievement of reaching the final.
On the Saturday arrangements had been made to train where England train – Bisham Abbey. The session went well as spirits were high, but whilst Young and Lugsden came through without problems it was obvious to onlookers that Gotham was struggling.
From there it was off to Wembley Stadium where the FA Trophy final was taking place between Stevenage and York City. They served up a turgid match, giving the Hillmen nothing to live up to the day afterwards, but it did give the players a taste for the stadium…in the posh seats too.
After the game and back at base, High Peak Radio were broadcasting live from the hotel and Ben Price did his best to relax the players with a light hearted quiz and interviews. As the team went early to bed again, you felt that the preparation could not have gone better.
The morning of the game began with a team meeting. Steve Young began by telling the team that Ash Gotham had told him that he wasn’t fit. It would be a devastating blow to Ash and his family, who had been staunch supporters since the beginning of the season, and meant an unexpected opportunity for Matt Cooper, brought in as cover for this precise event. Young announced the rest of his side – Young, Kay, Lugsden, Yates, Gorton, Morris, Hodges, R Bailey, Hamilton & Allen. Subs were to be T Bailey, Balfe, Parker, Whelan & Hind.
Everyone went off to put on their Wembley suits and then gathered on the lawns behind the hotel for photos with friends and family before the time came for the bus to depart. The Wembley arch was soon in view and as the bus headed into the bowels of the stadium a small band of North Enders cheered it into the darkness.
North End had the home dressing room. I say dressing room, but these were so far away from the Surrey Street changing areas to be believed. As you walked in there was a management team dressing room on the right. A bit further along had the showers, baths and mirrors (complete with hairdryers) on the left and on the right were around 10 physio tables. Only when you went through the next set of double doors did you come to the changing room for the team, with its individual overhead wardrobes and fridge full of energy drinks. And then through another set of doors was a warm up area. In short, they were huge.
It was a few minutes before the players were allowed out onto the pitch, so they spent the time having their photos taken with the shirts that carried their names. Finally though, the gates were unlocked and we were allowed into the arena.
Walking out of the tunnel and onto the pitch, you could not help but to be awestruck. From the giant North End badge hanging from the rafters to the images of yourself on the big screen and the 90,000 seats, largely empty but still impressive, everywhere you looked was a reminder of what the team had achieved. However, there was no greater buzz than the moment Steve Young and Terry Hincks led the teams out to line up on the pitch. It is a moment every football fan dreams of but only a select few achieve.
But as we all know, it wasn’t to be a trophy presentation at the end of the afternoon. North End probably shaded the first half - although both sides hit the woodwork through long range shots from Nick Allen and an extraordinary effort from halfway by Adam Johnstone - but Lee Kerr took full advantage of a collision in defence to score from an angle for Whitley Bay, and just before half time Paul Chow scored on the counter attack – David Morris could have scored but for a last ditch block and the long clearance ended up in Chow’s path, one on one with Cooper.
After the break Whitley Bay applied some pressure and probably should have added further goals but eventually they tired. The Hillmen tried to press but could not get that first goal that might have given them the momentum to grab a second. The ultimate goal was just beyond the team, but as they took the applause from the magnificent support from Glossop folk they could, and should, be proud of what they achieved in that glorious journey - from Sporting Khalsa all the way to Wembley.
============================================
NB - apologies for this final piece. Found it oddly hard to write. I think the weekend went so quickly and I tried to take so much in, I absorbed too much of the minutae and not enough of the big stuff - can barely remember a thing about the game.
Saturday, 22 October 2011
All the way to Wembley - Part 4a
A 3-3 draw a Chalfont St Peter in the first leg meant the second could not be more finely poised. An amazing day at Surrey Street opened the door for an amazing day in London.
Glossop fans were confident after the 3-3 draw at Chalfont St Peter. Their team had shown impressive tenacity to come back from first 2-0 and then 3-1 down to level, and they felt that the Surrey Street atmosphere would give their team the edge at home. They hadn’t reckoned with nature’s great leveller in football though – wind.
Gusts in the first leg had helped Chalfont more that North End down south. Their game was centred on set pieces, and swirling winds allowed balls into the box to cause chaos. Glossop preferred a game on the floor, and an unpredictable run of the ball was a hindrance. No wonder Chalfont striker Terrell Lewis smiled when he said ‘yep, it’s blowing’ when he walked into the ground – he knew that it was to his teams’ advantage.
The excitement in the town in the week leading up to the game was electric. The Glossop Chronicle paper had a ‘Come on Glossop’ special cover. Mettricks produced blue sausages. And tickets were like gold dust. Sold out before the first leg the club fielded call after call of requests for help with tickets. The only hope was that Chalfont might send some back, and on the day of the game queues formed at the ground before 11am to see if this might be the case. A long way from the pay-on-the-gate against Sporting Khalsa back in early September.
There were crucial and dramatic moments in the game, but in truth they were fleeting. The tension and the weather did not make this a great game for the neutral, but there were precious few of those in the ground. However, Glossop did get off to the best of starts when just two minutes in Dave Hodges fed Rick Bailey and he slid the ball under the keeper to open the scoring.
North End dealt with the aerial bombardment from Chalfont much better than they had in the first leg, but on the half hour both Dave Young and 17 year old keeper Ash Gotham came to meet a deep cross and collided. The ball came loose and Lewis hooked in to equalise.
The nerves took over for the next hour and neither side could carve out chances. Chalfont passed the ball better, but could not break down the sturdy Hillman defence. However, a change in full back had largely neutered the attacking threat of Hodges for North End, and as such much of Glossop’s spark was missing. Extra time seemed inevitable very early on in the second half and so it proved to be the case.
In the extra period, Chalfont had a spell of pressure that finally ended with a goal. Danny Yates was forced to head a ball off the line but shortly afterwards a speculative long shot bounced in front of Gotham and was spilled, and Strutton took full advantage to prod home and give Chalfont the lead.
Glossop immediately created a chance, Hodges heading inches over the bar, but as time ticked on they got more and more desperate. Jamie Kay had a shot cleared off the line but several thought time was up in the 122nd minute when the whistle went. Whilst half the Chalfont bench rushed onto the pitch to celebrate the referee in actual fact signalled a free kick to the home side on the half way line. However, the whole ground knew that this was the last chance for the Hillmen.
The free kick was looped into the box and panic ensued. Hodges had a chance cleared off the line before the ball fell to Rick Bailey, whose shot went over the bar. This time the referee surprised the home side by awarding a corner as few saw a deflection. But from the flag kick Mark Balfe headed back across goal and Kelvin Lugsden, from about 4 yards, turned the ball home with his thigh before wheeling away, circling his shirt above his head. Chalfont barely had time to kick off.
The first three penalties were scored, but when Chalfont missed Jamie Kay changed his mind in his run up and his kick was saved making the remaining penalties were sudden death. Both sides scored two more before Ash Gotham dived full length to push a shot round the post. Rick Bailey, who had been down with cramp towards the end of the game, stepped forward and scored the winning kick, sparking a joyous pitch invasion (for which the club was later fined!). Wembley was going to have to prepare for Glossop North End, they were coming!
Glossop fans were confident after the 3-3 draw at Chalfont St Peter. Their team had shown impressive tenacity to come back from first 2-0 and then 3-1 down to level, and they felt that the Surrey Street atmosphere would give their team the edge at home. They hadn’t reckoned with nature’s great leveller in football though – wind.
Gusts in the first leg had helped Chalfont more that North End down south. Their game was centred on set pieces, and swirling winds allowed balls into the box to cause chaos. Glossop preferred a game on the floor, and an unpredictable run of the ball was a hindrance. No wonder Chalfont striker Terrell Lewis smiled when he said ‘yep, it’s blowing’ when he walked into the ground – he knew that it was to his teams’ advantage.
The excitement in the town in the week leading up to the game was electric. The Glossop Chronicle paper had a ‘Come on Glossop’ special cover. Mettricks produced blue sausages. And tickets were like gold dust. Sold out before the first leg the club fielded call after call of requests for help with tickets. The only hope was that Chalfont might send some back, and on the day of the game queues formed at the ground before 11am to see if this might be the case. A long way from the pay-on-the-gate against Sporting Khalsa back in early September.
There were crucial and dramatic moments in the game, but in truth they were fleeting. The tension and the weather did not make this a great game for the neutral, but there were precious few of those in the ground. However, Glossop did get off to the best of starts when just two minutes in Dave Hodges fed Rick Bailey and he slid the ball under the keeper to open the scoring.
North End dealt with the aerial bombardment from Chalfont much better than they had in the first leg, but on the half hour both Dave Young and 17 year old keeper Ash Gotham came to meet a deep cross and collided. The ball came loose and Lewis hooked in to equalise.
The nerves took over for the next hour and neither side could carve out chances. Chalfont passed the ball better, but could not break down the sturdy Hillman defence. However, a change in full back had largely neutered the attacking threat of Hodges for North End, and as such much of Glossop’s spark was missing. Extra time seemed inevitable very early on in the second half and so it proved to be the case.
In the extra period, Chalfont had a spell of pressure that finally ended with a goal. Danny Yates was forced to head a ball off the line but shortly afterwards a speculative long shot bounced in front of Gotham and was spilled, and Strutton took full advantage to prod home and give Chalfont the lead.
Glossop immediately created a chance, Hodges heading inches over the bar, but as time ticked on they got more and more desperate. Jamie Kay had a shot cleared off the line but several thought time was up in the 122nd minute when the whistle went. Whilst half the Chalfont bench rushed onto the pitch to celebrate the referee in actual fact signalled a free kick to the home side on the half way line. However, the whole ground knew that this was the last chance for the Hillmen.
The free kick was looped into the box and panic ensued. Hodges had a chance cleared off the line before the ball fell to Rick Bailey, whose shot went over the bar. This time the referee surprised the home side by awarding a corner as few saw a deflection. But from the flag kick Mark Balfe headed back across goal and Kelvin Lugsden, from about 4 yards, turned the ball home with his thigh before wheeling away, circling his shirt above his head. Chalfont barely had time to kick off.
The first three penalties were scored, but when Chalfont missed Jamie Kay changed his mind in his run up and his kick was saved making the remaining penalties were sudden death. Both sides scored two more before Ash Gotham dived full length to push a shot round the post. Rick Bailey, who had been down with cramp towards the end of the game, stepped forward and scored the winning kick, sparking a joyous pitch invasion (for which the club was later fined!). Wembley was going to have to prepare for Glossop North End, they were coming!
Thursday, 20 October 2011
All the Way to Wembley – part three.
With Bitton beaten North End had now made the quarter finals, and got a home draw to boot. Could they continue to write more chapters in the club’s history?
As the hangovers from the day out at Bitton began to fade the morning after the night before, a personal nightmare began for your author. It might only have been February, but in an optimistic moment I allowed myself to get carried away and check the date of the final. Discovering that it was to take place on May 10th confirmed my worst fears, this was the same date as my daughter’s first communion, a date that her atheist dad had no understanding of other than it was very special for her. At the moment, this dilemma could be straight-batted with a ‘well, it’s not going to be a problem really is it?’, but what if...what if they did?
The reward for the hard fought victory at Bitton was, in theory, an easier one – a home tie against a team from one notch lower down the ladder. This simplistic outlook though ignored the strength of the Northern League, from where Marske United hailed.
Due to travelling distances involved, Northern League sides are traditionally less willing to be involved in the national league system, which means that whilst sides at Step 5 around Manchester are battling against tens of sides offering a better standard of football (nominally anyway) North Eastern players drop to this level much quicker meaning that there is, in theory, a better standard of player at a comparative level. And besides, Marske were in the quarter finals of the FA Vase, they were clearly no mugs.
The build up to the game was busy, with club officials speculating how many people might turn up. ‘I reckon we’ll get near four figures’ was the most optimistic of guesses, and it was still a regular North End attendance short of the final figure of 1120. Of that number, Marske brought a sizeable following who took over half the scratting shed and with their ringleader – a bulldog mascot – made a noisy build up to the match.
It wasn’t just the crowd that was up for it either – North End blasted Marske from the kick off, Hodges opening the scoring on just two minutes and Bailey tapping in 10 minutes later. As per their billing though, Marske were a handy side, playmaker Glenn Wesson in particular, and they got one back on 20 minutes, only for Bailey to score for the home side again shortly afterwards.
Jamie Kay’s brilliant diving header with half an hour to go seemed to have sealed a semi-final place but within 2 minutes doubt was back as Skelton scored for the visitors. Only as the clock ticked into the final moments of the game did Glossop fans feel able to celebrate and Sam Hind sealed the game with an injury time goal.
The 2-legged semi finals were said to be drawn the following Monday at 11am. From 10:45 fans of North End, Whitley Bay, Lowestoft and Chalfont St Peter were frantically refreshing their browsers approximately every 20 seconds. The draw finally came online on the FA’s website shortly after midday – we were going to Chalfont!
The large crowd for the Marske game forced the Glossop board into action for the 2nd leg at Surrey Street, and the game was made all ticket. They could have still sold the 1500 capacity three times over. But first, there was a very tricky first leg to take on.
The team travelled down to the Chalfont area on the Friday night. A nice quiet hotel had been found for them in Marlow. However, this nice quiet hotel had occasional club nights, and one such evening was scheduled for 27 March 2009. As the North End group sat in the hotel’s lounge more and more club-goers filed into the bar and Terry Hincks’ face got sterner and sterner as he worried about the distraction. He needn’t have – the players all filed off to bed early as professionals would.
As had been the case at Bitton, as the coach entered Chalfont and headed towards the ground there was astonishment on the team bus as the occupants saw just how many fans had made the trip from Glossop to Buckinghamshire. Fans were spilling out of the The Greyhound pub on the main street and carrying their flags to the ground. At the ground the team were cheered off the bus by a throng including one of North End’s greatest supporters down the years – Steve Baran – right at the centre of the commotion as he often was.
It was down to business now though and the players had to calm themselves and deal with some tough conditions – the pitch was hard and rutted and the wind was blowing, neither of which would help the Hillmen’s style of play. This proved to be the case as the home side stormed into a two goal lead in the first half hour, both from set pieces that were not dealt with in the 6 yard box.
However, towards the end of the half Chalfont seemed to tire, and this allowed Jay Gorton to give Glossop hope by scoring from a corner only for the break to galvanise the home side and score again just after half time from another long throw.
Again though, Chalfont’s energy dropped towards the latter part of the half and on 73 minutes substitute Mark Balfe lifted a ball over the defence for Hodges who used the bounce of the ball to lift it over the keeper and into the net.
They weren’t finished there either as five minutes later another ball over the back line put Tom Bailey through on goal. Bailey was on a hot scoring streak in the league, and confidently held off the desperate defence and slipped the ball under the keeper before disappearing into a sea of supporter arms behind the goal. Amazingly, Hind nearly pinched a win for Glossop when he guided a side-foot volley just the wrong side of the post.
It had been a breathless game, and at times there were moments that it looked as though Glossop might not just lose the game but the whole tie on that afternoon. They showed amazing resilience to come back from the almost-dead, and if you suspected they might need all of that tenacity again come the second leg a week later you’d have been absolutely right. This game was only the start of a titanic encounter.
Next time – the story of that amazing second leg and the North End players’ TWO trips to Wembley stadium.
Monday, 17 October 2011
All The Way to Wembley - Part Two
Last time we saw how North End cruised through the first three rounds. However, tougher tests awaited...
Part Two – From Biddulph to Bitton.
Having disposed of Sporting Khalsa, Calverton Miners Welfare and, gloriously, local rivals New Mills in the 2008-09 FA Vase, Glossop North End had been rewarded with a home draw vs Biddulph Victoria.
There was some history between the clubs, Glossop having been Biddulph’s first victory of the season when they knocked them out of the Vase in 2006-07. Revenge was sweet though, as Hodges, Nick Allen and two Martin Parker goals saw The Hillmen cruise to a 4-0 win. The game was most notable for the record of Biddulph midfielder Chris Boast who, having been sent off in the previous two rounds, managed to get himself dismissed again! An unwanted Vase record I’d wager.
It had been nine years since North End had got through to the 3rd round of the competition, so Glossop were heading into almost uncharted waters, but the importance of a football match was put into sharp perspective before the game when news of the death of Steve Young’s father came through. Steve, and his son, Glossop’s captain Dave, were devastated, and quite rightly rushed away to be with their family.
It was a testing game for the Hillmen and their character, especially after brushing aside every team they had played thus far, and Winterton took the lead in the 9th minute, but Darren Hamilton equalised on 22 minutes to give the side impetus. Rick Bailey in particular was on a mission to find the net with numerous shots on goal, and it was he who got the winner on 63 minutes when linking up with David Morris and driving home from the edge of the area.
It was an emotional day for the Glossop team and whilst it might be trite to say that the team had done it for their manager, Steve Young’s father was certainly in people’s thoughts on the day and for the rest of the run.
===============================================================
It was another home draw in round 4, the furthest North End had ever been in the Vase previously, and the visitors were Corby’s Stewarts and Lloyds. Word was getting around as nearly 400 turned up to the match, many having brought inflatable friends and an intention to sing their team to victory – this game saw the debut of the ‘car of fun’ and the introduction of ‘The Trenches’. Dave Hodges was the hero as he scored in the first and last minutes of the game to seal a 2-1 win.
The victory should have been much more comfortable as Glossop wasted chance after chance after the glorious start they had been given. Stewarts and Lloyds equalised with their only real shot of the game in the 64th minute before the onslaught continued and more chances were wasted.
When the goal finally came, in the second minute of injury time, given his scoring record it perhaps wasn’t a surprise that Hodges notched it...but from a corner with his head? No-one would have predicted that! Not that they cared, they were too busy jumping up and down before a party in the clubhouse with the S&L fans ensued. The visitors left a great impression, and GNE would love to meet them again someday.
The furthest GNE had travelled on the run so far had been Nottingham, but the last 16 draw threw up a difficult trip to Bitton, a small village outside Bristol. Plans were made, coaches were booked and Matt Murray even delayed from moving to Australia so that he could play in the tie...only for heavy snowfall to see it called off on the Friday. On my way home from work I decided to call into The Friendship to pass on the news, only to find the chairman, the manager, his assistant, the captain and the centre forward all enjoying a beer. I was just a touch late with the headline.
Steve Young always cites the moment that the team bus arrived at Bitton a week later as his favourite point of the run. By co-incidence the squad arrived about two minutes after two coach-loads of Glossop fans outside the ground. The crowd parted like the red sea to allow the bus through, cheering and singing at the team all the way to the dressing room.
North End took a magnificent support to Gloucestershire that day, probably half of the 443 crowd, and they, along with the promise of a home draw in the next round, spurred the Hillmen on. However, it was an attritional game.
The weather had made the pitch incredibly difficult to play on, probably unplayable for a league game, and had so much sand on it players said they felt they were running downwards rather than forward and this didn’t suit the Hillmen’s energetic style of play. In addition, they had early adversity to counter when an iffy penalty was awarded for the home side.
Marc Cherry took it but Ash Gotham got down to his right to save. Cherry had another bite, but Gotham saved again and a follow up header looped millimetres over the bar. Glossop took the lead just before half time when Hodges ran onto a cross-field Dave Young pass and blasted it past the keeper.
In the second half, further scares followed, including a header that hit the bar with a follow-up cleared off the line by Yates, before Morris sealed it in the 71st minute, bursting from midfield to latch onto Parker’s pass.
It meant a home game with Marske United was on the cards, but that was for a month’s time. At that moment the celebrations were in full swing in the Bitton clubhouse, to be continued four hours later when they arrived back in Derbyshire.
Next time – Cup fever grips the town as the biggest crowds anyone can remember at Surrey Street cheer The Hillmen onto the final.
Part Two – From Biddulph to Bitton.
Having disposed of Sporting Khalsa, Calverton Miners Welfare and, gloriously, local rivals New Mills in the 2008-09 FA Vase, Glossop North End had been rewarded with a home draw vs Biddulph Victoria.
There was some history between the clubs, Glossop having been Biddulph’s first victory of the season when they knocked them out of the Vase in 2006-07. Revenge was sweet though, as Hodges, Nick Allen and two Martin Parker goals saw The Hillmen cruise to a 4-0 win. The game was most notable for the record of Biddulph midfielder Chris Boast who, having been sent off in the previous two rounds, managed to get himself dismissed again! An unwanted Vase record I’d wager.
It had been nine years since North End had got through to the 3rd round of the competition, so Glossop were heading into almost uncharted waters, but the importance of a football match was put into sharp perspective before the game when news of the death of Steve Young’s father came through. Steve, and his son, Glossop’s captain Dave, were devastated, and quite rightly rushed away to be with their family.
It was a testing game for the Hillmen and their character, especially after brushing aside every team they had played thus far, and Winterton took the lead in the 9th minute, but Darren Hamilton equalised on 22 minutes to give the side impetus. Rick Bailey in particular was on a mission to find the net with numerous shots on goal, and it was he who got the winner on 63 minutes when linking up with David Morris and driving home from the edge of the area.
It was an emotional day for the Glossop team and whilst it might be trite to say that the team had done it for their manager, Steve Young’s father was certainly in people’s thoughts on the day and for the rest of the run.
===============================================================
It was another home draw in round 4, the furthest North End had ever been in the Vase previously, and the visitors were Corby’s Stewarts and Lloyds. Word was getting around as nearly 400 turned up to the match, many having brought inflatable friends and an intention to sing their team to victory – this game saw the debut of the ‘car of fun’ and the introduction of ‘The Trenches’. Dave Hodges was the hero as he scored in the first and last minutes of the game to seal a 2-1 win.
The victory should have been much more comfortable as Glossop wasted chance after chance after the glorious start they had been given. Stewarts and Lloyds equalised with their only real shot of the game in the 64th minute before the onslaught continued and more chances were wasted.
When the goal finally came, in the second minute of injury time, given his scoring record it perhaps wasn’t a surprise that Hodges notched it...but from a corner with his head? No-one would have predicted that! Not that they cared, they were too busy jumping up and down before a party in the clubhouse with the S&L fans ensued. The visitors left a great impression, and GNE would love to meet them again someday.
The furthest GNE had travelled on the run so far had been Nottingham, but the last 16 draw threw up a difficult trip to Bitton, a small village outside Bristol. Plans were made, coaches were booked and Matt Murray even delayed from moving to Australia so that he could play in the tie...only for heavy snowfall to see it called off on the Friday. On my way home from work I decided to call into The Friendship to pass on the news, only to find the chairman, the manager, his assistant, the captain and the centre forward all enjoying a beer. I was just a touch late with the headline.
Steve Young always cites the moment that the team bus arrived at Bitton a week later as his favourite point of the run. By co-incidence the squad arrived about two minutes after two coach-loads of Glossop fans outside the ground. The crowd parted like the red sea to allow the bus through, cheering and singing at the team all the way to the dressing room.
North End took a magnificent support to Gloucestershire that day, probably half of the 443 crowd, and they, along with the promise of a home draw in the next round, spurred the Hillmen on. However, it was an attritional game.
The weather had made the pitch incredibly difficult to play on, probably unplayable for a league game, and had so much sand on it players said they felt they were running downwards rather than forward and this didn’t suit the Hillmen’s energetic style of play. In addition, they had early adversity to counter when an iffy penalty was awarded for the home side.
Marc Cherry took it but Ash Gotham got down to his right to save. Cherry had another bite, but Gotham saved again and a follow up header looped millimetres over the bar. Glossop took the lead just before half time when Hodges ran onto a cross-field Dave Young pass and blasted it past the keeper.
In the second half, further scares followed, including a header that hit the bar with a follow-up cleared off the line by Yates, before Morris sealed it in the 71st minute, bursting from midfield to latch onto Parker’s pass.
It meant a home game with Marske United was on the cards, but that was for a month’s time. At that moment the celebrations were in full swing in the Bitton clubhouse, to be continued four hours later when they arrived back in Derbyshire.
Next time – Cup fever grips the town as the biggest crowds anyone can remember at Surrey Street cheer The Hillmen onto the final.
Wednesday, 5 October 2011
All the way to Wembley - The Story of Glossop North End's Vase Run (Part One)
As part of the 125 years celebration, many people have been writing articles on the club. I was asked to do the FA Vase run in 2008-09, but it can't go in the Glossop Chronicle's 'Yesterdays' section, as it's not long ago enough. So it's going in the programme in four parts. Part one was in tonights programme, and here it is...
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Part One – The early rounds.
Prior to 2008-09, to Glossop North End the FA Vase was a competition to win two or three games and a few crucial pounds in prize money. As such, there was no indication of things to come as Steve Young’s Glossop North End team made their first appearance in that season’s renewal, in the 1st Preliminary round, taking on Midlands teams Sporting Khalsa.
The game attracted some interest from The FA’s press department, as Khalsa were an all Asian team; the first Asian side to own their own ground. However, they did play 2 levels lower than North End, and the home side were expected to win easily.
When Khalsa had their goalkeeper sent off in the first ten minutes, it looked a more difficult task for the visitors, and so it proved, with goals from Jay Gorton, Dave Hodges, Rick Bailey, Jamie Kay and Martin Parker sealing a 5-0 win, but bizarrely the crowd went away slightly disappointed – North End could have scored three times as many goals.
The highlight of the afternoon was the Khalsa keeper walking around the ground during the game, apologising for arguing with the referee when he was dismissed. A first for football at any level, I’d wager.
The reward was a trip to Nottinghamshire club Calverton Miners Welfare. Around 40 loyal Glossop fans made the trip and were rewarded twice. Firstly when Rick Whelan, Bailey, Sam Hind and Hodges scored to seal a 4-1 victory, with only a late consolation blotting the copybook. The second reward was that they knew who they would be facing in the next round…a tasty tie against local rivals New Mills in the first round proper.
To many fans of the Hillmen and the Millers this was their cup final. The draw had been made in July, so both teams knew the derby clash was a possibility, and as the straightforward wins for both sides were ticked off, anticipation increased. Duly, on game day, an impressive 490 people turned up to Church Lane and local radio carried live commentary from the match.
Glossop started confidently, and broke through on 22 minutes when Darren Hamilton scored at the near post. But 8 minutes later New Mills levelled when a Meakin free kick deflected into the path of Glossop lad, Josh Howard, and he scored.
After half time though, Glossop were irresistible. Although the breakthrough didn’t come until the 71st minute, they had bossed the match and it was no surprise when Tom Bailey finally scored. Nick Allen and Hind scored further goals to make it a dream day for North End fans and to secure a place in round two.
So far it was three games, thirteen goals and three rounds negotiated. The club was rightly feeling confident as progress had been serene thus far. But no-one could have anticipated the happiness, sadness and drama to come.
Next part – Home draws help the Hillmen, but as the competition goes national, there is long journey and a stern test for Steve Young’s team.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Part One – The early rounds.
Prior to 2008-09, to Glossop North End the FA Vase was a competition to win two or three games and a few crucial pounds in prize money. As such, there was no indication of things to come as Steve Young’s Glossop North End team made their first appearance in that season’s renewal, in the 1st Preliminary round, taking on Midlands teams Sporting Khalsa.
The game attracted some interest from The FA’s press department, as Khalsa were an all Asian team; the first Asian side to own their own ground. However, they did play 2 levels lower than North End, and the home side were expected to win easily.
When Khalsa had their goalkeeper sent off in the first ten minutes, it looked a more difficult task for the visitors, and so it proved, with goals from Jay Gorton, Dave Hodges, Rick Bailey, Jamie Kay and Martin Parker sealing a 5-0 win, but bizarrely the crowd went away slightly disappointed – North End could have scored three times as many goals.
The highlight of the afternoon was the Khalsa keeper walking around the ground during the game, apologising for arguing with the referee when he was dismissed. A first for football at any level, I’d wager.
The reward was a trip to Nottinghamshire club Calverton Miners Welfare. Around 40 loyal Glossop fans made the trip and were rewarded twice. Firstly when Rick Whelan, Bailey, Sam Hind and Hodges scored to seal a 4-1 victory, with only a late consolation blotting the copybook. The second reward was that they knew who they would be facing in the next round…a tasty tie against local rivals New Mills in the first round proper.
To many fans of the Hillmen and the Millers this was their cup final. The draw had been made in July, so both teams knew the derby clash was a possibility, and as the straightforward wins for both sides were ticked off, anticipation increased. Duly, on game day, an impressive 490 people turned up to Church Lane and local radio carried live commentary from the match.
Glossop started confidently, and broke through on 22 minutes when Darren Hamilton scored at the near post. But 8 minutes later New Mills levelled when a Meakin free kick deflected into the path of Glossop lad, Josh Howard, and he scored.
After half time though, Glossop were irresistible. Although the breakthrough didn’t come until the 71st minute, they had bossed the match and it was no surprise when Tom Bailey finally scored. Nick Allen and Hind scored further goals to make it a dream day for North End fans and to secure a place in round two.
So far it was three games, thirteen goals and three rounds negotiated. The club was rightly feeling confident as progress had been serene thus far. But no-one could have anticipated the happiness, sadness and drama to come.
Next part – Home draws help the Hillmen, but as the competition goes national, there is long journey and a stern test for Steve Young’s team.
Sunday, 17 April 2011
Semi Final Memories
Well, this has been an extraordinary FA Cup year for me. TWO lifetime ambitions achieved. First there was my surreptitious appearance on the Glossop North End bench right back in the Extra Preliminary Round in the second week of August (http://haggisinwonderland.blogspot.com/2010/08/one-for-grandchildren.html), and now, after I generation of waiting, I have finally seen Manchester City reach an FA Cup final.
Over the years City have had a propensity to building us up and then letting us down, and everything was set up for it to happen again, because it had been an extraordinary day. Setting off early down the M6, it was a sea of blue cars, minibuses and coaches. I couldn't work out if it was proof that the cliché of only City fans coming from Manchester was proving true, or if we were just more giddy than them.
Warwick services was the same. As former City goalkeeper Alex Williams happily darted from one group of fans to the other wishing them well, United fans were keeping themselves to themselves. The party atmosphere was building, and us blues know that the team has often been the ultimate pooper.
For 20-25 minutes it looked like that be the case, and Berbatov underlined accusations of him being just a flat track bully by missing two gilt edged chances. From there though, City first were the equals of their opponents, and then after the break were superior. The win was well deserved, but never celebrated until the final whistle went.
Driving back, I haven't enjoyed a 6-0-6 as much since Danny Baker was in his pomp. Call after call of United fan ringing in to complain about the team selection, the FA, the referee...everything but the traffic...and all to much hilarity in the front of the car.
From a personal point of view, days like this have been all I ever wanted from being a City fan. I would take an FA Cup final over 4th place in the league any season. Football's role is to make you feel alive and over the course of a league campaign you'll only get that a few times. In cup competitions, win or lose, you feel something, whether it be extremes of disappointment or pleasure.
I love the bloody FA Cup. I hope I can get a ticket for the final, not least because it means I'll have a story to tell from the Extra Preliminary Round right through to the denouement.
Over the years City have had a propensity to building us up and then letting us down, and everything was set up for it to happen again, because it had been an extraordinary day. Setting off early down the M6, it was a sea of blue cars, minibuses and coaches. I couldn't work out if it was proof that the cliché of only City fans coming from Manchester was proving true, or if we were just more giddy than them.
Warwick services was the same. As former City goalkeeper Alex Williams happily darted from one group of fans to the other wishing them well, United fans were keeping themselves to themselves. The party atmosphere was building, and us blues know that the team has often been the ultimate pooper.
For 20-25 minutes it looked like that be the case, and Berbatov underlined accusations of him being just a flat track bully by missing two gilt edged chances. From there though, City first were the equals of their opponents, and then after the break were superior. The win was well deserved, but never celebrated until the final whistle went.
Driving back, I haven't enjoyed a 6-0-6 as much since Danny Baker was in his pomp. Call after call of United fan ringing in to complain about the team selection, the FA, the referee...everything but the traffic...and all to much hilarity in the front of the car.
From a personal point of view, days like this have been all I ever wanted from being a City fan. I would take an FA Cup final over 4th place in the league any season. Football's role is to make you feel alive and over the course of a league campaign you'll only get that a few times. In cup competitions, win or lose, you feel something, whether it be extremes of disappointment or pleasure.
I love the bloody FA Cup. I hope I can get a ticket for the final, not least because it means I'll have a story to tell from the Extra Preliminary Round right through to the denouement.
Wednesday, 6 April 2011
Why I'm standing on May 5th
The nominations for the 2011 High Peak Borough council election have been released, and the eagle eyed among you may have noticed that my name is among them – standing for the Lib Dems in Simmondley.
I have been a member of the Lib Dems for a number of years, but it may seem odd to some of you that I have decided to throw my hat into the ring at a time when the party is getting its greatest ever kicking. After years of supporting football teams who are famously on their uppers, has my predilection for supporting the downtrodden underdog taken hold of me again? Well, maybe a little.
Some of the criticism the party has received has been justified. I’ve already mentioned on this blog that the legacy of the student fees debacle is more than just an obscene annual charge on students, because let’s face it Labour would have upped the fees that they introduced anyway. The main damage was that having sold the party as one that would keep the promises it made, our MPs destroyed that faith within months of coming into office by ignoring a pledge they all signed pre-election. We are now just the same as the rest of them.
What is unfair though is how the Lib Dems are perceived to be to blame for all that is wrong with this government. I would ask people to think what it may have been like had the Tories won outright, as they damn well nearly did. Starting with those fees, I very much doubt there would have been a cap on how much a university could charge, nor rules on accessibility in place. We can be sure that personal allowances would not have risen by £1000 today, taking an estimated 500,000 low earners out of the tax system completely.
That disparity is partly why I'm standing for the Lib Dems, although in truth I'm not sure that there's much of a need for party politics at borough council level. Party loyalties matter much less than the character of the people you vote for the lower down the scale you go. Rather than vote blindly in support of your usual party, check out the person. I'm most definitely a nice guy, in case you were wondering.
The other part is that the upcoming referendum has reminded me of the major reason why I joined the Lib Dems in the first place - their steadfast belief in Proportional Representation. I have always firmly believed that no one party has the perfect manifesto and that there are snippets from each that would run the perfect country. In short, I believe in consensus politics. Too much power in one party without someone applying a handbrake so that they can at the very least reflect on their ideology is, in my view, a bad thing.
So, the AV referendum matters. At the last election, despite being a member of a political party, I had to consider very carefully whether or not I should vote for them. What a nonsense. Every vote should count, and each should be cast for the party whose policies you agree with the most. Is that really too much to ask? It has always struck me as proper democracy.
So, although there has been a last minute conversion by some of the Labour party, I think it is right that I represent the party who have argued tooth and nail for some sort of PR for as long as I have been able to vote (and longer). AV is not perfect, but it is a start. So even if you don't vote for me on May 5th, at the very least I hope you can vote for that, and make sure every subsequent vote you cast afterwards is (another) one that matters.
I have been a member of the Lib Dems for a number of years, but it may seem odd to some of you that I have decided to throw my hat into the ring at a time when the party is getting its greatest ever kicking. After years of supporting football teams who are famously on their uppers, has my predilection for supporting the downtrodden underdog taken hold of me again? Well, maybe a little.
Some of the criticism the party has received has been justified. I’ve already mentioned on this blog that the legacy of the student fees debacle is more than just an obscene annual charge on students, because let’s face it Labour would have upped the fees that they introduced anyway. The main damage was that having sold the party as one that would keep the promises it made, our MPs destroyed that faith within months of coming into office by ignoring a pledge they all signed pre-election. We are now just the same as the rest of them.
What is unfair though is how the Lib Dems are perceived to be to blame for all that is wrong with this government. I would ask people to think what it may have been like had the Tories won outright, as they damn well nearly did. Starting with those fees, I very much doubt there would have been a cap on how much a university could charge, nor rules on accessibility in place. We can be sure that personal allowances would not have risen by £1000 today, taking an estimated 500,000 low earners out of the tax system completely.
That disparity is partly why I'm standing for the Lib Dems, although in truth I'm not sure that there's much of a need for party politics at borough council level. Party loyalties matter much less than the character of the people you vote for the lower down the scale you go. Rather than vote blindly in support of your usual party, check out the person. I'm most definitely a nice guy, in case you were wondering.
The other part is that the upcoming referendum has reminded me of the major reason why I joined the Lib Dems in the first place - their steadfast belief in Proportional Representation. I have always firmly believed that no one party has the perfect manifesto and that there are snippets from each that would run the perfect country. In short, I believe in consensus politics. Too much power in one party without someone applying a handbrake so that they can at the very least reflect on their ideology is, in my view, a bad thing.
So, the AV referendum matters. At the last election, despite being a member of a political party, I had to consider very carefully whether or not I should vote for them. What a nonsense. Every vote should count, and each should be cast for the party whose policies you agree with the most. Is that really too much to ask? It has always struck me as proper democracy.
So, although there has been a last minute conversion by some of the Labour party, I think it is right that I represent the party who have argued tooth and nail for some sort of PR for as long as I have been able to vote (and longer). AV is not perfect, but it is a start. So even if you don't vote for me on May 5th, at the very least I hope you can vote for that, and make sure every subsequent vote you cast afterwards is (another) one that matters.
Sunday, 3 April 2011
He's made mistakes, but Steve Young's legacy is one he should be proud of.
The news of a parting of the ways between Glossop North End and their manager Steve Young did not come as much of a surprise here. For the most part of the season there has been an undercurrent that each was wearying of the other and perhaps the only thing about yesterday's announcement that was a shock was the timing - I expected that the old 'mutual agreement' would have been made at the beginning of May.
The announcement provided by the club gives us a clue on what went on. The initial statement from the board tells us that Young did not form part of the clubs plans for the 2011-12 season. This was subsequently amended to add the detail that on being told this, Young had handed in his resignation.
You can't fault either party in these circumstances. Presumably the manager had sought from the board some details of the planning for the coming season. Having decided that they would change the boss, I feel that it is right that the club did not string Young along and gave it to him straight. For Young's part, he too has every right to walk away immediately having got the news.
Young has been more than a manager for North End during his four year tenure, and deserves plenty of credit for what he did. There wont be many more managers in this league who have tended to the pitch, helped fix seats into the stand or complete other odd jobs around the place that ensure the ground meets its grading. It was a commitment that was total, and he would most likely be up at the ground six or seven days a week.
In the league, in the first two seasons results improved to a point where the fans thought they could be genuine title contenders, although that challenge never quite arrived, and he forced a new attitude from club officials by demanding much from them - although it might a demand too much that did for him in the end. However, the major credit on his managerial balance sheet was, of course, that Carlsberg FA Vase run in 2008-09.
In that unforgettable run to that amazing Wembley weekend there can be no doubt that Glossop North End were punching above their weight, coming up against better funded sides along the way who on paper should have beaten them. But Young had engendered a belief and team spirit among all at the club that had everyone pulling in the same direction. Off the pitch everyone was working flat out, and with the same aims, whilst on it we had an exciting young side that would give everything for their team-mates and never knew that they were beaten. It was a textbook example of how with the right spirit can mean the sum of the parts can be greater than the whole.
The day in London was a carnival, despite the result. It was the greatest weekend of my sporting life. The party continued into with a civic reception in the town where North End applauded their Wembley supporters from an open top bus, and the town applauded them back. After that a black tie gala dinner was a roaring success, and it seemed obvious that the momentum built up would carry on at the start of the season to come.
And then it started to go wrong.
I understand that Young demanded, and got, the largest budget of any North End manager in any fans memory. You could probably argue that it was the largest ever, although that of course is relative. I'm sure the amounts Mr Hill-Wood put into the side were greater once adjusted for inflation!
With the increase in budget, Young put his faith in a number of players he could not previously afford, and one by one they let him down. Mickey Goddard came with a pedigree he couldn't live up to in pre-season. Nathan Neequaye went on holiday and took umbridge when he didn't walk back into the side so walked away. Lee Blackshaw returned from Mossley, and he too went on his jollies (do Evo-Stick sides tolerate this more?) and too departed after falling out with Steve when not immediately restored and Bradley Clegg came simply for money, famously turning up for a match he wasn't selected for just to claim his pay, departing as soon as his got it rather than stay and support his team-mates.
All this could have been accepted had things been going ok on the pitch, but the team made a poor start, drawing on the season opener with to-be-relegated Ashton Athletic thanks to a late equaliser and performances did not improve too much in the early part of the season, which saw North End well towards the bottom of the table.
It all led to a spiral that saw the spirit that had been built up over a two year period, disappear in a matter of weeks. The team became fractious with each other and they became fractious with referees. Suddenly, the battles that were being won with ease were being lost. There was resentment among those that had been there in 2008-09 when others came in on better money.
Off the pitch, Young was justifiably frustrated that things were not progressing as they should, with the board seemingly unable to capitalise on the goodwill the Wembley run had given them. Rather than increase commercial activity, the clubs main sponsor was actually lost, leaving an wages bill that could only be funded by the Wembley money. Rather than cut the money, it appears the board left the bill as it was to keep the manager happy.
That was unsustainable though, and it was to the surprise of no-one that there was a major revision for the current season. The manager wasn't happy and he let everyone know about it. Every interview with the Glossop Advertiser or High Peak Radio would eventually turn to his reduced budget. There was an embarrassing and very public stand up row with a club director (about money) that nearly turned to fisticuffs at Rossendale. It needed to be pointed out that even reduced, the budget was most likely above any that the previous manager had received.
All this could have been forgiven had results been positive, but the side were again sluggish from the start. There may have been mitigating circumstances - Key players Rick Bailey, Dave Young and Danny Yates had all departed - but with the talent at the manager's disposal they were still not good enough. Whilst being beaten by teams who paid only the measliest of expenses like St Helens, twice, Young continued to blame the drop of budget in every interview.
To outsiders looking in it ran much deeper than that. The team spirit was awful. Whatever magic Young had sprinkled to inspire his 2009 troops could not be reproduced, and continued poor results led to questions about his style. Young's frustration boiled over too often, and from the bench he appeared to coach less and less whilst berating his players more and more. It was a downward spiral, that affected performances. His attitude towards referees during games was a constant source of annoyance to me in the good times, but you can get away with it if your team is winning. If you are losing, it looks like sour grapes. There were further public rows with spectators that lost him more friends and ultimately led to the decision the board took this week.
I have absolutely no doubt that Steve Young is a fine manager at this level, and probably a couple above. Ultimately though, I think the pressure he put himself under by demanding that wage hike in the summer of 2009 led to his demise. He himself raised the expectations that that would bring, and failed to live up to them.
Football management is a job where things tend to finish this way, and the best a manager can really hope for is that when he leaves a club, he has left it in a better state than he found it. Steve Young's tenure has brought the club out of debt and into financial stability and on the pitch the club's reputation is increased to such an extent it is thought that there will be no shortage of applicants for the position. That wasn't the case when he took over.
I hope that during a short break from the game Steve can take stock of his time at the club and acknowledge and learn from his mistakes. But I also hope he comes to see his time at North End with a huge amount of affection. He can be justifiably proud of what he achieved at the club, and should GNE thrive in the future, as we all hope it will, he can view his contribution to that success as a hugely significant one.
The announcement provided by the club gives us a clue on what went on. The initial statement from the board tells us that Young did not form part of the clubs plans for the 2011-12 season. This was subsequently amended to add the detail that on being told this, Young had handed in his resignation.
You can't fault either party in these circumstances. Presumably the manager had sought from the board some details of the planning for the coming season. Having decided that they would change the boss, I feel that it is right that the club did not string Young along and gave it to him straight. For Young's part, he too has every right to walk away immediately having got the news.
Young has been more than a manager for North End during his four year tenure, and deserves plenty of credit for what he did. There wont be many more managers in this league who have tended to the pitch, helped fix seats into the stand or complete other odd jobs around the place that ensure the ground meets its grading. It was a commitment that was total, and he would most likely be up at the ground six or seven days a week.
In the league, in the first two seasons results improved to a point where the fans thought they could be genuine title contenders, although that challenge never quite arrived, and he forced a new attitude from club officials by demanding much from them - although it might a demand too much that did for him in the end. However, the major credit on his managerial balance sheet was, of course, that Carlsberg FA Vase run in 2008-09.
In that unforgettable run to that amazing Wembley weekend there can be no doubt that Glossop North End were punching above their weight, coming up against better funded sides along the way who on paper should have beaten them. But Young had engendered a belief and team spirit among all at the club that had everyone pulling in the same direction. Off the pitch everyone was working flat out, and with the same aims, whilst on it we had an exciting young side that would give everything for their team-mates and never knew that they were beaten. It was a textbook example of how with the right spirit can mean the sum of the parts can be greater than the whole.
The day in London was a carnival, despite the result. It was the greatest weekend of my sporting life. The party continued into with a civic reception in the town where North End applauded their Wembley supporters from an open top bus, and the town applauded them back. After that a black tie gala dinner was a roaring success, and it seemed obvious that the momentum built up would carry on at the start of the season to come.
And then it started to go wrong.
I understand that Young demanded, and got, the largest budget of any North End manager in any fans memory. You could probably argue that it was the largest ever, although that of course is relative. I'm sure the amounts Mr Hill-Wood put into the side were greater once adjusted for inflation!
With the increase in budget, Young put his faith in a number of players he could not previously afford, and one by one they let him down. Mickey Goddard came with a pedigree he couldn't live up to in pre-season. Nathan Neequaye went on holiday and took umbridge when he didn't walk back into the side so walked away. Lee Blackshaw returned from Mossley, and he too went on his jollies (do Evo-Stick sides tolerate this more?) and too departed after falling out with Steve when not immediately restored and Bradley Clegg came simply for money, famously turning up for a match he wasn't selected for just to claim his pay, departing as soon as his got it rather than stay and support his team-mates.
All this could have been accepted had things been going ok on the pitch, but the team made a poor start, drawing on the season opener with to-be-relegated Ashton Athletic thanks to a late equaliser and performances did not improve too much in the early part of the season, which saw North End well towards the bottom of the table.
It all led to a spiral that saw the spirit that had been built up over a two year period, disappear in a matter of weeks. The team became fractious with each other and they became fractious with referees. Suddenly, the battles that were being won with ease were being lost. There was resentment among those that had been there in 2008-09 when others came in on better money.
Off the pitch, Young was justifiably frustrated that things were not progressing as they should, with the board seemingly unable to capitalise on the goodwill the Wembley run had given them. Rather than increase commercial activity, the clubs main sponsor was actually lost, leaving an wages bill that could only be funded by the Wembley money. Rather than cut the money, it appears the board left the bill as it was to keep the manager happy.
That was unsustainable though, and it was to the surprise of no-one that there was a major revision for the current season. The manager wasn't happy and he let everyone know about it. Every interview with the Glossop Advertiser or High Peak Radio would eventually turn to his reduced budget. There was an embarrassing and very public stand up row with a club director (about money) that nearly turned to fisticuffs at Rossendale. It needed to be pointed out that even reduced, the budget was most likely above any that the previous manager had received.
All this could have been forgiven had results been positive, but the side were again sluggish from the start. There may have been mitigating circumstances - Key players Rick Bailey, Dave Young and Danny Yates had all departed - but with the talent at the manager's disposal they were still not good enough. Whilst being beaten by teams who paid only the measliest of expenses like St Helens, twice, Young continued to blame the drop of budget in every interview.
To outsiders looking in it ran much deeper than that. The team spirit was awful. Whatever magic Young had sprinkled to inspire his 2009 troops could not be reproduced, and continued poor results led to questions about his style. Young's frustration boiled over too often, and from the bench he appeared to coach less and less whilst berating his players more and more. It was a downward spiral, that affected performances. His attitude towards referees during games was a constant source of annoyance to me in the good times, but you can get away with it if your team is winning. If you are losing, it looks like sour grapes. There were further public rows with spectators that lost him more friends and ultimately led to the decision the board took this week.
I have absolutely no doubt that Steve Young is a fine manager at this level, and probably a couple above. Ultimately though, I think the pressure he put himself under by demanding that wage hike in the summer of 2009 led to his demise. He himself raised the expectations that that would bring, and failed to live up to them.
Football management is a job where things tend to finish this way, and the best a manager can really hope for is that when he leaves a club, he has left it in a better state than he found it. Steve Young's tenure has brought the club out of debt and into financial stability and on the pitch the club's reputation is increased to such an extent it is thought that there will be no shortage of applicants for the position. That wasn't the case when he took over.
I hope that during a short break from the game Steve can take stock of his time at the club and acknowledge and learn from his mistakes. But I also hope he comes to see his time at North End with a huge amount of affection. He can be justifiably proud of what he achieved at the club, and should GNE thrive in the future, as we all hope it will, he can view his contribution to that success as a hugely significant one.
Wednesday, 9 March 2011
You're good fun again
7-1 vs Silsden. 8-0 vs Ashton Athletic
If there is anything that can put the fun back into football it's 15 goals in 5 days, and more importantly, the lads showing what they are capable of.
Nicely timed too, because next week it's the Derby vs New Mills.
Congratulations to the players and management at North End. You not no fun any more any more.
If there is anything that can put the fun back into football it's 15 goals in 5 days, and more importantly, the lads showing what they are capable of.
Nicely timed too, because next week it's the Derby vs New Mills.
Congratulations to the players and management at North End. You not no fun any more any more.
Monday, 28 February 2011
A liar or incompetent, you decide
There have been plenty of controversial moments in the Premiership this season, but here are just a few you may remember...
26 Feb 2011 – With the scores level Wayne Rooney elbows James McCarthy at Wigan. United win 4-0
5th Feb 2011 – At 1-1 Gary Cahill is booked for diving at Spurs for what looked a clear penalty. Spurs win 2-1
23 Jan 2011 – At 0-0, WBA are awarded a free kick for a foul clearly in the box vs Blackburn. They lose 2-0
30 October 2010 - At 1-0 to Man United, Nani handballs but no free kick is awarded to Spurs. No free kick is awarded against Nani, allowing same player to take advantage of confusion to score into empty net
16 October 2010 – Late West Ham winner at Wolves ruled out for controversial handball.
The common denominator in this lot of course is the referee, Mark Clattenburg.
Now, regular readers of my match reports and blogs of the past will know that I have a lot of time for referees. They have an incredibly difficult job to do, and most do it honestly and pretty well. But Clattenburg...well as he yet again proved today, he is either incompetent or a liar.
He saw the Rooney incident apparently, but felt he dealt with it appropriately. Not even the most dyed-in-the-wool Man United fan could argue what Rooney did was worth a red card, although Fergie of course, a knight of the realm no less, seems to think it was ok. But Clattenburg is not prepared to admit he erred. He cannot bring himself to be shown as fallible. And that his is main problem, his own vanity.
Like in Politicians, vanity in referees is the worst possible trait. Look at Mark Clattenburg's perma-tan. Look at the way he teases his hair into asthetically pleasing angles before he takes to the field. Hair that, by the way, he has already had treatment on to cure balding.
Vanity means you think too much of yourself, and this means he cannot see his own mistakes...which is why he makes so many, as he has never learned. So is he simply incompetent...the evidence suggests so.
But many contend he is simply craven to the 'big' sides, blinded by being involved in the big games, desperate not to upset them so he is still centre stage when they play. The Rooney incident is the latest, but let's go back a little further.
When Emmanuel Adebayor's studs made contact with Robin Van Persie's cheek, Mark Clattenburg said he didn't see the incident, and if he had he would have dismissed the Manchester City striker.
Well, here is that incident. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9ZBBdG_Tfow
Mark Clattenburg is looking right at it. In reporting to the FA that he didn't see it, he is either admitting that he is useless, or not telling the truth. That in fact the governing body considers him one of the best there is is very very worrying.
26 Feb 2011 – With the scores level Wayne Rooney elbows James McCarthy at Wigan. United win 4-0
5th Feb 2011 – At 1-1 Gary Cahill is booked for diving at Spurs for what looked a clear penalty. Spurs win 2-1
23 Jan 2011 – At 0-0, WBA are awarded a free kick for a foul clearly in the box vs Blackburn. They lose 2-0
30 October 2010 - At 1-0 to Man United, Nani handballs but no free kick is awarded to Spurs. No free kick is awarded against Nani, allowing same player to take advantage of confusion to score into empty net
16 October 2010 – Late West Ham winner at Wolves ruled out for controversial handball.
The common denominator in this lot of course is the referee, Mark Clattenburg.
Now, regular readers of my match reports and blogs of the past will know that I have a lot of time for referees. They have an incredibly difficult job to do, and most do it honestly and pretty well. But Clattenburg...well as he yet again proved today, he is either incompetent or a liar.
He saw the Rooney incident apparently, but felt he dealt with it appropriately. Not even the most dyed-in-the-wool Man United fan could argue what Rooney did was worth a red card, although Fergie of course, a knight of the realm no less, seems to think it was ok. But Clattenburg is not prepared to admit he erred. He cannot bring himself to be shown as fallible. And that his is main problem, his own vanity.
Like in Politicians, vanity in referees is the worst possible trait. Look at Mark Clattenburg's perma-tan. Look at the way he teases his hair into asthetically pleasing angles before he takes to the field. Hair that, by the way, he has already had treatment on to cure balding.
Vanity means you think too much of yourself, and this means he cannot see his own mistakes...which is why he makes so many, as he has never learned. So is he simply incompetent...the evidence suggests so.
But many contend he is simply craven to the 'big' sides, blinded by being involved in the big games, desperate not to upset them so he is still centre stage when they play. The Rooney incident is the latest, but let's go back a little further.
When Emmanuel Adebayor's studs made contact with Robin Van Persie's cheek, Mark Clattenburg said he didn't see the incident, and if he had he would have dismissed the Manchester City striker.
Well, here is that incident. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9ZBBdG_Tfow
Mark Clattenburg is looking right at it. In reporting to the FA that he didn't see it, he is either admitting that he is useless, or not telling the truth. That in fact the governing body considers him one of the best there is is very very worrying.
Sunday, 27 February 2011
You're No Fun Any More
Watching Glossop North End yesterday, and then the aftermath at the match and online, I was reminded of the line repeated often in an episode of the first series of Monty Python's Flying Circus - 'You're no fun anymore'.
Everything seems so tense at Surrey Street at the moment, on and off the pitch. On the fans side of the barriers there is a displeasure with results that bubbles under the surface based (I think) on a resentment that no Glossop manager has ever had it so good, and on the playing surface a lack of confidence is hampering decision making and leading to mistakes & defeats, perhaps based on the pressure that comes from the knowledge that the club has never had it so good. For all parties there is a frustration that a squad that looks to have all the right components in theory to comfortably finish in the top ten of the league continues to under-perform as a collective.
This malaise sees the club turning in ever decreasing circles. The players get more tense and play more poorly, the crowd gets more tense and angry, the players sense this and get more tense....etcetera, etcetera.
I think maybe it's time we took a step back and realised that football is supposed to be fun. We've been hamstrung by what Steve Young & Terry Hincks achieved in their first two seasons. It's time we lowered our expectations. And I mean fans, management, directors...everyone. Let's start having fun on Saturday afternoons again.
The Hillmen had been for years a rag tag outfit living hand to mouth and Chris Nicholson's only brief when he was in charge was to keep us in the division, and he achieved this with aplomb, improving the side each season.
The one thing his sides had, as did the sides in the Young era until recently, was an amazing team spirit. They wanted to play for Glossop and they gave everything they had. It often wasn't enough, but we accepted that and appreciated the effort warmly.
I'm not saying that the current side isn't trying because they patently are. I just think there is spark of team spirit missing. Players seem less willing to trust their team mates, and instead try and do something themselves. Of course, if that comes off, brilliant, but eight times from ten it will fail, and the opposition have the ball back.
How do you get that magic mix? Well that is the million dollar question*. Maybe the fans, directors, management and players just need to all go out and get pissed together? We can make a start by not being so angry with everyone; the referee, the players, the manager, the fans, and start enjoying ourselves. There is plenty going on off the pitch to be happy about and we know that the squad and the manager has the talent to mould a winning side - they've proved it. Maybe if we were all a little less uptight it might come naturally. And maybe, given recent events at Rossendale & Alsager we should be glad to have a club at all. Or as Python also said - 'Look on the Bright Side of Life'.
* - OK, so I can't get away with it so easily. We all have an opinion about how things on the pitch could be better and for what it's worth, which is probably not a lot, here's mine.
In 2008-09 we had a brilliant team playing 4-5-1. And all the time they were succeeding, we were thinking 'what if we had a proper big lad up front who was a natural goalscoring centre forward - how good would we be then?'. Now we've got one in Garry, we've not tried 4-5-1 and I'd give that a go.
But what do I know?
Everything seems so tense at Surrey Street at the moment, on and off the pitch. On the fans side of the barriers there is a displeasure with results that bubbles under the surface based (I think) on a resentment that no Glossop manager has ever had it so good, and on the playing surface a lack of confidence is hampering decision making and leading to mistakes & defeats, perhaps based on the pressure that comes from the knowledge that the club has never had it so good. For all parties there is a frustration that a squad that looks to have all the right components in theory to comfortably finish in the top ten of the league continues to under-perform as a collective.
This malaise sees the club turning in ever decreasing circles. The players get more tense and play more poorly, the crowd gets more tense and angry, the players sense this and get more tense....etcetera, etcetera.
I think maybe it's time we took a step back and realised that football is supposed to be fun. We've been hamstrung by what Steve Young & Terry Hincks achieved in their first two seasons. It's time we lowered our expectations. And I mean fans, management, directors...everyone. Let's start having fun on Saturday afternoons again.
The Hillmen had been for years a rag tag outfit living hand to mouth and Chris Nicholson's only brief when he was in charge was to keep us in the division, and he achieved this with aplomb, improving the side each season.
The one thing his sides had, as did the sides in the Young era until recently, was an amazing team spirit. They wanted to play for Glossop and they gave everything they had. It often wasn't enough, but we accepted that and appreciated the effort warmly.
I'm not saying that the current side isn't trying because they patently are. I just think there is spark of team spirit missing. Players seem less willing to trust their team mates, and instead try and do something themselves. Of course, if that comes off, brilliant, but eight times from ten it will fail, and the opposition have the ball back.
How do you get that magic mix? Well that is the million dollar question*. Maybe the fans, directors, management and players just need to all go out and get pissed together? We can make a start by not being so angry with everyone; the referee, the players, the manager, the fans, and start enjoying ourselves. There is plenty going on off the pitch to be happy about and we know that the squad and the manager has the talent to mould a winning side - they've proved it. Maybe if we were all a little less uptight it might come naturally. And maybe, given recent events at Rossendale & Alsager we should be glad to have a club at all. Or as Python also said - 'Look on the Bright Side of Life'.
* - OK, so I can't get away with it so easily. We all have an opinion about how things on the pitch could be better and for what it's worth, which is probably not a lot, here's mine.
In 2008-09 we had a brilliant team playing 4-5-1. And all the time they were succeeding, we were thinking 'what if we had a proper big lad up front who was a natural goalscoring centre forward - how good would we be then?'. Now we've got one in Garry, we've not tried 4-5-1 and I'd give that a go.
But what do I know?
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