Geoff Hurst scores whilst a meatball looks on

Can't believe I've never noticed this before. The referee in the 1966 World Cup Final clearly has a meatball for a head.



Perhaps that's actually what Kenneth Wolstenholme was saying "Some meatballs are on the pitch, they think it's all over..."

Wikipedia Vandalism Genius

Got shown this yesterday from a previous version of John Barnes' Wikipedia page,

Tactics

Teams managed by Barnes are taught to either hold or give the ball, though crucially they must do it at the right time. When in attack, Barnes' sides attempt to get the ball to the line at a variety of speeds ranging from slow to fast. In team talks Barnes always warns his players to be wary of the opposition's attempts to hit them and hurt them in both defence and attack. One criticism levelled at sides managed by Barnes is that one way they beat their opposition is as a result of getting around the back. John Barnes, although born in Jamaica, is a self proclaimed England man, and he refers to his tactical strategy as "the masterplan". Barnes is noted for his opposition to both hooliganism and football songs, and also for his firm belief that, with the crest of the club on their chests, his players cannot go wrong.

I wonder what the funniest, wittiest bit of Wiki-vandalism is

Football videos

Two great footy vids just been posted on The People's Forum

Eddie Kavanagh on Phoenix from the flames (Frank Skinner and David Badiel's old footy show)



and this tribute to truly the worst penalty I've ever seen by Leicester City's Yann Kermorgant

15th April Anniversary of the Hillsborough Disaster

Today is the 21st anniversary of the Hillsborough Disaster...the debates, recriminations and boycotts go on but at the end of the day 96 footy fans went the match and didn't come home.

Tough time of year for a lot of people on Merseyside and a time of reflection for the rest of us.

I've no love of liverpool football club but on days like this blood is thicker than water.



And remember, don't buy The Sun

Sunshine on Leith - Hibernian

This is brilliant



My heart was broken, my heart was broken
Sorrow Sorrow Sorrow Sorrow
My heart was broken, my heart was broken

You saw it, You claimed it
You touched it, You saved it

My tears are drying, my tears are drying
Thankyou Thankyou Thankyou Thankyou
My tears are drying, my tears are drying

Your beauty and kindness
Made tears clear my blindness

While I'm worth my room on this earth
I will be with you
While the Chief, puts Sunshine On Leith
I'll thank him for his work
And your birth and my birth.

My heart was broken, my heart was broken
Sorrow Sorrow Sorrow Sorrow
My heart was broken, my heart was broken

While I'm worth my room on this earth
I will be with you
While the Chief, puts Sunshine On Leith
I'll thank him for his work
And your birth and my birth.

Argentinian league postponed due to debt

Wow, how massive is this...a whole country's top flight getting mothballed due to debt :

The start of the football season in Argentina has been delayed indefinitely because many of the clubs involved are heavily in debt. The season had been due to kick off on 14 August, but the Argentine Football Association (AFA) said some clubs did not have enough money to pay players.

AFA President Julio Grondona said the situation was "very difficult". Last week, clubs in the second division had the start of their season postponed for similar reasons.

"The executive committee of the AFA resolved unanimously tonight that the championships in all categories should not start on the scheduled dates," said a statement posted on the AFA website late on Tuesday.

The organisation said it was continuing to look for "a substantive solution" to the financial problems facing the clubs and that their decision "will not affect intelligent and dignified meetings to seek a solution satisfactory to both parties".

Unbelievable really...show's you much danger there is of football eating itself alive

"Everton can win the league" Wenger

Interesting stuff today in the papers that Arsene Wenger thinks Everton can win the league this season....well that's not really what he dais, he actually said that anyone out the top 6 could win it 'cause the league's so tight (slight difference).

It's an interesting thought though but I think that unless we get a sugar daddy the likes of Everton will really struggle to establish themselves in the CL places. Villa have a good chance because of Randy Lerner but with Everton's current financial clout we are never going to hold off the challenge from the former G14 teams.

It's odd that it's Wenger saying that because for me his first league champion side were the last of the old fashioned league winners. When you think of the way teams of the past that came through organically reached their zenith and then declined naturally it doesn't seem to happen nowadays because these top clubs have the financial might to buy their way through their transition periods. Wenger is a manager who likes to build his team slowly rather than using his club's money to make great leaps forward.

The Forest side who retained the European Cup, Then the Villa side after them, Everton's mid 80s team, The flash in the pan Leeds team and then Wenger's original side (Which I think would have wiped the floor with his invincibles). liverpool are a notable exception to this in that they managed to keep the success going by moving a players in each season but keeping the continuity. the Fergie Fledglings represent the tipping point because at the time their team broke though the money flooded in so Ferguson could bolster and augment the side seemlessly and keep the momentum.

Now we have this Everton team, trophyless so far but the only team to have been able to break the top 4 stranglehold. I think the way this team has been built over time without hardly any big name aquisitions, just young potential eager to establish itself is reminiscent of those old style teams, the fact that it's basically impossible for them to win the league is such a shame.

Back to sport...

Right so back to matters sporting...Everton were pretty unlucky not to beat boro at the weekend. Very annoying, an early lapse cost us a goal in the first ten minutes and from then on in we dominated the game. It was an annoying afternoon realy but Yakubu finally popped up with an equaliser.





Two points dropped really but other results seemed to go our way so we stayed in position in the mix with Villa.

England were similarly annoying against Australia on Saturday...The Aussies didn't really show anything amazing but ultimately England gave away tonnes of easily kickable penalties and that was that.



On Tuesday I stumbled upon Munster V New Zealand....what an awesome sporting contest. Munster gave absolutely everything and we SO unlucky not to come away with a famous win against an admittedly understrength All Blacks side. Brilliant stuff, well done to the BBC for putting it on.

Same old, same old

England 2-2 Czech Republic

***INSERT LAZY NONSENSICAL COMPARISON WITH BRITISH OLYMPICS TEAM HERE***

It's too easy isn't it but...



List of Great British Olympic Medalists

Just out of interest

Why is it that Liverpool and Gareth Barry are demanding Villa "Get real" over them digging their heals in over their £20m valuation of their England international whilst it's okay for his potential new employers to sit back and demand £15m and £18m for two players who aren't even getting near the team.

Is it something to do with Villa not being a Champions League team and therefore almost obliged to meekly stand aside and give away their asset. The grubby arrogance of Barry, Benitez et al is appalling.

When you look at the way the likes of Barry, Bentley etc go around whoring themselves in order to line their own pockets (under the guise of them 'needing' Champions League football) and the way richer clubs just blatantly go around tapping up the best players from any team that gets near them makes you so disillusioned. Modern football really does make you sick sometimes.

Thank God we've got a good, honest footy festival going on in Austria and Switzerland. Last nights game was another enjoyable one...Turkey took Germany to the cleaners. How the Germans got through that game was beyond me (although saying that they really should have had a penalty in the second half). It was all strangely predictable once Rustu had his moment of madness...Even when Semih was shushing the crowd after he'd made it 2-2 you could still see the inevitable happening...this was, after all, the Germans. The main thing to come from the night was how ace the BBC are, the feed went down from the central broadcast point Austria after huge thunderstorm hit Vienna...the BBC managed to keep us in touch and then must have got a feed direct for Switzerland and put the 5live commentary over it. Top stuff

So German v Spain or Russia....very interesting.

Midweek aceness

Another great night to be a sports fan...more entertaining matches in the rugby world cup which really is shaping up well. The less established nations are giving great accounts of themselves and the crowds seem to be having the time of their lives. Highlights are available here.

It seems that England are going to take to the field on Friday with *drum roll* Andy Farrell at fly-half. The man is more than capable of putting in a performance but surely if this was was our fall-back position for what is one of the most key postions on the pitch (a position seemingly cursed with injury) then we should have blooded him before now. Personally I think he's capable of doing it...never forget his record in rugby league. It's just you need to be a natural in that position rather than a stop-gap. Sometimes with Farrell you can almost see him going through the decision process in his mind (This is to be expected with his amount of experience playing at this level). At stand-off you need to be instinctive. We'll see anyway...The South Africans fill me with trepidation. Rightly or wrongly this will be a grudge match for them after 2003 and they look bang on form.

Down in the cricket Twenty20 world cup Zimbabwe gave us all a checkle by beating Australia in the thriller.

BBC Report




I know it sounds petty but I will always love to see the Australians getting beat...we'll see if England go a similar way today when we play the Zimbabweans.

At 8pm turned over for England V Russia...great performance from England. Russia were very lively in attack but England looked really well balanced for once and it was just basically an impressive job-done type performance. No fireworks just beating the opposition all ends up. McClaren has GOT to stick with those players now. Lampard simply cannot come back into the midfield now that Barry & Gerrard are looking such a good combination, same goes for Heskey and Owen. We just looked really well set-up...it's something that looked a million miles away againt Andorra a few months ago.

BBC Report



Whilst that was going on news was coming through that the Scots were winning against France in Paris and so I spent the last 20 minutes of the England match anxiously checking teletext. That was a monumental result for them...McFadden scored an absolute pearler...what with that and the goal he scored at the weekend (and his two goal of the season awards for Everton) he seems to be turning into the classic scorer of good goals (as opposed to the good goal scorer).

BBC Report

0-1 McFadden
Uploaded by danyab

Great days

Ah does it get better than this :

Important games in footy, rugby and cricket on the one day. Our apetite had been well and truly whetted by Argentina's fantastic performance against France the night before...they really worked themselves into the ground for that. It was so good to see a nation that's basically been cast adrift by the powers that be come good. Again as at Twickenham last year they did it with quiet dignity...the epitome of being a good winner. So onto Saturday

England V India

England V USA

England V Israel

Who could ask for me...I resisted the temptation to put a treble on the three of them seeing as the odds would be so rubbish. Had some some my bro and some friends round and watched the footy with the rugby on a portable tv with the volume turned down (we also had the cricket updating on teletext 'cause we've got no Sky).

Thoroughly enjoyable although the rugby seemed a wee bit tortuous...they'll be lucky to get out of the group playing like that I'm afraid. Barkley and Ress impressed, Lewsey and Farrell did okay....not a lot else to be happy about. South Africa look scarilly good and on the evidence showed so far in the tournament Samoa could give us big problems. As a footnote it was great to see ex-Waterloo scrum-half Chad Erskine playing for the USA in the world cup.

In the footy it was just a good day at the office. Richards looks the business, chuffed he got a goal. Wright-Phillips took his well and Owen's was something really special....job done. If we can get a result against Russia on Wednesday we are back on an even keel.

Dummy out of pram?

Cohen walks out after Saints snub

"England World Cup winner Ben Cohen has walked out on Northampton after being overlooked for the club captaincy.

The 28-year-old winger has not attended training since losing out to Bruce Reihana for the role last Wednesday."

Snub or not Saints really need to bounce back after last season. They do NOT need one of their best players doing that, strikes me as a very 'overpaid Premier League footballer' thing to do...can't help but think he's going to turn up at the Guinness Premiership club of his choice very soon.

Rich cannot get richer without help from friends - Times Online

Martin Samuel, an excellent sports journalist, has highlighted this ominous rumbling from across the park. I can't see the turkeys (Ie the rest of the league) ever voting for christmas on this one but we need to be careful on this one. The G14 will push and probe on this one. Beware the thin end of the wedge.

Man City hit back in Barton row

Man City hit back in Barton row

"Barton, 24, is contractually entitled to the pay-off if he leaves the club without requesting a transfer, but City are refusing to give him the money because they say he was not forced to leave."

How can Joey Barton expect anything off City....given that he put one his team-mates in hospital that's a fairly emphatic way of putting yourself up for sale. The mind boggles sometimes...I can really see why fans would walk away from modern football. Little snidey wretches like him acting like thugs time and time again then holding court & raking in stupid amounts of money. I really hope City hold out otherwise what's to stop any player smacking a team-mate in order to circumvent the need to request a transfer and endanger your precious, precious pay-off.

The fat crook Allardyce isn't helping matters either :

"Allardyce is angry with City for the hold-up and said: "They're out of order. I'm flabbergasted and want the situation resolved.

I cannot understand it because City didn't pay anything for this player as he came through the youth system and they are selling him for over £5m."

The whole thing makes you sick...so glad Everton didn't try and sign him.

Anyway it's official now...There's nobody better than Mikel Arteta, he's the best little spaniard we know.


(This comes just weeks after getting the unsung hero award)

"A huge 55,000 votes were cast in our poll and a surprise winner emerged, with Everton star Mikel Arteta pipping PFA Player of the Year and Footballer of the Year Cristiano Ronaldo to our award.

The Blue half of Merseyside clearly mobilised their troops to get voting as Arteta claimed 31 per cent of the vote, a full seven per cent clear of the Manchester United star.

Steven Gerrard (18), Paul Scholes (10) and Cesc Fabregas (9) all polled well, but both Ryan Giggs and Steve Sidwell only managed to claim one per cent of the vote."

UPDATE (14/6/07) :

much wants more

In the end Newcastle upped their offer by the required 300k so Joey get's his money...Staggering.

England on the way back?

BBC Report

Beckham and Owen returning for England seems to be making a real difference. Solid, professional performance last night. Some fantastic delivery from Beckham. All of a sudden they just look brighter.



Thank God.

The cricketers are attempting to wrap up the series today but are being dogged by a storm in a tea-cup started by Michael Vaughan. Can't really see the big deal in mentioning the effect the Fredallo incident had on team moral but it's making for a messy row going into an important game.

Vaughan V Flintoff?

Everyone V Vaughan

Vaughan V The Guardian

Ultimately however this series will say more about the West Indies than it will about England.

Football madness

BBC SPORT | Football | Premiership | Live: Premiership:

"1642: Sheffield United manage their first shot on target as Rob Hulse hits the bar."

Eh?!?!?!?!? You expect better from the beeb, you really do.