Views From The Armchair - September 2005

"Views From The `Footiemad` Armchair
Diary Of A Season September 2005

Thursday 1st September 2005
In which 70s shocker did Mercedes McCambridge play a major part, yet was never seen on screen?
The Exorcist: Correctly answered by Matt Robbins

Who won the last UEFA Cup Final to be played on a home and away two legged basis?

I was watching Sky Sports News yesterday afternoon which was dominated by the Michael Owen move to Newcastle and was interested in the interview which chairman Freddie Sheppard, especially with the bid to re-sign Nol Solano which had `fallen through` and wouldn't be happening. Neither would a deal that would take James Milner in the opposite direction to Aston Villa, where old boss David O'Leary is now of course. So, those deals were off...for ten hours as they both went through last night, with Milner moving on loan! There's a morale to the story in that whatever public figures say, never bloody believe them!! Seriously though, Villa also took another ex-Leeds man on loan as Eirik Bakke moved South and we also `lost` Michael Ricketts on loan to Cardiff. If any player has had a drop in fortunes recently, it's him. It was only a couple of years ago that he netted 37 goals in 98 games for Bolton before a move to Middlesbrough which was as successful as Roque Junior playing for Leeds. His spell at Elland Road (Ricketts I mean!) has hardly been glorious either, so perhaps this will be the move to bump start his career...maybe.

For a couple of hours yesterday evening, just as I was putting the security shutters at work ironically, we had an almighty thunder an lightening storm which closed all the PC's down on a number of occasions, not to mention plunging the shop into darkness for a few seconds as well. Thankfully, the electrics did come back, although a house a quarter of a mile up the road wasn't quite as lucky and was struck, doing severe damage to the roof and needing five (that we saw) fire engines in attendance. We also heard that lightening struck the PAVEMENT a few yards up the road and smoke was actually rising from the concrete. Shades of War Of The Worlds there eh! So, as the worst that happened to us was a few knee jerks jumps when the thunder clapped, it is all put into perspective when you look at the images on New Orleans at the moment.

Friday 2nd September 2005
"I let the melody shine, let it cleanse my mind , I feel free now. But the airwaves are clean and there's nobody singing to me now." (Song Lyric)
Bittersweet Symphony - The Verve: Correctly answered by Kirsty

Who took charge of the Welsh national team in March 1994 and lasted just 48 days and one game?

You may have noticed that over the next five days, we have a mini-home international tournament upcoming, thinly disguised as World Cup qualifiers and, if all results go their way, England could well have a place in Germany booked for next summer come Wednesday. In truth, England should qualify with ease as their remaining fixtures do not see them travel away from the British Isles and it would be massive shock if they didn't sail through. But they will, so enough of the negativity. But that's the problem since the Denmark debacle last month. Suddenly, England are not invincible against nations that they should be beating and equally the prospect of Robert Earnshaw scoring a hat trick past Paul Robinson tomorrow doesn't seem so dopey. But he won't...surely? No, my prediction for tomorrow would be a fairly comfortable England win, maybe 2-0 or 3-1, with Rooney again getting the headlines for the right reasons.

When I was growing up, most self respecting football fans had a table-top football game. I'm not talking about blow football, with a ball that was almost lighter than air and two plastic straws that you blew through and your asthmatic Uncle struggled with after two minutes, I'm thinking more of Striker (with the players whose head you pressed to kick the ball and the revolutionary diving keepers!) or Subbuteo. With it's cloth pitch that was bigger than any table we owned and it's plastic players like mini-Weebles, it was great fun destroying your fingers nails trying to flick the base of the player to hit the ball into the net. But that was only the basics! The accessories was what really demolished the parents bank balance with additional teams, refs and linesman, floodlights (which had all the power of a cigarette lighter), trophies, electronic scoreboard which wasn't electronic at all, just electronic effect and, if your Mum and Dad were really flushed, a stadium! Now I see it's all being advertised again, only this time you can get mini-figures of all the top stars and fix them to the bases! Wow! It was never like that twenty-odd years ago when the biggest problem was flicking the players too hard and them flying off the edge of the table and then, as you looked for where they had fallen, stepping on them and snapping them from the base. I'll tell you, my Arthur Graham must have been broken any number of times and then put back together using anything from glue to sellotape. Nowadays of course, with the mass influx of console and computer games where you can play `football` more realistically on anything from PC to PS2, these sort of games are largely gone but not forgotten and you could argue as to which was/is more fun. Oh yes, it even had it's own comic strip in Roy of the Rovers! Bring back Mike's Mini Men I say!!

Saturday 3rd September 2005
In which film did Arnold Schwarzenegger star, yet only speak 16 lines of dialogue throughout?

Kenny Miller began his career with which Scottish club?

Scotland 1 Italy 1: I make no apologies today for starting with the tea-time game featured my adopted nation, Scotland, whose draw at home to Italy is surely one of the best results in donkey's years of recent mediocrity. Indeed, for over an hour of playing time, we led and it suddenly looked as though as unlikely win could become reality until the 76th minute. In many ways, the equaliser was a little freakish as it took a brilliant save from Darren Fletcher's glancing header to fall to the feet of Grosso and even then his far post effort took a deflection before going in. But that's football and there's little point in griping over a draw against Italy. Qualification for Germany 2006 is still in the `Very Unlikely` folder, but under Walter Smith, things seem to be changing for the better and if we can earn a point against one of the World's strongest nations, then who knows what the future might hold.

Wales 0 England 1: Aside from my prediction yesterday (close but no cigar!), I wasn't too sure what to expect from today's game, but in hindsight, it produced exactly what we should have expected. Loads of possession for England, 81% in the first half I believe, which in itself is astonishing, a few chances for the visitors and a late rally from Wales which was the only time they really looked like they might score, apart from a superb first half save from Paul Robinson. England played within themselves, whilst the Welsh did as good as they could without ever looking likely to get anything from the game, leaving England to edge closer to automatic qualification.

Sunday 4th September 2005
"On the outside, I was an honest man, straight as an arrow. I had to come to prison to be a crook." (Film Quote)
The Shawshank Redemption: Correctly answered by Kirsty

In Feb and March 1994, which Aston Villa goalkeeper saved five penalties in two games - three in a shoot out and then two in the next league match?
Mark Bosnich: Correctly answered by Matt Robbins

These international weekends are like a throwback to the old days where all football was played on a Saturday, leaving Sunday as a rest day, or to us kids of the 70s and 80s, a chance to play football in the nearby field. Even in the mid to late 80s, the die was cast when the Beeb and ITV won a contract to televise a few games each season live on a Sunday (and on a Friday night on the BBC!), however prior to that, we had The Big Match on ITV on a Sunday afternoon when the late Brian Moore would introduce highlights of the Saturday games with the main match always involving a London side at home and then usually brief highlights from two or three other games from around the regions. Martin Tyler used to cover Yorkshire, Huw Johns had the Midlands whilst Gerald Sinstadt had the North-West. Prior to the limited live coverage, there were not even cameras at every game, so if the top dogs decided that Ipswich v Middlesbrough wasn't worth a look and it ended 4-4, then the British public never got to see it! But back then, we knew no different anyway. The only snag from our viewpoint was when Bristol City reached the top flight and then HTV West decided that anyone living in their area, including us, got an hour of City against whoever and no other highlights at all! Maybe it's just me, but it's a shame that you rarely see kids in fields trying to emulate the Malcolm McDonald's and Frank Stapleton's of the modern era, but when you consider that I almost broke my arm trying to copy Mark Hughes's amazing volley for Wales v Spain (1985ish), then perhaps that's a good thing!

Monday 5th September 2005
"Where is the moment when needed the most. You kick up the leaves and the magic is lost. They tell me your blue sky's faded to grey. They tell me your passion's gone away." (Song)

Who holds the record for the most hat-tricks (six) for England?
Jimmy Greaves: Correctly answered by Matt Robbins

I caught most of Brazil's 5-0 win over Chile last night which booked a place in Germany 2006 for the holders. Should the holders have to qualify? Well, that's another debate, however two things were apparent whilst watching the game. Although the opponents were only Chile, Brazil looked very good going forward and a little lax at the back, which are pretty much the trademarks of all the great South American sides over the years. The other thing was that Ronaldo, rumoured to be quitting the international game after the next world cup, looks out of sorts. Whether it's high expectations of the Real Madrid star or simply the emergence of the likes of Robinho and the continued excellence of Adriano who scored a hat trick, then I really don't know, but this was a poor shadow of the 2002-vintage Ronaldo and it was no surprise to see him subbed at half time with Brazil 4-0 up. One interesting comment from the Bravo commentators was that all the starting XI for Brazil play in Europe which could mean that a South American side could well win the trophy in Europe for the first time in almost 50 years and I wouldn't put it past Brazil. Finally, can Bravo, and anyone else, please get rid of Steve Claridge as a co-commentator!

Ever had one of those days when, from the outset, you know that things aren't quite going to go to plan. As it's my day off, I got up at 8am rather than 3:30am and found myself more tired than usual as my body clock struggled to cope with the extra sleep time. As a consequence, I then started washing my face having forgotten to take my glasses off, leaving them dripping wet. Next, literally minutes before taking my daughter to school, the lace snapped in my shoe, leaving me to re-thread it quickly with one very frayed end which was not easy. Then having spent three and a half hours in hospital for what should have been a two-hour appointment (no-one's fault, it just happened!), we got back to the car and after opening the driver's door, I bent down to duck in and cracked by forehead against the car door! So far, the afternoon has been okay....!

Tuesday 6th September 2005
Martin Fry was the lead singer of which 80s band?

Which player won a title winners medal with Everton in 1987 and then with Blackburn in 1995?
Bobby Mimms: Correctly answered by Matt Robbins

Aldershot 3 Crawley 2: On paper, this Conference clash had little going for it as the bottom two both looked for their first wins of the season. I stuck with it though and by 9:30pm had seen five goals, one penalty, one red card, shots bouncing off of the woodwork and missed chances galore. In short, it was great entertainment. It was mentioned in commentary that this level of the league pyramid is the strongest that it's ever been and that it now contains more ex-league players than it ever has. Presumably this is due to the influx of foreign imports that push the domestic players down the pecking order, but if last night's game is anything to go by, their loss is the gain of the Conference. Aldershot went bust 13 years ago and had to rebuild from stratch and are now on the verge of getting back into the league and I'd love to see them do it as an inspiration to all clubs who think that they are at their lowest.

Working directly with the great British public, you'd expect to come into contact with a few unusual folk, so I shouldn't have really been surprised when at 5am this morning, one chap outdid himself. He is known to us and comes in on occasions anyway and whilst not quite being the full ten-bob, the worst problem we have is to get him to leave as he tends to hang around and chat about various mundane things. Today, he asked if he could pay for his goods with his debit card which wasn't a problem, until it came to him entering his P.I.N. number! From past experience, I always phrase it carefully after one customer shouted his number across the shop for me to enter on one occasion, so having requested that he key in his number, he stood at the keypad wondering aloud at which of the three PINS that he has matched up with the card he had used! When eventually he plumped for one, he entered it whilst simultaneously yelling out the number that he had pressed for the other three customers to hear! Not content with that, whilst the receipt was being printed he asked me if it was the correct number and I replied that it was, at which point he repeated it loudly AGAIN just to confirm what we'd already heard once! It takes all sorts.

Wednesday 7th September 2005
One of the characters in Mystic River has the same name as a Man United player? What is the name that player and character share?
John O'Shea: Correctly answered by Matt Robbins

Darren Huckerby began his league career with which club?
Lincoln City: Correctly answered by Matt Robbins

Great story in the paper today about 45-year old Peter Morris who is not only selling his house on the Isle of Wight to move closer to his favourite football club, but he has also changed his name by deed poll to Forest Green after non-league side Forest Green Rovers! I have no problem with that, it's when parents name their children (who have no choice of course!) after dopey things. At least Peter/Forest is old enough to make his own decisions. However, it reminded me of when Leeds bought Darren Huckerby and the fans instantly nicknamed his Forrest, after Forrest Gump! This was all well and good until we played at Nottm Forest in a pre-season friendly! The Leeds fans then totally confused the home crowd by yelling, "Come on Forrest!" each time Huckerby had the ball at his feet! Priceless.

Thursday 8th September 2005
Which film had it's world premiere, appropriately, at Disneyland Park at the Disneyland Resort in California in June 2003

Who scored the only goal the last time that Northern Ireland beat England (Wembely 1972)?

As someone who usually enjoys internationals as much as having a red hot poker rammed into my eye, last night was exceptional stuff. The only thing is, where do we start?

Northern Ireland 1 England 0: Wow! Another below par display from England, only this time they didn't use their Get Out Of Jail Free Card and up stepped David Healy - yes, LEEDS UNITED'S David Healy - to score the only goal! In truth, I only saw the last twenty minutes as I was hopping between this game and the Rep of Ireland-France clash, however the usual phrases were rolled out that Eriksson is tactically naive and that Rooney is brilliant but needs to keep his temper in check. That said, even someone like me who doesn't take a huge notice of tactics knows that playing Rooney out wide is not making the best of such a young talent. Today's papers are reeling out the `sack Eriksson` headlines and many of the British public feel the same judging by those in the shop today, however England will still qualify for WC2006 if they win their last two games and almost certainly will even if they only win one, so it's not all bad. Funny, but not bad!!

Norway 1 Scotland 2: And so to my Scotland who had to win in Norway to keep alive the admittedly outside hope of qualifying and we DID! Due to work and my mother's birthday, I only caught the final half an hour, by which time we were two up and cruising. The latter stages were a little nervy and nail-biting material, but we got there and still have an outside chance of the biggest comeback since Elvis was spotted in our local takeaway. Walter Smith has certainly turned things around and Euro 2008 looks a definite possibility all of the sudden. One final word on the BBC Scotland commentators who, when the camera zoomed in on a Scots fan wearing an older style Scotland top, stated, "I can't believe that anyone is still wearing that pink shirt!" Excuse me chaps, but I still have my salmon pink Scotland shirt in by drawer!

Republic of Ireland 0 France 1: I saw more of this game than any of the others and felt that the Irish were deserately unlucky. A free kick smacked the post, Clinton Morrison was close on a couple of occasions and more than once, I was off the sofa thinking they'd scored. Ultimately, how like Thierry Henry to have a quiet game and then win it with a goal of total quality that must have had even the hardest Irish fans open-mouthed in admiration. It'll be tough for the Irish now but there remains faint hope so you never know. If they don't qualify, I wonder if Roy Keane will regret what happened in Japan and Korea four years ago? All told though, it was a cracking game and worth watching for the totally biased co-commentary of Niall Quinn and his frequent, "Oh Tank God!" as something goes the Irish way.

Last but not least, thanks to the Daily Mail for arriving at 8:10am today - a full three and a half hours behind the rest. Bloody great chaps, well done!

Friday 9th September 2005
"What a good place to be. Don't believe it. 'Cause they speak a different language and it's never really happened to me." (Song Lyric)

Which manager was sacked just nine days into the Premiership season last year (2004-05)?

The day after the day after the night before and the FA have come out and publicly backed Sven Goran Eriksson (or at least, "FA sources" are being quoted), stating that he will not be sacked. To be fair, they are quite right for reasons mentioned yesterday in that he's guided England to the brink of qualification and has been let down by two bad performances, one bad result and some naive selection and tactical decisions. Apart from that, all is fine! Of course, the flip side to this is that if they did sack him, they would face a massive compensation payout which, according to the back pages of one paper today, would be in the region of �12m as his contract is currently to the end of Euro 2008! I wonder if secretly, the FA are regretting such a long term deal now?

Unless you've been stranded on Jupiter for the last six months, you'll know that the latest puzzle craze is Sudoku. Now, whilst I enjoy various puzzles when I'm in the right mood, I've not yet tried to solve on of these grids and it's all the fault of the daily papers! When they first started appearing in the press, I read in one paper that the average solving time for a Sudoku is fifteen minutes and that totally threw me as I'm now paranoid that if I am still struggling in half an hour, then I'm well below average. I'd almost overcome this morbid fear of rejection from the human race until I had a peek at a Sudoku website this morning only to see splattered all across the main page, "Solving time is typically from 10 to 30 minutes, depending on your skill and experience. So now, it's down to TEN minutes! Next we'll be seeing people on the news that can do them in a matter of seconds, much like those Rubiks Cube experts back in the 80s that solved the cube quicker than I could get one line right! Hello to Mr Inferiority complex!

Saturday 10th September 2005
"Every kid in Haddonfield thinks this place is haunted." (Film quote)
Hallowe'en: Correctly answered by kirstymd

Which former Man United striker managed Bristol City twice during the 80s and 90s?

Return Of Saint Michael: The big story of the weekend surrounded Michael Owen's return to the Prem with Newcastle, although his debut against Fulham almost turned into a damp squib as they needed a late equaliser from Charles N'Zogbia to earn a point. Owen was okay by all accounts, although strikers thrive on service and if that doesn't arrive, neither will goals.

100% London: Well Charlton and Chelsea anyway who both continued their winning starts with victories over Birmingham and Sunderland respectively. Chelsea are also still yet to concede in the league and have already opened up a three point cushion over their London rivals. As for the other two of the `Big Three`, well...

Gone For A Barton: Joey Barton is the toast of the blue half of Manchester with a late equaliser at Old Trafford that not only ruined United's 100% record, but also saw them concede for the first time this season. Barton has bounced back briliantly after an awful pre-season and City boss Stuart Pearce also managed to reverse the trend usually suffered by recently announced Managers Of The Month. Like Charlton, City have been the surprise packages of the new season and it's great to see some new names in and around the top half a dozen.

Gunners Fire Blanks: Arsenal's ploy to try and walk the ball into the net back-fired big time as they were beaten 2-1 at Middlesbrough. As much as the quick, sharp and intricate passing around the box is lovely to watch when it comes off, it's also incredibly ineffective when it doesn't and Arsenal are beginning to run the risk of being a one-trick-pony up front. Yes, they were without Thierry Henry, but credit to Boro who showed just how to take chances when presented to them. Arsenal are now level on points with...Wigan! Congrats to them after their first ever Prem away win as they came from behind to beat West Brom.

Fergie Foul Up: Good old Big Dunc. Lethal in the area with his headers that defenders struggle to cope with and he proved it again today as he netted the winner in the Everton-Portsmouth clash. Sadly for Everton, his towering effort was into his own net, adding fuel to the fire that lanky defenders should not be allowed to defend! One trivia note. There have been THREE own goals in the Prem this season, all scored by players playing at home and all in games involving Portsmouth!

Back From The Brink: At the start of the afternoon, I would have expected Leeds to beat Brighton at home, however having been 2-0 and 3-2 down, the late stoppage time equaliser made me grateful for a point which seemed like a win. We're now in seventh place with a game in hand on all those above us, although Derby will leap ahead if they beat Crewe tomorrow.

Bye Bye Bri?: Living in Somerset, most of our local sport concentrates on the Bristol clubs, Swindon, Yeovil and Cheltenham, so it's hardly earth-shattering and ground-breaking for me to predict that Bristol City boss Brian Tinnion is likely to be sacked this week. As one of the title favourites, he was already under huge pressure from fans after a poor start, however today was surely the straw that broke the camel's back as City were absolutely walloped 7-1 at Swansea. Sadly, the man who made nationwide headlines with an FA Cup winner at Anfield in the 90s, could well be handed his P45 very soon.

Sunday 11th September 2005
Which 80s horror film strongly featured a 1958 Plymouth Fury car?

Dario Gradi has been Crewe boss for an amazing 22 years, however who did he succeed in June 1983?

Crewe 1 Derby 1: Two well taken goals and a red card for a perfectly good tackle were the highlights of this game, however it was also notable for having three JOHNSON'S on the pitch for kick off! Crewe fielded Eddie, whilst Derby lined up with Michael and Seth, the latter of which did so well for Leeds of course. It reminded me of two things from my youth as the commentator continued to struggle with the proverbial nightmare. The first was when Southampton fielded all three of the Wallace brothers - Rod, Ray and Danny - and how the reporters must have had all sorts of problems with that and secondly, the comic strip from the old Roy of the Rovers comic of the team that were only allowed to have players called Robinson in their team! Ain't nostalgia grand!

Bolton 0 Blackburn 0: Is it me, or has the Prem started with a whimper rather than a bang this season? This game was a perfect cure for insomnia most of the time as 35 fouls punctuated play and both teams cancelled each other out. Whilst at Leeds, Howard Wilkinson once said that he was in the business not to entertain but to get results and whilst I as a neutral was hoping to be entertained today, the primary enjoyment was trying to think of a worse kit than Blackburn's away shirt of black and grey. Coventry's infamous chocolate shirt of the 70s was the only one I could come up with.

Monday 12th September 2005
"This here is the place I will be staying. There isn't a number. You can call the pay phone. Let it ring a long, long, long, long time." (Song Lyric)

Which two Celtic players hold the record for the most number of goals scored in an SPL season? Both scored 35, one in 1986-87 and the other in 2000-01.

I hate to say that I told you so, however as predicted here on Saturday, Bristol City are now looking for a new boss after Brian Tinnion quit last night. Okay, I did state that he'd get sacked which wasn't quite right and it hardly took Mystic Meg with her cystal balls to see it coming, so don't look to me for next Wednesday's lottery numbers. Hindsight is such a wonderful thing, however I wonder now if they regret getting rid of Danny Wilson who took them to the brink of promotion more than once and was ultimately sacked having failed to get them through the play offs the season before last. That's surely preferable to the current situation, but then Leeds sacked O'Leary for `only` finishing fifth in the Prem!

The new style Guardian newspaper made it's debut at newsagents everywhere today and, first impressions are that it's erm...unusual! The new format is still folded a la broadsheet, but it's smaller than a tabloid in it's original folded state, yet bigger (but smaller than a broadsheet) when unfolded! Confused yet? Well, our paperboys and girls certainly were as, previously, broadsheets and tabloids were roughly the same size in their normal form, however the new Guardian is quite a bit smaller than anything else in it's new `Berliner` shape (no, I'd never heard of it either!). Much like anything new, we'll get used to it over the course of time I would imagine, however today it arrived in two sections, meaning that us newsagents, who are busy enough when the papers arrive, had to spend time inserting one section inside the other. If that happens everyday, they are hardly going to be the newsagents best friend!

Tuesday 13th September 2005
The Hungarian title to which 2000 film translates to Undercover Beauty?

During 1998-99 season, Marlon Harewood played six games on loan at which club?

West Ham 4 Aston Villa 0: Okay, I admit it. Milan Baros as first goalscorer in a 1-1 draw was a little too tempting yesterday and by 8:30pm, I realised that my predicting skills are as poor as ever! By then, Marlon Harewood had scored two typical strikers goals, albeit very different ones, and the Hammers were well on their way to a deserved win, even if 4-0 did flatter them. The turning point was surely early in the second half when a James Milner cross turned into a shot and somehow managed to hit BOTH posts without going in. Within three minutes, Thomas Sorensen went walkabouts at the other end from a corner and Harewood completed the first hat trick of the new season in the top flight. The final goal, to quote Martin Tyler, was the cherry on the icing on the cake and wrapped up a great evening for West Ham and indeed for us neutral fans starved of entertainment after Sunday's Lancashire derby. Whilst Villa seem to have a few biggish names, but not a team, the opposite seems to be true of the Hammers and on last night's showing, that cannot be bad.

Like many others this summer, I've been caught up with watching the Ashes series which ended yesterday with England regaining the little urn after 18 years. It would seem that the world and his wife have suddenly become cricket experts though, much like the football when England reached the finals of the last two major tournaments and I've tried desperately not to fall into that trap. I've watched them because as entertainment they've been great and it's been drama of the highest order, much of which would seem OTT if written by a scriptwriter. That said, I'll gladly admit that the LBW rule remains a mystery, I have no idea which is leg side or off side and the field placing names completely throw me, although the Silly Point seems to be appropriately named as the one who is nearest the batsman when a spinner is bowling. I think. Equally, I have no idea which clubs (counties?) any of the players play for, although Trescothick is Somerset I believe and I probably won't be watching any more games in the forseeable future. No, for the same reason as I watched some of the 20/20 games in the summer (Somerset won that tournament, that much I do know!), I've been viewing because it's been entertaining and there was a time that this was the primary criteria for most sports. The cricketing expert that helps us out in the shop early mornings is now concerned that Sky's purchase of Test Matches for the next four years could lead to the game being ruined by money, much in the same way as football is going....or are we already there? Oh, finally on the Ashes, was it me or did it seem rather comical that after such an exciting summer, the actual replica of the trophy was little bigger than a pepperpot? I guess they can't change the size, but watching Michael Vaughan lift it with both hands when he could have balanced it on his finger somehow seemed totally out of context!

Wednesday 14th September 2005
"I'm placing you under arrest for the future murder of Sarah Marks and Donald Dubin that was to take place today." (Film Quote)

Florent Sinama-Pongolle was one of two youngsters signed by Liverpool from Le Havre. Who was the other?
Anthony Le Tallec: Correctly answered by Matt Robbins

Chelsea 1 Anderlecht 0: It seems harsh to criticise a club after winning a CL game, however this was still not the all conquering, all exciting Chelsea that we saw for most of last season. Nope, this was the `win 1-0 and be thankful` type of Chelsea that began their Championship winning year. Okay, a win is a win and the Belgian side did pull five players back in defence for the majority of the game, but somehoe I just expected a little more from Chelsea against a club who've now lost their last eight CL games, although for a few minutes late on, it looked as though they might snatch a draw! Even the fans seemed unimpressed and that was BEFORE the game, as just under 30,000 saw the game and apparently 4,000 of those were from Belguim! The bubble hasn't burst, far from it, however maybe it's the inflated prices or the fact that the club aren't quite on all cylinders, but fans are rarely wrong when it comes to attending matches and something isn't quite right at the Bridge at present. Remarkable really for a team that's won every game in 2005-06!!

Real Betis 1 Liverpool 2: I didn't see an awful lot of this one as I was far too busy trying to stay awake watching the above game, however what a result for Liverpool!!! Both goals were good, although Florent Sinama-Pongolle's was the best, a superb clip over the keeper that bounced into the net. Am I the only one who thought he'd left the club though? Maybe it's because he'd become a `forgotten man` at the club so therefore I believed he'd been sold or gone on loan. Boss Raphael Benitez surprised everyone with a team selection that saw Gerrard, Finnan, Riise and Cisse all on the bench and there's little doubt that had they had lost the game, he would have been slated! But fortune favours the brave and we'll see what awaits in two weeks time in the Battle of the Premiership clash in the CL!

Thursday 15th September 2005
"So why were you holding her hand? Is that the way we stand? Were you lying all the time? Was it just a game to you?" (Song Lyric)

Wayne Rooney scored a Champions League hat trick against which club last season?
Fenerbahce: Correctly answered by Matt Robbins

Villarreal 0 Man United 0: Sarcasm is the lowest form of wit. Or, as Wayne Rooney now knows, one of the easiest ways to get sent off! A week ago in the Northern Ireland v England game, he was booked and then sarcastically clapped at the referee only to be restrained by captain David Beckham. Yesterday it happened again, only this time, Beckham's mate, Kim Milton Neilsen, took a dim view and showed him his second yellow card in a matter of seconds. Petulant from Rooney? Definitely, and when boss Sir Alex Ferguson fails to publicly back his player, you know that the player totally deserved his fate. Much like Eric Cantona, Rooney will go on to be a legend at Old Trafford, but only if he curbs this temper and petulance and whilst Cantona was intelligent enough to learn from his Selhurst Park moment of madness, you wonder if Rooney will learn from last night given that he seems to have the IQ of a pumpkin. Yes he's young and inexperience and it's all part of the learning curve, but for once, lets skip the `by the book` cliches and hope that this might be just the severe knock that he needed to realise that the world doesn't revolve around him and that anything certainly doesn't go on the pitch.

Arsenal 2 Thun 1: I only saw brief highlights of this one and that didn't include the red card to Van Persie for a high boot against the head of an opponent apparently, but all I can say really is that the Gunners seem to have adopted their `Struggle In Europe` motto again this season. The Swiss were total, rank outsiders, yet Arsenal needed a stoppage time goal from Dennis Bergkamp to clinch the win. They've used their `Get Out Of Jail Free` card in what should have been the easiest of the six group games, so definite room for improvement I'd say.

Friday 16th September 2005
"You have to set an example even in the face of stupidity!" (Film Quote)
Crimson Tide: Correctly answered by kirstymd

In August 2000, who moved from Bordeaux to Arsenal for a huge fee of �13m?
Sylvain Wiltord: Correctly answered by Matt Robbins

Toffees Unstuck: Dinamo Bucharest 5 Everton 1: Oh dear! Everton's European dream looks like it will be as succesful as Wayne Rooney teaching anger management. I saw most of this game between switching to the Bolton one at half time and saw all the goals apart from the second from Dinamo and whilst you could argue that Everton were unlucky to go behind in the first half, after the break the defence parted like the Red Sea and it was almost a free for all for the home side. The despair was obvious from the commentators as we went from, "They still have a great chance in the second leg!" (3-1) to, "Now they DO need another away goal." (4-1) and ended with, "Everton are surely out of Europe!" (5-1) and whilst the latter seems likely now, it's worth remembering that Celtic were 5-0 down against Artmedia last month and almost pulled off something amazing, winning the second leg 4-0. That score would do now for Everton, but anything less and last season's heroics in the league will count for very little.

Last Gasp Bolton: Bolton 2 Lokomotiv Plovdiv 1: I saw the latter stages of both halves of this one and thought that Bolton had ended their first European campaign with a spectacular whimper rather than a bang - and they still might as the second leg will not be easy and a 1-0 defeat would send them out. That said, with twenty minutes to go and a goal down, it looked desperate before goals from Diouf and Borgetti (as in, "Borgetti hasn't done much tonight has he?" from the commentators) gave Bolton what looked an unlikely win. I'd like to see them progress now as I'd be interested to see just how far they can go in Europe, however they'll have to go careful in Bulgaria whichever way you look at it.

Boro Breeze: Middlesbrough 2 Xanthi 0: It sounded fairly simple for Middlesbrough as they eased past the Greeks with a goal in each half. Barring something dopey, they should end up in the second round again and, who knows, might just turn into dark horses for a crack at the trophy. That's my prediction anyway, so that's the kiss of death on Boro straight away!

Saturday 17th September 2005
In which 1996 film did Tom Cruise and Cuba Gooding Jr famously ad-lib their first scene together?

Which player, now with a different Prem club, was Charlton's youngest ever first team star in 1997 at just 16 years and 93 days old?
Paul Konchesky: Correctly answered by Matt Robbins

This afternoon was a bit of a blur to be honest, largely as our waste water pipes got blocked last night and after spending a couple of hours earlier today thinking that only the kitchen sink was blocked, I was proved horribly wrong when I put the washing machine on and it splurted water throughout the kitchen as it drained off! Cue one very wet floor and one very panicky Leeds fan as I tried to grab every available towel whilst simultaneously switching off the washing machine and the main water outlet! Almos six hours on and the blockage is cleared I think, or at least the water seems to be running down plugholes freely and, at the time of writing, the washing machine is happily chugging away on top of a dry floor. So, my vague recollections of the football today...

Battle of the 100%-ers: No surprise to see Chelsea beat Charlton in truth, although once again they waited until the second half to take the lead and put the game to bed. Good to see Arjen Robben on the scoresheet as he's yet to really find the form that he hit last season.

No Butts: With all the talk this week on Wayne Rooney's red card, former Man United star Nicky Butt tried to grab the limelight by getting himself sent off for kicking Dario Silva in the rear end on half time. Ultimately it made little difference as his side still drew 1-1 at Portsmouth.

Heartbreak Hotel For Sunderland: So close and yet so far for the Mackems as, although they've got their first point of the season, they were seconds away from a win before Zoltan Gera equalised for West Brom. A last minute equaliser feels like a winner, as I discovered last week, however to concede in those circumstances is gutting. Mick McCarthy must have walked under a ladder whilst breaking a mirror!

Hell For Healy: From hero to villain in ten days. David Healy has done little wrong lately with that winner against England followed by a brace for us against Brighton. Today, whilst we won at QPR, he got sent off for a combination of abusive language and stamping. No point doing this my half measures eh!

Sunday 18th September 2005
"If I'm smart then I'll run away. But I'm not so I guess I'll stay, heaven forbid." (Song Lyric)

In the Confederations Cup this summer, who were the only nation not to score any goals?

Liverpool 0 Man United 0: Dear oh dear! Two of the best clubs in the country, one of which are the current European champions, the other has won eight Premiership titles since 1993 and all they can produce was this crap. Maybe I'm being harsh or unrealistic, or perhaps I was hoping for too much, but when the highlight is watching a slo-mo of Rio Ferdinand calling Peter Crouch a "f***ing pr**k" then you know that the quality is low. There was a time when this fixture gave everything you would expect. Fast pace, goalmouth action, tough tackling and enough action to keep everyone entertained. Under the new 4-5-1, `don't lose at any cost`, this is clearly not the case. Very, very disappointing!

Blackburn 0 Newcastle 3: Having sat through the above game and the first half of this, my feelings were that the weekend was best spent moping up the flooded kitchen and desperately trying to stop my hand from bleeding when a screwdriver slipped and caught me straight in the palm! Thankfully, that changed in the second half as Newcastle showed what they are capable of. Shearer's trademark free kick and a great header from Michael Owen got them both of the mark for the season and Charles N'Zogbia showed what he can do with a bamboozling drag of the ball in the build up for the third. The red card was harsh, however two points. Firstly, Steven Taylor did the self same thing - shirt pulling on Craig Bellamy - a few minutes before and got away with it and secondly, after that first incident, I wonder how influential the actions of Robbie Savage were as he politely pointed out that Taylor had already been booked? All that aside, we did get half an hour of entertainment I guess!

Derby 2 Southampton 2: Another game that looked to be in the `Yes, I have wasted 90 minutes watching this` folder, however it really took off late on with a twice taken penalty (Antti Niemi moved off his line, despite an Aldridge style stutter from the taker!), Derby coming from behind to go ahead and then Saints equalising late on with a 40 yard lob after the keeper came to the edge of his box to clear a long ball. It somehow restored my faith!

And Finally... Whilst I was waiting for confirmation of the Man City v Bolton game, I spotted this on the Sporting Life web site and it reminded me of that advert for Budweiser (Why have two Manchester clubs when you can have Team Manchester!). Only one word missing, but it made a difference. Michael Owen and Alan Shearer scored as Newcastle beat Blackburn 3-0 while Liverpool and Manchester drew 0-0

Monday 19th September 2005
"There are some very bad people out there. They can't all be Anna." (Film)

In the 2005 Champions League Final, Hernan Crespo `achieved` what feat which hadn't been done previously since the final of 1962?
Scored twice and ended up on the losing side: Correctly answered by Matt Robbins

Not content with a three match ban for his red card, Nicky Butt has now had salt rubbed into the wounds by the FA after being charged with using `abusive language` towards a match official. Presumably this was the linesman, sorry, assistant referee, who spotted that Butt had kicked Dario Silva where the sun doesn't shine and brought it to the referee's attention. Looking at the highights of the game, it would seem that Butt called him a ducking banker or something similar and it's enough to warrant what could be a fine or ban extension. With football getting more and more politically correct (it used to be a contact sport at one time!), it would perhaps be an idea if players were to get a 24-hour cooling off period, within which time they could issue an apology if they've overstepped the mark towards an official. Things are said in the heat of the moment that sometimes need reflecting on. The current system doesn't appear to take this into account.

Whilst at first school, my daughter seemed to inherit my childhood trait of being clumsy and falling over a little too often. At one time, she would come home with the familiar piece of paper stating that she'd tripped in the playground and hurt her head/arm/knee (delete as appropriate). As she's got older, it's happened less - until today when we returned from a morning in Bristol to a message on the answerphone stating that she'd bashed her elbow as she fell over and bent to glasses into an angle which made wearing them impossible. Thankfully one of the teachers bent them back temporarily to enable her to see what she's doing, but there's no feeling like answering the phone and hearing, "Hello, it's xyz school here. I'm afraid your daughter has fallen over!" Her teacher did make a joke of it and asked her why she needed to make a spectacle (groan!) of herself. Ultimately, she has a cut on her elbow and a now repaired pair of glasses. Oh, and a bruised ego!

Tuesday 20th September 2005
In which animal related film did five foot tall Janeane Garofalo star alongside six foot tall Uma Thurman?

Which history making goalkeeper made 394 consecutive appearances for three different clubs between August 1981 and October 1990?
Dave Beasant (Wimbledon, Newcastle and Chelsea): Correctly answered by Matt Robbins

Also the Prem season has begun in a rather mundane fashion, it's been notable for the number of defenders getting on the scoresheet that you wouldn't usually expect. Pascal Cygan netted twice for Arsenal against Fulham last month and on the same night, Gabriel Heinze did the same for Man United at Debrecen. Not to be outdone, Sol Campbell started a league game for the first time last night and also scored both goals as Everton were soundly beaten. Whilst goals from unlikely sources will be welcomed by the Gunners in the absence of Thierry Henry, more gratifying will be the three points which lifts them back to within touching distance of the top three. It perhaps could have been more than 2-0 in the second half, however Arsenal seemed content to remain in third gear and play out time, and in many respects, boring though it is, you cannot blame them. So, it's the season of the scoring defender apparently. Maybe Rio Ferdinand will be next...

Britain has long been called a nation of animal lovers and reading a survey in one of the Sunday papers this week simply confirms it. Apparently, the great British public spends over �1m a year on celebrating their pets BIRTHDAYS! This of course is without the usual food and treats that our dogs, cats, budgies and pirahna's get during the year! The survey adds that 20% of people treat their pets to a slap up meal on their birthday - now whether this means an extra tin of Chelsea (Winalot!!) or that the entire family sit around the table with steak, chips and a side of Pedigree Chum, it doesn't make clear, but even more worrying is the fact that 15% of people actually sing Happy Birthday to their pet! Personally, I don't know who to feel more sorry for, the pet owner who do this or the people that dreamt up such a survey in the first place.

Wednesday 21st September 2005
"If you mention my name, you'll be selling your kidneys to pay for your lawsuit." (Film Quote)

Grimsby's record transfer fee received came in 1997 from Everton who paid �1.5m for which player, also on the scoresheet last night?
John Oster: Correctly answered by Matt Robbins

Sing When We're Fishing! :On paper, Grimsby v Spurs should have been a walk in the park for the Premiership side, however the beauty of football struck Blundell Park last night as Grimsby, with just two players in their team with Prem experience, beat Spurs who began with ten INTERNATIONALS! Despite the lack of any goals until the 88th minute, this was not a dull, boring game with both clubs looking for the win. Equally, this was no second string line up from Spurs with the likes of Paul Robinson, Robbie Keane, Michael Carrick and Jermain Defoe all starting. Spurs were poor though in truth, although sub Aaron Lennon did liven them up, however Grimsby had the best chance before they scored and then took the goal with skill of the highest level as the wonderfully named Jean-Paul Kamudimba Kalala volleyed home from the edge of the box with the sort of shot that usually hits the corner flag. With all the anti-football press at the moment, this sort of game and result was precisely what the game needed, although Spurs fans may beg to differ!

Gr-eight Villa: At half time in the above match, Sky happily announced that the shock of the round was unfolding at Wycombe where the hosts led Aston Villa 3-1. In what surely must be one of the most amazing second half's ever, Villa hit seven goals to win 8-3 and send the giantkillers back down the proverbial beanstalk. After his goal on Saturday, it was good to see James Milner scoring two more as he seems to be finding his feet now in the top flight and hopefully will go on to bigger and better things. I've been wracking my brain this morning to try and find a recent example of any club hitting seven goals in one half, but cannot recall such an incident, so top marks to Villa. Oh, and the own goal from Craig Easton was a cracker!

Cresswell off the mark: Finally to Leeds where Richard Cresswell scored his first ever goals for us as we won 2-0 at Rotherham, or as one of our paperboys put it, "Who are they?" Considering we failed to score against them in the league last season, this is a step in the right direction and with the biggie clubs in at the next round, it would be nice to draw a Prem club to gauge how we are progressing or if it's Chelsea, to try and keep it to single figures!

Thursday 22nd September 2005
"In a time where the sun descends alone. I ran a long long way from home to find a heart that's made out of stone." (Song Lyric)
Fading Like A Flower - Roxette: Correctly answered by kirstymd

Which Leeds United legend managed Doncaster for seven years in the 70s and 80s and took charge again later in the decade?

Donnie Darko For City :If Tuesday night was dramatic, Wednesday was equally so as little Doncaster Rovers - on the footballing reject pile just seven seasons ago as they plummetted into the Conference with debts up to their eyeballs - knocked Man City out of the Carling Cup. In fairness the goalless 90 minutes were okay, but nothing special and as my eyelids got heavier, I decided that bed was a better option than football! Thankfully I taped extra time and watched it `as live` when I got up and am I glad that I did. Two dodgy penalties, a red card (somewhat harsh in my opinion), a sub goalkeeper on for Doncaster after the usual keeper was injured in the incident that saw Nedum Onouha sent off and then, after a late equaliser for the home side, as one sided a penalty shoot out as you'll see as Rovers thumped home their first three, whilst City hit the bar and had two saved by reserve keeper Jan Budtz! The shoot out was all over after just six kicks, the shortest possible outcome, and even some of the fans and players didn't seem to realise! In recent years, the League Cup has had a bad rap attached to it, hopefully these last two nights will help raise it's profile again. Lastly, it's worth looking at Doncaster's record from 97-98 when they wene down with flying colours, breaking records all over the place. Played 46, won 4, drew 8, lost 34. Scored 30, Conceded 113, Points 20

Fulham Almost Fluff It: Fulham at home to Lincoln City looked a home banker, however the Premiership side did their utmost to self-destruct and only a dramatic winner in the final seconds of extra time - the last of nine goals in the game - decided it and avoided a penalty shoot out. Fulham twice led by two clear goals, however at 2-0 Lincoln battled back, helped by an own goal admittedly and in extra time, they came back again from 4-2 down, only for Brian McBride to save the blushes late on. Nine goals at Craven Cottage, eleven at Wycombe the night before. This boring football lark isn't all that bad really!

Friday 23rd September 2005
Alex Baldwin, Harrison Ford and Ben Affleck have all played which Ton Clancy hero on film?

Which former England captain has twice been manager of Bristol Rovers?
Gerry Francis: Correctly answered by Matt Robbins

Real Madrid 3 Athletic Bilbao 1 - Woody's Nightmare! :Imagine the scenario. Having waited over a year to make your debut for one of the biggest clubs in the world, your injury problems are finally over and the big day comes. Sadly, within half an hour, things go wrong as you head, somewhat unluckily, into your own net! Still, things cannot get any worse surely, especially after half time when the team makes a comeback and goes 2-1 up...and then you get a second yellow card and end up being sent off! Yes, it was certainly a memorable debut for Jonathon Woodgate, although in his defence, both the own goal and red card were unfortunate and he can at least look forward to the next game in the knowledge that things cannot get any worse! The only time I can recall a similar situation was three or four years ago when Gareth Southgate got sent off having scored an own goal eariler in the same game, although I can't recall the opponents.

I'm prepared to stand corrected as I may be wrong, however I think we may be close to a unique situation here in the West Country today. Around Somerset, there are only five league clubs within any sort of reasonable distance - Yeovil, Swindon, Cheltenham and the pair of Bristol's (sorry!) and it's the latter two that are in the news because City sacked their manager a week and a half ago and now, or last night, Rovers also sacked their's as Ian Atkins was shown the door. Now, I'm wondering if this is the first time that two clubs from the same city have been managerless at the same time. Maybe London has experienced it, but in a two-club city, it must be close to being unique. Even stranger is the news doing the rounds that City are about to poach Yeovil boss Gary Johnson to replace the sacked Brian Tinnion. Suddenly, the footballing wastelands are becoming hot news!

Saturday 24th September 2005
"Come out of things unsaid, shoot an apple of my head and a trouble that can't be named, tigers waiting to be tamed." (Song Lyric)
Clocks - Coldplay: Correctly answered by Matt Robbins

In 1980, West Ham had to play a Cup Winners Cup behind closed doors after crowd trouble in the first leg. Who were their Spanish opponents?
Castilla: Correctly answered by Matt Robbins

Another Good Day For Chelsea! :At 3:44pm today, the headlines were waiting to be written as Aston Villa became the first team to go ahead against Chelsea this season and the first to score in the league. The potential excitement lasted two minutes before the Champions were level. In many ways, they remind me of the Liverpool sides of the 70s and the Man United of the early Prem years in that, even when they went behind, they came back quickly and regained parity as swiftly as possible. The mark of Champions about to win back-to-back titles? You wouldn't bet against it.

Hughes Returns With A Bang: Of course, whilst Chelsea were coming from behind to win at Stamford Bridge, former Man United hero Martk Hughes guided his Blackburn team to their first win at Old Trafford in 43 years! From the highlights, United's usual solid defence had all the consistancy of jelly and Rovers, to their credit, took full advantage. Apparently Fergie was jeered during and at the end of the game with his 4-5-1 formation again causing anger among the fans. Equally annoying must have been the sight of Rooney and Ryan Giggs starting on the bench!

Gary's Going Out, Lets Play! It was the carnival in our town today and as our daughter was in the afternoon one, I left the Birmingham v Liverpool game at 2:10pm with the game scoreless and excitementless. I sensed that one goal was scored as I left, as the chap living opposite is a Liverpool fan and I heard a distinct "Yyyeeesssss!!!" as I closed the front door. What I didn't sense was three more goals, an own goal, a penalty and a red card! Sods law eh.

Eight Imps: Red cards are always good talking points and there were plenty at Plainmoor when Torquay beat Lincoln 2-1 and the visitors had THREE players sent off, including two in the final minute. The guilty trio were Lee Beevers, Paul Morgan and veteran keeper Alan Marriott, who went for blasting the ball against an injured opponent. The reporter at the game for our local Devon paper must have been totally confused as his report began with, "....the nine eight men of Lincoln..."

Leeds Update: We lost 2-0 at home to Ipswich and missed a penalty. Enough said really.

Annoying Song: You know how it is. You hear a tune and either can't put a title to it or can't remember who sung it. It happened at the carnival this afternoon when the Dorset Marching Band struck up a very good version of a song that I knew, but spent half the afternoon trying to place. So, to share the agony, I've used it as today's lyric!

Sunday 25th September 2005
Paula Abdul, Mel Brooks and Halle Berry are among the voices for which recent animated film?

Who was Sunderland's manager when they reached the FA Cup Final in 1992?
Malcolm Crosby: Correctly answered by Matt Robbins

Sunderland Win At Last: Sunderland's win at Middlesbrough is not only a relief to their players and fans, but also to those of us fed up with those stats being reeled off that tell us that the Black Cats haven't won in the Premiership since 1965, or December 2002 to be precise. Of course, they weren't actually in the top flight for two of those years, but that's irrelevant it would seem. That aside, it has to be said that they totally deserved it. Boro went behind early and would have been level by half time had Kelvin Davis not made three fine saves, but after the break they were poor and Sunderland rarely looked in any serious danger. The second goal was a little dodgy in that the free kick awarded should probably have gone the other way for offside, but you'll be hard pushed to find anyone on Wearside who cares! The result puts last season's wonderside, Everton, at the bottom and with a UEFA Cup exit very likely this week, what odds on David Moyes being the latest manager under pressure?

Monday 26th September 2005
"If you plan to make anything disappear, please let me know. I've got an assistant editor who has outlived his usefulness." (Film Quote)
The Fly (1986): Correctly answered by Al Pike

Prior to 2005-06, the Prem attendance record was 67,989 set in Feb 2005. Man United were the home team, but who were the opponents?

There is a new film out at the cinema on Friday called Goal! Unsurprisingly, it centres around football and there lies it's major obstacle. Football films in the past have ranged from crap to okay-ish, with arguably the best of a bad bunch being Fever Pitch. At the risk of sounding like a film critic, that worked because it didn't concentrate 100% on football and had a storyline that would perhaps interest non-supporters as well, whereas films like When Saturday Comes and, heaven help us, Escape To Victory are primarily revolving around the beautiful game, even if the latter did try and masqurade as a war film as well. To be fair, Escape could have worked as it featured some top players, Pele no less, and big name actors, notably Sly Stallone, however actors are rarely footballers and vice versa, and there were where the problems were created. Of course, the biggest problem with football films is that many fans, myself included, are reluctant to see them to avoid being embarresed by the unrealistic match scenes, although apparently Goal!'s scenes are very realistic, and of course, those people who aren't football fans probably wouldn't touch it with a ten foot barge pole. Good luck to it though, but don't expect massive box office success.

Tuesday 27th September 2005
"So we open up a quarrel between the present and the past. We only sacrifice the future, it's the bitterness that lasts." (Song Lyric)
The Living Years - Mike and the Mechanics: Correctly answered by Al Pike

Which Scottish club play at the Shyberry Excelsior Stadium?
Airdrie: Correctly answered by Matt Robbins

Spurs 1 Fulham 0: Whilst last night's game was hardly anything above average, I suspect that anyone connected with Spurs would have accepted a dull 1-0 win. For a start, their record in London derbies is not good and, more to the point, after crashing out of the Carling Cup to Grimsby, any win would do! The reality of the matter remains that Spurs are actually off to a decent start this season with only one league defeat (and that against Chelsea) and they now sit in a Champions League spot, ahead of both Man United and Arsenal - something that they would have accepted back at the beginning of August. As for Fulham, boss Chris Coleman maintains that they play good football but are not getting results. At the moment, only goal difference keeps them from the relegation zone, so how long before they tighten up I wonder?

The shock story of the day is surely that of Arsene Wenger giving his backing to Sir Alex Ferguson! The Arsenal boss reckons that the jeering and booing from the United fans at the final whistle of Saturday's game was "appalling, horrendous and unbelievable," and that the supporters should remember what he's done for the club, especially over the last 15 years or so. Whilst he is correct, that is the problem with fans, we only remember the last few days rather than what's gone before! Or perhaps Wenger is simply happy with the way that things are going at Old Trafford and wants Fergie to keep up the recent good work. I mean, no title in two years and no European success for six (compare that to Arsenal!!) is surely music to Wenger's ears!

Wednesday 28th September 2005
Which film opens with characters called "Honny Bunny" and "Pumpkin" chatting in a cafe?

Which one of Man United's 1968 European Cup winning side has gone on to manage in the Premiership?
Brian Kidd: Correctly answered by Matt Robbins

Ruud Boy: I'll bet there were a few headlines, epitaphs and obituaries waiting to be written last night before Ruud Van Nistelrooy scored Man United's winner against Benfica at Old Trafford. After Saturday and the jeering, not to mention the subsequent post-mortem since, anything less than a win would have been seen as abject failure and there were times when United looked nervy, especially before Ryan Giggs put them ahead, the deflection on the free kick was just the stroke of luck they needed. When Simao showed Giggs how to do it without a deflection, then I could see the back pages already, talking of the next step in United's demise, but of course, it wasn't to be. United still look out of sorts, especially up front (although the defence is no great shakes either!), but they should gain confidence from this win and it should see them in good stead, until the next slip up anyway.

Arsenal Clean Out Ajax: No such problems for Arsenal, although they did cling on a little late on in Amsterdam despite a two goal lead, given to them by Freddie Ljungberg's early clipped effort and a penalty from Robert Pires. When Ajax pulled one back, I could see the Gunners failing again, although in truth, a draw in Holland would not have been a bad result, however credit to them, like United they overcame injury problems to wrap up the win and put them in a very commanding position in the group.

Thursday 29th September 2005
"I'll make it through the rainy days. I'll be the one who stands up longer than the rest. When my landscape changes, rearranges." (Song Lyric)

Which current Premiership club were the first to use undersoil heating, way back in 1958?

Liverpool 0 Chelsea 0: Okay, I admit it. I stuck with this until the very end in the vain hope that sometime in the second half, a headline would be written. I was wrong. But was it really as poor as some of the papers are stating? The Mirror called it `Pants` but in truth, some of the football being played was at a tremendous pace, although the pitch did resemble some kind of king sized, derranged pinball machine when passes went astray. Yes, Liverpool should have had a penalty when William Gallas handled, although I'm not convinced on the other two. The down side was that chances were being created about as regularly as the BBC screen a decent sitcom and on more than one occasion, I glanced at the Sky ticker thingy at the bottom of the screen (Channel 404 and press the red button) and was tempted to watch another game instead with Porto v Artmedia the favourite. But I didn't. Like a council tax martyr, I stayed with it until the bitter end, afraid of missing that one incident which never arrived. Ultimately, the verdict would be that it was interesting at times, but hardly entertaining. But then you could say that about most things on the box at the moment.

Hulse Hat Trick: Whilst the current league champions and European champions cancelled each other out, Rob Hulse showed them how to do it with a twelve minute hat trick as Leeds beat Derby 3-1. Okay, the Derby defence was somewhat weaker than either of those at Anfield, but it's a win that takes us back into sixth and a play off spot. Whether it was the quickest ever hat trick from a Leeds player, then I really don't know, but it must have been close and it had yours truly bouncing off the sofa during the above game as the ticker thingy seemed to go goal mad at Elland Road! Our main problem now is inconsistancy, although thankfully you can say that for most clubs in the second division, or first division or Championship or whatever they call it these days. If we can solve that, then maybe a play off spot is likely rather than possible.

Friday 30th September 2005
"This was the moment I'd been dreading for the past six months. Well, actually for the past 22 years." (Film Quote)

After five World Cup Finals without winning a game, Bulgaria finally came good in 1994, but which nation did their first ever win come against?

UEFA Cup night last night and although there were two wins and a draw for the three Prem clubs, it wasn't quite that straightforward...

The Good: It was a strange late afternoon kick off for Bolton in Bulgaria against Lokomotiv Plovdiv, meaning that due to other commitments, I only caught the last eight minutes, however for a dody half an hour spell in the second half, Bolton were on their way out of the cup on away goals. They were saved by a freakish own goal, which I missed, and a well struck winner from Kevin Nolan, which I did catch among making cups of tea and finding something to eat. So, it's well done to Bolton whose first ever European campaign now enters the weird and wonderful UEFA Cup group stages where `home and away` are scrapped for what it's effectively the total luck of the draw.

The Bad: Middlesbrough are also through after doing the hard work in the home leg two weeks ago against Xanthi, who are so impressive that they have never scored a goal in Europe and, for the first half at least, didn't look interesting in trying to start. I didn't bother with the second half as it clashed with the Everton game below, however the most entertaining thing in the opening 45 minutes was guessing how many times Massimo Maccarone would be flagged offside.

The Ugly: Nothing pretty about Everton's 1-0 win against Dynamo Bucharest with time wasting and play acting more and more to the fore as the game wore on, much of which was ignored by the ref and the Everton team, whilst things got vicious near the end, especially the midair challenge which left Mikael Arteta stretchered off having apparently suffered a fit! Starting with Big Dunc meant that long balls toward him would be the main attacking route and, first half at least, it paid off. After the break, the Romanians put a halt to it and their huge first leg lead was rarely in doubt, despite the commentators who continued to grab at an increasingly slippery straw. "What if Everton did win 4-0? Would the Romanians want to go home?" and "Everton have actually beaten Bucharest 4-0 before!" Yes, in a pre-season game in 1961, hardly relevant! So, Everton have gone from fourth place in the league, to the CL, then the UEFA Cup and now out of the lot and bottom of the Prem. The hard work starts now.

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