Match of the Day The USA Way

Things that make you go Hmmm . . .

2011-10-20T03:55:00.000-07:00

There are many things that make you crazy. Things that drive you to talk and act in a way that is totally different from how you’d normally approach everyday life. Certain subjects bring out the beast in you! Fox hunting polarizes public opinion. Once upon a time The Rolling Stones were subject matter in the House of Commons. They still do when the subject of music crops up. Should they still be touring, making records, how is Keith still alive?! (If you read his excellent autobiography you’ll have a better idea!) One more subject comes to mind – Manchester United!

You either love the team or hate them. When players play for Manchester United you either think they’re the greatest thing since sliced bread or the biggest pain in the butt going. I was reminded of how the team that Linda and I love splits the football-loving nation straight down the middle the other weekend whilst walking from Antrobus Street car park with my lovely wife.

We were minding our own business when a man who I’d never met suddenly blurted out “What about that Rooney, eh? What a bloody fool!” Here we go again I thought, it’s time to dust down my tin helmet and be ready for the ABU (Anybody but United) flak!

Wayne Rooney had been sent off playing for England the previous night. He lashed out at a player and kicked him. It was silly and he deserved to go off. He got a three match ban from UEFA. I just hope that England for once do themselves justice and get through the group stages in the finals next year because if they don’t, you can be sure United’s loveable Scouse rogue will get the blame. You know why – because he plays for Manchester United and happens to be the most skillful player this country has produced since Paul Gascoigne. Funny how the hopes of a nation rest on one player . . . football is a team game played by eleven people isn’t it?

Manchester United fans, of which I am one of them, have seen players suffer in one way shape or form for many years. Steve Coppell, the right-winger signed by Tommy Docherty for £40,000 in 1975, severely injured his right knee playing for England in 1981 during a World Cup qualifier against Hungary. A career finished – at 28.

The 1990’s saw media coverage explode with the advent of the Premier League. The World Cup in Italy in 1990 helped as well. The game suddenly became the subject of the “chattering classes” in the coffee bars as well as the pubs. The first season of the Premier League saw the arrival in Manchester of a Frenchman who would leave his mark on the game and an abusive Crystal Palace fan! I refer to my hero, Eric Cantona.

One of the most charismatic players I have ever had the pleasure of watching play, I first saw him play in September 1992 in the white of Leeds United, our hated rivals. Here, the fickleness of fans was rammed home to me. In the red of United it was “Ooh, aah, Cantona!” However, in the white of Leeds United it was “F@#k off Cantona, I said F@#k off Cantona!”

Little did those fans who were hurling that abuse realize that a few months later the start of a glorious four and half year era was about to begin. It was the start of United’s rock and roll era!

Skillful stylish and charismatic, Eric brought a freshness to United’s play. A swagger, maybe symbolic of the “Hollywood” image of the club, was personified in the Frenchman. Trophies started to arrive. 1995 was to be a pivotal year for Eric. It was the year when, in my humble opinion, the Football Association finally had their chance to go after Eric and United.

The incident at Selhurst Park, South East London, on 25^th January 1995, has been well documented. United had struggled on a bad surface against Crystal Palace. A 1-1 draw, with the benefit of hindsight, probably cost us the League. We lost the League by 1 point that year.

Eric’s game had suffered. His usual slick passing game wasn’t as good as normal. Being the big star, he was the primary target for Richard Shaw, their defender, to be upset. His plan worked to perfection. Constant niggles from Mr. Shaw culminated in Eric lashing out at him. Eric got his marching orders and was sent-off. The vultures in the crowd saw their moment to pounce, especially one Matthew Simmonds.

This “fan” ran down the stairs in that stand and started giving Eric all kinds of abuse. Now, here’s where the cultural differences kicked in. Here in England the word “bastard” has been almost sanitized. It doesn’t have anywhere near the level of seriousness it does in Europe. Over there its literal meaning still has some gravitas! Eric had had enough. To be sent off is bad enough, but to criticize your Mother and question her integrity . . . well, a karate-kick is deserved!

It was a sensational moment. It was shown on TV dozens of times. United acted quickly and consequently suspended Eric within 24 hours of the incident. Eric would not play again that season. Here’s where the F.A. stuck their nose in.

They wanted Eric banned for a further month. They wanted him banned from all football activity. He couldn’t even play in a practice match. For some reason, even now, sixteen years on, the words “restraint of trade” comes into my mind. Eric decided to quit. It wasn’t until a meeting with Sir Alex Ferguson in a quiet restaurant in Paris that summer that Manchester United fans were guaranteed and reassured that their star player would return. He did, and we had a couple of wonderful years with Eric captaining a side that contained youngsters by the name of Scholes, Neville and a young Londoner called Beckham . . . more of him later!

Having lived in the United States for five years, I’m well aware that a good conspiracy theory is well appreciated. One of the top men during the 1990’s at the FA was a man by the name of Brian Barwood. Once head of BBC Sport, he famously told Greg Dyke, a fellow BBC big-wig (who happened to be a big Manchester United fan and a one-time director) that if he had any say Manchester United would never be BBC’s “Team of The Year”. It was only when the Reds had won the League, the F.A.Cup and the European Cup during that celebrated season of 1998-1999 that the BBC were able to announce that we were “Team of The Year”. Now I’m sure you’re wondering why the conspiracy theory allegations? Well, dear reader, the head of BBC Sport was a Liverpudlian who supported Liverpool . . . as the Americans say “I’m just saying!”

That famous year saw Manchester United fans take David Beckham into their bosom and cradle him from the marauding hordes of away fans. He’d been a blossoming star at United for a couple of years, becoming the Cockney Red “of whom we are so proud” (Pete Boyle’s words) and gaining fame and notoriety with his skill and liking for spectacular goals, most notably the goal I witnessed at Selhurst Park in August 1996 when he scored from just inside his own half. It was a beautiful goal – Eric said so!

Anyhow, let’s get back to 1998. David got sent-off playing for England in the World Cup against Argentina. England played valiantly for over an hour with ten men. England had a goal disallowed because of a foul on the goalkeeper. People missed penalties and eventually England lost yet who got the blame for the defeat? David Beckham.

The treatment dished out to him was disgusting. So-called reputable newspapers, papers that campaign for justice and proclaim to have the nation’s interests at heart should have been closed down. Papers like The Daily Mirror, who printed a dart board with David’s face on it, were the same papers who three years later were proclaiming him a savior when his specialist free kick skills saved England’s back side and got England into the 2002 World Cup Finals.

Two years later in the2000 European Championships David was the subject of vile abuse from England fans. He was pictured giving the fans the finger when he was subjected to abuse that went beyond “banter”; chants of “hope your kid gets cancer” make you wonder why he continued to play for England as long as he did. Well done to Kevin Keegan, the manager at the time, for highlighting this disgraceful abuse.

David’s foot was the subject of front page headlines when he injured a metatarsal playing for United. These papers are a hypocritical disgrace. “Pray for David’s foot” and other such rubbish filled the pages of the tabloid papers for weeks, eagerly read by the idiots who were only too willing to hurl abuse when it suited them. One day they’ll realize that England haven’t been world beaters for many a long year and that before long we’ll be having a World Cup/European Championship song like the Scots had . . . “Don’t Come Home Too Soon!” (For the record, it was sung by Del Amitri – great band, saw them once in Manchester!)

David did eventually get fit in time to take some part in the World Cup that year. He scored the winner against Argentina - from a penalty no less. Everybody was happy. There were quite a few Manchester United players in that World Cup squad. They used to get booed. Why – because of the team they played for. No wonder fans at Old Trafford used to sing a song that went like this (to the tune of “She’ll Be Coming Round the Mountain”) “You Can Stick Your F@#king England up Your Arse!!!!” For the entire media circus that still accompanies David Beckham, I’ll always be a supporter of David’s. He’s a genuine, hard-working player who loves Manchester United.

Talking of Manchester United players from the capital city, Rio Ferdinand walked into a hurricane made by the Football Association in 2002. He forgot to go to a drugs test. The F.A. wanted the manager of the England team to not pick him. His team mates were on the verge of going on strike in protest. The ring leaders were Gary Neville and David Beckham. So, why the fuss you ask?

Under F.A. rules players were supposed to be guaranteed anonymity on cases of such severity until a verdict had been reached. The F.A., under the ruling of Chief Executive Mark Palios, a Liverpudlian ex Tranmere Rovers centre half, were going to clean up football’s image. Rio walked head first into a storm. He was banned for nine months and fined £50,000. No anonymity, just a big fine and loads of publicity. The F.A. was grinning from ear to ear.

Now, Manchester United fans were outraged to say the least. It seemed another case of one rule for United, another for the rest. What made it particularly galling was the fact that it emerged in the press that a Manchester City player had committed the same “crime” and was only fined £2000 and had all the anonymity you could want! He couldn’t have asked for more anonymity if he’d ticked the box when doing the lottery!

You know, what goes around comes around. There’s a saying that goes “empty vessels make the most noise”; well our Liverpudlian friend Mr. Palios was one very empty vessel. It later emerged that the holier than thou Mr. Palios was issuing edicts on such issues whilst sleeping with someone who wasn’t his wife! What made it more intriguing and funny at the same time was the same woman was sleeping with the England manager!

So we come to the present day. Wayne Rooney has even drawn The Guardian, that bastion of respectability, into the debate. “Can Rooney Be Trusted?” or words to that extent. Yes of course he can. He can be trusted to have that extra bit of skill that no England player of his generation has to deliver that killer pass and score that great goal. Manchester United players who play for their country are no different than players who represent their country and ply their trade with other clubs and should be treated so.

The level of expectation on England teams at tournaments is ridiculous. The sooner fans realize that England don’t automatically have the right to be classed as world beaters and that we have to work hard at generating skillful players who can pass the ball like Spain, the current World and European Champions, the better. It’s time we had the opportunity to celebrate . . . and not counting how many years of hurt it has been – currently it’s 45 and counting.

Cheer your country when they play and don’t have a grudge. When England fans stop having a go at players of my beloved Reds, I’ll stop thinking John Terry is a complete and utter . . . (insert your own expletive!!!) We all want our country to win. Even Manchester United players do, believe me!

Enjoy following football,

“Shirty” – The Wonderful Adventures of a Football Shirt

2011-10-06T06:25:00.000-07:00

A timeless classic...the shirt too!

It’s amazing how a simple garment can have such power over a person or a group of people. The simple act of someone wearing something can determine the desires and actions of many. The world of fashion has known this for many years of course. However, the world of football has been equally aware of this for many years as well.

Attending a Congleton Town game last week at Booth Street, when “The Bears” or “Da Bears” as I now know them as (it’s amazing how powerful American popular culture is) were playing Alsager Town, Linda and I noticed that Town’s number 11 had a different shirt on than the rest of his team mates. It took the referee a few minutes to realize this . . . ah, the joys of non-league football. Once Town was in unison kit-wise, they managed to beat their near neighbours 2-1. It was a good game, full of tension and drama. There were some great tense moments: a penalty save, an injury to Congleton’s excellent keeper which resulted in quite a few minutes of injury time and two well-taken goals scored by the home team. That period of injury time saw an onslaught on Town’s goal. A woman sat across from me had to avert her gaze from the play, so tense was the goal mouth action.

“I can’t look” she said. Evidence, if you needed any, that a fan, someone who feels happiness and pain in equal amounts dependent on the actions of eleven men on that pitch, can be a man or a woman.

There may be some women who watch football just to ogle the players. However, those who go understand the game and can be as vociferous as a man. Just ask my wife! The pictures coming out of Turkey of the Fenerbache game attended by women only are further proof that football is the people’s game, not just the stronghold of men. That game was attended by women, if you didn’t know, as a result of crowd trouble resulting in the club saying that no boys or men were allowed to watch as punishment. You know it would be a good idea if clubs over here did something to promote more women to watch games. In my opinion, I think that the more people who watch and care for the game the better. Not all women who follow football are W.AG.S. (This stands for “Wives and Girlfriends” for the uninitiated. These ladies do women a disservice in my opinion. They seem to be with their men just for the glamour that they can buy, courtesy of their men’s grossly over inflated wages.)

Give me an F! No trouble fellers, take note

The other moment during the afternoon at Booth Street that caught my attention was the sight of a happy little lad making his way towards the main stand with his Dad in a Barcelona shirt with “Messi 10” on the back. It was a stark reminder of the power television has over the game. In an interview with the BBC here in the North West, the manager of our little football team, some feller called Ferguson (you might have heard of him!) spoke rather elequently and very truthfully on the power TV has in this country.

"When you shake hands with the devil you have to pay the price," he said, "Television is God at the moment. It is king. When you see the fixture lists come out now, they can pick and choose whenever they want the top teams on televisioin."

Why did this little lad have a Barcelona shirt on? According to a copy of Four Four Two magazine I have, the aforementioned shirt costs £54.99! That’s well over $100! In this current economic climate, that’s amazing. Of course that shirt will be out of date at the end of this season when new kits come out. I have become a big fan of “old fashioned” football shirts. The Old Fashioned Football Shirt Company (www.toffs.com) is great for fans who want to wear their team’s colours without being slaves to football fashion.

Where was the boy’s Manchester United shirt, or his Stoke shirt or, God forbid, a Manchester City or a Chelsea shirt?! Why did he want to have a replica shirt of a team that’s about a thousand miles away? I would have expected to have seen something like this if I was back in the United States with Linda. There, the tribal rivalry is still in its infancy, relatively speaking. It is compared to over here. Over there, loyalties are developed through the ever increasing exposure the game has courtesy of the Fox Soccer Channel, ESPN, and GolTV. There are encouraging signs that the loyalty, the desire to wear the shirt of your team of choice in the MLS, is developing in the right way. Check out the crowd at a Seattle Sounders game if you’re undecided as to how well the game is progressing over there.

So, to see a boy with a Barcelona shirt on was surprising to me. Loyalty to a club is something that is passed on from father (or Mother) to son (or daughter) and on through the generations. Organized league football has been in existence in this country for nearly 130 years. I can only assume that the little boy who pestered his Dad for that Barcelona shirt (this season’s version as well – the one with UNICEF demoted to the back of the shirt and replaced with “Qatar Foundation” on the front) with “Messi 10” on the back has been sucked in by the power of television.

The UEFA Champions League has excellent coverage in the United States. We never missed a game over there. Fox Soccer Channel’s coverage was really good. For the Final, they flew their people over to Wembley especially for the game that was shown live on Fox nationwide. Over here, Sky Sports and ITV do a good job in promoting the best competition in the world. So maybe that little boy was mesmerized by “Little Lionel” as GolTV’s Ray Hudson might have said. You know, one day I hope that boy goes to a game with a Manchester United shirt on (or whoever he supports). Mind you, let’s hope an English team can one day produce someone as good as Messi! We can only hope!

Enjoy your football wherever you see it, preferably at a live game . . .

“And Now On BBC One . . . “

2011-09-22T05:32:00.000-07:00

When I was asked to take over Valley Free Radio’s (www.valleyfreeradio.org) soccer show slot in May of 2007 from Carson Cistulli there was only one name I could think to call the show I was inheriting. The show which was on Valley Free Radio at the time was called “Goal! The Soccer Show” and quite frankly the whole name and format of the show didn’t appeal to me. If the show was going to be mine then there would be changes. The name of the show would pay homage to a highlights show that became a household name in Great Britain – “Match of The Day”

Now I was of the opinion that I couldn’t use the exact name as that would be cheating! So, seeing how the show was being broadcast in the USA meant that the name would be “Match of The Day the USA Way”. I knew I always wanted to have a theme tune to my radio show, so what better theme tune than the music that is synonymous in a lot of ways with football. I had theme tunes for the other shows I was involved with (“The Late English Breakfast” www.thelateenglishbreakfast.blogspot.com and “The Nightclub”) so why not the football show? It certainly made sense to me!

Why do I reminisce about theme tunes today? Well, last Saturday night I had a trip down memory lane when the continuity announcer on BBC One said “And now on BBC One,highlights of today Premier League action with Gary Lineker on Match of theDay” and cue the music!

I had looked forward to watching the show all day. You see, for most people of my generation, “Match of the Day” was the main source of football on the television back in the 1970’s. It was part of a stellar line-up of programmes on BBC One back in the day. It was on after 10pm back then, like now, but it was the weekend so I was allowed to stop up to watch!

It was funny watching the show last Saturday, because deep down, although I was obviously aware that it was 2011 it felt like I was transported back in time to the 1970’s. Although the format of the show has changed dramatically from the halcyon days of the 1970’s, the excitement of the programme starting was just the same.

Jimmy Hill the presenter of Match of The Day in the 1970's and the man who got on ym Dad's nerves!

Back in the 1970’s there was just two games covered on that show. Even in the 1980’s, when I started going to Old Trafford, if you saw the cameras at the stadium you got that extra sense of excitement knowing that the game you were about to see was going to be “on telly”.

Live football on television was a rarity in those days. There were a handful of games covered live all season; now there are several each week on Mr. Murdoch’s Sky Sorts channel (which charges £1500 A MONTH –outrageous!). I have to thank the Landlord of the Castle Inn Public House here in Congleton for that fact. I was reminded of a conversation I was involved in several years ago with another Landlord here in Congleton. He said he couldn’t afford to show live football in his pub, but couldn’t afford NOT to. His way round the exorbitant fees charged by Murdoch was to show an Arabic channel’s coverage of the BBC’s coverage of Manchester United versus Tottenham Hotspur. What made the afternoon more exciting and slightly clandestine was that what we were watching was being viewed illegally!

You see we (my friend Richard and I) were watching the game at 3pm on a Saturday afternoon, with, if my memory serves me correctly, the curtains of the pub drawn. In England, it is illegal to show games that kick-off at the traditional 3pm on television. That’s why games that are shown on television live on television live on Sky are known as having being “skyjacked”! We’ve only been back in England for nearly a month so I don’t know if ESPN has its own version of skyjacked yet!

Not everyone has satellite television. I commend the landlords and landladies who install Sky Sports in their pubs. It takes a lot of courage to be bold enough to spend that much money in the hope of pulling in the punters, especially in this economic climate. It’s a bold move. So, highlights shows that are on free to air channels like the BBC (yes I know there’s the Licence Fee but it’s not a pay per view channel) are essential and play a role in the cultural make-up of this country.

Thinking back to my time on Valley Free Radio, my co-presenter Tim told Stokes told me that friends of his who were ex-pat Brits were instantly taken back to their childhood when they heard the theme tune to our show. That’s how I felt when I heard that music last Saturday night. Happy Days!

Enjoy your football wherever you are in the world – it’s still the beautiful game and will always be the people’s game, despite what you see and hear!

Best Wishes,

Match of the Day the USA Way goes on the road to . . . Booth Street Congleton via Foxborough, Massachusetts?!

2011-09-11T03:28:00.000-07:00

“It was the third of September, a day I’ll always remember” The Temptations famously sang when warbling about their dad being like a “Rolling Stone”. Well, for me, the 3^rd September 2011 was the day I discovered National Non- League Day back home here in England and that meant a chance to visit the ground where my love of live football began – Booth Street, Congleton, home of Congleton Town Football Club – our version of “Da Bears”. (For the uninitiated, my hometown has the nickname of “Beartown”, a name that relates to the town’s ancient past, when it had a bear for entertainment.)

The premise of “National Non-League Day” was to generate interest in the lower levels of English football. It is a day when fans of the bigger clubs, like yours truly, get the opportunity to go and watch non-league, or semi-professional football. It takes place when there’s an “international break” as was the case this weekend. To add extra spice to the occasion, Congleton Town was playing in the F.A. Cup, the oldest domestic competition in world football. Their opponents were Runcorn Town, a team they had drawn (or tied if you’re reading this in the USA) 2-2 in the League the previous Tuesday.

Booth Street Congleton is a million miles from Foxborough Massachusetts. Let me make that perfectly clear. There was no car parking charge of $40 to contend with on this occasion. Linda and I parked by the side of a nearby street and walked up to the ground.

It cost £6 each to get in. The admission fee is a long way from the exorbitant fees charge by the more glamorous grounds around the world (hello Old Trafford and Gillette Stadium). Once you’d made your way through the turnstiles the programme was the next thing to be bought. The cost of one of these programmes was the princely sum of £1.20. Again, very refreshing from the £3.00 we last paid at Old Trafford three years ago or the $10 we paid in Foxborough (admittedly, that was a very glossy brochure so I’ll let them off on this occasion!)

Hindsight is always 20/20, but maybe things weren’t meant to be when the announcer, when welcoming everyone to the ground, said “Welcome to Booth Street, home of Congleton Town, for this North West Counties League . . . oh, wait a minute, it isn’t a league game, it’s the F.A. Cup isn’t it? Anyway, welcome to our visitors Runcorn Town!”

Could it be possible that it might just be 1989 all over again, when Congleton famously got to the first round proper of the F.A.Cup, the game’s oldest domestic competition, only to be beaten by neighbours Crewe Alexandra? Congleton lost that day by 2-0 to a side that was several divisions higher in the football pyramid. I went to that game and remember it vividly. The score was 0-0 for 70 minutes until Town‘s resistance finally gave way to their near neighbour’s superior fitness. What made that day even more memorable were the commemorative scarves made to celebrate the occasion.

Quality control went missing as the scarves famously said “Congletown Town” on them instead of “Congleton Town”! That rogue “W” was the inspiration for the title of a Congleton Town fanzine I once featured in entitled “What W?” Anyhow, let’s get back into the DeLorean and get back to 2011!

Would the game have a similar outcome to the recent league meeting or would “The Bears” win and continue on the road to Wembley? Sadly the game would prove to be the last Town would play in this season’s F.A.Cup as they lost 6-0. Tragedy struck after 14 minutes when the team’s goalkeeper, making his debut, broke his fibula and tibia.

There has always been a concern over how money is distributed in football in England. The inequality between the top level and the bottom was never more visible than watching the goalkeeper getting treatment for his quite nasty injury. Those of you whose football viewing is limited to the glamour of the Premier League or MLS would be astounded by how limited resources are at the semi-professional level.

It was necessary for an ambulance to be called – no ambulance on standby here; no doubt they couldn’t afford that – don’t blame Congleton in any way shape or form. They did the best they could. It took 45 minutes for the aforementioned ambulance to arrive. I’ve never seen a game held up for that amount of time in nearly 40 years of watching football, but hey, this is the harsh reality of life in the lower leagues. The poor goalkeeper needed morphine and gas and air to ease the pain.

I’m of the opinion that the injury to the goalkeeper had a detrimental effect on the team’s morale. The team that had drawn only 4 days previously looked second best right throughout the game. Runcorn passed the ball better and looked hungrier to win the ball whenever they lost possession. Defensive errors were costly for the home team.

An honourable mention must go to the number 8 for Congleton, Walsh, who battled ferociously for the 90 minutes and looked composed on the ball. Even though his team were getting a “thrashing” his head never went down and he always made himself available to a team mate. Both Linda and I liked the way he played very much.

So, although the result was not the one Linda and I hoped for, it was nice to go to watch Congleton Town again. It was a lovely fresh Saturday afternoon with an autumnal breeze that made it very refreshing after another hot and humid New England summer. Going to a game at a lower level is great because it gives you an understanding of how much it means for people to give up a couple of nights a week to train, because these guys have “day jobs” and then play on a Saturday afternoon at 3pm – the traditional fixture kick-off time. No games commandeered for satellite TV here my fiends!

I first watched Congleton Town play back in the 1970’s . . . I think I’ll be going to a game again soon – despite not winning the half-time raffle!

Enjoy your football wherever you watch it,

The Kids Are Alright!

2011-08-09T09:00:00.000-07:00

They knew what they were talking about!

Morning all and welcome to another of my blogs about the beautiful game. If this is the first time you've read this blog, well, thank you for finding it and if you've read it before thank you for reading it again! It's a blog that commemorates the time when Valley Free Radio (www.valleyfreeradio.org) had the good sense to keep me happy and broadcast the only radio show about football in the Pioneer Valley here in Massachusetts!

I watched the F.A.Community Shield with my wife Linda at the weekend. It is, if you're unfamiliar with the game, the traditional curtain raiser to the English season. It is competed for by the winner's of last season F.A.Premier League (in this case my beloved Manchester United) and the winner's of last season's F.A.Cup (for the first time since 1969 the noisy neighbours from across town Manchester City).

I'm not going to give you a match report (suffice to say United came back in grand style after being 2-0 down to win by 3-2). What motivates me to write is the fact that for the first time in what seems like ages the youthfulness of Manchester United was evident for all to see.

The team put out by manager Sir Alex Ferguson had an average age of 22. It showed. The players on display, in particular Danny Welbeck, Tom Cleverley, Rafael Da Silva, Phil Jones and Chris Smalling (I could have listed the vast percentage of the team) showed an immense desire to chase after the ball, to put in strong challenges. The desire to win was there. Yes Manchester United have won trophy after trophy, but not everyone has the medal haul of Ryan Giggs!

Mentioning Ryan Giggs leads me nicely onto the last time there seemed to be an influx of talented young players permeating their way into the team. I refer tot he now famous "Class of '92".

Ryan is the last man standing still at Old Trafford of that famous group of players. I remember vividly going to Old Trafford on a Friday night in May of 1992 to see United play Crystal Palace in the 2nd leg of the F.A..Youth Cup Final. It was a lovely sunny evening as I remember, and it was fun and interesting to watch the group of players win the trophy. United won the F.A.Youth Cup with players who later on would become household names, players such as Gary Neville, Paul Scholes, Nicky Butt and David Beckham.

Here's the "Class of "92" with another trophy!

Manchester United had always put a lot of emphasis on the development of youth. This first started under the guidance of Sir Matt Busby in the 1950's. United had no money after the 2nd World War. The ground was in ruins after being bombed by the Germans.

In keeping with the times, the club decided to develop their own players. Sir Matt (who I once had the pleasure of meeting 25 years ago) knew that the vitality of youth, as long as it was good enough, would shine through. Over the coming years players would be found who would be legends. Their names are still legendary now to any United fan worth his salt. Duncan Edwards, Roger Byrne, David Pegg, Bobby Charlton . . . just a few of the names who were like a breath of fresh air, bringing excitement to football fans all over England with their exhilarating play, much needed in those austere times.

Yet sadly for some their careers were to be painfully short. The plane crash at Munich Airport on Thursday 6th February 1958 cut short the lives of eight players. The oldest - the captain Roger Byrne - a few months shy of his 30th birthday. So tragic.

The Busby Babes pictured together on the 5th February 1958 - the last time they played together

Yet Sir Matt, himself badly injured, remained convinced that youth was the key to success. The 1960's wouldn't see the degree of success for the youth policy as had been previously witnessed, as the club needed time to regroup and had to buy players to augment the staff cruelly decimated. There was one bright light for the youth policy at Old Trafford. One very bright light. His name - George Best.

The club's Irish scout, a man by the name of Bob Bishop, sent Sir Matt a telegram saying "I think I've found you a genius." This was May 1961. Little did they know that for the next 13 years Old Trafford would be witnessing its own rock and roll years. There were other people who broke through the ranks, like Brian Kidd and Johnny Aston, but "Bestie" was the shining light above shining lights. The youth policy would stagnate during the 1970's and early 1980's. It wasn't until the arrival of Sir Alex Ferguson in November 1986 did youth get to shine again.

Bestie celebrating his goal in the 1968 European Cup Final

"Fergie" had noticed that rivals Manchester City had stolen a march on United in terms of attracting the best young talent. It is alleged that City had more scouts in Manchester than United had nationally. City were building a team for the future. I have a personal interest in this, as one of the players signed by City was in my class at school, a boy by the name of Ian Brightwell. His brother David would soon follow. Ever the keen football historian, Sir Alex went about correcting this "wrong". Sir Matt approved . . .

The story more or less has come full circle. The success of the famous "Class of "92" has been well documented. Now only Ryan Giggs and David Beckham are the only two left who are playing. Gary Neville and Paul Scholes retired at the end of last season.

So, to see good energetic young players playing with so much conviction for "the shirt" did this Manchester United fan proud. Yes times have changed and now it's not uncommon to have Brazilians "coming through the ranks" but providing they're good enough and have the right habits and have the desire to learn, it doesn't matter too much where they're from. Having said all that, seeing Mancunian Danny Welbeck performing so well on the highest domestic stage leaves me thinking let's play the younger players. Let's test them in Europe against the rest of the best. Tom Cleverley has shown immense promise. He looks like he's another Paul Scholes in the making. The defeat to Barcelona in last season's Champions League Final, which saw a wonderful Barcelona give United a footballing lesson, was a good reminder of how the right training and a good youth policy can reap dividends.

It would be great to have Wesley Snejider on the payroll, but as long as there are players coming through from the Youth team, you can guarantee fans will be happy. What most fans won't tolerate is a bunch of mercenaries playing for the team. The player who just joins for the money and the prestige of playing in the Premier League. I can guarantee no glory hunting prima donnas will last long in a team. It is a team game after all.

So, if you're good enough, you're old enough!

Enjoy your football,

Ed

Mecca Comes To Massachusetts!

2011-07-20T06:26:00.000-07:00

One Happy Chappy!

Morning All!

The pilgrimage to Foxborough has now started to become a memory . . . yet it seems so fresh, as if it were yesterday. Going to see United play New England Revolution for the first time in three years with my wife Linda was a wonderful experience. It was so enthralling to see the players play that it seemed superfluous to indulge in anything else that seems so commonplace amongst other fans . . . I'm thinking of playing with beach balls and summoning the vendors to satisfy their need for burgers, beer and lemonade! More about beach balls later.

The trip to Foxborough, by my standards, is a long one. It is a 2 hour, 106 mile drive. We had the misfortune to encounter a torrential downpour whilst en route, which makes driving difficult. However, we got to the ground, which is a splendid site when you see it, only to find another downpour welcoming us! Undeterred, we sat patiently in the car until the rain had finally disappeared.

In all the times I've been to the Gillette Stadium, it's been natural for me to compare the experience with my times going to Old Trafford. I remember the last time Linda and I went to Old Trafford in August 2008 it cost us the princely sum of five quid to park. We were dumbfounded to be charged $40 to park at the stadium! It had doubled from when we went to see Brazil versus Mexico in 2008. Talk about capitalizing on a big opportunity! Oh well, as they always used to say at Old Trafford, whenever United came to play another team it was like their "cup final"; better change that to "Superbowl"! The fact that it proved to be the biggest attended friendly the Revs had played in certainly backed up the Gillette Stadium's view that Manchester United is indeed a cash cow and therefore every opportunity to make money should be acted on.

One other thing we were given when we got to the ground was a piece of orange paper entitled "Fans Code of Conduct". This piece of paper boldly told us that the New England Patriots and the New England Revolution valued their fans and that in order for them to retain their self proclaimed title as "the best in the business" they needed to adhere to certain codes of conduct. Under no circumstances should fans be caught in the act of showing anything that resembles, and I quote, "verbal or physical harassment of any of our guests, including other fans, players, coaches or staff". This isn't surprising to me. It was announced at the McGuirk Stadium, the home of the University of Massachusetts football team, that any fan caught verbally abusing anybody of the opposing team would be ejected from the stadium. Linda and I were there to support United so we would be fine!

On the reverse side of the paper there was a a list of"prohibited items"; items that were banned from being brought into the ground. We noticed that beach balls were one such item. We were pleased to see this as on previous occasions at the Gillette Stadium we were dismayed, bewildered and annoyed to find beach balls being batted by children whilst the game was in progress! It has been amazing to contrast the American sports fan with the British fan: the average British fan doesn't, as a rule, bring beach balls in (unless you're a Liverpool fan!)! He or she is, for the most part, there to watch the game.

One more issue I have to mention is the subject of banners. Banners, or flags, call them what you like, are deemed, in the eyes of the Patriots and the Revs, important in projecting a loyal fan base. However, the stadium management says that it "reserves the right to prohibit banners due to space availability, banner size, interference with other fans, or message content." Now you have a picture of what we were expecting when we sat down in our seats behind the goal. We were in the "away end"!

The Revs "hardcore" support entered the section, like gladiators ready for battle. Holding their scarves above their heads they looked eager for the game to commence. Then, the fun started!

That bloody flag!

You see it in the picture don't you? It's as clear as day! Complaints were made to the security staff. Chants started to rumble, getting louder and louder "put the flag down!" No response. Linda complained, then I did. One member of the staff even had the cheek to tell me, even though I'd read the code and could clearly see that this flag didn't meet the requirements laid out in the aforementioned list, that flags were appropriate and if we weren't happy go sit somewhere else! Wow! This loyal hardcore member of the Revs "family" could wave his flag to his heart's content.

We'd had enough. This wonderful event, seeing United for the first time in three years was becoming sour by the second. We found the office we were told to find. We weren't on our own. We were given tickets for another section of the ground. Other people who were in our section who complained followed our lead. They were equally as pleased to find other seats. What was interesting was that the people who complained weren't "stuffy" or "pompous" old people but people of all ages. One guy felt so enraged by the whole affair he said he'd cancel his Season Ticket. Now that's serious in my book.

Half Time: New England Revolution 0 Manchester United 0

In the second half, we got to see our beloved Reds turn on the style. Their passing was smooth and accurate, and soon the goals started to flow. Goals from Michael Owen (looking like his old self), two from Federico Macheda (back from his loan spell in Italy with Sampdoria) Ji-Sung Park (nice passing between him and Michael Carrick) saw United come out worthy winners. The Revs scored with a deflected free kick from Mansally. Benny Feilhaber won a free kick after being felled by Rio Ferdinand. Mansally was in the wall and deflected it passed Anders Lingaard in United's goal. Anders had a competent game, showing "good hands" as they say in the trade. He looks a sound and competent acquisition and will provide good competition for new star signing David de Gea.

Full Time: New England Revolution 1 Manchester United 4

You'd think I have had my whinge. Not finished yet! To our dismay, we saw this flying object in the second half . . .

Is it a bird? No! Is it a plane? No! It's a bloody flying beachball - a "banned" object!

A BLOODY BEACH BALL! For the record, we were subject to an airport "pat down" before we went into the stadium. Honestly, the "Code of Conduct" isn't worth the paper it's written on. The Security Staff didn't seem too bothered. I think they were enjoying the whole occasion of having the second best team in Europe, the reigning English Champions or the most recognized team on the planet, whichever name you wish to use, playing good football and showing the United States that although great strides have been made by the game in this country there's a long way to go yet. Real Madrid's 4-1 thrashing of Los Angeles Galaxy shows that there still is a gulf in class. I think what sets the Galaxy and the Revs apart from the Uniteds and the Madrids of this world is the speed of thought and first touch. It is just that much better.

It was good to see United again. It seems funny to think that the next time Linda and I will see a game of football live will be at Booth Street Congleton. Life takes you on many paths, that's why it's good to have as many experiences as possible and venture out whenever possible and experience life.

Here's some more pictures from the game and enjoy the coverage ESPN and Fox Soccer Channel give this summer. There's plenty of opportunity to enjoy football before the season starts!

Scoreboards have changed a bit!

The Revs warming up

United!!!

USA's finest.

The game kicks-off!

Mark your men Reds

Job done! Substituted Nani, Young and Carrick can say job well done.

The words say it all - United 4 Revs 1

Just one more word . . . want to know a little bit more about the hardcore loyal fans known as "The Fort"? We saw the second half of the Revs' league game on Sunday when they played Philadelphia Union. They were soundly thrashed 3-0. The place echoed as players' shouts could be heard. Where was the loyal fan base? Gone home, sulking, taking their flags home in protest at the sad demise of their team. Not so loyal now are they? Let me tell you about loyal fans. Let me tell you about a team you fans were asking about on Wednesday Surely you must remember the song "Who the fuck are Man United?" I'll tell you who Manchester United are. They are the reigning English Champions. They are the most successful team in English league history. They are the team that has the highest attendance average year in year out, and has done for more years than I can remember. How's that for a statistic, you stat-obsessed lot? Even when they were in English football's second tier, the fans turned up, week in, week out. I rest my case. Revs fans - stick with your team, no matter what the result. If you want to sing English football songs, here's another one to remember "Part-time supporter!!"

The Beautiful Game Needs A Face Lift

2011-07-07T07:37:00.000-07:00

About the only good thing happening in football right now!

The game we love has been in existence for a long long time. I've been following it for nearly 40 years now. Yet today I fear for the game of Association Football.

The game whose goals mirror real life, namely hard work, honesty, teamwork and skill are in danger of being cast aside through no fault of the game's itself. The ugly spectre of greed and corruption are in danger of enveloping football like a cancer, killing off the notion once and for all that football is indeed a sport.

From F.I.F.A. down, corruption is infiltrating the game. The only man to attempt to contend the recent F.I.F.A. Presidency, Mohamed bin Hammam, is under investigation on corruption charges. Sepp Blatter claims that his mission for the rest of his tenure as President he will rid the game of corruption. This from the man who famously said women should wear skimpier kits to promote the women's game! Yet what evidence do we see of this happening? Jack Warner, the man who was adamant that "Blatter must be stopped" is now "retired" and on a 20 year pension. Smacks of a pay-off don't you think?

Just recently, in an attempt to see "real news" over here in the States, my wife and I have taken to watching Al Jazeera and "Countdown with Keith Olbermann" on Current TV. Al Jazeera recently highlighted the current plight of corruption in the game with an excellent programme. It is well worth watching. The situation is increasingly getting worse.

In Finland, players have been offered hundreds of thousands of Euros to alter the outcome of games. The betting rings centre around Singapore and Malaysia. However, the plight in Turkey is particularly worrying. In some ways, you'd expect struggling footballers to be susceptible to financial "rewards" but not players who play in the top flight of a league. Fenerbache is a name that is familiar to me and anyone who has followed European football for any amount of time. Today their name is mud after serious match fixing allegations were levied against them. Their President is included in the scandal.. 22 people are in jail.

So what causes this malaise? Well, my Mother was rather apt at trotting out sayings to me as a little boy. They have proved to be very true as I have grown older. The phrase that comes to mind now is "money is the root of all evil" is very very appropriate!

There has been such an influx of money into the game in the last twenty years. Players earn in hours what most fans earn in a year. Corporate sponsors are falling over themselves in their attempt to have their name plastered all over tournaments, stadia, shirts etc. Yet this fuels the greed. F.I.F.A.'s revenue in 2010 went passed $1 billion dollars for the first time. There needs to be a drastic change in policy in ensuring that there is a greater redistribution of the wealth the games generates. Image is wonderful but there needs to be a complete change in what the money does. Obviously what is going on is not good enough.

U.E.F.A. - the game's governing body in Europe - had the idea of charging ridiculous prices for the game's showpiece event, the Champions League final that took place at Wembley Stadium between Barcelona and my beloved Manchester United. The cheapest seat at the game was $171 if you happened to use a wheelchair. Otherwise it was $284 (don't forget the astronomical booking and administration fee), rising to $7,562 for the "prawn sandwich brigade" in the corporate suites. The idea was to deter people from buying from ticket touts, or scalpers as they're known over here. Yet touts won't care: they know that there are people who are desperate to see a game will buy whatever the price. So they show good Keynesian Economic principles and speculate to accumulate! Michel Platini, once a tremendously gifted footballer and now President of U.E.F.A., apologized for the decision. Having prices that high in today's economic climate was insensitive to say the least. Bloody stupid would be accurate! Wembley has been granted the final in 2013 to commemorate the F.A's 150th birthday. I await with bated breath what the prices will be for future finals.

The game is the people's game. It is a game born out of the working class areas of Northern England and exported to over 200 countries worldwide. F.I.F.A. has more members than the United Nations for goodness sake! F.I.F.A recognizes Palestine!

The desire to cater to to the corporate masses leaves a sour taste in the mouth. Don't the game's governing bodies realize that increasing ticket prices will lead ultimately to falling attendances and fans seeking games that are more competitively priced to watch? The knock on effect will lead to companies not wanting to advertise in the game which will lead to falling revenues if they see that their product isn't getting maximum publicity. What's next, companies dictating to TV stations and the Premier League saying if it isn't a sell-out crowd then the game can't be shown live on TV, because we won't get the exposure we want and demand the game be "blacked out" because we put in millions of pounds?

Players need to look at themselves and say "how much do I really need?" I don't blame players for wanting to secure a good life style for themselves in what is a relatively short career but the figures touted around today are ridiculous. A salary cap is needed. I've said it on here before and it needs to be said again - the game I love can learn from the N.F.L. and their attitude towards players' wages.

I've been to a United game on a "corporate outing"; it was a Champions League tie against Bayern Munich 10 years ago. The rep who I bought cardboard boxes off was a big United fan. Bigger than me for certain. Paul Knowles was his name. Used to refer to Old Trafford as "Mecca". Paul and myself were the only ones who seemed to actually care about the game. The others in their suits seemed to not give a hoot. I love United very much but the prices keep going up and up. In the 1993-1994 season I didn't miss a home game. I can't see that happening ever again. Linda and I will follow United with the passion and intensity we have since we've been together but for live games we'll be going to see more lower league games. United trips will be a treat. Sad to say but true.

The game is the people's game. Its whole raison d'etre reeks of socialism! Teamwork, togetherness and a desire for the common good are core values when those players cross the white line. Win together, lose together. The game's governing bodies need to realise that by spreading the income they receive more evenly will result in a more well balanced game, a more open game and ultimately a more honest game. Football is the best sport in the world in my book and we need to make sure it stays that way and not become any more rotten that what is sadly happening now.

Anyhow, I don't want to end on a sad note. We're off to Foxborough next week to see United. We can't wait! There'll be a full match report and plenty of pictures to share.

Thankyou for reading this article wherever you are in the world. I am so pleased with the statistics I have seen. This is my first foray into "blogging" and I enjoy writing. Please contact me with ideas for blogs etc. Please be nice with your suggestions!

Ed

Emlyn Hughes - How Could You?!

2011-07-01T08:15:00.000-07:00

Kevin Keegan, Mrs.Thatcher and Emlyn Hughes

Image is everything in today's world don't you think? How a famous person comes over means an awful lot. A great example of this is in the simple act of writing your name.

You wouldn't think writing your name could mean so much but the truth of the matter is it does.

The man on the right of the picture was one of my early childhood football heroes. He didn't play for a team I supported but for some reason I latched on to him. His name - Emlyn Hughes.

He was Captain of Liverpool in their heyday in the 1970's. He also was Captain of England. He played for England 67 times. An enthusiastic player, what he lacked in skill he made up for in endeavour. He always seemed to play with a smile on his face. He made such an impression on little Eddie Kennedy that when I went to get my haircut at "Jack's Hairdressers" on Park Street in Congleton I would say "Can I get my haircut like Emlyn Hughes please Dad?" and Jack would duly oblige.

Anyhow, Emlyn later left Liverpool for Wolverhampton and after that Rotherham United, a team in Yorkshire. This is where the story kicks in big time of how Emlyn broke my heart, left my Mum fuming and the feelings still haven't gone all these years later!

Rotherham United, under Emlyn, came to Congleton in the early 1980's to play a pre-season friendly against Congleton Town.

"Wow!" I thought. Here was a chance to meet a famous footballer and one who'd been my favourite for years. So, off to Booth Street, Congleton Town's ground we went. To give you a flavour of what a semi professional ground looks like, here's a picture of the ground taken when Linda and I saw an F.A. Cup tie there in 2008.

Booth Street Congleton 2008

So, alive with nervous anticipation at the prospect of seeing a hero in the flesh, I, along with several others hung around pitch side with our autograph books. The teams came out to warm up. Both Congleton Town and Rotherham United. There he was, the one time captain of England in the flesh, Emlyn Hughes!

Naturally we clustered around him. He said he was busy getting ready for the game and that autographs would be signed at half time. With a slightly heavy heart, we all resigned ourselves to waiting for half time to come.

Half time came and the excitement resurfaced. Now's the chance to get it, said my Mum. I waited and waited. Nothing! It would have to be at the end of the game now: he wouldn't disappoint his fans now would he?

He did. Word got out a few minutes after the match had finished that the celebrated ex- Captain of England and Liverpool, a man who would be a captain of the TV quiz show "A Question of Sport" and charm the nation had proved to be a complete sod and escaped out of the back of the ground and got on to the bus and gone.

It left a sour taste in my mouth. It still does. A degree of humility never does anyone any harm at all. An autograph is a cherished possession. I still have my autograph book. It looks battered now but all the signatures are still there. Emlyn's isn't and that memory will never go away. I wrote about the joy of meeting celebrated keyboard player Ian McLagan at The Ironhorse in Northampton (www.iheg.com) in my companion blog www.thelateenglishbreakfast.blogspot.com; the joy he gave to my wife and I cannot be quantified. The contrast in emotions felt couldn't be more obvious. The signed copy of his autobiography is one of our treasured possessions. I once got Sir Alex Ferguson to sign a copy of his autobiography. That was at the inaugural Hall of Fame Induction Dinner in 2002. A cherished memory.

Many years later Linda and I attended a Manchester United reserve game at Altrincham F.C.'s ground, Moss Lane. A couple of young lads were desperate to get some autographs. They tried to get them at a a time when the players had finished their pre-match warm up and were just going off to get their final instructions. They asked me for some inexplicable reason (or was it?!) when would be a good time. Now I swear I wasn't thinking about that night in Congleton but my explanation seemed to work. I'm glad I helped them. I didn't want them to have the feelings I had about Emlyn Hughes.

It's a shame we've become more cynical and opportunistic . . . clubs train behind closed doors and ban the players from signing autographs as they don't want the signatures on eBay. However, the joy a signature of a player or any celebrity gives to a fan can last a lifetime.

Enjoy the summer of football - United are on their way to the USA!!! Look out for pictures and a blog post on the big game from yours truly.

Thankyou for reading this whereever you are in the world,

Ed

Do You Remember The First Time?

2011-06-28T08:08:00.000-07:00

I'll never forget my first time - I was doing it with 58,000 others at the time!

Do you remember your first time? I do, as if it was yesterday. The build up to it was memorable as well. It started with me wearing my school uniform . . . I'm talking of course of going to a game for the first time (what did you think I meant?!)

A pal of mine at school by the name of Dave McNulty had asked me if I wanted to go to Old Trafford to watch United. They were to play Everton in the F.A.Cup.

Naturally, I was excited. I'd only ever been to Old Trafford to see England schoolboys on a school trip two years previous. That was memorable in itself, seeing the ground for the first time.However, this was to see my team . . . we were talking big time stuff here!

Anyhow, I was told that I'd be accompanying him, his brother and his mates to the game. All I had to do was get my own bus ticket. The local bus company, Bostocks, ran buses to every home game back then. Sounds good. One problem - how to get round the big obstacle that was my dad.

He loved his football, was a half decent player as a schoolboy - even represented Congleton back in the 1930's. However, he did not like the prospect of his eldest son getting into mischief. He didn't want me wandering off with a group of lads anywhere. A recipe for disaster in his eyes. I think he remembered his own schooldays a bit too well I think. There was a solution. There was someone who knew about how to handle my dad in the best way possible - my mum!

The plan between my mum and myself was hatched. Dad was told that Dave's dad was going to take us all. That sounded good. Then, a few days later, Mr.McNulty's car was going to have problems (wink wink) and we would have no choice but to go and get our bus tickets from Bostocks in order to go to the game.

Now, my dad has been dead for over 25 years now. I miss him very much. He was a very clever, street wise feller. Yet somehow the plan worked like clock work! Dad took it. So, one day after school I was allowed to walk down town and get my bus ticket. Here's where my happy memory of my school uniform comes in!

Feeling proud to go and get my bus ticket, I was even prouder when I got home and told Mum and Dad that I had been addressed as "Mr. Kennedy" even though I was wearing my school uniform! It makes me smile thinking about it now, nearly thirty years on.

So, the day of the game. Saturday March 12th 1983. I had to be there at 12 noon. Dave had my match ticket. It only cost a pound back then! My times have changed! We set off. I was excited. I remember we had to go to the Bostock's Bus depot in Macclesfield as well.

We got there just before two. The bus dropped us off by the docks. We walked up to Old Trafford. I sense it now . . . and therre we were. Our tickets were in the famous Stretford End. Old Trafford then was nothing like it is now. Our tickets were for the standing area. It was an area that I wasn't very well prepared for.

I bought my programme inside the ground. It cost 30p to buy. Today, they cost 3 quid (aboout $4.50) . . . again, how times have changed! The programme is something I have cherished ever since and I still have every programme I have bought from a game I have been to. My Mum has been very kindly looking after them for me since I've been here in the States. When we go back I'm looking forward to getting them back. Here's what the first programme looked like

One of my most treasured possessions!

I'll never forget the view as I walked up those steps on the left side of the Stretford End as the magnificent stadium appeared before me. Along with my first view of 7th Avenue in New York, the view of Old Trafford was amazing. To see something you've only ever seen on the telly is breath taking. What I wasn't ready for was the pushing and shoving of thousands of people all crammed in tight in the ground.

The noise swarms around you as you slowly try to decipher what songs are being sung. I quickly learned that it was important to stand halfway between crash barriers as when there was an exciting moment in gthe game the crowd would surge forward. If you were near the barrier you'd feel the full force of people moving down towards you. I did my best to stay near to Dave, his brother and his friends.

The game kicked off. It was an F.A.Cup Quarter Final tie against Everton. The atmosphere soon sucked you in and you were hooked! It wasn't long before I was singing along with everyone else. I could tell my voice was getting hoarse. (I would catch a bad cold as a result of the singing and have the following three days off school; Dave said when I saw him on my return that he thought the experience had killed me off!)

The game was won by United, Frank Stapleton scoring the only goal of the game. It was scored with five minutes to go. Apparently, Dave's elder brother Andy had lost sight of me and turned to see where I was and missed the goal! Sorry! I was happy I'd seen United play for the first time live and the adreanaline buzz was still whizzing around relentlessly in my head.

I got home safe and sound. I would go to watch United on Bostocks several more times while Dad was around. The plan continued to work, with Dad being told that it was deemed more appropriate to go via public transport in order to protect the car - it was still the era of the "football hooligan" so Dad was OK. He would later say to me that he was glad I went to matches and not those "bloody pop concerts"!

That Saturday night, after being fed the usual Saturday night fare of Steak and Chips (never complained once and never will when given that meal!) Dad asked me about the game and even read the match programme. It was the beginning of a ritual that would continue for what turned out to be the remaining two and half years left Dad had on this earth. It was nice looking back; a bonding moment you could say. His work as a self employed Plumber meant that Saturday was a work day. I only attended one match with him. It was a friendly between Congleton Town and Sheffield United. I think the attraction was an ex-England World Cup star playing for "The Blades": Sheffield is known as "The Steel City" because it's where cutlery is famously made.

Saturday night also saw the highlights of the game being shown on TV. It was fun seeing the game again and piecing together what you had seen. There are times when it's hard to remember stuff that happened because the game goes by so quickly. I remember going to see England play in 2008 when Linda and I were back visiting. We got back from Wembley in time to catch some of the highlights. I soon dropped back into my old routime . . . like the song says, "old habits die hard"!

I've been to many games since that day in March 1983. In some ways I take it for granted now, going to a game. Having Linda with me when we went back was wonderful for many reasons but it also reignited my enthusiasm for attending games. The look on her lovely face as she saw Old Trafford for the first time made me realise that you should never take moments like that for granted. It's a wonderful expereince going to a game. We've seen the New England Revolution whilst we've been over here a few times and that's been great. We saw a friendly between Brazil and Mexico . . . now that reminded me of home with it's vibrant atmosphere! Soon, we'll be making what will be our last trip to Foxborough to see "The Revs" play against some team from Manchester . . .yup, my beloved Reds. I can hardly wait. It'll be a memorable night for certain. They always say you don't really realise how much you miss something until it's taken away from you. I have loved my time in the USA but the chance to see United . . doesn't get much better than this! I'm so excited about the game, it feels like I'm 15 again!

Enjoy your football and if you can take someone to a game who's never seen one before, do it! You'll help them to have memories that'll stay with them forever!

Ed

PS United went on to win the F.A.Cup in 1983; they beat Brighton and Hove Albion 4-0 in a replay of the final after drawing the first game 2-2.

The Gold Standard and Other Stuff!

2011-06-23T08:31:00.000-07:00

Spandau Ballet love this stuff!

Morning All!

I've been watching The Gold Cup lately. I've followed the United States' progress with interest. It's been very interesting for me to view the continued evolution of the team and of the perception of the sport in general here in this country.

The team have not been outstandingly brilliant, but outstandingly hard working. I've been impressed by the collective spirit shown by the team. The celebrations displayed by the team when Clint Dempsey scored what proved to be the winning goal in the game against Panama yesterday were wonderful. The acknowledgement shown by Dempsey to Landon Donovan for the pass hit with perfect pace across the face of the goal was very reminiscent of all the great Championship winning teams. However, the pass from the recalled Freddy Adu wasn't too bad either!

A United States team - united

The team hasn't set the world alight but they've got the results. At the end of the day, that's what tournament football is all about. It sounds like I'm speaking the obvious, but tournament football is about doing all that's necessary. A 1-0 win here, a draw there: getting out of the group stages is all that is needed. If you can get out of your group as the winner then great. When you get to the knock-out stages its all about taking the chances that you get. Last night we did. Confidence breeds confidence. That's why the 2010 World Cup was a "coming of age" party for the USA team. Now they have that experience and it shows in the matches that I've seen. They're in the final against Mexico. I'm looking forward to the game on Saturday. The ideal result would be an exciting, close fought game with the US winning with Chicharito scoring Mexico's goals!

The Boy Wonder!

Talking of Senor Hernandez, the boy cannot stop scoring! He's the top scorer in the tournament. He's been a wonderful signing for United. His knack of being in the right place at the right time is magnificent. To score over 20 goals in your first season is fantastic. If I could afford the new United shirt (which is very smart by the way!) I'd have his name put on the back.
If I have to make a constructive criticism of Hernandez's play is that he needs to work on the timing of his runs. He caught offside too many times for my liking last season. However, I have to say he's a wonderful talent and I hope he's a Red for years to come.
Talking of English football, 25 years ago this week England played Argentina in the World Cup Quarter Final. It turned out to be one of the most memorable games of all time. Diego Maradona scored the best World Cup goal and also the sneakiest. The infamous "Hand Of God" goal.

Great Player - cheating sod!

I mention the England team because four years later we had the best World Cup I've ever seen and the best since 1966. Italia '90. It is as vivid as if it was yesterday. The drama of the semi final against West Germany . . . Gazza's tears, the penalty misses by Stuart Pierce and Chris Waddle and the dramatic quarter final against Cameroon. David Platt's 120th minute winner against Belgium. Glorious memories. Yet it started so slowly.
We played Eire in the opening game. That was a 1-1 draw. The other games saw us draw with Holland and a narrow 1-0 win against Egypt. There was dissension in the ranks. It is alleged that the players approached manager Bobby Robson to change tactics.
A team grows throughout a tournament. You don't get to play for your national team and qualify for a tournament without being any good. All teams need hard work, skill and good luck to win a trophy. England sadly ran out of luck in 1990 at the completely wrong time, sadly, but all in all it was a great showing. We haven't done as well since.
The American public need to get behind the team and watch the game on Saturday night on the Fox Soccer Channel. It'll be a great game.

Enjoy the summer of football

Ed

Bless Me Father for I have . . . smashed it in the back of the net!

2011-06-14T06:45:00.000-07:00

Surely a mistake?

Football and religion don't mix - do they? It sounds almost heretical doesn't it? It's not possible to compare something as deeply serious and meaningful as religion with something which to all intent and purpose is just a game. . .

Yet there may be an element of truth in this statement. History has shown how a team can bring together a town or indeed a country and unite them in a common "good". Football has shown this on numerous occasions. In England, football teams were formed in the heartland of working class areas of the Midlands and the North as a means to entertain the people and offer an escape from the drudgery of the mills and the mines.

In modern times, the escapades of a team, especially a national team, can make people feel elated or indeed deflated. The mood in England during World Cup and European Championship times is almost uniformly euphoric, with more flags on display than at any other time of the year.When the penalty shoot out is over, it's flat to the point of morbid sadness/anger . . . oh well, there's always next time.

The point is football does bring people together, it truly does. It is probably the only sport that does in any meaningful way. It is a mirror of life that no sport is able to match. Religion shows us that we have to be tolerant towards one another and work together to achieve a common good. It also teaches us that there are highs and lows in life. Religion offers us a means of coping with life. A place of worship brings people from all walks of life together. So does a football stadium.

The New York Times highlighted this excellently recently with an article describing football and its meaning in Israel. It talks about Bnei Sakhnim, the only Arab Israeli team in Israel's First Division. Manchester United has the power to bring together Catholics and Protestants in a way the top two teams in Glasgow, Celtic and Rangers, could never do in a million years. I'll write about Celtic and Rangers in a future article.

I remember seeing DVD called "Beyond The Promised Land" about Manchester United. The opening scenes showed people from Northern Ireland who were big Manchester United fans. There were catholics and protestants in the bus en route to the ferry. Catholic next to Protestant. It can be done.

We can get carried away with football's significance at times. The media deify players. Fans do the same. People have been known to change their names to match their heroes. Most bizarrely of all, there's the Church in Argentina devoted to Diego Maradona. This was the most unique example of adoration of a footballer I have ever heard of. The Guardian's article from 2008 is bewilderingly fascinating.

At the end of the day a football player is just a person like you and me. What he does on the football field is great but does not warrant the astronomical wages being paid today. I've always backed footballers from getting as much as they can but today things have to change. When you hear of clubs spending 107% of their total revenue on wages you have to question the mentality of this in these troubled times.

A football player is just a small cog in the giant machine that is the beautiful game. The beautiful game is just that - a sport that gives meaning and hope to millions of people. It brings people together. Religion has its place in society; in my opinion more so than ever. Our society has lost its way a little. We need vehicles that bring people together and show that there is such a thing as society and togetherness is OK, contrary to what Mrs.Thatcher and her ilk said all those years ago and like to think is still the way forward. It is not. We need as many ways as possible to help people achieve togetherness. Football and religion do just that.

Ed

Football is a Service to the Community

2011-06-02T07:25:00.000-07:00

“Football Is an honest game. It's true to life . It's a game about sharing. Football is a team game. So is life.” Joe Namath

It is . . . trust me and millions of others!

Have you ever heard of Mitchell and Kenyon? My guess is you probably haven't. I came across them in the early part of the new millennium, when the BBC showed a series of films marvellously restored from the beginning of the 20th century.

These films chronicled the lives of the working class people of the North of England. It truly is a remarkable DVD and I am certainly glad that we have it. It is an invaluable resource to have at our disposal. We can learn so much. When we think we are having it rough it should be compulsory to watch this DVD and see what life was like for people, especially young children working in the mills and the factories. Here's a clip showing people coming out of a factory near Oldham Lancashire in 1901 . . .

Sport has played a big part in the working class lives of people, both here in the USA and in Great Britain. If you want proof, here's what is believed to be the first footage of a rather famous team that means a lot to both my wife and myself . . .

Why do I mention this? I am moved to defend the heritage of the game I love after reading a recent article in The Daily Hampshire Gazette (Tuesday 24th May 2011) written by a gentleman called Nathaniel Reade. He made what for me were some very valid points pertaining to an attitude that still persists in American society regarding the game loved by 208 countries (the membership of the game's governing body FIFA)

He highlights the problems faced by the Northampton Soccer Club in securing access to the Oxbow Marina. Now, before I continue, I have to declare something of an interest in this subject as the President of the club is my friend Tim Stokes. He was my co-presenter on "Match of The Day The USA Way"

There seemed to be continued objections, restrictions imposed on the club and the regional team Western United on playing there and primarily objections raised by the residents of Island Road, the road leading to the Marina. I have it on good authority that at one stage during the discussions Tim was asked "Western United have managed to find another venue elsewhere, can't you?"

Western United are a regional team - Northampton Soccer Club, are, well guess what, a team representing NORTHAMPTON!

It really did expose the hypocrisy that is prevalent in the town of Northampton in my opinion. I won't go into that just now, suffice to say the town prides itself on being diverse and a town that encompasses all cultures yadda yadda yadda yet unbeknown to itself shows a very narrow minded and blinkered attitude to a game that is gaining in popularity with each passing year with 3 million children registered as players. Let's not forget to take into account the ratings for last year's World Cup, which were the best ever by all account. My wife and I attended a game being shown at a restaurant in Northampton and the place was full to the brim.

I can't help but wonder what the attitude would have been if the game being played at The Oxbow Marina had been baseball, a game perceived to be "America's game". I'm sure the attitude would have been completely different, because. let's face it, we have to promote something that is uniquely American and not "foreign" don't we? It reminds of that line "If it's not Scottish it's crap!"

There seems to be a deep suspicion of anything that isn't perceived as being American. Well, I have something to disclose. I am thankful I own a book entitled "National Pastime - How Americans Play Baseball and the Rest of the World Plays Soccer" written by Stefan Szymanski and Smith College Professor and one time guest on our show Andrew Zimbalist.

There's a fascinating picture of the father of King George III, Frederick Louis, Prince of Wales. The book quotes him as being a fanatic of cricket, and that in 1748 he wrote about "playing base ball" . There is also documented evidence of a game of baseball being played at Lord's Cricket ground in London between Boston Red Stockings and the Philadelphia Athletics in August 1874.

Here's a picture (below) likely to send some Americans into a rage - an Englishman playing baseball. The cheek of the limey! The point of all this is that football, and sport in general is universal. Irrespective of where it comes from it should be championed. Sport brings people together. It promotes togetherness and teamwork. It really does mirror life in many ways. It provides an outlet for people to make something of their lives. It gives a sense of pride in having taken part in some physical activity. You have memories that last you a lifetime. The memories that those young people have in representing Northampton will never go away. Let's hope Northampton doesn't have to find a venue in another town and adopt another name. The club isn't a franchise that can be moved anywhere at a whim. It's a club that belongs to the town and should remain so.

Harry Wright - an English baseball player for Boston Red Sox

Enjoy your football, wherever you watch or play it

Ed

Brother Can You Spare A Dime? If not, a Knighthood will do . . .

2011-05-11T07:18:00.000-07:00

This time of year in the world of football, especially in England, is famously known as "squeaky bum time". It's the time of the year when medals are awarded for a season's long endeavours, a time when hard work and skill (not to mention a degree of luck) are rewarded after a long nine month season comes to an end. It's the time of the year when hearts are filled with joy or sadness, depending on how well your team has done. However, the headlines all across the papers and websites are all about secret acts of (alleged) skulduggery.

The former chairman of the Football Association, Lord Triesman, accused certain members of FIFA of wanting bribes to vote for England in the recent "debacle" of deciding where the 2018 and 2022 World Cup should be held. The men accused by Lord Triesman, Jack Warner, Nicolas Leoz, Ricardo Teixeira and Worawi Makudi, have by all accounts, wanted things such as nearly $4,000,000, a Knighthood and the opportunity to command the England team to play his country (Thailand) and also the TV rights to the "game". Now, according to the dictionary, bribery is defined as "an act implying money or the giving of a gift that alters the behavior of the recipient." Is it any wonder Interpol are allegedly getting involved?

Quite rightly, the F.A. are taking a stand against this. The game's governing body has even threatened to quit FIFA if the allegations are not investigated thoroughly. The stance shown is admirable. However, the threat might backfire. England could find themselves ostracized from the world's competitions, in the same way that South Africa were during the apartheid years. Nobody would benefit from that. What would be a better solution would be for England to take FIFA to court. Let's get the decision to award Russia and Qatar the competitions revoked. It's noble to get the tournament to places that have not had the opportunity to host it before, but if that really was at the back of FIFA's mind, then why encourage bids from England for the 2018 bid and from the USA for 2022? It defies logic. It is hard to understand why FIFA would encourage the bids when deep down they had no desire to choose either England or the USA.

England and USA has everything in place to put on a splendid World Cup; in fact they could host it tomorrow if they were asked.The two countries have the stadia, the infrastructure, the ability to host he world's media - you name it, they can cope!

England prides itself on having a "clean" national sport. In fact, we British pride ourselves on being "clean" where sport is concerned. The distaste left in people's mouths last summer when the Pakistanis were accused of ball tampering in Cricket certainly illustrate the desire to keep sport clean.

In 1963 there was a bribery scandal in football. The culprits were found and sent to jail. The thought of the game's governing body having been soiled sends the wrong message. We know the game hasn't been a sport in the truest sense of the word for many years now but this smacks of resentment, exploitation, jealousy and a leaves a dirty great big stain being visible on the integrity of the game.

Thinking about the Cup being held in Qatar in 2022 in the summer, when the temperatures are getting towards 50 degrees Celsius - that's bloody hot in Fahrenheit believe me - makes this person think that the players are the last to be thought of. It is like they're the downtrodden serfs there just to perform when and where at the beck and call of the so called "powers that be" with no say. Now, before people say "they earn enough", well, on this occasion the welfare of the players has to take precedence. Have we not learned from USA 1994 when they were asking players to perform in mid day heat in Florida?

England v Germany 14th May 1938

One final thought of players being exploited for gain . . . have a look at this picture (left) taken in the 1930's, when England played Germany and judge for yourself if we've moved on from exploiting players for personal gain. This picture, believe it or not, was taken nearly 73 years ago. It was on the 14th May 1938 when England players gave the Nazi salute. It was the era of appeasement. The players who played that day felt a little sick and were annoyed that the Foreign Office insisted on the players doing it. However they were given no choice. It truly was a dark moment for English football.

There are so many side issues involved with football these days it needs to be said that ultimately we need fit and healthy players so we can have the TV contracts, the replica shirts and all the other products and services associated with the beautiful game. Healthy. A very important word. There have been cases of footballers dying on the field - the Cameroon international Marc Vivien Foe coming to mind - we don't want it to happen in the game's biggest competition do we? We don't need competitions being played in 50 degree heat. The way the decisions to host the World Cup in Russia and Qatar leave a sour taste in the mouth. Lord Triesman would never have made the allegations, never mind the fact that he was testifying before a Parliamentary committee, if he didn't have the proof. Well done sir for being brave enough to being these allegations to light and shame on those he has cast doubt on for exploiting their positions - allegedly.

Whilst on the subject of exploitation, I was interested to read that the exploitation of players, past and present, isn't just the prerogative of Association Football. The New York Times recently interviewed Jim Brown, the famous all round sportsman. It truly is an interesting article. It illustrated to me the fact that companies feel that they can do what they want with some players. They seem to give the impression that they think "well, he doesn't need all that much money, he's not like the players today" yet the generation he is a part of were the generation that really did shake up the world in terms of not accepting the status quo. We should all be grateful to the likes of Jim Brown. I only wish I had half his courage and determination. It was an article that inspired me to be more expressive in my thoughts when forced into the proverbial corner, believe me!

I mention Jim Brown because it got me thinking about the players who played for England on the 30th July 1966 - England's brightest two hours - when England won the World Cup. Apparently, only three of the players who played that day still own their medal. The rest of them have had to sell their medal to make sure their families were financially secure. These players were victims of the era they played in, when clubs really did control what they did, both on and off the field.

These players, Gordon Banks, George Cohen, Ray Wilson, Jack Charlton, Bobby Moore, Nobby Stiles, Bobby Charlton, Alan Ball, Geoff Hurst, Martin Peters and Roger Hunt, are enshrined in the history of the game in England. Their names trip of the tongue to any self respecting football fan and yet we have cast them aside in one way to such an extent that . I wish we could have used their knowledge more profitably. We might not have had to wait so long to see England win the World Cup. How many years of hurt is it now, 45??!!

Enjoy the remaining games left of this season,

Eddie

A Little United Nostalgia

2011-03-24T11:04:00.000-07:00

How do!

In 1999 I went to Sir Alex Ferguson's testimonial at Old Trafford. It was quite a game. There was a United side playing against a "World XI" , which, if my memory serves me correctly, had the funniest goalkeeper I've ever seen playing - or was that in the Munich testimonial the year previous . . . oh well, it'll come to me!

Anyhow, 70 minutes into the game, the World XI went off, to everbody's bemusement - to be replaced en masse, by a team of United Legends . . . it was United v United!

A treat for Reds fans all over the joint, have a look at this little gem

Au revoir!

Coaching . . . the final frontier?

2011-03-24T10:16:00.000-07:00

An interesting article from the BBC . . . it takes caoching to a new level

http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/football/9421702.stm

Eddie

The Nation

2011-03-24T10:04:00.000-07:00

Hi All,

An excellent article from "The Nation" that highlights a side of South Africa that wasn't shown quite as much during last year's World Cup

http://www.thenation.com/article/154706/world-cup-hangover-hits-south-africa

Eddie

Eric in New York Part 2

2011-03-04T15:51:00.000-08:00

Hello Again!

Here's Eric interviewed by ESPN . . . very insightful!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=beh-UTOMQtI

Eddie

A Frenchman in New York

2011-03-04T07:19:00.000-08:00

Here's an interview with Eric done in New York . . . very interesting and, as usual, very philosophical!

http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/football/football_focus/9413628.stm

Eddie

Have a Listen . . . He's Good!

2011-03-02T06:27:00.000-08:00

The Sex Pistols and PIL's John Lydon talks football very humourously with Micky Quinn and Jason Cundy on Talksport last weekend!

http://www.talksport.co.uk/radio/weekend-sports-breakfast/blog/2011-02-26/lydon-silence-stands-just-rotten

Play the Game Will Ya?!

2011-02-24T07:44:00.000-08:00

Howdy!

Here's someone who understands the fans

I was interested to read that the Qatari Prime Minister Sheikh Hamad bin Jasim al-Thani doesn't know the rules of football. Qatar, as you will know, recently won the right to stage the 2022 World Cup. We hire the next King ( an avid football fan ) and the ex England captain to try to get the bid . . . something wrong with this picture . . . it's not what you know but who you know and how much they have in their bank account that really matters . . .

Talking of the Al Thani family, I read with interest that they are planning ( allegedly ) another bid for Manchester United, according to today's Daily Mail. A piece of advice gentlemen . . . if it IS true, please read up on the game AND our beloved club.

I remember well when Rupert Murdoch tried to buy United back in the 1990's. His people at Sky were selling this bid like it was going out of fashion. His spokeperson was talking about "the brand" etc., when a journo asked "Who's the left back for the team?" Could he say Dennis Irwin? Nope.

All fans ask is that whoever owns the team CARES about the team and the fans. They want people who feel just as sick when they lose and are as ecstatic when they win. Look at Barry Hearn when Leyton Orient scored that last minute equalizer against the Gooners in the F.A. Cup last weekend.

Changing topics with a body swerve George Best and Ryan Giggs would be proud of, it has been Black History month here in the States. I was interested to read that Viv Anderson, the man whose long legs reminded my dad of the old movie star "Steppenfetchit" has donated his England shirt he wore on his debut to the People's History Museum, situated on Bridge Street in Manchester - a museum I would heartily recommend a visit should you ever be fortunate to visit that wonderful city.

Who's Viv Anderson? Here's a picture . . .

Viv Anderson - the first black player to represent England at full level back in 1978

He was the first player to represent England. Viv was a talented right back for Nottingham Forest during their rapid ascent to the top of the English league under the legendary Brian Clough - must relate a story I heard about him when I attended a "Sportsman's Evening" at The Bulls' Head Hotel in Congleton many years ago sometime soon - he later went on to play for Aresnal, United andSheffield Wednesday. He played for England 30 times.

He was around at a time when the prescence of black footballers was growing rapidly in England. I remember well the players at West Bromwich - Laurie Cunningham ( who sadly died in a car crash in Spain ) Cyrille Regis and Brendan Batson. They were known as "The Three Degrees" after the celebrated group of the day ( Prince Charles' favourite if I'm not mistaken! ) They were all fine players - Brendan Batson later went on to play a prominent role within the Players' Union. These players suffered a lot from crowds back then. Racism was rife. It wasn't uncommon for players to have bananas at them and have monkey noises. Thankfully we have moved on in England.

As Bob Dylan famously sang, the times are certainly changing. We've seen things change dramatically in Egypt and Tunisia and here in the States there's a worrying scenario being acted out in Wisconsin, with their despot/governor Scott Walker.

Then there's Libya. Their leader, Gadaffi, has being issuing all kinds of threats. You have all read about them. I don't need to talk about them on here. Did you know Libya under Gadaffi was once connected with the Grand Old Lady of Italian football, and I'm not talking about one of Berlusconi's rejects . . .

Here's Gadaffi's son with Juventus ( Alessandro Del Piero is on the left as we look - the picture was taken in Tripoli in 2002 )

Gadaffi once had shares in Juventus, the famous old club from Turin once owned by the Agnelli family, the family that owned Fiat. His son actually played for two teams in Serie A. Saadi Al-Gaddafi was signed by the Serie A team Perugia in the beginning of the 2003-2004 season in Italy. Apparently, Gaddafi lasted for a short period of time in Perugia since he was suspended for steroid use. He denied abusing steroids, allegedly having a dodgy "Fleetwood Mac" - that's cockney rhyming slang for back by the way! He signed with Udinese and made one appearance at a preseason friendly against AC Milan.

Anyhow, enjoy your football wherever you see it, we're getting to squeaky bum time!

See you next time,

Eddie

It Must Be Funny . . . In A Rich Club's World!

2011-02-10T05:59:00.000-08:00

Hello folks and thanks for tuning in!

Some band who won the Eurovision Song Contest in 1974 - what happened to them?!

I believe it was this band who famously sang about it being rather funny "in a rich man's world" ( it was a number 3 in the charts back home when I was nothing but a little lad in Back Lane Congleton in 1976!)

The same can be said of the life of a modern day football club. Recently, the British transfer record was broken by Chelsea when they paid 50 million pounds for Liverpool's Fernando Torres. A staggering amount you'll agree.

I'm moved to write about this because yesterday ( 9th February ) was the 32nd anniversary of England's first 1 million pound transfer - Trevor Francis ( see below picture ) joined Nottingham Forest from Birmingham City

Here's Trevor scoring the winning goal for Forest in the 1979 European Cup Final against Sweden's Malmo - a worthy investment methinks?

Trevor Francis's transfer was a big deal back then. People were shaking their heads in disbelief. Alf Common crept into football's conversation.

Alf Common : the first 1,000 pound man - not quite Steve Austin, but close enough back in 1905!

Who's he you might ask? Well, he was the first 1,000 pound transfer back in 1905. I remember people getting giddy when the record fee was 300,000 pounds back in 1974 when Bob Latchford went from Birmingham to Everton. Enough of the history and let's whizz forward to the present day situation.

Is anyone worth 50 million pounds? That really is the question. Football is, in my mind, a unique profession. Unless you are truly gifted talent wise and look after yourself ( Good Morning Ryan Giggs! ) your career is relatively short. The game today appears to be awash with money. Players are paid staggering amounts of money. Bonuses for winning trophies are colossal.

Now, I've always defended players. If you work in an industry that wants to pay you more in a week than what your average match going fan ( like I was ) earn in 5 years you aren't going to turn your nose up at it, are you?

However, I really feel the game I love can learn something from the NFL. I'm talking of a salary cap. Something like this will have to happen sooner rather than later because UEFA last year passed into existence their "Financial Fair Play" rules. They come into effect in the next couple of years.

These new rules basically say ". . . clubs may not spend more than the income they generate. Clubs will also be assessed on a risk basis, in which debt and salary levels are taken into consideration. They will have to ensure that liabilities are paid in a punctual manner. The regulations and criteria laid down are also designed to help stimulate long-term planning for areas such as youth development and improving/upgrading sports installations. "

Michel Platini, once a gifted French midfielder in his day and now UEFA's President, says that the idea is to put stability back into the game and to stop excessive spending. Yet the Premier League just spent something like 215 million pounds on players in the January transfer window! Chelsea spent 70 million on two players yet at the same time announced losses of 70 million pounds. My beloved Reds are up to their eyeballs in debt courtesy of the high debt saddled to the club by Malcolm Glazer when he bought the club in 2005. As the Americans might say - Helllllloooo???!!!!

Clubs need supporters to make the game an entertaining spectacle. Atmosphere is a primary ingredient in the mix of football. Players, Managers and fans have an equal responsibility to make the product worth watching for those of us who can't get to games for whatever reason. I paid 1 pound when I first went to United back in 1983 - last time, when I took Linda, it was 40 pounds - each! Fans need to be have affordable football, otherwise more teams like AFC Wimbledon and FC United of Manchester will appear.

Clubs need to remember their roots. They are an integral part of a community. Yes, the "community" is bigger now as globalization makes the world a smaller place, but, the fan who lives in Stretford or Congleton is just as important as the fan in Beijing or Los Angeles if you catch my drift.

TV Companies pay a lot of money to televise games. Over the years we've become used to games being "skyjacked" - kick off times manipulated by Sky TV to suit their needs - this doesn't happen over here in the States. Never. Yet here's the real worry - sometimes TV companies over here "black out" games that haven't sold out. That would be a crying shame if it ever happened in England.

Maybe the solution in England is for free to air Commercial TV ( ITV ) and the BBC to work together and fight satellite TV. Live football should be able to be seen by everyone. They work together when it comes to the World Cup and the European Championships. Come on ITV and BBC - work together for the common good! There's a bit of socialism for you and no mistake!

Oh well, rant over for today - enjoy your football wherever you see it.

Eddie

Possibly the worst refereeing decision . . . ever!

2011-02-09T09:06:00.000-08:00

Hello folks,

There's been calls for referees to have more help when making decisons for quite sometime now. The governing bodies seem reluctant to embrace modern technology. Extra referees have been used, first in the Europa League and this season in the Champions League.

After watching this clip from a cup tie back home in England, you'll understand why it is important we have them now!

Have a look for yourself http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SaDci33GGzE

It truly is amazing. I saw a game at Old Trafford a few years ago . . . we were playing Spurs, always a well fought, highly contested fixture. There was a refereeing decision that to this day baffles me . . . have a look; after watching it you will see United were very lucky to finish the game with one point - we should have had none.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U-8dOjeVC80

Then of course there was the now legendary incident involving New York Red Bulls' Thierry Henry when he was playing in the World Cup Play-Off against the Republic of Ireland. . .

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jxw1-Id91lQ

Maybe a concerted effort from fans around the world will make the game's governing bodies change their minds . . .

See you next time,

Eddie

"We'll Never Die" Hanky Park

2011-02-04T09:16:00.000-08:00

Have a look at this video

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d6wgOEkFwwo

I used to play this song on "The Late English Breakfast" back in the day - great tune! Come on You Reds!

Eddie

Munich 1958 - Never Forgotten

2011-02-04T09:07:00.000-08:00

Hello All,

Tomorrow is the 6th February. It is the 53rd anniversary of the Munich Air Disaster. Twenty one people died, including eight first team players. Not one player was over 30 years of age.

1958 is a long time ago. No United fan should ever forget them.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=meILJSQuH3g

This video is a fitting tribute in my opinion. Here are the lyrics to the song.

The Flowers Of Manchester

One cold and bitter Thursday in Munich, Germany,

Eight great football stalwarts conceded victory.

Eight men will never play again, who met disaster there,

The flowers of English football, the flowers of Manchester.

The Busby Babes were flying home, returning from Belgrade,

This great United family all masters of their trade.

The pilot of the aircraft, the skipper Captain Thain,

Three times tried to take off and twice turned back again.

The third time down the runway disaster followed close,

There was slush upon that runway and the aircraft never rose.

It ploughed into the marshy ground, it broke, it overturned.

And eight of that team were killed when the blazing wreckage burned.

Roger Byrne and Tommy Taylor, who were capped for England's side,

And Ireland's Liam Whelan and England's Geoff Bent died.

Mark Jones and Eddie Coleman and David Pegg also,

They all lost their lives as it ploughed on through the snow.

Big Duncan he went too, with an injury to his brain,

And Ireland's brave Jack Blanchflower will never play again.

The great Matt Busby lay there, the father of this team,

Three long months passed by before he saw his team again.

The trainer, coach and secretary and three members of the crew,

Also eight sporting journalists who with United flew,

And one of them was Big Swifty who we will ne'er forget,

The finest English 'keeper that ever graced a net.

England's finest football team it's record truly great,

It's proud success mocked by this cruel turn of fate.

Eight men will never play again who met disaster there,

The flowers of English football, the flowers of Manchester.

Best wishes

Eddie

Start Spreading The News . . .

2011-02-03T07:08:00.000-08:00

Morning All!

Hiya - hope you're all well. You all know the tune . . . "Start spreading the news . . . I want to be a part of it, New York, New York!" Well the feller pictured below now is on his way!

King Eric - in a very regal pose!

I was surprised - yet not surprised - to read recently that Eric Cantona is returning to football as the director of football for the returning New York Cosmos.

A very principled man in many ways, this chance appeals to him. It's a chance to create something out of nothing. He himself said it was like combining his two passions - football and art.

The Cosmos have entrusted Eric wit the job of recruiting the right players so the Cosmos will have a chance of getting the 2013 franchise in the MLS. Right now, there's not even a stadium.

This will be a great move for the MLS. It's a chance to create inter-team rivalry, something which is sadly lacking at the moment. As any fan knows, a "derby" is a great game to attend. I've been fortunate to see one or two Manchester derbies in my time and trust me - there's nothing like it!

On a more general level, the name New York Cosmos is in itself quite magical. The list of people who've played for them is quite outstanding. You may have heard of one of them - some feller called Pele!

I remember it well when I used to get my SHOOT! magazine when I was a boy. During the season, they'd feature the NASL. There'd be artcles from players who'd play there to keep fit before the season started back home.

Also, get this movie out if you have the opportunity - "Once In A Lifetime" It's the story of the Cosmos. It's fascinating for anyone who likes football passionately - like me! It sums up the excesses of the 70's very very well. I look forwards to following the Cosmos very much.

The People's Game - for men AND women!

The recent firing of Andy Gray and Richard Keys from Sky Sports for their comments about the woman who was the Assistant Referee at the recent Wolves v Liverpool game highlight the still unfortunate ignorance lingering in certain quarters of the game.

Their patronizing, sexist comments about Sian Massey were terible. Women have been involved in the game for more years than people realize. I was fortunate to go to the inauguaral Football Hall of Fame induction dinner in 2002. One of the inductees was a woman called Lily Parr who played in the 1920's! We need to be more enlightened. Messrs Keys and Gray have forgotten what happened to Ron Atkinson a few years ago.

Anyhow, enjoy your football and see you next time!

Eddie

How cool!

2011-02-03T06:23:00.000-08:00

Hello!

Been away from England for over 4 years now . . . planning my return . . . makes me want to see this programme again!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A0mHlDJHfdU

It's the opening titles for Match of The Day - very clever!

Eddie

It's A Funny Old Game . . .

2011-01-11T06:52:00.000-08:00

Hello There!

Well well well (to quote Duffy!) it's been a strange old season so far hasn't it? A team that has dropped points left right and centre is top of the league (my beloved Reds), managers sacked seemingly every day and Becks is back in England. Those are just the first things to come to mind!

First of all, my condolences go to the family of Richard Butcher, the player who sadly died yesterday at the age of 29. Macclesfield, the town where I was born, have suffered another tragedy within the space of twelve months following the death of their manager Keith Alexander. It's hard to fathom out why these things happen, especially to people who are supposedly in the best of health, so it's very sad when this happens.

It's been pleasing that the Premier League has been so open this year. It's been said to me "where's the excitement when you don't have play-offs?" (alongside the usual daft comment about the game being boring because "it takes too long to score" and "you have 0-0 games" - well 204 countries around the world can't be wrong can they??!!) The Premier League has shown that if teams go in with the right mental attitude they can go to places like Old Trafford, Anfield and get results! They have taken up the mantra "play the game and not the occasion".

The seemingly incessant sacking of managers this year - 42 managers currently plying their trade have been in the job for less than 1 year! - to me gives a very powerful insight into the mindset of the chairmen/owners of teams! By the way, there are 92 teams playing professional football in England and Wales . . . as the Yanks say "Do the Math!"

Consistency is the key to success. Sir Alex Ferguson has proved it at United, recently surpassing Sir Matt Busby as United's longst serving manger ( he's now in his 25th year) . . . Arsene Wenger is in his 15th year at Arsenal. He's not won anything for five years has he??!!! Those two managers prove that given time, success will come.

David's back in England. Training with Tottenham Hotspur. His granddad will be proud at long last, looking down from heaven. He was a Spurs fan you see, that's why I said that, in case you're wondering.

Dave - a question. Why not train with United? If all you wanted to do was train, then come to your spiritual home? Others have done it (Dwight Yorke springs to mind) so why not you? You said you couldn't play for another English team . . . we'll see, wont we?

I see they're thinking of tinkering with the game in Never Never land (FIFA) again. Golden goals may reappear. I'll believe it when I see it. Here's the deal, and I have to thank my wife for this - get rid of points for draws. Let's gid rid of the idea that "we only need a draw" from a particular game - that'll liven things up! Let's bring extra time into league games. On this occasion, the Americans have it right. NO DRAWS! There are times in the past when "a draw has seemed like a fair result" has been fair. Now, let's award points for goals scored.

Talking of FIFA, the recent World Cup hosting "thing" was a load of old tosh, wasn't it? If they wanted to award it to countries who have never hosted it before, then why not say so? The whole thing was a farce from start to finish.

The mess for 2006 still sticks in my mind, with United being asked to go to Brazil for that tournament in 2000, to help with the bidding. It's funny how the FA needs United when it suits them. Yet when a United player gets into trouble ( Rio fined for missing drugs test - 50 grand; City player doing the same thing - big fat nothing) all hell breaks loose! I wonder if the powers that be in English football haven't forgiven us for disobeying them fifty odd years ago and entering the European Cup . . .

Despite all these rants (it's only because I care!) it is still the beautiful game, still the best sport on the planet and the reason why my wife and I get up early on Saturday mornings . . . thankyou ESPN for your coverage, thankyou Fox Soccer Channel for your coverage and thankyou football for providing me with so much enjoyment for nearly forty years now.

Til the next time . . . keep enjoying your football

Eddie

All The Young Dudes follow up

2010-07-30T07:25:00.001-07:00

Hey Up!

Here's alink to that New York Times article I was telling you all about

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/06/06/magazine/06Soccer-t.html?_r=1&pagewanted=all

Eddie

All The Young Dudes

2010-07-30T07:05:00.000-07:00

Hello All,

Way back in the midsts of time Mott The Hoople sang about young people. There was certainly singing of a kind in our house this week as Linda and I watched the current generation of stars from England's Manchester United - our team - take on the best the MLS has to offer.

In the pre-game show the "venerable" Alexi Lalas pontificated in his now customary anti-English way how the MLS "could and should" beat this "Man U team" . . . .how I hate that expression - Man U - it's Manchester United or just plain and simple United.

What transpired was beyond expectations to a degree. The game finished 5-2 to Manchester United. Manchester United - Wayne Rooney wasn't there so how could the team be strong(?!) - rattled in 5 goals; the first one was scored after 24 seconds by an 18 year old, Frederico Macheda, a very talented Roman, who reminds me of a player we had in the '80's called Norman Whiteside. Big Norm's claim to fame, in case you are interested, is that he is, as far as my memory serves me correctly, the youngest player ever to play in a World Cup Finals ( he was 17 years and 41 days when he played in Spain in 1982 for Northern Ireland )

Football has always been a young man's game. Always has and always will. United made their name in the '50's when the late great Matt ( as he was then ) Busby, the manager of the club, played a string of players in the first team. These players, many of whom were tragically killed in the Munich Air Disaster on 6th February 1958, laid the foundations for the philosophy that still holds true today - if you're good enough, you're old enough.

Today, there's probably more money than sense in football. Unlike US sports, there's no salary cap. I've always defended footballers for getting the money they've had. They're in the entertainment industry and movie stars get silly money, so why shouldn't they? It's a limited career life span and if people are willing to pay more money in a week to you than most people earn in several years, then you'd be a fool to turn it down!

However, after a while, judgement begins to get clouded and quite frankly, delusions of grandeur sets in. Which is where we are now. When one reads that Barcelona are having money problems, United over $1bn in debt despite being the most wealthy team in sport and several teams in England being chased after by the taxman, it makes you shake your head in disbelief.

Teams have been hoodwinked into thinking that to be successful you have to buy buy buy. Developing home grown talent is not fashionable. The rewards to be gained from doing well in football are immense, so owners, desparate for a "return" want instant success. Doesn't work that way chaps I'm afraid!

Teams are built over a period of time. The average fan wants players who he or she can relate to in some way. I used to earn 15,000 pounds a year working all hours God sends ( or so it seemed ) on the 'phones working in a call centre in Stockport for British Gas's Home Service Sales and Service Department. When I see footballers getting upset because they aren't getting 60,000 pounds A WEEK or demanding 90,000 pounds AWEEK then you have to say that we've gone wrong as a society somewhere.

Sir Alex Ferguson, the manager of United, says that his club doesn't need to spend big and pay huge wages because "it doesn't sit well with the fans". He's right. If you know there's some player on that pitch not trying his best for the team and he's on a big fat contract worth millions and here's you, the man or woman on the street who earns a pittance compared to that paying big bucks to watch, then yes it doesn't sit right. You want players who have come through the youth system and have worked hard. That's why it was wonderful to see the youhtful United team that played on Wednesday play the way they did.

United seem to be on the verge of fielding another set of talented young stars. Keep your fingers crossed that they show the rest of the world how it's done. The game in this country is growing at a fantastic rate. Teams in the MLS need to develop youth systems. Ajax of Amsterdam have been doing this for years. A recent article in the New York Times magazine ( when I find the article online I'll post a link to it ) featured Ajax and one of their youth coaches wrote down the names of 5 players who've become household names throughout the football world and have brought in transfer fees of 80million euros to the club. So, there's more to football than buying the latest flash in the pan for God knows how many millions and buying success. Be patient, and the fruits of your team's labour will be visible for all to see.

Stay well and enjoy your football - it's nearly time for the season to start!

Eddie

PS Today is the 30th July 2010 - 44 years ago today, England won the World Cup - bloody long time ago that!

PS!

2010-07-23T05:42:00.001-07:00

Hi,

Just copy the Youtube link in the title of the last post and you can see the film!

Eddie

Manchester United http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ajmkYDewcrA&feature=related

2010-07-23T05:35:00.000-07:00

Hello - again!

Here's a link to the wonderful films Mitchell and Kenyon took all those years ago. It's believed to be the first footage of our beloved Manchester United . . .it was filmed in 1902. That was a pivotal year in United's history as that was the year the club changed is name from Newton Heath to Manchester United.

If you're wondering what Newton Heath is . . . it's an area of Manchester. The "founding fathers" if you like were a bunch of railwaymen from the Lancashire and Yorkshire Railway Company who formed a football team in 1878. My how times have changed! For me as someone who loves football and history, this clip and all the other footage they shot are remarkable and valuable socio-economic gems . . . enjoy!

Eddie

Summer Football updatehttp://www.jessicahilltout.com/collections/amen.html

2010-07-23T05:28:00.000-07:00

Hey Up!

Here's the link I promised . . . . www.jessicahilltout.com/collections/amen.html

Eddie

Summer Football . . . .

2010-07-23T05:02:00.000-07:00

Hello All ,

Well, the World Cup has gone and it's pre-season time already. It's been wonderful that so many teams have come over to the States . . . including our beloved United.

What's been pleasing for me living here in the States is that the teams have given a really creditable display. Philly were quite impressive against United. We recorded the Red Bulls' game against Spurs . . . don't tell me how they went on!

It's been pleasing to hear that F.I.F.A, under the auspices of the legend in his own mind Herr Blatter, have finally caved in and decided to extend the experiment with extra officials behind the goals for the Champions League.

The time for change is NOW. We really do need technology to help officials. Extra officials is a start, but in 2010 we have the technology to get replays instantaneously. The extra official can watch the video and communicate with the referee. It's not rocket science! There's too much money at stake today for this not to happen. I'm not saying this as a disgruntled Englishman! Having said that, England didn't deserve anything from their performance . . . anyhow, that's all done and dusted now, time to forget the World Cup - oh, one last thing, vuvuzuelas: good in South Africa, not good in England!

If anyone thinks that football is this big, corporate event that has strayed too far from its traditional working class roots, the New York Times recently ran an article featuring photographs taken by a Belgian born photographer called Jessica Hilltout. She took pictures all over Africa of children playing football. The photographs really made me wish they had a bigger platform - time for me to write this blog! I'll post a link to it soon. Like I say, her name is Jessica Hilltout. Another thing to check out - maybe via Youtube, is "The Lost World of Mitchell and Kenyon". This is a wonderful DVD we have celebrating working class life in England at the beginning of the 20th century. It shows footage of people coming out of factories at 12 noon and goingto the match - that's why the traditional English kick-off time is 3pm. More later.

See you next time and enjoy your football - it is the people's game!

Eddie

Very Clever and Funny Response from The Irish

2009-11-21T04:55:00.000-08:00

Here's a good article to read

http://www.guardian.co.uk/football/blog/2009/nov/20/thierry-henry-handball-france-ireland

Keano At His Best

2009-11-20T12:59:00.001-08:00

Hello All,

Roy Keane is in his usual belligerent but fantastic mood here in this interview . . . he still has an axe to grind with the FAI http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/football/8370497.stm

The reaction in Dublin is far different

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/8368944.stm

Eddie

Rooney!

2009-09-29T14:15:00.000-07:00

United's talisman . . . Wayne Rooney

http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/teams/m/man_utd/8281507.stm

Len Goodman and Football Focus. . . what a combination!

2009-09-26T11:20:00.000-07:00

Here's an interview with the Master . . .Len Goodman on Football Focus!http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/football_focus/8276257.stm

Comics Part 2

2009-09-17T13:39:00.000-07:00

Hello All,

After reading about Tiger and Scorcher, it's only fair that one of the best cfootball comic creations Britain ever created - Roy Race of Melchester Rovers of course (! ) got a spot on Match of The Day The USA Way!

Take a look . . . here's a link to his website
http://www.royoftherovers.com/

Eddie

Tiger and Scorcher - from Martins the Newsagents with Love!

2009-09-17T13:36:00.000-07:00

http://www.facebook.com/ext/share.php?sid=172711027984&h=B2urg&u=m12i-&ref=share

This is a story about the football comic I used to have as a boy . . . happy days!

The Best Football Song Part 1

2009-08-31T04:48:00.000-07:00

Hello All,

Poking around on Youtube ( as you do ) for memories ot make me smile, I came across this one . . . a classic

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uEb0X9NEX0I&feature=related

Watch and enjoy England's obsession with football songs!

Eddie

Football adverts on the Telly!

2009-08-15T12:37:00.000-07:00

Poking around on the internet today ( as you do! ) I found these adverts on Youtube . . . like the song says" memoriesoare made of this" !

Have a look

FUNNY FOOTBALL ADS
Accrington Stanley - who are they?
Keegan Brut commercial
Keegan's Green Cross Code effort
Gazza's crisp tears
Brian Clough - Shredded Wheat
Cantona Park Life
Carlsberg pub team
Venables crisps

If you Need more stuff on United

2009-08-07T11:36:00.001-07:00

Hi,

ESPN have a great blog on United . . .

http://blogs.soccernet.com/manchesterunited/

Football Kits

2009-08-07T07:31:00.000-07:00

http://www.guardian.co.uk/sport/blog/2009/aug/07/joy-of-six-worst-football-kits

Football kits are big business, some people might say "fashion"; sometimes a new football shirt can look quite smart. . . sometimes downright hideous! Take a look

Interview: Ken Loach and Eric Cantona | Film | The Guardian

2009-05-09T05:07:00.000-07:00

Interview: Ken Loach and Eric Cantona Film The Guardian

2009-03-23T14:16:00.001-07:00

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uvWpkLwiQNc&feature=related

Marco Matterazi

2008-11-04T14:54:00.001-08:00

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zAjWi663kXc&NR=1

I'll be featuring him on the show tomorrow

Eddie

The goal that should never have been . . .

2008-09-23T14:43:00.000-07:00

Have a look at this video . . . amazing!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=edj4wBwePLU&feature=related

and then check this out . . . even funnier !

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dRIarQrYvvM

Have fun and pledge to Valley Free Radio by calling 413-585-1033 or 413-584-1160 do it and be champions!

From Booth Street to Sir Matt Busby Way to Wembley Way

2008-09-07T08:31:00.000-07:00

The players wait for the goal kick or who the bloody hell knicked the ball???!!!!

A testy moment during the game . . .

Our boys . . .

The crowd in Foxborough awaits the game to begin!

Here's Mr.Beckham and co warming up . . .

Here's Wembley in all it's glory . . .

There's the Stretford End at Old Trafford . . . it's changed a bit since I first went in 1983!

The tribute to the Busby Babes and opposite Messrs Rooney and co warming up.

Here's Town on the attack in the F.A.Cup - it starts in August, really it does!

Hello All,

I do hope you all enjoy these pictures I took when Linda and I were on holiday in my homeland last month. We took in 3 games . . . from the Extra Preliminary Qualifying Round of The F.A.Cup at Booth Street, when Town played AFC Blackpool . . . to our pilgrimage to Mecca - Old Trafford- when United played Newcastle United on the opening day of the Premier League season . . . and we ended up at Wembley Stadium, where England played The Czech Republic in a friendly. It was a great and wonderful experience to enjoy these grounds again. I hope you enjoy the pictures.

We also had the privilege of going to Foxborough last weekend for the game between The New England Revolution and Los Angeles Galaxy. It was good to see David Beckham in action again live playing for a club team as well as for England. I saw him play for the first time when he was 17 for United's Youth team in the F.A.Youth Cup Final in 1992.

Best Wishes and keep listening to Match of The Day The USA Way every Wednesday on Valley Free Radio 103.3FM and online at http://www.valleyfreeradio.org/

Eddie Kennedy

Non-League Times

2008-08-27T07:44:00.000-07:00

Non-League Times

Football | guardian.co.uk

2008-07-28T15:39:00.000-07:00

Football guardian.co.uk

Sunday Express: The World's Greatest Newspaper :: Sport :: Football

2008-07-06T04:50:00.000-07:00

Sunday Express: The World's Greatest Newspaper :: Sport :: Football

Could It Really Happen?

2008-06-09T14:10:00.001-07:00

http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/7445231.stm

Every United fan should watch this video . . .

A Cup of cheer - the friendly final a return to innocence - Sunday Mirror

2008-05-18T04:34:00.000-07:00

A Cup of cheer - the friendly final a return to innocence - Sunday Mirror

A True Legend - even if he did play for Chelsea!

2008-05-04T05:32:00.003-07:00

http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/tv_and_radio/inside_sport/7349408.stm

A great interview with Gianfranco Zola

Very Funny

2008-05-03T03:54:00.001-07:00

http://www.setantanorthamerica.com/special_one.aspx

This link takes you to a website that has had me and my wife lol'ing on many an accasion!

Eddie

BBC SPORT | Football | Mourinho gives Man Utd advantage

2008-04-26T03:43:00.000-07:00

BBC SPORT Football Mourinho gives Man Utd advantage

BBC SPORT | Football | Europe | When Bryan Robson tamed Barca

2008-04-23T08:57:00.000-07:00

BBC SPORT Football Europe When Bryan Robson tamed Barca

Cantona tips Reds for double - Manchester United - Football - Sport - Manchester Evening News

2008-04-12T14:41:00.000-07:00

Cantona tips Reds for double - Manchester United - Football - Sport - Manchester Evening News

Keano!

2008-04-12T14:34:00.001-07:00

Classic Keano

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NKj8msoEKEo&feature=related

United v Arsenal

2008-04-12T14:32:00.001-07:00

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q6sswh02B7Q&feature=related

Have a look it's fun!

Eddie

Dazzling Dynamo the team to beat as MLS steps into the limelight | Sport | Guardian Unlimited

2008-03-30T04:51:00.000-07:00

Dazzling Dynamo the team to beat as MLS steps into the limelight Sport Guardian Unlimited

Capello hands defences their pipes and slippers by neutering Rooney | Sport | Guardian Unlimited

2008-03-30T04:46:00.000-07:00

Capello hands defences their pipes and slippers by neutering Rooney Sport Guardian Unlimited

It's time for the whole game to stub out my filthy habit | Sport | Guardian Unlimited

2008-03-16T04:17:00.000-07:00

It's time for the whole game to stub out my filthy habit Sport Guardian Unlimited

Munich February 6th 1958

2008-02-01T12:04:00.000-08:00

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=meILJSQuH3g

This coming Wednesday, the 6th February, marks the 50th aniversary of The Munich Air Crash. Those 8 players who died will never be forgotten
Have a look at this video . . .

Dawning Of A New Era

2008-01-30T07:55:00.000-08:00

C:\Documents and Settings\Owner\My Documents\My Music\Match of the Day 1-28-08.MP3

Hello All,

If you copy and paste this link onto your web browser, you should, joy of joys, this week's show! Yippee!

ESPNsoccernet - MLS - Dell'Apa: Twellman ponders move to England

2008-01-18T10:42:00.000-08:00

ESPNsoccernet - MLS - Dell'Apa: Twellman ponders move to England

Apologies

2008-01-18T10:40:00.000-08:00

Hello

Sorry for the last blog appearing three times . . . mea culpa

Eddie

BBC - 606 - - A31268072 - Review of the week

2008-01-18T10:06:00.001-08:00

BBC - 606 - - A31268072 - Review of the week

2008-01-18T10:06:00.000-08:00

BBC - 606 - - A31268072 - Review of the week

2008-01-18T10:05:00.000-08:00

BBC - 606 - - A31268072 - Review of the week

Guardian Unlimited: Sport blog: The truth the soccerphobes refuse to face

2008-01-18T07:45:00.000-08:00

Hello Everyone
Check this article out . . . it has to be seen to be believed

Guardian Unlimited: Sport blog: The truth the soccerphobes refuse to face

Does David Beckham Have Big-Screen Dreams? - Entertainment Blog - Fred Schruers - Hollywood Deal - Portfolio.com

2008-01-17T07:44:00.000-08:00

Does David Beckham Have Big-Screen Dreams? - Entertainment Blog - Fred Schruers - Hollywood Deal - Portfolio.com

Capello informed Soho Square of looming tax probe from the outset | News | Guardian Unlimited Football

2008-01-17T07:43:00.000-08:00

Capello informed Soho Square of looming tax probe from the outset News Guardian Unlimited Football

Comment is free: Kevin: one of us

2008-01-17T07:41:00.000-08:00

Comment is free: Kevin: one of us

Half - Time Entertainment

2008-01-08T08:07:00.000-08:00

http://vids.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=vids.individual&videoid=2079854898

Check this video out - it's got bugger all to do with football but it's very funny . . . call it the half - time entertainment! We do, on MOTD The USA Way, go a little off the beaten track on occasions but it's all in the name of entertainment!

Eddie

Valley Free Radio

2008-01-08T07:13:00.000-08:00

This month sees the first anniversary of me being on Valley Free Radio. It is something I am very proud to be a part of. I like to think that I, along with my wife Linda, have contributed and made an effort to keep live programming on the air.

If you want to find out more of what the station can offer, see the link below

http://www.valleyfreeradio.org/programming/schedule/

It's a station run by volunteers. It does not receive funding from anyone. It needs help. You can go directly to the donate page here

http://www.valleyfreeradio.org/support/donate/

Please donate as much as you can - you can send a cheque made payable to Valley Free Radio and send it to 140 Pine Street Florence MA 01062

Thankyou for listening to Match of The Day The USA Way ( Monday 7am-8am ), The Late English Breakfast ( Monday 10am-12pm ) and The Nightclub ( Saturday 8pm-10pm www.myspace.com/thenightclubwithlindaandeddie and http://thenightclubwithlindaandeddie.blogspot.com/

Speak to you soon

Eddie Kennedy

New Year . . . Just As Good!

2008-01-08T06:52:00.000-08:00

Good Morning All,

Hello, how are you all? We had a good show yesterday, with a great interview set up by Tim. Sam Coke, the Head Coach of the UMASS Men's Soccer Team called in and talked about the success of the team this season. It was good to hear him talk.

Interestingly, he recommended an organisation to check out if there are any aspiring coaches out there. The NSCAA ( The National Soccer Coaches Association of America ) was the place to start. I certainly thinnk it's something I'd like to look into. The website is www.nscaa.com

We also chatted about how our various teams have been progressing lately and also, on a more lighter hearted note, talked about football shirts. If retro, or throwback sirts are your thing, then the place to go as far as I'm concerned is www.toffs.com It stands for The Old Fashioned Football Shirt Company. It's based in England - Newcastle Upon Tyne to be precise, and it's a great idea for birthday presents or Christmas presents - or if you're feeling flush with your cash!

We finished the show nicely, teeing it up ( mixing my sporting metaphors here, but, do I give a rat's arse??!! ) nicely for next week by talking about the subject of illegal payments to players and managers and agents - bungs!

Music was supplied by the excellent Billy Bragg - all in all, another good show! Soon, they'll ( hopefully ) be recorded with the new equipment we have at the station. Then, finally ( ! ) we'll have the show online to listen to again and again. You can listen to us online at www.valleyfreeradio.org right now, however, if you are in the Pioneer Valley here in Massachusetts, good old fashioned radio is still available at 7.00am every Monday ( weather permitting ) on 103.3FM.

Until the next time - keep on loving the beautiful game

Eddie Kennedy

The Future of United??

2007-12-27T06:42:00.000-08:00

Have a look at this little lad!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hG47FDenyXw

This Is Surreal

2007-12-27T06:34:00.000-08:00

Old Trafford must seem a million miles away . . .

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e23DZBC5mx8

David Beckham and Snoop???!!!

Puskas

2007-12-27T06:28:00.001-08:00

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QmK6Q6YU4ys&feature=related

A European Cup Final For The Purist In You

2007-12-27T06:25:00.000-08:00

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BlGOXOa-lnc

This game is commonly regarded as one of the greatest European Finals ever

England 3 Hungary 6 November 1953

2007-12-27T06:23:00.001-08:00

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QgOs_m5bXCs&feature=related

This footage is ingrained on any student of English football history's brain . . . the day tactics were thrown up in the air and revitalized in a way never thought possible

When We English Had Our First Wake Up Call

2007-12-27T06:20:00.000-08:00

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tYFl6oOad3E

This fascinating German footage shows action from The 1950 World Cup when England were beaten 1-0 by the USA plus footage from the final

The Day Bestie and Co Ran Riot!

2007-12-27T06:11:00.000-08:00

Hello All,

If winning the World Cup in 1966 wasn't enough, the icing on the cake was this, when United won the European Cup for the first time

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qwJSNlpGsUM

Of course, we didn't have drama on this magnitude until 1999 . . .

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mf3DNit0FvE

Truly memorable stuff! Still brings a tear to the eye all these years on

Eddie Kennedy

When England Truly Had A World Class Team

2007-12-27T06:08:00.000-08:00

Hey Up!

Happy days indeed . . . and I wasn't even born! The 1966 World Cup Final

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DIGiYn8Iw1Q

Have fun

MOTD The USA Way

A True Gent

2007-12-27T06:02:00.000-08:00

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XG4ATQHt708

This link takes you to one of the true gents of the game . . . a man by the name of Zola . . . a wonderful Italian player who played in the Premiership for seven years . . . enjoy!

When Gary Met Diego

2007-12-26T11:08:00.000-08:00

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KFz-qEzEfm0&feature=related

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=adHoGYBRNh0&feature=related

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AW3xcudqSCw&feature=related

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ckjaSS2CqY4&feature=related

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=te3_sq-cCV8&feature=related

The above links take you to a programme I watched on the BBC before I left for the US of A. It was a programme where Gary Lineker, one time England centre forward and the second highest England goalscorer behind Bobby Charlton and now successful presenter of some programme called Match of The Day met Diego Maradona, the scourge of England but, it has to be said, one of the greatest players of all time. It's a fascinating programme and I hope you enjoy it.

The Best Night Out At Old Trafford I Ever Had

2007-12-26T11:02:00.000-08:00

Hello Football Lovers everywhere,

In March 1984 I was privileged to be at Old Trafford to witness one of the greatest comebacks ever.

The European Cup Winners' Cup was a tournament played between winners of each European country's F.A.Cup winners. Manchester United were, in 1984, in the quarter finals. The opponents were the mighty Barcelona. Their side included Diego Maradona and Bernd Schuster, the German who is currently the manager of Real Madrid.

In the first leg of the tie, United were beaten by 2-0. The odds were stacked against us. What happened has lived with me for ever.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IzsIFKJRt3s

If you click on this link you see brief edited highlights of the game that'll live with me for ever. We won by 3-0.

Enjoy

Eddie

How Fabio will be honoureyed!

2007-12-26T09:37:00.001-08:00

http://image.guardian.co.uk/sys-files/Guardian/documents/2007/12/20/21.12.07.SPORT.CapelloEnglish.pdf

Wenger presses Almunia's England claims | News | Guardian Unlimited Football

2007-12-26T09:30:00.000-08:00

Wenger presses Almunia's England claims News Guardian Unlimited Football

BBC SPORT | Football | Premier League | O'Neill blasts ref after thriller

2007-12-26T09:26:00.000-08:00

BBC SPORT Football Premier League O'Neill blasts ref after thriller

BBC SPORT | Football | Premier League | Chelsea 4-4 Aston Villa

2007-12-26T09:25:00.001-08:00

BBC SPORT Football Premier League Chelsea 4-4 Aston Villa

BBC SPORT | Football | Premier League | Sunderland 0-4 Man Utd

2007-12-26T09:25:00.000-08:00

BBC SPORT Football Premier League Sunderland 0-4 Man Utd

Is It Really Two Years?

2007-12-26T06:49:00.002-08:00

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y3i9O7uqGJ8&feature=related

Watch this footage and you'll understand why George Best's funeral was live on British TV . . you'll understandwhy he was held in such high esteem as a footballer in the UK and around the world

God Bless Bestie!

2007-12-26T06:49:00.001-08:00

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U2HWUbFGHMU

Well Done Jamie Redknapp!

2007-12-26T06:47:00.000-08:00

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Aph8mgWEX9w&NR=1

Anglos Saxon Vocabulary Anyone??

2007-12-26T06:45:00.000-08:00

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A1r1av1Shn4&feature=related

The Man From Govan Glasgow at his finest!

I'd Love It If You Watched Thsi!

2007-12-26T06:43:00.000-08:00

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YXpUdBlRZe8

This was just a memorable piece of footage

The Legend That is Eric

2007-12-26T06:39:00.000-08:00

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nVhQ6nME8f8

See this link above ? Well, hopefully, if you click it on it, you'll see a few minutes of excellence

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bTq6aApCBnA&feature=related

and this one . . sit back and enjoy a true legend !

Au revoir mes amis!

Football - Spare The Rod and Spoil The Child??

2007-12-26T06:02:00.000-08:00

Hello All,

Happy Holidays everyone . . .well, the festive Football campaign is well under way. The games come thick and fast . . .games are on as I write this right now . . . must get to the telly very quickly!

I've been reading a lot lately about football players and their thoughts and behaviour. Steven Gerrard, the Liverpool captain, wants a quota put on the amount of foreign players allowed in the English game. My beloved Manchester United had their recent Christmas Party and got into trouble ( making the trashy British TV series "Footballers' Wives" look a bit more realistic than is comfortable for my liking.

Let's talk about the quota issue for starters. It's never going to happen. The Treaty of Rome prohibits the restriction of movement of EU citizens between member states. The argument "well, it'd have to be an agreement between clubs" would never get off the ground in my book. Let's face it, clubs sometimes want their cake and eat it. Let's remember Jean Luc Bosman.

Here was a guy in the mid 90's who was at the end of his contract. Thankfully, freedom of contract by now was in place. He wanted to play for one particular club. The transfer fee offered by this club was more than was offered by another club who his employers wanted to sell him to. However, the club was not prepared to sell hum to the club he wanted to go to. ( As I write this, it reminds me a bit of the saga United had with Gabriel Heinze . . . )

Bosman was unhappy, quite rightly so. At the end of the day, when you go to work, you have to be happy don't you? He consequently took his case to the highest European Court - and he won. Now players can move more freely than ever before. They can let their contract finish, and be perfectly within their rights in doing so. More importantly, clubs who have players who let this happen lose out financially. Big style. Classic case in point - well, two now I think about it - Steve McManaman at Liverpool in 98-99 season if I remember rightly and Michael Ballack at Bayern Munich. Both left their clubs to go to other clubs ( Real Madrid and Chelsea ) for no transfer fee and pocketed a huge signing-on fee. The pendulum has swung so in favour of the players it's gone just a little bit silly. Players can now, after the age of 25, if they have been with their clubs for more than 3 years, buy out their contract if they want to. Like most things in life these past 40 odd years, there needs to be a happy medium struck. Will it happen? I don't know.

I sound a bit like an old fart! Oh well, I have turned 40! Only joking, I am a fully paid up member of the "Life Begins At 40" brigade! Anyhow, I have to say that I fully back Sir Alex Ferguson, the Manchester United manager, who has banned his players from organising parties after lurid tales emerged from their Christmas Party. What players have to realise is they really do have a duty to set an example to people, especially the younger generations. They are paid thousands of pounds a week ( to put it into context, I was on 15,200 pounds a year working in a call centre back home and that was the highest salary I had ever had in my life ) for playing football. I'd give my high teeth to be able to say I have stood on the grass at Old Trafford.

However, I'm not totally against footballers and their salaries. My argument has always been that if you are in an industry which wants to pay you silly money, are you going to turn it down??!!! I don't think so. It is a short career and they do have to look after themselves financially as best as possible. You just have to behave fellers, that's all we want. Plus, fans have to stop treating opposing footballers like they are something they have trodden in. We all have a duty to clean up our collective acts. We are all only human after all. Eric Cantona famously proved that in January 1995. If I find the footage, it'll be on this blog, have no fear.

If you want to read what a well brought up footballer and human being can sound like, read the article from "The Guardian" which carried an interview with Phil Neville. It makes refreshing reading. It's on this here blog.

Anyhow, time for me to be glued in front of the telly - it's Boxing Day after all, which means beaucoup de footy. Have fun and be ready, there may be shows posted on here soon of the show David Beckham only dream about getting on , namely"Match of The Day The USA Way" every Monday morning at 7am on Valley Free Radio, 103.3FM here in the Pioneer Valley in Massachusetts. It is also available to listen to online, just go to www.valleyfreeradio.org and follow the instructions. It's dead easy - if I can do it, so can you. Ta ra!