WARNOCK WARHORSE APPOINTMENT AT THE PALACE

Neil Warnock at nearly 66 years old has revitalised his footballing career by signing again as manager at Crystal Palace. Warnock is a real warhorse, having been involved in playing and coaching teams at the higher levels for most of his life. He first played for Chesterfield in 1967 and then moved on to Rotherham, Aldershot, Hartlepool, Scunthorpe, Barnsley, York and  Crewe, playing over 320 times but only scoring 36 goals from a wing position. He then began his management career in 1980 at Gainborough Trinity, moving on to Burton Albion, Scarborough, Notts County, Torquay, Huddersfield, Plymouth, Oldham, Bury, Sheffield United (his boyhood favourite team), Crystal Palace (2007-10), Leeds, Queens Park Rangers and now back at Palace. He achieved promotion with seven of them, including taking Notts County, Sheffield United and Queens Park Rangers to the top tier of the English League. Warnock is highly superstitious and has revealed many bizarre rituals including stopping at all traffic lights following a win regardless of whether they're red or green, watching the film "When Saturday Comes" the day before a big match, using the same razorblade, only urinating when he has held on for as long as possible and remaining in the dressing room after the players have left to play.

Born in Sheffield, he is a lifelong supporter of the Blades, with whom he had his longest managerial spell at eight years, taking them to promotion to the Premier League in 2006 plus the League Cup and and FA Cup semi finals in 2003. We shall miss his contribution to Talksport!

PERFECT TEN FOR HATTERS HERO

Joe Payne, born in Brimington Common near Chesterfield, played centre-forward for Bolsover Colliery and signed by Luton Town, where due to injuries to colleagues, Payne was played at centre-forward for Luton Town on Good Friday, 13 April 1936 in a match against Bristol Rovers. He scored 10 goals in a 12–0 Luton win, still a Football League record.

The following season he scored a record 55 goals as the Hatters (Luton was famed for making straw boaters) won the Third Division South championship. In his time at Luton he scored 83 times in 72 games. In 1937 he made his only appearance for England, scoring two goals in the 8–0 victory over Finland.

A year later he was signed by Chelsea for a large fee, scoring 10 goals in 21 appearances, but his career was then interrupted by the Second World War. Following the war, Payne spent a short spell at West Ham United (netting 6 in 10 games) before retiring.

A plaque commemorating Payne, who died on 22 April 1975, aged 61, is affixed to the outside of the Miner's Arms public house in Brimington Common. A lounge at Kenilworth Road stadium is named in honour of Joe Payne. Below, Payne scores one of his ten.

ERQUY PERKY BUT REF GETS THE VOTE

The first round of the Cup is a big moment in any season, so today, a Sunday, when I was bored with walking along a pristine sandy beach bordering the French Atlantic, my researcher, yes the same Bill Rogers as yesterday, decided to look up the local football matches kicking off this afternoon. The serious games were too far away, so we plumped for Evron FC v Union Sportiv Erquy, two clubs near Val Andre, my holiday resort, and Lamballe, the home of Les Chevaux du Haras; huge horses of regal stature. It was West Sussex league div 1 standard, frenetic, passionate and short of a delicate touch. But despite the lack of finesse, the game panned out to a 0-0 draw after 90 minutes. We were hoping for a penalty shoot out but with minutes left, visitors Erquy, the bigger club scored and won. Sad for the home team that looked as though they might snatch a win. Amongst the chaos, the referee, he had no name and there was no programme, was superb. His wife on the terrace agreed that he stood no nonsense. Spot him in the red top!

PRESTON Ps IN A POD

Browsing through the football results this afternoon, I noticed a result between Preston FC and Stirling University in the Lowland League in Scotland. My mind turned to Preston, Lancashire thinking there might be another "Berwick" sneaking across the border to play in an easier league!! Not North End of course. But my researcher, one Bill Rogers, quickly put me right, fas he researched Preston Athletic Football Club, a Scottish senior club based in the town of Prestonpans (site of a famous battle in 1745)  in Lothian playing in the Lowland League, nicknamed the Panners and play at Pennypit Park. Too many Ps.

Founded in 1945 and entering the senior ranks in 1994, when they joined the East of Scotland League. They first qualified for the competition proper in 2002-3 losing 1-0 at home to Hamilton Academicals in the First Round. Naturally the club is aiming to progress through the divisions and hope not to do a Gretna.

GLORY, GLORY, TOTTENHAM HOTSPUR, THE SPURS GO LIMPING ON.

In tonight's Europa league qualifier, Tottenham Hotspur were never going to find it an easy tie. Away from home, on a dodgey pitch in Larnaca (not the hosts home stadium),  the Cypriot league runners-up had taken an early lead through Adrian Sardinero. Roberto Soldado and Harry Kane (an Englishman) scored in six second-half minutes as The Spurs fought back from a goal down to gain two valuable away goals and a victory against AEL Limassol. It was Erik Lamela's introduction after the break that made the difference and from Lamela's lofted ball, Spaniard Soldado levelled by firing in a volley and then shortly after, Kane found the top corner with a great strike from the Argentine's pass. The return leg at White Hart Lane is on 28 August, with the winners assured of a place in the group stage. Mauricio Pochettino, in charge of the club in a European match for the first time, was clearly relieved to see his new side gain an advantage after Spurs were outplayed in large periods by these European minnows. Keep it on the island!

THE VOICE OF FOOTBALL DIES

James Alexander Gordon, the voice of BBC radio's classified football results for the past four decades, has died after making his final broadcast last year. The 78-year-old Scot first began reading the football results in 1973, a year after joining the BBC. Gordon said last month that it was "great sorrow that I have to give up the most exciting part of my career, the classified football results", adding: "They have been my life."  

The announcer's "wonderful inflections and stresses" were loved by many listening to the Saturday evening scores on radio. Many listeners said that Gordon's inflection would reveal the result of a match before he had completed the sentence. Nobody will be able to say 'Wolverhampton Wanderers' with quite such mellifluous tones.

Gordon was born in Edinburgh in 1936 and spent much of his childhood in hospital after contracting polio as a baby. In 1999 a link with school parent and MP David Mellor brought JAG to Charterhouse to help the school celebrate the Millennium football season. The school played a local club under the old rules of football in the first half and then the modern laws in the second half. Both teams wore 19^th century kit and retired FA referee Ray Lewis (who refereed the Hillsborough disaster semi-final) blew the whistle. JAG read out the weekend Premier results at half time.

JAG was succeeded on the 5pm Saturday results on BBC Radio 5 Live by Charlotte Green, the former Radio 4 newsreader; the first woman to read them. She is carrying on the tradition.

SHEFFIELD RULES, OK?

Just to get the new season roaring along,  I’m reading “Hatters, Railwaymen and Knitters”, written by Daniel Gray, who travels through the country, casting a wry look at England and football. Sheffield gets a chapter, because we all know that the “Sheffield Rules” heavily influenced the Laws of the Game. Gray writes that these rules restricted hacking and handling and allowed the forward pass. He also tells us that the rules introduced corner flags, umpires, corners, goal kicks, throw ins, crossbars, the halftime change of ends and the tradition of drawing cup ties from a hat. Sheffield FC side even taught London how the head the ball, in a match played at Battersea Park in 1866, a technique created when handling the ball by outfield players was outlawed. Sheffield Wednesday’s Jimmy Lang became the first paid player in 1876, paid by a cutler who did not expect him to work during the day. The first floodlit game at Bramall Lane in 1878 attracted a 20,000 crowd, Sheffield also gave the world printed fixture cards, football columnists, shin pads and a Saturday evening sports’ paper, still produced as the “Green ‘Un”. Bramall Lane has had football played there since 1862 and therefore becomes the oldest football club. Rab Howell, famed for playing in the very successful Sheffield United side of the late 1890s, is the only English  international of gypsy birth. Another "first".

You can also find reference to United’s William “Fatty” Foulke who at 20 stone was a legend in goalkeeping and entertainment. Red Sheffield had great success in that period before the First World War and indeed won three Cup Finals and were runners up in the league during a four year period. Playing in the “Khaki Cup Final” in 1915 did not please everybody in the country when most were at war or going to join up. Of course, the FA and the Government had put their heads together and decided that the final should go ahead against Chelsea, to raise morale in the country. It certainly raised United’s as they won 3-0. The next final was not until 1920.