BOARING PIGS MIGHT FLY

I received two comments from "viewers" yesterday, so I am delighted to know that this blog is being noted out there.

I could have gone to an FA Cup tie (4th Qualifying round) today but the distances were a little too far to justify; Alfreton Town, Harrogate, Stockport, York were my nearest venues. I gave in and went to watch AFC Penistone (Penistone Church FC Reserves) at their Memorial ground play our village club, Hepworth United First team, in a cup tie.

AFC play in the Pete Pattiserie's Sheffield and Hallamshire County League Premier. Hepworth are in the Second Division North, so two steps below. The home team won 2-1 in a very lively game where the minnows held their own for the middle part of the game. The start of the game, when AFC got going quickly, did not allow HUFC to settle and then the end of the cup tie proved too much for the Hepworth lads, who were gradually tiring.
After going 0-1 down, then scoring a screamer of a free kick Hepworth were well in the tie, but towards the end the home team's pace out did a tiring defence and a sending off didn't help.

It was mainly a good advert  for the game, apart from "boaring" language from the home team's dug out, which obviously was used to help celebrate the anniversary of the Battle of Hastings. To think we inherited all that stuff. Shame.

The FA Cup threw up some interesting ties with Eastleigh playing North Leigh (6-0), Harrogate Town v FC Halifax Town (0-2), both Lincoln City (0-0) and Lincoln United (0-3) representing the world of Imps, Sutton United surprising the well endowed Forest Green Rovers (2-1) and Taunton Town Tieing with the Town team from Hemel Hempsted (0-0). The prize fund for this round is £12,500 per winner.

Nothing else got in the way of the crowd's enjoyment, unlike at Charlton where....well this happened.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O4HgDooTkGI

Both Charlton and Coventry fans were protesting about their club ownership! Charlton won 3-0.

SAINTS' DAY

It's almost my son's birthday. They say that babies born in October, mature for their year group at school, have an advantage by way of their maturity. Hmmmm! I agree of course.

Another birthday boy is another Matt, Matt le Tissier and he is celebrated by his club quite rightly. here are some moments of his that you cannot expect to see from the "all round" professional footballer. What makes a genius?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YB9HjYmYwpk

Now a SKY pundit he is also Honorary president of his home  island Guernsey FC where one of his brothers is secretary. From 1985 through to 2002 Matt played at Southampton FC and was involved in the investment in the club when times were not so lucrative. He played 443 times for them scoring over 160 goals and was a penalty king, missing once out of 47 spot kicks in the Premier League. He also scored over 100 PL goals from midfield, only Mick Channon scored more goals than him for the Saints.

He was voted PFA Young Player of the Year in 1990 and was the inspiration for XAVI! Indeed!

As expected he was too flambouyant to play for England (although he could have chosen any of the UK nations as an islander). he earned 8 caps and was awarded 27 other appearances for England B and U21s.

After Southampton he went to Eastleigh (17 times) and turned out once for Guernsey when they were "short".

Born in 1968 he will have a happy birthday I bet.    

http://mattletissier.co.uk/ try this if bored.

It is "Saints'" Day today because Mick Channon has had a book written about him by his son, Mick Jnr and it is called "How's Your Dad?" It's a bit of an exposure and follows Mick Snr's path in football and horse racing. By all accounts it is a good read!

WHO'S THE GUVNOR? HE WEARS THE HAT.

Watching Premier Legends this morning while striding out some of my daily 10,000 steps on a gym treadmill, my earphones were locked into SkyBox3 as I was watching a documentary on Paul Ince. It was a long time ago that Paul was "the Guv'nor", a name he carried with him to Old Trafford where he played alongside Roy Keane and Eric Cantona and Gary Neville.

Paul Emerson Carlyle Ince, an East Londoner, played for West Ham from 1986, joined United in 1989 until 1995, playing 206 times for the Red Devils. He then bravely included Internazionale (54), survived a trip to play for Liverpool (65), thenMiddlesbrough (93), Wolves (115 times), Swindon and Macclesfield were his last teams.

He turned out for England 53 times from 1993-2000. He was a legend and finished his career managing Swindon, Macclesfield, MK Dons, Blackburn Rovers, Notts County and Blackpool. Nowadays he is a pundit of course.

Gary Neville was at United from 1992 until 2011 playing over 400 matches and 85 for England (from 1995-2007).Gary's career has been very successful, we all know that and he is rarely out of the news. In 2010 his wedding would have been the most Eco friendly, zero-carbon event held in North-west England! His house is designed with the environment in mind. That may have been a reason why he got his Honorary Doctorate from the University of Salford. Bolton Uni annointed him too.
Here is a Podcast about Gary from TalkSport today (it is lengthy but will entertain you):
http://talksport.com/football/gary-neville-my-manchester-hosted-guillem-balague-podcast-161012213234

IT'S ME GROIN REF.

It was only meant to be a bit of fun but suddenly there is a bank advert on the television suggesting the prolonging of life and now headlines in the Times about RULES. That's all we old people need. "Prolonging life and rules".

As we pass into our golden years, that is over 50, we all want to keep as active as possible, to burn a few calories to equal out the odd pork pie consumed with a pint of foaming ale and of most importance to meet up with a few lads of a similar age and have a laugh.

So "Walking Football" has been advertised by the FA to give us momentum and if the FA is involved then there have to be RULES.

So many people are playing WF that tournaments are being established and indeed my mottley crew from Penistone Church FC have been to some distant venues in South Yorkshire and been humiliated by teams made up from 50 year old and one day, ex-professionals who all sport a Iberian tan and wear team shirts with sponsors' names and club badges. There have also been some ladies present in these semi-pro teams and good luck to them.

There are now more than 800 registered clubs playing the game (you have to be registered so that you can get a copy of the RULES) and with the ageing population and WF keeping us all fit, then there will be more clubs in the future, so we have to have EVEN MORE RULES.

Of course Manchester City is the first serious club to launch its own squad, which is put through its paces by the club's coaches. Our warm ups usually put pay to one or two of the gathered group before the footy starts and then when the walking begins, we have all discovered that a different set of muscles are used in walking fast (with one foot always in contact with the ground) compared to running, so the groins go! A number of the willing chaps from Penistone leave the astro pitch and aim for the clubhouse walking like John Wayne in his prime.

In tournaments each team comes with its own rules, made up by the bloke who applied to the local FA to get funding. Funding from the FA means standardisation, so RULES have to be made as the FA did in 1863 at that first meeting of the Association.

We are expecting a new WF rule book in the new year. Maybe even a stocking filler?

This game had humble beginnings, apparently in Chesterfield in 2011, but some of us ageing coaches have used WF for decades, adding a bit of light entertainment during normal able bodied practices! Try a bit of netball, three-legged football or football with a rugby ball or all fours football; it goes on. I expect somebody will pinch one of these ideas off me and make a fortune from it.

This week the national WF championships take place in Cirencester and the winners are reckoned to be "Leggy Mambos" from BARNSLEY and whoever wins they will take on the Scottish and the Welsh champions and before you know they will going into Europe.

What can be rest assured is that whatever our oldies achieve in the international field, they can't put on any worse a display than our full bodied, senior side has done in the past week.

Now where the Elliman's Liniment?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TCFf9omZNv4

STATUE?

I have been to Crosby Lancashire, today to watch an Independent Schools' FA Cup tie between Charterhouse from Surrey and Merchant Taylors' School, Crosby. It is a second round tie. The last time I brought a team to the Blundell's coastline we visited the Anthony Gormley sculptures on the local beach. At high tide the sea immerses them, some entirely.

There are 100 statues, cast in Halifax and West Bromwich. 

Today the boys were treated to a visit to the Liverpool FC training grounds, where the Charterhouse ex head groundsman, David Roberts, now plies his trade.

Statues or not, the schoolboys won 5-3 today and they go into the hat for Thursday's draw. Exciting.

So talking about statues, where is this England team going? So in terms of motivation, did the statues help? Did the LFC thrill get the adrenaline going? We hope so.

Chris Coleman, the Welsh international manager has even more challenging ideas. He took his squad to visit the site of the Aberfan colliery spoil tip disaster. It is the 50th anniversary of the event that killed 116 primary school children from Pantglas Junior School. I remember it being reported on the news and indeed have taught the tradegy as an example of a geographical hazard. Aberfan was a shocking occasion and will put football into perspective for many.

Two years ago his team visited Welsh poet's Hedd Wynn's war memorial in Belgium as part of their international break. He is making his squad more aware of their national history.

ROMFORD CLINK CHONGQING

I am writing this through gritted teeth, you can imagine how hard that is. Tony Adams is 50 today and he is arguably one of the best centre backs to play for England and maybe even Arsenal (1-0). Here are some more challengers for best CB (ever?)
http://metro.co.uk/2016/10/10/from-sebastien-squillaci-to-shkodran-mustafi-every-arsenal-centre-back-since-tony-adams-retired-ranked-best-to-worst-6183316/

With a statue outside the Emirates, Adams is a legend and he served his club from the 1980s through to the 90s and just beyond. He was revitalised when Arsene Wenger appeared in 1996 and some how or the other managed to keep in line with the Frenchman's new style. This was a turning point in his life having been drifting down a path of bad addiction habits. wenger to his credit never gave up on his "Mr Arsenal".

So successful was the Adams and Wenger duo that Tony was able to keep his career going with England up to 2000, winning 66 caps. He first made his appearance for his country in 1987 and his debut for Arsenal was as a 17 year old (just by 4 weeks) in 1983 when the Gunners lost to Sunderland 1-2 in a league match.

How well do you know Tony Adams?
http://metro.co.uk/2016/10/10/how-well-do-you-know-arsenal-legend-tony-adams-6182937/

In his retirement, Adams started up the Sporting Chance Clinic which helps sportsmen and women with addiction issues. Based in Liphook, Hampshire the clinic started life when Adams raised £500,000 through his testimonial.
Kate Hoey and Elton John are two patrons and the clinic is supported by the PFA.

As well as his charity, Adams tried management at Wycombe Wanderers, Portsmouth and briefly at Gabala in Azerbaijan!
In 2015 Adams had heart surgery, which it was claimed saved his life. Sources tell me that he is Youth development coach at Chongqing Lifan in China.

DOING THE LEICESTERSHIIRE ROUND-WHY NOT?

I did travel to the Leicestershire Round yesterday and walked part of it this morning. What? Well it's a long story but I know that I had to miss watching an FA Trophy fixture over the weekend the nearest I got to was Loughborough Dynamo v Leek town. Matters were too demanding, so I was not allowed to indulge in non-league matters.

I ended up in Oady and whilst surrounded by Tigers and rugby, I did pass the Oadby Town FC ground at Freeway Park on the outskirts of the Premier League champions' city. The Poachers, as they are known, play in the United Counties Premier (Div One champions in 2012-13) and were at home to Huntington Town FC, clearly having been dispatched from any cup involvement. They won 7-0.

Founded in 1937 as Oadby Imperial, Freeway Park holds 3,000 (average attendance is more like 155) and is named after a sponsor, Freeway hire. Who?

The club changed its name in 1951 as it worked its way through the Leicestershire Senior Leagues and then moved onto the Midland Alliance by 2000 and were semi-finalists in the FA Vase in 2003,losing to Brigg Town.

In 2011-12 Oadby had another decent run in the Vase and were the only team from below Step 5 to reach the 5th Round losing to Staveley Miners Welfare, a town you may have seen off the M1.

Famous players on the club's books at any stage in history are few and far between but Julian Joachim comes into the frame, very briefly, having played for Leicester, Villa, Coventry, Leeds, Walsall, Boston, Darlington la, la, la etc. He is presently plying his trade at Newark Town. Not sure if that is a crazy haircut on Julian or the bloke's behind him? Good on you Julian.