ACADEMICS BETWEEN THE POSTS?

Ederson Santana de Moraes has signed for Manchester City from Benfica for £35 million. You know this is a record for a goalkeeper (he topped Buffon) but no where near the top price for an outfield player. Why is that?

Only one goalkeeper has won the Ballon d'Or since it was first awarded in 1956, that was Lev Yashin, the Russian. I saw him managing Moscow Dynamo in Greece against Olympiakos whilst on holiday in 1971.

Manuel Neuer, a greatest keeper?? was short listed for d'Or in 2014, the first for 3 decades, but that was that.

Ederson follows in valued footsteps, Bravo, Hart? Where will it go next? Ederson played for Sao Paulo in 2008, joined Benfica Youth as a 16 year old in 2009, then went to Ribeiro 2011, Rio Ave 2012-5 and joined Benfica, playing in their B side, then the first team, until being signed by Pep.
He has played 149 games at the senior level.

The goalkeeper is there as a "prevention of negative consequences" and is seriously only noticed for his mistakes or brilliant saves, but rarely does he get credit for the the basics, which he does with rare error all match. It is the same for wicket keepers!

Since the back pass rule was changed 25 years ago, the keeper's role has expanded and he has become multi-dimensional, such is their importance. But of the 100 most expensive footballers' transfers, only one is a goalkeeper. Does this make sense?

Much has changed since Peter Shilton first set foot in his goal area in May 1966 for Leicester v Everton. He made 1005 appearances with a multitude of clubs, ending his career at Leyton Orient at 47 years old, the 5th oldest player in the FL and PL. He won 125 international caps.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-lpIgLYETPI

Other goalkeepers who were a little more philosophical about their role in the game of football are:
Albert Camus, author, who played in nets for Racing Universitaire Algerios JT. he said that "all that I know most surely about morality and obligations, I owe to football". Professional footballers appeared in his writings.

Pope John Paul II known as Karol Jozef Wojtyla played goalie in games between Jews and Catholics at school.

Vladimir Nabokov, another author and entomologist, donned the GK jersey at Trinity College, Cambridge, while Niels Bohr, the quantum physicist narrowed the angles for the Danish, Akademisk Bold Club and also played for his country in the Olympic games 1908.

ITS THE POINT THAT COUNTS

There is a hang over in the Kirklees region today and tonight the Terriers's open top bus will ride through Town. Our U13 coaches were due to meet for dinner and drinks tonight but one of the coaches (a dad) is taking his lad to watch the team roll past with the Play Off trophy, the passport to the Premier League. Let's hope they dont drop it.
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2011/apr/21/real-madrid-player-drops-cup-under-bus

So Huddersfield won through in the end even with a negative goal difference. They didn't win either of the play off matches and relied on penalties-thanks to the Germans in the squad.

In 1923-4 Huddersfield won the First division by goal average over Cardiff City. They had the same points, Cardiff had scored more goals in the season and goal difference was the same, but goal average was the mathematical decider. Only five players in the Huddersfield team scored their goals!


In the English Premier League if goal difference is the same, then goals scored count and after that a "play off" takes place. Prior to 1976-7 season Goal Average was used and the maths decided who would be placed higher if points were tied.

In 1997-8 Arsenal pipped Man United by one point for the PL and the following season United got their revenge. Arsenal had conceded only 17 goals all season (20 fewer than United) BUT the sides had equal goal difference with two games to go. In the penultimate matches, Arsenal lost to Leeds 0-1, when Jimmy Floyd scored in the 87th minute. United nicked a point against Blackburn going a point ahead. United then beat Spurs in the last game and Arsenal's final win 1-0 over Villa was worth nothing.

1994-5 Blackburn won over United by one point, when United failed to beat West Ham at Upton Park despite Rovers losing at Liverpool. It was Blackburn's first silverware since 1913.

1976-7 Liverpool won the First Division over Manchester City by one point and five points separated the bottom 10 clubs in the division. Tottenham were relegated.

1971-2 Derby win by a point over Leeds, Liverpool and Manchester City. Clough and Co had finished their season with a defeat of City before the last games were played and they had 58 points one point ahead of Leeds and two from Liverpool. In the final games Leeds lost to Wolves 1-2 and Liverpool could only draw 0-0 with Arsenal. Clough and lads were on holiday when they heard.

1964-5 Geroge Best and United beat Leeds by goal average. Leeds also lost the Cup Final that year. This season saw the first showing of Match of the Day and Stanley Matthews played his final competitive match after 35 years of  a professional career.

there are others....
1949-50 Portsmouth beat Wolves goal average.
1952-3  Arsenal beat PNE goal average 0.0999 of a goal.
1988-9 Arsenal over Liverpool by a goal scored by "Its really up for grabs now.....THOMAS" in the final minute making the score 2-0 at Anfield.
2011-12 City beat United  on goal difference.

Here is another complication:
In the Sydenham Wessex League Premier this season, Moneyfields are still waiting to know if they are champions. It all relies on the special League meeting deciding whether the club should be docked points for playing a suspended player. If their appeal fails Portland United will get the title.

SEND THE ROYALS A CARD OF CONDOLENCE.

If you wanted to burgle anywhere in Huddersfield then today was the day. The people of the town and its surroundings migrated to Wembley to watch the Terriers ((Town) beat the Royals (Reading) in the £200 million game. The winners go to the Premier League next season. Heaven. The game ended up in a "lottery" with penalties, the traditional way of deciding a NO result even after extra time. Talksport has listeners phoning in debating the more fair way of deciding a no result game.....blah.

It's good news for Huddersfield who are owned by a genuinely nice man, Dean Hoyle, and managed by a genuinely nice German coach, David Wagner. Hoyle is the previous owner of "Card Factory". Founded in 1997, he sold it in 2010 to Venture Captalist Charterhouse for £350 million estimated. He has recently been awarded a Football Business Award,

Hoyle has given the club a "soft loan" and hopefully the next season in the Premier League will pay him back. Hoyle cycled to Wembley from Kirkless for charity and the tension of the play off final clearly took its toll on him. But there you are, he is an honest investor with a fairy tale finish to the year. Mind you with that amount of dosh behind me, I could be a decent chap.

Wagner, a mate of Klopp, seems to have got the tactics about right and all credit to him and his staff who have renovated a moderate Championship club. What will happen next year who knows but live the dream for a year?

Huddersfield Town was only founded in 1908, wrestling youngsters away from the more traditional game of rugby league, joining the Football League in 1910. After the First World War, the club had to raise money from public subscriptions to save the club by selling £1 shares. Had they failed they would have merged with Leeds!

The 1920s proved a very successful period for the club (Herbert Chapman and all that), justifying that financial input, and the club lifted itself into the First Division until 1952. It was up and down the divisions from then with a final appearance in the top tier in 1970-2.  A low point was their relegation to Division 4 between 1975-80. Then there was a steady climb towards Division One and now a deserved heaven.

There will be a lot of happy punters making their way back to West Yorkshire sometime in the next 24 hours!

GREASEY 'UNS v TANGERINES

It is Rogation Sunday and I was tempted out into the country side to "ask" his Lordship for help with the local harvests and animal births and to thank him for what is being given to us. In fact I went on a walk with the Church, sort of "beat the bounds", sang a few hymns, had a prayer and a reading and finished of with  a bit of refreshment in the St Anne's church.

I then rushed home to catch up with another "religious" ceremony, that of the Division two play off final between Blackpool and Exeter City at the "Cathedral", Wembley. After yesterday's brilliant cup final, could we be given anymore excitement?

Well the match went well, Blackpool went ahead, Exeter drew level and Blackpool nipped in with a winner before extra time etc. My sympathies were with Exeter but I was really pleased to see the "Seasiders" (sometimes known as the Tangerines) victorious after all the issues their fans have had to put up with over the past few years. Blackpool was also my favourite club when I was a youngster because Stanley Matthews played for them 9work that out!). I soon grew up and followed Spurs, because they were GOOD!

Both teams emerged from the Play Off semi-finals having survived home and away ties each worth 11 goals in total, so we were expecting a goal bonanza. There was plenty of action.

Exeter of course has had quite enough excitement this rugby season as the Chiefs have confounded all the odds, so did they deserve any more.

Exeter manager, Paul Tisdale is the second longest serving boss in the Football League (after Wenger). Having joined up with the Grecians in 2006, he had made his managerial name with Team Bath-a university side that had a bit of luck in the FA Cup. He is regarded as a snappy dresser and has the backing of Football Director, Steve Perryman MBE, who has brought his wealth of knowledge to the Grecians after being shunned at Spurs. That's another story.

Why the Grecians? Well since I am in classical mood (did you spot the "rogare"link? It means to ask) So that is why I was having a Rogation day.

Exeter may have been named from the Welsh for the settlement, "Caerwysg" meaning fort on the Exe (the river). The Cornish equivalent is "Karesk", so a west country link there. This was often translated as "Caer Iscuns" which apparently sounds like "Grecians".......hmmmm.

The other explanation for Grecians might be from some local scallywags known as "Greasey 'Uns", who lived in the St Sidwell's district of Exeter near the ground, St Jame's Park. Rivalries between the groups of city boys often took place when the St Sidwell's boys were "beating the bounds". That happens on Rogation Sunday. YES-LINK!!

I could go into the "Illiad" as Greek forces laid siege to the city of Troy, but I will spare you that..

Blackpool's "philology" (the study of placenames) is less confused; not much to explain is there? Black water from a local stream into the Irish sea sourced from peat bogs disgorging dark water, as with Dubn Linn (Dublin) in Irish which means the same). You never stop learning.

Manager Gary Bowyer only took over in the summer 2016 and has dragged the club up the league to financial promotion. All credit to him and maybe credit in the bank?
He is the son of ex-Nottingham Forest player Ian Bowyer. Gary as a young lad once took on Brian Clough at Forest asking him why he wasn't picking his Dad! Not clear what the response was.

Well the Blackpool club has put some of its worries behind it and let us hope they get some rich rewards in Division One. KIt might dig them out of the mess linked below.
http://baileyfootballblog.blogspot.co.uk/2015/05/blackpools-day-of-judgement.html

MONEY AT THE DOUBLE

All being well for Chelsea this afternoon, the Pensioners will be crowned FA Cup winners and therefore will also "Do the Double". I'm not bothered but it must be better than Arsenal getting it.
The last time this happened was Chelsea 2009-10.
Prior, Arsenal had done it in 2001-2, 1997-8 and 1970-1.
Manchester United did it in 1998-9 1995-6, 1993-4.
Liverpool won both trophies in 1985-6.
Tottenham Hotspur were the first club to win the Double in the 20th Century in 1960-1.
In the 19th century Aston Villa "Doubled" in 1896-7.

The first team to conquer all was Preston North End, the Invincibles in the first year of the Football League 1888-9. When the FL started, on 8th september, league positions were judged by games won only. This was soon to be questioned as "draws" got no recognition. During the season wins were eventually given 2 points and 1 point for a draw. The season ended on January 5th.

Preston went unbeaten in 22 games (there were 12 teams in the one and only division) and they had a record of:-
P22, W18, D4, Goals scored for 47 against 15 with a "Goal Average" of 4.9 (which was a way of deciding between teams should they have equal points. Today this is done by goal difference).
Main scorers were: Englishman, John Goodall scored 21 in 21 games; Scot, James Ross 18 and Fred Dewhurst (Eng) 12.
In the Cup PNE beat Wolves in the final at the Oval on March 30th, 1889, 3-0. 149 clubs started the competition and Preston beat Bootle, Grimsby, Birmingham St Georges and WBA. Dewhurst, Ross and Thompson scored.
The squad had 8 players from England, 7 Scots (remember that professionalism encouraged Scots to cross the border and they also may have originally worked in the mills of Lancashire to supplement their wages). 2 came from Wales and 1 from Northern Ireland.

William Sudell, born in Preston, was "manager" of the local cotton mill and chairman of the club. He was responsible for getting paid footballers recognised (ending "shamateurism") which changed the game.

In 1895 he was convicted of fraud moving money from his mill to the club and was imprisoned for 3 years. He later migrated to South Africa where he had much to do in promoting sport and died there in 1911. He is with PNE here third from the left back row of the INVINCIBLES.

THEY WILL NOT BE DANCING IN THE STREETS OF HARTLEPOOL TONIGHT.

Its been a bit of a roundabout over the past few weeks with managers, coaches and players chopping and changing, as teams succeed or decline.

Jeff Stelling, the Hartlepool's President made a plea over the television for poor old Dave Jones to resign as Hartlepool's manager. Having been in charge since January 2017, Jones had not made much difference to the Monkey Hangers' performance and they eventually were relegated from the Football league for the first time since 1921.
They beat Doncaster in their final League 2 game, so that Donny lost the chance of being champions and despite this the Pools saw rivals Newport County score in the 91st minute of their final league game to condemn the Pools to the National League for the first time in 96 years.
https://www.joe.co.uk/sport/watch-as-jeff-stelling-reacts-to-the-heartbreaking-late-goal-that-sent-his-beloved-hartlepool-down-124476

Inevitably there is a clear out at the club. Jones goes along with legend Billy Paynter, coach and captain. There have been several players chopped from the roster too but Carl Magnay stays, so do Rhys Oates and Brad Walker.

I mention Carl because he was the reason for me travelling along with Jerry (a chum, who is sort of related to the young full back) to Grimsby one evening and then to Wembley to watch him play for the Mariners. I feel relieved that Carl's recent transfer to the Pool has not proved to be to bad a move. Although he is stuck in the NL now! he is in employment.

In Jones' place comes Gatehead born, Craig Harrison-remember him? Once of Middlesbrough and Crystal Palace, he has had an amazing run with The New Saints, from the Welsh Premier League. TNS were founded as recently as 1959. I have mentioned them before.
http://baileyfootballblog.blogspot.co.uk/2016/12/tns-win-scrubs-out-ajaxs-record.html

I hear you say, isn't that just like expecting a Celtic coach to be a miracle worker? Well yes, the opposition is not startling but Harrison has kept his team winning and it is some achievement who ever it is against. They beat Ajax's winning record this season by producing straight victories for 44 games. The Saints won the League therefore, the League Cup and have had fun in Europe.

The link is that Jeff Stelling has used the phrase "they will be dancing in the streets of Total Network Solutions", the original name of the club and of course no place. The club name has since been adjusted to The New Saints.
The most recent squad has had 13 English players on their books and of course Craig.....who has since moved to Hartlepool!

Do you know why "monkey"??

WATCH THE VIDEO; FIND OUT ABOUT THE TEETH

Yes, I watched it on TV in black and white; the 1967 European Cup Final (now known as the UEFA Champions League Final) a competition for the Premier league winners of each affiliated UEFA nation.

Celtic beat Inter Milan 2-1 on May 25th at the Estadio Nacional, Lisbon. The Italians had developed to a fine art, the "catenaccio" defence, utterly negative, a tight as a drum with a "sliding bolt" sweeper who shut the bolt across the Milanese back line and ensured no entry! The Scots managed by Jock Stein breached it and won. He got his tactics spot on.
https://www.sportskeeda.com/football/the-beauty-of-catenaccio-style-of-football
Celtic became the first British team to bring home the trophy.
This season at every home game at Celtic Park, the mobile phones shine after 67 minutes of every match. Looking at Celtic's record this season perhaps the crowd should be moving on  to celebrate success, but of course the hoops are playing against "Micky McMouse" teams and the records don't really count!! Do they?

A green and white Hillman Imp has driven to Lisbon arriving today outside the stadium where the gates will be opened at 3pm. Some fans who have cycled from Scotland, are allowed into the ground for a lap of honour. Fans are arriving by coach and their may be 3,000 or more on their pilgrimage, lets hope they behave.

The Celtic players all came from within 30  miles of the ground. Bobby Lennox was the only one living outside the ten mile radius!

Back home there was recently a Civic Reception at the City Chambers for the team members.
Sadly a number of the winning team were not be able to share the moment as the following have passed on:
Ronnie Simpson GK, Tommy Gemmell LB (scored the first goal), Bobby Murdoch RH, Jinking Jimmy Johnstone OR, AND
Steve Chalmers is too frail to get to events and Willie Wallace CF lives in Sydney.
Jim Craig RB, John Clark CH, Bertie Auld LH, Stevie Chalmers CF (who scored the winner late on by diverting Murdoch's long range shot), Bobby Lennox LW are still alive.
Rod Stewart, Alex Ferguson and the Bay City rollers are invited too!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e7ON3mMMFSs

The Italians won a penalty early on for a powder puff tackle by Craig on striker Cappellini 1-0. It looked as though they might win their fourth Cup in five years. Prior to this the cup had been kept in the "Mediterranean triangle" and after 1967 the cup did not left the north of Europe for 17 out of the next 18 years.

A month later Celtic beat Real Madrid in Alfredo di Stefano's testimonial. No fluke.