St Leprechaun Day

Ever see that “Leprechaun” film? Well, ever see any of the six they made? A little Irish leprechaun fella (played by Warwick Davis – above) kills a fat bloke who stole his pot o’ gold. He then embarks on an emphatic, and frankly indiscriminate, killing spree that takes him to Vegas, outer space and, of […]

A Reffin’ Disgrace

Kiwis When I spent a year living in New Zealand, I brought my undoubted footballing talents to the country too. Whether it was putting a 60-yard pass on a sixpence, or doing the Cruyff turn, I could be relied on to deliver the goods.* But our league – Men’s Division Four – had a problem. […]

Turn off the tap

Tap up Another “tap-up” situation has made the headlines. The only surprise is that it is one of the top clubs in the country being stung this time. The most recent “tapping up” episode prior (and I promise that’s the last time I’m going to use quotes with regard to that phrase), was Aston Villa’s […]

Winners and Losers of 2004

Tottenham Hotspur – the winners and losers of 2004 What a year for Tottenham. I suppose what I mean by that is that it was the usual, mid-table, boring, predictable year for Tottenham. Just like every year there were some good and bad points, some heroes and villains – some winners and losers. The Winners […]

Forever Beneath-us

Revolution We’ve had the Foreign Legion at Chelsea, the French revolution at Arsenal and the Dogs of War at Everton. Now Rafael Benitez is attempting to bring some Spanish substance to Merseyside – and so far the signs are not good. It’s early days for the new man, UEFA Cup and double La Liga winner, […]

The Fate of Five

Managers Football is so dramatic, isn’t it? If it’s not the referees, it’s the players. If it’s not the directors, it’s the fans. But one person who is nearly always involved is the manager. And here’s five men who have been in the news recently. Redknapp For once I’m not going to talk about lovely […]

A Jacques Resignation

Crisis? Jacques Santini’s surprise resignation from Spurs on Friday 5th November was a reminder to all us fans that our club is one great big, living, breathing crisis. But how much of a crisis is it? Santini Santini arrived just before Euro 2004, appointed by Sporting Director, Frank Arnesen. Former RKC Waalwijk manager, Martin Jol, […]

The Way I See the Premiership 2004/2005

Premiership season preview I think I got a handful right last year. The safest prediction this year is that my performance will be worse. Arsenal Last season (LS): 1st In: Robin van Persie (Feyenoord, £2.75m), Manuel Almunia (Celta Vigo, undisclosed), Arturo Lupoli (Parma, scholarship), Mathieu Flamini (Marseille, undisclosed). Out: David Bentley (Norwich, loan), Giovanni van […]

They get knocked down

Tub thumping It never ceases to amaze me how the English media whip themselves in to an unbearable frenzy of tub thumping and misplaced optimism when England have a big match on the horizon. But in this case, the hype nearly lived up to the reality. England’s ninety minutes against France was not a display […]

The French Revolution

Last chance Well if this doesn’t work, nothing will. Tottenham chairman Daniel Levy has finally got his man. Whether that man was his first choice or not is something of a moot point. The day after Levy had apparently sounded out Claudio “my heart belongs to Valencia” Ranieri about the vacant managers job at White […]