SDMB FOOTIE FOCUS: November

Not sure about the Launderer in Fullham Palace Rd (in fact I don’t think there is a sports shop there - I think it turned into a diving shop.)

George Best used to have a restaurant in North End Rd.

Ted Ditchburn has a sports shop in Romford.

Dave MacKay has a Tie Rack in North London. There’s something not quite right about that.

Danny Wallace tours as a stand-up comedian. His show is called “wallace and Vomit” .

Terry Naylor is a postman in Highbury.

My taxman (ie the Inland Revenue bloke I deal with) used to play for Bristol Rovers and Doncaster.

I will think of more…

I didn’t know that. Fwiw, I used to share a quiet, round-the-back local with George just off the Kings Road when he was on the white wine and sodas, I suppose it was five-six years ago now. Lovely feller. Regular as clock work, he was.

Terry Naylor as a postman! Well, I wouldn’t be surprised if he’s reasonably happy with that. Just seems a travesty given everything he gave to the club. Quality geezer.

As for a former Launderer having a shop that turned into being about diving, oh the irony! Hell of a result for them last night, though. I’m actually rooting for Ranieri, I think he’s been treated dreadfully by all this Sven rumour-mongering.
In fact, I want Ranieri as England manager - Sven can take the bullion and shove it where Ulrika likes it.

Terry Neill had a bar just by Old Bailey. Think it might have closed down a year or two ago.

Thanks for the link L_C.

Best practise barres further up the fretboard - it’s easier to press and get all the strings sounding. After some practise you’ll find a barre on the first fret becomes easier. Until then you could use the “cheat” F whereby you reach your thumb around to the bottom string, or just don’t bother playing the bottom string at all.

Okay, I’ll try that this evening. Thanks.
Onwards . . . I’m quite interested in seeing how the Rooskies play Henry and co this evening (having one eye on Saturday). Last week, Peter Reid decided to:

(a) play a flat back four and push right up,
(b) not to man-mark Henry, and
© play two defensive midfielders (Batty and Seth Johnson) to (presumably) disrupt the supply. Didn’t work too well . . . especially as Henry, Lumberg and Pires just went wide and around them. And over.

I don’t really understand why Henry usually gets man-marked in Europe and not in the Premiership – I mean the results seem pretty clear.

Anyway, it’ll be interesting to see if Kiev come up with something Pleat could use . . . man-marked by Taricco, maybe ?

You can better odds elsewhere, but can someone explain to me why Galatasaray are at least 2/1 to win at Olympiakos (where Olympiakos are at best Evens) . . . is there something I’m not aware of at play ? I mean Group D is still wide open.

Doesn’t seem right, I may have to get on . . .

Would that be the Feinie (sp?) Arms?

He was a long term fixture in there for years.

The Phene, Owl. On the corner of Oakley Gardens. Shame his boy isn’t a footballer.

How the hell do we stop Henry, without a rocket propelled grenade ?

great display by Celtic last night, Miller was excellent. and Rangers are once again the laughing stock of Europe.

sweet.

Well, Arsenal still has a chance in CL and I think they will make it. Haven’t got much hope of winning it though, unless we become wastly more efficient.
And stopping Henry is impossible, I thought Spurs fans knew that after last years goal. An headed assist, could have been 2, even when he was man-marked.

Everyone’s favourite player Tony Adams is now manager i for Wycombe.

Not quite everyones favourite…

I have a library card for Saturday which is always a fun trip. However I cannot see how we are going to get anything out of it.

The only way I can see us getting any kind of result is to kick seven bells out of the filth and hope that their discipline cracks.

For thems that knows a pub with a moody sattelite - it’s on Canal +.

Oh well.

re: Boncho’s Bulgarian Meatball Emporium - It’s closed. Its now an Estate Agents (which is just what W14 needs more of).

I will remain unrequited in my desire to eat meatballs cooked by Bulgarian World Cup footballers.

Good to see channel Five have resurected It’s A Knockout. Strangely though, they have renamed it “UEFA Cup football from Bucharest”.

What an utter pantomime - I genuinely expected to see Stuart Hall cackling maniacally every time Steven Gerrard fell over. The equaliser came from both Hyppia and Biscan slipping, and Gerrard’s passback which stopped dead in a puddle thus becoming a perfect through ball was priceless.

Next time I labour on a puddley pitch on Pontcanna fields for my Sunday League team, I will take heart that professionals would look just as ridiculous as me.

Foiled!

Apparently the Wycombe players aren’t happy with Adams getting the job. They wanted the caretaker manager to stay instead.

Oh good, I get to brush up on my French as well as taking Spanish!

Two things:

In terms of results and tactics, I can’t work out why Champions League games (at least at this league stage of it) are as unpredictable as they are. Perhaps it’s because this league system might suit some mentalities (southern European) more than others (for example, the British teams who, one assumes, like a blood and guts ‘cup tie’). Ditto the mentality of those looking to punt, maybe ‘we’ think ‘cup tie’, and the teams are more points-in-the-bin types.

Actually, I have no idea and that’s the only straw floating past.

Second, none-the-wiser as to how to blunt the Grovellers, although Kiev certainly gave their all

I’m pretty much of the view that pushing a back four up just plays into the hands of their lightening ‘breakers’ - those acres between the 'keeper and the halfway line are made for the likes of Henry and Co. So that’s out.

What else ? Well, I think I’m going to flood the midfield in my Spurs team selection for Saturday.

<Spurs chat>

Here’s the plan, boys, and it’s 4 – 5 – 1-ish. Radical, but we’ve got to give something a go. Tin hats and best wishes go to:
Keller

Carr – Richards – Gardiner – Taricco

-------- Mabizela – King

Ricketts ----- Keane ----- Konchelshy

---------Zamora/Postiga

  • and may God bless all who sail in her . . .
    p.s I think Pleat may go with something similar but he will, of course, have at least Anderton (in for Mabizela). If he plays Anderton and Poyet, it’ll be a cricket score.

Doherty for Gardiner if Gardiner’s hamstring hasn’t cleared up.

</Spurs chat>

Not a bad idea. I’d go on in a similar vein, but with Dalmat rather than Konchesky.

It’s going to be a long day on Saturday.

from the Observer the 10 dodgiest footballing barnets:

Owl’s weekend Gamble:

Bolton v SOUTHAMPTON - saints win

Pompey v Dirty dirty Leeds - Draw

Wolves v Zulus - Zulu win

Chelscum v Rapists - Chelsea win

Lucky15 with william Hill - £15 stake. Lets see what comes back.

I’d go for a Pompey win, and a draw with Newcastle and Chelsea.

The death of Bobby Hatfield has given an excuse to resurrect possibly the best off-the-cuff terrace song.

Man City were playing sonme bunch of no marks and Mickey Phelan was substituted for pierre Vonk…

The song:-

“we’ve lost that micky phelan
woo-oh that mickey phelan
we’ve lost that micky phelan
now its vonk, vonk, vonk…”

How to get a draw, or if you’re lucky win, against Arsenal:

go on then; give us a clue…

Arm Kasey Keller with a Gattling Gun?