Author: Ben
Black Pudding Derby delight for ‘Dale
We’ve all been there: the hubris and cockiness borne of conviction and enthusiasm coming back to bite us firmly in the backside. And so it was on Saturday for the Bury fans - rejoicing at being back in League 1 and fortified by pre-match pints in the metal box of a social club adjacent to Gigg Lane (£1 in for non-members; distinct odour of hot dogs, cooking lager and sweat) …
Mute point
So, three weeks into the new Football League season and in many ways it’s much the same as the last. The divisions might be different, but Southampton and Brighton are still dazzling on the south coast; Peterborough are still serving up improbable goalfests at London Road; Crawley are still cruising at the top of the league; and, less happily, Plymouth’s horrific decline continues seemingly unabated.
Changes have however been …
Personnel’s ‘personal problems’ stymie Pilgrims’ progress
A few weeks ago I commented on MK Dons striker Sam Baldock’s decision to favour heart over head and spurn newly promoted Peterborough’s advances. Baldock claimed not to have felt excited by the prospect of a move to Posh, and I praised his honesty, speculating as to how often the inane smiles of new signings paraded before fans and media ‘mask an expression of grim resignation at having …
Mad Hatters?
Either Stockport’s new owners have bottomless pockets and Bury’s Ryan Lowe is so good that they’d consider shattering the world transfer record in a bid to haul themselves back into the Football League, or the Daily Star need to employ more competent and attentive proofreaders. My money’s probably on the latter.
(Apologies for the pedantry, but given that most of us work in publishing I’m afraid you just have to …
Prat falls to rise
It’s always curious when a player once apparently utterly integral to a team becomes dispensable, particularly when it seems to happen almost overnight.
Take the case of former Swansea star Darren Pratley. For the full duration of the season my club spent in the Championship, 2009/10, Pratley was magnificent - a driving, dynamic force knitting midfield to attack and carrying considerable goal threat thanks to a knack for bursting beyond …