BFF member Jericho takes a look at the latest Arctic Monkeys album.
"Anticipation has a habit to set you up for disappointment..." were the first words from Alex Turner on the much-anticipated Arctic Monkeys debut album, Whatever People Say, That's What I'm Not released four years ago. Fortunately, the debut did not disappoint but it set a trend for anticipation for Arctic Monkeys records that would continue to their follow-up effort Favourite Worst Nightmare released two years ago. That record also pulled of the trick and success of their debut.
Two years later the question is can they repeat the trick at the third time of asking? The short answer is no. They've gone for a completely different trick altogether. The fast, furious pounding of guitars and catchy, loud and abrasive sound that characterised the first two records is gone. It's a risky move. After all, they could have come up with pretty much the same album as either one of the last two and the music media and fans would have lapped it all up. Sure, there would've been a small contingent asking for change. Well, now there's going to be a large contingent asking "who the f**k are (these) Arctic Monkeys?"
Let's get straight to it. If you loved the previous Arctic Monkeys, your love is going to be tested to the limit. This is a heavier, less lyrical and more produced album than you could have imagined. The question though is, is it any good? Well let's take a look, shall we?
The album is relatively short (just 10 songs) so it's easy to do a track by track review.
My Propeller - There's a heavy isolated bass line in the background with Alex Turner's vocals all dark and brooding. This is pretty much what Humbug is. Dark and brooding and heavy bass. For an opening song, this never takes really off and is a limp start for the record... what it does is tell you that the old Monkeys sound is gone. There is no frenetic pounding of guitars or sneering vocals. It also feels weirdly tongue in cheek.
Crying Lightning - This song hints at how good this new Arctic Monkeys sound could be if done well. It's also pretty pedestrian until the second chorus when it comes to life but just as it took off, it dies down and then something like a solo (which have never been a major feature on previous Monkeys' records) creeps in before the song is bridged and then rouses joyously back to life. One of the more obvious singles on the album.
Dangerous Animals - This is the last time I'm going to use the word heavy (yes, this one also sounds heavy. I also noticed the drumming is also a lot heavier than I've heard from them before). For a number of reasons, this is the worst song on the album. Alex Turner is far too good a song-writer to use such cheap tricks as to spell lyrics and here he does it twice (he spells D-A-N-G-E-R-O-U-S and A-N-I-M-A-L-S) Seriously. Nothing says we couldn't be arsed quite like spelling your lyrics. It is not excusable.
Secret Door - A slower song than the previous lot and a more conventional drum and bass pattern. In the background there's what sounds like more solos from either Jamie or Alex. It's also the best song so far. Things are starting to look up.
Potion Approaching - The intro and verse sounds more like the Arctics than any other song. By now I've started to notice how often Alex is using the first person singular and plural form (there's a lot of "I", "me" "we"). Is it self-indulgence? I can't quite tell as he's never been as obnoxious as other rock frontmen but I'm surprised that I've noticed that. I can't quite shake the feeling that is a filler track. It's also a bit dull and overwrought with guitar effects.
Fire and Thud - This is a bit like the opener, My Propeller. There's a chugging percussive effect to the song that again is unexpected for the Arctic Monkeys. There's a nice melody here but it's being buried by the background guitar which seems very loud. Another guitar solo/effect comes in towards the end but does little to pick up the pace or bring in any spark.
Cornerstone - There's an instant familiarity about this tune. It's very produced and effects laden but it is the most interesting song by far. It's my favourite song on the album although I can't quite shake the feeling this song was left over from the Favourite Worst Nightmare recording sessions. Yeah, I like this a lot.
Dance Little Liar - Another guitar driven intro with someone picking out the same note repetitively which carries on into the song. The thing with the previous Arctic Monkeys song is that they tried to make every song different whether it was in length or tempo but this record is all pretty much one paced (slow) with occasional kick-ups in tempo. There's a welcome upping of the tempo towards the end of the song. This is one of the better songs on the album.
Pretty Visitors - There's bell, horn or whatever intro (weird) and BEHOLD...the Arctic Monkeys! (well, for all of 30 seconds). I think this is the kind of song they wanted this album to sound like. And for a while there they have it. And it is good but here's a quick and constant change of tempo. There are moments here that suggest this could have been a great album but there's just so much emphasis on mood and atmosphere and heavy bass and drumming that at times it just lacks spark and bite (I never thought I would say that about the Arctic Monkeys but there you go).
The Jeweller's Hands - The final song. Another slow song. Not terribly memorable for a closer. Well, when you consider that their previous album closers were 505 and A Certain Romance. As the album is winding down I noticed the tracks seem to be more or less the same length.
So there we are. It's definitely not I would have expected but I suppose its natural that musicians grow tired of doing the same thing all the time. Well, some grow tired. Others stick to a successful formula for all its worth. Not so Alex Turner and his friends. They've ditched the local stories and immediacy of past efforts for a more studied sound. In a way its too be expected. It happens to all rock bands. At first, they write about their friends and towns. They make it big, get rich, move to a bigger town and find it hard to write songs like they used to. Older fans get turned off, band makes more money by appealing to a broader audience and the cycle is repeated again after a few years.
I'm not saying that's what happened here but if you look back, Whatever People Say was a casual and at times funny observation of average small town life. It was engaging and unassuming and was accompanied by sharp lyrics and punky guitars. Favourite Worst Nightmare was more of the same except there was a noticeable change in the sound and lyrics which were both more menacing and much faster than before. Whereas before we'd been told of "kids who like to scrap with pool cues in their hands" and asking "can't we just laugh and joke around" Alex's words were more scathing "Already thick and you're getting thicker" and "perhaps f**k off might be too kind" The Monkeys seemed to be having less fun and life wasn't just full of fake tales of San Francisco. It was about failure, lost love, longing for the past and bleak outlook for the future. You could almost see them not ever going back to the jaunty innocence of View From The Afternoon or A Certain Romance.
The first two records were punchy, and easily digestible. This record is neither of those. It seems like it was written with express intention to fore-go all previous Arctic Monkeys material. It's a pity but it was bound to happen. It'll be interesting to see how this is received but I can see quite a few people being put off by it. I've seen them play this new material live and I can not say it came off particularly well. Others disagreed but I was not overly impressed but I'm not worried about them in the long-term. I think Humbug will be a once off indulgence that will unshackle them from people's expectations and allow them to be a better band for it. This is a band that pulled off one of the catchiest, punchiest and most memorable songs in recent history (Fluorescent Adolescent) out of their asses like they have a million songs like that they could write if they felt like it. I'm all in favour of the new and exotic but Humbug doesn't quite reach the heights it could have done but there's plenty to admire even if the heavy sound bogs everything down too often.
My final thought is that this album would be more acceptable and celebrated as a side project but as an Arctic Monkeys record it just falls short of their previous (very high) mark. Maybe it was what they wanted.
6.5/10
Wednesday, 9 September 2009
Friday, 31 July 2009
Farewell to a Footballing Legend
I'm not a fan of posting on forums to say "RIP" to someone, or changing a Facebook status to mourn someone you've never met - and I'm certainly not a fan of bloody Twitter.
But today, you can't help but be moved by the passing of Sir Bobby Robson. Aged 76, we all knew he was dying, and we all knew it would come sooner rather than later, but the news still brings a lump to the throat.
The Bobby Robson you remember best depends on the your age. The oldest will remember the player who made his way to management at Fulham and, if memory serves, found out that he had been sacked by reading it on a newspaper billboard.
Those of a certain age will think of Ipswich, the unfancied, unfashionable club who won the FA Cup, had a stab at winning the league and then won the UEFA Cup under his tutelage.
Then you have my era and those just around it who will remember him as the man who took England to within an unfortunate deflection of the World Cup final in 1990. Before that, only Diego Maradona's Hand of God goal halted England's charge four years earlier, and although the less said about Euro 88 the better, Italia 90 still holds a strong place in my heart.
After that, Sir Bobby headed abroad and PSV, Sporting Lisbona and Barcelona all had the advantage of his sublime skills, before, in 1999, he finally got his dream job and took over at Newcastle. He never brought them huge success to the Magpies, but when you look at where they are now, it's hard to say that he didn't do a good job.
Having left Newcastle, he was finished as a manager but he remained in the public eye and was probably still one of football's best-loved characters - not least for THAT Shola Ameobi/Carl Cort story.
Sir Bobby was a great man, a kind man and one that will surely be missed. You can only presume that God needed a new manager for his football team earlier this morning... And, I bet their fortunes will improve straightaway.
RIP Sir Bobby.
* Blog post by BFF member Jon
But today, you can't help but be moved by the passing of Sir Bobby Robson. Aged 76, we all knew he was dying, and we all knew it would come sooner rather than later, but the news still brings a lump to the throat.
The Bobby Robson you remember best depends on the your age. The oldest will remember the player who made his way to management at Fulham and, if memory serves, found out that he had been sacked by reading it on a newspaper billboard.
Those of a certain age will think of Ipswich, the unfancied, unfashionable club who won the FA Cup, had a stab at winning the league and then won the UEFA Cup under his tutelage.
Then you have my era and those just around it who will remember him as the man who took England to within an unfortunate deflection of the World Cup final in 1990. Before that, only Diego Maradona's Hand of God goal halted England's charge four years earlier, and although the less said about Euro 88 the better, Italia 90 still holds a strong place in my heart.
After that, Sir Bobby headed abroad and PSV, Sporting Lisbona and Barcelona all had the advantage of his sublime skills, before, in 1999, he finally got his dream job and took over at Newcastle. He never brought them huge success to the Magpies, but when you look at where they are now, it's hard to say that he didn't do a good job.
Having left Newcastle, he was finished as a manager but he remained in the public eye and was probably still one of football's best-loved characters - not least for THAT Shola Ameobi/Carl Cort story.
Sir Bobby was a great man, a kind man and one that will surely be missed. You can only presume that God needed a new manager for his football team earlier this morning... And, I bet their fortunes will improve straightaway.
RIP Sir Bobby.
* Blog post by BFF member Jon
The Real cost of revolution
*Blog post by BFF member Jericho
Having suffered the shame of of watching arch-rivals Barcelona sweep all before their path (including a famous 2-6 reverse at the Bernabeu) to win a historic treble of the Champions League, La Liga and King's Cup and win plaudits for the football they played in doing so, Real Madrid are desperate to break Barcelona's dominance. So they've turned to the man who was at the helm in their much publicised Galacticos era, Florentino Perez.
Perez's plan is to bring back the good old days by splashing the cash and going for immediate success. It's a strategy that has been tried before with varying levels of failure. The strategy for buying superstar names and trying to build a team around them is nothing new. What is new is the level of resolve shown by the market to be not bullied into submission. Having paid over the odds for Kaka, Cristiano Ronaldo and Benzema, the rest of Europe has been alerted to the Real "revolution" so naturally, prices for the players that Madrid are interested in are going to sky-rocket which has boxed Perez into a corner. And there is nothing Madrid can do about it. Whilst every player may dream of turning out for Bernabeu side, other football clubs don't hold Madrid in the same high regard. Bayern Munich general manager Uli Hoeness has this to say regarding the transfer of Franck Ribery to Madrid "Everybody is speaking about Ribery's transfer. Above all Zidane says 'blah, blah, blah.' It seems a lack of respect to us."
It's easy to be impressed with Madrid's transfer dealings so far this year. Kaka and Cristiano Ronaldo are both recent FIFA World Player Of The Year winners (Ronaldo is the reigning Player of The Year). Benzema is a highly regarded talent who has long been linked with leading European clubs. So the players come with some pedigree but on closer inspection, none of those players were hard transfers even if their transfer values suggest otherwise. AC Milan were willing to sell Kaka to Manchester City in January and that would have hurt Kaka. Combine that with Carlo Ancelotti's inevitable departure from the San Siro to replace Hiddink at Chelsea, Milan's decline in Serie A and Europe and the Brazilian's transfer was a mere formality. Ronaldo has never made secret of his desire to join Madrid. And with him having scored over 40 goals in the season before last, winning both Champions League and Premier League, it was always going to be hard to top those achievements. Benzema's only ever played in Ligue 1 for Lyon. A league whose lack of competitiveness is matched only by its absolute lack of entertainment. A move to a better league was always a certainty. None of these players really wanted to stay at their former clubs nor were their clubs particularly committed to keeping them. Madrid have been blinded by the ease of these marque signings. The footballing signings are prove far tougher.
And with that we come to the point... those of you who follow the internets may be familiar with Real's pursuit of Liverpool's Xabi Alonso. You also might be privy to the fact that Xabi Alonso wants to leave Liverpool because of the fall-out between himself and Liverpool manager, Rafa Benitez. This really should be an easy transfer to close out then and yet it still has not. The problem is Real's arrogance. Perez has made numerous reference to investment footballers (Kaka, Ronaldo) and cost footballers (Alonso) and while he values the former highly, he has exhibited considerable contempt for the far more valuable latter. Star players are great and Perez's fascination with them is understandable but no team can succeed without "cost" footballers. You would have thought Perez would have learnt from the last time how big name players (especially at Madrid where they are treated like royalty) have an alarmingly laissez-faire attitude to graft. But Perez is not a man who you would associate with (good) reasoning.
Unfortunately for him, Rafa Benitez is famously stubborn. This is man whose zonal marking system has been subjected to ridicule by virtually everyone in the game and he never once budged from his stance. He seems to have taken a similar line over Madrid's pursuit of the Liverpool supporter's player of the year. Rumours have emerged in recent weeks that Alonso had submitted a transfer request but this is denied by Alonso's representatives and even if it were true, it's unlikely that a request to leave Anfield would change Liverpool's valuation of the midfielder. Benitez would be happy to keep the fan favourite which would give a massive boost to his outfit's title challenge. He's also equally resigned to selling him but only if the price is right. Either way, he wins.
Liverpool are not alone in their battle to keep their important players from joining Madrid. Valencia's David Villa and Bayern Munich's Franck Ribery have also been linked with the Spanish team but so far, neither player's team appear willing to be bullied into a cut-price by Madrid. By going public with their intentions and brazenly throwing his wealth around, Perez has opened himself to being held ransom over player prices. Liverpool were prepared to sell Alonso to Juventus for almost half of the fee they're quoting Madrid. Having thrashed Madrid 5-0 over two legs in last season's Champions League knock-out stages, Liverpool are well within their rights to demand more for a player who will be joining a European rival. Bayern Munich haven't been quite the European force they once were but if Frenchman Ribery can find consistent form, they would be targeting a return to battling for European glory. They too are reluctant to bow to pressure from the Bernabeu team.
Throughout the summer Madrid have used all their usual tricks to try and prise their targets but so far none have worked. With the Spanish season not kicking off until late August, Madrid are willing to play the waiting game but it's unlikely any deals will be struck at the current prices. Whatever happens, they'll be finding out that revolution is quite an expensive business. It's a sentiment Manchester City can share.
*Blog post by BFF member Jericho
Having suffered the shame of of watching arch-rivals Barcelona sweep all before their path (including a famous 2-6 reverse at the Bernabeu) to win a historic treble of the Champions League, La Liga and King's Cup and win plaudits for the football they played in doing so, Real Madrid are desperate to break Barcelona's dominance. So they've turned to the man who was at the helm in their much publicised Galacticos era, Florentino Perez.
Perez's plan is to bring back the good old days by splashing the cash and going for immediate success. It's a strategy that has been tried before with varying levels of failure. The strategy for buying superstar names and trying to build a team around them is nothing new. What is new is the level of resolve shown by the market to be not bullied into submission. Having paid over the odds for Kaka, Cristiano Ronaldo and Benzema, the rest of Europe has been alerted to the Real "revolution" so naturally, prices for the players that Madrid are interested in are going to sky-rocket which has boxed Perez into a corner. And there is nothing Madrid can do about it. Whilst every player may dream of turning out for Bernabeu side, other football clubs don't hold Madrid in the same high regard. Bayern Munich general manager Uli Hoeness has this to say regarding the transfer of Franck Ribery to Madrid "Everybody is speaking about Ribery's transfer. Above all Zidane says 'blah, blah, blah.' It seems a lack of respect to us."
It's easy to be impressed with Madrid's transfer dealings so far this year. Kaka and Cristiano Ronaldo are both recent FIFA World Player Of The Year winners (Ronaldo is the reigning Player of The Year). Benzema is a highly regarded talent who has long been linked with leading European clubs. So the players come with some pedigree but on closer inspection, none of those players were hard transfers even if their transfer values suggest otherwise. AC Milan were willing to sell Kaka to Manchester City in January and that would have hurt Kaka. Combine that with Carlo Ancelotti's inevitable departure from the San Siro to replace Hiddink at Chelsea, Milan's decline in Serie A and Europe and the Brazilian's transfer was a mere formality. Ronaldo has never made secret of his desire to join Madrid. And with him having scored over 40 goals in the season before last, winning both Champions League and Premier League, it was always going to be hard to top those achievements. Benzema's only ever played in Ligue 1 for Lyon. A league whose lack of competitiveness is matched only by its absolute lack of entertainment. A move to a better league was always a certainty. None of these players really wanted to stay at their former clubs nor were their clubs particularly committed to keeping them. Madrid have been blinded by the ease of these marque signings. The footballing signings are prove far tougher.
And with that we come to the point... those of you who follow the internets may be familiar with Real's pursuit of Liverpool's Xabi Alonso. You also might be privy to the fact that Xabi Alonso wants to leave Liverpool because of the fall-out between himself and Liverpool manager, Rafa Benitez. This really should be an easy transfer to close out then and yet it still has not. The problem is Real's arrogance. Perez has made numerous reference to investment footballers (Kaka, Ronaldo) and cost footballers (Alonso) and while he values the former highly, he has exhibited considerable contempt for the far more valuable latter. Star players are great and Perez's fascination with them is understandable but no team can succeed without "cost" footballers. You would have thought Perez would have learnt from the last time how big name players (especially at Madrid where they are treated like royalty) have an alarmingly laissez-faire attitude to graft. But Perez is not a man who you would associate with (good) reasoning.
Unfortunately for him, Rafa Benitez is famously stubborn. This is man whose zonal marking system has been subjected to ridicule by virtually everyone in the game and he never once budged from his stance. He seems to have taken a similar line over Madrid's pursuit of the Liverpool supporter's player of the year. Rumours have emerged in recent weeks that Alonso had submitted a transfer request but this is denied by Alonso's representatives and even if it were true, it's unlikely that a request to leave Anfield would change Liverpool's valuation of the midfielder. Benitez would be happy to keep the fan favourite which would give a massive boost to his outfit's title challenge. He's also equally resigned to selling him but only if the price is right. Either way, he wins.
Liverpool are not alone in their battle to keep their important players from joining Madrid. Valencia's David Villa and Bayern Munich's Franck Ribery have also been linked with the Spanish team but so far, neither player's team appear willing to be bullied into a cut-price by Madrid. By going public with their intentions and brazenly throwing his wealth around, Perez has opened himself to being held ransom over player prices. Liverpool were prepared to sell Alonso to Juventus for almost half of the fee they're quoting Madrid. Having thrashed Madrid 5-0 over two legs in last season's Champions League knock-out stages, Liverpool are well within their rights to demand more for a player who will be joining a European rival. Bayern Munich haven't been quite the European force they once were but if Frenchman Ribery can find consistent form, they would be targeting a return to battling for European glory. They too are reluctant to bow to pressure from the Bernabeu team.
Throughout the summer Madrid have used all their usual tricks to try and prise their targets but so far none have worked. With the Spanish season not kicking off until late August, Madrid are willing to play the waiting game but it's unlikely any deals will be struck at the current prices. Whatever happens, they'll be finding out that revolution is quite an expensive business. It's a sentiment Manchester City can share.
*Blog post by BFF member Jericho
Saturday, 11 July 2009
Tour de Farce/Force?
Although the quirky play on words never fails any budding journalist, it curiously leaves me persistently questioning the credibility of what has become the world’s greatest stage race. Before going any further, I’d like to stress that this is in no way an attempt to be controversial. Put it more down to a novice cycling fan finding himself honestly stumped.
Farce
It is often proclaimed that such a grand race has come to epitomise everything admirable about human endeavour. Indeed, extensive publications have sought to explain the phenomenon that is the race. Even so, there is also an argument to be made of its ascent to represent an uglier, darker side of those who have devoted their lives to the race, contradicting everything that Destrange and Lefévre set out to prove.
There is no secret as to what it is that has often mired this great pursuit. Whilst the majority of sports have forever combated issues such as gamesmanship, prejudice, and financial irregularities, one problem has become inextricably linked with professional cycling: performance enhancing drugs. Not that this is breaking news. A good proportion of cycling fans will remember questionable practises of this form for as long as they have lavishing their adulation upon it. Even Tom Simpson’s shock death - one of cycling’s most traumatic events - is still accompanied by the regaling of stories about amphetamines being found on the deceased cyclist shortly after his collapse on Ventoux, although it was evident that a number of other factors exacerbated the cyclist‘s tragic demise. It is for exactly this reason, that such tales can still infiltrate the Tour‘s abundant history, that have conspired to seemingly forever bring the sport into disrepute. Naturally, if drugs are a blight on the sport, it is safe to assume that the pinnacle of the sport has its share of the problematic professionals.
It is in recent times that such questionable practises have seemingly robbed the race of all its integrity, more so since anti-doping authorities expand their means to bring PED users to the fore. Issue after issue has presented itself to the flustered organisers of the race, rarely looking like abating. Although the current race has yet to expose its first over-zealous cheat (I write this relatively early on), recent years don’t appear to have done the Tour any favours. After numerous controversies that shrouded all of those who clung onto the wheel of Armstrong, the ensuing years yielded their own share of the innocently guilty. Unthinkably, the maillot jaune winner, Floyd Landis, tested positive for a banned substance - a claim which he still refutes to this day. Then, even more recently, the race had the task of usurping a new wave of cheats, ones who weren’t aware of the creators of CERA having worked in conjunction with the authorities in developing a test that would alert anti-doping authorities to the usage of the blood booster. A winner of two stages, Riccardo Ricco had the venom quickly sucked out of him. Polka-dot winner and third in the GC, Bernard Kohl was captured months after. Winner of both individual Time Trials, Stefan Schumacher, also went that way. Thoroughly depressing stuff. Of course, a number of other riders have kept the anti-doping teams busy over the years, but it would take a dedicated article of its own to condemn these idiots. What’s even more depressing is that these men will still so willing to take a shot (oops).
Force
It would be suitable to advocate ‘Force’ by starting in a similar vein to that of ‘Farce’. Everything good that the authors of publications about the race have provided insight into are fully justified. This is truly a race that transcends all others, propelling itself to a level that others can only aspire to. The way in which millions of cycling fans are annually gripped to their screens, captivated fans packing the side of the road for miles and miles, and generally showing an obsessive enthusiasm every July bear testament to what this race is all about. Cycling fans can confidently boast of its superiority on a number of levels.
Perhaps it’s narrow-minded on my behalf, but the only truly negative aspect of the race I imagined worth questioning is the problem of performance enhancing drugs, as there is surely no sight more disenchanting than a rider being accompanied away by policemen. On the contrary, the pros come with contrasting ease. Although I feel inclined to poor over positive after positive, since the drugs were my sole gripe for a Tour de Farce, I’ll be fair in only citing one admiration, and the one thing that will always attract me to it is, quite simply, the aforementioned human endeavour.
It is with good reason that one of Britain’s best selling cycling magazine proclaims the sport to be the toughest. As convincing as some arguments have been in arguing the case for other sports, I am still yet to be convinced of cycling being equalled by any other spectator event. I could mention Dean Karnazes - a man who runs in one race than what most people will in a lifetime - but he is one unique individual.
So, with cycling being the toughest sport in the world, what does it say of the actual sport’s toughest race? Some may see it fit at this point to politely mention two other famous Grand Tours, the Giro d’Italia and Vuelta a Espana. However, there are still circumstances that manage to detract from these, namely the fact that all of cycling’s elite want the famous yellow jersey, whereas Maglia Rosa and Jersey de Oro are an afterthought for some of the biggest names. Riders vying for other classification jerseys also show similar preferences, highlighting the allure of the Tour.
But why? Well, on top of everything else that has come to cultivate such a magnificent race - the sprints, the time trials, the team time trials, breakaways, doing it against the very best, it is the mountains that truly represent what this race is all about, with these being where many of the Tour‘s have been won, thus producing the legends we come to balance our love and dislike for. This is where I’ll leave you to start your own research (Wikipedia!). Whether it be Ventoux, Alp d’Huez, or Col de la Bonette, they are all evocative for every fan of this great race, and definitely personify what “human endeavour” is all about.
To summarise, the way in which millions of cycling fans are annually gripped to their screens, captivated fans packing the side of the roads for miles upon miles, and generally showing that obsessive enthusiasm every July bear testament to what this race is all about. Cycling fans can confidently boast of its superiority to all other races on a number of levels. Whatever at times has made it a farce, despite those people battering at its credibility, the race keeps on transcending all other sports, showing an alarming resilience to all of the deadwood that would have otherwise conspired to deprive us of our privileged summers. Whichever shamefaced cheat is being led from his team’s hotel at this year’s Tour, their antics will never be enough to make this race anything but a Force.
P.S. on the drugs front, as “depressing” as it is to me, I share the sentiments of many cycling fans who, whilst exasperated by the continuous exposure of cheats, are elated with what they perceive to be the authorities finally getting a grip on this sport, as the outing of CERA cheats has demonstrated.
Blog Post by BFF member JimmyMc
Farce
It is often proclaimed that such a grand race has come to epitomise everything admirable about human endeavour. Indeed, extensive publications have sought to explain the phenomenon that is the race. Even so, there is also an argument to be made of its ascent to represent an uglier, darker side of those who have devoted their lives to the race, contradicting everything that Destrange and Lefévre set out to prove.
There is no secret as to what it is that has often mired this great pursuit. Whilst the majority of sports have forever combated issues such as gamesmanship, prejudice, and financial irregularities, one problem has become inextricably linked with professional cycling: performance enhancing drugs. Not that this is breaking news. A good proportion of cycling fans will remember questionable practises of this form for as long as they have lavishing their adulation upon it. Even Tom Simpson’s shock death - one of cycling’s most traumatic events - is still accompanied by the regaling of stories about amphetamines being found on the deceased cyclist shortly after his collapse on Ventoux, although it was evident that a number of other factors exacerbated the cyclist‘s tragic demise. It is for exactly this reason, that such tales can still infiltrate the Tour‘s abundant history, that have conspired to seemingly forever bring the sport into disrepute. Naturally, if drugs are a blight on the sport, it is safe to assume that the pinnacle of the sport has its share of the problematic professionals.
It is in recent times that such questionable practises have seemingly robbed the race of all its integrity, more so since anti-doping authorities expand their means to bring PED users to the fore. Issue after issue has presented itself to the flustered organisers of the race, rarely looking like abating. Although the current race has yet to expose its first over-zealous cheat (I write this relatively early on), recent years don’t appear to have done the Tour any favours. After numerous controversies that shrouded all of those who clung onto the wheel of Armstrong, the ensuing years yielded their own share of the innocently guilty. Unthinkably, the maillot jaune winner, Floyd Landis, tested positive for a banned substance - a claim which he still refutes to this day. Then, even more recently, the race had the task of usurping a new wave of cheats, ones who weren’t aware of the creators of CERA having worked in conjunction with the authorities in developing a test that would alert anti-doping authorities to the usage of the blood booster. A winner of two stages, Riccardo Ricco had the venom quickly sucked out of him. Polka-dot winner and third in the GC, Bernard Kohl was captured months after. Winner of both individual Time Trials, Stefan Schumacher, also went that way. Thoroughly depressing stuff. Of course, a number of other riders have kept the anti-doping teams busy over the years, but it would take a dedicated article of its own to condemn these idiots. What’s even more depressing is that these men will still so willing to take a shot (oops).
Force
It would be suitable to advocate ‘Force’ by starting in a similar vein to that of ‘Farce’. Everything good that the authors of publications about the race have provided insight into are fully justified. This is truly a race that transcends all others, propelling itself to a level that others can only aspire to. The way in which millions of cycling fans are annually gripped to their screens, captivated fans packing the side of the road for miles and miles, and generally showing an obsessive enthusiasm every July bear testament to what this race is all about. Cycling fans can confidently boast of its superiority on a number of levels.
Perhaps it’s narrow-minded on my behalf, but the only truly negative aspect of the race I imagined worth questioning is the problem of performance enhancing drugs, as there is surely no sight more disenchanting than a rider being accompanied away by policemen. On the contrary, the pros come with contrasting ease. Although I feel inclined to poor over positive after positive, since the drugs were my sole gripe for a Tour de Farce, I’ll be fair in only citing one admiration, and the one thing that will always attract me to it is, quite simply, the aforementioned human endeavour.
It is with good reason that one of Britain’s best selling cycling magazine proclaims the sport to be the toughest. As convincing as some arguments have been in arguing the case for other sports, I am still yet to be convinced of cycling being equalled by any other spectator event. I could mention Dean Karnazes - a man who runs in one race than what most people will in a lifetime - but he is one unique individual.
So, with cycling being the toughest sport in the world, what does it say of the actual sport’s toughest race? Some may see it fit at this point to politely mention two other famous Grand Tours, the Giro d’Italia and Vuelta a Espana. However, there are still circumstances that manage to detract from these, namely the fact that all of cycling’s elite want the famous yellow jersey, whereas Maglia Rosa and Jersey de Oro are an afterthought for some of the biggest names. Riders vying for other classification jerseys also show similar preferences, highlighting the allure of the Tour.
But why? Well, on top of everything else that has come to cultivate such a magnificent race - the sprints, the time trials, the team time trials, breakaways, doing it against the very best, it is the mountains that truly represent what this race is all about, with these being where many of the Tour‘s have been won, thus producing the legends we come to balance our love and dislike for. This is where I’ll leave you to start your own research (Wikipedia!). Whether it be Ventoux, Alp d’Huez, or Col de la Bonette, they are all evocative for every fan of this great race, and definitely personify what “human endeavour” is all about.
To summarise, the way in which millions of cycling fans are annually gripped to their screens, captivated fans packing the side of the roads for miles upon miles, and generally showing that obsessive enthusiasm every July bear testament to what this race is all about. Cycling fans can confidently boast of its superiority to all other races on a number of levels. Whatever at times has made it a farce, despite those people battering at its credibility, the race keeps on transcending all other sports, showing an alarming resilience to all of the deadwood that would have otherwise conspired to deprive us of our privileged summers. Whichever shamefaced cheat is being led from his team’s hotel at this year’s Tour, their antics will never be enough to make this race anything but a Force.
P.S. on the drugs front, as “depressing” as it is to me, I share the sentiments of many cycling fans who, whilst exasperated by the continuous exposure of cheats, are elated with what they perceive to be the authorities finally getting a grip on this sport, as the outing of CERA cheats has demonstrated.
Blog Post by BFF member JimmyMc
Thursday, 9 July 2009
The Real Deal?
They say that money can't buy you love. That's true. But can money buy the Champions League?
Well, over the next 10 months, we're going to find out, as that's what Real Madrid are looking to do this season.
The Galactico Era Mark II started off when Real - under the presidency of Florentino Perez - managed to do what Manchester City had failed to do and tempted Kaka away from AC Milan. Funny how it was going to take City the best part of £100m to get him in, but £56m from Madrid was enough to get a deal done.
And then the big one. It had been talked about for years, but finally Madrid got their mitts on Cristiano Ronaldo. £80m was the fee for the Manchester United man, and who can blame them for cashing in at that price? We'll soon find out if the man from Portugal was irreplaceable for United, but when that sort of cash is being bandied about, then it's time to sell.
What might have been interesting would have been to see whether United would have used a chunk of that cash to try and snare Kaka, but they did soon identify that they wanted to spend some of it on Lyon's Karim Benzema... But Madrid had other ideas and got in first.
Raul Albiol completes the first wave of signings of the second Perez era, but there are sure to be more to follow.
It would be interesting to know if the feeling of Real trying to buy success is akin to the reaction your average fan gives Manchester City, but what has to be remembered is that when all the previous Galacticos were in situe at the Bernabeu, they didn't win the title. Or the Champions League.
They're going to be a hell of a team to watch next year, and the attacking talent just flows throughout the side... It just remains to be seen whether they will be able to make themselves a winning team.
Well, over the next 10 months, we're going to find out, as that's what Real Madrid are looking to do this season.
The Galactico Era Mark II started off when Real - under the presidency of Florentino Perez - managed to do what Manchester City had failed to do and tempted Kaka away from AC Milan. Funny how it was going to take City the best part of £100m to get him in, but £56m from Madrid was enough to get a deal done.
And then the big one. It had been talked about for years, but finally Madrid got their mitts on Cristiano Ronaldo. £80m was the fee for the Manchester United man, and who can blame them for cashing in at that price? We'll soon find out if the man from Portugal was irreplaceable for United, but when that sort of cash is being bandied about, then it's time to sell.
What might have been interesting would have been to see whether United would have used a chunk of that cash to try and snare Kaka, but they did soon identify that they wanted to spend some of it on Lyon's Karim Benzema... But Madrid had other ideas and got in first.
Raul Albiol completes the first wave of signings of the second Perez era, but there are sure to be more to follow.
It would be interesting to know if the feeling of Real trying to buy success is akin to the reaction your average fan gives Manchester City, but what has to be remembered is that when all the previous Galacticos were in situe at the Bernabeu, they didn't win the title. Or the Champions League.
They're going to be a hell of a team to watch next year, and the attacking talent just flows throughout the side... It just remains to be seen whether they will be able to make themselves a winning team.
Monday, 25 May 2009
The magic of the play-offs
For Gillingham, Scunthorpe and Burnley, this May Bank Holiday weekend has really been something special. For Shrewsbury, Millwall and Sheffield United, it's been a nightmare.
And that is all because of 90 minutes of football which took place at Wembley Stadium.
The play-offs have always had their critics, and I suppose those will look at the three winners this year and point out that none of them would have gone up in the days before the play-offs, with the Gills and Clarets having both finished fifth, while Scunthorpe ended League One in sixth.
But for drama, excitement and brilliant days out, you just can't beat the play-offs.
All three of the finals were intriguing games, and all three were ultimately enjoyable.
On Saturday it all kicked off with the Gills against the Shrews. They had history - the Shrews won 7-0 when the two clubs met in September - but were arguably the two form teams going into the play-offs.
And at Wembley they played out a clash which was a cracking advert for League Two. The Gills - playing some wonderful football - dominated the first half, but the Shrews were on top in the second. Both keepers had saves to make, with Shrews stopper Luke Daniels making the best of them.
But just as the game was heading to extra-time, Daniels was beaten by a Simeon Jackson header and the Gills were up, a year after relegation.
If the League Two game was cagey, the League One clash was a cracker from start to finish. It got an early goal through Scunthorpe's Matt Sparrow, but Millwall's Gary Alexander turned the game on its head with two goals in two minutes - the first a screamer.
But the Iron, whose fans were heavily outnumbered, hit back and Sparrow netted again before Martyn Woolford won it to ensure they - like the Gills - bounced straight back from the drop.
And then it was the "most expensive game ever" on Monday as Burnley and Sheffield United went head-to-head for the final place in the Premier League.
There was just one goal, and it was worthy of the top flight as Wade Elliott side-footed home superbly from 25 yards to take the Clarets up.
The Blades - still rueing the Carlos Tevez affair - gave it a good go, but it was always Burnley who looked more likely to score the second goal, and in the end they held on.
I never thought that Burnley, Stoke and Hull would all be in the Premier League one day, but fair play to them all.
For those that doubt the play-offs, just look back at the last weekend - and the joy for all three of those teams playing and winning at Wembley. For smaller clubs, it really is a huge treat.
And that is all because of 90 minutes of football which took place at Wembley Stadium.
The play-offs have always had their critics, and I suppose those will look at the three winners this year and point out that none of them would have gone up in the days before the play-offs, with the Gills and Clarets having both finished fifth, while Scunthorpe ended League One in sixth.
But for drama, excitement and brilliant days out, you just can't beat the play-offs.
All three of the finals were intriguing games, and all three were ultimately enjoyable.
On Saturday it all kicked off with the Gills against the Shrews. They had history - the Shrews won 7-0 when the two clubs met in September - but were arguably the two form teams going into the play-offs.
And at Wembley they played out a clash which was a cracking advert for League Two. The Gills - playing some wonderful football - dominated the first half, but the Shrews were on top in the second. Both keepers had saves to make, with Shrews stopper Luke Daniels making the best of them.
But just as the game was heading to extra-time, Daniels was beaten by a Simeon Jackson header and the Gills were up, a year after relegation.
If the League Two game was cagey, the League One clash was a cracker from start to finish. It got an early goal through Scunthorpe's Matt Sparrow, but Millwall's Gary Alexander turned the game on its head with two goals in two minutes - the first a screamer.
But the Iron, whose fans were heavily outnumbered, hit back and Sparrow netted again before Martyn Woolford won it to ensure they - like the Gills - bounced straight back from the drop.
And then it was the "most expensive game ever" on Monday as Burnley and Sheffield United went head-to-head for the final place in the Premier League.
There was just one goal, and it was worthy of the top flight as Wade Elliott side-footed home superbly from 25 yards to take the Clarets up.
The Blades - still rueing the Carlos Tevez affair - gave it a good go, but it was always Burnley who looked more likely to score the second goal, and in the end they held on.
I never thought that Burnley, Stoke and Hull would all be in the Premier League one day, but fair play to them all.
For those that doubt the play-offs, just look back at the last weekend - and the joy for all three of those teams playing and winning at Wembley. For smaller clubs, it really is a huge treat.
And now, the end is near...
Well, that's almost it then. Just two games left with English interest before the end of the domestic season.
And what a season it has been. Thrills, spills, joy and heartache... And some great moments along the way as well.
Who will forget plucky Hull winning at Arsenal and mixing it with the big boys before their freefall down the table? What about Newcastle's turmoil?
Further down the leagues, there are great tales as well - Burnley getting into the Premier League by winning their 61st game of the season, Peterborough going straight through League One, Leeds blowing it again, and then Luton's season of turmoil seeing them win the Johnstone's Paint Trophy before dropping out of the league.
But that's it now... After the Champions League final and the FA Cup final - as well as a couple of England games that really ought to be a stroll - that's it until August.
These summers without an international tournament don't half drag, but I suppose you can at least look ahead to the fixtures in the middle of June, as well as the transfer merry-go-round, which promises to be particularly intriguing this year...
Oh sod it, who am I kidding... BRING ON AUGUST!!!
And what a season it has been. Thrills, spills, joy and heartache... And some great moments along the way as well.
Who will forget plucky Hull winning at Arsenal and mixing it with the big boys before their freefall down the table? What about Newcastle's turmoil?
Further down the leagues, there are great tales as well - Burnley getting into the Premier League by winning their 61st game of the season, Peterborough going straight through League One, Leeds blowing it again, and then Luton's season of turmoil seeing them win the Johnstone's Paint Trophy before dropping out of the league.
But that's it now... After the Champions League final and the FA Cup final - as well as a couple of England games that really ought to be a stroll - that's it until August.
These summers without an international tournament don't half drag, but I suppose you can at least look ahead to the fixtures in the middle of June, as well as the transfer merry-go-round, which promises to be particularly intriguing this year...
Oh sod it, who am I kidding... BRING ON AUGUST!!!
Sunday, 3 May 2009
A new scheme for non-league?
Non-League football is dying. Make no mistake about it. Unless the Football Association get their finger out, then within 10 years I think there will hardly be a non-league scene, at least not one that is much more than a glorified Sunday morning league playing on a Saturday afternoon.
What has caused this? Money, ambition...... and the FA. That sounds slightly as though I’m against progression. I’m not. But what we have at the moment is a Blue Square Premier League full of clubs that are either full time or struggling like mad. Burton Albion deserve their success. They have built it the right way. They did things gradually, stayed semi-pro and only went for it after they had the luck to draw Manchester United in an FA Cup third round tie. They lived within their means.
The problem is a lack of money in the game at grass-roots and then too many avenues in which the little money that does exist flows out.
So the first problem – How do you put more money into non-league football? Simple. Every single TV deal that the Premier League do (and with Internet and overseas rights still to be renegotiated this time I can only use the figures for the time before that – a staggering £2.7bn!!!!) should have a 2% pot that is then presented straight to a National Governing Body for Non-League. They then filter that money down and every club in steps 1-6 (senior non-league football) gets a cut (the higher the league the higher the cut). However, the National Governing Body for Non-League would keep a small pot as improvement grant money for clubs at intermediate level (steps 7 and below).
The second way of increasing non-league’s lot is to put an end to the ridiculous televising of games on a Saturday. Let your average football fan have the option of nipping down to see his local club without the thought of “I might miss Man United on Setanta at 5 o’clock if I do that”, or “By the time Liverpool have finished at half 2 it’ll be too late to get down for kick off so I’ll not bother.”
There are no statistics one way or another, but if you speak to as many people as I do in non-league football then the anecdotal evidence is that gates have gone down since Saturday TV football became a regular thing 5 years ago.
Another way of getting more people through the gate and hence more money in is to reduce admission prices (sounds stupid I know). But in the step 5 league that I’m involved in you are not allowed to charge less that £5 admission and a maximum of £8. You’re even supposed to ask permission to do deals like kids for a quid. Do the maths. 30 people at a £5 or 50 at £3. It’s the same money. And the more people that are there the better the experience – the more likely they’ll come back.
But the only way that clubs can afford to cut admission prices is if the costs are also cut at the same time.
Which brings me on to how can you stop the money flowing out quite so quickly. Well if you want a really quick way of saving clubs £1500 per year then the FA could scrap the entrance fees for the FA Cup, FA Trophy and FA Vase for non-league clubs. How do the FA make that money back? Take it off the Premiership clubs. It’s like Alistair Darling’s 50% tax - only this would actually work. No Premiership club is going to majorly miss another £50,000 per year. That would more than pay for the money that the FA would lose by scrapping non-league entrance fees.
The other big expenses are three fold. Officials fees, travel and paying players. As far as I’m concerned the third one is a big evil. There are people who are not very good at football picking up £80-£150 per game in the Essex Senior League. That’s ridiculous. But you can’t tell clubs what or who to pay. What you can do though is stop anyone below Blue Square Prem putting people on contracts. So that if a club is paying a budget and then the “sugar daddy” pulls out they aren’t up sh*t creek with obligations to players.
The first one I’m afraid is unavoidable. We need officials. I hate paying them for some of the sh*t that they turn in and then the lies that they tell to try and get themselves out of the sh*t (which they get away with because of the lack of TV cameras). But we do need them. And if we didn’t pay we wouldn’t get them. £80 plus for three officials is a bit steep, but there we go.
Which brings me to travel and the most radical part of my proposals. We currently have 3 step 3 leagues feeding into 2 step 2 leagues. Change it. Let’s have 4 feeding two. Keep the Unibond essentially as it is, maybe move the boundary a touch further north. Then let’s have a South Midland league that runs from Birmingham to Hertfordshire, a South West league that runs from west London down to Bristol and Cornwall and then a South East League that takes in East Anglia, Kent, Essex, east and central London, Cambridgeshire, maybe even South Herts. Four down from Conference North and South, champions and one from play offs in each of the 4 step 3 leagues. That might mean a bit of a re-org of Conference North and South most summers, but it would save those struggling further down masses of money.
Why is this needed? Because this year we had Bury St Edmonds from Suffolk playing Malvern in Worcester – 180 miles away!!! And Chasetown in Staffordshire – a mere 175 miles!!!! I hate to think what their coach bill has looked like this season.
The final thing to mention is that the National Governing Body for Non-League to which I referred earlier doesn’t actually exist. It needs to. It is crying out for a specialist branch of the FA with non-league specialists being appointed to it to run the game in the country. To organise, to act as a watchdog and to assist when clubs are struggling.
Let’s get it set up – organise what we want to do, put in more money and reduce costs. That way we give the grassroots a fighting chance. Football in this country is like anything else, kill the roots and eventually the flower will die. Now is the time to act.
* Blog post by BFF member ProfGooner.
What has caused this? Money, ambition...... and the FA. That sounds slightly as though I’m against progression. I’m not. But what we have at the moment is a Blue Square Premier League full of clubs that are either full time or struggling like mad. Burton Albion deserve their success. They have built it the right way. They did things gradually, stayed semi-pro and only went for it after they had the luck to draw Manchester United in an FA Cup third round tie. They lived within their means.
The problem is a lack of money in the game at grass-roots and then too many avenues in which the little money that does exist flows out.
So the first problem – How do you put more money into non-league football? Simple. Every single TV deal that the Premier League do (and with Internet and overseas rights still to be renegotiated this time I can only use the figures for the time before that – a staggering £2.7bn!!!!) should have a 2% pot that is then presented straight to a National Governing Body for Non-League. They then filter that money down and every club in steps 1-6 (senior non-league football) gets a cut (the higher the league the higher the cut). However, the National Governing Body for Non-League would keep a small pot as improvement grant money for clubs at intermediate level (steps 7 and below).
The second way of increasing non-league’s lot is to put an end to the ridiculous televising of games on a Saturday. Let your average football fan have the option of nipping down to see his local club without the thought of “I might miss Man United on Setanta at 5 o’clock if I do that”, or “By the time Liverpool have finished at half 2 it’ll be too late to get down for kick off so I’ll not bother.”
There are no statistics one way or another, but if you speak to as many people as I do in non-league football then the anecdotal evidence is that gates have gone down since Saturday TV football became a regular thing 5 years ago.
Another way of getting more people through the gate and hence more money in is to reduce admission prices (sounds stupid I know). But in the step 5 league that I’m involved in you are not allowed to charge less that £5 admission and a maximum of £8. You’re even supposed to ask permission to do deals like kids for a quid. Do the maths. 30 people at a £5 or 50 at £3. It’s the same money. And the more people that are there the better the experience – the more likely they’ll come back.
But the only way that clubs can afford to cut admission prices is if the costs are also cut at the same time.
Which brings me on to how can you stop the money flowing out quite so quickly. Well if you want a really quick way of saving clubs £1500 per year then the FA could scrap the entrance fees for the FA Cup, FA Trophy and FA Vase for non-league clubs. How do the FA make that money back? Take it off the Premiership clubs. It’s like Alistair Darling’s 50% tax - only this would actually work. No Premiership club is going to majorly miss another £50,000 per year. That would more than pay for the money that the FA would lose by scrapping non-league entrance fees.
The other big expenses are three fold. Officials fees, travel and paying players. As far as I’m concerned the third one is a big evil. There are people who are not very good at football picking up £80-£150 per game in the Essex Senior League. That’s ridiculous. But you can’t tell clubs what or who to pay. What you can do though is stop anyone below Blue Square Prem putting people on contracts. So that if a club is paying a budget and then the “sugar daddy” pulls out they aren’t up sh*t creek with obligations to players.
The first one I’m afraid is unavoidable. We need officials. I hate paying them for some of the sh*t that they turn in and then the lies that they tell to try and get themselves out of the sh*t (which they get away with because of the lack of TV cameras). But we do need them. And if we didn’t pay we wouldn’t get them. £80 plus for three officials is a bit steep, but there we go.
Which brings me to travel and the most radical part of my proposals. We currently have 3 step 3 leagues feeding into 2 step 2 leagues. Change it. Let’s have 4 feeding two. Keep the Unibond essentially as it is, maybe move the boundary a touch further north. Then let’s have a South Midland league that runs from Birmingham to Hertfordshire, a South West league that runs from west London down to Bristol and Cornwall and then a South East League that takes in East Anglia, Kent, Essex, east and central London, Cambridgeshire, maybe even South Herts. Four down from Conference North and South, champions and one from play offs in each of the 4 step 3 leagues. That might mean a bit of a re-org of Conference North and South most summers, but it would save those struggling further down masses of money.
Why is this needed? Because this year we had Bury St Edmonds from Suffolk playing Malvern in Worcester – 180 miles away!!! And Chasetown in Staffordshire – a mere 175 miles!!!! I hate to think what their coach bill has looked like this season.
The final thing to mention is that the National Governing Body for Non-League to which I referred earlier doesn’t actually exist. It needs to. It is crying out for a specialist branch of the FA with non-league specialists being appointed to it to run the game in the country. To organise, to act as a watchdog and to assist when clubs are struggling.
Let’s get it set up – organise what we want to do, put in more money and reduce costs. That way we give the grassroots a fighting chance. Football in this country is like anything else, kill the roots and eventually the flower will die. Now is the time to act.
* Blog post by BFF member ProfGooner.
Friday, 24 April 2009
Saints Can Be Sinners
So, Southampton have been deducted 10 points. It's nothing against them, but it is absolutely, 100% the right decision.
The technicality which is still being argued by the club's holding company is nothing short of a disgrace. Yes, the club hasn't gone into administration itself, but the company that owns it is in administration because of the football club.
If it was that easy to get around the deduction, then every club in the Football League should set up one of those magical "holding companies" as soon as possible.
The rules on administration are clear and while they are not universally popular, it is the best way to deal with it. Why should clubs who work hard to keep their finances under control have to play on an even keel as those who take a cop out.
Luton are the ones who have the most to complain about, having lost 20 points for their administration problems at the start of the season - a deduction which has consigned them to a season out of the Football League next year.
But the plain and simple fact is that Luton got themselves into debt, and the reason they couldn't get a CVA to come out of administration was because they couldn't afford to pay what was a pitiful percentage of their debts. Therefore, all their debts were wiped out and they had to start the new season with a disadvantage.
It speaks volumes that their wage budget remains one of the biggest in League Two, and in January they were able to bolster their squad with an £80,000 signing. Not a lot of other clubs at that level could afford to do that...
When Luton were hit with the deduction, Lord Mawhinney said it was about "protecting the integrity of the competition". Had the same punishment not been dished out to Southampton, then it would have completely contradicted what was said less than a year earlier.
Yes, it's tough on the Saints and it's very tough on their fans. You have my sympathy, but rules are rules...
The technicality which is still being argued by the club's holding company is nothing short of a disgrace. Yes, the club hasn't gone into administration itself, but the company that owns it is in administration because of the football club.
If it was that easy to get around the deduction, then every club in the Football League should set up one of those magical "holding companies" as soon as possible.
The rules on administration are clear and while they are not universally popular, it is the best way to deal with it. Why should clubs who work hard to keep their finances under control have to play on an even keel as those who take a cop out.
Luton are the ones who have the most to complain about, having lost 20 points for their administration problems at the start of the season - a deduction which has consigned them to a season out of the Football League next year.
But the plain and simple fact is that Luton got themselves into debt, and the reason they couldn't get a CVA to come out of administration was because they couldn't afford to pay what was a pitiful percentage of their debts. Therefore, all their debts were wiped out and they had to start the new season with a disadvantage.
It speaks volumes that their wage budget remains one of the biggest in League Two, and in January they were able to bolster their squad with an £80,000 signing. Not a lot of other clubs at that level could afford to do that...
When Luton were hit with the deduction, Lord Mawhinney said it was about "protecting the integrity of the competition". Had the same punishment not been dished out to Southampton, then it would have completely contradicted what was said less than a year earlier.
Yes, it's tough on the Saints and it's very tough on their fans. You have my sympathy, but rules are rules...
Tuesday, 21 April 2009
OF FO?
For the umpteenth time, the issue of the Old Firm joining the English league structure has reared its head. Yet, again it will probably lead to nothing, there will be a considerable amount of press coverage, but then it will just go away for a few more years. Just like the 39th game. It does raise a few questions though. What benefits would English football gain from the presence of the Old Firm? Where would it leave Scottish football? And do we actually trust a word Platini says about the continued separation of the UK national teams?
I only really care about one of these questions, where would it leave Scottish football? Rangers and Celtic have made it clear for years that they will entertain ideas giving them an exit route from the overly routine Scottish football system, something they have dominated for many a year. It seems that they will listen to any idea, and given time, I think they will eventually exit the Scottish league for pastures new. Probably not England, but I can see there being a European league of some sort.
Now obviously the Scottish team will lose a lot of the finances available. Setanta are not going to be offering big money to show a league system that doesn’t involve their beloved Rangers and Celtic. Outside of that, there are hardly a plethora of games that will have people paying a subscription to watch. Add to that the largest away crowds which come from the Old Firm support 6-8 times a season in the league, and obviously there are going to be a drop in turnover for SPL clubs.
At the same time though, a genuinely competitive league could bring the fans in greater numbers again, stadiums might be filled if games are genuinely becoming deciders in where the league title went. Less TV coverage again could lead to more fans going along to support their local teams.
The UEFA coefficient will suffer also, but that really shouldn’t make much difference to Scottish clubs. Someone other than Rangers and Celtic will get a pop at Champions League qualification, and the Europa League entrants will generally be of a similar level as before.
There is a lot of risk associated with this happening though. We risk moving towards a less recognised, possibly lower quality league like in Ireland. Our teams might find it even more difficult to hold on to players when Championship and League One level clubs come looking. We may end up with a league that is still dominated by one or two teams (though third place has been filled by five different clubs in the last five years). Scottish football could become a bigger laughing stock than it already is.
To be honest though, if it was possible for clubs to do it just now, I would just ditch the Old Firm, since I think they would happily do it at the drop of a hat when the opportunity comes along. It wouldn’t be the most sporting though. I guess I will just have to wait till a point, probably still a long way off in the future, where I can follow my team in a league with an organisation running it that doesn’t pander to two teams interests at the expense of the other ten, where a fairer voting structure is put in place than eleven out of twelve required to make any decision (i.e. Old Firm veto) and where we don’t have two clubs willing to suck every penny they can out of other clubs in the league.
Maybe then when we go to Hampden for a cup game against Rangers or Celtic, then we have an equal chance of getting changing room or end of the ground on a pure random basis. What other national stadium in the world has an end dedicated to two clubs in the country?
In case any key decision makers in Phil Gartside’s plans are reading this blog though, I am just bitter. Rangers and Celtic would definitely bring a lot to your English league...
* Blog post by BFF member Dandy, an Aberdeen fan.
I only really care about one of these questions, where would it leave Scottish football? Rangers and Celtic have made it clear for years that they will entertain ideas giving them an exit route from the overly routine Scottish football system, something they have dominated for many a year. It seems that they will listen to any idea, and given time, I think they will eventually exit the Scottish league for pastures new. Probably not England, but I can see there being a European league of some sort.
Now obviously the Scottish team will lose a lot of the finances available. Setanta are not going to be offering big money to show a league system that doesn’t involve their beloved Rangers and Celtic. Outside of that, there are hardly a plethora of games that will have people paying a subscription to watch. Add to that the largest away crowds which come from the Old Firm support 6-8 times a season in the league, and obviously there are going to be a drop in turnover for SPL clubs.
At the same time though, a genuinely competitive league could bring the fans in greater numbers again, stadiums might be filled if games are genuinely becoming deciders in where the league title went. Less TV coverage again could lead to more fans going along to support their local teams.
The UEFA coefficient will suffer also, but that really shouldn’t make much difference to Scottish clubs. Someone other than Rangers and Celtic will get a pop at Champions League qualification, and the Europa League entrants will generally be of a similar level as before.
There is a lot of risk associated with this happening though. We risk moving towards a less recognised, possibly lower quality league like in Ireland. Our teams might find it even more difficult to hold on to players when Championship and League One level clubs come looking. We may end up with a league that is still dominated by one or two teams (though third place has been filled by five different clubs in the last five years). Scottish football could become a bigger laughing stock than it already is.
To be honest though, if it was possible for clubs to do it just now, I would just ditch the Old Firm, since I think they would happily do it at the drop of a hat when the opportunity comes along. It wouldn’t be the most sporting though. I guess I will just have to wait till a point, probably still a long way off in the future, where I can follow my team in a league with an organisation running it that doesn’t pander to two teams interests at the expense of the other ten, where a fairer voting structure is put in place than eleven out of twelve required to make any decision (i.e. Old Firm veto) and where we don’t have two clubs willing to suck every penny they can out of other clubs in the league.
Maybe then when we go to Hampden for a cup game against Rangers or Celtic, then we have an equal chance of getting changing room or end of the ground on a pure random basis. What other national stadium in the world has an end dedicated to two clubs in the country?
In case any key decision makers in Phil Gartside’s plans are reading this blog though, I am just bitter. Rangers and Celtic would definitely bring a lot to your English league...
* Blog post by BFF member Dandy, an Aberdeen fan.
Sunday, 19 April 2009
The FA Cup F**k Up?
Well, that's the semis done then - and it's going to be Everton v Chelsea in next month's final.
To call this a classic weekend of FA Cup football would be a lie, and if anything it's done nothing for what is still viewed as many as the greatest cup competition in the world.
Has to be said though, that it's not the competition it once was. There's a massive list of reasons why, so let's look at some of them.
* Football is all about money these days. It's a great bug bear of this particular poster that the third round draw has become a big day for a completely different reason. It's not even that long ago that a team - like my Gillingham - would get to the third round and be desperate to get one of the big boys AT HOME. The mentality then was "we'll have a crack at them, let's try and cause an upset". The dream was always to get Manchester United at home. Now though, it's all about money. The dream draw for every lower league team now is Manchester United away. So what if you'll get pummelled 7-0 at Old Trafford in front of 70,000 United fans, you get half of the gate receipts and that's more important. Even this season when we drew Aston Villa at home, we were pleased - and the TV money helped - but in the back of the mind remained the desire to play at Villa Park and get even more cash.
* It's not as important as it once was. Look again at that United side. If they do get past Arsenal to the Champions League final in Rome, how many of them will start? You can count on one hand. It's funny, last year United were gutted to miss out on the FA Cup after going out in the quarters to Portsmouth. This year, they've got to the semis, rested most of their players and paid the price. The sad thing is though, come FA Cup final weekend, United won't be too upset if they've managed to console themselves with the Premier League and the Champions League again... Years ago though, the FA Cup was the big one - the final was the day which everyone looked forward to. Which brings me to my next point...
* Semi-finals at Wembley. Awful, horrific idea. Yes, you spent so much on Wembley that you need to get the cash back by using it as often as possible, but for the love of God keep some things sacred. Those of a certain age will remember the finals of 1987 and 1988, which were won by Coventry and Wimbledon. Even the final of 1992 can be used as an example, with Sunderland runners up. That was THE day. My endearing memories of early FA Cup finals are hearing of journeymen players playing at Wembley for the first time, how special it was to be there. But there's none of that now, as they've already been there a month earlier. And as for the fans, well, think about it. I've been to the new Wembley twice and getting there is fine. The stadium itself is magnificent. Getting out of it is an absolute pigging nightmare. It's about an hour or so after Everton beat United now, and I bet there are fans of both clubs still trying to get into the tube stations. It's that congested. And, of course, there's the fact that fans from Everton and Manchester United have had to get down to London on a Sunday afternoon for the game in the first place. Play it at Villa Park, play it at Anfield, play it at the City of Manchester. But think of the fans and don't make them all trek down to London on a Sunday.
There's loads of other reasons as well, but they don't all need going in to. All I'm saying is that we need to go back to the days when walking up those steps to get hold of that FA Cup trophy on a sunny day in May was the highlight of the season and of careers. Because right now, it's almost a privelege that the top players can seemingly do without.
* Post by BFF member Jon.
To call this a classic weekend of FA Cup football would be a lie, and if anything it's done nothing for what is still viewed as many as the greatest cup competition in the world.
Has to be said though, that it's not the competition it once was. There's a massive list of reasons why, so let's look at some of them.
* Football is all about money these days. It's a great bug bear of this particular poster that the third round draw has become a big day for a completely different reason. It's not even that long ago that a team - like my Gillingham - would get to the third round and be desperate to get one of the big boys AT HOME. The mentality then was "we'll have a crack at them, let's try and cause an upset". The dream was always to get Manchester United at home. Now though, it's all about money. The dream draw for every lower league team now is Manchester United away. So what if you'll get pummelled 7-0 at Old Trafford in front of 70,000 United fans, you get half of the gate receipts and that's more important. Even this season when we drew Aston Villa at home, we were pleased - and the TV money helped - but in the back of the mind remained the desire to play at Villa Park and get even more cash.
* It's not as important as it once was. Look again at that United side. If they do get past Arsenal to the Champions League final in Rome, how many of them will start? You can count on one hand. It's funny, last year United were gutted to miss out on the FA Cup after going out in the quarters to Portsmouth. This year, they've got to the semis, rested most of their players and paid the price. The sad thing is though, come FA Cup final weekend, United won't be too upset if they've managed to console themselves with the Premier League and the Champions League again... Years ago though, the FA Cup was the big one - the final was the day which everyone looked forward to. Which brings me to my next point...
* Semi-finals at Wembley. Awful, horrific idea. Yes, you spent so much on Wembley that you need to get the cash back by using it as often as possible, but for the love of God keep some things sacred. Those of a certain age will remember the finals of 1987 and 1988, which were won by Coventry and Wimbledon. Even the final of 1992 can be used as an example, with Sunderland runners up. That was THE day. My endearing memories of early FA Cup finals are hearing of journeymen players playing at Wembley for the first time, how special it was to be there. But there's none of that now, as they've already been there a month earlier. And as for the fans, well, think about it. I've been to the new Wembley twice and getting there is fine. The stadium itself is magnificent. Getting out of it is an absolute pigging nightmare. It's about an hour or so after Everton beat United now, and I bet there are fans of both clubs still trying to get into the tube stations. It's that congested. And, of course, there's the fact that fans from Everton and Manchester United have had to get down to London on a Sunday afternoon for the game in the first place. Play it at Villa Park, play it at Anfield, play it at the City of Manchester. But think of the fans and don't make them all trek down to London on a Sunday.
There's loads of other reasons as well, but they don't all need going in to. All I'm saying is that we need to go back to the days when walking up those steps to get hold of that FA Cup trophy on a sunny day in May was the highlight of the season and of careers. Because right now, it's almost a privelege that the top players can seemingly do without.
* Post by BFF member Jon.
Friday, 17 April 2009
Today on the BFF
As you might have gathered, this is a blog from a forum. So, here's a selection of the best things on that very forum - www.big-football-forum.co.uk - today.
"soon rafa will shrug at fergie when* we win the title
* - or if " - Nihilanth in "Benitez attacks Ferguson"
"He's Fergie's bitch and we all know it." - ProfGooner on Sam Allardyce in "Sam Allardyce...quit ya bitching!"
"Didn't care either way in the title race but this double bitch-fest has actually made me warm to the idea of a Liverpool title win. Utterly pathetic." - Zero in the same thread.
"I think there has been an element of Villa letting us off the hook in the league... But also I think there has been a bit of the luck "evening itself out"." - ProfGooner in "Champions League Quarter Final/Semi Final Draw"
"Keep the black colour scheme, anyone who suggests otherwise should be banned...that's my suggestion." stevieg in "BFF - Have Your Say!"
"Why don't we set up a BFF blog?" - Jon in "BFF - Have Your Say!"
"Michaela Tabb can polish my balls anytime." - Nady in "The Ronnie Carnival...."
"I don't blame the Spice girls for their success, I blame the British public, and in particular Jacqui Smith. Somewhere along the line she's bound to be responsible." - Panja in "Piratebay four sent to jail"
"James Morrison rocks." - Footiechick in "Gigs"
And I don't think we can top that last one, kids...
"soon rafa will shrug at fergie when* we win the title
* - or if " - Nihilanth in "Benitez attacks Ferguson"
"He's Fergie's bitch and we all know it." - ProfGooner on Sam Allardyce in "Sam Allardyce...quit ya bitching!"
"Didn't care either way in the title race but this double bitch-fest has actually made me warm to the idea of a Liverpool title win. Utterly pathetic." - Zero in the same thread.
"I think there has been an element of Villa letting us off the hook in the league... But also I think there has been a bit of the luck "evening itself out"." - ProfGooner in "Champions League Quarter Final/Semi Final Draw"
"Keep the black colour scheme, anyone who suggests otherwise should be banned...that's my suggestion." stevieg in "BFF - Have Your Say!"
"Why don't we set up a BFF blog?" - Jon in "BFF - Have Your Say!"
"Michaela Tabb can polish my balls anytime." - Nady in "The Ronnie Carnival...."
"I don't blame the Spice girls for their success, I blame the British public, and in particular Jacqui Smith. Somewhere along the line she's bound to be responsible." - Panja in "Piratebay four sent to jail"
"James Morrison rocks." - Footiechick in "Gigs"
And I don't think we can top that last one, kids...
More to life than football
Blog post number five seems as good a time as any to tell you all that there is a lot more to the BFF than football.
Yes, football is what brought everyone on the forum together and to be honest, it is the main thing that gets debate on the forum, but there is far more to all of our lives than that.
So expect this blog to be littered with articles about plenty of things that aren't about football... We have a number of keen music fans who are always looking to direct us in the direction of new bands, while our film buffs will happily review a movie for you.
As well as that, we have interests in a number of other sports - cricket, boxing, Formula One, Tennis, Cycling - and so on, so you can expect to read blog posts on all of those as well.
And then there's life in general. We're all going through it. Sometimes it's tough, sometimes it's brilliant, sometimes it's hilarious. We can blog on all of that, no sweat.
Yes, football is what brought everyone on the forum together and to be honest, it is the main thing that gets debate on the forum, but there is far more to all of our lives than that.
So expect this blog to be littered with articles about plenty of things that aren't about football... We have a number of keen music fans who are always looking to direct us in the direction of new bands, while our film buffs will happily review a movie for you.
As well as that, we have interests in a number of other sports - cricket, boxing, Formula One, Tennis, Cycling - and so on, so you can expect to read blog posts on all of those as well.
And then there's life in general. We're all going through it. Sometimes it's tough, sometimes it's brilliant, sometimes it's hilarious. We can blog on all of that, no sweat.
The Weekend Ahead
One of the features of our blog is going to be a look ahead to what is going on in the football world on the big matchdays.
So, let's start that tradition off in usual style by looking at one of the biggest weekends in the football calendar - the FA Cup semi-finals.
* Arsenal and Chelsea do battle in the first game at Wembley on Saturday tea-time. Whether or not you agree with the decision to host all FA Cup semis for eternity at the national stadium, this one is probably on the money, what with it being a London derby.
Both teams reached the Champions League semis this week - one in comfortable circumstances and the other in epic ones - so this promises to be a thrilling clash. The Gunners - playing at the new Wembley for the first time - won the only meeting between the two teams this season by winning at Stamford Bridge in November, but Guus Hiddink's Chelsea are flying.
* Sunday sees Manchester United face Everton, who are also at the new Wembley for the first time. That loveable little bulldog Wayne Rooney is at the centre of attention as the club he loved as a child faces the one which he now represents. He's even said that he might go and watch the final if the Toffees win, bless him. Another cracking clash in prospect though...
* In the Premier League, the big boys aren't playing (see above), so the focus is on the bottom of the table, where Middlesbrough look to build on their win over Hull when they host Fulham, Stoke play Blackburn and Newcastle travel to Spurs. But the biggest game at the bottom this weekend is between Sunderland and Hull at the Stadium of Light. Neither seem able to buy a win at the moment, but if one of them can get one here, it could just save them from the drop.
* The race for the three spots opening up in the top flight is nearing an end, with Wolves set to win promotion this weekend if they beat "THE RICHEST CLUB IN THE WORLD" QPR, but the battle for second goes on with Birmingham, Sheffield United and Cardiff all in the mixer for the second spot. After this weekend, the picture there could all be a hell of a lot clearer.
* In League One, Leicester will be champions if they win at Southend, while Cheltenham and Hereford are well on the way to dropping down to League Two. Brentford can win promotion from League Two themselves if they win and other results go their way, while Bournemouth and Chester meet at the other end in a game which could go a long way to deciding who joins Luton in the Blue Square Premier next season.
But that's not all there is - there's action all across the world this weekend, and we'll be following results all over the place as the European leagues hurtle towards the climax of the 2008/09 campaign.
So, let's start that tradition off in usual style by looking at one of the biggest weekends in the football calendar - the FA Cup semi-finals.
* Arsenal and Chelsea do battle in the first game at Wembley on Saturday tea-time. Whether or not you agree with the decision to host all FA Cup semis for eternity at the national stadium, this one is probably on the money, what with it being a London derby.
Both teams reached the Champions League semis this week - one in comfortable circumstances and the other in epic ones - so this promises to be a thrilling clash. The Gunners - playing at the new Wembley for the first time - won the only meeting between the two teams this season by winning at Stamford Bridge in November, but Guus Hiddink's Chelsea are flying.
* Sunday sees Manchester United face Everton, who are also at the new Wembley for the first time. That loveable little bulldog Wayne Rooney is at the centre of attention as the club he loved as a child faces the one which he now represents. He's even said that he might go and watch the final if the Toffees win, bless him. Another cracking clash in prospect though...
* In the Premier League, the big boys aren't playing (see above), so the focus is on the bottom of the table, where Middlesbrough look to build on their win over Hull when they host Fulham, Stoke play Blackburn and Newcastle travel to Spurs. But the biggest game at the bottom this weekend is between Sunderland and Hull at the Stadium of Light. Neither seem able to buy a win at the moment, but if one of them can get one here, it could just save them from the drop.
* The race for the three spots opening up in the top flight is nearing an end, with Wolves set to win promotion this weekend if they beat "THE RICHEST CLUB IN THE WORLD" QPR, but the battle for second goes on with Birmingham, Sheffield United and Cardiff all in the mixer for the second spot. After this weekend, the picture there could all be a hell of a lot clearer.
* In League One, Leicester will be champions if they win at Southend, while Cheltenham and Hereford are well on the way to dropping down to League Two. Brentford can win promotion from League Two themselves if they win and other results go their way, while Bournemouth and Chester meet at the other end in a game which could go a long way to deciding who joins Luton in the Blue Square Premier next season.
But that's not all there is - there's action all across the world this weekend, and we'll be following results all over the place as the European leagues hurtle towards the climax of the 2008/09 campaign.
PF EH?
So, the big news of last week (if you ignore the Champions League) was the announcement of the nominees for the PFA Player of the Year gongs.
Every year, the members of the Professional Footballer's Association - that's basically the professional footballers of this fair country - nominate for a Player and Young Player of the Year. There are also divisional teams of the year, and it cannot be denied that these prizes always cause plenty of debate.
The problem is that the system seems a bit outdated. The players make their votes in January - halfway through the season - and that is why there is such a Manchester United bias in this year's nominees.
When the votes were made, United were in the process of not conceding a goal for months on end in the Premier League, and Edwin van der Sar was God between the posts. No-one would be able to deny that around then, he was one of the top six players in the country.
But who could have forseen United getting tanked 4-1 at home to Liverpool, losing at Fulham and then needing a 17-year-old debutant to see off Aston Villa?
In truth, in January, United looked like they would run away with the title. They were flying, Liverpool were stuttering and Chelsea (still under Big Phil) and Arsenal were nowhere (oh, what's that? Oh, some things don't change!).
Normally, the PFA prize is a fair reflection of who has been the best player. Normally - like last year - it is cut and dried in January. There was no way Cristiano Ronaldo wouldn't rightfully be crowned Player of the Year in 2008.
But in this season where individuals have not shone out like the Portuguese wizard did last year, it is hard enough to pick a winner now, let alone from three months ago.
As it is, the winner will be one of Rio Ferdinand, Steven Gerrard, Ryan Giggs, Ronaldo, Van der Sar or Nemanja Vidic.
But, the truth is, if Fernando Torres - undoubtedly one of the best strikers in the world - fires Liverpool to the title their fans have longed for since 1990, then the joke will be on the PFA.
And that, my friends, is a real shame.
* Have your say - and vote for your winner - at http://www.big-football-forum.co.uk/bff/viewtopic.php?t=7638
Every year, the members of the Professional Footballer's Association - that's basically the professional footballers of this fair country - nominate for a Player and Young Player of the Year. There are also divisional teams of the year, and it cannot be denied that these prizes always cause plenty of debate.
The problem is that the system seems a bit outdated. The players make their votes in January - halfway through the season - and that is why there is such a Manchester United bias in this year's nominees.
When the votes were made, United were in the process of not conceding a goal for months on end in the Premier League, and Edwin van der Sar was God between the posts. No-one would be able to deny that around then, he was one of the top six players in the country.
But who could have forseen United getting tanked 4-1 at home to Liverpool, losing at Fulham and then needing a 17-year-old debutant to see off Aston Villa?
In truth, in January, United looked like they would run away with the title. They were flying, Liverpool were stuttering and Chelsea (still under Big Phil) and Arsenal were nowhere (oh, what's that? Oh, some things don't change!).
Normally, the PFA prize is a fair reflection of who has been the best player. Normally - like last year - it is cut and dried in January. There was no way Cristiano Ronaldo wouldn't rightfully be crowned Player of the Year in 2008.
But in this season where individuals have not shone out like the Portuguese wizard did last year, it is hard enough to pick a winner now, let alone from three months ago.
As it is, the winner will be one of Rio Ferdinand, Steven Gerrard, Ryan Giggs, Ronaldo, Van der Sar or Nemanja Vidic.
But, the truth is, if Fernando Torres - undoubtedly one of the best strikers in the world - fires Liverpool to the title their fans have longed for since 1990, then the joke will be on the PFA.
And that, my friends, is a real shame.
* Have your say - and vote for your winner - at http://www.big-football-forum.co.uk/bff/viewtopic.php?t=7638
The BFF FAQ
Who gave birth to the BFF?
Well, on the seventh day, God did not rest. He got to grips with advanced HTML, downloaded Dreamweaver (from a warez site) and then got building. Halfway though it, he thought to himself: “F*ck this shit. I’m God. I don’t need to do all the hard work.” So, instead, he got hold of phpBB and the rest is history...
Actually, this is the history: Sometimes, things are born from deviation. Liverpool would not exist if it wasn’t for Everton (though we all wish Everton didn’t exist... period). The soul of BFF came into existence when Moses (Burnley Hefcee) lead his people to the promised land. Basically, a bunch of lads on a footie forum felt they could do better. So they left it behind in ''search'' of a new home. The first attempt at the ‘promised land’ failed, with all posts lost, five years later the same fate struck again. The third attempt is what you see today So, thank the founding fathers (Burnley, Chazza, Rich…) and the old skool crew (Chopper, mcfc, JohnSmiley, JonP...) for setting the foundations. Good work fellas!!
Is it another bog-standard football forum?
By bog-standard do you mean like the football Everton play? If so, then no. Supporters of all clubs, nations and colours are welcomed here; including the Scottish. This is a community of banter, discussions, love and hate – all things football and all things non-football. We are not just a bunch of English yobbos. Oh no. We have Welsh, Scottish and Croats. We did even have members living out in South America, but they seem to have gone walkabout. Tragically, we also have Americans. But hey, nothing's perfect!
Are there any rules I need to know about?
The first rule of BFF is don’t be a troll. Seriously though, there are no rules. Just don’t troll, spam and post porn. Act the c*nt if you wish, but expect the kind of treatment West Ham fans would greet Chelsea Headhunters. Everything is self-explanatory really. Post, have fun... don’t be afraid to be yourself.
Can I say and post whatever I want?
We don’t like censorship, but that doesn’t mean its a free-for-all. Don’t make threats or post anything illegal and you should be safe from having your IP banned. W00t!! If you want to be controversial, then feel free to be so. But be able to back it up if someone wants you to explain why you feel that way, rather than trolling for the sake of trolling. Another thing to bear in mind is that sometimes the content of this site does lean towards the adult side so please be aware that not everything will be to your taste.
The place seems like a tight-knit community. Why should I bother participating?
Well, it is a tight-knit community, but most of the hardcore regulars are newbies in terms of the dates they signed up compared to the founding fathers. Don’t rush to impress. Just be yourself, or create an online persona if you think you have no natural personality – and then just get on with it. Yeah, one or two of us can be hard b@stards, but remember... most of it is banter. A baptism BFF style means we love ya!
The BFF''s Etiquette Guide to ''do's and dont's'':
Don’t post porn. Don’t spam the boards. Don’t be a c*nt. That’s it.
Well, on the seventh day, God did not rest. He got to grips with advanced HTML, downloaded Dreamweaver (from a warez site) and then got building. Halfway though it, he thought to himself: “F*ck this shit. I’m God. I don’t need to do all the hard work.” So, instead, he got hold of phpBB and the rest is history...
Actually, this is the history: Sometimes, things are born from deviation. Liverpool would not exist if it wasn’t for Everton (though we all wish Everton didn’t exist... period). The soul of BFF came into existence when Moses (Burnley Hefcee) lead his people to the promised land. Basically, a bunch of lads on a footie forum felt they could do better. So they left it behind in ''search'' of a new home. The first attempt at the ‘promised land’ failed, with all posts lost, five years later the same fate struck again. The third attempt is what you see today So, thank the founding fathers (Burnley, Chazza, Rich…) and the old skool crew (Chopper, mcfc, JohnSmiley, JonP...) for setting the foundations. Good work fellas!!
Is it another bog-standard football forum?
By bog-standard do you mean like the football Everton play? If so, then no. Supporters of all clubs, nations and colours are welcomed here; including the Scottish. This is a community of banter, discussions, love and hate – all things football and all things non-football. We are not just a bunch of English yobbos. Oh no. We have Welsh, Scottish and Croats. We did even have members living out in South America, but they seem to have gone walkabout. Tragically, we also have Americans. But hey, nothing's perfect!
Are there any rules I need to know about?
The first rule of BFF is don’t be a troll. Seriously though, there are no rules. Just don’t troll, spam and post porn. Act the c*nt if you wish, but expect the kind of treatment West Ham fans would greet Chelsea Headhunters. Everything is self-explanatory really. Post, have fun... don’t be afraid to be yourself.
Can I say and post whatever I want?
We don’t like censorship, but that doesn’t mean its a free-for-all. Don’t make threats or post anything illegal and you should be safe from having your IP banned. W00t!! If you want to be controversial, then feel free to be so. But be able to back it up if someone wants you to explain why you feel that way, rather than trolling for the sake of trolling. Another thing to bear in mind is that sometimes the content of this site does lean towards the adult side so please be aware that not everything will be to your taste.
The place seems like a tight-knit community. Why should I bother participating?
Well, it is a tight-knit community, but most of the hardcore regulars are newbies in terms of the dates they signed up compared to the founding fathers. Don’t rush to impress. Just be yourself, or create an online persona if you think you have no natural personality – and then just get on with it. Yeah, one or two of us can be hard b@stards, but remember... most of it is banter. A baptism BFF style means we love ya!
The BFF''s Etiquette Guide to ''do's and dont's'':
Don’t post porn. Don’t spam the boards. Don’t be a c*nt. That’s it.
Welcome to the BFF blog
Well then, this is where it all starts.
The Big Football Forum (http://www.big-football-forum.co.uk/ or, even easier, http://www.b-f-f.co.uk/) was started in around 2002 by a group of lads from another forum who felt they could do better. Almost seven years later, it's fair to say they've had a bloody good crack at it.
Unfortunately, a lot of the BFF's proud history was wiped out in a server change in early 2007, but it has stayed strong, pulled together and remains an excellent forum, filled with some characters and probably a few that others will think are dullards. Ah well.
Now, moving with the times, this blog has been launched in April 2009. In it the BFF crew - a fine cross section of football fans - will talk about the issues in the day of football and whatever is getting their goat about the beautiful game, or even praise for what we're fans of.
But there is more to the place we call "The BFF" than just football. Music, gaming, other sports, and even such highbrow things as "news and current affairs" are well within our grasp. This blog will encompass all of that.
Any more questions? Well, visit the forum and sign up, or mail us at blog@big-football-forum.co.uk.
Magic.
The Big Football Forum (http://www.big-football-forum.co.uk/ or, even easier, http://www.b-f-f.co.uk/) was started in around 2002 by a group of lads from another forum who felt they could do better. Almost seven years later, it's fair to say they've had a bloody good crack at it.
Unfortunately, a lot of the BFF's proud history was wiped out in a server change in early 2007, but it has stayed strong, pulled together and remains an excellent forum, filled with some characters and probably a few that others will think are dullards. Ah well.
Now, moving with the times, this blog has been launched in April 2009. In it the BFF crew - a fine cross section of football fans - will talk about the issues in the day of football and whatever is getting their goat about the beautiful game, or even praise for what we're fans of.
But there is more to the place we call "The BFF" than just football. Music, gaming, other sports, and even such highbrow things as "news and current affairs" are well within our grasp. This blog will encompass all of that.
Any more questions? Well, visit the forum and sign up, or mail us at blog@big-football-forum.co.uk.
Magic.
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