Well Done Wigan

It was that special Saturday yesterday, the F.A. Cup Final.

It wasn’t as special for me, not as special as it was when I was growing up, then it was watching the build up three hours before, follow the teams and get really involved in the build up. Yesterday it was a quick rush home from my teenage boys work placement at a local stable and then switch on the TV ten minutes before kick-off.

Fifteen minutes into the game my daughter decided to knock over a glass of Coke and I spent 10 mintues clearing and mopping up from the floor, thankfully I missed nothing.

In fact I missed very little for 90 minutes, Wigan Athletic played some excellent passing football, their pressing and movement was superb, but they were toothless in breaking down an efficient Manchester City defence. In fact, there were times that I had to pinch myself to realize that Manchester City had actually turned up, their excellent Captain Kompany seemed to be the only player who wanted to win.

The game turned on the sending off, (no argument there) Wigan scored from a near post corner where the departed player should have been defending. An excellent goal and a just reward for an unnecessary sending off.

Wigan deserved their prize, the better team who actually wanted to win and played  the opposition off the park.

The smiles on the faces of the supporters and the Chairman said it all.

I worked in Wigan for eight years and I loved the town and the people. Warm hearted, honest and down to earth. I found Wiganers always friendly and warmingly suspicious of a South Coast lad from Eastbourne. Most of them looked at me in bemusement when that knew I came north from a holiday resort to work in a town like Wigan.

No town or team deserves it more than Wigan and it makes my heart glad that this great town has won this great trophy.

2012-13 Premiership Predictions

The new season is also upon us,

New managers in post,

Established managers sharpening their knives,

Owners getting ready to find an excuse for the first sacking.

And its time for me to make a complete fool of myself

And upset most of the football world

With my Predictions for the new season.

So who will win the Premiership and who will be relegated and who will be the dark horse?

Firstly the big prize

I don’t think the Big Boss Sir Alex will miss out again and I wonder if the Sky Blues can hold it together as Champions.

So my top 5 is:

1. Manchester United
2. Chelsea
3. Manchester City
4. Arsenal
5. Liverpool

And My Relegation fodder is:

1. West Brom
2. Reading
3. Norwich

Dark Horses this season are: Q.P.R and Southampton.

My team Everton I predict a 7^th place .

And the FA Cup team is Arsenal

League Cup team is Newcastle.

Just to make it interesting in the Championship

My two teams for Automatic promotion are:

Bolton

Birmingham

Playoff Champions are Burnley.

And who will be the first Premiership manager given the boot:

Steve Clarke at WBA (sorry)

So there you are

Don’t get too upset

I’m very rarely right,

But it’s good for a laugh!

Association Football

This is for all those souls out there, getting withdrawal symptoms at the lack of football available. All right there are the Olympics coming up, but I put it to you, a team without David Beckham in it is a sad excuse for a team. Becks would have given that bit of glamour to a competition that needed it. 

The European Championships climaxed with the wonderful, free passing Spanish showing us all how to win and score goals without a striker.

At home Manchester City proved The Beatles right – With money can buy you the Premiership but it can’t buy you love.

Because we all fell in love with a welsh team who football played more like Barcelona than Swansea.

This then is a little reminder of the golden days of Football, players like:

Charles “Charlie” Charles’

Finney “On the wing”

Stan “between the sticks” Hartley

And “Mr. Banjo” with the half time entertainment.

As 1933 Arsenal takes on 1991 Liverpool in glorious ‘Black and White’ thanks to the genius of Harry Enfield.

Reflections of a night in Kiev.

They thrilled my heart,

Frustrated my soul

And played with all my hopes

I believed the myth,

Trusted the claims

And was swept along with the dreams.

I felt for Roy,

As the prize was lost

And the past repeated in cruel fashion.

But they did better than I expected.

It's Cup Final Saturday

Saturdays are special days

Saturdays are family days

Days of doing things together

Going to the park

Swimming

Going out for lunch

Having fun

With your family

When I was growing up in the 70’s

For my Dad and me there was one special Saturday

A magical day when we would be glued to the TV.

There was no moving us

My Mum would feed us with

Sandwiches

Crisps

Sausage rolls

Chocolate biscuits

All manner of tasty snacks

Because, it was

Cup Final Saturday.

My Dad and I would watch the entire coverage

There was:

Breakfast with the teams

The road to the final

Follow the coaches to Wembley

The pre-match build up

Meet the players

Abide with me

And then

The game

Everything you could have hoped for

My Dad supported Portsmouth and I supported Everton

Needless to say

Neither of us got to watch our teams play in the Final

Still there was plenty of excitement

Nail biting moments

Charlie George scoring in Extra Time for Arsenal

Jim Montgomery miraculously saving Sunderland singled handed

And of course

Bobby Stokes scoring the winner for Southampton as they beat Manchester United

David defeated Goliath

The greatest giant killing ever

Great things happen if you only have faith!

Neither of my two sons are remotely interested in football

They both see it as pointless

And as Chelsea take on Liverpool today

I will be watching it alone

With only the memories that my late Dad and I shared together

How times have changed!

I hope the game is entertaining and the best team wins

Winning is important

Christ won the greatest victory at the cross

Where he defeated sin and Satan

And satisfied the wrath of God for mankind’s sin and rebellion

Because of His perfect sacrifice I can be completely free

Free from guilt and condemnation

Free to live in the fullness of eternal life

And here’s a little secret

I will be quietly hoping that Chelsea wins

Well after all I am an Everton supporter

And I have had to endure years of Liverpool triumphs

But I know that no matter how exciting it all gets

The greatest excitement is that

Christ has won the victory for me.