"Views From The `Footiemad` Armchair Diary Of A Season October 2007

Monday 1st October 2007 In Feb 2004, Spurs were involved in a 4-4 home draw with which club? "I will call you up everyday Saturday night and we both stayed out 'til the morning light and we sang, "Here we go again"" (Song)

25 Minutes From The Sack: Whether Spurs boss Martin Jol was as my headline suggests is anyone's guess but it shouldn't detract from yet another remarkable high-scoring game. Spurs, having gone a goal up, then defended like a Sunday league side to capitulate to 4-1. Villa then took over in the poor defending stakes, including Marlon Harewood starting a new sport - combining rugby and wrestling - to get Spurs back to 4-3 and set up the inevitable stoppage time equaliser. For the armchair viewer it was hugely enjoyable although I wonder how many went onto bed (or left the ground even!) with the score at 4-1. Shame it was on Setanta which meant my Sky Plus box refused to tape it though. Setanta/Sky want an extra fiver a month for me to have Setanta onto Multiroom. Money grabbing sods.

Poll Stats: Is it just me or is anyone else pissed off at the fact that the Princess Diana death scenario from ten years ago still rumbles on? I know it's the start of the inquest into the Paris crash but still the conspiracy theories continue and look set to drag on as long as the JFK shooting did (and still does). Then there are the polls as Sky announce that their latest `exclusive` poll reveal that (and I quote) `one in three do not believe that the crash was an accident`. Or to put it another way, two-thirds believe that it was! Mine doesn't sound quite so sensationalist does it?


 

Tuesday 2nd October 2007 In Man Utd's 7-1 home win over Roma last season, which two United players scored twice? "Why don't you go haunt a house? Rattle some chains or something." (Film)

United Roam On: Whilst the record books will show that Man United beat Roma 1-0, this was far from convincing and with a little more luck and good finishing, the Italians would have earned a draw. After the last game between the pair, this was always going to be anti-climatic and it was never a match to get the neutral on the edge of the sofa. United's tendency to win by the odd goal in one has become a feature of the season but if feel for them if and when they come up against a decent side in the knock outs as they are all but through even after two games. Speaking of which...

Gunners Fire On: Arsenal's similar score away at unspellable Bucharest put them away and clear at the top of their group and, like Man Utd, well on course for the knock outs. Robin Van Persie's goal was well taken but they had the chances to wrap it up well before then. I was a little surprised that more wasn't made of the incident near the end of the first game when the home keeper seemed to carry the ball over his own line from a deflected cross though. Arsenal are the season's hottest property so far both at home and to a lesser extent in Europe. Long may it continue. Theirry who???


 

Wednesday 3rd October 2007 Which Milan player won his 4th CL winners medal last season? Which film was based on a Stephen King book which had the actress Rita Hayworth in the title?

Oh What A Night! Usually my decision on which game to watch on CL nights falls flat as I plump for the drab 0-0 and miss the 4-3 classic. That wasn't the case tonight as I stuck with Celtic-Milan through a drab hour and was rewarded with a sensational finale resulting in a sofa-leaping winning goal in the last minute. The sense of injustice was high anyway after the award of a penalty which, whilst technically correct, will see six pens a game being given if they are all called. Then of course no-one told the watching fans that we had an Oscar nominee on the pitch and only after the winning goal went in did we witness Dida's wonderful display. Are you watching Denzel Washington? Seriously though whilst the fan was wrong to be on the pitch and then slap Dida, it was hardly the sort of contact that results in being stretchered off with an ice pack on his face - especially when the slap was on the shoulder! If Dida isn't totally ashamed by his antics then he has one more screw loose than the average goalkeeper.

Liverthud: Obviously I didn't see the Liverpool game but on reading the reports and fans comments as well as chatting to a couple of supporters at work, they put in a dire display. The Marseille goal was pretty special and leaves Liverpool in a somewhat precarious situation in the table. Yes they can turn it around, however as one fan told me earlier, she would not worry if Liverpool went out if it made the manager concentrate more on the league. The 18 years of hurt without a league title is beginning to become a major thorn in the side of the Anfield club in much the same way as it did at Man United from 1967 to 1993.  

Thursday 4th October 2007 In 1996, which Blackburn player scored a Champions League hat trick? Which 1979 classic horror had a cast of just seven actor/actresses?

Rovers And Out! If I had to choose two out of four Prem clubs to win through to the next round of the UEFA Cup, prior to the first leg, it would have been Spurs and Blackburn. Spurs, despite a 1-1 draw today in Famagusta, did the damage in the first leg and sailed through on aggregate but sadly for Blackburn, the damage was also done two weeks ago with a defeat against Larissa and an away goal in the second leg made the mountain to climb become one of Everest proportions. It's a shame as I'd like to have seen them go through to the group stages where I have little doubt they would have had an impact but football is not about what we want, more about what you deserve. Well done though to Bolton and Everton both of whom went through, albeit unconvincingly.

Weekend of 6th & 7th October 2007 Benjani joined Portsmouth from which French club? "There's nothing on the TV nothing on the radio that means that much to me." (Song)

What an odd weekend with only two Saturday games, one of which saw Man United hit form and go top, and the other eight on Sunday. The one which really stuck out of the lot was Liverpool's 2-2 with Spurs, a game that saw two under achieving sides meet and a result which will surely leave both sets of fans in limbo. Liverpool would have expected to win beforehand, yet were a goal down entering stoppage time before Fernando Torres levelled. Spurs on the other hand would have bitten your hand off had they been offered a draw ahead of the game, but having been ahead only to slip up late on, they'd been left feeling disappointed. Strange game football eh although I would imagine the pressure will be more off of Martin Jol than Benitez at the moment as Liverpool have had three home games in a row and failed to win any of them.

I think I came dangerously close to melting my remote control this afternoon with a whole multidue of sins to keep me entertained. It was simple enough until 4pm or so when I was frequently channel hopping between the first half of Fulham v Portsmouth on Sky, the score updates of the 3pm kick offs on Sky Sports News and the Gretna v Celtic game on Setanta, during which I missed the late Celtic equaliser but did catch the even later winner. Add to the equation the occasional glance at the cricket score and I could almost hear the remote breathe a sigh of relief when most of it ended. Next Sunday should be the total opposite!

Monday 8th October 2007 In 1995, which current Prem manager was briefly boss at Norwich? "His fear began when he woke up alone. His terror began when he realised he wasn't." (Film Tagline)

Tonight's Championship game between QPR and Norwich gave us exactly what it promised on the tin. Unfortuntely that was fairly little. Two of the league's bottom three, one of which had not been in front in any league game this season and the other hadn't scored for a number of matches. More unfortuntely, some of us decided to watch it in the hope of an unlikely classic. It wasn't to be. QPR deserved their win, courtesy of a second half penalty, ironically the weakest of three penalty shouts for the home side. So yes, not an evening to reign long in the memory, but I have no-one to blame but myself.

Tuesday 9th October 2007 Prior to 2007, who were the winners the last time a CL Final was played in Athens? "I was going for fearsome, but I don't think I'm coming across. I'm afraid I'm just coming off as annoying." (Film)

On the recommendation of a work colleague, I watched Resident Evil today (or he let me borrow it on DVD more to the point) and it was okay although whether I'd watch it again I don't know. It did get me thinking of films that have been adapted from video games and Mortal Combat, House of the Dead and Silent Hill (seen and didn't enjoy) al came to mind although I'm sure there are more. However, as someone who hasn't played any of these and grew up on 10p classics in the local arcade, I wondered what it would be like if some 80s classics were made into films! How about PacMan? Violent with the monsters eating all the heroes in a maze and the inevitable PacMan 2 - The Munchman would soon follow. Space Invaders with dozens of aliens gradually descending toward earth as one solitary hero tries to repell them. Tom Cruise would be good for that one I reckon. Then we could have the early Spectrum games! Manic Miner about a man wandering around a house getting zapped and killed by monsters and the sequel Jet Set Willie with erm a man wandering around a house getting zapped by monsters unless he goes into the attic and the film would start again. Mind you, anyone remember Hungry Horace?? A man (??) skiing and avoiding obstacles... Nah, perhaps not blockbuster material.

I loved the bit in the paper about a woman in dispute with her local Birmingham based radio station after she won a competition back in May. Plugged as a trip to Athens to watch the Champions League Final, she did the text thing and actually won only to find out that Athens was the name of a Birmingham based restuarant and the trip was for a meal at the establishment to watch the Liverpool-Milan game on a giant screen TV! Naturally she and her family were less than pleased and it's still ongoing now, although of the 100 winners, only three complained with the radio station stating that enough clues were announced on air that the trip didn't actually involve tickets to Greece or the final! Does anyone trust media competitions any more I wonder?


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