LaticsPete

Don’t we count the straightforward headers that Sheron and the lad from Stoke missed then? Or the fumbles from the Chester keeper on to the woodwork? Btw , did Norman have a shot to save in the first half?

Nobody has said we won’t. It’s the who and when that is up for discussion. If the club doesn’t do as you recommend you seem to take umbrage.

—//

Easy on paper. Sign this , sign the other.

Maynard had a good game. Enjoy your draw

On the other hand, Graham Bell and Mike Lester were much more impressive in Divs 2& 3 at this age and went on to have careers at a higher level. Harry stands out because of the poor quality around him.

We’re not in the Vase- for lower leagues.

The aspiration is sound.

Like that Bolton one in Phoenix Nights ?

Yes.

True but we’ll have certainly spoken to his agent so will have some indication as to the money/terms that would be agreeable.

The Armistice Day Killing Colin Brown Pitch Publishing 2022 Hardback 288pp £19.99 Tommy Ball was a part of Aston Villa’s team in 1923/4 when they pushed for the League and FA cup double. However, on the evening of Nov 11th, 1923, he was shot dead, the only active British footballer to have been, in law, murdered. His neighbour was convicted, spending 42 years in jail and asylums, yet there is still speculation as to whether that was the right verdict. A book that is part the story of a player and his career, part social history about the game and its connection with communities at the time, part detective story, and part review of the court case and its aftermath, this is an intriguing and well-constructed narrative. From the start of Tommy Ball’s life, through to the death of the man convicted of his murder, George Stagg in 1966, great research is demonstrated. Was the conviction safe? By forensically rigorous standards of today, then there must be some doubt as to whether “murder” was committed but the book allows the reader to come to their own conclusion. Ball was a coal miner in Gateshead, he played for the Felling Colliery side, but, in 1920, he made the journey to Birmingham after signing for Aston Villa. As full-back he nearly didn’t make the grade but, after a switch to centre half, he began to be a fixture in the team. Married to a local girl, with a wage that made them relatively comfortable but still part of the local community, catching the bus to games and drinking in local pubs, life was going well. On Saturday 10th Nov Ball had been a member of the Villa team that won 1-0 at Notts County, a player regarded as one who had developed significantly in his time in Birmingham, and, at 23, one with a good future ahead. The following day, Armistice Day just five years after the end of WWI, he and his wife went for a drink at the Church Tavern in Perry Barr. After a bus ride and walk home, they got home about 10pm. Over the next hour a series of events led to an apparent altercation with his neighbour and landlord, George Stagg. A former policeman and wounded war veteran, Stagg shot Ball. Accident or deliberate? Provoked or not? Manslaughter or murder? The author looks at a comprehensive range of issues and the people involved. Ballistics, insurance, police evidence, that from relatives and neighbours, credibility of timings, and the personalities and character of Ball and Stagg. Could Stagg have committed murder? Would he have done so? The police and judiciary acted quickly at the time. From the shooting it was just 14 weeks to all the court hearings and the end of the appeal process. Murder was a capital offence and Stagg was sentenced to death, although the jury had asked for mercy. There was, however, relatively new Labour Home Secretary, Arthur Henderson, who commuted the sentence to life imprisonment, beginning in Parkhurst prison. Stagg later moved to Broadmoor and other mental hospitals, still a prisoner, dying aged 87. Tommy Ball was buried on 19th November 1923 at St John’s Church, Perry Barr. His pallbearers were Aston Villa teammates, and thousands were present.

From today’s Guardian re Graham Potter going to Chelsea “At Östersund Potter built a squad on second chances and took them to the Europa League knockouts: he made high-level performers out of Jamie Hopcutt, who had been discarded by York,”

The Power & The Glory Mick Clegg Reach Sport 2022 Hardback 291pp £14.99 For nearly 12years Mick Clegg worked as a coach with Manchester United. Not, however, as one of those involved with skills or tactics but as someone devoted to “power development”. It’s this aspect of his career rather than bits of dressing room gossip or insider revelations that make his story more interesting. As part of the physical preparation of players then he makes a strong case for its benefits and how it’s appropriate for professional footballers, even if a ball is only rarely used. Clegg explains the difference between what he teaches and the view of a sports scientist. The latter, he says, looks at who is faster over 40m , Player A or B, and that training to achieve that is primary. His contrary view is that it’s strength in deceleration, preparing for a turn in direction, and other aspects that make up “functional Strength” . His book provides several stories of how he convinced other coaches and players that his methods would benefit them, interesting that toey should be unaware of the techniques when at other clubs and there are several testimonials included from them . Solskjaer calls him “different class” and Rio Ferdinand says “he loved working with Cleggy”. Perhaps the most pertinent is that of Louis Saha , “Mick is old school but an innovator”. There is definitely a narrative of how he had to prove himself to considerable egos and did so by adapting routines and training to the specific needs, situations and personalities. The progress of a boxing programme with Roy Keane not only bonded a respect between the two but was based on an early conversation where Keane declared he’d had four bouts as an amateur. He introduced Neurotracker , a training idea that had players wearing 3D glasses to track multiple objects: highest one-time score by Ji-sung Park but Paul Scholes consistently far ahead . A player who wasn’t the fastest over 20m but who had the all-round vision to be fast and strong in that space, and who legg developed specific drills for. Clegg had previously run a gym, and coached a mix of teams , sports and individuals. Since leaving Old Trafford he has done the same, developing athletes up to Olympic level. He has also found a Christian faith and talks of how this has helped him and given him a different perspective on life, especially in his desire , and ability, to listen to those seeking his help. It’s a ghost-written book (with the help of Steve Bartram) but the personalty of Clegg comes strongly across and his contribution to athletes, especially at Manchester United, amply documented.

“The spot-kick was awarded when Abraham Odoh cut in from the left and was tripped by Davis Keillor-Dunn.” BBC report on Rochdale s first goal against Burton. Just 4 mins from the end….

Yes, like so much else in the club there is a need for more resources.

Mikey left in May. New guy Alan wasn’t allowed by old regime to start until July. All the work preseason had to be done in truncated period I think anyone who has been monitoring media output since Thursday will be more reassured that things are improving and will continue to do so Lots of slack rather than some needed.

Kirk Millar sent off for Linfield in Champions League match against Bodo from Denmark.

Yes

Good bloke. Edited the programme last season.

West Ham United: From East End Family to Globalised Fandom Jack Fawbert Pitch Publishing 2022 Hardback 352pp £16.99 A club rooted in working-class origins develops into a type of entity that has worldwide recognition. Not a unique story, indeed one that is probably shared by most clubs in the Premier League and beyond. The industrial and social changes of late Victorian and Edwardian Britain created hundreds of clubs that were based upon a distinct locality, drew players and support from working class communities, and, in many cases, established themselves as long-term entities. Do West Ham United have distinct characteristics? The author, a lifelong Hammers supporter, makes that case in an interesting if not wholly convincing manner. The start of the book is an overview of football’s development from public schools to the working man, set in the context of East End life. It’s peppered with references that give it the feel of a thesis rather than a general narrative but the context of society in which West Ham developed is well portrayed. There’s also considerable discussion of the movement of thousands of people away from the old docklands into Essex and beyond. The notion of local identification is not, it’s argued, based on immediate proximity to the club’s ground but on the sense of family and cultural ties that move as people do. If your family supported the Iron then you will too, even if you now live several miles away. There’s significant evidence put forward to back this for West Ham, but whether that’s a stronger characteristic than for other clubs is never questioned. Much of the second half of the book looks at the “globalised fandom” that surrounds clubs, and there is a list spanning five pages of “geographically based West Ham United supporters’ groups”. It seems as though most countries have at least one such group although the numbers involved for each are not always given. For Australia, however, there are apparently 4,242 members of 11 groups and Indonesia has 835 members in 11 also. For an old-fashioned football supporter like me I’m always sceptical of those from far way saying they “support” a club and the book does attempt to explore this. Expats can often genuinely claim a connection but the reasons given by several of USA based “fans” will cause a few raided eyebrows: “I watched the movie Green Street”, “ “I liked “Bubbles”, “I played FIFA”. In fairness to the author, he attempts to explore who these fans are, their backgrounds and motivations. The end result of the book is a demonstration of the shift of West Ham United’s appeal, and that is done well. How does that compare with other clubs is not a question that is attempted but this sets out a template for how that could be measured in the future.

NB: Garth Dykes is a lifelong Latics supporter and has written several books about the history of the club and its players. As this review shows, he's also produced a range of work on other football clubs. South Shields Who’s Who 1919 - 1930 Garth Dykes SoccerData 2022 Paperback, 78pp £12 South Shields may be nowadays known as the finish of the Great North Run, but for over a decade its football club held its own in the Football League. In 1904 South Shields Adelaide was formed, turning professional four years later, before dropping the suffix in 1910. The hiatus of the Great War meant that it was 1919 before League ambitions were fulfilled, and the club retained that status until 1930. There’s case for saying that they didn’t lose it even then but financial problems caused them to move up the Tyne to Gateshead , adopting the name of their new base , with the new entity remaining in the League until 1960. Garth Dykes is a prolific football historian , participating in 28 publications s, and his meticulous attention to detail is once again demonstrated in this book. Biographical notes of each player who turned out for Shields in the Football League or the FA Cup , from Frank Atkinson to Robert Young , are enhanced in many cases by contemporary photographs. Every player is given birth and , where appropriate, death, dates and locations, their debut match, and details of their career . Richard Robert Brown had a solitary appearance , against Grimsby in 1928, but went on to play for a series of non-league North-Easter clubs , ending with West Allotments FC. Meanwhile, Jock Hutcheson clocked up 199 games and, as club captain, led the side to three top nine finishes in Div 2. The football lives of players in the 1920s are well illustrated by the vignettes that the author provides, with some surprising twists and turns. Goalie Lancelot Holliday moved to Manchester United after 60 games for £1000 in 1923, went to Reading and then opted for a farming life in Argentina. George Reay worked as a railway locomotive fireman as well as being a winger for South Shields, whilst another goalie, Ernest Hoffman , although born in Wakefield, was of German descent and despite having two England amateur caps, was interned for part of World War I , also guested for Tottenham Hotspur as a wartime player, before spending three years with the south Tynesiders. Another International was outside-right Robert Faulkner( 20 appearances). but his three caps were for Canada where had emigrated in 1924, turning out for Toronto Irish and Toronto Clarkes as well as the US Providence Clamdiggers. There is also a complete record of all matches, lineups and attendances for the seasons , beginning with a 1-0 loss away at Fulham in 1919 and ending with a 2-2 home draw against Carlisle in May 1930. League tables are included and there’s a list of all FA Cup matches played by clubs from South Shields from 1888 right up to a 2nd Qualifying Round loss to Marske United in 2022.. Just over 100 years ago two Tyneside teams were vying for Football League success and this is the well-compiled story of the men behind one of them and who shouldn’t be forgotten.

Maximum Wage was abolished in 1961 . Not all players received even that. It was despicable exploitation of working men. Whether top players today “deserve” enormous wages is completely different .

Political football Wyn Grant Agenda Publishing 2021 Softback 192pp £19.99 Written by a politics professor , albeit a lifelong Charlton Athletic supporter, this is a challenging analysis of the game as it exists in the global economy and 21st century society. That may be enough to deter some from opening its covers but, if you do, then you’ll be given what is almost certainly a clearer picture of what’s happening to football. Right from the start the author acknowledges that there are no easy answers to what he sees as the problems facing it, but the case for more regulation and oversight is adequately made. For supporters of most professional clubs in this country, the ability to influence their direction and affairs has shrunk inexorably this century. If we go on from the premise that , in most of our lifetimes, the club ha some links with us, usually from the sense of place then on nearly every front, that has dissipated or disappeared. Local business people owning the club? In most cases a thing of the past. Similarly with players either emanating from the locality or even living there in the same communities as supporters. Even the fan base has been diluted, “tourists” in increasing numbers in the seats, certainly in the Premier League. As global media has increased its coverage and moneyed influence, so football has become both an investment and an international ego trip. With a turnover of billions at the top, and bare bones at the bottom, it is an industry that appears to be ever more in danger of having an irreversibly fractured future. For some, mainly those who now control many clubs or the organisations that “govern” the game and have a gargantuan appetite for money, then the path to elitism is the one to follow. For the others it seems in both the short and long term a road to possible ruin. There is, it is argued, a narrowness of vision that leads to the football industry elite trying to maintain self-regulation (a situation that is in contrast to many other industries). Foreign State ownership of clubs is not done for altruistic reasons; Newcastle, PSG, Manchester City were not seen as deserving causes for purchase because of local economic or social need. Political alliances and regimes do, however, fall in and out of favour. Abramovitch’s close ties to Putin have created major instability even at the level of Chelsea. Global stability can no longer be taken for granted and the future of clubs, and their supporters thrown in doubt. Self-regulation has done very little to combat racism, homophobia , or misogyny , at least when compared to the resources available. Corruption at FIFA was exposed and yet the World Cup still given to a country whose government has a terrible record in some of these issues. Small clubs battle for existence - there has been an absence of action from the EFL or FA about the recent plights of Blackpool, Bury, Oldham , or Leyton Orient, all at the apparent mercy of individuals without threat of sanction. Some larger clubs exclude local supporters through restrict the number of Season Tickets for sale. This means there are more “tourist tickets” available. Across the piece, football is at a crossroads. Self-regulation is failing the game on many fronts. What form of external regulation is required is not clear, but this book makes the case for it extremely well