Filed under: Mat Reville's Football Blog | Tags: Posh honeymoon for football fans
A FOOTY mad couple will swap romance for Row Z when they spend the last day of their honeymoon watching a Peterborough United away game.
Richard Smith (49) and Anne Valentine (49) have never done holidays the conventional way – they signed up for a trip to Trinidad and Tobago together the day they met.
However, their honeymoon will include a visit to the slightly less glamorous setting of Exeter City’s 9,000 capacity St James’ Park stadium.
And in a twist to make men everywhere green with envy, it was Anne’s idea to include the beautiful game on the couple’s honeymoon.
She said: “All our family and friends think we are mad, but they have learnt to go with the flow now.
“We were already going to Jersey on our honeymoon and then when I saw the fixture list I realised it would be easy to get to the game.
“We are season ticket holders and try to get to as many away games as possible, so it just made sense to pop into Exeter as we would be down south for the honeymoon.
“It sounds really sad but we both love watching the football so why not?”
The couple plan to exchange their vows at St John the Baptist church, Peterborough, on Anne’s 50th birthday on Saturday, September 11.
They will drive to Weymouth on Monday to take the ferry to Jersey, where they will spend a week before catching the ferry back and then making their way to Exeter for the League One game on Saturday before heading home to Peterborough after the final whistle.
Richard, a self-employed electrician, said even a Posh disaster would not dampen his mood on the honeymoon.
He said: “There is life after football and the most important thing in my life is Anne.
“We met in May 2003 at a house party and I told her I was going to a friend’s wedding in Trinidad and Tobago and asked if she wanted to come.
“To my surprise she said yes, and even though I didn’t know her surname when I phoned the travel agents she came along with me.
“We have had season tickets for the last four years – we stand on the London Road end.
“I am very lucky to have met her but Anne liking football isn’t the biggest thing in the world – but it is an added bonus.”
Filed under: Mat Reville's Football Blog
The domestic season is back, cementing the ‘end’ of the dismal era of English football that was the 2010 World Cup.
With the passing of the torch football is thankfully, once again, more than a tool to aid James Corden to continue his unstoppable cultural dominance. Bad news for all who are delighted by the webuyanycar.com adverts – Corden is banished, The Premiership is back.
Is it a co-incidence that it comes back at the same time as The X Factor? Is it Simon Cowell running the FA or did Sir Bert Milichip set up Syco Productions? I truly hope the latter.
Anyway to celebrate the beginning of the new season a lot of teams have gone goal mental. In the first two weeks, a staggering four matches have ended 6-0.
To fans of Grandstand, that is four matches ending 6 (six) – 0.
On the opening day Chelsea beat West Brom 6-0. This weekend they matched the score in the away game at Wigan, and the six-up was matched by Arsenal against Blackpool and, most surprisingly, Newcastle against Aston Villa.
To celebrate, here are six words on each team for my prediction for the 2010-2011 season. L’enjoy;
1. Chelsea
Easily the best again, plus Essien
2. Arsenal
Looking tasty but not quite there
3. Manchester United
Expect another April collapse under pressure
4. Liverpool
Roy Hodgson will steady the ship
5. Manchester City
Too many mentals with weak manager
6. Everton
No Europe plus Arteta equals success
7. Tottenham
Will lose points because of Europe
8. Bolton Wanderers
Much better than most people realise
9. Newcastle United
Mike Ashley for Freedom of City?
10. Aston Villa
No manager, no direction, no improvement
11. Birmingham City
Solid defence and competent going forward
12. Sunderland
Could be higher but lacking strikers
13. Blackburn Rovers
Allardyce will brag about this finish
14. Fulham
Transitional period but in no dander
15. Stoke City
More of the same, Mr Pulis
16. Wolverhampton Wanderers
You probably won’t notice them, again
17. West Brom
Surprisingly there are three worse teams
18. West Ham United
Avram Grant will get thoroughly exposed
19. Wigan Athletic
About time these wasters went down
20. Blackpool
Chairman/manager already cracking up – doomed
Getting back to the start of the season, most of the teams have been ones you would expect to get spanked.
It wouldn’t surprise me if Blackpool, Wigan and West Brom made up the bottom three at the end of the season – although my prediction would be for West Ham to replace West Brom.
Again though, the only decent team thrashed was Aston Villa, against Premiership newboys Newcastle United.
Newcastle United aren’t really ‘new boys’ per se. They are more like naughty boys who were suspended from school for a term and have come back to re-establish themselves in the playground.
This allegory is particularly fitting due to the childish nature of the Magpies fans.
A quick glance at Newcastle United online fan forums shows the Mags why-ayeing about Champion’s League football. And so the cycle begins again.
It’s all very easy to say this won’t happen, but so I’d like you to copy and paste the above predictions to remind me of my mortality come the end of the season.
After my very un-Nostradamas- like World Cup ‘predictions’, I wouldn’t be surprised if the opposite of this happens.
Blackpool for the title, then.
A pair of Peterborough United fans have set up a weekly podcast to vent their views on the good, the bad and the ugly at the club.
Jamie Jones (34) and Chris Slade (24) began broadcasting their Standing On The Glebe podcast at the beginning of the season.
Jamie and Chris, who have been fans of the club since 1984 and 1997 respectively, are both members of the Peterborough Independent Supporters Association (PISA).
The 100 per cent unofficial show has already become a smash hit with club supporters with thousands of listeners tuning in for each of the first two episodes.
Host Jamie said: “We have been blown away with the positive feedback we have been getting.
“The show has been downloaded 2,000 times a week on iTunes and we have had 6,000 hits on the website.
“At the end of the day, we are just a couple of fans talking about the club but there are a lot of people that can’t get to games that won’t be able to have these sort of post-match chats.
“We have a bit more freedom than other media because we don’t have a relationship with the club to protect, so we can say just how good or bad they are doing.
“We do have a structure but it is a bit of a ramble – I think that is part of the fun though.”
The show includes dissections of the last game, previews of the next fixture and a range of fun features.
One of the sections includes pre-recorded skits with impressions of club personalities such as Barry Fry and Darragh MacAnthony by fellow Posh fans.
Jamie and Chris record the show in the back room of the Swiss Cottage pub in Woodston.
PISA donated £200 to buy microphones to record the show, which Chris – an interactive media degree graduate – then edits on his laptop before uploading to the internet.
Chris said: “Doing a Peterborough United podcast is something I have always wanted to do but it was hard to find other people interested in getting involved with it.
“We are having guests every week and would love to hear from anyone that wants to be a guest – if they’re Posh fans or not.”
The new shows are released every Thursday and the hosts hope that future guests could include PISA chairman Adi Mowles and The Evening Telegraph sports reporter Alan Swann.
The podcasts can be downloaded by visiting www.standingontheglebe.co.uk.
Filed under: Mat Reville's Football Blog
If you can keep your head when all about you
Are losing theirs and blaming it on you,
If you can trust yourself when all men doubt you,
But make allowance for their doubting too.
If you can wait and not be tired by waiting,
Or being lied about, don’t deal in lies,
Or being hated, don’t give way to hating.
And yet don’t look too good, nor talk too wise.
If you can dream – and not make dreams your master;
If you can think – and not make thoughts your aim.
If you can meet with Triumph and Disaster
And treat those two impostors just the same;
If you can bear to hear the truth you’ve spoken
Twisted by knaves to make a trap for fools.
And stoop and build ’em up with worn-out tools.
And risk it on one turn of pitch-and-toss,
And lose, and start again at your beginnings
And never breathe a word about your loss.
To serve your turn long after they are gone,
And so hold on when there is nothing in you
Except the will which says to them: ‘Hold on!’
If you can talk with crowds and keep your virtue,
Or walk with kings – nor lose the common touch.
If neither foes nor loving friends can hurt you,
If all men count with you, but none too much.
If you can fill the unforgiving minute
With sixty seconds’ worth of distance run,
Yours is the Earth and everything that’s in it.
And – which is more – you’ll be a Man, my son!
Filed under: Mat Reville's Football Blog
The misfiring millionaire footballers representing England could not match the passion shown by loyal fans that cheered them on all over the country yesterday.
Thousands flocked to Peterborough city centre to watch England’s lacklustre 0-0 draw in the crucial World Cup game with Algeria.
Passionate supporters crammed outside The Sports Lounge, on King Street, where a capacity 700 fans gallantly cheered the misfiring squad on while watching on a big screen TV.
The bar’s booming soundsystem blared football anthems such as “Three Lions” and “World In Motion” across the city centre while fans clad in replica shirts and flags of St George descended on Peterborough bars.
However, the carnival atmosphere that preceded the crucial match became replaced with a nervous mood when the Three Lions put in a second limp performance at a tournament many optimists have tipped them to win.
Mayor of Peterborough councillor Keith Sharp joked: “The team need to start playing better though or there might be a riot in the town centre.
“But seriously, anything that brings people together has got to be good and I just hope the team start putting in a performance half as good as their fans.”
England can still qualify for the next round if they beat Slovenia on Tuesday, but even then they may have to settle for second place in what many pundits saw as one of the weakest groups.
Shrugging off the disappointment from the match Tom Roberts, from Fletton, said the atmosphere generated by the legions of England fans outside The Sports Lounge was brilliant.
He said: “The outdoor screen helps create a big match atmosphere and it is just great to have a chance to have these events.”
The revenue from the fans watching the game in city bars will come as a welcome sight to landlords vying for additional business during the recession.
The game was also being shown in Charters in Town Bridge on three outdoor screens.
Manager Hugh Sherwood said: “We have put on a ‘beers from around the world promotion’. We haven’t been able to find a beer from every country and don’t have an Algerian one – but I don’t think we would have sold many.”
Urban regeneration company Opportunity Peterborough chairman John Bridge said that the public gatherings would help the city’s economy.
Mr Bridge said: “It is great news for pubs going through a difficult time. The key thing is we need them to start winning – the longer that we stay in the competition the more nights like these the city will have.”
Calm down everyone.
Yes England’s first round result was not what most of the readers here wanted, or predicted. The game seemed to sum up every English international campaign in living memory: strong start, overexpectations before an outrageous clanger exposes the true problems blighting the team.
But we didn’t lose and we played OK. We could have won the game comfortably if we reneged on the national hobby of conceding metnal goals.
However, there is no way to sugar-coat it: a 1-1 draw with America is starting with a limp. If the next game goes badly the whole campaign will already be crippled.
Going into the Algeria match this is the team I hope Capello will play.
James
Johnson – Terry – Upson – Cole
Lennon – Barry – Lampard – Gerrard
Heskey – Rooney
From first choice to bottom of the pile - poor old Robbie Green.
Rob Green will rightly receive the majority of the criticism. I hope he doesn’t start against Algeria, and not just for the mistake. I’ve always thought David James deserves that. How mental though that our keepers come from teams that finished bottom, 17th and 10th.
Although Green’s performance was otherwise good, that is not a mistake one would expect to come from a World Cup winner. Similarly, although Heskey’s performance was outstanding, his inability to finish the one-on-one is not what you would expect from a World Cup winner.
This all sums up what is generally the case: England are probably just not good enough to really challenge the top teams.
But that doesn’t mean we have no chance. Football is a mental game and, with a bit of luck, momentum can come to any team’s fortunes around. Conceivably a dozen teams could win this tournament.
From now on, England should have a proper holding midfielder when Gareth Barry returns. Although Barry himself is not amazing, his role is vital. Although Steven Gerrard and Frank Lampard are both better footballers, playing the two of them in the middle clearly does not work.
There is an argument that if he was closing down on the American midfield they would have been unable to pepper Rob Green with so many long-range efforts in the first half.
The Gerrard-Lampard midfield partnership was the same as it was way back in 2004 and 2006. Although both played well individually (Gerrard, especially), as a combination it just doesn’t work.
It may seem harsh to push Gerrard back onto the wing when Barry returns, but that is what I hope to see happen. Lampard is too valuable to drop and, although it is a dis-service to remove Gerrard from his best position, it does make sense for the overall benefit of the team.
Also, if things need changing you can always put Joe Cole on for Lampard, and push Stevie G into the middle.
Anything but Shaun Wright-Phillips, please.
Fabio has a jigsaw puzzle to solve
With Ledley King likely out for the next game (surprise, surprise!) another headache is in central defence. As seems to be the case with England, we may have to drop the more talented player (Jamie Carragher) for the more functional one (Matt Upson).
Although Carragher has excellent decision making ability, so too does John Terry. More worryingly, Carragher is also as flat-footed these days as JT. The two looked creaky against the Yanks and if Jozi Altidore can skin past them it doesn’t bear thinking what a more talented forward would do.
For that reason, I’d partner the brick-wall of Terry with the more athletic Upson.
As is the recurring and frankly boring argument regarding Emile Heskey, I think the most important thing is to play the best players to fit your tactics, rather than creating tactics to focus around the best players. Again, it’s the reason why the likes of Kleberson and Stephan Guivarc’h were regulars in World Cup winning teams.
The major difference though is that Kleberson could rely on Ronaldo and Ronaldinho, and Guivarc’h had Zinedine Zidane.
Let’s just hope that our one genuinely incredible player – Wayne Rooney – turns up for the next game. That way we have a better chance of maximising our extremely talented ones – Frank Lampard, Ashley Cole and Steven Gerrard.
Filed under: Mat Reville's Football Blog | Tags: England World Cup preparation
.
I’m fresh off the boat from a scouting trip to the good old US of A ahead of the big World Cup kick off which is alarmingly just a few days away.
In my 10 days away England’s meticulous preparation for the tournament seems to have hit more roadblocks than a remake of a Dirty Harry chase scene set in Baghdad. This has thrown previous dreams of glory to more a realistic feeling of “this is going to go wrong in the quarters again, isn’t it?”.
- Crufts got merked
The most obvious set-back may actually be a blessing. Skipper Rio Ferdinand has been forced to drop out of the squad with a knee injury, but some may suggest this was divine providence. The once-collossal defender has endured a stop-start season with a dodgy back.
The injury means he has to spend hours after each match in an ice bath, but more alarmingly makes him turn so slowly it looks like he is playing with an ice pick down the back of his pants.
Although those doubts remained, they do with his potential replacements also. His departure from the squad means that Ledley King or Jamie Carragher are likely to swagger into the starting 11, despite literally contributing nothing to the qualification. Michael Dawson is this year’s Micah Richards: decent season, no class, will make mistakes.
In addition to Rio’s injury, the biggest force to drum England out of the World Cup is once again the media.
I didn’t watch the game against the South African all stars but I understand that Wayne Rooney had a flare-up. A bit of petulance most probably, but the press have already gathered the torchwood for a potential lynching.
Rooney escaped blame for the 2006 World Cup exit because his petulance was forgotten once Christiano Ronaldo winked at his bench, suggesting he had masterminded the whole thing. However, should he again be sent off he will definitely be the folk devil in the press. All the press has been about ‘will Wayne keep his head’ – do you think Argentina do the same thing with Lionel Messi (who, let’s not forget, has been known to be sent off for head butting in his time.
This negative press surrounds Rooney despite the fact he has a not too awful disciplinary record for England (1 red, 8 yellows in 60 games), and to my knowledge has not done anything remotely head-mental since 2006.
The final stumbling point is a boringly repetitive one.
- Don’t worry Emile, I feel the same way too.
Yet again, every football cretin has once again crawled out of the woodwork to lament Emile Heskey for apparently missing a couple of chances against some pub team. Despite the fact that without Heskey we lost to Croatia twice in the last qualification, but with him we won 9-2 on aggregate this time round, idiots still think the only quality of a footballer is their goals. Assists and team-play are insignificant to such idiots, so it’s not really worth discussing.
We’ve been through this so many times it’s redundant, but here it is once again.
If you drop Heskey you get Rooney playing with his back to goal. If I need to remind you, Rooney with back to goal resulted in no Euro 2008. Rooney running at defences with Emile holding the ball up meant we qualified for the World Cup with seven successive wins.
Still, it looks likely Fabio will succumb to the calls and play 4-5-1 for the first game. Testament to this is his apparent desire to recall Paul Scholes from four years in the wilderness. After all, a draw isn’t a bad result against America, sadly.
The eleven men that run out against America on Saturday resemble a skeleton of the settled starting XI that thrashed its way to qualification.
In addition to the sad demise of Lord David Beckham, Ledley King (RIP Rio Ferdinand), Aaron Lennon (RIP Theo Walcott) and Joe Cole (RIP Gareth Barry) are all likely to start.
Chances are I’ll make the bench, too.
Filed under: Mat Reville's Football Blog | Tags: Craig Mackail Smith's world cup bet
Meeeeester Fry, que?
A WORLD Cup wager will put a Posh striker in hell’s kitchen unless England can cook up a Michelin star performance this summer.
The bet could see Peterborough United striker Craig Mackail Smith (26) swap balls for bills as he puts in shifts working at his favourite Italian restaurant.
Co-owner of Toscanini, Paolo Bianchi made an offer that if England progress further than his beloved Azzuri he will clean the frontman’s boots all next season.
However, should reigning champions Italy advance further, Craig will have to put in 10 shifts washing pots and cleaning tables at the restaurant in Peterborough Road, Eye.
Goal ace Craig said: “I don’t know what I’ve got myself into – I have left myself at Paolo’s discretion.
“I have got a lot of confidence that England will do the business though. We have a great manager and a brilliant squad and I think we could go all the way.
“I have never worked in a restaurant before but I have known Paolo for years so I have been behind the bar and I’m sure I could pull a pint or two.”
The pair have also agreed that if the two teams are knocked out at the same stage they will both take their forfeits like good sports.
The pair have been friends for three years but Paolo said he is not going to give Craig any preferential treatment if he works at Toscanini.
He said: “I will make sure that the glasses pile up 25 metres high and put him on washing up duty. In a perfect world Italy will beat England in the final, then Craig can clean up while we celebrate.”
Paolo was born and bred in Peterborough and despite the bet he is still hoping England do well in South Africa.
He said: “Since we opened in 1995 we always have both flags up during football tournaments.
“My parents came over to Peterborough in the 1950s but my partner (Nety Cole) is English and my children Jessica and Isabella were raised as both nationalities.”
Paolo runs the restaurant with his sister Rosanna Lester, who is seeing the bet as a win-win situation.
Rosanna said: “My brother would hate having to clean Craig’s boots for a whole season so that would be hilarious. But it would also be great being able to order a footballer around, so I can’t really lose.”
http://www.peterboroughtoday.co.uk/news/posh_star_mackail_smith_s_world_cup_gamble_1_637492
Filed under: Mat Reville's Football Blog | Tags: chelsea win fa cup, chelsea win premiership, fulham lose europa final, kermagont song, limericks, mclaren wins dutch league, spurs in champion's league, yann kermagont pentalty
Seeing as I’ve been slack with updates during the business end of the season, here are 10 lovely limericks to remember the biggest moments of the run-in.
Enjoy my verse; I am the 21st century Betjeman.
.
1. Spurs get into the European Champions League
Spurs travlled away to Manchester City,
Knowing that anything but a win would be shitty,
Then Crouchy scrambled a goal,
‘Arry has made diamonds from coal,
But they’ll still go out in August to Dynamo Tblisi.
—
.
2. Hull, Burnley, Portsmouth are relegated
It was over before the last day of the season,
The three teams relegated went with good reason,
Awful boardroom decisions,
Now no more Premier visions,
To say any will be back soon is tantamount to treason.
—
.
3. Chelsea win the Premiership despite long term injuries to Essien, both Coles and the African Nations Cup
The race at the top had a lot more steam,
Chelsea are clearly the league’s best regime,
Despite a huge injury list,
Their wasn’t a last minute twist,
Now Man U ‘fans’ wish they picked a different team.
—
4. Drogba bags the Golden Boot despite last day paddy about a penalty
The golden boot he wanted to nick,
So Drogba tried to steal a spot kick,
Lampard wouldn’t let him,
But he scored three on a whim,
So despite the prize Drofba still looked like a dick.
—
5. Schteve McLaren wins the Dutch league
A rare success abroad for an English boss,
McLaren crusaded without a Jerusalem cross,
Going to Holland a great decision
He won their top division,
Now he can finally forget that Croatia loss.
—
.
.
.
.
.
6. Fulham lose the Europa League final
Fulham took on all comers from the Alps to the Fjord,
Getting to the Europa Cup final was there big reward,
They went on to lose,
But don’t get the blues,
Because at least Woy got his manager of the year award.
—
7. Leicester miss out on Play Off final due to a mental French striker
Leicester battled to an aggregate draw in the Valleys,
To come from two down was one of the greatest rallies,
Then with his spot kick,
Yann Kermagont was a dick,
Now he can never walk alone down any Leicestershire alleys.
—
8. England squad announced – old boys Ledley King & Jamie Carragher recalled
Fabio announced his provisional squad,
Some of the 30 names were rather odd,
Dad’s Army agree to enlist,
Old men back from the abyss,
To win it now may need intervention from God.
—
9. Chelsea complete the double after winning the FA Cup against Portsmouth
Ancelotti wrapped up a great first year,
Pompey went empty handed back to the pier,
Drogba’s goal won it,
The double is legit,
And the ghost of Mourinho may now disappear.
—
10. Lord Trieseman resigns as Head of the FA after being filmed making mental allegations against rival World Cup bidders
England’s World Cup bid is in tatters,
We’ve offended everyone who matters,
Triesman stupidly talked,
So now he has walked,
And our reputation is worse than Sepp Blatter’s.
Then Saturday Comes... the half decent football blog 
