Perfect Shots from the Past

Michael Donald's excellent photos of players  who have scored in a World Cup final brought back a number of great memories. From missing Mario Kempes first goal in 1978 because my 73 uncles and aunts turned up at the same time, to the £50 I won predicting Andreas Brehme would  score the first goal in 1990. The photo of the great Gerd Muller made me smile. He looks like Norman Wisdom after a few doughnuts.  

Freeman of the City

Clarke Peters is appearing in London on the 10th and 11th July. Clarke played detective Lester Freeman, the wise owl, in the Wire. He will be answering questions about his time filming the Wire and his new role in Treme as Albert Lambreaux, the leader of an Indian Tribe. Sounds like a good night.

Tickets can be purchased from the Southbank Centre.

Cold Facts

It's a miserable day in London. Raining and cold - a normal summer day in beautiful London. If it's not better where you are, why not try my Soccer Sequence puzzles.

My favourites are No.1, No.5, No.13 and No.22.

After the Wire No.9 - Andre Royo

The kind hearted and perceptive homeless hustler, Bubbles, was beautifully played by Andre Royo. One of the top characters of the show.  Bubbles had more principles than most and was always willing to go that extra mile for his friends. No one has acted better with a trolly. And he had a nickname associated with football.

His performance on The Wire has been universally praised and the work seems to be flowing in Andre Royo's directions. Imdb lists five films that he will appear in over the next year. They include George Lucas’s Second World War film,  Red Tails,  MovieMoney, Remnants and  Super Shoedog.

 

Left Field Superstar

Is it possible for a superstar to be off our radar? Is there a player who will surprise us in South Africa who is not in the public eye? Or has the global media and the internet made this impossible?

Wouldn't be great if a player emerged out of left field. Could it happen from one of the smaller football nations, in the way Eusebio did with Portugal? I have only seen clips of the Black Pearl on TV, but he was some player. His record is amazing. Eleven Portugese titles and two European cups, as well as 727 goals in 715 games for Benfica. Top class.

Not too Late to Anticipate

I don’t care about the balance of each country’s squad, the tactics required to succeed in the group stages, the future of each manager, player's boot sponsorship deals, the influence of altitude, the number of tattoos on show or the special powers of the Jabulani football. I am just looking forward to watching a player who can drop his shoulder and lose a couple of defenders or a player who can pass a football through the eye of a needle.
Apart from the obvious, are there any players I should look out for?

Unanswered Questions

Will he be this good at the World Cup?

Sign Me Up

The Daily Mail reports that York University is running a module analysing The Wire. Unlike the response of the Social Affairs Correspondent, I think this is a great idea.   I am sure policymakers can do a lot worse than to learn from the series. How do I apply? Roger Burrows, the Professor of Sociology at York,  is running the course and is also currently working on a project examining the series as social science fiction. Pugh's cartoon is very good.

The Greek Nureyev

Just seen a great video  of Vassilis Hatzipanagis, the Greek footballer. Seemed to be a very good dribbler and  could pick out a pass. His story is very interesting (thanks Wikipedia!). He was born to Greek immigrants in the USSR. As a teenager he was spotted by a local club, but to play for the first team, he had to apply for Soviet citizenship. He made his debut  at the age of 17 and represented the Soviet Union in a Olympic qualifying tournament. He received brilliant reviews where many considered him as highly as Oleg Blokhin.  
In 1975, Hatzipanagis signed for the Greek club Iraklis, where he played over 300 games. He played a friendly for Greece but the football authorities decided that he was ineligible for further international duty  because of his appearances for  the USSR.  Shame. Are there any other unknown superstars that we should know about?

The Real Special One

At the moment, José Mourinho must feel that no one is in his league. But he needs to think again.  Mister Glover could teach him a thing or two. Bet he could even solve my Soccer Sequence puzzles.

Treme Sequence

I learnt today that George Pelecanos is one of the feature writers on Treme. I know. I can be a bit slow. I need to know when it will be shown in the UK. I  contacted the BBC on the 25th April and I am still awaiting a reply.

Inter and Tangerine Victories

Well, one of two of my predictions is correct. Both Blackpool and Inter deserved their victories. Diego Milito took his goals very well. But can someone explain why Zanetti and Cambiasso will not be on the plane to South Africa?

B's Buzz To Victory?

I fancy Bayern to beat Inter tonight. With Ivan Olic's non-stop running creating space, I fancy a Bayern midfielder to score.  In the Championship play off, I think Blackpool may just sneak it with a 2-1 win against Cardiff. It would be great for a team with limited funds to join the Premier League. The Anglo-Italian champions of 1971 will definitely add colour to the top division.

107 and Counting

In the last 18 months, Maradona has selected 107 players for Argentina. And he has omitted Zanetti and Cambiasso from the  World Cup squad.And he is playing with 'four centre backs'. The more I read about Argentina, the more the madness of my post in October seems probable.

Missing from the World Cup

The Ronaldinho Show. Pity.

Top of the Class

Further to my post this morning, Off the Post  have found a video of the Athletic Bilbao game. I'm not too sure whether José Mário dos Santos Félix Mourinho (see the Real Special One) would be pleased with the discipline of some of the kids. They keep forgetting their positions.  However, the left back looks a quality player.

New Formation hits Bilboa

There is a great photo in today's London Metro of a charity game held as part of Joseba Etxeberria's farewell from the Basque club. Athletic Bilboa played against 100 children. Reminds me of my games as a kid. The 100 children were all substituted at half time. The 4th official fainted after holding the number board for 11 hours. A great idea and a lovely photo. Joseba Etxeberria   signed a one-year contract last year worth absolutely nothing! No really. He decided he wanted to finish his career at the club and agreed to play for nothing.

Change on the North Line

I enjoyed watching  Mariella Frostrup interviewing  George Pelecanos on the Book Show. He came across very well. I liked his comment that life is not short; it is a long journey and we all have the chance to re-create ourselves. He discussed the Wire and his latest novel, The Way Home. He also choose his favourite book of the last decade. It is Northline by Willy Vlautin, the singer and songwriter with indie band Richmond Fontaine.   The most famous Willy since Mr. Young and that cuddly whale. You can watch the George Pelecanos interview here.

Wonderful Supersize Stickers

Illustrator Elliott Quince has produced a fantastic collection of 32 portraits of World Cup stars based on football stickers.  The supersized stickers are hand-painted on to canvas.  They make me smile and bring back memories of the simple pleasure of collecting football stickers. You can forget your Wii and PS3. This was real entertainment. And an education, too. The portrait of Park Ji-Sungis my favourite. It really captures the player's personality. Wonderful.

The paintings can be seen on the 'Got, got, got, need!' website and the work is being exhibited at The Offside Gallery, Islington throughout World Cup. Launch night is on the 10th June. All proceeds from the sale of the paintings go to the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit at the Luton and Dunstable Hospital.

Messi and Milito Magic

Barcelona and Inter Milan have won their leagues with wins today. No more league football until August. I'm already bored.

To the Wire

Now it may be a spooky coincidence, but in the first season since starting my blog, three of the top leagues in Europe have gone to the wire. It's All in the Name. The Premier league race was resolved last Sunday with Chelsea's success. Today La Liga and Serie A will be decided. Barcelona and Inter will join Chelsea as domestic champions. Probably.

Top Five - Players who Enjoy a 50:50 Tackle

One of the great sights of the game is a good old-fashioned fifty, fifty tackle. A tackle where two players each have only the same chance win the ball. Some players will run a million miles to avoid the possibility of a fifty, fifty but some just love it. Here are my top five: - 

1. Norman Hunter (Leeds United) - the Gateshead legend, Norman 'Bites Yer Legs' Hunter, was a very, very good player. Never hid from a tackle. Hunter had a reputation for giving away one or two fouls ( or three or four....), but he understood the art of  tackling  and enjoyed the defensive part of the game. His ability on the ball is often ignored. He was an excellent passer of the ball.
2. Stuart Pearce  (Nottingham Forest) - his season for Forest after the 1990 World Cup was immense. Missing a  penalty in the semi-final shoot-out seemed to galvanise Pearce. Very good going forward.
3. Nigel de Jong (Ajax) - Since joining Manchester City in 2009, I have been impressed with his approach to defending. For de Jong, every ball can be won. It's about commitment and technique.
4. Bryan Robson (Manchester United) - Robson moved to Manchester United for a British record transfer fee of £1.5 million on  1981 from West Brom and continued on his mission to cut through the heart of every opponent. Strong but fair in any 50: 50, Robson became the longest serving captain in the clu'bs  history.
5. Graeme Souness (Livepool) - The Scottish international was a top class player. One of the most focussed and driven players I have ever seen. Never shirked a 50:50 on the road to winning  three European Cup Finals. Not so good at the acting game (in the brilliant 'Boys from the Blackstuff'. Try to catch it, if you can).

Do you agree? See my other 'Top Fives' and let me know what you think.
Top Five - Wingers with No Pace
Top Five - Goal Hangers
Top Five - Short Centre Backs

Chelsea Penalty Double

Drogba's goal ins the FA Cup in a disappointing game. I blame the poor coverage before the game. Where was It's a Knockout? No one likes to see one, let alone two penalties missed. My theory is that players do not approach the ball at the right angle. Or it could be because I mentioned Boeteng in this morning's post.  Portsmouth were ok and Chelsea under par.

Squad Blood Clash

The World Cup squad announcements give us the possibility of the Boeteng brothers playing against each other in South Africa. Portsmouth's Kevin-Prince Boeteng is in the Ghana squad while his brother, Hamburg's much-in demand Jerome, is in the German squad. They could face each other on June 23rd in Johannesburg.  Let me know if you know of any other intereting World Cup family stories.

Pelecanos is Booked

After the excitement of the Fulham game last night - Forlan is a good, good player - why not have a less stressful night tonight and watch George Pelecanos been interviewed on Sky Arts1 at 7pm ( I've never watched this channel either!). He will be discussing his latest novel, The Way Home. It's the best book I have read over the last year.  If you're not too sure whether to buy one of his books, listen to Stephen King. He dubbed Pelecanos ‘America’s greatest living crime writer’. The book was also chosen by President Obama for his holiday reading last summer and Pelecanos wrote some of the best episodes of the Wire. If that doesn't convince you, I'm not to sure of my next step. But, know this; I will keep trying.

 

Scholes No Go

The England provisional squad for South Africa has just been announced. No real surprises. However, the Guardian reports that Paul Scholes declined a  last-ditch attempt by Fabio Capello to lure him back into the England squad. At least he tried.  Need to start thinking of buying my World Cup statistics book.

Eric Back

Bob Golding's performance as Eric Morecambe has just started a national tour. As I posted in January, I saw it London and it is a show that should not be missed. After Luton's poor week on and off the pitch, it's nice to remember the genius of their most famous fan.

Chelsea Eight Wonder

Chelsea have won the Premier League by beating Wigan 8-0. I told you that Martinez will be a top class manager. No really, he will be.

A Wise Focus

I enjoyed the use of The Wire format by Football Focus yesterday to preview the end of season games. Football and the Wire, now that seems a fantastic combination............If anyone sees a clip of the programme on Youtube, please let me know.

Premier Final Countdown

The Premier race finishes this afternoon with Chelsea and Manchester United hoping to land the Premier League trophy. The fantastic set of games in the First Divsion yesterday showed how unpredictable the game can be. One piece of magic by Jonny Howson of Leeds United changed the complexion of the race to the Championship.



Let's hope a player today changes the game in a positive way. But it's not always so as shown by Miroslav Dukic's missed last minute penalty for the brilliant Deportivo La Coruna team of 1994. A successful conversion would have allowed Deportivo to win their first La Liga title. I fancy both Chelsea and Manchester United to win so giving Chelsea the title. Next week La Liga will also be decided by two games.

Week 32 Flutter Predictions (End of Season)

And today its the final day of my weekly flutter. I hope you've had better luck than me. But it's been fun:-

Bolton

Chelsea

Hull

Manchester United

Wolves

My score predictions for the Small 3 are:-

Chelsea 3 v 0 Wigan

Arsenal  3 v 0 Fulham

Wolves 2 v 1 Sunderland

Pedro Power

Another very good performance by  Bojan last night, in Barcelona's  4-1 home win over Tenerife. He took his goal really well. I was also again impressed  with Pedro on the right side of the midfield. He seems to be the find of the year for Barcelona - very good feet, fast and bright. Will he in the Spain squad for South Africa?

Craven Newsround

Congratulations to Fulham on reaching their first European final. The team and fans were fantastic last Thursday night.  I have always enjoyed visiting Craven Cottage. Tom Jenkin's portfolio of photos published on the Guardian website are brilliant.

Photo 15  is just pure class and the expression on Van Nistelrooy's face in Photo 20 is priceless. The quality of Jenkin's work justifys my decision to quit sports photography at the age of 15 ( see my Clive Allen photo below).

No Crackerjack Competition

With only 40 days to go, footballonthewire.com is proud to announce it's the  'No Crackerjack' Competition.

Just name the eleven players who will be lining up for your country's first game in this year's World Cup Finals. Selections need to be sent before the final 23-man squad is named on the 1st  June.

At the moment, there is not even a  Crackerjack Pen as a prize. However, if you represent a business who would be kind enough  to contribute a small prize, please let me know. It's just a bit of fun before the great month in South Africa.

 

Bojan Bangles

I am watching the Villarreal v Barcelona game this evening. At half time Barcelona are leading 3-0 and Bojan has just scored a fantastic goal, pushing the ball one side of the defender and running past him on the other side, before striking  the ball to the far corner of the net. Supports my view on Thursday that Bojan should have been on the pitch much earlier. Then again, Villarreal's defenders are not quite Inter's Latin Wall of Defiance.