Football, It's A Funny Old Game

Many football supporters believe that West Bromwich Albion had an unbelievably successful season last year, finishing 8th in the Premier League, our best ever positon.

What many fail to observe is that this success was due to achieving good results, albeit with our fair share of lady luck, in the first half of the season. The Baggies have only gained 25 points from their last 29 matches (if my maths is correct).

This is RELEGATION form

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Thursday 22/08/2013

WE ARE DOOMED! Sky report that Anelka ‘walks out’ of training and wants to retire, only a few weeks after signing for the club. Thousands of Albion fans sit at home crying into their receipts showing expenditure on a new Albion shirt with ‘Anelka 39′ printed on the back. The first game was a defeat that still depresses a fair few (mainly me), and now the club is a striker down. A striker down when we already lack sufficent strikers. The Albion mob on Twitter was in full meltdown. And to top it off, Collymore is on his high horse. Jesus Christ

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Back in the early seventies, there seemed to be a bizarre unspoken media conspiracy to change the name of ‘football’ to the perceived sexier name of ‘soccer’. One of the main protagonists of this scheme was the Sun newspaper, who also jumped on the bandwagon for the new passion for collecting football stickers.

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Faithful supporters in a painful scene at the graveside

This cartoon belonged to my father and originated from way back in 1959.

It commemorates a day at the Hawthorns, on 29th April 1959, that West Bromwich Albion held Aston Villa to a 1-1 draw, and in doing so, condemned the Villa to relegation to the old 2nd division.

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It’s 1971/1972 and here we present the latest batch of football stickers. This picture album was named “The Wonderful World of Soccer Stars Picture Stamp Album 1970/1971 First Division”. The publishers had done away with the additional stickers for the star players from the 2nd division, and the European Cup finalists, and reverted back to just the main division.

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So we move into 1970/1971 for the latest batch of football stickers. This picture album was enticingly named “The Wonderful World of Soccer Stars Gala Collection 1970/1971”. This not only included stickers for the 1st Division players but also the star players in the 2nd Division, the European Cup Finalists and the Star Players of Mexico 70.

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These are my football stickers from the ‘World Cup Soccer Stars Mexico 70’ collection.

In Mexico 1970, England were the expectant favourites to retain the World Cup after their triumphant victory over West Germany on home soil back in 1966.

Sadly, and maybe as a nostradimic prelude to future incidents, England were knocked out of the competition by West Germany in the quarter finals.

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Match of The Day… I watched again last night… I do love the game you see – just not how it’s played by today’s ‘stars’…because they don’t shine for me!

I suppose I’m still hoping for a glimmer of the Olympic spirit etc…but that’s totally alien to the players in the game of football – it’s just about winning…anyway / anyhow. In the Olympics however we actually saw how when things are won in the right way it makes all the difference.

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Football’s Back – And I’m Not Happy!

Same old same old for me…I watched…but not with the enthusiasm I watched the Olympics. When Match of The Day finished I wasn’t elated or even dejected…just disappointed.

Didn’t see any difference in players – for example on reaching the 18 yard box they still become susceptible to the slightest contact and even a slight breeze and down they go and a penalty…and the opposing player gets sent off…sorry it just ain’t for me any more.

Studio panels of boring average ex players who talk it up to keep themselves in a cushty little number of a job. If they had to ‘sell’ the same sort of drivel on a doorstep they’d get door after door slammed in their face.

No…not for me any more.