Top 5 Players I enjoyed at the 2014 World Cup

One of the best things about the World Cup is the chance to see players you don't know much about. I don't follow European football very closely and even in English football tend to be focused on the league Fulham are in. So these aren't necessarily the best players at the competition just the ones that caught my eye and entertained me.

1. Thomas Müller (GERMANY) - By no means an unknown player but probably my current favourite in world football. I like a goal scorer and Müller certainly knows where the goal is but he also adds a degree of guile & cunning to the German attack. None of these are the reason he's number 1 though, it's all about his style of play and those low slung socks. I've spent a large proportion of every match trying to work out if he's playing without shin pads, I've decided he is but that their really tiny old school ones. He seems to play the game at his own pace and gives the impression he's not trying too hard because he doesn't really need too.

2. James Rodriguez (COLUMBIA) - I think everyone will remember James Rodriguez as one of the stars of this tournament. Six goals are going to get you noticed and might win you the golden boot. At least two of those goals were absolute corkers and I think, despite the fact Tim Cahill's volley was outstanding, his first goal against Uruguay is my goal of the tournament.

3. Gary Medel (CHILE) - I knew Medel played for Cardiff but honestly had no idea he was from Chile until this World Cup. I'd assumed he was British, I mean how many Chilean's are called Gary!? We knew Chile were a decent footballing side but they have also been very organised & hardworking and Medel is typical of this approach. I was also enjoying Alexis Sanchez, who added a bit of flair up front to the team but it was Medel's performance against Brazil that really won me over. He ran himself into ground and until a thigh strain (picked up before the game) saw him leave the pitch on a stretcher, after 110 minutes of football, with tears rolling down his face.

4. Guillermo Ochoa (MEXICO) - There have been loads of good goalkeepers. Tim Howard's 116 saves against Belgium will live long in the memory. Raïs M'Bolhi of Algeria had a similar evening the night before against Germany. Of course Manuel Neuer of Germany was pretty impressive too, especially when he was allowed to play sweeper but it was Ochoa's performance for Mexico against Brazil that won the honours for me. He put in an amazing display, making saves he had no right to make, and was impressive in Mexico's other games keeping two clean sheets and only really being overcome by a dodgy penalty for Holland. The fact Mrs T5 had money on Mexico winning (at 300/1!) might have made me appreciate his efforts all the more.

5. Sofiane Feghouli (ALGERIA) Algeria weren't the most exciting side to watch but again proved you don't need to a have a team full of superstars to do well at the World Cup. Islam Slimani probably took most of the plaudits but Feghouli and his assortment of head bandages caught my eye and had me cheering for Algeria.

I can't ignore the Fulham connection. Technically there were four current Fulham players at the World Cup and three of them did pretty well. Bryan Ruiz captained Costa Rica who turned out to be one of the tournament's surprise packages winning Group D and being cruelly beaten on Penalties by the Dutch. Ruiz scored a couple of important goals and looked the sort of player Fulham fans knew he could be but rarely saw. Ashkan Dejagah was one of the star players in the Iranian team that also did well, drawing 0-0 with Nigeria and only losing to Argentina thanks to a very late goal by Lionel Messi. Cult hero Giorgios Karagounis also took over as captain for Greece (after previous Captain was sent off) and showed he is still capable of performing at the highest level, making me regret the fact we've let him go a little bit more. Meanwhile, on the same team, you might have missed the appearances of Fulham record signing Kosta Mitroglou. I think his record went; sub after an hour (did nothing) - started but injured after 35 minutes- missed game through injury - sub after an hour (hit bar, missed several, scored penalty). He didn't look very good but I still don't have much of a clue what he's really like. He cost Fulham over £12 Million.

Top 5 European Club Football Teams

Running low on ready to publish top fives I (stupidly) thought that picking the all time greatest Club Football team might make an easy topic to knock up in a hurry. It wasn't so apologies now for any factual mistakes as some of this has come from my less than reliable memory, and the rest from the occasionally erratic Wikipedia.

There has been a lot of talk recently about how good the current Barcelona side is and whether they could be the greatest club side ever seen. BBC 5Live discussed this and came to the conclusion it was the Real Madrid side of 1960. I have narrowed the remit down to European teams only as I know very little about football outside of the EU (if I'm honest vey little about football outside of SW6). I also went with achievements over a 10 year span, rather than individual seasons, as I felt it gaves a better perspective of the true greatness of the sides involved.

1. Liverpool (1974-1984) – This is the team that dominated football when I was growing up. Everyone at my school (my best friend and myself apart) seemed to support Liverpool. They were on telly all the time. I absolutely hated them. This was the team that Shankly built but Bob Paisley took on to greater success. They dominated English football and began a golden age of British clubs in Europe. Forgetting my schoolboy bias it was good to watch, pass and move, fast flowing, physical-when-needed British football. I knew that team almost as well as I knew Fulham. Clemence, Neal, Hansen, Kennedy.A, Thompson, Heighway, McDermott, Kennedy.R, Souness, Keegan & Dalgleish. Especially Keegan & Dalgleish. I can now admit that they were thrilling to watch at their best.

Honours:
Divison One        1976, 1977, 1979, 1980, 1982, 1983, 1984
League Cup         1981, 1982, 1983, 1984
European Cup       1977, 1978, 1981, 1984
UEFA Cup           1976
UEFA Super Cup     1977

2. Ajax (1965-1975) - The origin of Total Football. Managed by Rinus Michels and inspired by Johan Cruyff, this Ajax team took European football by storm, playing winning football with flair and panache. The first Dutch team to reach a European Cup final when they lost to A.C. Milan in 1969 they then saw their rivals Feyonord become the first Dutch team to lift the trophy the following season. Ajax fought back and stamped their mark on the tournament by winning the next three years in a row. The first team to acheive that feat since the Madrid side of the late fifties. They also contributed To Holland's achievements at international level. The Dutch being unlucky to finish as runners-up in both the '74 and '78 World Cups as well as finishing third at the '76 European Championships.

Honours:
Eredivisie            1966, 1967, 1968, 1970, 1972, 1973 
KNVB Cup              1966, 1970, 1971, 1972
European Cup          1971, 1972, 1973
Intercontinental Cup  1972 
UEFA Super Cup        1973

3. Real Madrid (1956-1966) – Much harder for me to genuinely assess as I’ve only ever seen brief scratchy black & white highlights of this side. However this was a team featuring two of the world's all-time greats in Ferenc Puskas and Alfredo di Stefano and I've read enough by trustworthy reporters to believe they are definite contenders for the greatest team ever. Winning the first five European Cups is impressive whatever the standard of competition.

Honours:
La Liga              1957, 1958, 1961, 1962, 1963, 1964, 1965
Copa del Ray         1962
European Cup         1956, 1957, 1958, 1959, 1960, 1966

4. Barcelona (2008-Now) – Is it too early to consider the current Barca side amongst these illustrious companions? I think not. Considering how tough it now is to win in European competition, their achievements in the last few years have been truly impressive. They've taken the Ajax total football template and added a resilience that makes them difficult to beat. The Frank Rijkard era from 2003-2008 was pretty successful too, but I've isolated the Pep Guardiola era as he developed the tika-taka philosophy into an irresistable force. Xavi, Iniesta & Messi are household names and the heart and soul behind the current Barca success. As with the Ajax side of the seventies it's not unrelated that the Spanish national side has won winning the European Championships in 2008 and their very first World Cup in 2010.

Honours
La Liga              2009, 2010, 2011
Copa del Ray         2009
Supercopa            2009, 2010
Champions League     2009, 2011
UEFA Super Cup       2009
FIFA Club World Cup  2009

5. Manchester United (1991-2001) - Difficult to pin down Sir Alex Ferguson's greatest period but it seems to me that the early nineties where when they were at their most dominant on the domestic front. The ban on English clubs competing in European competition restricted their ability to win as much as they might and they struggled to come to terms with the differences in style when they got their chance. The treble winning 1999 side was spectacular though. The graduates of the youth academy; Beckham, Giggs, Scholes and the Nevilles coming of age whilst Schmeichel and Keane were at the height of their powers.

Honours:
Premier League        1993, 1994, 1996, 1997, 1999, 2000, 2001
FA Cup                1994, 1996, 1999
League Cup            1992
European Cup          1999
UEFA Cup Winners      1991  
UEFA Super Cup        1991
Intercontinental Cup  1999

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Guest Top 5 - Dugouts by Andy Ollerenshaw

I've had my third guest top five under wraps for sometime. It's by Andy Ollerenshaw author of the book "Wick to Wembley?" based on the blog of the same name. Both book and blog follow his journey from an FA Cup Extra Preliminary Round match a few hundred yards from his front door to the Final at Wembley. Andy is a Leeds United supporter who may well have spent more time in the last twenty years watching Peterborough United. Andy has become a champion of non-league football in recent years encouraging the campaign to keep football affordable. He followed the FA Cup trip with a similar journey persuing the FA Vase, currently tweets as @NonLeagueFooty, writes for various football publications, and would possibly consider himself as much a Chertsey Town fan as a Leeds fan.

All photos courtesy of David Bauckham who runs Centre Circle Publishing and is perhaps best known for his wonderful book about Dugouts.

1. Brixham United FC - This has to be one of the most unusual dugout designs ever! A striking double decked affair where fans can sit in the upper section and earwig on the team tactics below. Brixham United play in the South Devon League and the dugouts are even painted in the club colours. Quite unique.

2. Roche AFC - You'll be hard pressed to find such a spectacular backdrop to a football ground anywhere else in the country. Roche is in East Cornwall and you'd be excused for thinking this is a coastal setting. Roche Rock is in fact in a former China Clay mining area and has a tiny 15th century chapel at its peak.

3. Warminster Town FC - There is no fixed seating in these dugouts which is quite common in lower league football. This great view of the surrounding Wiltshire countryside is helped by the position of the Weymouth Street ground high above the town.

4. Great Yarmouth FC - This Eastern Counties League venue boasts an impressive Victorian stand and an unusual selection of four brick dugouts. There were originally two dugouts, but the 'Bloaters' were refused permission to extend them to meet ground grading requirements and so had to build two more.

5. Stanley United - Another real favourite, this time in County Durham. Stanley United play at the Hill Top Ground which provides a clue of what the ground is like, but I doubt if the first-time visitor has ever seen anything quite like this. The dugouts are pretty unspectacular, but the old house on the touchline houses the changing rooms.

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Top 5 Subbuteo Kits

Subbuteo was never quite the game you imagined it was going to be. My best friend DB used to come round to my house every other Friday and we'd spend hours setting up World Cup style tournaments before abandoning the idea after less than ten minutes. Our abject failure at ever completing a competitive tournament didn't prevent us from spending most of our pocket money on increasing our collection. DB got an astro turf and a grandstand, I got some floodlights and a television tower. Most of the accessories just made it harder to flick the players, though the astro turf did dramatically reduce the number of times we had to reset everything after catching the old felt pitch. Looking back, if I'm truthful, my Subbuteo obssesion was actually about collecting different teams. There was really no need to have more than two but I would spend hours pouring over the catalogue trying to decide who I should get next.

1. Fulham 1960s - I inherited this team from an older cousin and though I already had a Fulham side this allowed me to play a 50s/60s Fulham team against a 70s/80s side. I even labelled the boxes with player names. The 60s team was one of the original collections with heavyweight figures. They looked a bit more handmade than the 80s version but had a certain gravitas I liked.

2. Southampton 1976-1980 - DB was (and still is) a Southampton fan so we went to quite a few games at the Dell. I loved their kit from that era, the variation in stripe thickness seemed a radical idea at the time. The picture below is from this Subbuteo blog and features a hand painted reproduction. It's a hundred times better than any original team. Not sure if I owned this or had to settle for the wider striped follow up but Southampton v Fulham formed the basis of our most regular matchups.

3. West Ham United 1976-80 - Much like the Saints, I had a soft spot for West Ham dating back to my introduction to football with the 75 FA Cup. This kit was another favourite and my version was machine painted and managed all three chevrons.

4. Brazil 1970 - Classic seventies Brazil style kit failed to improve my ability to win games. In the words of Feargal Sharkey "He always beat me at Subbuteo, 'cos he flicked to kick and I didn't know". (Photo taken from the Evil Vince Photography blog)

5. England 1966 - I had an England '82 kit that I liked a lot, but the classic red World Cup winning shirt had greater prestige. This picture is from the Old Subbuteo UK site which sells hand painted teams to order. There are some lovely examples on there, including both Ally and Nazi teams from "Escape to Victory". Trying not to be tempted into buying one!

So I got through all that without once mentioning Half Man Half Biscuit's "All I want for Christmas is a Dukla Prague away kit". I'm not sure if the kit below is the home or away (TOFFS suggest it's the home kit) but Subbuteo never made a copy. I did spend a lot of time looking at unusual foreign teams for interesting colours though, but they were never available in the local newsagents when I went to look.

Just for good measure here's the song too.

Top 5 Brazil World Cup Goals

I guess no one is really interested in the World Cup now England have blown it but I'd already knocked this one up before the miserable debacle against Germany last Sunday. It does at least remind us how the game should be played. The BBC kind of beat me to the punch with their own top 5 but I've got a few alternatives.

1. Carlos Alberto v Italy (1970) - I've written about this one already. Lovely patient build up with an exquisite finish.



2. Pele v Sweden (1958) - Pele was only 17 when he scored this fabulous goal against the host nation.



3. Socrates v Soviet Union (1982) - The Russian's must have felt a little hard done by losing to two incredible finishes, this wonder strike from Socrates and an equally impressive effort from Eder.



4. Jairzinho v England (1970) - Similarities to the Carlos Alberto goal. Slick passing spreads the ball across the pitch before a cross finds Pele in the box, who controls and passes in one movement. Jairzinho then smashes it home.



5. Josimar v Northern Ireland (1986) - An thwack from the right hand corner of the box scorches into the top left corner. Josimar's celebration suggests he might not have expected it to go in.



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Top 5 England World Cup Goals

Well they put us through the ringer again but England finally found their form and made it through to the knockout stages. In celebration of that, and to get us in the mood for the forthcoming game against Germany, here are my top 5 England World Cup goals.

1. Michael Owen v Argentina (1998) - Little Michael Owen sets the nation on fire with this jinking run and quality finish. My 30th birthday forever marked by this moment of brilliance and another departure on penalties.



2. David Platt v Belgium (1990) - Wonderful turn and volley to clinch victory in the dying seconds.



3. Gary Lineker v Poland (1986) - Gary notched a hatrick in this game to put us through after two poor opening performances (sounds familiar!). Either of the first two would be worthy of inclusion but the quick and accurate passing makes the first goal my favourite.



4. Geoff Hurst v West Germany (1966) - Some people are on the pitch! Sir Geoff's third goal to confirm England's one and only World Cup triumph.



5. Joe Cole v Sweden (2006) - Joe Cole lights up an otherwise dull encounter with this remarkable effort. Hmm. That kid can play a bit guess he ought to be in the starting eleven!!



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Top 5 World Cup Goals

This is quite a hefty topic and I have to own up to relying on the BBC website's top ten goals from every World Cup since 1966 to remind me of the details. It also became quickly apparent that if I wasn't careful this could be a list of Brazilian wonder strikes. To help me narrow down my options I limited myself to one goal per World Cup and one goal per nation. There's also one very obvious omission which I'll justify at the end.

1. Carlos Alberto (Brazil v Italy) 1970 - This has long been my favourite World Cup goal. I was too young to watch this as it happened but grew up on the highlights that showed how brilliant that Brazilian side was. This was a wonderful team goal with a bit of simple genius from Pele and a perfect finish from Carlos.



2. Dennis Bergkamp (Netherlands v Argentina) 1998 - An underrated gem. Bergkamp is one of my all time favourite players and this is the perfect example of his sublime skill. A long ball from Frank de Boer which Bergkamp controls with his toe. A flick inside between the legs of the Argentinian defender and a finish with the outside of the boot into the far corner of the net. Oh and it won the Quarter Final in the 90th minute.



3. Archie Gemmill (Scotland v Netherlands) 1978 - The Dutch were a very good side who went on to reach the final. Scotland had lost 3-1 to Peru then drawn 1-1 with Iran. Collecting a loose ball, Gemmill skipped past one defender, cut inside a second, nudged the ball past a third before firing home past an out rushing 'keeper. Persistence, control, composure and a great finish. Better than Maradonna.



4. David Platt (England v Belgium) 1990 - Were it not for Dennis Bergkamp I might have been talking about Michael Owen here but this goal is one I have a very special place in my heart for. The point when I became an England fan, the moment that got me back into football after a 3 year sabbatical. Gazza's chipped free kick found Platt in the box who somehow twisted his body to complete an over the shoulder volley that won us the game in extra time. Bobby Robson's little jig by the dugout makes me smile whenever I see it.



5. Marco Tardelli (Italy v W.Germany) 1982 - '82 was a great World Cup, once England were out of the way. This wasn't the best goal scored in it, Socrates for Brazil against USSR or Boniek for Poland against Belgium, but the celebration afterwards earns it a place in my top five.



So, no Maradona from 1986 against England. I've always felt that goal was overrated. It is a great run but I can't help thinking it's aided by some dreadful England defending. Terry Fenwick, what were you doing? I also like the ball to look good hitting the net and Terry Butcher's sliding challenge seems to force Maradona's foot to fire the ball home. Sour grapes maybe but not a top 5 goal for me.

Top 5 Football Superstitions (that failed to help Fulham win the Europa League)

This would have been a more upbeat post had Fulham won in Hamburg last night. I'm still absolutely gutted we didn't but I'm starting to accept that it was still a brilliant day and a massive achievement.

1. A bet on the opposing team - I've been doing this in the domestic cups for a while now (actually ever since I didn't place a bet on Leyton Orient beating us in the FA Cup which they managed 1-0) and like to think I've helped us avoid some embarrasing slip ups against the likes of Kettering and Accrington Stanley. Fulham's progress in the Europa league has cost me a small fortune but was worth every penny. I might not bother collecting the winnings from this game.

2. Wearing my lucky socks - Back in the nineties when Mickey Adams was just starting to create a buzz at the club I discovered a pair of lucky boxer shorts. They were yellow, which isn't a colour I'd normally choose but had a remarkably long run as lucky totems. When I got a pair of yellow socks last year I couldn't help but wonder if they held the same magic. They did and I've worn them to games ever since.

3. Dad touching the boot of Johnny Haynes - Dad didn't come to Hamburg and even if he had we'd have needed to make an awkward detour to fit this one in. It's done us proud at home though but doesn't have a 100% success rate.

4. Wearing my lucky replica top - I don't buy a top every year but I got this personalised one from a mate for my 40th and it's been a very lucky shirt ever since. Then again I wore my unlucky "Steve Marlet" shirt (the black adidas one) to the recent West Ham game and we won that 3-2.

5. Going in through my lucky turnstile - Somewhere during our epic 63 game season I started to feel drawn to a particular turnstile. We'd been going in roughly the same place for quite a while but now Number 38 (slightly to the right of the picture below) is the only entrance I'll use.

Photo (c) John Hall

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Top 5 Footballs

As a kid my favourite ball to kick about in the back garden was a light bouncy plastic one. The sort you can get from Tesco for a quid now. I had a George Best Soccer Special which had his signature on and looked a bit like an Adidas Telstar. I liked it because even the gentlest of taps would cause it to fly down the garden at top speed. I was able to recreate Alan Sunderland's Cup winning goal for Arsenal, sliding in to fire home between the two trees that provided my goalposts. My other ball was an old fashioned leather one. It was heavy and under inflated but it was good to use on windy days or during periods when my George Best Soccer Special was nestling in a neighbours bush and I wasn't allowed to climb the fence to get it back.

1. Adidas Tango

This is the classic Adidas design that graced World Cups, in various forms, from 1978 until 2002. It's a brilliantly simple yet eye catching design. When Adidas decided they'd try something different in 2002 it really didn't work. The Fevernova might have had some fancy colours but it just looked wrong.



2. Adidas Telstar

For anyone who grew up watching football through the sixties and seventies THIS is what a ball was supposed to look like. Simple and straightforward with a great name. Also the first Adidas World Cup ball used at both 1970 and 1974 competitions.



3. Slazenger "Special Edition"

This is the 1966 World Cup ball but represents the classic "old style" ball that have survived from the early 1900's. Made from heavy leather with thick laces tying the whole thing together it was a solid lump which makes the skill and technique achieved by players from that era all the more impressive. Even so it was a massive improvement on the 7 or 8 panel balls they used in the 1800's. That really must have been like kicking a lump of concrete.



4. Mitre Ultimax

Mitre designs haven't changed a great deal over the years. In the eighties their Delta 1000 was the ball of choice for Football League games. The Ultimax is the current Mitre ball and I like the colour scheme more than any of their "classic" styles.



5. Adidas Champions League

Yeah, I am running out of choices. I don't really like any of the fancy Nike, Puma or Pony designs so it's back to Adidas. The Star effect has been used for many of the recent Champions League finals and as a contemporary design I think it works pretty well.



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Top 5 French footballers

Last week I was able to capitalise on my "Internet fame" by attending a screening of the new Ken Loach film "Looking For Eric". It features Eric Cantona (as himself) providing some psychotherapy to a Manchester postman whose life has gone off the rails. Well worth a watch if you get the chance. Anyway, as these things do, it got me thinking about my favourite French footballers. To avoid being desperately predictable I've excluded any of the Frenchman that played for Fulham (Louis Saha, Sylvain Legwinski and Steed Malbranque would have been shoe-ins otherwise).

1. Eric Cantona
King Cantona. Without a doubt the Frenchman I would have most enjoyed seeing in a Fulham shirt. He grabbed my attention at Leeds and then moved to another level with Man Utd at a point when they were just beginning their domination of British football.

2. Michel Platini
Silky skills that caught my eye during the '82 World Cup and lay the foundations for the great French team that was to eventually win the World Cup in '98. Played in the magic square midfield anchored by former Fulham manager Jean Tigana.

3. Thierry Henry
Set the Premier League alight for several seasons. Goals, goals, goals. I can't resist a goal scorer and Henry was one of the best.

4. Zinedine Zidane
As with so many overseas players, it took me a while to fully appreciate Zizou but oh what a player.

5. Patrick Viera
Fabulously talented "defensive" midfielder who turned out to be so much more. One of the first of the game's modern athletes and a player Arsenal still really need to replace.

Top 5 Non-Premier League players at Euro 2008

Whilst I've been enjoying a break from Football since the close of the English season, I've still found time to enjoy the European Championships. England's absence has in many ways made it a much more enjoyable competition to watch. No anguish over our performances or unrealistic expectations about our chances of winning it, just a chance to sit back and watch some entertaining games and some players I wouldn't normally see. I've written this ahead of the semis so don't know who made the final but hope a couple of these players make it all the way.

1. Andrei Arshavin (Russia) - Russia have been one of the surprise packages of the tournament, playing neat passing football and showing great team spirit. Pavyluchenko caught my eye early on, with a vague thought he might be a potential McBride replacement at Fulham. Not very likely since they beat the wonderful Dutch. Yuri Zirkhov also impressed with his relentless runs up and down the wing. Arshavin, having missed the opening two games due to suspension, is the player that could make the difference for Russia. Playing a free role behind Pavyluchenko he's able to roam wherever he wants and is capable of creating chances out of nothing.

2. Deco (Portugal) - One of the few players I had seen quite a bit of before, Deco exudes class as he controls the attacking intent of the Portuguese side. I was also impressed by right back, Bosingwa and we will get to see him in the Prem next season. Pepe the tall ex-patriot Brazilian also looked very good.

3. Nihat (Turkey) - Turkey's progress has been remarkable but fully deserved. They've fought hard to stay in games when they appeared to be outclassed and have players capable of finding some magic to turn the game. The comeback from two goals down against the Czech's was one of the games of the tournament and Nihat's second goal one of the best.

4. Danijel Pranjić (Croatia) - Croatia were "my" team and I was hugely disappointed they didn't progress to the semi-finals. They've got lots of talented players but left winger Pranjić was the one to take my eye. Central defender Simunic looked solid and may be heading to Fulham and Tottenham bound Luka Modric looked a very exciting prospect as well, but Pranjić's constant running and keenness to get good balls in from the left won me over.

5. Marcos Senna (Spain) - Spain are full of talented players, Torres, Villa, Silva and Fabregas have all looked good but you still need someone in your team who can do the hard work. Marcos Senna has played this role excellently, prowling the depths of midfield to protect his defence and allowing the young guns to go off and have fun.

Holland have been the team of the tournament for me and yet I couldn't find one non-Prem player that had stood out for me. Ruud Van Nistleroy was excellent up front, Edwin Van Der Sar outstanding in goal and Giovanni Van Bronckhorst showing a remarkable turn of speed for a man in his thirties.

Germany may yet win it - I've got money on them to do so - but have been typically free of individuals. Ballack is their heart and soul, whilst both Lahm and Podolski have looked good. My favourite German player though is bearded centre back Christoph Metzelder.

Top 5 FA Cup Semi-Finals

Seeing as it's FA Cup Semi-Final weekend and I hadn't really got another topic lined up I'm afraid (for the non-Footy fans) it's another football topic. I knocked this up quickly for my friend Andy's blog Wick to Wembley?, which follows his attempt to follow the road to Wembley from an Extra Preliminary Round match at his hometown of Chertsey to the Wembley Final. He's already reached Wembley actually as he's off to see Cardiff play Barnsley in the Semi Final on Sunday. Anyway, this was written and ready and gives me a bit of thinking time for a new topic next week.

1. Birmingham 0 Fulham 1 (1975) - Obvious reasons for this, our only semi-final win and the game that led to my first contact with Football and Fulham. In securing our only Final appearance Fulham played more games (Twelve) than any other team to reach the final. If the Final was year zero for my love of football, then John Mitchell's goal to put us there was the big bang!

2. Crystal Palace 4 Liverpool 3 (1990) - One of those games that I can still remember vividly even though it didn't involve my own team. A game that just gripped you the longer it went on and led to one of the most remarkable results in cup history.

3. Middlesbrough 3 Chesterfield 3 (1997) - Chesterfield had an incredible run that year and were amazingly close to reaching the final. In the end this game ended all square and 'Boro went on to win the replay 3-0.

4. Liverpool 0 Arsenal 1 (1980) - Not so much this particular game, which was the third replay, more the whole series. In the pre-penalties era they had to keep replaying the game until they got a result. Arsenal took four attempts to get past Liverpool this year and having finally done so were beaten in the final by West Ham.

5. Man United 2 Arsenal 1 (1998) - I think this was also a replay, and is most remembered for that mazy dribble and goal from Giggs at the end (and thanks to Baddiel and Skinner, his hairy chest). I'm not that big a fan of the goal but this was a cracking game.

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Top 5 Footballers who smoked

A topic prompted by a discussion with fellow Fulham F.C. blogger Rich who writes the very excellent Craven Cottage Newsround. I was surprised at some of the names that popped up when I started to investigate this and, whilst a lifetime non-smoker myself, feel the players that made my eventual list would make a pretty decent five-a-side team.

1. Socrates - Brazil's bearded midfielder and one time captain made a fairly big impression on me as a teenager watching the '82 World Cup. An elegant midfielder, who had great vision and was genuinely two-footed, he didn't make his international debut until he was 25 but still managed 60 caps and 22 goals for his country. He has a doctorate in medicine and worked on a masters thesis that proposed football be reduced to nine-a-side in a bid to increase skill levels. He also managed to turn out for Northern Counties League side Garforth Town at 50 back in 2004. This quote from the BBC seems to sum him up fairly well "The chain-smoking former Brazil captain, a member of the Workers' Party and founder member of the movement Corinthians Democracy, became a leading figure in the push for political reforms in his home nation and is widely regarded as one of the most influential civilians to challenge, and ultimately end, the country's dictatorship".

2. Zinedine Zidane - Undoubtedly one of the greatest footballers of the last ten years, as with so many greatly talented footballers "Zizou" was a bit of an enigma. I took a while to really appreciate how good he was, with my glimpses limited pretty much to World Cups and occasional European games. My admiration for him rose somewhat when he was shown briefly vomiting prior to dispatching a penalty against England in the Euro 2004 group match. In 2002 he was selected to front a campaign against smoking, which probably went some way to explaining the outrage caused when a press photographer captured him having a crafty fag before the 2006 World Cup semi-final against Portugal.

3. Dino Zoff - One of the all time great goalkeeper's smoking didn't seem to affect the length of his career. Dino played at four World Cups and was 40 when he captained the Italian side that won the competition in 1982. Our own David James recently outed himself as a smoker and is currently staking a fairly good claim to be England's number one 'keeper at a very similar age.

4. Osvaldo Ardiles - When Ossie and Ricky Villa arrived at Tottenham following their countries triumph at the '78 World Cup they caused a huge stir. At the time there were very few foreign players in the English league and it was very exciting to see two World Cup winners turning out regularly. Glenn Hoddle, then England manager, defended Paul Gasgoigne (who was also famously unmasked as smoker just prior to the World Cup in 1998) saying "Paul's been smoking since he was in Rome with Lazio, six or seven years. If I tried to stop him for three weeks now, it might have an adverse effect. Ossie Ardiles was on 40-a-day when he won the World Cup with Argentina. It didn't bother Ossie and it doesn't bother me".

5. Sylvain Legwinski - Well I couldn't compile a Top 5 without including a Fulham player. Legwinski arrived during the Tigana era that was synonymous with fitness, good eating and professional athletes. Tigana had managed Legwinski at AS Monaco previously so clearly had no concerns about his habit. Leggy was something of a cult hero amongst Fulham supporters. His passion and work rate made him one of the hardest working players in the side and helped enable the flair players in the side to work their magic. He eventually fell out of favour with subsequent manager Chris Coleman, and there were suggestions that his smoking was at the root of this, however Sylvain eventually moved on to Ipswich Town where he won the Supporter's and Manager's Player of the Year Award for the 2006/07 and became the only Ipswich player to have scored in all the games against East Anglian opposition (Norwich City, Colchester United and Southend United) during one season.

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Worst 5 England Managers

In tribute to Steve McClaren's short but woeful reign in charge of our national team here are my five worst England managers.

1. Graham Taylor (1990-1993) When the man we would eventually all know by a selection of vegetable analogies first took over the job I thought it was going to be a good thing. How wrong I was. Not only led the team to a poor performance in the 1992 European Championships, in which he substituted Gary Linekar in his last International game, but also failed to qualify for the 1994 World Cup, a campaign that was captured in horrific detail by a Channel 4 documentary.

2. Sven-Göran Eriksson (2001-06) The man single-handedly responsible for wasting the so called "golden generation". Yes I know he's a great club manager and his results and qualification record were actually pretty good. However, when the important games came around he didn't have the guts to do the job required.

3. Steve McClaren (2006-07) Not content to seeing six good years wasted under Eriksson, the FA felt it was a good idea to use his right hand man as his replacement, thus ensuring that we'd not have to waste any time on one of those tricky little European competitions that come round every now and again.

4. Kevin Keegan (1999-2000) Clearly he should never have left Fulham. At least he was passionate and had the good honour to quit when he realised it was far too big a task for him.

5. Glenn Hoddle (1996-1999) Mad as a loon and arrogant with it. Actually did OK results wise but had a far greater opinion of his own abilities than anyone sensibly should.

Top 5 Fulham Players I didn't see play

I went to my first match in 1979 so having missed the first 100 years of the club there are plenty of great players to choose from. The first four really picked themselves but the final choice took a bit of thinking about.

1. Johnny Haynes

2. George Cohen

3. George Best

4. Bobby Moore

5. Allan Clarke

There's not much more to add. Seeing Haynes play in the flesh would have been something special. TV footage of the time is limited and doesn't really do him justice, but his stats say it all 658 appearances, scoring 158 goals for Fulham and 56 appearances (including the '54, '58 & '62 World Cups) for England, 22 of which were as Captain, scoring 18 goals. My Dad occasionally tries to explain how good a player he was, able to see passes no one else could and execute them perfectly, but I would love to have seen him play with my own eyes.

George Cohen's career was cut short due to injury in 1969 a mere 3 years after he had helped England lift the World Cup. 459 appearances for Fulham, scoring 6 goals and 37 appearances for England. I'm sure he would have made the 1970 World Cup squad had he continued playing and who knows what he could have achieved.
I only missed George Best by a couple of seasons, and whilst he was not at his peak when he played for the Whites, it would have been a privilege to have seen one of the world's greatest players at Craven Cottage. He managed 42 appearances for us and scored 8 goals.

Like Best, Bobby Moore was also at the tail end of his career but probably made a bigger contribution to our history. Leading us to the F.A. Cup final in his first season at the club and making a total of 108 appearances in which he scored just once. Another world great at the Cottage.

Allan Clarke was probably the ultimate goal scorer, his career stats show an incredible number of goals per game. He joined us as a 19 year old from Walsall, and played for two seasons during which he scored 45 goals in 86 appearances. We sold him to First Division Leicester City for £150,000. He would of course go on to be a legend at Leeds United where he scored a stunning 151 goals in 273 appearances. What would you give for someone who could score like that now?

Top 5 Fulham Goals

My memory for the details of games is actually shocking so there could well be some great goals I saw that I just don't remember. Kamara's overhead kick to equalise against Spurs is a recent contender, Louis Saha's against Newcastle another, and Sean O'Driscoll's goal direct from a corner against Newport County also memorable. However, I reckon the fact this lot have stuck in my head so firmly means they're worthy entrants. As always your welcome to add your own selection in the comments, that's the beauty of Top 5 lists, they're not supposed to be definitive just your favourite choices.

1. Gordon Davies from the left wing against Chesterfield (30th Jan 1982)

2. Simon Morgan header against Villa in Cup (23rd Jan 1999)

3. Rodney MacAree at Carlisle (5th April 1997)

4. "Super" Mick Conroy from the half way line at Wycombe (12th August 1997)

5. Kevin Moore equaliser against Walsall (13th August 1994)

I must have seen Gordon Davies score a hundred goals but I can't actually remember many of them. I guess Ivor was more of a "fox in the box" than a 40 yard man. This one has never left me though. A hoofed clearance from Roger Brown was latched onto by our Ivor who then shot from somewhere near the Stevenage Road byline right in front of the Cottage. It probably wasn't as far out as my memory would have me believe, but it was certainly not an angle from where you'd expect anyone to score. It shot past the Chesterfield 'keeper though and hit the back of the net, 1-0 Fulham, game over! A glorious goal.

The trip up to Villa Park for this 4th round F.A. Cup match was probably my first trip to a big ground with Fulham. I remember being stunned at how big the Holt End was and never believed we would get away with a win. Eight minutes in though and Simon Morgan rose to head home a Stevie Hayward free kick. I don't think I've ever seen Morgs get up so high and it was a real bullet header into the back of the net. Amazingly we went on to put in a really solid performance and after Stevie H had added a second just before half time, managed to defend our lead against the team that were then top of the Premier League.

OK, I have to admit I'm breaking my own rules here. I wasn't at Carlisle. I was with the three other guys I regular go to the football with at a mates stag do in London. None of us were best pleased with the timing but there was no choice to make. We bundled into a pub to try and catch news of the game and find out the Grand National result. The National had been cancelled but when news came through that we'd won 2-1 we were ecstatic. I couldn't have a top 5 list that didn't include this wonder volley from McAree, probably the most important goal in the history of the club so far. "Who put the ball in the Carlisle net? Rodney McAree!"

It was a first round league cup match, but Wycombe wasn't too far away and ground we'd never been to before. There'd been some chaos getting into the ground at the start and we'd ended up down the side in with a mixture of Fulham and Wycombe fans. Half the Fulham squad, including Kit Symons, were sitting behind us as well. It was a quiet sort of game, we weren't expecting too much as the teams trooped off at half time with the scores tied at 1-1. Then it happened. "Super" Mick Conroy controlled the ball in the centre circle, and then shot. "What the hell are you do ...? Oh my G ... GOOOOOAAALLLLLLLLL!!!". An unbelievable strike, I never thought it was likely to be even close but back then "Super" Mick could do no wrong. It wasn't quite from the half way line but it was near as damn it, and why should we let the facts get in the way of a good song.

My final choice is unlikely to be a goal many people remember. It was our first home match in the basement division, I had taken a philosophical view to relegation the previous season believing we could waltz the league title and re-establish ourselves once again. However, the stark reality of live at the bottom did not take long to hit home. The game was a fairly even affair but Walsall had taken the lead in the first half through Kyle Lightbourne. Attacking the Hammy End in the second half we just couldn't quite find the cutting edge to pull one back, until, in the final minutes, new signing Kevin Moore rose to head home a corner. I celebrated this goal like no other, the emotion of relegation and 15 years of steady decline had built up to the point where I actually shed tears of joy. Of course in the end it would get worse before it got better, but right then it seemed that we had finally turned the corner.

Top 5 Fulham Kits

A club's kit is often intrinsically linked to a particular era of football history, and sometimes a specific player (the Black away kit of 2003/04 will always be the unlucky "Steve Marlet kit" to me). These are my favourite five Fulham kits to date. Check out HistoricalKits.co.uk for pictures of these and every Fulham home kit since 1886.

1. 1999-2001 Home Kit (Adidas)

2. 1975-1977 FA Cup Final Kit (Umbro)

3. 1981-1983 Home Kit (Oscar)

4. 1993-1994 Away Kit (Vandanel)

5. 1952-1963 Home Kit

The vogue for adults buying football shirts really only started in the 90's, and so despite the fact that four of my top five kits are white the 1999/2001 Home Kit was the first white shirt I had bought since my Mum & Dad had bought a polyester replica Adidas top for me when I was about 12. I really liked this kit, it had a feeling of quality about it and was different to previous Fulham shirts whilst still looking quite traditional. Even a season under Paul Bracewell did little to dampen my enthusiasm and when Tigana arrived it got the chance to claim it's place amongst our most successful kits by seeing the team win the League and gain promotion to the Premier League. Player I most associate with it: Stan Collymore.

The kit we wore for our only F.A. Cup final appearance (to date) and then for the two subsequent seasons was possibly the first time we had deviated from a plain white shirt. The black collar and cuffs gave it a bit of seventies style and the "retro" FFC logo has remained popular ever since. Player I most associate with it: George Best.

This was the kit the MacDonald team wore as we won promotion back to Division 2 and then almost Division 1 the following season. Made by previously unheard of Oscar, this kit saw the addition of black eppilettes and was just as smart in the red away flavour. Oscar produced one more kit for the club in 1983/84 before disappearing completely from the kit manufacturing scene. Player I most associate with it: Ray Houghton.

I'm not sure I've got the year right but I'm sure I remember wearing this on that long trip down to Swansea to see us finally drop into the lowest league. It was the first of a series of red & black away kits that took their inspiration from the 1975 "A.C. Milan" away kit. Player I most associate with it: Gary Brazil

Really our kit hardly changed at all from 1903 right up to 1975, the reason I've singled out this period is that it was probably our "Golden Era" and for several of these seasons we wore some fancy stripey socks. The Historical Football Kits website has the stripey socks down as 1955-56 and 1959-61, so maybe they are correct, but scanning through the Turner & Coton book "Fulham - The Team" suggests players were less concerned with wearing matching socks back then. Anyway I'm basically saying I like the plain white shirt and this season's Nike version is just as good and could be a future Top 5 contender. We've not worn a completely plain white shirt since 1975 so it was due a return. Player I most associate with it: Johnny Haynes

Somehow I've failed to include any of the numerous away kits I have bought nor the 1977-1980 kit that was the first one I saw the team play in. That was a classic Adidas kit with black collars and the famous three stripes. I was maybe slightly put of it at the time thanks to that kit my Mum & Dad bought me as a 12 year old. My kit was always slightly too small, was made of a horrible polyester mix that was never nice to put on and had a badge that was a dodgy transfer which started to come of after a couple of washes. I wore it religiously to football training though, until eventually I had to accept it really was too small. Looking back it was a great kit as well but for now sits just outside my Top 5.

Top 5 Fulham Matches

The best five Fulham matches I can remember attending.

1. Portsmouth 4 Fulham 4 (1st Jan 1985 at Fratton Park)

2. Fulham 7 Swansea 0 (11th Nov 1995 FA Cup 1st round at Craven Cottage)

3. Fulham 1 Lincoln 1 (18th May 1982 promotion clincher at Craven Cottage)

4. Fulham 3 Spurs 2 (11th Sep 2002 at Loftus Road)

5. Fulham 4 Stockport Co. 1 (26th August 2000 at Craven Cottage)

A New Year's Day trip to a windy Fratton Park and the most amazing game of football I have ever seen. Within the first 15 minutes we had already lost Robert Wilson to injury and had seen a Pompey goal disallowed for offside. Less than 10 minutes later and we were 3 goals down. Pompey added a forth thanks to Jeff Hopkins (never my favourite player) attempting a clearance that only managed to smash into Alan Biley's face before looping back over a stranded Jim Stannard and finding the back of the net. 4-0 down at half time and nobody in the away enclosure really believed we were going to win the game. As the Whites trotted out for the second half though the away end sang loud and clear determined to make the most of a Bank Holiday afternoon out. With the wind in our favour we made a great start scoring the first goal two minutes into the second half. Coney reaching a far post cross from Ray Lewington. "We're gonna win 5-4" we sang hilariously - as if! Then we added two more in three minutes and suddenly, with 15 minutes still to play, realised we actually could win. Pompey fought desperately to stem the tide and for a while it looked like our hopes would be dashed. Hopkins headed a Portsmouth free kick into our own net but miraculously we got a reprieve as the Ref ordered the free kick retaken. In the final minute Cliffy Carr surged forward and was brought down in the box. Kevin Lock stepped up, right in front of the away crowd, incredible pressure but Locky was always the consummate penalty taker and he slotted it away to level the match at 4-4. The away end erupted in joy and as the final whistle blew we knew we'd seen something spectacular. Even being held back for 1/2 hour after the game did not dampen our spirits, in fact if anything we were happy for a bit of extra time to bask in the glory of the greatest Fulham comeback of all time.

Quite often victories by big scorelines don't make for great games. Its all too one sided and there's no edge to the game. This F.A. Cup success was something different though. We weren't having the best of times and Swansea were doing well in the division above us. We took the lead after just two minutes, Nick Cusack flicking on a Tony Lange goal kick for "Super" Mick Conroy to fire home. Conroy got his second after 16 minutes before Lea Barkus had to leave the field to be replaced by Paul Brooker making his Fulham debut. We added a third within the first half hour as Duncan Jupp shot home after a Gary Brazil corner. I remember being slightly concerned that we may lose our momentum having lost Barkus, Brooker however, turned in one of the greatest debut performances I have ever seen. In the second half he ripped Swansea apart time and time again and by the end of the game I genuinely believed we had a new Fulham hero in the making. Conroy completed his hatrick, before Cusack and Brooker made it six. Martin Thomas then completed the rout with a cracking volley from a Robbie Herrera cross. At the time this was the biggest-ever defeat of a club from a higher division in the history of the F.A. Cup.

A crunch match which could have seen either team claim a promotion spot. It was a dark and misty old night with a big crowd of around 20,000. We struggled to find our rhythm, and Lincoln looked by far the better team. Then "Big" Roger Brown came crashing in with a header to take the lead and we were back in the driving seat. Lincoln pulled one back with around a quarter of an hour remaining, but we held on and the point was enough to confirm our promotion back to the 2nd division. As the final whistle blew the pitch was swamped by supporters, who carried the players from the field. We stayed to see the team come out onto the Cottage balcony to soak up the cheers and applause, a great night, my first promotion season and one I will never forget.

Another cracking Fulham come back, and THE game I think of when I remember our years at Loftus Road. 2-0 down, having lost Saha early on to injury and not looking that impressive, we came out for the second half a different team. Inamoto scored on 68 minutes to give us hope before Malbranque slotted home a penalty, with about 5 minutes left, to level the scores. Having pulled it back to 2-2 no one could have complained, but then Sylvain Legwinski raced onto a through ball and fired home an unstoppable shot into the far corner of the goal to make it 3-2. It was just about the last kick of the game and we went home unable to stop smiling.

This was the game when I realised exactly how good we were under Tigana. I'd missed a few of the early games that season due to the birth of my first son in May and I think this might have been the first chance I had had to see the team for real. We were so good that I actually felt sorry for Stockport. They couldn't get the ball of us, we just passed them to death and how they ended up on the scoresheet I have no idea. We probably could have won by many more but this was as impressive display as I have ever seen from a Fulham team. It would go on to be one of our greatest seasons and eventually see us achieve Premier League status for the first time.

Incidentally in case you are wondering about some obvious games not included in this Top 5 here's a few great games that I missed; Carlisle 1 FFC 2 (5th April 1997), Blackburn 1 FFC 2 (11th April 2001), FFC 1 Sheff. Weds 1 (16th April 2001), FFC 2 Liverpool 0 (22nd Oct 2005), FFC 1 Chavs 0 (19th Mar 2006) and FFC 2 Arsenal 1 (29th Nov 2006).

Top 5 Fulham Players I have seen

These are my favourite Fulham players that I actually saw play. Not necessarily the greatest to have pulled on a white shirt but the ones that I enjoyed watching the most.

1. Gordon Davies

2. Steed Malbranque

3. Ray Houghton

4. Simon Morgan

5. Louis Saha

Gordon "Ivor" Davies was my first and greatest Fulham hero. He scored twice in my first ever match, and went on to become Fulham's all time leading goalscorer. During his two spells at the club you just got used to the fact that Ivor would probably score. After he finally hung up his boots it was a very long time before we found someone who could score goals as often as he did. In fact we never really did.

Steed may have left under a bit of a cloud, but for five seasons he left me spellbound with his wizardry and work ethic. He brought a joy of playing to our team. Initially under Tigana he played his part in a team that could all play football the way it should be played, and eventually under Coleman he was the star man, the driving force behind a team of more workman like cloggers.

Much like Steed, Ray Houghton was the creative spark behind the MacDonald team of the 80's. A team made up of promising youngsters and a few old heads that went to the brink of the top division before spiralling back down again as the key players were sold. Signed for free from West Ham, Houghton was a bundle of energy, and played a starring role in our epic series of games against Liverpool in the League Cup. Having been sold to Oxford he got to claim a League Cup winner's medal (beating QPR 3-0 in the final and scoring the final goal). Having played for several seasons in a very successful Liverpool team he then moved to Aston Villa and during the 1994 World Cup scored his most memorable goal as the Republic of Ireland beat Italy 1-0.

The 90's was a grim time to be a Fulham supporter. Having spent a couple of years away from football, my return saw a team I didn't recognise. No one stood out and we were frankly appalling. As I got more games under my belt one player did start to set himself apart from the rest. Morgs gave 100% in every game, he worked his socks of and whilst he didn't look the greatest I appreciated the effort. However, as our fortunes slowly changed, and new managers came and went, it turned out Morgs really could play. Under Micky Adams he drove the team on, moaning at every contentious decision but putting his all into every performance. Having joined a team expecting a return to 2nd tier football, he ended up Captaining the side that dropped into the 4th tier. It's a testament to his character that he stuck with us through those dark days and saw us back in the 2nd tier and on the brink of the 1st before his knees could take no more.

Another "black sheep" of the Fulham family, Louis Saha arrived from Metz with no great reputation to boast about. A short loan spell at Newcastle had not impressed anyone, but under Tigana's guidance and playing in a team that was all about style, Saha flourished. Our top scorer in the team that won the Championship, he continued to impress in the Premier League. Two goals in our first match, a 3-2 defeat at Old Trafford, may have sealed his fate as far as we were concerned, but we did get to watch his style and goalscoring for a couple of seasons before he left us for "better things" and provided us with £12m which was just enough to offset the £11m we had wasted on Steve Marlet and ensure our return to Craven Cottage.

Top 5 Football teams other than Fulham

Yes, I might get mullered for this depending who reads it but I do have to admit to having a soft spot for some other Football teams other than Fulham.

1. Kingstonian

2. Arsenal

3. Hibernian

4. Brighton & Hove Albion

5. Whatever team Mickey Adams is involved with (currently Colchester United)

Kingstonian - I was born in Kingston and everyone has to have a non-league team don't they? Really caught interest when they did quite well a few years back and culminated in them reaching the Conference. I actually saw them play at Wembley (they won the F.A. Trophy 1-0 against Forest Green Rovers) which is more than I've managed with Fulham. They've fallen on harder times more recently but I still keep an eye out for their results.

Arsenal - They played in the first two F.A. Cups that I really remember watching and I was also lured in further when collecting my first Panini sticker album. Lost a lot of my interest when Willie Young viciously scythed down little Paul Allen in the 1980 Cup Final, but then regained my interest when Mr Wenger turned them into one of the most attractive teams I had ever seen. Oh, and I read Fever Pitch about then too. All this has resulted (in some unconscious way) to my eldest, Ben, becoming a Arsenal supporter. At four he was already taking a big interest in Football and wanted to follow a team, with red being his favourite colour I could see him being drawn to the perils of Man Utd and Liverpool so had to take action. I never realised that it would stick quite so solidly. Damn, if only I'd thought of Charlton!

Hibernian - My Scottish team. Mainly a result of George Best moving on to play for them after he'd left Fulham. Been up to Easter Road to see them play, managing through some fluke of luck to get a ticket for the Edinburgh derby against Hearts about 1/2 hour before kick off.

Brighton & Hove Albion - Partly a result of No. 5 (see below) and the numbers of ex-Fulham that have played for them recently. Also always enjoyed the trip down there and like the fact they are sponsored by Skint (a Brighton record company) which must be the most appropriate sponsor in all football.

Colchester United - Micky Adams deserves so much credit for turning around Fulham, and I really believed he was going to go on and be a big success in management. Hasn't turned out that way so far but you never know. Last year it was Coventry this year he's first team coach at Colchester. Come on you U's.

A quick mention for West Ham United who would almost certainly have made this list prior to Tevez-gate. I've already covered my interest in the Hammers in my post about how I became a Fulham fan on The Hammy End Chronicle but as it stands, and partly due to the Premier League's bungling, I don't feel much sympathy for them at all.