Happy New Year and all that!
Please don’t take today’s joke too seriously, it’s important that football is used as a vehicle to impart positive messaging given its popularity and power.
After all I lost a brother through mental health problems. My older brother has been institutionalised repeatedly and I myself have had issues along the way!
We should never forget (past the rivalry and banter) that we are part of something that is so much more than just a sport.
It’s something that (particularly in these trying times of gangsterism, abuse and a orange nutcase in Washington) gives this all-too-often fragmented world a common interest across communities and countries.
Anyway, that’s part of my speech for the upcoming Mr. Lang Ball pageant next month! More about that on the 19th when I’ll be at Cape Town’s No.1 venue to watch football, Premium Sports Bar in Mitchells Plain.
It’s going be a mad one as Manchester United travel to Anfield! Hope to see you there.
JOY: Chelsea celebrated 50 years since first FA Cup title. Picture: Supplied.
Littered with FA Cup fixtures this past weekend, I thought I was up for some of the old romance we’ve come to expect over the years.
You know, third-round giant killings and all that.
Unfortunately, there wasn’t too much of that. Groundsmen prepared great surfaces and barring a couple of banana skins, most went the way bookies predicted.
I kicked off my weekend with Newcastle’s visit to League 1 Rochdale.
After 30 minutes, the Magpies had amounted a stat of 90 percent possession.
However the grit and heart (and motivation of the stage) saw a complete turnaround in the second half, culminating in an equaliser, scored by a 40-year-old striker Aaron Wilbraham.
The Geordies will be gutted, having to contend a replay in amongst the crowded fixture pile up.
Was great to watch though!
At Molineux following Wolves 0-0 draw with Manchester United, both Ole Gunnar Solskjaer and Nuno Espirito Santo were adamant that a penalty shootout solution would be favourable to replays. They’ll be facing each other again at Old Trafford next Tuesday.
More than ever, the pressure of success (or survival) in league football is helping devalue this famous competition. The League Cup suffered the same fate many years ago.
What has developed even more noticeably is the dropping of key players by Championship teams.
HUMDINGER: Tottenham host Liverpool on Saturday. Picture: Reuters.
I was disappointed to witness Nottingham Forest field a completely changed starting XI at Stamford Bridge.
They’ve always been a great Cup side, but sitting in fourth chasing Premier League promotion, the priority was obvious. No doubt, as the competition progresses and the "smaller" teams are weeded out, we’ll start to see stronger matches as we reach the latter stages.
Back to the Premier League this weekend and I’m looking forward to Jose Mourinho's Spurs hosting Liverpool on Saturday evening.
Can Spurs pull a performance out of their broken bag? Will Jose be undone by Jurgen (as he was by Frank Lampard a couple of weeks ago)?
Despite my general feeling that Liverpool aren’t playing THAT well, I’d be surprised if they don’t take all three!