Recently in Football Category

Having been absent from the blogosphere due to holidays and illness, it's time I dipped a toe back into the waters. So, with a mild word of warning that this blog probably shouldn't be read before the watershed, here we go.

It was as I checked Ceefax for the last time before getting into the taxi on my way to Birmingham Airport and a week in Fuerteventura that I discovered that Gareth "I really need Champions League football" Barry had signed for............Manchester City.

Clive Tyldesley doesn't get a lot right, but ITV's oh-so-pleased-with-himself football commentator was right on the money during the European Cup final.

Last weekend, I did something I don't do very often and probably haven't done for 12 months.
I enjoyed it so much that I'm intending to do it again tomorrow.

I've moaned enough times on here about the money-obsessed nature of football these days, from the Premier League right down to the Conference National and below. But something happened this week to remind me of the game's everlasting ability to touch the hearts and stir the emotions of people of every age, of every nation, of every lifestyle.

This is truly the business end of the season when the fates of football clubs up and down the land in so many divisions of the football pyramid are decided after a long, hard season.
Wolves are back in the Premier League and Blues are on the cusp of joining them.
Albion's fate was all but sealed last weekend, while Villa still face a fight to maintain their UEFA Cup spot.
But it is further down the pyramid that has grabbed my attention recently. In the spit and sawdust, and real ale realm of non-league football.
Burton Albion are desperately clawing their way to the finish line to book their place in the Football League for the first time in the club's history having picked up a case of the promotion jitters in recent weeks.
If they manage to hang on, what an amazing feat that would be and credit to everyone associated with the club.
Just a few years ago, the Brewers were competing alongside my hometown club of Tamworth in the Conference, but while the Lambs were left behind, the Brewers went from strength to strength, thanks mainly to the move to the Pirelli Stadium.
Their new facility gave them the foundation to build upon, to generate their own off-the-field income and build a club capable of sustaining itself at a higher level.
Tamworth tried to do exactly the same but have been met with barrier after barrier, mainly due to local politics and a lack of support from various entities.
As a result, when Tamworth were surviving in the Conference but looking to push on to secure their future, they were left in limbo and left behind.
They were relegated and have been through a process of rebuilding. Tonight, their recovery could be complete because if they beat Hinckley United at The Lamb, they will be promoted back to the Conference Premier. It would be an achievement on a par with Burton's.
If Burton are promoted what a boost that would be to the town and I am sure everyone would want to share in the celebrations, and deservedly so. Would the name of the town be in the national spotlight more for anything else but football? I doubt it.
If Tamworth do it, on their own terms but with the help of their fantastically loyal band of supporters, I am sure many around the town, including local dignitaries, would also want a taste of the bubbly.
But I wonder how many outside the club truly deserve it.

Hands up who wants promotion to the Premier League? Anyone? What, not one of you?
Crazy as it seems that seems to be the case at the top of the Championship.
Before Christmas it seemed so straight forward. It was supposed to be two from three as Wolves, Blues and Reading dominated proceedings.
Wolves were scoring at will and were as strong defensively as they were the previous season. There were many who were waiting for the bubble to burst but Wolves just kept winning.
Blues were packed with players with Premier League experience and while they never looked as convincing as Wolves, they knew how to grind out the victories.
After a slowish start, the Royals began to rediscover their attacking flair and were moving ominously closer to Wolves and Blues.
Since Christmas and everything has changed. Wolves have won one game in ten, while Reading and Blues have failed to take advantage with just two wins each in the same period. It is relegation form and yet they are still in the top three.
Wanderers are struggling to keep a clean sheet while Blues have are struggling to get out of first gear, and Reading are treading water.
Preston's charge has slowed to a crawl, Burnley had faltered in league as their cup exploits distracted them but are now unbeaten in six, while Bristol City and Cardiff are mounting challenges of sorts.
But despite their attempts, I still feel the top two will come from Blues, Wolves and Reading come the end of the season, and I think that says it all about the Championship.
Albion lost 11 games last season and still won the league. That is nearly a quarter of the season.
No wonder the promoted sides struggle in the Premier League.

Where do Yeovil Town play? What about Dagenham and Redbridge? Or Stockport County?

So the sack race gathered pace with two heads on the block in the same day.
Tony Adams and Luiz Felipe Scolari became the latest victims in this unrealistic modern football world where results are demanded yesterday.

In all the transfer window madness and the chaotic weather conditions, it may have been very easy to miss the news on Monday that former Aston Villa and Wolves midfielder Paul Birch had finally succumbed to bone cancer at the age of 45.
West Bromwich-born Birch was the type of player fans loved. Energetic and hard working, he gave everything he had to the cause during ten years at Villa Park and five at Molineux.
But he was also an honest player, never involved in any nasty unpleasantness, and as a result he was respected by supporters of rival clubs as well. They all would have gladly welcomed him into their team.
To back up the point, one Blues fan commented on the Evening Mail website: "A proper footballer who always played the game full of heart, passion and desire. There aren't many players these days that you could say they genuinely love playing for the shirt." Spot on.
So while clubs scramble to sign the next superstar from overseas, perhaps the real gems are hidden closer to home.
What price would you pay for another Paul Birch?