Fantasy

One to Brian Clough’s short lived reign at Leeds United was Paul Gascoigne’s nine days’ time spent at Kettering Town as their manager.

Apparently, Gazza was of the thought process that Kettering Tyres had changed to Kettering Beers and was part of the Gazza sponsorship deal. Gazza would frequently turn up for training with a rendition of ‘Away the lad’s’, but the well ran dry and Gazza exited, ending the fantasy of management.

Mystery

Gary Neville’s non involvement with his boyhood club Bury prior to the Shaker’s demise and a new rival being created, a stone’s throw away from Bury’s Gigg Lane, under the Manchester lights of Neville’s new creation as part owner of Salford City, which was Frankenstein reborn to the Bury faithful. A strange move, Neville’s motives have been questioned since the collapse of Bury Football Club.

Subplot

The newly formed football club in 2003, under the Football League banner, Milton Keynes’ Dons FC, gaining automatic League 1 status, crushing the original club, Wimbledon FC who were having problems with Merton council in South London. The FL would have us believe it is in the same guise, that is not the case.

Music promoter Pete Winkelman and the consortium big wigs laid the money down for a new stadium and the FL turned a blind eye to Wimbledon FC in their back hander subplot. To many FL clubs MK Dons are not universally accepted, never will be. Milton Keynes nicked the word the Dons as an add on to the MK, alongside nicking Wimbledon’s league status. For the record the Dons is the nickname of the before Wimbledon FC. Today we have the real club, reformed as AFC Wimbledon, the phoenix from the ashes has risen.

Fantasy x2 on Merseyside

In 1975 Everton signed a raw uncut diamond, as the fantasy goes, with the signing of 16 year old Martin Murray from Home Park Northern Ireland, hailed as the next George Best, with the Irish connection being the only connection.

Martin was never seen, could have been a George best look-a-like, but not in the blue of Everton. Martin stacked up no first team appearances over a 5 year period and returned to the Cow and Duck at Home Farm.

Ten years later and across Stanley Park, Liverpool hit similar notes laying down a fee of 250,000 for Oldham Athletic’s 17 year old Wayne Harrison who in similar mode never made any first team appearance and returned to former pastures at Oldham Athletic, in fairness to Wayne, injuries blighted his career, so the true picture of Martin’s talent was never showcased.