The Early Bird

Mansfield Town of the EFL League Two have hit the headlines, known as The Stags, by being the first club in English Football to invoke an early bird kick-off, time set 1pm v Walsall match taken place, 20^th October, due to the cost of floodlight usage with the country’s rising energy costs, will a cost saving be the case? Questionable, to suggest lower attendances alongside the take on general matchday services. The Football League’s executives have advised clubs not to follow the same pylon, the decision must rest with the clubs.

Historically wise, Mansfield Town are known as The Stags, nicknamed after the small deer found in Sherwood Forest nearby, perhaps the silk purse of Robin Hood could help, as for Friar Tuck who rode the deer, oh dearie me he has fallen off, no surprise there then.

The Reform Club

The reform club titled ‘Fair Game’, a new concept set up to campaign for improved governance of the game with twenty seven clubs from the National League and below, are part of the concept alongside eleven clubs from Leagues one and two with one Championship club involved.

To sustain the pyramid system and to offer stability with the hierarchy reviewing distribution monies for two years, set in place on the get go. The general consensure is that incoming revenues from the source is to have a parameter set in place that clubs ratio of spending with set criteria. To a degree, to implement the Manero billboard reads “It is important to support and protect grass roots clubs and the volunteers running them to support and thrive rather than a loss of numbers”. Sixty three percent of clubs supported the initiative, fair game.

Bristol City FC

Profile take two, Bristol City Football Club with the club being earmarked for a return to the top flight, no since 1980 have the Cider Army occupied that position. The club historically have a nine year top tier tag, flirting in the main between the Championship and League One. Formed in 1894, The Robins have a history of amalgamating with Southern rivals Bedminster FC early 1900’s.

Trophy wise the club was a regular participant in the Anglo-Scottish Cup, winning the trophy in 1977-78. Taking a blast further back in time during the 1933-34 season, Bristol City became the Welsh cup winners, the English, Scottish and Welsh connection, strangely the Robins beat another English team in the final, Tranmere Rovers, but we do have the cross border seven side Derby v Cardiff City with the other big play on a visit to the Gasheads and Bristol Rovers.

Bristol is twinned as a city and ceremonial county with its own Bristol currency, perhaps that’s the reason Bristol was voted the happiest place to live in the country, happy days. For the record Bristol City is the first club in English football to win thirty league games in a season, come on you Cider Army.

Middlesbrough v North Korea?

With the England ladies championing the game of football, European Champions 2022, a historical blast from the past has come to the forefront, when remarkably the Middlesbrough women’s team played two matches in North Korea v the national team in 2010. No match reports were allowed and mobile phones were to be left at the airport, but the match was beamed inside the country’s barbed wire surroundings under the banner ‘Give the dog a biscuit’ network. For the record, the women’s Teesiders lost both matches 6-2 and 5-0 in the capital Pyongyang. During the 2010 period relations between the UK and North Korea were established on a good footing. The Middlesbrough connection came during the 1966 men’s World Cup in England with the Koreans participating and a highlighted match played at Ayresome Park v Italy with a Korean one to nil win, a bond was forged. The goal scorer Pak Doo-ik’s boot is afforded statue status on the very spot where Pak scored the winning goal, Ayresome Park is now covered with an estate of houses, bar the statue, could the same occur today, most probably not, rocket launches seem the order of the day.

A contract on delivery has been afforded to the Women’s England team manager Sara Wiegman, the details are hidden. England have a twenty three unbeaten record since Wiegman took the reins one season prior. Women’s World Cup 2023, in Australia and New Zealand, twinned.

Brass Necked Eddie

The Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp referred to Manchester City, Newcastle United and Paris Saint-Germain as the three clubs in world football whose spending power has no boundaries, to suggest a truth observation. The comments split the feathers of Newcastle’s manager Eddie Howe who seems to have buked up or is it the jacket, wither way it seems Eddie wants to lose the bulkiness to go on the defensive. Howe’s stance is to stand up for his football club, some would say that the club owner’s human rights issues need standing up against, but Howe will remain silent on that issue playing the oblivious card.

Howe accused Klopp of non-truths with the Toon’s general vibe being, quote “There is no ceiling to our ambition long term”, to suggest the ambition to spend money. Howe further reiterated “I do not think spending an awful lot of money is the solution”. The spending power was enforced to stave off regulation last season, confusion Eddie. To warn Klopp to be careful with one’s wording, has to be the case with Howe. They grow monkeys there who swing the lead, the brass neck of it all, a day’s work does not exist, the offerings on a platter does? Gulp.