Into the Frame – Christie

The initial euphoria in signing a first professional footballer’s contract, only for a career to be later wrecked by injuries, bad medical diagnosis, a poor support network and no compliant, compassionate managers, the dark side of football, it happens. Into the frame and the former Derby County player Malcom Christie form silencing the Stretford end Manchester United, a Christie goal for all eras to save Derby from relegation during the early 2000’s to living in silence, until now.

Malcom Christie is now free of football’s conveyor belt, revealed, football’s adversary, the other side, the demons, the injuries, a broken career spanning eight operations, knees, ankles, crushed legs, a broken back, the medical breakdown. Christie, a career stat of 181 appearances with 48 goals, the clubs, Derby County, Middlesborough and Leeds United, a successful career in part hindered by injuries, cast aside by the football fraternity, 11 years as a professional footballer, five years spent on the injury table, later clubs were not prepared to take a punt on Christie, the end, left the gates of football in 2009.

A retirement statement was not read, not required, did anyone care? From playing in front of 70,000 people v Manchester United to oblivion, fast tracked, into breakdown mode and a marriage divorce pending, finalised, sealed, the end alongside the football dream, but football is in the blood, it can be reinjected and so it was. Christie has returned to his football roots and has set up a coaching academy in Teesside, a tale of two halves, success and rejection, football’s dreams can be twinned, Malcom Christie.

Mug County

The long protracted chasing of all that’s Derby County FC, the ownership on, the ownership off syndrome fell as flat as a trump and that’s a Donald with the battle weary American Chris Kirchner in pursuit of control, deal off. The American can now be termed as a shyster after it was revealed that Wayne Rooney’s agent Paul Stretford’s company paid a month’s player’s wages following a request form Kirchner, perhaps Stretford inherited the Roon brain cell. Kirchner has since done a runner, 1.68 million pounds being the outlay, not to be sniffed at, roll your own. If the American did manage to con his way to Derby County ownership then the club could have ended up playing in a field of Rams, has to be the case doesn’t it?

Let’s Go Baby

The let’s go baby syndrome hit the Nottingham Forest Tulips with the Jessie Lingard signing on the dotted line for a big handbag snatch of ten million pounds a year. The Forest owner of Greek overtones was cleared of blowing up a bakery, that’s where he finds the dough. Everton and Westham were interested in striking a Lingard deal but Jessie preferred the lesser lights of the Forest, for the money of course, as for Robin Hood, that’s a real steal.

Former teammate at Manchester United, Ronaldo seems intent on leaving the drudgery at Old Trafford, but be careful what you wish for with the reported interest of Athletico Madrid under the crazed one, manager Simone who likes the ethic of the Trojan Horses, do not jump out of the stalls too quick Ronnie. Cannot picture Ronald at Athletico which brings into focus a picture of the late, great Dutch Maestro Johann Cruyff on the Manchester United manager’s ten hag’s wall with no cigarette in hand, Cruyff was a heavy smoker which hardly gets a mention, I wonder why, all gone in a puff of smoke, worth a mention, ten hag cigarettes, new on the block.

Own Goal Vardy

Rebekah Vardy’s pursuit of Coleen Rooney became a goal she did not crave, an own goal with the loss of her lawsuit. The line which was never led to Mrs Vardy by her lawyer “If you are going to sue then you have to be one hundred percent innocent”. Vardy never was, but money talks for the lawyers. The leaking of Coleen Rooney’s privacy details led to squeaky bum time for Rebekah, plenty of leaks, no drips on the crow’s feet. Vardy displayed an emotional collapse in the courtroom, guilt panged distress, ping, pong, her agent Caroline Watts did a courtroom runner, it’s all lies, what can I say, what can I do, what I can do is do a runner.

The Vardy’s are facing a 3 million pound’s meltdown cash settlement to the Rooney’s plus the addons, lawyers fees and court costs which leads to the Vardy’s possible sale of their Spanish mansion to cover the costs, stupidity on their part. So the story goes, the crowing of the crows as they circle around the dereliction of one’s mansion, quote Rebekah Vardy “When you take on Coleen it’s like taking on a pigeon you know it’s going to shit in your hair.” Splat! The Rooney’s celebrated in the Wing’s Chinese restaurant in Manchester, oh for those pigeon wings, new on the menu, the crow’s feet. The celebrity moral compass can often derail into patheticness and self rituals. A Coleen documentary is in the offering remember the chosen one, Monica Lewinsky who published the Bill Clinton memoirs on the Bill stance, it’s all gobble de duck, as for Peter Andre, chipolata?

Mind Games

The published touchline Antonio Conte and Thomas Tuchel bust up with both managers blarting away in each other’s faces was at times comical, but lines have to be drawn and adhered to with discipline and they were not, the two hot heads have to accept their punishment. Pre-season Conte set the mind games in place by stating that Chelsea are Tottenham’s marker and implying that Spursey have reached that marker and now is the time to pass it and swat Chelsea aside, to suggest that Chelsea have stood still and gone backwards. Pre-match Tuchel to suggest intended to getup Antonio’s jacksie, mama mia, having been irritated by the Italian’s snugness. Conte is a rarefied breed of a fruit an nut bar, crunch, the wind up merchant, Tuchel was sent crazy, no more Thomas the Tank Engine for Tommy, the mind game’s scoreboard, 1 to nil to Conte, get ready for the next instalment, the rematch, interesting.