The rumblings via Jurgen Klopp, Jose Mourinho , and Pep Guardiola in particular with regard to fixture congestion never rears it’s ugly head during the pre-season friendlies pre Covid, the silence is deafening. From China, Canada, Malaysia, Thailand and America are some of the destinations where our big clubs encamp exhausting work for the players in draining heat, but not for their clubs, as they chase the never ending rainbow of money and lucrative sponsorship deals. Do the managers challenge the club’s owners who are the guilty parties, is there a need to address that area Jose, Jurgen and Pep?

If they are looking to set standards, don’t preach double standards. No such moans about players tiredness and possible injuries. That comes later with the season’s commitments with all and sundry taking the blame, from the football associations to the broadcasting companies. The international scene also takes a hit with the England manager Gareth Southgate being accused of not looking after their players while on the Three Lions duty, a double standard window is the reflection, silence would be the preference from these highly paid managers.

Time for Reflection

Deep rooted in football’s origins are a working class background and much like the sweet smelling tobacco from the pipe brigade, wafting off the terraces, those bygone years are sadly missed, with the players playing for the badge, the club and the supporters in part, that is still the case. The prawn sandwich brigade had not even sounded their sirens with their eventual entry into the football money park. The need for those grass roots in our deep routed emotions, alongside the passion for our clubs. Does football evolve around the upper echelons of English football? Of course not, all our clubs are from one divide to another, this is football’s soul.

Exit -> Holloway Road

Into spotlight mode and perhaps one of the Football League’s founder members? The upside down manager Ian Holloway, who at the last count announced his resignation as the Grimsby Town manager via the twit, twit, zone, Twitter. The general vibe is that Holloway smelt the rat in the sack and deserted the ship before entering the sack (dismissed). Ian is perhaps affectionately known as codhead, which has historical value for the mariners. Holloway has a three drawn case filed, mutual consent, termination of contract and smells the rat on the horizon, the familiar pattern.

Holloway’s list of clubs reads of similar circumstances, from Queens Park Rangers, Plymouth Argle, Leicester City, Millwall, Crystal Palace, Blackpool plus other clubs on the hit list. Holloway has a fixation with Leicester City, sacrificing Queens Park Rangers and Plymouth Argyle for the Foxes. Dream, pressed the correct exit button at Plymouth, but failed on landing Holloway’s dream job with the Queens Park Rangers departure.

Holloway lasted just one year at Leicester following the forced Plymouth departure and still states today that Leicester is always in his heart, strange concept. The rounded up figures on Ian’s billboard reads, success rate runs at 30%, failure rate at the 60 mark with the remaining 10 mark for Holloway’s departure syndrome. The codhead was last seen at junction A 180 looking for the exit signs, as another club bites the dust at exit Holloway road.

The Holloway Motto

“The world keeps spinning around each new day, I can feel a change in everything.”

A Lack of Cohesion, the National League

The National League 1 plus affiliated, Northern and Southern according to some quarters have been trumped by the government’s digital, culture, media and sport department with the second staged season’s payments coming in the forms of loans, not grants. Either the National League clubs did not do their homework with the original season’s start dialogue with a stipulation that there would be a full season’s grants for all clubs or have the National League taken the grants system as being granted, no paper trail, no proof, welcome to the former FIFA president Sepp Blatter’s world. Never assume in football with possible verbal diarrhoea.

Chorley of the Northern League have voiced their voice, a club perhaps flush with money following their FA Cup run want the season to prevail, quote, chairman Ken Wright “The integrity of the League is important”. In response, it is the integrity of all clubs’ finances and futures that matters. Not the liquidation flag in the season’s ending distance.

Laid Bare. The Veiled Curtain

The National Leagues’ head honchos in their glorious wisdom set a time date of one month for clubs to cast their votes for a possible closing of the season, the NL honchos are clearly flummoxed, set in concrete, don’t know which way to turn.

What has not been stated is the quote “The government laid down prior to the season that there would be a full season’s grant payments to all clubs”. Where is the statement come quote, does it exist? Can clubs pass the total buck? The bone heads can crush their heads together, to be trampled on with possible self inflicted financial skeleton, laid bare.

Hacked Off or In?

A Chester FC (City fans United) meeting via Zoom was rudely interrupted, zoomed into with porn headlining the meeting with an unknown hacker. Perhaps the new incumbent in one’s Westham boardroom, the femaled Benton-Hughes, the former porn star in a ‘salute to the generals’, was the sworded one, attention!

Late News the National League

The NL’s head honchos removed themselves from their cement and were forced to accept the club’s votes, cancellation of the season, North and South clubs can now keep some flesh on their clubs’ bones, recharge for the 2021-22 season, odds on a percentage of supporters will be back.