Tyrone Shoelaces

Anybody can win this league.

It’s all pie in the sky. At our level if you have a good season but fail to win promotion your better players get stolen ( or given in our case ) away and you get to start all over again next season. Exactly back where you started from. That’s if you’re lucky. If I were them I’d be saying exactly the same. Keep the pressure off as long as you can.

Too many to mention really. I was at a Lancashire Senior Cup game between Rochdale and Oldham years ago. It was a particularly cold and dreary game with no goal excitement at all. The game had gone into extra time with no signs of any improvement. My pal turned and said to me - “ The ref should make them play until they drop “. An old guy in a flat cap was stood right in front of us and he turned and said - “ Nah, he should make them play until they score, it’ll take longer ! “

Yes, just like the old Central League.

Anybody else watch the England womens game tonight ? They’ve got the “ Dutch disease “ as well. They got in lots of trouble passing it around at the back. The USA goal came directly from an attempt by one of the centre halves to pass the ball out. What really annoys me is when an outfield player has the chance to play it long and then chooses to give it to the goalkeeper to clear. There’s a reason one of them is an outfield player and the other is the goalkeeper.

No, old age.

I was confused also.

Dominate in midfield and most of the time you’ll get a result. Lose the midfield and most of the time you won’t.

Yes you’re right. I’m mixing up the Dalglish era with the Souness era.

He was great for us and gave the club some brilliant times but - hand on heart he’d seriously lost the plot at the end. It was fun while it lasted though.

Yes, I know.

I could never figure that out. When my son and I were discussing who would need replacing when we made the step up to the Premier League he was one of the last players to be replaced. How soon is soon matey ? Lucas Neill came about 10 years after Curtis had gone. David May replaced Curtis.

Yeah terrific, you forget about the goals he scored from distance.

I’m talking about before Dalglish spent the millions, when we were still in Div 2. When he first arrived at the club and he was working mainly with what was already there with the addition of Wrighty and more importantly Cowans . Cowans didn’t cost millions but what a difference he made, just what we’re short of now. The difference in play was like night and day. It didn’t take him a season or two either, more like a month or two. We were going on a real journey then.

And they still get as many signings wrong as they get right.

The one that Sutton missed was something else. I’d have had sleepless nights for weeks if that had have cost us the league. My mum could have put that one in.

You had to move it on that pitch. Short, slow passing would go nowhere.

I remember when Kenny came in at first. OK he signed a few good players in the beginning but it didn’t take long for the style of football we were playing to improve massively. The passing speeded up 100% for a start.

Imagine having Bull and Garner up front.

I’m not expecting overnight success but I am expecting to see a better standard of football than what I’m seeing at the moment. Even some small green shoots of improvement would be nice.

What’s the latest on Twine ? Rumours are he’s having “ problems “.

Taking up your new job analysis - this new style demands some watchmakers and all we have are blacksmiths. How long do you think it’d take to train the blacksmiths to be watchmakers, and vice versa. Apologies to any old blacksmiths out there.

Yeah, if Barker had have been a bit quicker he would have gone right to the top. He didn’t do too badly as it is.

Lots of the time if you’re receiving the ball from the back four you’ve got your back to the opposition. Being able to turn away from trouble as you receive the ball is a skill you’re born with. Back in my youth Simon Barker was the one who was brilliant at it and he was very rarely caught in possession, always turned away from his marker and in to space.

Along with Charlie George and George Armstrong. The latter was the sort of winger we don’t produce today. Clever, tricky and always looking for work.