Tyrone Shoelaces

You'd be surprised how fast some prop forwards can run once they get going.

I watched the 1968 " Water Splash " Rugby League Cup Final on BBC 2 this afternoon. Drama and tragedy all in a couple of minutes. You'd have to have a heart of stone not to be moved by it.

I thought the Premiership winning era team, was unlucky also. Shearer, Warhurst, Batty, Gallagher were all missing with serious injuries.

I think I'd agree with that. Jim Fryatt was a top class header of the ball but really average at everything else. Rudy Gestede was at that level heading wise also but better with the ball at his feet.

I've got one somewhere you might like " They Could Catch Pigeons " about Rugby League wingers.

Yes, I'd forgotten about Newcastle.

When we played that Turkish side away - Glencirbigli ? I dashed home from work to watch the game on TV. I got in about 2 mins after the kick off so I missed the team sheet on the screen. After about 5 minutes I'd figured out 10 of the players but I couldn't work out who the last one was. After about 25-30 minutes Baggio actually touched the ball and I realised he was the eleventh player !

Ronnie Clayton. I was never a Sherwood fan.

A top class centre half and a top class left winger would have been my choices. I don't think Ferdinand and Shearer would have been a good combination to be honest. Too similar in their style of play.

Toss up between Schmiecal and Brad for No1 for me. With Brad in the goals we had a goal start.

You've just won the Premier League, you're in the Champions League when it actually was the Champions League. Everybody wants to come and play for you. You should be saying " Who are our two weakest players and who can we bring in to replace them ? So we sign a reserve winger ! It was hard to believe then and it's hard to believe now. Apart from letting the Chicken Chokers buy the club that was the biggest mistake we've made since we decided to sell Fred Pickering.

Give him time.

Yeah he was really crap. Like somebody who'd won a contest to play in a charity game. Pure dogshit.

Bruno Berner or Bell or Williams at left back ? Berner for me.

Mokoena looks like Patrick Viera compared with some of the wasters we've had. Lowe for one.

Their hearts weren't in the job.

It'd be easier saying which ones of Roy Boy's signing didn't under achieve ? Stephane Henchoz - that's it !

He played on the other wing that day. He looked ok but Gillespie was in another class. He missed his way without a doubt. If we're talking about players from other teams Paul Lake at 'City was in another class but permanently injured. Back in the day Doncaster had a forward called Alick Jeffrey. Everybody was watching him, then he broke his leg playing for England u-23's. It was a bad one so he called it a day and went out to Australia. Later on he came back to Donny, they repaid the insurance , and he started playing again. I saw him playing at Rochdale for Doncaster. I was stood by the railings when he came out near to me on the wing. As he got the ball three 'Dale players closed him down. Bish,bosh,bish and he was gone. Just like magic, his ball control and speed of foot from a standing start was amazing. A class act. Peter Knowles at Wolves was another. He was at the Matt Jansen level when he packed it all in to be a Jehovah's Witness ! Wolves kept his registration for the next ten years hoping he'd change his mind and start playing again but he never did. What a waste.

Sounds like the bell has tolled for KS Cracovia.

I went to a pre-season friendly years ago - Rochdale v Man Utd Reserves. They had all the kids playing , Beckham , Scholes, Butt, the Nevilles. Gillespie was head and shoulders better than all of them. He was unplayable that day. Real pace and he could go either way. He reminded me of George Best on a good day ! Eamon Rogers should have gone on to be an all time great at Rovers.

Eamon Rogers, Malcolm Darling. Dwight Yorke, Martin Dahlin.

Yes, and " Ask not for whom the bell tolls, it tolls for you ".

That's how I read it also.

Yes, I read that on holiday a couple of years ago. It's very good.

Anybody who wants to read the Robert Enke book, I'd be glad to post my copy to anyone interested FOC once this crisis is over and there's no danger of me passing anything on.