Double Standards!

Our local M.Ps., you know those people who are always urging us to save money. You know what I mean, they tell us we can only have a 1% rise and we must conserve energy and cut our C.O.2 emissions by at least 25%, are now proposing to give themselves a rise. They are already in the best paid part-time job in the world. The minimum earners receive £43,000 per annum and they're talking, not about the 1% that the rest of us got, no they want £5,000 more per year. Now my mathematics aren't brilliant, but even I, with my Ballymena Boys education, know that's at least a 10% rise, good work if you can get it. What has this to do with football I hear you ask (well I don't really hear you ask, it's just blogging speech),well I'll tell you. Linfield are apparently up in arms about Glentoran's intention to raise admission charges for the Boxing day derby by a cool 20%, citing the high cost of security, that would equate to a charge of £12 instead of the normal £10. Let me say here immediately that I'm against this type of 'fleecing' of loyal fans, by raising the admission charges for a one-off match and blaming it on security cover. But and I emphasis the word 'but', I think Linfield are on somewhat shaky ground in their condemnation of it. When three years ago, clubs like our own were charging £8 maximum admission, Linfield were already charging visiting fans £10, which meant it was 25% above the normal price. Their fans, are even talking about a 'boycott' because of the proposed charge, but they have been paying over the odds at their own ground for years and we've not had a single protest out of them. Come on Blues fans, get a life, if you have to pay a couple of pounds more for peace of mind, surely it's worth it, would you really want to miss the 'biggest' game of the year. Okay I exaggerated there a wee bit, it's the 2nd biggest game of the year, the 'biggest' takes place at Coleraine Showgrounds on Boxing day. Now if them 'scum' decided to up the admission fee for their dump of a ground, I can tell you there's be hell to pay for sure, too bloody right there would!

Handy Henry!

Just thought that as last night was such a momentous night I might as well give my thoughts on the big incident. So what's the big deal? Some French c--t, handed a ball during a football match. The referee and the linesman didn't see it, what the fcuk is so new about that. Go to any Irish league (well any involving Ballymena)and you can witness the referee, both linesmen and the 4th official, pull our players and our manager up for minor or imaginary infringements, while ignoring blatant indiscretions by opposing players and managers. Anybody who's being honest (is there such a thing as an honest footballer), anybody who played the game at any level, would tell you that handing the ball is as natural as kicking it. Did Thierry intend to hand the ball as it was played to him, I think not. I believe as the ball came to him he realised it was going to be difficult to control and he just helped it along with his hand. So if he didn't intend to hand it, it wasn't a deliberate hand-ball and therefore in that context the goal has to stand. Anyway there was a precedent for what happened, the Republic of Ireland (know as the free state in Ulster), play their games at the headquarters of the Gaelic Athletic Association's ground, Croke Park, where it's they're not only allowed to hand the ball, it's definitely encouraged, so maybe Thierry was confused, maybe he thought it was Gaelic football match, not for the whole of the 120 minutes I grant you, just for that few seconds when he so skilfully set up William Gallas to knock the gypsies out of the world cup (sorry I'm positively gloating now). Never mind Henry setting the goal up, how ironic was it that the goal that clinched victory for a team playing in blue, was scored by someone called William!

Jumping Jacks!

Okay I admit it, I'm old enough to remember 'Jumping Jacks', for the uninitiated, 'Jumping Jacks' were fireworks (known to us from the 'high country' as squibs), which you lit and they jumped and banged. The usual ploy was to let them off around the lassies and they would then behave like the 'Jumping Jacks', I tell you it was 'guid gutty'. This is of course was in the good old days when boys were boys and the girls were glad of it and you could buy and let off fireworks till your hearts content. Nowadays we're better educated and realise how dangerous these shenanigans can be. The I.F.A. on the other hand still haven't learned the lesson and continue to make mistake after mistake. The latest of course is the 'pay-off' to our former chief-executive, a six figure sum we are told, in other words somewhere between £100,000 and £999,999. This is from an organisation who admit to being on their uppers and we are led to believe took legal advice before sacking the Chief-exec. One would assume then that this is the lesser of two evils and if they had paid him off legally and above board it would have cost them a whole lot more. Is there then I ask myself no limit to the depths of 'stupidity' the I.F.A. will sink. This is the same (okay the personnel have changed but their still basically the same), organisation who entered into a 100 year agreement with Linfield for the use of Windsor Park back in the enlightened eighties. I can only imagine that they signed the chief-exec with a guarantee of at least a one and a half Million pounds golden handshake. The majority of Irish league fans are of the opinion that 'Goodie bags' are distributed every year by Linfield as a thank-you for the signing of their contract, so I wonder what they get off Howard for giving him his? The I.F.A. are behaving like 'Jumping Jacks', frittering their/our money away and dancing to somebody-else's tune. Surely it's time to put a stop to this gravy train, it has gone on far too long, but enough is enough!

Amost There!

As we near the halfway point in the premier league, 16 games played, 17 games to play before the 'split', I thought I'd just have a wee look at out statistics. Of the 16 games we've played so far, we've won 7 and lost 9, scored 21 goals and conceded 22 and are in 7th position in the table with 21 points. We are 'poised' so to speak, exactly 10 points behind the 2nd placed teams, Crues and the Glens (both of whom we've beaten once and lost to once) and ten points above the relegation play-off team. Our next three league games will in my opinion decide whether we are an 'up and coming' side or just one of the also-rans. Unlike last year we have scored a few goals, but in my opinion are still conceding too many and that needs to be sorted. Manager Walker has been quoted as saying that he will not dip into the transfer market in the January sales but will still be trying to unload one or two misfits, all I can say is, good luck. Dwayne Nelson is first choice keeper at present, with young Sean O'Neill waiting patiently in the wings, while in Mike Smith and Lee Colligan we have our best fullback partnership since Marco and Boydie. These two and our central defensive pair, Archie Stewart and Chris Ramsay make for our youngest ever back four I think. We have three central defenders on long term injury, so maybe if we can get them fit we'll have real competition for places at the back. Midfield is pretty sewn up at present and its a case of about eight guys vying for four and sometimes only three places. We even have a wee bit of competition for the striking role for a change, with Nathan McConnell, now vying with Andy Smith and Kevin Kelbie for that position, while young Paul McNeil is lurking in the background. Things are indeed looking up, but and I emphasis the word 'but', things can change very quickly. Roy Walker says he's equal to the task, for the fate of our wee team, I hope he's right!