Freddies Football Faux Pas

Newcastle Uniteds Chairman Freddie Shepherd was caught on a mobile video phone by an enterprising bunch of Liverpool fans, with a less than complimentary comment about Michael Owen. This video is now doing the rounds on Youtube (140,000 views in 3 days) and is a Classic F**k up which will hardly endear him to Owen.

Outrageous Football Skills

The agony of Football Relegation

"When our fans stopped singing we knew Oldham were beating Southampton. You realise out on the pitch that you're doomed." Geoff Thomas, Crystal Palace talking about relegation in 1993.

I have experienced relegation with Charlton and it's a terrible thing. I felt the expectation and disappointment of the fans and really do feel that you are letting a lot of people down.

Adrian Chiles (A West Brom Fan and Match of the Day 2 presenter) wrote from a fans point of view in Four Four Two Magazine, that it is the hope that kills you. Quote "All last season I was dreading going down but when it finally happened I was a new man. It's the hope that kills you"

I suppose once you are relegated you make peace with the fact and move on. Football fans being the ultimate optimists that they are.

Read More from the Guardian Article

Turning down £15,000 a week!

I get a lot of Emails from people who are suffering or believe they are suffering from Chronic Fatigue Syndrome.

I was struck down with this illness in 2000 at the height of my professional Football career. For anyone who is looking for a reference point for CFS I would suggest reading the article about the problems I had, including how it affected the end of my football career.

Nearly 6 Years after being diagnosed I am unable to resume even a semi-professional career in football and I am still trying to persuade my insurance company to recognise that this caused the end of my career, and to finally pay me. I wish they were as quick at settling claims as they are at accepting premiums!!!

At the time I was in my last year of my contract and negotiations had started to sign a new contract with Charlton that would have been worth in excess of £10,000/week and possibly as much as £15,000/week, an astronomical figure when I look back now, although in the year 2007 this probably isn't even the average salary of a premier league footballer.

I could have signed the new contract and sat on it for the next 2/3 years while I tried to recover from CFS. You cannot imagine how difficult a decision this was to make. Money vs my health. I suspect many players have taken the money option, and I played with a few who seemed to spend rather too much time off the football field than on it. However I knew something was wrong so I decided to opt for the (arguably) harder option, which was to change my lifestyle and take a total rest from Football. Of course this meant giving up my career at my peak, but no job is worth your health. Even if it is for £15,000/week.

Here is the link : http://escribbler.blogspot.com/2005/11/what-is-chronic-fatigue-syndrome.html

Thanks for the Football memories - West Brom 1992/1993 Play Off Squad

http://icbirmingham.icnetwork.co.uk/mail/albion/tm_headline=albion-s-1993-play-off-side-revisited%26method=full%26objectid=19088068%26siteid=50002-name_page.html

For all Baggies fans this is a nice summary and trip down memory lane of the Play Off final squad.

West Bromwich Albion Football Club v Wolverhampton Wanderers - Football Play Off Finals 2006/2007

West Brom v Wolves in the Play offs. I played in a few of these local derbies and really wish I was there for this one. Good luck to West Bromwich Albion Football Club, my old Team. I was playing for West Brom in 1992/93 in the play offs when we were promoted from the old division 2 in the Play Off final at Wembley Stadium. (heading to Wembley in 1992/93 - my story).

I remember how nervous we all were then but to be up against their long time arch rivals in the play offs is doubly cruel for all concerned.

2006/2007 Championship Play off Review.

And commiserations to Charlton Athletic Football Club (another of my old teams) on being relegated from the Premier League. A big blow I am sure to the Club. Pardew is obviously used to life in the Championship and knows his way around that division very well, so they will be hot favourites to return.

Myself scoring at Wembley Stadium in 1993 for West Bromwich Albion Football Club v Port Vale

100 Milliseconds to Save a Football Penalty?

Pepe Reinas saves in the penalty shoot out against Chelsea in the Semi Finals of the Champions League were impressive especially when you consider that a goalkeeper has 100 milliseconds to make his decision. According to Professor Tom Reilly (Professor of Sports Science at Liverpool John Moore University) the ball takes 600 milliseconds to travel from the penalty spot to the goal line, leaving a goalkeeper a mere 100 milliseconds to choose his direction. Most Penalty takers would choose their spot before approaching the kick, unless of course you are in the class of Eric Cantona who seemed to have an uncanny knack of sending the goalkeeper the wrong way.

Looks like this goalkeeper could do with some hints from Reina....