1/10/1983

I started going in 1983. For the first 25 years of watching football this goal would never, ever have been questioned.

Where the Arena stands was the original choice when we left Olive Grove, but the Secretary of the club allegedly ‘dawdled’ in the purchase (or never wanted to move there in the first place.) As a consequence, the land was already sold and where we are now was bought as second choice.

Well, I for one will be going as I’m taking the kids. It’s a chance for making precious memories and to give support to our brilliant youngsters on the pitch. We don’t get many chances to go, so I can’t pass it up; by the time the game comes around we’ll have only seen us against Stoke, Leeds, Swansea and Bristol City this season. So, as I say, not too many chances to go. (Also, I need the TPP and it’s a free country and no one’s gonna tell me what to do.) Just don’t be angry with me! In all seriousness, stay away. Save your money. And spend like Fat Americans on Burger King Coupon Day when we get a new owner!

On my first morning in NYC in August 2015, saw a fellow wearing a Wednesday home shirt within two minutes of walking into Central Park. Said, ‘Up the Owls,’ to him. He asked how did I know Wednesday? An hour later, wife and son asking ‘politely’ if we could get on seeing the sights… The opposite, however… ….June 1993, in a small supermarket in Brindisi, stocking up on drinks and snacks for the overnight ferry to Patras. Wearing my Wednesday away shirt. Turned the corner at the end of the aisle, only to pretty much bump into two blokes, one wearing a Piggy shirt and the other an Arsenal shirt. They were on the same ferry as us. A long night. They had more balloons, apparently…

Going by the statement released a few days ago; if the North is not open, the club will NOT organise re-seating everybody or send out tickets. You will be expected to go online and sort it out yourselves.

In regard to the ‘£100m’ figure that’s floating about… I went to look up the sale of Birmingham City in Summer 2023. It was a complicated deal with a lot of detail difficult to get hold of, particularly how much debt the new owners took on, but the following points are an interesting comparison with us: the new owners bought about 45% share and only handed over around £6m the deal did include full ownership of St Andrew’s and training facilities the overall ‘value’ of the club was said to be around £22m We can’t be worth much more than that. I know the football finance expert (Maguire?) has said a value for us of around £40m. Given this summer’s desperate asset stripping, we cannot be worth more than £40m with Hillsborough included.

It says North Stand STH will be able to ‘select’ seats as easily as possible. I don’t think you’re going to be refunded and/or recharged, but You’re very unlikely to get a comparable view. Unless you act very quickly, you’re very unlikely to sit with some/all the people you go with. Those who, although able bodied, have chosen North seats low down, are being ignored. The restricted view Kop seats seem to be part of the club’s solution, which is very unfair. and finally, you’re going have to sort it out yourself, game by game. You do the work. This is farcical from the club, and the chances that the North is open for Stoke have got to be well below 10%.

I’ve always been an advocate that Hillsborough is too expensive/not worth refurbing, but I would be in favour of a new replica (with proper promenade concourses) in a new location (except the West Stand - no need to copy it, and to do so would be in bad taste.) Certainly you could directly recreate the look of both North and South stands, with something similar to Spurs or Everton in place of the Kop. I recognise, to paraphrase Apollo 13, that I’m rattling on about problem 2,357, when we’ve not yet solved problem one (person one,) but it’s nice to dream…

Quite right. It was Coventry City!

This was near the start of a three to four month spell where, for the only time in my life, I think we were the best team in the country. Just too many games and too many injuries caught up with us, sadly.

I think I have weird ‘taste’ in opposition footballers. Never go for the stars, really. My first ever favourite player was Steve Coppell. When we were big rivals with Chelsea in the mid 80s, I always thought we’d be better with any of Nevin, Spackman or Speedie in our team. Especially Speedie, who I always admired for cheerfully taking dog’s abuse from the Kop. I suppose Southall and Lineker were genuine stars that I thought were great. Paul Bracewell was brilliant, too. David Rocastle was born twenty years too early (and gone far too soon.) Dennis Irwin is the only Man U player other than Coppell. Also loved players who clearly worked so hard to squeeze everything out of themselves, like David Platt and, especially, Teddy Sheringham. Today, much as I don’t really ‘like’ football that much anymore, I like Eze and Joelinton in the League Cup Final was a revelation. Rambling over.

No way Wrexham are finishing above Brum, either.

Mets fan here. I’d be surprised if Cohen was looking to buy us. Yes, he bought the Mets and has spent big time on them, but he’s a baseball nut and Mets mad. He didn’t buy them to build his sports portfolio; he bought onto his passion. However, fingers crossed that, however unlikely, it’s true. At the Mets he splashed out hundreds of millions on big contracts for big name (but old) pitchers. It didn’t really work out. He hired a big name veteran manager. That didn’t really work out either. He smashed through the Luxury tax payroll barrier and said he’d pay the inevitable fines. He’d be pretty sure to find a way around PSR rules. He now has a sharp, on the rise manager and a Head of Baseball Operations who is about the best in the business. The Mets (who have often been the punchline to many jokes about how not to run a baseball team - look up Bobby Bonilla day) are now hungry and extremely well run and look set to compete at the top sustainably. Cohen is ruthless and demands success. He would hire top people to get it done. Also, and this is key; The Mets fan experience, although pricey, is second to none. I’ve been to half a dozen games at Citi Field and everything is light years ahead of Hillsborough; food, merchandise, sight lines, concourse, toilets, everything. Hope it’s true!

If you had been able to put Francis’ team in Atkinson’s hands we might well have won a league title. Definitely a couple of cups.

Having been to both, I’d choose Vancouver over LA and it wouldn’t be close. LA is now a burning hot hellhole - hated (most) of it. Loved Vancouver. Only issue is tax and just how expensive BC is. I’d guess cost of living is less of a concern for a pro-athlete.