So â€” given the evident interest â€” I might as well put anyone who wants to know out of their misery. The rumour started on a website and was subsequently passed around by unscrupulous e-mailers, then published by even more unscrupulous football web sites. The rumour stated that Victoria Beckham was about to leave her husband as he was having an affair with Michael Owen's sister. The e-mail claimed that the information was from a certain red-topped Sunday newspaper's sports writer and was a cast iron fact. It is of course, absolute nonsense so I wouldn't concern yourself with it.
After much searching and a bit of luck, I've found out what the rumour is. I can't post it here as I don't fancy being sued by the Beckhams, I really want to give you all a teaserâ€¦ I don't know how far I can go without being taken to court. Maybe I've gone too far already.
OK, so just out of curiosity I check my visitor logs. Then I find that in the last 3 hours more people visited all things footie than in the previous two days. A quick examination of the referrers and I realise that nearly every visitor today has come â€” via google or yahoo â€” looking for the details of a scurrilous rumour circulating about David Beckham.
Some would say that by titling this post â€˜David Beckham Malicious Rumoursâ€™, and mentioning it again then, I am just trying to trick in even more visitors. Though those people would be right in part, I really want to know what this rumour is. The only details I can find are that a web-site started a rumour, it's been circulated by e-mail and furiously denied by the Beckhams.
The information has now been removed from the offending website and the Beckhams have said that â€˜no publication of these rumours should be madeâ€™ [details here].
For football analysts, Ole Gunnar Solkjaer introduced a new (and seemingly legal) method of getting rid of that pesky last defender â€” just knock him out. It doesn't seem to work with the roles reversed though, Sol Campbell got sent off for moving within a yard of Augustin Delgado; maybe he should just have punched him?
I've always wondered if the â€˜last manâ€™ rule is fair on defenders, I don't see why there isn't an equivalent rule for forwards. In principle, surely creatingÂ a goalscoringÂ opportunity by breaking the rules is just as influential on the outcome of a match as denying one? So why not make a foul by an attacking player â€” which would result in them being through on goal â€” a straight red card?
I'd love to see the â€œRoy Keane : As I See Itâ€� DVD. The problem is I don't think I could sit through 75 minutes of sycophantic questioning, egotistical nonsense and the unconvincingly painted picture that this thug is anything but a man who can do no wrong. He's always been a disgrace to the game; setting out to hurt players and letting down teammates, managers, fans and countries.
The Prince Phillip â€˜foot in mouthâ€™ award this week goes to Clive Tyldesley. Who when commentating on Facundo Sava's masked celebration â€” which culminated in the player giving his mask to a fan of Eastern descent â€” remarked;
â€œHe's come all the way from Japan and he's going back with a mask!â€�
With Arsenal brushing aside a team â€” whose name has escaped me all weekend â€” without so much as a flinch, they flew back to the top of the Premiership. As far as I'm concerned Arsenal are the best team I've seen so far this season, certainly in the Premiership and possibly in Europe. With all due respect to Liverpool, I really can't work out how they've been top of the League for 6 weeks.
I wont be the only person this week who simply despairs at Mike Riley's utter incompetence as a referee. Looking at the red/yellow card â€˜league tableâ€™, is anyone else surprised to see that Riley and Andy Dâ€™Urso have the dubious honour of being top. I wouldn't inflict their bungling on the football league, they'd be murdered if they attempted to â€˜controlâ€™ a Sunday League match with the same attitude. If I were as bad at my job as they are at theirs I wouldn't be going to work tomorrow.
â€œGraham Taylor's got more strikers than the fire brigade.â€�
And on days like these you have to say he had a point â€” and it was probably a bit harsh calling him a c*nt.
The requisite derby day nutter circulated â€” clad in an awful 20 year old City away shirt â€” shouting a selection of choice comments at various punters adorned in red. It was half time before I realised that it was actually this seasons away shirt.
Rio Ferdinand is a very good player, I think he was a little overhyped at the World Cup, but good none the less. He cannot however, carry three weak players. Although he usually has one terrific moment on astuteness each game, Laurent Blanc is far too slow of feet and wits to manage the pace of the Premiership. Michael Silvestre's shockingly naÃ¯ve defending isn't worth the one surge forward a game he offers in return. Finally there's poor Gary and Phil Neville. I'm sure they're lovely blokes and yes, Gary is Beckham's best mate, but can we get it clear once and for all that neither are â€” or ever have been â€” better than very, very average.
Secondly, I've decided there's going to be a few changes at all things footie. For a start I'm scrapping team of the week and the weekly awards. It's been getting more and more infrequent over the last month so it's now officially knocked on the head. I've also decided that there will be less of a match report/summary feel about the site. I'm going to try and concentrate on things that make me particularly mad/happy in the world of football â€” and there are enough of those to keep me going for some time.
On to a few of those things now. I'm sorry to hear about the resignation of Adam Crozier, someone who I had a lot of time for â€” unusual for an official of that shambolic, disorganised mess they call the English Football Association. Though he was holding a thoroughly untenable position â€” when 20 out of 20 Premiership Chairmen don't like you, you know your days are numbered â€” but he's done an excellent job over the last few years and deserves some credit.
From having the courage to appoint Sven (who, for all his faults, is infinitely preferable to Kevin Keegan) to setting up the national football academy in Burton; lets not forget who started the modernisation of English football. Now Geoff Thompson â€” he's the old fool holding the organisation back, but the spineless duffer knows there'll be one less bed in the rest home if he leaves.
[paraphrased] â€œArsenal played Dortmund a few years ago in a friendly and lost one nil. Do you know who was in goal thenâ€¦ Oh yes, David Seaman! There's clearly a Jinx.â€�
Just one more thing. Go on Wayne Rooney â€” you're better than Michael Owen. I thought there was a bit too much hype for a 16 year old before the season but I'm really looking forward to seeing this kid play for England.
So â€” given the evident interest â€” I might as well put anyone who wants to know out of their misery. The rumour started on a website and was subsequently passed around by unscrupulous e-mailers, then published by even more unscrupulous football web sites. The rumour stated that Victoria Beckham was about to leave her husband as he was having an affair with Michael Owen's sister. The e-mail claimed that the information was from a certain red-topped Sunday newspaper's sports writer and was a cast iron fact. It is of course, absolute nonsense so I wouldn't concern yourself with it.
After much searching and a bit of luck, I've found out what the rumour is. I can't post it here as I don't fancy being sued by the Beckhams, I really want to give you all a teaserâ€¦ I don't know how far I can go without being taken to court. Maybe I've gone too far already.
OK, so just out of curiosity I check my visitor logs. Then I find that in the last 3 hours more people visited all things footie than in the previous two days. A quick examination of the referrers and I realise that nearly every visitor today has come â€” via google or yahoo â€” looking for the details of a scurrilous rumour circulating about David Beckham.
Some would say that by titling this post â€˜David Beckham Malicious Rumoursâ€™, and mentioning it again then, I am just trying to trick in even more visitors. Though those people would be right in part, I really want to know what this rumour is. The only details I can find are that a web-site started a rumour, it's been circulated by e-mail and furiously denied by the Beckhams.
The information has now been removed from the offending website and the Beckhams have said that â€˜no publication of these rumours should be madeâ€™ [details here].
For football analysts, Ole Gunnar Solkjaer introduced a new (and seemingly legal) method of getting rid of that pesky last defender â€” just knock him out. It doesn't seem to work with the roles reversed though, Sol Campbell got sent off for moving within a yard of Augustin Delgado; maybe he should just have punched him?
I've always wondered if the â€˜last manâ€™ rule is fair on defenders, I don't see why there isn't an equivalent rule for forwards. In principle, surely creatingÂ a goalscoringÂ opportunity by breaking the rules is just as influential on the outcome of a match as denying one? So why not make a foul by an attacking player â€” which would result in them being through on goal â€” a straight red card?
I'd love to see the â€œRoy Keane : As I See Itâ€� DVD. The problem is I don't think I could sit through 75 minutes of sycophantic questioning, egotistical nonsense and the unconvincingly painted picture that this thug is anything but a man who can do no wrong. He's always been a disgrace to the game; setting out to hurt players and letting down teammates, managers, fans and countries.
The Prince Phillip â€˜foot in mouthâ€™ award this week goes to Clive Tyldesley. Who when commentating on Facundo Sava's masked celebration â€” which culminated in the player giving his mask to a fan of Eastern descent â€” remarked;
â€œHe's come all the way from Japan and he's going back with a mask!â€�
With Arsenal brushing aside a team â€” whose name has escaped me all weekend â€” without so much as a flinch, they flew back to the top of the Premiership. As far as I'm concerned Arsenal are the best team I've seen so far this season, certainly in the Premiership and pos
sibly in Europe. With all due respect to Liverpool, I really can't work out how they've been top of the League for 6 weeks.
I wont be the only person this week who simply despairs at Mike Riley's utter incompetence as a referee. Looking at the red/yellow card â€˜league tableâ€™, is anyone else surprised to see that Riley and Andy Dâ€™Urso have the dubious honour of being top. I wouldn't inflict their bungling on the football league, they'd be murdered if they attempted to â€˜controlâ€™ a Sunday League match with the same attitude. If I were as bad at my job as they are at theirs I wouldn't be going to work tomorrow.
â€œGraham Taylor's got more strikers than the fire brigade.â€�
And on days like these you have to say he had a point â€” and it was probably a bit harsh calling him a c*nt.
The requisite derby day nutter circulated â€” clad in an awful 20 year old City away shirt â€” shouting a selection of choice comments at various punters adorned in red. It was half time before I realised that it was actually this seasons away shirt.
Rio Ferdinand is a very good player, I think he was a little overhyped at the World Cup, but good none the less. He cannot however, carry three weak players. Although he usually has one terrific moment on astuteness each game, Laurent Blanc is far too slow of feet and wits to manage the pace of the Premiership. Michael Silvestre's shockingly naÃ¯ve defending isn't worth the one surge forward a game he offers in return. Finally there's poor Gary and Phil Neville. I'm sure they're lovely blokes and yes, Gary is Beckham's best mate, but can we get it clear once and for all that neither are â€” or ever have been â€” better than very, very average.
Secondly, I've decided there's going to be a few changes at all things footie. For a start I'm scrapping team of the week and the weekly awards. It's been getting more and more infrequent over the last month so it's now officially knocked on the head. I've also decided that there will be less of a match report/summary feel about the site. I'm going to try and concentrate on things that make me particularly mad/happy in the world of football â€” and there are enough of those to keep me going for some time.
On to a few of those things now. I'm sorry to hear about the resignation of Adam Crozier, someone who I had a lot of time for â€” unusual for an official of that shambolic, disorganised mess they call the English Football Association. Though he was holding a thoroughly untenable position â€” when 20 out of 20 Premiership Chairmen don't like you, you know your days are numbered â€” but he's done an excellent job over the last few years and deserves some credit.
From having the courage to appoint Sven (who, for all his faults, is infinitely preferable to Kevin Keegan) to setting up the national football academy in Burton; lets not forget who started the modernisation of English football. Now Geoff Thompson â€” he's the old fool holding the organisation back, but the spineless duffer knows there'll be one less bed in the rest home if he leaves.
[paraphrased] â€œArsenal played Dortmund a few years ago in a friendly and lost one nil. Do you know who was in goal thenâ€¦ Oh yes, David Seaman! There's clearly a Jinx.â€�
Just one more thing. Go on Wayne Rooney â€” you're better than Michael Owen. I thought there was a bit too much hype for a 16 year old before the season but I'm really looking forward to seeing this kid play for England.