Unwanted Visitors

With ticket pricing in the news again a real set to started on twitter with fans of various clubs, journalists, fan organisations and fanzines all having their say on the issue of ticket pricing. Sadly much of the debate with fans sinks to two trains of thought. One driven by partisanship where fans are happy to criticise other clubs, but see little fault in their own club.  The other prevalent train of thought seems to be "well I can afford it so what is the problem if some cannot?". This again misses the point and seems symptomatic of an increasingly selfish wider society, where it is all about "me" and balls to everyone else. A survival of the shittiest, if you will.

My piece on Huddersfield fans boycotting Bramall Lane last season, over the prices being charged by for a League One match, caused a bit of debate at the time. My point then was that it needed a concerted national focus on ticket prices and discretionary pricing on the back of the cases being highlighted. As much as there were elements of the Huddersfield boycott to be admired, their fans seemed to direct ire personally at Sheffield United whilst remaining oblivious to their own club doing exactly the same to other clubs (United included); albeit with marginally lower prices.

Nothing has changed in my view. The FSF and other fan organisations need to ride off the back of the current media storm and push the authorities for controls and caps to be in place. This has to be at all levels, not just the Premier League, regardless of whether this creates problems for clubs lower down the leagues. How can Alfreton Town charge £18 for Blue Sq Premier League football? Obviously, the Premier League are in a much better position to absorb these reduction; as the FSF Chairman Malcolm Clarke pointed out last week, the new Premier League TV deal would allow clubs to reduce existing prices by an average of £30 per ticket.

Whilst many focus on the generic issue of high prices for all fans; after all you cannot charge away fans more than a home ticket in an equivalent part of the stadium, others focus on the price discrimination in play with game categorisation and the added difficulties of the away fan, the debate set me thinking on a different track - whether football clubs really want away fans in their stadiums at all?

In some ways it seems like a vaguely romantic notion that clubs would see the benefits of away support; the thrilling atmosphere of fans chanting support for their team, shouting down the opposition, generating a buzz and a visceral roar to the game. Two sets of fans going verbally head to head in a to and fro of songs and chants is an integral part of going to the match. Yet, with a few exceptions, is this becoming a thing of the past?

Maybe I notice it more as clubs come to Bramall Lane with away support proportionate to their home attendances; dwarfed by empty red seats around them and 18,000 fans in the other three sides. But switch on Match of the Day or Super Sunday and you will see it in the upper echelons of the game. How many clubs sell all their away tickets, how many times can you hear the away fans chanting in and amongst the home support. How often is a match played out to the sound of Martin Tyler and Gary Neville and little else, aside from moments of goalmouth action?

Are the clubs bothered? Are the TV executives bothered? When the Premier League started and ticket prices were more affordable there were empty seats, what is there incentive to do anything about it?  You could even see them sticking on a pre-recorded tape of crowd noise, who in the millions of Sky subscribers, those that seemingly matter most these days, would notice? They seemingly aren't botheredabout empty seats, the only people who are bothered are opposition fans who have another verbal stick to attack the opposition with.

Having given it a bit of thought over the last week I can see why clubs might want to minimise away support. At first I thought the theories set out below might only benefit clubs in the Premier League, where capacity is reached and demand for tickets outstrips supply, yet some could still be applied to Football League clubs and maybe the increase in costs for handling away supporters outstrips the often minimal uplift in turnover from them being there?

Financial benefits of selling those seats to home fans

Obviously there are segregation issues to address and this is not always straight forward depending upon ground design, access routes etc. but if tickets are returned and sold to home supporters there could be a significant financial uplift for the club.

With tickets priced between £30 and £65 the cost of attending as an away fan could be anywhere between £100 and £200 depending upont ravel costs, food and drink, programme etc. In most cases the home fans have much lower additional costs of attending and more likely/comfortable to spend that on a ticket.

Certainly at the larger Premier league clubs, where there are more members than seats and limits on match-day availability the lack of opportunities to see their team will encourage the casual fan to look past the ticket price. After all, it is not like they are spending this amount week in, week out.

Additional discretionary spend

Money made from other discretionary spend  should increase as well. Firstly as a home fan there is a greater willingness to spend money at your club on food and drink for example. Then there is the additional spend in other club concessions and the club shop. Granted not every additional home fan will do this, but whatever proportion does, it is all additional income the club wouldn’t have had with away fans in those seats.

Sale of alcohol to away fans vs. home fans

Some grounds still impose a ban on the sale of alcohol to away fans. Obviously this will be relaxed if home fans take up the seats. Again it is a marginal financial benefit, but it is still additional profit.

Cost of policing and stewarding?

The greater the away support; the greater the costs incurred. Policing bills increase with increased resources deployed to maintain segregation and control outside the ground. The clubs' stewarding contractors will charge more for managing and maintaining safety in the ground. For the same sized crowd, the stewarding requirements will increase, the higher the proportion of away fans.

Partisan atmosphere

It could be argued that minimising the number of away supporters gives the home team an edge. Many clubs already try to marginalise the impact of away support; usually by placing them in a distant part of the stadium and making them barely seen or heard - take the rafters of St James' Park as an example.

The Premier League has said that it will encourage clubs to bring in new incentives to encourage away fans but will not intervene directly over ticket prices. There have been calls for a cap on the amounts clubs are charging away fans - particularly where the categorisation of matches is in place - but the league insists tickets are a matter for individual clubs. Yet again complete avoidance of the issue.

There have been various proposals put forward on the ticket price issue, many focusing on the problem for away supporters. One suggestion was that coaches should be subsidised for travelling fans, a laudable suggestion to some and the kind of incentive the Premier League were clearly angling for; but the cynic in me sees it differently.

Not all fans want to travel by coach, be held at service stations, be deposited next to the ground close to kick off, without the chance to explore a town/city and have a choice over where they eat and drink beforehand. This kind of suggestion just plays into the authorities' hands. We have already seen examples of "coach bubble" tactics from police,where fans have to buy joint match and coach tickets, and must travel to their home ground for a journey, escorted by police to the stadium. This has been used for high profile games, where they see a risk of violence, but this is hardly going to discourage them from making its use more widespread. At times it is the clubs as much as the police that are advocating such controls.

Yet again, what is proposed as a solution ends up being a punishment for the majority and reduces their civil liberties. Add in legislation that means that you can’t drink in a mini bus or coach going to or from a ground, it adds little to the supporter experience. Meanwhile, for those who arrive by train, it’s not unusual to be met off the train by police,corralled to a local pub and effectively made to stay there until shortly before kick-off.

I, as a shirt wearing fan, have been told where I will drink, not been allowed to leave for the ground well ahead of kick off and then been escorted there (arriving as the match kicked off), all the while having police dogs straining on the leash and cameras trained on us. Away fans are the enemy treated with contempt and suspicion, with no attempt to recognise the differences amongst them. So what if they miss a few minutes of the game.

I accept that there are some clubs taking positive steps and a look at the site of The Fan Experience Company http://bradleyprojects.com/blog.php?id=5 highlights interesting and welcome initiatives from Brighton, Cardiff and AstonVilla.

As an example; Cardiff addressed explored each visiting fantouch point with all of the key club representatives involved (including the Safety Advisory Committee, stewards, police, fans and those responsible for the away fan experience within the club itself), unravelled it and effectively re-engineered it. Yet the irony in Cardiff’s stance in trying to make visiting fans more welcome is that their away support can sometimes suffer from restrictions on their travel and allocations. I heard recently of potential issues they face going to Leeds, whereby restrictions on ticket collection and an early kick off are being imposed, with a threat of tickets being withheld otherwise.

The initiatives mentioned above have reduced instances of crowd trouble and increased pre-match revenues from away supporters, yet they are the exception rather than the rule. They will remain the exception unless the mind-sets of those running the game change. Talking about the Manchester City game Arsene Wenger commented;

"I am really worried they are high for our supporters.For the visitors, it only happens once a year, so that is less of a concern. We sell out our games, but ideally you want ticket prices to be affordable to everybody. It is a very delicate subject." You can argue that he is focusing on his club and the specifics of the ticket price furore and also that he is not in a position to influence club policy, but if that self-serving attitude pervades the whole of the football club that has to be a concern. As long as our fans are okay, we don't care about the rest.

The game of football has devalued away fans for many years; demonised by the authorities, treated like second class citizens by clubs, police and stewards, their football watching made more difficult by television schedules and prohibitive costs, and all without a second thought. Not all of this is driven by the clubs, but they are complicit in it happening. Away fans are a vital component of a British football match, more so than in other countries and aided by geography and a culture of travelling support. It seems at the minute that host clubs have only a little interest in their well-being or experience. There may come a point in the near future where they don't care for them at all.

Interview with Jamie Hoyland - Part 1 (Changing Cities)

It was just under three hours before kick-off in the Steel City Derby at Hillsborough. Perched on a seat across town at the Copthorne Hotel, Bramall Lane I was chatting with a former Blades player and fan who knows all about the ups and downs of supporting the Blades and Steel City Showdowns.

Jamie Hoyland (@HoylandJamie) was a second generation Blades player, following in the footsteps of his father Tommy, who spent 12 years with United from the late 1940's onwards. He grew up not far from Bramall Lane, spent match-day on the terraces and as a ball boy pitch-side. Then, later in his professional football career, he pulled on a red and white striped shirt, spending four years at the Lane as a player.

Like me, he was heading across town to watch the Derby, a thankful guest of the BBC Late Kick Off programme. Unlike me, he was slightly worried about restraining his emotion and natural passion for the Blades, having to spend the duration of the match in the Wednesday press-box alongside fellow TV guest and ex-Owl David Hirst.

Before heading over to the wrong side of town, Jamie told me a bit about his career, taking in Manchester City, Bury, Burnley, Bristol City, Carlisle and Scarborough as well as his beloved Blades. We also chatted about his coaching career, Jamie now coaches the Preston academy, and a tough physical challenge he has set himself to raise money for friend and former team-mate Gary Parkinson.

Given your Dad's career, was a football career something you had set your heart on from an early age? Did you have an alternative?

It was always football, but with my Dad being at United, it was never going to be Bramall Lane where I started off. I was always going to be in his shadow. Even when I came back to United at 24, I was always “Son of..” and my nickname was Tommy.

I remember it as a kid, we had a family discussion with my elder brother Andrew, and it was agreed that it would be better if we looked away from Sheffield for a club. We had moved into the pub then (The Sheldon on Hill Street), which was a quarter of a mile from the ground. I had been a supporter here, a ball boy here, I’d done everything and it was time to move away and do it somewhere else. So I ended up going to Manchester City.

It was Throstles (a Sheffield junior league side) that you played for as a kid wasn’t it? How did the interest from Manchester City come about? Were they scouting over here?

Yes it was Throstles. The City interest came about thanks to John Beresford’s dad, the late John Senior, he finished up scouting a bit for Man City. I’d been to a few clubs and he took me and John Junior over there and it all went from there. It was an absolutely fantastic club to sign for and I couldn’t wait to get over to Maine Road.

Sadly you were hit with a bad injury early on in your career.

I made my debut when I was 17, I was a centre forward back then, everything was going right. I scored on my debut, then I played a few more before I drifted out of the team. I then got back in to the team, but was moved back to centre half. They then chucked me back in at centre forward for the promotion season.

We played Oldham and a lad called Gary Hoolickin smashed me from behind on my left knee and it triggered things off. I got back from that injury and my other knee went, it was a catalogue of injuries. At 20 I went in to see Billy McNeill about getting another contract sorted out and he told me I was being released. You could have knocked me over with a feather, I thought I was going to be at Man City til I’m sixty!

With young players who have shown potential but have suffered with injuries they tend to give them another short term contract to allow them time to try again. I can think of one or two examples at United in recent years, Connor Brown for example.

Oh no, there was none of that at all. It was there you go, you’ve got to sort yourself out now. I was on a wage of £85 a week when I left there and I was in a position where I had to go and find myself a living.

Any good childhood memories of being at the Lane?

Many. I remember Tony Currie sitting on the ball versus Arsenal, when we beat them 5-0. I was on the Bramall Lane end that day. I remember the final day relegation to Division 4 versus Walsall. I invaded the pitch, over the fence at the front of the Kop and nearly ripping my hand open. The police were on the pitch trying to calm everyone down by saying that we were okay, we had stayed up. I remember getting back to my Dad's pub on Hill Street and we both sat there and couldn't believe it had happened.

I remember Darlington away the following season (the match which saw United clinch the 4th Division title) and my Dad was going up and I was trying every way possible to go, but I was with City's youth team and it was my career. He had certainly had a few drinks that day when he got back to the pub.

When United beat Leicester to return to the top flight, Jamie was playing for Bury.

I had scored and we beat Cardiff, which sent them down. Obviously United had won and to top it off  Wednesday had lost at home to Forest and they had unexpectedly gone down. I remember celebrating in the Players' Bar post match and all the lads are looking at me, not really understanding what a day it was for a Blades' fan. It was so unlikely that Wednesday would go down, so to be swapping places with them as well as gaining promotion was superb. Obviously, I didn't know at the time that I would be joining United later in the Summer.

I still feel as strongly now, even though I haven't lived here since I was 16 - thirty years ago. It never goes away. I  joke with Neil Mellor (Wednesday fan and whose father played for the Owls) that they should just pull Hillsborough down and build a bigger Morrisons.

So you are released by City looking for a club and a living. What happened next?

I got a trial through Mick Summerbee at Norwich and I really enjoyed it. They wanted to sign me, but I  just didn’t think it was the right place to go. I was a local lad and Norwich was a long way away. Aldershot also came in for me, but all of a sudden I had a call from Bury as well. I’ll be honest I was a little ignorant, I had lived in south Manchester when I was at City, I’d always gone to and from Sheffield on the Snake Pass, I didn’t know where Bury was! They told me it’s just round the top side of the M62 on the outskirts of Manchester!

I went over and met with their manager, a man who was to become a mentor for my career, Martin Dobson. I signed there and then. Martin was finishing his playing career as well as managing with Frank Casper. They developed a team there of lads who had got released, like myself, and old experienced heads like Sammy McIllroy, Noel Brotherston, Kenny Clements and Mark Higgins that provided a good mix of young and old players that really helped the inexperienced players develop. It worked a treat really.

How was life at Gigg Lane, after coming through the ranks at Maine Road?

It was a massive change; the move from a big ground like Maine Road and the training facilities we had, to playing at Gigg Lane. But I had always had it in my mind to get back to where I had started, I had to prove them wrong. Whatever it took, this was going to be my stepping stone and it was the best thing I ever did.

I went to Bury as a centre half. I had never ever played midfield until I was 21 and Martin Dobson said, "I can see myself in you, go and play midfield". I said, “What do I do in midfield?” Honestly, I had never played there before at any point in my life. We played Chesterfield at Saltergate, my first ever game and I am in midfield thinking, 'Whoah what’s going on here? The ball’s over there where do I need to be?' Suddenly, I got into it and found my feet. The fact that I had started as a centre forward I think helped. They always put a clogger in at the side of me, who could rat about and do the nasty stuff, and I just used to get forward and ended up scoring a few goals from midfield, not really knowing what I was doing.

Obviously, I could play and pass the ball, but it helped that we had a fantastic winger, David Lee, who could catch pigeons. He was brilliant. We also had a centre forward called Liam Robinson and the three of us used to link up really well. I managed to make a name for myself scoring goals.

So you were making a name for yourself at Bury. Dave Bassett shows an interest, was it an easy decision to make, or was there an element of doubt that it was still not the right time?

Wolves had shown an interest and I had gone down to Molineux to speak with Graham Turner, who was the manager. We talked figures and I didn’t have an agent then and I was naive. Bury were paying me £200 a week and Graham asked me what I was after. I said I didn’t know and so he ripped a bar mat up, scribbled some figures down and passed it back to me. I actually sat there and went, “Bloo-dy Hell! Wow they’re brilliant, yeah, I’m really interested in that. I just have one phone call to make”.

I went off to find a phone to make a call to Sam Ellis who had taken over at Bury and he said. “Hold it a minute, someone’s come in for you and you need to go and talk to them I think.” I said “Who is it?”. He said, “It’s Dave Bassett at Sheffield United”. I said “Right, done!” I got up and went back to Graham and thanked him for the offer but I needed to go and speak to somebody else.

I got in the car, drove straight up to Bramall Lane and went in to see Harry, who had waited on at the club for me. It was about 6 o’clock in the evening. Harry said, “What are you after?” I thought of the beer mat, added a bit more on and told him the figures. Harry popped out of the room to talk to David Capper, the club secretary, and came back in saying “Yeah we can do that. Do you fancy signing?” I said yes and it all took about 5 minutes. That was it, my dream was coming true. United had just returned to the top division, it was perfect. Unbelievable. I went on holiday the day after and I had Wolves ringing me all the time, offering me more and more money. In the end I could have signed for a lot more money for Wolves, but once I had the chance to come back home and play that was it. It was all I wanted to do.

In Part 2, Jamie talks about his time, living the boyhood dream, at Bramall Lane and memorable Derby Days.

Manchester Rises Again - Interview with Martyn Walsh (Inspiral Carpets)

See the lad on the Saturday terraces,

his collar pulled up around his chin.

His side are two goals down and playing lousy,

but he still believes his team are going to win.
And he prays each night that his family's alright
and he's got work.

Song for a Family - Inspiral Carpets

The great thing about having your own blog is that you can be your own editor. So please forgive me the indulgence of this post. When one of my favourite bands announced they were reforming, my excitement levels increased to levels not seen since Paul Peschisolido's goal against Forest in the 2003 Play-Off semi-final. Throw in a bit on intra-band football banter on twitter and that gave me all the incentive I needed to ask if they wouldn't mind answering a few questions.

Inspiral Carpets started in Manchester in 1983 and after several changes of line-up settled into their own, what I would say was, relatively unique sound. Taking influences from ? And The Mysterians, the Farfisa driven garage sound became a firm favourite of John Peel who championed their work. Starting with Keep The Circle Around in 1988 they went on to make 8 appearances in John Peel's Festive 50 - including taking the Number 1 spot in 1994 with I Want You - a collaboration with Mark E Smith of The Fall.

When Stephen Holt and Dave Swift left in 1989, Tom Hingley took over vocal duties and Martyn Walsh brought his low slung bass playing style to the group. The band went on to have 11 Top 40 hits, starting with the anthemic This Is How It Feels in 1990, they also released 4 albums plus greatest hits packages.

With a couple of comebacks supporting Greatest Hits albums and a download only collection of B sides and rarities, all had been quiet until in early August when the band announced a return to their garage roots, with original singer Stephen Holt returning to the fold.

The band spoke to John Robb about their return and you can read about it here on Louder Than War. Missing that day was bass player Martyn Walsh and he very kindly took time out from rehearsals to talk comebacks, stadium gigs and Manchester United, prior to the band flying out to South America for their first gigs last week.

First things first - Thanks for taking the time to answer my questions.

Where were you in the John Robb interview?

Sorting out my broken bass amp!!!

That's a relief, didn't want band issues just after you had reformed! It's 15 years since you last recorded together, which shocked me, is that a scary thought for you?

Since Steve has come back, there’s a new found enthusiasm for all things related to Inspirals. Going in the studio was very much a statement of intent; how confident we are as a unit and with the material we’re recording.

Why did it all come to an end in the first place? Was the band being dropped by Mute hard to take? - Bands like Inspirals, Depeche Mode and Nitzer Ebb must have kept Mute going for years!

Being dropped did knock us for six, moreso a couple of years later. I think we may have lost our hunger, and in hindsight it was probably a good thing that we never really split, just went our separate ways for a while.

In amongst a couple of comeback tours you all went off and did your own thing. What were you all doing and did you miss playing?

Yeah, we all kept involved in music to some extent. Clint had his band The Clint boon Experience and XFM shows. Craig had bands like Proud Mary and started his Manchester Music Tours. Graham works for SJM the concert promoters. I was lucky that a couple of my projects; Atomizer and DC10 did play live, but I do miss the unique buzz of playing gigs with Inspirals!

Interesting you say that because I have heard it said footballers always struggle once they have retired as they no longer have the feeling of stepping out to play in front of hundreds/thousands of people.

Totally, the fans are what really makes being in a band so special, that might sound a bit corny, but without that loyalty and support we’re nothing.

What are you enjoying most - the energy of revisiting and revitalising old tracks, or creating new music?

Both, although if I had to choose, I’d definitely say writing new material is most enjoyable. I like the studio environment and the fact we’re writing together again shows there’s a unity and freedom in the camp that has not been there for quite a while.

Some of the tracks pre-date your involvement with the band, didn't you replace David Swift, after tracks like Head for the Sun were originally played? Is it weird working on tracks that the rest of the band created so long ago?

Yeah, I replaced Swifty. It’s not too weird, I have free reign to put my slant on basslines and we have quite similar styles but obviously I’m much better looking....

The comeback seems to have created a bit of a buzz on twitter and facebook, was that a pleasant surprise after a few years away?

Definitely, we had to adapt quickly, as the increase in social media use means we have to be on the ball when it comes to interacting with fans. It’s great but time consuming..cos we all answer personally...eventually!!

I heard Clint and Steve, saying that there are no great expectations with the comeback, that just making music you enjoy is the key. But you must have some hopes of what might happen?

To keep enjoying being Inspiral Carpets and to carry on writing new material, both go hand in hand..anything else is a bonus. That’s not us being unambitious, it’s just that we’re a little older and wiser now, and we know what’s needed to keep creative.

You are starting off with dates in South America, how did that come about?

There was a totally random gig offer from Chile, we liked the idea and got our agent to get a couple of shows in Argentina, all unplanned, unpremeditated and uniquely Inspiral, Steve’s first gig since 1988 will be supporting Interpol in Argentina to 15,000 people!

(The tweets from the band whilst there and since back suggest it was a huge success and a great atmosphere. You will find footage of them playing the Samsung Studio gig here and here amongst others)

I think new single You're So Good For Me is great and has the hook that so many Inspirals tracks has that draws you in? What can you liken it to?

It’s classic Inspirals! There are elements of Inspiral influences like The Fall and The Seeds but also a little bit of LCD Soundsystem, especially in the rhythm section.

I’d written the song a couple of years ago, but it never felt right to introduce to the band. Things are different now, and we were aware that new material needs to be relevant and contemporary, yet ultimately Inspiral...I think we’ve succeeded!

You say you introduced it to the band, is it very much a collaborative writing process?

You're So Good For Me was a track that I'd written bass, lyrics and melody then presented to the band. Everyone then puts their ideas in and we kick them around...lots of Inspirals tracks are written this way..

I met you all in the bar of the Octagon, Sheffield post-gig in 2003 and what was great about that night was that you were all down to earth guys enjoying a beer and a laugh with us all. Do you think that helped the bands longevity and the fact that you are back together now - that you were all grounded guys without any attitudes?

I think so, you can’t get too far in this industry by constantly pissing people off, unless you are supremely talented! We all come from working class backgrounds, with a deeply rooted work ethic; if you wanted anything, you had to go out and earn it, I think that’s held us in good stead.

Your following always seemed to be a good bunch as well. Did you avoid some of the hooligan element that other bands attracted?

We seemed to, I think ecstacy was kicking in on the terraces, so everyone was too loved up to fight!

Although you were tagged as part of the baggy and Madchester movement, your sound always stood out as a different. Did the tag fit and were you comfortable with it?

I think the tag was good in drawing attention to the city overall. I don’t think we fitted in with the generic sound and lifestyle that was media created. It was funny that the press latched onto Madchester probably a good 2 or 3 years after the event.

It is fair to say your albums stand up against those of any of the other bands of the late 80's early 90's, yet I remember you also got harshly tagged by some critics as a" good singles band", did that rile you?

I think creating an album that stands the test of time is a hard task. Life (the band's first album), in particular, as a whole was a great album, not just a collection of songs. Once you get into the cycle of album/tour/album/tour it’s quite difficult to get albums that are coherent. Revenge of The Goldfish (the third album) I always feel is criminally overlooked.

(I would agree. Check out Saviour, Smoking her Clothes, alongside better known singles Dragging Me Down and Generations on iTunes)

What was the highlight of your Inspirals career, "that night in Barcelona" for you?

Playing the River Plate Stadium in Argentina was fantastic just for the immense scale and 100,000 people. I also remember doing a concert in Halle, in the newly unified Germany. Halle was in the East and gig tickets were twice the weekly local wage, we persuaded the promoter to drop the price and those who came were extremely grateful..the power of music can be global. It’s just a shame the falling of the Berlin Wall is synonymous with David Hasselhoff!

One of the noticeable features of Stephen Holt's return to the band is the increase in football banter on twitter, does it add a little edge to rehearsals and band time? How unbearable has he been since the Manchester Derby?

Yes it does add a bit of edge and fun. Steve and Craig have been very quiet since.........although I did change my mobile number on the Monday morning!

I know you support United and Stephen Holt supports City, both come through loud and clear in your tweets, what about the rest of the band?

Craig is another glory hunter, Graham supports Oldham and Clint really likes lots of sports and is a big fan of Sale Sharks.

I had this vision of Clint being a Purple, loving all of Manchester! Do you get to matches often?

Not as often as I’d like. The atmosphere at OT has changed a hell of a lot since the 80’s when I went home and away. At times it feels like a Dire Straits concert….

I remember pictures of a band trip to Old Trafford last season, how did that come about?

The photos were from an MUTV show we did. I go on the station every now and again, Terry Christian hosts some shows and he’s a good friend of the band.

What was your favourite football moment of your lifetime?

Nou Camp..Champions League Final v Bayern Munich….”and Solksjaer has won it!!”

Football heroes?

George Best and Eric Cantona.

I never had the opportunity to see George play but my Dad would rave about him. He (my dad) helped build the Cliff training ground and he would chat regularly with Bestie, he even got hold of an autographed ball which I promptly lost..I was about 6 years old though! Cantona I had the pleasure of watching, his comeback game against Liverpool and his FA Cup winning goal were memorable moments.

Maybe I should have just said football genii!? I saw first hand the quality of the latest young football talent at Old Trafford when they beat my team in the FA Youth Cup Final. Can you recommend any young Manchester music talent that we should look out for in the next 12 months?

I was at that game too. I have high hopes for Paul Pogba, Will Keane and Ryan Tunnicliffe.

In terms of Manchester music, keep an eye out for Ghost Outfit and Rubika.

Musical heroes?

None really. I’ve been privileged to work with some guys who influenced me to get into music. In particular Donald Johnson (A Certain Ratio), Peter Hook and Adrian Sherwood (On U Sound).

Which is your favourite Inspirals track, the one that you look back and think "fuck me, that's a belter" and why?

We’re going through some old tracks at the moment to include in the new set; Seeds Of Doubt with Steve singing sounds really powerful. Every time we play Sackville I always think that’s an era defining song.

(Sackville is a moody and atmospheric song, with a killer chorus, describing the red light area of Manchester. I remember the excitement of finding Sackville Street when in Manchester to see the Inspirals at the Academy. To those of us from outside of Manchester it was a mythical place in the song.)

Do any of you have any Cool as Fuck T-shirts still stashed away in the loft? Is the cow consigned to history?

I have many Inspirals artefacts in the loft…I sound like David Dickinson! I think the cow will still be used, maybe a little more subtly….....

A certain other band of your era somewhat stole your comeback thunder in recent weeks, does the Roses reforming excite you?

I think for our fans it’s great, many of them like us and the Roses.

I noticed on the Louder than War website poll that you were the number 1 choice (now down to 4th - I should add) to be on the bill at Heaton Park, would you be up for it if asked?

The only way I’d enjoy the day, would be if we were playing! I think we’d be a great addition to the bill!

So do I! I would like to thank Martyn for taking the time to answer my questions, it is much appreciated.

You're So Good For Me is out on Monday (21st November) and there will hopefully be some UK tour dates announced soon for early in 2012.

www.inspiralcarpets.com

STRANGE AS IT MAY SEEM

WE ALL PRAY FOR SIMPLE THINGS
STRANGERS SHARE YOUR DREAMS

WHO KNOWS WHAT THEIR PRAYERS WILL BRING?
LOVE AND HEALTH IS ALL

TIL YOU FALTER IN YOUR STEPS AND FALL
WE ALL LIVE ON DREAMS

Charting the 2011/12 Season in Football - Number 3

Charting the Season in Football returns, with the latest graphical commentary focusing on the egos at Sheffield Wednesday, the Madness of Mario Balotelli, Manchester City optimism, Ian Holloway's selection dilemmas, boring, long-running sagas, Stuart Pearce's Olympic selection conundrum, the controversy surrounding the EPPP proposals and Robbie Savage on Strictly Come Dancing.

Remember - Just double click on a graph/chart to increase to full size.

Previous in this series can be found here:

2011/12 Season - Part 1 

2011/12 Season - Part 2

Eddie Windass - Can you see where I am coming from??

Tevez - Let the "Bad Apple" Rot

Last night was a historic night in my football life. At approximately 9:45 p.m. I sat on my sofa and proclaimed; "I agree with Souness". After picking myself back up off the floor, dusting myself down and checking my drink hadn't been spiked I rewound Sky's coverage.

For the previous 2 or 3 minutes Souness had delivered a passionate diatribe about the "bad apple" that is Carlos Tevez. His apparent refusal to leave the bench to try and save Manchester City from Champions League defeat at the Allianz Arena confimed seconds earlier by an emotional Roberto Mancini. Amongst Souness' comments:

 "I'm in disbelief..........I find it incredible that someone with half an hour to go a player wouldn't want to go on an help his team mates out. How selfish can you get? How petulant can you be?"

"You would chase him as far from Manchester as you could tomorrow, he...he is one bad apple"

"He is a disgrace to football. The man in the street thinks there is a lot wrong with your modern footballer. He epitomises what the man in the street thinks about modern footballers." 

Meanwhile Dwight Yorke and Mark Hughes seeemed desperate to find an angle that would allow them to provide an alternative view and defend Tevez, their views visibly riling an already irked Souness. Sad to say that the fact Hughes shares an agent with Tevez (Kia Joorabchanian) might have somewhat softened his opinion.

Some of you may say that "you're a Blade, you are bound to have it in for Tevez!". To that I would say, that I don't have a problem with Tevez personally. My issues remain with the the Premier League's handling of the Tevez situation, the confused conclusion of the first enquiry which took West Ham fans' feelings into account and the West Ham administrators who the commission found had told direct lies about the disclosure of documentation relating to Tevez's registration. I certainly wouldn't want those people anywhere near my club, would you?

This morning Tevez has issued a statement saying that  "There was some confusion on the bench and I believe my position may have been misunderstood." This was a suggestion made by Mark Hughes on Sky last night and a ridiculous one at that. Tevez appeared to be given Mancini's mesage by a translator, a message that he has been given several times this season already. What is there to misunderstand? Unless Carlos' translator is going to be a scapegoat in all this.

Tevez's statement goes on to say; "They understand that when I am on the pitch I have always given my best for the club. In Munich on Tuesday I had warmed up and was ready to play. This is not the right time to get into specific details as to why this did not happen. But I wish to state that I never refused to play. Going forward I am ready to play when required and to fulfil my obligations."

If this satisfies Manchester City's administrators and fans, then more fool them. He didn't look that contrite last night when boarding the team coach after the match - cracking a smile for the first time that night. Later, Ollie Holt of the Mirror tweeted

"Tevez chatting to Zabaleta on (the) plane. Doesn't look exactly chastened by the events of this evening." 

Unsurprisingly, PFA chief Gordon Taylor attempted to defend Tevez on 5 Live this morning, even partially blaming Mancini saying that relations between the two had reached a dire position even prior to last night. Taylor displaying the traits increasingly shown by union leaders who earn more money than a majority of their members and appear to think they can defend the indefensible, without fear of reproach or criticism. But that is a rant for another day.  

Many have said that the next steps are that Tevez will probably be fined two week's wages, he could be sacked (maybe this is what he is angling for - allowing him to potentially move closer to family, or Internazionale) and almost certainly he will never play for City again. Yet I think there is something else that City can do.

Although much maligned for their financial largesse and their ability to outbid most teams for any player, some even said they have brought these problems on themselves by signing so many quality players that they cannot satisfy, City are in an enviable position to make a statement for the good of football.

They don't need the money that Tevez's transfer might generate. In fact, if they wanted to maximise their return they might have sold him in the Summer. So why not keep him and let him sit in the stand for the rest of his contract? No doubt Gordon Taylor and Tevez's advisers would claim a restraint of trade, yet Tevez demonstrated a level of personal restraint last night that surely nullifies such claims, however contrite he is now.

Last night, Carlos Tevez took the piss out of his manager, his club and the fans that pay the money that will help fund his not inconsiderate wages. He should be made to pay the ultimate price. Let the bad apple go rot!

Super Sunday at the Reebok

As a Blades fan it is not often you get the opportunity to watch a top of the table clash in the Premier League, but with the kids off to their grandparents for a few days I was able to join my wife (a season ticket holder at Bolton) at the Reebok as the top 2 from week one clashed.
 
It was a late call, up until mid afternoon Saturday I was still contemplating watching it on the sofa and saving the £28 that the cheapest Reebok tickets cost, but the lure of live football was too much to ignore. It was a good decision. 

Taking my seat behind the goal just before kick off i had a great view, only slightly obscured when Rik Waller took the seat in front shortly after. I was then further upset, picking up the match programme to be faced with a roaring Paul Robinson. He has never been one of my favourite players and was one of the most frequently nominated players in the My Dislikable XI series, so I am clearly not the only one. The sight of The Poisonous Squirrel in ecstatic open mouthed celebration was nearly enough to send me to the concourse. It really should be 18 rated top-shelf material.

Children - avert your eyes

Despite the empty seats, not unexpected given the ease with which I had been able to get one the day before, a decent atmosphere was building. Local rivalries stoked up further by an appeal in yesterday's papers from Wanderers' right back Gretar Steinsson for a fair welcome for Kun Aguero, stating that he had forgiven the Argentine for a spitting incident in Bolton's UEFA Cup clash with Atletico Madrid clash 3 years ago. The thing is, most Bolton fans had forgoteen it............until they read the article. Needless to say his every touch was booed and his name was often called out with a 't' on the end.

The only down side to the atmosphere were the youths with the drums pitchside, bang in front of me. I am sorry you shouldn't need a 12 year old with a bass drum to thump out your chants. 

You can stick your drumsticks up....

The match started at a decent tempo with both sides pushing forward with decent movement and play in an open game. Silva and Aguero were busy for City, popping up across the front line and often deeper, although Bolton worked hard to close them down and limit opportunities. Whilst the Wanderers attacked with intent and created a chance or two of their own, but too often their final ball was lacking, particularly from wide.

The big differences between the two teams could be summed up as pace and strength. City's back 4 and their central midfield shield looked tall and imposing and were able to brush off Bolton players with ease at times. Even the more diminutive players like Silva, Aguero and Milner seemed able to hold off challenges better than their Bolton counterparts. As much through speed of feet and balance as brutal strength. Players like Petrov and Eagles displayed little appetite for battle for Bolton.

Having said that, Lescott and Kompany (the Belgian in particular) were perhaps lucky to escape without a booking for persistent fouling, especially given the frequency of Mike Jones’ whistle. You cannot help feeling that if they had been up against a different opponent than Kevin Davies, the referee might not have been so lenient with the cards.
 
The fact that City took the lead in a half relatively even with chances, was due to a blunder from Jussi Jaaskelainen. A relatively tame shot from Silva squirmed under Jaaskelainen’s body and over the line. After being an impressive shot stopper over the last 10 years or so, there are noticeable signs that the years are starting to catch up with Bolton’s legendary custodian. Increasingly last season, including the high profile occasion of the FA Cup semi final, the Finnish keeper has demonstrated errors of judgement and slowness of reaction that suggest Adam Bogdan may be getting a chance sooner rather than later.
 
This may seem a tad harsh and I am taking nothing away from what was Gareth Barry's only contribution to the match, but I think Jussi was also slow off the mark for City's second. Sat right behind it, I thought that he had plenty of time to size it up and potentially stop it.

It would have been easy to assume that Bolton were out of the game at this point, but far from it. Continuing their commitment to attacking play, Bolton continued to look for opportunities against a City side that showed no signs of wanting to protect a lead. Throughout the game, City played with an attacking intent that was as much to their detriment (allowing Bolton space to play) as it was to their credit.

With seven minutes left in the half, Barry’s goal was the signal for many Bolton fans to head for the concourse for pie and pint and many will have only seen Klasnic pull one back with a sweet strike on TV screens as they queued. The ground was lifted once more and there was renewed optimism in the home end going into the break. Optimism that was soon knocked, right at the start of the second half.

Another mistake, a miscue from Knight, let in Dzeko and the Bosnian finished with aplomb. Despite this he looks far from the finished article. Travelling home I read tweets from respected football journalists saying how Dzeko impressed. Yet for me, he is a hard running front man, with a heavy touch and looks far from assured on the ball.

Behind once more, Bolton again fought back and a perfect glancing header from Davies beat Hart and clipped in off the inside of the post. At this point, with a rousing crowd encouraging the Wanderers forward and plenty of time left, I believed the Wanderers might have the momentum to draw level. Yet each attack seemed to fall down on the edge of the 18 yard box.

A Bolton attack falls down

In the end, City looked more likely to extend their lead creating clear cut chances and the increasingly influential James Milner drifted in from the left and created some great openings. Tevez came on to good effect, all it lacked was end product - shots flashing wide of target or blocked.

At the final whistle City fans were understandably delighted. Bolton fans had mixed emotions. Relief that the scoreline was respectable, frustration with the manner in which they gifted City two of the goals and at the fact that they couldn’t fight their way back level. I had enjoyed an open and entertaining game.

Bolton can look forward to a better season than I imagined pre-season. The squad is still a little lightweight, although a return to fitness and form of Mark Davies will help, as will the return from serious injury of Stuart Holden and Sean Davis. They still need a couple more players in their squad and an injection of pace is vital, particularly to offer something different up front. In the absence of Tuncay today, there was only Robbie Blake available to provide an option off the bench.

Their style of play is an ever-changing mix of direct play and short interchanges of passing. One such patient spell of little triangles eventually led to a great chance for Eagles in the second half only for it to be skewed and spurned. Chances like that need to be grabbed, especially when at a premium.



Back in Black - but not yet in the black



City displayed an impressive combination of strength and guile which, allied with attacking intent, showed a marked shift away from games earlier in Mancini’s reign. The chants of “Boring, Boring City” from their fans were rightly ironic. However, they did leave themselves open and better teams, with a little more craft, could have really had them rocking at 3-2 and even pulled level.

Mancini spoke afterwards of signing Nasri this week and you have to wonder where he fits in. City have such a large and talented squad that pieces of the jigsaw are seemingly inter-changeable from one week to the next. How seamlessly Mancini can achieve this tinkering will determine how successful City will be.

So what of my Premier League experience? Well it was a good, end to end game, with some world class players on show. I saw that, despite what Sky might try and tell you, the newly anointed Premier League saviour Aguero is human; shooting over from 8 yards with Jaaskelainen struggling to get back in position. It was played in a less than full stadium with the somewhat manufactured and derivative atmosphere that clubs and sometimes fans seem to want to foist on us these days. From the drummers and cheerleaders behind the goal, to Depeche Mode blaring out after Wanderers’ goals, to the celebration of the fans of the fifth best team in Poland by the fans of the fourth best team in England it is all a bit forced and, unlike the boys from Basildon, of that I can get enough.

The Polish celebration

Ticket: £28

View: Good

Programme: £3 (should have been discounted based on the cover)

Match Rating: 8/10

Value for money: 6/10