Sleeping with the enemy…not…

What can I say? I’ve been missing in action. I’ve been bad. I’ve had no desire. Just like my beloved team. It’s their fault. They did this to me. This season, they’ve already had me floating towards heaven and then they abruptly drag me into the depth’s of hell. It’s senseless. It’s hurtful. And shameful.

I haven’t even been able to face the blog. I mean it’s not like I write ground-breaking articles. They are merely my football thoughts that hopefully turn into conversations between fellow football fans. It’s just like being down the pub with your mates. But let’s face it. There are times when you don’t fancy going down the pub. Especially when your team recently lost its balls to the enemy.

So what do you do? When your team is painful to watch, you often look elsewhere for some football inspiration and pleasure. You are not deserting or cheating on your team, you are just choosing to watch more games that don’t exactly involve them. And I knew that if I could just get out of my bubble-of-hell, I would see that I’m missing one of the most exciting Premier League season’s ever.

Chelsea are not running away with it. Manchester United are undefeated but yet look beatable. Manchester City could really make a run for it. Bolton are shockingly only 6 points back. Liverpool are hanging on by a thread. Arsenal are being traditionally Arsenal and Tottenham…well as painful as it might be Arsenal fans, Tottenham are the most exciting team to watch this season. They play beautiful football and they score lots of goals. Am I losing my mind? I don’t think so…

Whether they are playing in the Premier or Champions League, Tottenham are capturing the imagination of the football world. Van der Vaart is the buy of the season so far. He looks like he belongs at White Hart Lane. He already carries himself like a Spurs legend. He performs for the fans. They love him. And he loves them. And ‘Arry loves him a little bit too. I don’t love them. But can I compliment the enemy?

Welsh sensation Gareth Bale is setting the pitch on fire wherever he plays. @ Inter Milan, no problem! @ Arsenal, no problem! As posted in a previous article, Bale reminds me of Ryan Giggs. He flies down the wing in a fearless fashion that is truly inspiring to watch. He overcame adversity at Spurs and has solidified his reputation as one of Britain’s best. He is the most thrilling player to watch in the world right now. If he were Portuguese or Argentine, we’d be talking about him in the same breath as Messi and Ronaldo. Yes. I said it out loud. And that’s what I truly believe. If Tottenham can go on and win a major trophy and Bale can stay injury free, he will be in the running for World Player of the Year! I need a bath.

Even though the last two paragraphs felt like I cheated on the Gunners, I’m not sleeping with the enemy and I believe the truth will eventually set me free. I’ve had these thoughts about Tottenham bottled-up for weeks. I was down and out. I was washed-up for the season. But I got my head out of my own arse and started smelling the football roses again. And I usually can’t help think that Tottenham always stink. But for the first time in many many years, the enemy is a real threat. And I have raised my hat to their recent victory. But the war continues and we will rise again for another day of brutal battle. And sometimes, just sometimes, the enemy wakes the sleeping giant. Could it be Arsenal? Could it really be?

Scandalous…

Wayne Rooney has added to the scandalous behaviour of some of England’s finest footballers. Earlier this year Ashley Cole and John Terry made the headlines for their cheating. Cole saw his marriage crumble while Terry was able to worm his way out of trouble. Step forward Wayne Rooney.

Rooney’s name is dominating the front and back pages. It seems the Manchester United star likes prostitutes. Apparently while Coleen Rooney was pregnant with their first child, her lovely husband was busy spending much of his time and money on prostitutes. And we know this isn’t the first time! We all have skeletons. Don’t we?

You don’t want to judge people as we never know what goes on behind-closed-doors. However, this kind of behaviour makes it difficult to not form some type of opinion. At the end of the day, these so-called professional footballers are role models to millions of kids whether they like it or not. So when they behave badly, it’s easy to get vexed.

Everyone is absolutely entitled to their privacy but when you are a public figure and you enjoy fame and fortune it comes with a small price. That price is privacy. I’m not saying it’s right. It’s just a fact. Another solid fact is that it’s these kids and millions of other fans that put footballers in a fortunate position. They pay lots of money to see them play. They pay lots of money to buy their shirt. These players represent more than themselves.

Sleeping with prostitutes is never a good thing, particularly if you are Wayne Rooney. Not only is he a husband and father, he is also center forward for Manchester United, one of the world’s most revered sports franchises. He is also an England international, representing his country at the world’s finest football tournaments. He earns hundreds of thousands of pounds a month from his club and his endorsement deals. It’s time to show a bit more class.

This isn’t the first and it won’t be the last we’ve heard of the scandalous soccer stars…

It’s a crying shame…

johnterry6aJohn Terry has the world at his feet but continues to screw up. His rap sheet over the years is nothing short of grotesque. It’s a crying shame the captain of England and Chelsea behaves badly and actually gets away with it. If he were the bloke down the street, we’d be yelling out “scum bag.”

Today’s revelations about his affair with former teammate Wayne Bridge’s ex-girlfriend – model Vanessa Perroncel – and his attempt to cover it up has angered many. Vanessa Perroncel who has a child with Bridge is supposedly one of Toni Poole’s best friends. Toni Poole is Terry’s childhood sweetheart. They have three-year old twins together. The man has a family. He is captain of England and Chelsea. What do his actions say about his character? There is a disturbing trend to John Terry’s behaviour.

Does a man who urinates in a beer glass at a night club bar warrant to be England captain? Does a man who secretly arranges behind-the-scenes tours of Stamford Bridge and receives 10k a pop for doing it deserve to be England captain? Does a man who’s mother and mother-in-law shoplift deserve to be England captain? Does a man whose father sells drugs deserve to be England captain? Does a man who has an affair with his ex-teammate’s girlfriend deserve to be England captain? I think not.

To be honest, it’s shocking that John Terry is still captain of England and Chelsea. After he was exposed by the News of the World selling “tours” of Stamford Bridge, I was convinced he would be stripped of the skipper’s armband for both club and country. How can you respect John Terry after seeing him on video telling an undercover reporter to keep things “hush, hush” because it would reflect badly on him if he were to be discovered. Were Chelsea Football Club not offended by that? Is this the type of man Fabio Capello wants to lead his men into battle against the rest of the world at the World Cup? Unbelievable!

John Terry isn’t the only player in the modern game who has “classless spoiled brat” written all over him. So many young professionals these days are given way too much, way too soon and they abuse the power they have without remorse. Gone are the days where they had to clean boots, toilets and scrub floors. Gone are the days where they were made to do things so they would understand and appreciate the value of being a professional footballer. John Terry did work hard as an apprentice, but he has obviously forgotten where he came from. He has become so arrogant, he thinks playing in the Premier League or any league for that matter is a right. You are wrong John Terry. It’s a privilege.

If I were a budding footballer, I would look to the likes of Ryan Giggs, David Beckham and Paolo Maldini for my inspiration. John Terry is watched by kids week in, week out. They admire him and look up to him like a hero. To think this man could lift the World Cup for England is quite sickening to be honest. When Sir Bobby Moore lifted the World Cup for England people watched with pride. A gentlemen of English football was representing his country and the nation couldn’t have admired him and the team more. How can we sit in front of our flat screen TV’s or watch from the stands and think the same of John Terry?

I understand that everyone has a right to their privacy. What goes on behind closed doors is not really our business. But when we pay good money to watch the likes of John Terry play football and when he puts on that armband for club and country, he represents more than himself. His behaviour is beyond shameful and no different to a football hooligan. He has publicly disgraced himself numerous times. I think fans deserve a little better than that from their captain. More than that, so does his wife and childhood sweetheart Toni. So do his three-year-old twins. And so did his teammate Wayne Bridge. How can any of his fellow professionals trust him?

Don’t shed a tear for John Terry. He doesn’t give a damn about anyone but himself…

It’s okay to live and love the beautiful game…

oldtrafford_468x596When you lose someone you love, it’s difficult not to evaluate life. Emotions are fragile and our ability to function is stifled by the magnitude of our heartbreak. For a while, you feel as though you are existing and not living. You could be on a train, on a plane, or at the store, and all you are wishing for is to be anything but yourself. Everything looks different and it’s scary because you think that this is how the rest of your life is going to be. You are tired of feeling the anger and pain. And if life were a football match, you’d be reaching out to the team coach on the sidelines hoping he’d substitute you for another player.

As life goes on, the anger and pain turns to fear. What is life going to be like without the loved-one you’ve lost? How are you going to make it through the day without hearing their voice? Your mind is working in extra-time and you start worrying about losing others you love. How do you go on with these fears? Only the unfortunate ones who have lost know that time can heal the gut-wrenching fear and pain of loss. For a while, words, food, football and even sex can’t help you. In football, time is not always on your side. In grieving, time becomes your best friend. Time becomes your hope. Time becomes the shoulder to lean on. Time also helps you discover that the things you once loved and cherished can slowly bring you back to life.

At first, it didn’t really matter if Arsenal were losing or if Chelsea were winning. It didn’t matter who was fighting for relegation or who was battling to make it into the Premier League’s elite top four. Football was insignificant. But time makes you realize that it’s okay to smile, cheer or be happy. It’s not frowned upon for you to watch your favourite sport and root for your beloved team even if you are grieving. After all, aren’t our passions and hobbies just a few of the things that help us get through the heartbreak and stresses of life? Have we all been taking life a bit too seriously of late? Have we become so caught-up in the economic crash, new technology, global warming and social media that we’ve forgotten the very essence of what makes us tick?

Time has helped my heart heal. Football has helped me feel a little normal. And having my sweetheart has helped me realize once again what is important in life. Loss can do many things to you. Loss can make you stir crazy. Loss can destroy you, if you allow it. The best way to approach the battle with loss is as though it were a championship game. You take the fear, the anger and the pain and you use it to motivate and drive you to win. Whether it’s the Champions or Premier League, the local pub tournament, the daily grind of life or the battle with loss, we can all feel like a champion when we win the difficult battles that challenge us to our core.

Sometimes it takes a friend and a quality glass of wine to bring back a smile. Sometimes it takes a hug from a sister to make you feel safe. And sometimes it takes our favourite sport to help us feel like we are living again and not just existing. British Soccer Diva is back and ready to live and love the beautiful game once more…

Santa’s bag of tricks…

DVDCharlieBrownCharlie Brown often gets off to a bad start around the holidays. But somehow, some way, it all comes together for him in the end with a little help from his friends and Santa Claus of course. Around this time of year, Santa can be your best friend. He can bring you gifts you never dreamed of and he can make things happen by just simply sliding up and down your chimney! If you could have one football wish this holiday season what would it be? What would you like to receive from Santa?

If you are a Liverpool fan, you might want a new manager. If you are a Manchester United fan, you might want to see new referees in the league. If you are an Arsenal fan, you are praying for something silver this year! If you are a Tottenham fan, you are hoping your man Defoe can keep up the scoring! If you are a Chelsea fan, you might be wishing for the double this season. And if you are a Manchester City fan…well you got your gift when you beat Chelsea!

Spare a thought for Portsmouth, Hull and West ham fans. What can they be hoping for this holiday season? A boat to prevent them from drowning as they lurk in the deep and dangerous waters of the Premier League? What about Bolton fans. Surely their wish is to see the back of Gary Megson already. They’ve been asking Santa for years now! And let’s spare a thought for Evertonians. They are having a dodgy season and are finding themselves at the wrong end of the table. Are they praying not to be the Newcastle United of the 09/10 season?

You could be wishing for the Premier League title, the Champions League, the F.A. Cup, the Carling Cup, or just plain and pure survival. Heck you might already be praying your country wins the World Cup next summer. Whatever it is we might be hoping for, the one thing that brings us all together is the love of the game. The passion, the heartache, the elation and the despair. It’s that time of year. It’s Christmas. It’s the time where hearts can be broken and when the shape of things to come is evident. It’s make or break time. Keep praying, keep hoping, keep wishing and keep watching. Santa’s bag of tricks could be on your side this holiday season. If Charlie Brown is anything to go by, it might just turn out fine in the end for some of us fans…

What’s your tipple on Champions League nights..?

CA-8266 Salut!When it comes to those fancy European nights filled with sexy Champions League football, do you stick with the ice cold brew or do you shift to wine? Is it even possible to make football and wine work together? Do wine and football only speak to chicks and metrosexuals? Wine wouldn’t really go with a dirty burger right? Absolutely wrong. If we’re able to drink wine with a rancid plane meal, then surely a glass or two of red or white could wash down a dirty burger or meat pie?

Perhaps it’s the evening kick-off schedule that makes us feel like having wine as we’d be consuming less carbs. Or is it the spirit of the competition taking place in cultural Europe that drives us to the Off License or Liquor Mart before the game starts? Does it make more sense to be drinking a Merlot or Cabernet if you are watching Bordeaux vs Marseille or Barcelona vs Sevilla? Would wine work if you are watching Steaua Bucharest vs CSKA Moscow? At that point wouldn’t we all whip out the vodka?

It’s Champions League night. It’s time to order a drink. What’s your tipple?

We are Fans United chatting it up…

radiologo-1Since British Soccer Diva started last summer, our message and goal has been the same. To try and get as many football fans as possible posting, polling, ranting and raving their hearts out about the beautiful game.

As you all know, we are working on launching a 2 hour weekly podcast as part of British Soccer Diva and we are hopeful the show will reach others beyond this blog. The purpose of the show follows the same philosophy as the blog. We want to unite fans from across the universe so it feels like we’re all down the pub having a pint together. For now, we will be posting three 20 minute weekly round-ups and are still calling out to fellow football fans to join us.

Lady Yid currently leads the Fans Premier League Table. She got out of the blocks pretty fast, so you all have a job on your hands to catch her. It was only fitting that Lady Yid be our first fan co-hosting our weekly round-up. Don’t let her run away with it though. Start joining in the banter and fun so you can see yourself climbing up the Fans Premier League Table. For now, it’s all about Lady Yid. Go to the Radio page and listen to Round Up with Lady Yid.

If you’d like to participate in future shows email fansunited@britishsoccerdiva.com. If you love our 20 minute round-ups then please share with your mates. And if you hate them, try and keep it to yourself!! Football. Soccer. Call it what you want. We are Fans United and will be until we’re old and grey…

I can smell the dirty burger…

cheeseburger-702189It’s like the night before Christmas. You feel like you’ve waited all year for this moment. You are so excited you can’t even stand yourself. There are a million and two thoughts swirling around in your football brain as the new season is about to begin. Sure you are worried about how the summer transfers will work out and how your biceps or cleavage look in this season’s new home kit. But at the top of your list of things to think about is that first home game. The tension and nerves are evident in every fans eyes. It’s hard to relax when all you want is for your team to get off to a winning start. The best way to calm the anticipation…munch on a classic dirty burger.

As you approach the stadium and soak in the atmosphere, one always vows to start the season healthy with something good to eat. Unfortunately, that good thing to eat weighs about a quarter or half-a-pound and can clog your arteries faster than Usain Bolt can run the 100 meters. It’s decadent, it’s delightful and it’s dirty. In fact, the dirtier, the better. It’s tradition. It’s an excuse to be bad and it always happens around 3pm on a soggy Saturday afternoon.

Not every stadium in England serves up a quality dirty burger. The food in general at Anfield is rancid. Well it was when Ian Wright was still playing for Arsenal. We’d make the trek up the motorway and in the early days we made the huge mistake of thinking we could get something decent to eat when we arrived in Scouser heaven. Let’s just say we learned our lesson fast when going to an away game at Anfield. How hard is it to get a dirty burger right? Turns out it is very hard! Even the sausage rolls at Liverpool could turn Arsenal’s red and white army yellow. Shocking stuff.

Admittedly, the burgers at Tottenham are pretty good. You’ve just got to make sure you buy them outside of the grounds. White van man on White Hart Lane delivers his burgers with a classic dirt consistency you can only dream of having at the start of every new season. The dirty burger could be the only good thing that happens down at the Lane year after year, after year!!

The game has changed even when it comes to the types of food being served on match day. Sure you can get healthy stuff now and you don’t have to gorge on dirty burgers and dodgy hot dogs. But football fans drew a conclusion many moons ago when it came to the lifestyle of being a fan on match day. What’s the point of being good when you are surrounded by things that tempt you to be bad? Interesting theory no? On game day, we fans obviously have no desire to test our restraint or willpower when it comes to what we eat. That’s not how football fans roll. We go the whole hog. There’s no holding back. It’s part of our make-up to be bad with a little dirty on the side…

Football + Christmas = Paradise…

new_years_toast-746564Happy New Year to the world. May 2009 be filled with health, happiness and bloody good football! I’m not sure about you guys but I’ve just emerged from the festive season having indulged in some major soccer. It was pure gluttony and I loved every single second. Sure there are a group of managers that complain about not having a Christmas break. And we can all understand this based on how strenuous the season gets. But as fans, we love it. We can’t get enough of it. And if you gave us more, we’d eat it all up, just like our Christmas leftovers.So thank you Premier League for making the festive season exactly that…festive. Here’s to a great year for the beautiful game…

How do you prepare for the new football season…

arsenal_tv_img-718798The anticipation of a new football season is intense. You’re just about over the previous season as the new one gets started. Emotions of lost games, sweet victories and heartbreaking decisions are still fresh in the mind. There comes a time however where you need to dust yourself off and move on and there’s nothing quite like the purchase of a new home or away shirt to get you into gear for the new season. I mean go ahead and wear last seasons look if your team won something. If not, burn it. I mean why look back? Why wear a jinxed shirt? Why start the season off on the wrong foot? Why put your own team’s destiny in jeopardy? Why wear a losing season kit?

Another great way to prepare for the new season is to keep yourself informed of the summer transfer market. You need to know who’s moving where, especially when it comes to your own team. News of transfers break so fast on the Internet these days. The cool thing about new media is how you are able to communicate with fellow supporters, columnists, bloggers and mankind in general. Years ago we suffered in silence and couldn’t be heard. Getting through to your favourite radio station to complain about the referee or those missed chances was tough going. Now, you can feel part of the whole experience by blogging and posting comments on any given subject. Like me, it could be that nobody on earth hears you. However, there is a comfort in knowing your thoughts are in ink for the InterUniverse to read.

Anyway, I need to run as I’ve got much to do to prepare for the new season. I need to catch-up with the transfer gossip on eyefootball.com, bbc.co.uk, and newsnow.co.uk. I have to read Four Four Two for the inside scoop on which teams and players to watch for next season. I’ve got to look at the schedule to ensure I have no plans or conflicts when the biggest teams in Europe are playing. I need to call Fox Soccer Channel and Setanta Sports to ensure my subscription is all up-to-date. I need to be prepared for all the international World Cup qualifiers coming up. And I will listen to World Soccer Daily on Sirius whenever I can.

How do you prepare for the new season? Do you have any rituals? Any anecdotes from old seasons past? Are you new to this? Help me, help you…