Post by Salem6 on May 9, 2005 15:49:43 GMT
The Fiver
09 May 2005
Guardian Unlimited's tea-time take on the world of football
guardian.co.uk/football
In today's Fiver: Little People,
and Roberto Carlos
* * * * * * * * * * * *
LONG AND LUCRATIVE
With the Championship over, it's time for the Fiver's token nod to
football's little people - our retaliation against angry readers who
send letters written in green biro accusing us of constantly
pandering to Big Cup, Sven's Ingerland, assorted Premiership
big-hitters and THFC. So in-no-way patronising pats on the head go
to Paul Jewell and his plucky Wigan Athletic underdogs, who secured
automatic promotion to the Premiership yesterday and look a good bet
to stay there, what with benevolent owner Dave Whelan promising a
GBP25m war-chest and a very long contract to his manager.
"Paul is just damn good - a basic, down-to-earth, Liverpudlian,"
declared Whelan, conjuring up no end of lazy stereotypes involving
tracksuit-sporting, moustachioed and bubble-permed "humorists" urging
each other to calm down. "He'll be here as long as one of the top six
clubs does not come in for him. If one of those clubs comes in, I
won't stand in his way. But there's only six."
But while polished gem Jewell was the toast of the Championship
yesterday, rough diamond-geezer Dennis Wise was busy quitting his job
as Millwall manager in the wake of a row over transfers with new
chairman Jeff Burnige. "I will let the new chairman get on with what
he wants to get on with," snarled one-time Den denizen, Dennis. "I
could have stayed and taken the money but I felt it wasn't about the
money, it was about trying to achieve something and unfortunately he
wants to go in a different direction to me."
And with space fast running out but a story about West Ham boss Alan
Pardew being promised GBP15m to spend on new talent should his team
win the play-offs to be crow-barred in, don't be surprised if this
story comes to a very abrupt
* * * * * * * * * * * *
STILL WANT MORE?
An exclusive interview with an emotional Patrick Vieira:
observer.guardian.co.uk/osm/story/0,6903,1476100,00.html
Sid Lowe on all the sniping and chicanery surrounding the Seville
derby:
football.guardian.co.uk/continentalfootball/story/0,15758,1479975,00.html
Marina Hyde describes how technology has turned pundits into boffins:
football.guardian.co.uk/comment/story/0,9753,1479477,00.html
And fancy getting a whopping 60% off a yearly subscription to
FourFourTwo? Then click here:
www.qssa.co.uk/haymarket/template/subsorder.asp?title=FFT&source=gu45
*********************
QUOTE OF THE DAY
"I haven't a problem with it and I can understand why I have been left
out. To tell the truth, I have felt absolutely shattered and been
very down since we were knocked out of [Euro Vase" - Rest easy Graeme
Souness: ffor the first time in his career, Alan Shearer is happy to
be rested.
*********************
THE WORST SHOT OF ROBERTO CARLOS'S CAREER?
The Fiver's never been bothered to find out the exact ethnic
composition of Roberto Carlos. All we know is that the Brazilian (a)
seems like a decent chap, and (b) assorted half-wits in Spain have
regularly taken it upon themselves to make monkey noises when he
touches the ball. So today's photos in El Pais, showing Carlos
happily helping out known Real Madrid racist Jose Luis Ochaita, come
as something of a shock to the soul.
Ochaita is the notorious former leader of the band of big-bellied,
small-brained Real supporters known as Ultra Sur. In 1998 he was
banned from stadiums for three years for trying to attack a referee.
The same year he and seven sidekicks were arrested in Germany for
brandishing Nazi flags and swastikas prior to a Big Cup match. Before
another Big Cup game against Bayer Leverkusen this season, several
Ultra Sur were pictured making Nazi salutes and taunting black
players. Ochaita is, to quote the Fiver's clued-up Spanish
correspondent: "not just some eccentric fan, he's a really nasty
piece of work".
Yet today El Pais published a photo of Carlos presenting Ochaita with
a signed jersey after Real's 5-0 victory over Racing Santander on
Saturday. The paper claims the pocket-sized left-back told Ochaita he
should raffle it off to raise funds to cover the Ultra Sur's travel
expenses to away matches. This is the same Carlos who earlier this
season dismissed racist fans as "people who go to matches just to
draw attention to themselves with stupidity".
Granted, you could argue that a man who shoots every time he gets
within 70 yards of the opponent's goal, usually hitting low-flying
aircraft rather than the target, has a history of committing public
gaffes. But can he ever have perpetrated one as bizarre as this?
Tomorrow he's expected to explain his gesture at a press conference
in the Bernabeu. It promises to be fascinating viewing.
*********************
THE RUMOUR MILL
With Mark van Bommel on his way to Barcelona, AC Milan have switched
their attention to crew-cutted Liverpool midfielder ... Igor Biscan.
Borussia Dortmund left-back Dede has been loudly telling anyone who'll
listen that he's met with Chelsea representatives and will seal a
GBP6m switch to Stamford Bridge provided the Blues can get him an EU
passport.
And despite their capitulation against Middlesbrough on Saturday,
THFC reckon they'll be able to persuade Inter striker Obafemi
Martins and slinky Turkish midfielder Emre to sign on the dotted
line.
* * * * * * * * * * *
09 May 2005
Guardian Unlimited's tea-time take on the world of football
guardian.co.uk/football
In today's Fiver: Little People,
and Roberto Carlos
* * * * * * * * * * * *
LONG AND LUCRATIVE
With the Championship over, it's time for the Fiver's token nod to
football's little people - our retaliation against angry readers who
send letters written in green biro accusing us of constantly
pandering to Big Cup, Sven's Ingerland, assorted Premiership
big-hitters and THFC. So in-no-way patronising pats on the head go
to Paul Jewell and his plucky Wigan Athletic underdogs, who secured
automatic promotion to the Premiership yesterday and look a good bet
to stay there, what with benevolent owner Dave Whelan promising a
GBP25m war-chest and a very long contract to his manager.
"Paul is just damn good - a basic, down-to-earth, Liverpudlian,"
declared Whelan, conjuring up no end of lazy stereotypes involving
tracksuit-sporting, moustachioed and bubble-permed "humorists" urging
each other to calm down. "He'll be here as long as one of the top six
clubs does not come in for him. If one of those clubs comes in, I
won't stand in his way. But there's only six."
But while polished gem Jewell was the toast of the Championship
yesterday, rough diamond-geezer Dennis Wise was busy quitting his job
as Millwall manager in the wake of a row over transfers with new
chairman Jeff Burnige. "I will let the new chairman get on with what
he wants to get on with," snarled one-time Den denizen, Dennis. "I
could have stayed and taken the money but I felt it wasn't about the
money, it was about trying to achieve something and unfortunately he
wants to go in a different direction to me."
And with space fast running out but a story about West Ham boss Alan
Pardew being promised GBP15m to spend on new talent should his team
win the play-offs to be crow-barred in, don't be surprised if this
story comes to a very abrupt
* * * * * * * * * * * *
STILL WANT MORE?
An exclusive interview with an emotional Patrick Vieira:
observer.guardian.co.uk/osm/story/0,6903,1476100,00.html
Sid Lowe on all the sniping and chicanery surrounding the Seville
derby:
football.guardian.co.uk/continentalfootball/story/0,15758,1479975,00.html
Marina Hyde describes how technology has turned pundits into boffins:
football.guardian.co.uk/comment/story/0,9753,1479477,00.html
And fancy getting a whopping 60% off a yearly subscription to
FourFourTwo? Then click here:
www.qssa.co.uk/haymarket/template/subsorder.asp?title=FFT&source=gu45
*********************
QUOTE OF THE DAY
"I haven't a problem with it and I can understand why I have been left
out. To tell the truth, I have felt absolutely shattered and been
very down since we were knocked out of [Euro Vase" - Rest easy Graeme
Souness: ffor the first time in his career, Alan Shearer is happy to
be rested.
*********************
THE WORST SHOT OF ROBERTO CARLOS'S CAREER?
The Fiver's never been bothered to find out the exact ethnic
composition of Roberto Carlos. All we know is that the Brazilian (a)
seems like a decent chap, and (b) assorted half-wits in Spain have
regularly taken it upon themselves to make monkey noises when he
touches the ball. So today's photos in El Pais, showing Carlos
happily helping out known Real Madrid racist Jose Luis Ochaita, come
as something of a shock to the soul.
Ochaita is the notorious former leader of the band of big-bellied,
small-brained Real supporters known as Ultra Sur. In 1998 he was
banned from stadiums for three years for trying to attack a referee.
The same year he and seven sidekicks were arrested in Germany for
brandishing Nazi flags and swastikas prior to a Big Cup match. Before
another Big Cup game against Bayer Leverkusen this season, several
Ultra Sur were pictured making Nazi salutes and taunting black
players. Ochaita is, to quote the Fiver's clued-up Spanish
correspondent: "not just some eccentric fan, he's a really nasty
piece of work".
Yet today El Pais published a photo of Carlos presenting Ochaita with
a signed jersey after Real's 5-0 victory over Racing Santander on
Saturday. The paper claims the pocket-sized left-back told Ochaita he
should raffle it off to raise funds to cover the Ultra Sur's travel
expenses to away matches. This is the same Carlos who earlier this
season dismissed racist fans as "people who go to matches just to
draw attention to themselves with stupidity".
Granted, you could argue that a man who shoots every time he gets
within 70 yards of the opponent's goal, usually hitting low-flying
aircraft rather than the target, has a history of committing public
gaffes. But can he ever have perpetrated one as bizarre as this?
Tomorrow he's expected to explain his gesture at a press conference
in the Bernabeu. It promises to be fascinating viewing.
*********************
THE RUMOUR MILL
With Mark van Bommel on his way to Barcelona, AC Milan have switched
their attention to crew-cutted Liverpool midfielder ... Igor Biscan.
Borussia Dortmund left-back Dede has been loudly telling anyone who'll
listen that he's met with Chelsea representatives and will seal a
GBP6m switch to Stamford Bridge provided the Blues can get him an EU
passport.
And despite their capitulation against Middlesbrough on Saturday,
THFC reckon they'll be able to persuade Inter striker Obafemi
Martins and slinky Turkish midfielder Emre to sign on the dotted
line.
* * * * * * * * * * *