Monthly Archives: March 2009

The Trend Setters….

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A little birdy tells me that sometime in the next month Manchester United will announce the world most lucrative shirt sponsorship deal in the history of football.  Since AIG announced they would not be renewing their deal in January 2009, the list of companies wanting to be associated with the world’s biggest football club has been a mystery that Scooby Doo would have been hard pushed to solve.  Some say T-Mobile had thrown in their hat, others say that Bwin are very keen on adding the Red Devils into their band of superbrands with AC Milan and Real Madrid.  This season alone the six major leagues in Europe earnt over £350m in shirt sponsorship yet these clubs would be nowhere if it wasn’t for a small club in the middle of Northamptonshire.

The superstars of modern football who earn some of their megabucks from these huge deals should every year send a magnum of champagne to Kettering Town, for it was them under the guidance of Derek Dougan who brokered the first ever shirt sponsorship deal back in 1976.  During the seventies football revenue came solely from the central pool, with a little bit of perimeter boards.

The shirt that started the billion pound ball rolling

The shirt that started the billion pound ball rolling

Dougan was a forward thinker and saw an opportunity to bring some more money in for the club.  He did a deal with local company Kettering Tyres, and for their Southern League game against Bath City the team ran onto the pitch sporting the words “Kettering Tyres” (See left) on their chests.  The stuffy old FA went mad and ordered the club to remove the blatent advertising.  Dougan simply removed the world Tyres but left a large “T”, claiming it stood for Town.  The FA still insisted this was illegal and threatened the club with a £1,000 fine and they relented.  However, just over a year later the Football Association changed the rules and opened the door to shirt sponsorship as we know it today.

The club’s formative years were spent in the leagues around the Midlands and Southern Leagues, and they actually came lose to being elected into the Football League in 1974 under the guidance of Ron Atkinson.  Due to their high profile in the regional leagues they were asked to become a founder member of the Alliance Premier League in 1979, and were runners up at this level 1981.  After a couple of brief spells back in the Southern Leagues they were promoted in 2002 back to the Conference, albeit into the newly formed Northern division.  In 2005 the club were taken over by Imraan Ladak who promptly appointed a frail Paul Gascoigne as manager.  The England legend lasted just over a month before he left in uncertain circumstances with the club.  Under a series of new managers the club began to climb the table and 12 months after losing a play off to Farsley Celtic they were promoted at the end of 2008 as Conference North champions.

This season under Mark Cooper the club have made huge steps forward, benefiting from some of the changes made whilst in the lower divisions (such as going full time).  They have spent most of the season in the top ten although they have constantly had games in hand on their rivals.  In fact coming into this game they were in 9th place in the league but had six games in hand on second place Cambridge United and trailing them by just thirteen points.  Whilst many pundits would always say it is better to have points in the bag, the games in hand are being used as a rallying call by the club to try and move up the league and to get into the play offs.  Two consecutive promotions at this level is almost unheard of, but as they have proved in the past, Kettering Town are no stranger to breaking with tradition.  As a final footnote to the rise of the club and coming in a full circle, they signed their most recent sponsorship deal in 2007 with Palestine Aid, the aid organisation that tries to raise awareness of the humanitarian issues the Palestinians face.  It was rumoured that the club’s adoption of this charity cost them TV revenue when ITV opted to show the FA Cup 4th round game between Hartlepool United and West Ham instead of the Kettering Town versus Fulham one for fear of offending some viewers.

The visitors, Eastbourne Borough had also moved up a division this season and sat very comfortably in 13th place, safe from relegation but too far away from a play off spot.  I had seen them a few weeks ago (see I Do like to be beside the seaside post) and was impressed with the way they played.  This was going to be a real test for them as their away form had been excellent of late, especially as they had recently taken West Ham youngster Jack Jeffrey on loan for the rest of the season.

Lolly and I headed off straight after swimming lessons (her not me I should add) and parked up outside the ground in a less more than 90 minutes later.  One of the easier stadiums to find, just off the A43 and by getting there an hour before kick off we had managed to bag one of the few free on street parking spaces next to the ground.  As we had skipped lunch we headed into the Wimpey, next to the main stand, to relive some dark days of my young by consuming a Big Bender – come on you all remember them!

Back into the 21st century we headed into the ground, taking a seat in the strange Main Stand that only ran for two thirds of the length of the ground.  The rest of the stadium was standard non-league fayre with two low terraces and a cover “cowshed” terrace on the opposite side to us which was where the more vocal Kettering fans were located.  Bolted onto the top of this stand was a small open box, branded McDonalds making it in our view the smallest branch in the world.

Kettering Town 0 Eastbourne Borough 1 – The A-Line Insurance Arena – Saturday 14th March 2009

Summer's here

Summer's here

Two names stood out on the Kettering teamsheet.  Firstly, the man with the huge throw ins (see Game of the Day for more details), Exodus Geohaghon was back in the centre of defence meaning an aerial bombardment was on the cards for the Eastbourne defenders, and secondly a certain Jason Lee was on the subs bench.  Surely not THE Jason Lee, the one man joke that propelled Baddiel and Skinner through a whole series of Fantasy Football in the mid 1990′s due to his comical hair – yep one and the same.  He certainly looked quite mean and in remarkably good shape.  What a perfect foil he would be for these throw ins if Kettering were training at any point……

Normally I talk at length about the game, picking up on the talking points of the game and analysing them in depth.  However, I can quite honestly say that during the first seventy five minutes of the game there was nothing to mention.  It wasn’t that it was dull, it was simply that the strong wind made any football very difficult.  In the first half there was no one single chance on goal.  The 100 or so Eastbourne fans took refuge in the snack bar at the back of the terrace, taking solace in their chips with mushy peas.  The only real taking point was the number of balls that were sailing over the perimeter walls of the ground, causing the rather large steward a few trips to shed a calorie or two.

Despite having the throw on weapon, Kettering kept it under wraps throughout the whole game.  The one turning point came in the 77th minute when Eastbourne threw on subsitute Nathan Crabb, brother of Matt Crabb who had been the most industrious player on show.  The two brothers cannot weigh more than twenty stone between them and it was amazing that they managed to stand with the strong wind blowing in their faces.  However it was Matt Crabb’s surging run that unlocked the defence and he threaded the bal through to his brother, who after getting a lucky deflection off the defender, put the ball into the net for the only goal of the game.

The game ended much as it had taken place with more huffing and puffing.  Kettering’s promotion push had come off the rails temporarily.  This was their fourth home game in eleven games, and with two more in the next sisx days it is understandable that tiredness was starting to affect the team.  On another day with more clement weather it may have been a different story, but for today it would have to be a case of the Big Bender – best forgotten.

About the A-Line Arena
A proper football ground whose traditional looking floodlights can be seen for miles around. A fairly open ground that has open terracing at either end. Both are small terraces, however the home terrace the Cowper Street End is larger than the Rockingham Road End Terrace, which is allocated to away supporters. A number of houses can be seen behind the home end (some of which get a free view of the game), whilst the away end has a number of trees situated behind it.

On one side is the large Main Stand. It is a large cantilever stand that is covered and all seated. This stand extends for just over half the pitch in length. Unusually, rather than the stand straddling the half way line, it is located towards the Rockingham Road End of the ground. To the other side of the stand is the Club House and in the corner with the Cowper Street End, there are the two storey club offices that overlook the ground. Opposite the Main Stand is the partly covered (to the rear) Britannia Road Terrace. Again this is a small terrace, that has a small TV gantry perched on the front of its roof and a fair number of supporting pillars. The ground has some interesting looking floodlights, that at one time must have been arranged as the letter ‘K” – again another first in Britain.

Thanks to Duncan Adam’s excellent website – http://www.conferencegrounds.co.uk/kettering_town.htm for the above information.

How to get to the A-Line Arena
If you are driving to Rockingham Road then the easiest way to get there is to leave the A14 at Junction 7 and take the A43 signposted Corby/Kettering. At the first roundabout turn right onto the A6003 towards Kettering and the ground is located down this road on the left. There is limited parking at the ground, but plenty of street parking is to be found.

If you are coming by train then Kettering is served on a regular basis on trains from St Pancreas and Nottingham via Leicester. To get to the ground from the station you can either get a taxi which will be around £5 or you can walk. Carry on up the hill from the station and simply keep following this road past Morrison’s and the Co-Op. It should take you no more than 20 minutes.

How to get a ticket for the A-Line Arena
Apart from the odd FA Cup game such as the tie against Fulham this season, sell outs are unheard of.  Whilst tickets can be purchased in advance, there is no issue in turning up on the day and paying on the door.  For most games a ticket for the main stand is £15 (£16 for ”local” games versus Rushden, Cambridge, Stevenage and Oxford) and £4 for concessions, where as a terrace place is £13 and £4 respectively.

For the love of claret and blue

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I have a soft spot in football for any club that plays in Claret and Blue, and any team that is still trying in the face of aversity.  In the past I have sported the colours of Scunthorpe United and Burnley, although I have drawn the line at Aston Villa.  One of my favourite teams in Germany is Kaiserslautern thank’s to their claret and blue kit and the constant struggle as one of the Bundesliga’s perrenial under achievers.  But there is a club that could make the TV show for both – Weymouth FC.  The last few years have seen so much drama going on in this small naval-influenced town in Dorset that they could make a TV programme about the club – in fact they actually did some years ago!  Events in the past few months would make avid viewing for many people trying to understand what is wrong with football at the moment.

The club hit the national footballing headlines in February for the wrong reasons as due to ongoing financial issues, the club could not insure thier first team players for the home game versus Rushden and Diamonds, and so the youth team had to take their place, losing 9-0 in the process.  There was some headlines about “betting scandals” around the game, but if you heard your club had to field eleven teenagers with no experience it doesn’t take a rocket scientist to work out that they may get a battering!

It would be remiss of me not to include a potted history of the club before moving on to more interesting aspects.  Whilst the club were formed in 1890 they did not start to make an impact on the Non-League scene for many years.  In 1998 the club finally got out of the Southern League Southern Division after many years of trying.  During the next few seasons a number of managers came and went, unable to push the club into the top level of the pyramid.  These included Neil Webb and latterly Steve Claridge who as Player Manager set the club on their way to promotion from the Southern League at the end of the 2004 season.  In their second season in the newly formed Conference South the club won the division from St Albans, who were also promoted after the play offs.

Whilst progress on the pitch was impressive, off the pitch things were not going to plan.  A number of owners came and went promising great things for the club and changing the manager with the seasons of the year.  Since promotion to the Conference they have had four managers, including ex-Chelsea legend John Hollins.  The club finished 11th in their first season at the top level, slipping down to 18th last season and enduring a few bitten finger nails in the process as they looked over their shoulder at the trap door.  Some may say that relegation would have been a blessing for the club in some ways as it would have put less financial pressure on the club.  This season the club has run into dire financial problems which many have blamed at the door of former chairman Malcolm Curtis.

With seemingly all financial options exhausted and a £300,000 debt around the neck of the club and no first team players available it appeared that the club may simply go out of existence by the end of the season.  However, hope has raised its head as a local businessman appears to have agreed to pay off the debt and provide funding to allow the club to continue.  Going into the game with Salisbury the club had gained 42 points, some 9 points above the trap door, and with a host of other teams below they probably have enough to survive the relegation fight, although since the financial problems escalated in early February they had lost four games on the bounce so it was important that this run was halted.  Salisbury had also had a tough season, sitting one place and four points below Weymouth and with a few financial issues of their own.  Since Christmas they had drawn too many games and came into the game firmly in the relegation mix.

I eventually found the stadium on the outskirts of the town centre, far away from any amenities or comforts.  After parking the car (£2 – very reasonable) I went into the stadium to soak up the atmosphere.  Now I knew that Weymouth had a few issues in getting a team out but I did not expect them to be fielding a team of teenage girls…They were all ready for action by the tunnel and for a few minutes I thought this may be more interesting than I had initially thought.  Alas they were just the ball girls, but you had to feel sorry for them as it was a chilly night and they were not exactly dressed for the part.

The more voricifous home fans had taken up residence in the Carlsberg Stand – complete with an array of inflatables including a number of beach balls, dolphins and rubber rings – all standard issue for the Blue Square obviously.  The Beachball was soon confiscated as it made its way onto the pitch on one too often an occasion.  As the teams lined up it was obvious which of the Weymouth team were “newbies”….firstly they looked about 12 and secondly they had not yet got their names on the shirts.  In fact 6 of the starting 11 were in this position.

Weymouth FC 0 Salisbury City 4 – The Wessex Stadium – Tuesday 10th March 2009 7.45pm

Looking on in hope

Looking on in hope

So the game kicked off with yours truly listening to Liverpool versus Real Madrid on my iPod.  In fact for the first thirty seconds the commentry seemed to be coming from the Wessex Stadium as play was synchronised in my ears.  Then Salisbury hoofed it long, a slight touch on the keeper and the resultant goal was disallowed – and that is where the similarity to Anfield would end (or so we thought).  The first twenty minutes were high on energy and endeavour but low on quality.  The Weymouth team resembled a newly promoted Sunday League team – lots of energy and tricky pacey players but no cutting edge, so it was no surprise when Salisbury eventually took the lead from a corner that was bundled in by centre back Chris Todd after the defence had failed to clear the ball.  The game was essentially over a few minutes later when in his youthful exuberance Weymouth’s Stephen Reed went in late on Luke Ruddick and after a bit of handbags which required the intervention of all four officials the home striker was sent off.

I took the opportunity during the break to have a wander around the ground.  The stadium is just over twenty years old and is really showing its age, none more so than what is visible in a visit to the gents toilets that reminded me of the film Midnight Express.  There are far too many crush barriers on the terraces, making wandering very difficult, and especially as there has only been one occasion when they have been needed in the last twenty years.  There is also a strange section of the ground for disabled spectators that is essentially an extended dugout covered in netting, confusing the fourth official as to who he should be patrolling!

The second half saw Weymouth make a change up front but it was Salisbury who soon doubled their lead as another corner was poorly cleared and Tubbs drove home to make it 2-0.  If Weymouth had any hope of getting a point all hope faded a few minutes later as Charlie Griffin scored the goal of the game, curling in a shot from the edge of the box.  A final Darrell Clarke goal in the last fifteen minutes completed the scoring and let the home fans ruing the fact that they were now well and truly in a relegation fight.

Just before the match the fans had been given an update on the promised £300,000 cash injection.  The loaner, a Mr Beer only wanted to see the club financially straight – he wasn’t interested in any long term commitment, place on the board or a say in how the club was run.  A strange relationship if ever there was one, but apparently his Christian beliefs determined why he should help the club.  So it appears the club is safe for now, although a massive effort must now go into ensuring their survival.

Whilst Alan Green may not have been describing the finer points of play at the Wessex, he did at least get the score line to match from Anfield.

STOP PRESS
“Weymouth are back in deep financial trouble after would-be investor Stephen Beer changed his mind and decided not to invest in the Terras.  Beer did a U-turn after suffering a stroke on his way to a news conference to detail his £300,000 investment into the Blue Square Premier club. Beer’s wife told BBC Radio Solent that her husband had failed to realise the extent of difficulty the club was in. The Dorset club are believed to be around £500,000 in debt. The Terras’ plight was highlighted a fortnight ago when the majority of the first-team squad left the club after not being paid, and being left medically uninsured. Since then, manager Alan Lewer has continued to field a makeshift team comprising mostly junior players and non-contracted players from around the country, but the Terras have lost every match since.”  Taken from BBC Radio Solent………Two works – Oh Shit!

About the Wessex Stadium
A well maintained tidy stadium that although a relatively new one (it was opened in 1987) is more reminiscent of an older ground. This is mostly due to the large traditional floodlights that are located in each corner. There is cover on all four sides of the stadium. On the west side is the Main Stand, which is a covered seated stand that runs for around half the length of the pitch. The seating area of the stand is raised well above the level of the pitch, meaning that you need to climb a small staircase to access it. In front of the stand on either side of the halfway line are the team dugouts. Both ends are similar sized covered terraces, whilst on the remaining side of the ground there is also a small covered terrace. This area is called the AKI Stand and is affectionately nicknamed the Babs Windsor stand by the Weymouth fans (you’ll have to ask one to find out why!). The rest of the ground mostly comprises of portions of open terrace, to either side of the stands and in the corners.

Thanks to Duncan Adams and his excellent site – http://www.conferencegrounds.co.uk for providing the above information.

How to get to the Wessex Stadium
The stadium is located a little way out of the town centre on the B3157 but is well signposted.  There is a small car park at the ground which costs £2.  There is a regular bus service that runs on a match day from Bus stop K2 which is on the seafront opposite the Cork and Bottle pub.  Buses number 3 and 5 also run from close to the station to the stadium.  A taxi from the town centre will cost £5.

How to get a ticket for the Wessex Stadium
Like nearly all teams at this level sell outs are unheard of at the Wessex Stadium.  The biggest crowd ever at the stadium was for the visit of Nottingham Forest in the FA Cup in January 2005.  The average attendance at the stadium over the past few seasons has been just under 1,500 so you will have no problems arriving on the day and getting a ticket.  A place on the terrace costs £14 for Adults, and a variety of prices for concessions ranging from free for accompanied under 7′s to £10 for OAP’s.  A place in the main stand is £16 or £11/£7 for concessions.  The club also have a Premier Seat which for £22 also gets you a parking space, programme and access to the players lounge.  More details can be obtained from the club on     01305 785558    .

If it was in the 80s…Minute by minute by song titles

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rich_swin Richard Swindells @theballisround congratulations on your nostalgic feed tonight! Some of the hits were beyond me but I could place most

theballisround Stuart Fuller  90 mins up. Hope it’s been a HOUSE OF FUN but that’s all folks for TONIGHT TONIGHT TONIGHT. GOODNIGHT GIRLs and BOYS.

SwissRamble Swiss Rambler @theballisround Good win, but England should realise IT AIN’T WHAT YOU DO, IT’S THE WAY THAT YOU DO IT

theballisround Stuart Fuller @lizzy_ammon TRUE but SOMETIMES you just PUSH IT but I can BEAT IT ANGEL and LIVE TO TELL LITTLE LIES

paulloughlin Paul Loughlin @theballisround England look much better playing the ball on the deck and not “In the Air Tonight”

lizzy_ammon lizzy_ammon theballisround don’t TELL ME LIES

theballisround Stuart Fuller @lizzy_ammon RUMOURS ?

paulloughlin Paul Loughlin @theballisround This team can go far if they “Don’t Stop Believing”

JamieCutteridge Jamie Cutteridge @theballisround Often Ash’s problem is that he dives +his crosses are rubbish,I guess Capello told him to ‘Stand and Deliver’

theballisround Stuart Fuller @lizzy_ammon so which player has the best LEGS and who would make you say “ALL I WANT IS YOU”

LesRosbifs Gav @theballisround Joe Hart is LIViNG IN A BOX tonight.

theballisround Stuart Fuller FOREVER YOUNG I assume

theballisround Stuart Fuller I think we hope that Downings introduction will mend the BROKEN WINGS we seem to have had tonight

theballisround Stuart Fuller Good to see Bent TAKE IT ON THE RUN there but offside again

paulloughlin Paul Loughlin @theballisround Young was certainly “Hungry Like the Wolf” when he pounced on that opportunity

BTLifesapitch Life’s a Pitch @theballisround 2:1 The game has THE LOOK OF LOVEly goals ahead

SwissRamble Swiss Rambler @theballisround For Denmark, that was TOO MUCH TOO YOUNG

mistrollingin Steve@theballisround THIS CHARMING MAN Young scores, now I WANNA DANCE WITH SOMEBODY

theballisround Stuart Fuller Ball being given away too often. By whom? It’s ONLY THE YOUNG isn’t it!

theballisround Stuart Fuller LETS HEAR IT FOR THE BOY Erikson, star of the night so far

nbfcupdates nbfcupdates @theballisround Glen Johnson – UNDER PRESSURE

theballisround Stuart Fuller Why is the referee in yellow? He should be BACK IN BLACK surely?

theballisround Stuart Fuller Those aren’t MOONLIGHT SHADOWS on the pitch by the way

sammylambypie Sam Bird That one was very bad! “@theballisround: I didn’t think this would be a THRILLER but actually it isn’t BAD..”

karlmatchett Karl Matchett @theballisround YOU ARE NOT ALONE in thinking that, but if agger gets injured i will SCREAM

mistrollingin Steve We’re getting THE MEESAGE @theballisround So how are the 80s songs going down? An EMBARRASMENT or S’EXPRESSive?

theballisround Stuart Fuller I didn’t think this would be a THRILLER but actually it isn’t BAD..

theballisround Stuart Fuller So how are the 80s songs going down? An EMBARRASMENT or S’EXPRESSive?

theballisround Stuart Fuller CHRISTIAN Erikson is running ROUND AND ROUND England ALL NIGHT LONG. Class

theballisround Stuart Fuller DON’T GIVE UP cole..Erikson may be running rings around you but you were once slept with Cheryl

mistrollingin Steve @theballisround SLEDGEHAMMER from Eriksen against the post enough to TAKE MY BREATH AWAY

theballisround Stuart Fuller Very predictable set pieces from the Danes. They should try a DIFFERENT CORNER formation once in a while

tomvictor Tom Victor @theballisround anything Bent do, AGGER DO better

theballisround Stuart Fuller England put themselves UNDER PRESSURE to easily from these corners

Marco4J Marco Jackson Denmark surprise England by fielding neither Laudrup brother.

lugepravda Luge Pravda Rooney struggling for goals. You know what? We can do it WITH OR WITHOUT YOU son.

lugepravda Luge Pravda Unperturbed by a previous lack of caps Bent appears well INTO THE GROOVE tonight

theballisround Stuart Fuller BEAT DIS offside trap says Walcott as he sets up Bent’s goal on a plate

lugepravda Luge Pravda Bent to the rescue. With Roon off colour, boy do we NEED YOU TONIGHT

theballisround Stuart Fuller TIME AFTER TIME we look poor away from home but then here comes Darren Bent its 1-1 A NEW ENGLAND is born

theballisround Stuart Fuller We’re going to be LIVIN ON A PRAYER now after that Agger header.#ifitwasthe80s

lugepravda Luge Pravda Typical. @theballisround is at the game in Copenhagen. SOME GUYS HAVE ALL THE LUCK

lugepravda Luge Pravda I’ll have to stay up to date with other scores. A little Croatia v Czech Republic action, I like that LUKA Modric fellow

Gingeraction James Boyes Let’s hope Fabio did a good team TALK TALK

lugepravda Luge Pravda England vs Denmark: a BIG COUNTRY vs minnows?

lugepravda Luge Pravda @theballisround its lunchtime here but thanks for keeping me up to date over there Stu, on the NIGHTSHIFT

Gingeraction James Boyes It’s TRUE but TO CUT A LONG STORY SHORT, good COMMUNICATION could see them strike GOLD tonight

Gingeraction James Boyes England lose tonight and Fabio could be on THE ROAD TO NOWHERE

DannyLast Danny Last @theballisround Graham Taylor has just said Rommedahl should be given the RESPECT he deserves.

Gingeraction James Boyes Hopefully England have spent some time on their set pieces so we may get A DIFFERENT CORNER tonight

theballisround Stuart Fuller IT MUST BE LOVEly to lead out England like Lampard is doing

Gingeraction James Boyes England could struggle without RIO tonight.

theballisround Stuart Fuller DOWN UNDER the covered tunnel, Jack Wilshere will be bricking it

Gingeraction James Boyes @SwissRamble @DannyLast @theballisround Wish England were in red tonight. They’re my FAVOURITE SHIRTS

theballisround Stuart Fuller Nearly kick off time in Parken and WORD UPstairs in press area is that we will win

DannyLast Danny Last Bent starts for England. A BORDERLINE decision? What about Defoe? ANOTHER ONE BITES THE DUST?

joseph_short Joe Short @DannyLast @SwissRamble @theballisround Jack Wilshire’s first start… sorry, had to get LIKE A VIRGIN in somewhere

SwissRamble Swiss Rambler @DannyLast @theballisround Yes. I fear it will be a NEVER ENDING STORY

DannyLast Danny Last @SwissRamble @theballisround Is it TURN BACK THE CLOCK time for tonight’s friendly then?

SwissRamble Swiss Rambler @theballisround I can’t help it. It’s a REFLEX

theballisround Stuart Fuller @SwissRamble don’t peak too early…still 40 mins to kick off. just have PATIENCE

damon_th damon t @theballisround Do You Know Where You’re Going To?

SwissRamble Swiss Rambler @theballisround Blimey. Don’t be an EMBARRASSMENT

theballisround Stuart Fuller @SwissRamble but I NEED YOU TONIGHT

theballisround Stuart Fuller Entering ground at Parken…which way to press area? TOO SHY to ask for directions. WALK THIS WAY the sign said

theballisround Stuart Fuller Enroute to the game via bus. LET’S MAKE THIS A NIGHT TO REMEMBER underneath the Parken THUNDERDOME