Coverage for the week of the 27th March - 2nd April 2006
 

After last week’s outbreak of Ebola virus in the tf bunker, your regular media watch returns.  At least I’ve had plenty time to peruse the papers whilst barricaded into the bog.  I never knew you could spend so long in the khazi over one weekend.  Like the map at the start of Bonanza?  Like a Japanese flag at full mast?  Oh aye.  I’ll be the one sat on the rubber ring then.

Speaking of shite, this week’s coverage starts with the appalling performance that saw us lose at ‘kin Charlton.  (Article) (Article) (Article) (Article)  Not just the result that was embarrassing but the performance also.  Glenn Roeder didn’t pull his punches post match.  (Article) (Article) (Article)  A different Roeder than of late, and comments that more than ever hint that he may know more than he is letting on about the identity of our next manager; the candidates now seeming to include everyone from Geoffrey off Rainbow (obviously with Bungle as his assistant) to Lord Lucan (who will ride triumphantly into SJP on Shergar, no he will honest…).  Whoever it is certainly has a big job on his hands (Article).  And I can tell you after last weekend I know plenty about that.

You can’t argue though when the obvious is stated that performances like this one are simply not good enough (Article).  John Gibson meanwhile brings us all back to earth with a  bigger bump reminding us that whilst we may mock the afflicted of the Village of the Damned we at the moment have, frankly, very little to brag about really (Article).  Hard to disagree.  Thank goodness for Kevin Ball though.  Nails.

And so in the shadow of a new manager looming large (Article), the attention his week has been very much on the players, some of whom may or may not be staying (Article), Emre hardly finding the right things to say (Article) for one and I have found the comments from those who are or have been extensively absent from fist team action of late interesting.  Funny that suddenly their mouths are going again isn’t it?  Take Michael Owen for example.  He’s been back under the knife, or rather the screwdriver again this week.  He needed a longer screw apparently (Article).  Should have gone to Gladstone’s on Bedford Street, they’d have sorted him out first time.  But he’ll be OK for England (Article) (Article) (Article), so that’s a relief, eh?  Twats.  By the end of the week NUFC was his “focus” however (Article).  Keen to “repay the fans” (Article).  I remain to be wholly convinced, a few words here and there and the odd line on his World Cup msn blog (Article) do not seem like anyone’s “main focus” to me.

Also with World Cup dreams is, of course, Kieron Dyer.  (Article)  Another one who would do well to shut it and get on with putting 100% to the Black & White cause.  He’s worried about our defence as well (Article).  Stick to sorting your own problems out would be my suggestion.  Just a suggestion like.

Yet another World Cup hopeful, you can see the connection developing here can’t you, is Craig Moore.  To say his delayed start in a Black & White shirt has been “mixed” would be an understatement.  He claims to be fighting for his future (Article) (Article).  The possibility that he may just not go to Germany with Australia hasn’t crossed his mind, obviously.

One player most unlikely to now make his country’s squad is Albert Luque.  He has the backing of the club still, apparently (Article), though this does make me wonder at just whose agenda and why.  He turned out for the reserves this week (Article) in one of them “efforts to prove fitness” and promptly lasted 13 minutes (Article) (Article).  Birmingham, cold and wet, 13 minutes.  You know what I’m thinking.  You probably did too.

Fellow waste of money Jean Alain Boumsong, linked with a return to France (please God…)(Article) was told to get back to basics this week (Article) and cut out the daft errors (Article).  Like he hasn't been told already?  Repeatedly?  Also due a rest as he’s looking short of confidence and like he’s been “found out” by Premiership managers was Peter Ramage.  Taken out of the firing line (Article) for his own sake.  The lad has done admirably but looks shot to me at the moment.  Time to reflect on whether or not he will actually make the grade in the long term.

Out for the season is fellow academy product Steven Taylor who admits that playing against Liverpool was a “cock up”.  (Article)  (Article)  But just whose cock up exactly?  The lad played because he’s that sort of character but someone, somewhere should have been listening to medical advice and holding him back don’t you think?  He’ll be back next season and we can only hope he continues to improve the way he has during his time in the side this campaign (Article).  It says it all though when we are devastated that a 20 year old won’t return to shore up the back line.

Also finished for the season is Scott Parker, adding glandular fever to the increasingly bizarre list of reasons for absenteeism this season (Article) (Article) (Article).  Whatever next? Schistosomiasis? Lassa fever? Cholera?  The vapours? Turning Japanese? I really think so.  That said it also says a lot about that lad that he’s played through it for about a month so they reckon.  Imagine Luque with it, for example?  It would probably finish young Kieron off.   The mind boggles.

The loss of Parker was joined in the pre Spurs build up with universal praise for a “living legend” (Article) (Article) and a “true gentleman” (Article) and strong words over Jermaine Goldfish’s departure for the North London club earlier this season from Glenn Roeder (Article).  Poison in the dressing room apparently.  Curious.  Never off his phone either I’m told.  Shocking.

The resulting pleasant surprise that was the demolition of a Spurs side that are Champions’ League qualification contenders (I knaa, doesn’t it just piss ye off) was well received by the press as well as us long sufferers within the tf bunker.  (Article) (Article) (Article) (Article)  Even Louise Taylor found it hard to find something critical to say (Article).  The driving force behind the win was Lee Bowyer, voted this week the most hated player in the Premiership (Article).  Before the match he was making big with his mouth too and for once we see a player back up his words with a performance.  (Article)  Though just what his motivation is with his contract up and no one in London interested I’ll leave for you to decide.  Whatever, more of the same for the rest of the season would be greatly appreciated ta.

A couple of things to finish off with this week.  Firstly is it just me that thinks the club has made tits of themselves (yet again) over this bloke who noticed that NUFC were registered only as a football “company” and not “club” with Companies House so bought the “club” one only to swiftly find himself on the receiving end of a lawyer’s letter.  (Article)  I reckon they’ve missed out on a decent PR stunt here mesel’.  There must have been a hell of a lot of positive ways they could have resolved this instead of looking like aggressive bullies.  And who forgot/overlooked/were too arrogant to bother to register the names in question in the first place?  Funny how people can over react out of embarrassment isn’t it? 

Also rearing its ugly head again this week was the potentially substantial VAT bill heading our (and Arsenal’s) way if we lose this upcoming test case (Article).  I wonder how much of a dint in any transfer kitty this could make.  Finally a farewell to Greame Le Saux who has walked out in a huff from the BBC. (Article) (Article)  After his one man campaign to get Celestine Babayaro banned for as many games possible based on TV evidence that he was all too quick to point at (whilst simultaneously ignoring anything committed by Tim Cahill), you’ll find no tears shed from this end of the tf bunker.  Not that I’ve found the camomile lotion now anyway.

NM