Michael Jackson, bent spoons and football

Posted on June 30, 2009 by Gary Andrews

Yes, it really has been a fortnight since the last blog post. Apologies – I’m not neglecting this place, it’s just the starting a new job thing is obviously taking up a fair bit of my time. Plus it’s sunny outside, there were family visits and a day of cricket to be watched as well. None of which make for convenient blogging time.

Anyway, in the meantime Michael Jackson passed away. He was actually, for a brief period of time, a director of Exeter City FC. Along with Darth Vader. I really wish I was making this up, but I’m not. I’ve told the whole bizarre and somewhat depressing tale over at Soccerlens.

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End of season elsewhere

Posted on June 4, 2009 by Gary Andrews

So, the final twofootedtackle podcast of the season is now online. It seemed only fitting that we got John Stanton, the guest on our first podcast, back into the studio, and he didn’t disappoint. Among the topics covered were the FA Cup, England Internationals, MLS, Champions League, Gareth Barry, managerial changes and, um, cricket (well, the Ashes are coming up).

We will be doing occasional podcasts over the summer but we’re taking a bit of a break for the time being to let us charge our batteries.

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Mission accomplished: League One here we come

Posted on May 5, 2009 by Gary Andrews

We can get back to normal now, the football season is over and Exeter City have secured a fantastic back-to-back promotion to League One. When you consider six years ago we were days away from liquidation, it’s an amazing achievement.

It’s not something I EVER thought I’d witness as a City fan and I’m still pinching myself as I look at the teams we’ll be playing next season. Norwich, Charlton, Southampton and possibly Leeds, plus a couple of great local derbies against Yeovil and Bristol Rovers.

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Hillsborough

Posted on April 14, 2009 by Gary Andrews

You don’t have to be a Liverpool fan to be shocked and saddened by what happened in Sheffield twenty years ago. It’s also probably not an outlandish statement to say the disaster went some way to shape the game as we know it today.

Over at Soccerlens, the column looks back at the events of that day and tries to put it in some form of context.

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Podcast 3 & Soccerlens

Posted on April 7, 2009 by Gary Andrews

The twofootedtackle podcast three is now up. Chris and I were joined in the studio by Luton Town fan and general football obsessive Ben Shaw.

Unsurprisingly, Luton’s Johnstone Paint Trophy Final victory featured, alomg with a general chat about Luton’s ongoing woes. Continuing the woe theme, Southampton, Newcastle, Middlesbrough, Barry Ferguson and, erm, Ade Akinbiyi all featured in the discussion.

And Southampton are also the topic of this week’s Soccerlens. Sad times on the South Coast.

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Gary expanding elsewhere

Posted on March 17, 2009 by Gary Andrews

Not around my waist, although I have recently gone up a trouser size.

So, in addition to this week’s Soccerlens column, which is mainly on Burton Albion’s title wobbles and includes references to Wilde and an impotence joke, there’s exciting news on the assorted football stuff I do.

As from next Tuesday (hopefully), my good friend Chris Nee and I will be producing the Two Footed Tackle podcast. Which is essentially chat about football, but hopefully an entertaining chat about football.

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Gary Elsewhere

Posted on March 3, 2009 by Gary Andrews

Another ridiculously busy week, but just enough time to squeeze out a quick update at Soccerlens on what’s happening at Weymouth FC.

Can somebody please make the weeks or days longer please?

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Ebbsfleet United: An update

Posted on February 17, 2009 by Gary Andrews

This week, the renewals are due for MyFootballClub.co.uk, the fan website that, last year, brought Conference club Ebbsfleet United. The numbers, so far, do not look good for the club.

Over at Soccerlens I crunch through the numbers and try my best to analyse why there’s been such a drop in membership (if my figures are correct, about 20 thousand won’t renew) and also what this means for the club.

It probably won’t be pretty.

When I first heard about MyFC, I was naturally cynical. I’ve spent enough time watching, reading and reporting on football and have seen enough ambitious and often hare-brained schemes collapse.

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Gary has been busy but he’s still found time to be elsewhere

Posted on January 27, 2009 by Gary Andrews

He’ll also stop talking about himself in the third person now.

Over at Soccerlens I wax lyrical about the 10 greatest ever drawn FA Cup ties and the subsequent replays.

The words “You’re a bit of a sad geek, aren’t you” may be used in conjunction with this article. You’d probably be right.

I’ve also managed to irritate Manchester United fans. Makes a change from having Manchester City fans chasing after me with pitchforks. I’ve actually got nothing much against either club. They both do things well and not so well. And things are never dull with either of them…

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Gary Elsewhere

Posted on January 21, 2009 by Gary Andrews

Over at Soccerlens, I lament the current state of football and try to give a few reasons why it’s gone a bit, well, wrong.

I’d also like to point out this was written before I went to Dagenham to watch Exeter play last night, which was one of those games that reminds you just why you love football.

Nonetheless, the sentiment of the article stands. I’m probably going to be chased from city to city with burning pitchforks, mind, as I’ve criticised most Premier League clubs. It’s not that I have anything against the clubs per se, it’s just part of a wider malaise.

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