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Alrightguv

Listed below are comments made by Alrightguv between Wednesday, 19th November 2008 and Friday, 29th May 2009.

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The FA Cup: still the best? 5:12pm on 29 May 2009 The FA cup is still the best cup competition in the world. Qualifying starts in August and last year 762 teams entered the competition. That is by far more than any other cup competion. It gives a platform for the smaller 'unglamorous teams' to write themselves into the archives of English Football. It throws up great stories. Hear the name Ronny Radford and any football fan will see the same clip in their minds. Arsenal fans will remember being knocked out by Wrexham and Coventry fans are still to this day harping on about 1987. They've even named their fanzine after Gary Mabbutts knee.
Compare this to the Champions League. Its not even a knockout tournament. You can have one bad game in the group stages and still go on a win it. The same as the Uefa cup. The FA Cup however does not reward failure. One bad game and your out. That is why the underdog still has its chance. Its not about money or gate receipts. Its about running out at Wembley on a sunny day in May. Fans of Man Utd/Chelsea/Liverpool etc would probably prefer their club to win the Champions League to the FA Cup. However ask any English footballer and I bet when they were younger they pretended to score the winning goal in the FA Cup final at Wembley rather than the winning goal in the European cup in Moscow.
Wembley virgin 1:57pm on 03 Apr 2009 Having been to the old and new Wembley, I would have to say that whilst its pleasing to the eye and you have a lot of room per seat the new wembley is just very "nice" which is not what a football stadium should be. It is a larger example of all of the new stadiums sprouting up over the country which appear to be varying sizes of an identitykit of what architects think a stadium should look like. The whole of the middle tier at Wembley is corporate which is great if your on a work freebie, but to the normal fan it is insignificant. It also affects the atmosphere as it does not fill up until about 10 mins after kickoff as everyone is having one more beer in at the bar.

I have just seen the new plans for the new Spurs Stadium. Again it looks very nice. However, "The Shelf" which created the atmosphere at White Hart Lane will be no more. To fill the 58,000 capacity it will be sold to corporate's who will fill it each week with people with little interest in Spurs. The way football is going there will be no tickets for the real fan. Sky already run football and its just as well really as the only way fans will be able to watch their team will be on the TV or have to support a lower division team like Coventry City.

Comparing this to rugby, I would have to say it doesn't compare. Having been to club and international games it is like football used to be. I can sit or stand, with a beer in hand and watch the game. I can have an opinion on the game, without getting my head smashed in. There is no segregation. After each England game at Twickenham you can go to the bar under the stadium, where the bars are open until late and there is not one bit of trouble. Twickenham definitely has a corporate side. However, this is not segregated into one area and the people who go are interested in the rugby and not the prawn sandwiches.

The New Wembley is a iconic Building changing the skyline of London. However, it is not a football stadium for football fans, and neither is the Emirates, or any other new build stadium.

They are like new build houses. They look great, are shiny and new, and have all the latest mod cons. However, they lack character, history and uniqueness and are built to the same specifications up and down the country.
Bend it like Belmonte 08:23am on 07 Mar 2009 This is ridiculous. My wife uses a similar technique but bowls the ball out of the back of the hand. Surprisingly effective but not within the laws of the game. The ball should be bowled in a similar action to crown green bowls, with the added use of the thumb and fingers. Thats what I tell her if she beats me anyway. I would suggest this Aussie uses a lighter ball, maybe a '10 or a '12. Then he would be able to lift it one handed and bowl like the rest of us men.
The Magic of the Cup 10:56am on 03 Jan 2009 1991, Tottenham v Arsenal, Wembley Stadium.

"Is he going to have a go? I think he is you know. Oh I say!"

Legendary Goal, Legendary commentary.
Strictly confusing 4:10pm on 23 Dec 2008 X-Factor, Strictly Come dancing, Big Brother, isn't it about time all of these reality shows were binned? X-Factor is simply a cash cow for Simon Cowell, Strictly Come Dancing is a show the BBC have desperately thought up to rival X-Factor, and whilst I understand it may raise some money for charity, I'm sure License payers money is used to promote C list celebs who are keen on remaining in the public eye. As for Celeb BB, the less said about that the better. This is a show that when introduced revolutionised TV, but has now had its day as again it has been turned over to d-list celebs craving the highs of their previous 5 minutes of fame. Whether the voting of Strictly come dancing was wrong or not who cares. The money still goes to charity. Isn't that the idea as opposed to who gets crowned the champion. This is surely a by product.
If the BBC spent its licence money on more old school Saturday night tv this furore soon be forgotten.
All of this is billed as entertainment. However, it is not entertainment but ego massaging has beens.
Free beer at Bolton! 1:25pm on 19 Nov 2008 A good interview. I hope this pre match thinking transfers down south. I support a London club, and struggle to pay for my ticket, a pie and a pint. I have recently got married and what with this credit crunch am struggling to keep my wife and the footie. Maybe you could try speaking to London Clubs about introducing this.... Surely football attendances as a whole will struggle during the credit crunch

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