I watched most of the last Test between England and Pakistan absolutely enthralled, a feeling I have not had for a long time with professional Twenty20 cricket.
The test is still an event here in England and sad as it may sound I would set aside a day out to watch it! T20 cricket seems to be more of an event elsewhere, particularly in India, and it is a big money spinner. But we have had overkill here in England.
So much overkill that T20 cricket which as amateurs we have been playing for years and years has become less of a treat and a fun evening to what authorities see as serious cricket. But the players don't always take it seriously.
I recently filled in at a finals day for our 3rd XI in our T20 competition in Cornwall, the Andrew Cup - which is geared for junior standard cricketers. The competition prided itself on not being T20 but simply 20-over cricket, with no power plays, dug outs or music. Regardless of that, the batsmen have still changed the way they have played since seeing the likes of Trescothick smash 50 in 13 balls. I opened up with our team chasing 140 to win and progress to the final but couldn't get bat on ball and decided to sacrifice my wicket. Now I'm not the best batsmen and I'm not saying T20 cricket is to blame, but situations like that wont help me improve.
Our 1st and 2nd teams play in a second T20 competition, an addition to the traditional Vinter Cup. But it seems almost all clubs view it as a joke. I (4th team captain) was asked to play in the 1st team because they were that short of players and in one game against the 2nds, an opposition batsmen came in for the last ball at the non-strikers end not wearing any pads, all seems a bit of a joke.
As amateurs Saturday games are the pinnacle and people have work and families to think about, so, rightly so, the T20 falls by the wayside.
Let's hope if there is too much cricket in the professional game it is the T20 that falls by the wayside too. Yes I would still go and watch the odd T20, but if I had to choose between that and watching Test, there's no contest.
JT
Monday, 19 July 2010
Monday, 28 June 2010
The trials and tribulations of watching England Germany
Watching England and Germany yesterday was certainly an emotional affair. Not just because of the dismal result, but the practicalities of watching the game!
First came the decision of where to watch it and with the sunny skies above we opted for going in a friend's garden, a fridge full of beers and a TV under an umbrella to ease the glare from the sun.
We set up the Freeview box and everything looked ship shape and we were ready for the big encounter.
With five of us watching, there was the usual banter/debate about what the team should be, how we can win and whether we had a better side than the Germans.
Then the match started. The two German goals silenced our chatter and the only noises from the garden became the occasional expletive at England's performance.
About 25 minutes in we had our own drama. The signal on the television began to flicker and we were left with very little picture. Not what you want in such an important game when hours before kick off it looked trouble free.
We frantically moved the TV back into the living room, followed by the scart lead and tried to set it back up. In the midst of the chaos we heard a cheer from next door and thought we scored, so moved with more speed and less haste.
Finally we hooked it up and low and behold we had scored. 2-1. Game on. We were greeted by debate in the commentary about goal line technology and came to the conclusion that England's goal was contentious, but because of Blatter's decision not to have technology, we had got off scot-free. There were shouts around the living room of '66 all over again and we were making predictions of 4-2.
Then they showed the replay, and the short-lived praise of Blatter turned into the more familiar cries of "What a pr**k."
We went into half time having caught up with the rest of the world and the feeling of injustice, but also hope that England now had the bit between their teeth and could go on and win.
Unfortunately we couldn't have been more wrong and Germany seemingly cruised to the 4-1 win, with the only relief that I wouldn't have to think about rearranging my 4th team cricket match next Saturday afternoon. My friend Tom summed it up when he said that England would have given it more of a go in this World Cup with 11 Championship players playing.
While the raw emotion has gone from this World up from me now. There is still plenty more to enjoy and it started at 7.30pm watching Argentina and now, as I write, watching Brazil. The team I backed to win, Holland, are still in the tournament with a 100% record. Good times ahead, although nothing like what we hoped.
First came the decision of where to watch it and with the sunny skies above we opted for going in a friend's garden, a fridge full of beers and a TV under an umbrella to ease the glare from the sun.
We set up the Freeview box and everything looked ship shape and we were ready for the big encounter.
With five of us watching, there was the usual banter/debate about what the team should be, how we can win and whether we had a better side than the Germans.
Then the match started. The two German goals silenced our chatter and the only noises from the garden became the occasional expletive at England's performance.
About 25 minutes in we had our own drama. The signal on the television began to flicker and we were left with very little picture. Not what you want in such an important game when hours before kick off it looked trouble free.
We frantically moved the TV back into the living room, followed by the scart lead and tried to set it back up. In the midst of the chaos we heard a cheer from next door and thought we scored, so moved with more speed and less haste.
Finally we hooked it up and low and behold we had scored. 2-1. Game on. We were greeted by debate in the commentary about goal line technology and came to the conclusion that England's goal was contentious, but because of Blatter's decision not to have technology, we had got off scot-free. There were shouts around the living room of '66 all over again and we were making predictions of 4-2.
Then they showed the replay, and the short-lived praise of Blatter turned into the more familiar cries of "What a pr**k."
We went into half time having caught up with the rest of the world and the feeling of injustice, but also hope that England now had the bit between their teeth and could go on and win.
Unfortunately we couldn't have been more wrong and Germany seemingly cruised to the 4-1 win, with the only relief that I wouldn't have to think about rearranging my 4th team cricket match next Saturday afternoon. My friend Tom summed it up when he said that England would have given it more of a go in this World Cup with 11 Championship players playing.
While the raw emotion has gone from this World up from me now. There is still plenty more to enjoy and it started at 7.30pm watching Argentina and now, as I write, watching Brazil. The team I backed to win, Holland, are still in the tournament with a 100% record. Good times ahead, although nothing like what we hoped.
Wednesday, 16 June 2010
The World Cup so far
Now that we have seen every team play in this World Cup the most important thing we have learned is that England do not look that bad compared to the other hotly tipped teams.
Steven Gerrard was immense against USA and if he carries on playing like that and leading England from the front then there is no reason why he could not take us all the way. The hardest game in the group stage is out of the way and looking at Slovenia and Algeria we should walk it, even with Rob Green's freak accident.
Same goes for Spain. Even though they lost to Switzerland today they would still fancy themselves to beat Honduras and Chile (although Chile were one of the most impressive so far).
Brazil were not outstanding against North Korea, whose crying forward epitomised what the World Cup is about for these smaller nations, but got the job done. The tasty clash will be when they play Portugal, who have left that group looking interesting after the draw with Ivory Coast.
Italy only managed a draw and with their goalkeeper a doubt it looks ominous for them, although the competition in that group is poor so, like England they have the toughest group game out of the way with a point from it.
I didn't get to see Argentina but by all accounts they could have got six or seven against the Super Eagles. They obviously have one of the strongest teams, especially going forward, on paper so it will be interesting to see what happens to them, as nobody seems to trust their manager.
Germany looked class and by far the best of the big teams so far. They got lucky with the Cahill sending off and some have compared their performance to ours, with Australia possibly on a par with USA. However, USA have more European established players than Oz and got their goal with a stroke of luck. Plus you can see what the game meant to them against a kind of old enemy with the New York Post headline USA Wins 1-1. If Australia played us they would probably look more up for it with the Ashes rivalry and so on. That apart, Germany still brushed the Socceroos aside and looked very, very good. Klose and Podolski, who couldn't buy a goal last season, looked up for it on the biggest stage.
France were poor in a poor game and did not look like a team fighting to win the World Cup. It was fitting that Henry didn't get a handball decision (and it was the right one) but the France Uruguay game highlighted a worry that a lot of fans have after this first round of games, that there aren't enough goals.
That maybe true, but we have still had drama and enjoyment - especially from the fans blowing their vuvuzelas - and there is plenty more football to come. We all hope for more goals but some want an end to the vuvuzelas, which, it was decided this week, will not be banned for the World Cup. I understand why some don't like them, when you turn on the radio it sounds like a bad reception, but when is Africa going to get it's next World Cup? Let the fans have their fun.
Steven Gerrard was immense against USA and if he carries on playing like that and leading England from the front then there is no reason why he could not take us all the way. The hardest game in the group stage is out of the way and looking at Slovenia and Algeria we should walk it, even with Rob Green's freak accident.
Same goes for Spain. Even though they lost to Switzerland today they would still fancy themselves to beat Honduras and Chile (although Chile were one of the most impressive so far).
Brazil were not outstanding against North Korea, whose crying forward epitomised what the World Cup is about for these smaller nations, but got the job done. The tasty clash will be when they play Portugal, who have left that group looking interesting after the draw with Ivory Coast.
Italy only managed a draw and with their goalkeeper a doubt it looks ominous for them, although the competition in that group is poor so, like England they have the toughest group game out of the way with a point from it.
I didn't get to see Argentina but by all accounts they could have got six or seven against the Super Eagles. They obviously have one of the strongest teams, especially going forward, on paper so it will be interesting to see what happens to them, as nobody seems to trust their manager.
Germany looked class and by far the best of the big teams so far. They got lucky with the Cahill sending off and some have compared their performance to ours, with Australia possibly on a par with USA. However, USA have more European established players than Oz and got their goal with a stroke of luck. Plus you can see what the game meant to them against a kind of old enemy with the New York Post headline USA Wins 1-1. If Australia played us they would probably look more up for it with the Ashes rivalry and so on. That apart, Germany still brushed the Socceroos aside and looked very, very good. Klose and Podolski, who couldn't buy a goal last season, looked up for it on the biggest stage.
France were poor in a poor game and did not look like a team fighting to win the World Cup. It was fitting that Henry didn't get a handball decision (and it was the right one) but the France Uruguay game highlighted a worry that a lot of fans have after this first round of games, that there aren't enough goals.
That maybe true, but we have still had drama and enjoyment - especially from the fans blowing their vuvuzelas - and there is plenty more football to come. We all hope for more goals but some want an end to the vuvuzelas, which, it was decided this week, will not be banned for the World Cup. I understand why some don't like them, when you turn on the radio it sounds like a bad reception, but when is Africa going to get it's next World Cup? Let the fans have their fun.
Thursday, 10 June 2010
South Africa is a breath of fresh air in a money-obsessed football world
The World Cup is almost upon us and we are all counting the seconds. And one of the great things is that for the first time in a long time, money isn't at the back of an English football fan's mind.
Supporting your team in the World Cup is all about national pride and while we may criticise the team on the field or the manager's decisions, what we don't have to worry about are wage bills, the owners and the threat of administration.
It may sound rich (excuse the pun) coming from a fan who supports a club where money is no object but by the end of the domestic season I was sick with every other sports news story being about finance, whether it was Portsmouth, Crystal Palace, Chester City or Manchester United and the Red Knights - and I bet fans of those clubs were even more sick. This season I spent more time hearing about financial turmoil than I did about what happened on the pitch, which is, and I think I speak for everyone (apart from Portsmouth fans getting the administrators' autograph), what I watch football for.
Footballers earn too much money. We all know that. In fact, if you heard the very latest figures from Deloittes, clubs spent 67% of their revenue on wages in the 2008/09 season. But it's the trend of sports news stories combined with the trend of high wages that we even know that.
That's why the World Cup is a breath of fresh air. There will be no talk of wages, no worries about administration and no campaigns against the owners or a mysterious consortium. There will just be football. At the highest level. But in its purest form.
And it's fitting that in a year when finance has dominated the football season that the World Cup will take place for the first time in the world's poorest continent. We see people on the television who are so poor that a football fan can't comprehend it let alone a Premier League player, but money doesn't matter to them because they are so excited about the World Cup coming to their home.
The money problem in football isn't going to go away overnight but at least for a month we have so much to enjoy and so much to talk about and wages and finance won't crop up once. Bring on the World Cup!!
JT
Supporting your team in the World Cup is all about national pride and while we may criticise the team on the field or the manager's decisions, what we don't have to worry about are wage bills, the owners and the threat of administration.
It may sound rich (excuse the pun) coming from a fan who supports a club where money is no object but by the end of the domestic season I was sick with every other sports news story being about finance, whether it was Portsmouth, Crystal Palace, Chester City or Manchester United and the Red Knights - and I bet fans of those clubs were even more sick. This season I spent more time hearing about financial turmoil than I did about what happened on the pitch, which is, and I think I speak for everyone (apart from Portsmouth fans getting the administrators' autograph), what I watch football for.
Footballers earn too much money. We all know that. In fact, if you heard the very latest figures from Deloittes, clubs spent 67% of their revenue on wages in the 2008/09 season. But it's the trend of sports news stories combined with the trend of high wages that we even know that.
That's why the World Cup is a breath of fresh air. There will be no talk of wages, no worries about administration and no campaigns against the owners or a mysterious consortium. There will just be football. At the highest level. But in its purest form.
And it's fitting that in a year when finance has dominated the football season that the World Cup will take place for the first time in the world's poorest continent. We see people on the television who are so poor that a football fan can't comprehend it let alone a Premier League player, but money doesn't matter to them because they are so excited about the World Cup coming to their home.
The money problem in football isn't going to go away overnight but at least for a month we have so much to enjoy and so much to talk about and wages and finance won't crop up once. Bring on the World Cup!!
JT
Sunday, 6 June 2010
World Cup fever's kicking in
We now have less than a week to go until the greatest show on Earth gets started and we have already had plenty of drama in the build up.
First there was Theo's agony at being left out and then Ferdinand's injury, in the first session in the first day of training. I'm gutted for Ferdinand, as captain he would have dreamt of being hoisted up like Bobby Moore with the Jules Rimet trophy and you have got to be sad for him. But the face of Michael Dawson when he arrived in Rustenburg reminded me of the excitement that comes with a World Cup, not just for the players, but for the fans.
It's not just England's chances we have to look forward to. I will take every opportunity to watch football during the tournament and like all football fans (especially those who play football manager) will consider myself an international football expert by July.
I have already set up two fantasy football teams, read multiple World Cup guides (and help write one), placed bets on the eventual winners and top goalscorers (Holland at 11/1 and Milito and 35/1) and taken part in a sweepstake (Holland again). This is World Cup fever and I'm not looking for an antidote.
We hope there will be a surprise package, like South Korea in 2002 and Greece in Euro 2004, and will be watching closely to see who it will be. Maybe North Korea, who nobody knows anything about, or the hosts South Africa, or even Slovakia, in their first ever World Cup as an independent nation. Whoever it is, we will adopt a second favourite team during the tournament (or third depending on bets) but abandon any short-lived loyalty if they come up against our boys.
Equally, all England fans will have one eye on the old enemy. Even with their skipper out injured, we will all see what the Germans are up to in the likely event we will meet them (or Portugal) at some point, and if we don't, then great because (hopefully) that means they're out.
If fans have their club heads on, they will also have one eye on players that they may be watching every week next season. Remember when Senegal turned some heads in 2002, Papa Bouba Diop and El Hadji Diouf have been in England since. While it is the biggest stage in world football, the World Cup is also an audition for players to further their careers. As fans we all look forward to pass comment on them.
These are all great little sideshows. But the biggest symptom of World Cup fever is England, the results, the performances, the players, the manager. It all started last Tuesday with the squad announcement and Ferdinand's injury on Friday. It will only get bigger and bigger. It will really kick in on Saturday night, and let's hope it lasts a whole month.
First there was Theo's agony at being left out and then Ferdinand's injury, in the first session in the first day of training. I'm gutted for Ferdinand, as captain he would have dreamt of being hoisted up like Bobby Moore with the Jules Rimet trophy and you have got to be sad for him. But the face of Michael Dawson when he arrived in Rustenburg reminded me of the excitement that comes with a World Cup, not just for the players, but for the fans.
It's not just England's chances we have to look forward to. I will take every opportunity to watch football during the tournament and like all football fans (especially those who play football manager) will consider myself an international football expert by July.
I have already set up two fantasy football teams, read multiple World Cup guides (and help write one), placed bets on the eventual winners and top goalscorers (Holland at 11/1 and Milito and 35/1) and taken part in a sweepstake (Holland again). This is World Cup fever and I'm not looking for an antidote.
We hope there will be a surprise package, like South Korea in 2002 and Greece in Euro 2004, and will be watching closely to see who it will be. Maybe North Korea, who nobody knows anything about, or the hosts South Africa, or even Slovakia, in their first ever World Cup as an independent nation. Whoever it is, we will adopt a second favourite team during the tournament (or third depending on bets) but abandon any short-lived loyalty if they come up against our boys.
Equally, all England fans will have one eye on the old enemy. Even with their skipper out injured, we will all see what the Germans are up to in the likely event we will meet them (or Portugal) at some point, and if we don't, then great because (hopefully) that means they're out.
If fans have their club heads on, they will also have one eye on players that they may be watching every week next season. Remember when Senegal turned some heads in 2002, Papa Bouba Diop and El Hadji Diouf have been in England since. While it is the biggest stage in world football, the World Cup is also an audition for players to further their careers. As fans we all look forward to pass comment on them.
These are all great little sideshows. But the biggest symptom of World Cup fever is England, the results, the performances, the players, the manager. It all started last Tuesday with the squad announcement and Ferdinand's injury on Friday. It will only get bigger and bigger. It will really kick in on Saturday night, and let's hope it lasts a whole month.
Monday, 24 May 2010
The campaign to ban England flags is ridiculous
This week I wrote a story for the Packet about a Facebook campaign trying to get England flags banned in Cornwall and the whole time I was working on it I thought what a terrible idea.
The campaign carried photos of people burning English flags and had backing from the Kernow branch of the Celtic League (although I have to say they did not advocate burning the flags). Both camps kept saying that the reason behind trying to ban the St George's Cross because it was a foreign flag but there's a flaw in that argument .... it's not.
I'm a proud Cornishman but I'm English first and Cornish second and like it or not so are all Cornishmen because officially, despite what any archaic campaign will tell you, Cornwall is county in England. It may be a county with it's own identity and proud heritage, but it's still a county like Surrey, Lincolnshire or Yorkshire - all places where football fans will be supporting England trouble-free.
If we completely separated ourselves from the rest of the country then sport down here would die and that includes rugby - probably Cornwall's most serious sport - because almost every club at a decent level competes against sides north of the Tamar and if we were separate it would be harder to arrange fixtures and take away a healthy chunk of the competitive edge.
You don't hear about sportsmen who have made it to represent England getting slated for playing for the "enemy" and rightly so, because it would tarnish their greatest personal achievement. So why should it be different when football fans here in Cornwall want to support their national team?
There's also a vital flaw in the argument that a campaign not to support England in Cornwall is the same as in Ireland, Scotland or Wales. All of those countries have their own national football teams, it is natural not to support England if you have your own national side to support, but we in Cornwall don't, largely because we are part of England so our national team is, you guessed it, England.
When I worked on the story I was relieved to hear that most people branded the Facebook group as racist and that shops in Falmouth were going to be selling England flags, bibs, balloons and all sorts of other things. I'm looking forward to having World Cup fever and looking forward to supporting England despite what some deluded Cornish nationalists think.
The campaign carried photos of people burning English flags and had backing from the Kernow branch of the Celtic League (although I have to say they did not advocate burning the flags). Both camps kept saying that the reason behind trying to ban the St George's Cross because it was a foreign flag but there's a flaw in that argument .... it's not.
I'm a proud Cornishman but I'm English first and Cornish second and like it or not so are all Cornishmen because officially, despite what any archaic campaign will tell you, Cornwall is county in England. It may be a county with it's own identity and proud heritage, but it's still a county like Surrey, Lincolnshire or Yorkshire - all places where football fans will be supporting England trouble-free.
If we completely separated ourselves from the rest of the country then sport down here would die and that includes rugby - probably Cornwall's most serious sport - because almost every club at a decent level competes against sides north of the Tamar and if we were separate it would be harder to arrange fixtures and take away a healthy chunk of the competitive edge.
You don't hear about sportsmen who have made it to represent England getting slated for playing for the "enemy" and rightly so, because it would tarnish their greatest personal achievement. So why should it be different when football fans here in Cornwall want to support their national team?
There's also a vital flaw in the argument that a campaign not to support England in Cornwall is the same as in Ireland, Scotland or Wales. All of those countries have their own national football teams, it is natural not to support England if you have your own national side to support, but we in Cornwall don't, largely because we are part of England so our national team is, you guessed it, England.
When I worked on the story I was relieved to hear that most people branded the Facebook group as racist and that shops in Falmouth were going to be selling England flags, bibs, balloons and all sorts of other things. I'm looking forward to having World Cup fever and looking forward to supporting England despite what some deluded Cornish nationalists think.
Tuesday, 11 May 2010
Top five memorable moments of the Premier League season
On and off the field, we have certainly had a Premier League season to remember. From affairs, to beach balls, championship races that went right to the wire - this year's campaign has had everything with plenty of memorable moments. Here's my top five countdown.
#5
Arsene Wenger's biblical pose in the crowd
Although Arsene doesn't see much, we certainly saw this. Back in August the Arsenal manager was sent to the stand after kicking a water bottle in protest of a disallowed goal in his team's 3-1 defeat to Manchester United. He took Mike Dean's instructions quite literally and stood on the edge of the stand in front of screaming fans with his arms out asking, "Is this OK?" Arsene could so often be a mixed bag of the same old complaints but this took it to a whole new level and so early in the season it set us up for what we had in store.
#4
Emmanuel Adebayor's goal celebration v Arsenal
There's sparking reaction against your old club's fans and there's this. In a dramatic 4-2 win against the Gunners at Eastalnds in September, after a brilliant goal the Togolese sprinted literally the length of the pitch and slid on his knees causing the Arsenal faithful to have to be held back by stewards as they all tussled to get a piece of him. The celebration instantly became one of the most notorious in Premier League history and countless former players and pundits spoke out aginst it. But people are still talking about it now.
#3
Shake-gate. Wayne Bridge and John Terry
This single moment confirmed weeks and weeks of press speculation. All we had read about was how upset Wayne Bridge was at his former best mate for shagging his ex and then he announced his retirement from England. Everyone was relishing Chelsea and Man City and I went as one of my limited Stamford Bridge appearances. I was sat in the East stand opposite the drama but joined in a collective ooooooooh building up to the moment. Unfortunately no-one could really tell what happened and everyone was asking each other, "Did he shake it? Did he shake it?" And we didn't know and got on with backing John Terry and booing Wayne Bridge (wrongly) and watching the only home defeat of the season. When I watched the highlights and picked up the papers the next day I certainly knew he didn't shake it.
#2
Jimmy Bullard's celebration v Man City
This was a classic from one of English football's favourite characters. In the same fixture when Phil Brown berated his players on the pitch at half time in the 2008/2009 season, Hull's cheeky chappy scored a penalty and brought the players over for an inspired celebration. Afterwards he said it was not his idea but trust him to do it. The fact that it was Jimmy made it all the better. Hopefully he can find himself a Premier League club next season.
#1
Beach Ball at Sunderland v Liverpool
This was simply pure bad luck and a once in a lifetime incident that would happen to a goalkeeper. A shot from Darren Bent deflected in off a Liverpool souvenir beach ball and sent Jose Reina the wrong way, resulting in a 1-0 defeat for the Reds. No-one would have ever thought twice about at novelty items like balloons or beach balls being a factor in football matches before then but they certainly did afterwards, especially Man Utd fans. This also summed up Liverpool's dire season when nothing went their way.
Just missing out was that look from Steven Gerrard when his partner in crime Fernando Torres was substituted by Benitez against Birmingham in April. This also summed up Liverpool's season in terms of the frustration of fans and players alike with Benitez.
One game had a few memorable moments in it as well, Manchester Utd 4-3 Manchester City at Old Trafford in September. The twists and turns made us believe that Utd would drop points against their "noisy neighbours" for a while but in the end the all-to-familiar outcome that bothered all but Utd fans - a late goal - sealed it for the then champions.
So these are the moments that will stick with me about this Premier League campaign. Anything you would put in?
JT
#5
Arsene Wenger's biblical pose in the crowd
Although Arsene doesn't see much, we certainly saw this. Back in August the Arsenal manager was sent to the stand after kicking a water bottle in protest of a disallowed goal in his team's 3-1 defeat to Manchester United. He took Mike Dean's instructions quite literally and stood on the edge of the stand in front of screaming fans with his arms out asking, "Is this OK?" Arsene could so often be a mixed bag of the same old complaints but this took it to a whole new level and so early in the season it set us up for what we had in store.
#4
Emmanuel Adebayor's goal celebration v Arsenal
There's sparking reaction against your old club's fans and there's this. In a dramatic 4-2 win against the Gunners at Eastalnds in September, after a brilliant goal the Togolese sprinted literally the length of the pitch and slid on his knees causing the Arsenal faithful to have to be held back by stewards as they all tussled to get a piece of him. The celebration instantly became one of the most notorious in Premier League history and countless former players and pundits spoke out aginst it. But people are still talking about it now.
#3
Shake-gate. Wayne Bridge and John Terry
This single moment confirmed weeks and weeks of press speculation. All we had read about was how upset Wayne Bridge was at his former best mate for shagging his ex and then he announced his retirement from England. Everyone was relishing Chelsea and Man City and I went as one of my limited Stamford Bridge appearances. I was sat in the East stand opposite the drama but joined in a collective ooooooooh building up to the moment. Unfortunately no-one could really tell what happened and everyone was asking each other, "Did he shake it? Did he shake it?" And we didn't know and got on with backing John Terry and booing Wayne Bridge (wrongly) and watching the only home defeat of the season. When I watched the highlights and picked up the papers the next day I certainly knew he didn't shake it.
#2
Jimmy Bullard's celebration v Man City
This was a classic from one of English football's favourite characters. In the same fixture when Phil Brown berated his players on the pitch at half time in the 2008/2009 season, Hull's cheeky chappy scored a penalty and brought the players over for an inspired celebration. Afterwards he said it was not his idea but trust him to do it. The fact that it was Jimmy made it all the better. Hopefully he can find himself a Premier League club next season.
#1
Beach Ball at Sunderland v Liverpool
This was simply pure bad luck and a once in a lifetime incident that would happen to a goalkeeper. A shot from Darren Bent deflected in off a Liverpool souvenir beach ball and sent Jose Reina the wrong way, resulting in a 1-0 defeat for the Reds. No-one would have ever thought twice about at novelty items like balloons or beach balls being a factor in football matches before then but they certainly did afterwards, especially Man Utd fans. This also summed up Liverpool's dire season when nothing went their way.
Just missing out was that look from Steven Gerrard when his partner in crime Fernando Torres was substituted by Benitez against Birmingham in April. This also summed up Liverpool's season in terms of the frustration of fans and players alike with Benitez.
One game had a few memorable moments in it as well, Manchester Utd 4-3 Manchester City at Old Trafford in September. The twists and turns made us believe that Utd would drop points against their "noisy neighbours" for a while but in the end the all-to-familiar outcome that bothered all but Utd fans - a late goal - sealed it for the then champions.
So these are the moments that will stick with me about this Premier League campaign. Anything you would put in?
JT
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