Clive is looking after the ship until next week when Europe's most covetted coach comes to the lane.

It's amazing how much €10m a year concentrates the mind.

Patrick - thanks for articles

never would have dreamt a 5-10 Brit or any Brit would be on an NFL team

thanks

I could see that Owen fellow of the English national team running back punts and kickoffs and maybe playing third receiver.

By the way, how much does a pint of John Courage, Bass or Taddy Porter go for at an English football match?

Around about three quid a pint - and there's only usually a mass produced keg version and a lager.

The food's bloody awful - except in the north where it is the one thing that isn't grim. Hollands pies - especially the balti one are fab. The pies at Wigan are to die for (Wiganers are known as the "pie eaters")

But you drink beer in the pubs around the stadium then go and watch the match then go back down the rub a dub.

Why MUST soccer fans get pissed to enjoy the match?

no wonder they don't find it boring like sober ones may?

I know you are on a wind up mission, We dont need to drink to enjoy the game, but the pre match meet up and drink before the game is part of the ritual. Attending games is primarily a social occassion.

On the "normal" (but increasingly rare) 3pm Saturday afternoon KO days, I would usually arrive at the pub around 1:30, order a pint, and discuss the life, universe and everything until leaving for the game at around 2:25.

In the evening after the game, It is back to the pub, another pint, and a post mortem. Many of us drive to games so drinking any more than I do in the course of 5-6 hours would be a bad idea.

So now i understand it's not the match that is the draw it's the before and after socializing, which could also be wrapped around a lawn bowling match i guess

helps explain the appeal of soccer that eludes me.

Europe's most coveted coach??

I don't think Wenger would move to Spurs even if you doubled his salary ;)

Bob, come to england. i'll take you to the game, introduce you to some real football fans (including some reformed hooligans) and I guarantee you'll never watch any of those overblown, jargon infested yankee steroid fests again.

I'll even buy you a pie.

Wenger's now not even the best, or highest paid, coach in North London.

And he looks like professor Yaffle.

But he does have a packet of sweets and a cheery smile.....

Chol:

yes really going to a soccer match, especially with your local mates, does sound like fun

much like i do here with college basketball games - before and after in the bar

i am winding up as willit says and will stop now lest folks really take my septic view seriously

not sure i used that word septic correctly however

cheers

In trendy circles, septics are now known as ham shanks.

I can't imagine any half decent manager wanting to work for Spurs, they way they traet their managers.

You'd be lucky to get Graeme Souness ...

We've already sacked souness once - 'cos we didn't think he'd make the grade as a player.

How big is Wigan? From reading Orwell, I thought it to be a small, dumpy place too small to support a sports team. Sort of like Batavia, NewYork or Cumberland, Maryland.

Wigan's a decent sized town that is caught up in the connurbation around Manchester.

It's a once industrial town being regenerated.

The bloke that owns Wigan Fc is the bloke who owns JJB sports (a sportswear company). He also owns the Rugby League team (wigan is a rugby league town - football is definately second bvest there).

The other thing it was famous for is a style of soul music played at the wigan casino.

It's a bit of a dump to be honest.

Northern Soul.

I imagine most Americans don't know that Soul was probably bigger in the North of England in the sixties than it was in the States.

You will find Northerners with a deeper knowledge of obscure American artists than anyone from Detroit.

same now for techno - born in Detroit but much more popular with a broader group in europe and London or probably even the grim north where house, trance, acid house, etc. seem real popular

warings post is worth examining regarding how Britain's warmed to many american musical forms. Blues was also very big (think Eric Burden and the Animals, the Beatles, the Yardbirds or the Rolling Stones) as was country music in the port of Liverpool. Several of Ringo Starr's songs as a solo act were country and he sang a couple of old Carl Perkins rockabilly songs as a Beatle.