MONTHLY JOURNAL

  JOURNAL  FEB 2010


How do,

On the book front BBC2 seems to be selling pretty well, it ought to be at a cost of £3 at HMV (cheers Andy). Cass Pennant has been in touch about reprinting Steel City Divide into paper back. He is also renaming the book, Steel City Derby, it will have a different cover and will be updated. While I’m on, can I just get one thing right with some Blades, I have not had anything to do with what’s happening with the blue and white half of the book, I’ve simply done our half and Cass has been in contact with the other side, I have not even read their half nor do I want to.





Congrats to a few of my mates who have released their debut album. IS THIS OUR DAY IN THE SUNSHINE? Is the debut album of Section 60 and is available at LP records. Check out their webpage www.section60.info Well done lads and good luck in your quest to be the new bee gees!

Section 60
 

Watch out for a couple of events I will be promoting soon. One is in aid of raising some funds for Sheffield Club. Manager Chris Dolby, his players and Wit have done a great job at Sheffield and we should all support them in anyway as it’s a proud piece of football history that Sheffield has and we must all strive to keep the club on the up. I’ll tell you a funny story about Chris Dolby; around twelve years ago our team (Denby Sportsman) played a pre-season friendly v Bradway at Warminster road. I’d just stepped down as manager to concentrate more on playing with Blades player Mitch Ward took over. Anyhow we had never beaten Wits Bradway side; the first half was like being caught in game of cat and mouse with us being the mouse and Bradway completely outplaying us with Dolbs absolutely slaughtering us down the left. So we went in at half time 2-0 down and if it had been 8 we would have had no complaints. Mitch went ballistic at halftime, he screamed at me, “You’re supposed to be a physical presence in the middle and make us tick, you’ve done f**k all”. He also told our defence that once the ball was cleared they had to push right up the pitch, “Billy’s (Billy Whitehurst) been on the piss, he’ll be knackered”.

Anyhow we set about the second half and I was so pumped up I nearly killed Coops in the first tackle; I got the ball as clean as a whistle though. Then Dolbs (who I didn’t really know at the time) beat about 4 of our players and cut inside, I tried to put him over the fence but he was too quick and avoided my lunge, I’d just got a toe on the ball and as he ran back on the pitch we had words, it was then I lost it and set off chasing him with a boot up the arse, Dolbs never stopped running, he ran straight up the pitches, up the banking and to the changing rooms. Kevin Bridges (the ref) sent me off but I was coming out with crap like, “No one talks about my family like that”. Anyhow I refused to go so as Kev stood there with his red card in the air he shouted “we’ll if you’re not going I am” and with that waved the card at himself and sent himself off. Another ref started the game and we won 3-2, result. I saw Dolbs down Attercliffe recently and it’s the first time I’ve seen him since, we had a laugh about it and he’s a smashing bloke who has done very well for Sheffield club.

On the Blades front it’s a bit depressing to be honest; the club never seems to fail to let its fans down. The financial situation is not what we wanted to here and is hard to understand after sale upon sale of players, the Tevez money, average 26k gates and this business portfolio that we get rammed down or throats. We are football fans and Mr Mcabe we don’t care a hoots about Chinese or Hungarian football teams, we don’t care about stocks n shares, we don’t care about hotels and property, we care about SHEFFIELD UNITED FOOTBALL CLUB and nowt else. It’s doing my noodle in at the moment, Bramall lane is like a morgue nowadays as the fans are growing more and more frustrated at events. If Mr Mcabe is indeed charging 10% interest on loans as reported then I think he should offer fans 10% back on their season ticket money at the end of the season. Like many I thought that Kevin Mcabe was the best thing since sliced bread but now we are looking at him as purely a businessman who hasn’t really put anything into United other than time and effort. Sure our ground has come on leaps and bounds; we have an academy that will bring young players through who we can sell for great profit.

Kevin Blackwell is not the man to take United forward. Yes he’s had a tough time of it with sales and injuries to an already threadbare squad, but he has had long enough to stamp his mark on the club and it’s not very pretty at times. The direct style of football is ok if you are effective in playing it and it’s not too one dimensional. Bassett and Warnock were worshiped by most fans and they had the right ingredient, they mixed it up and had wide men who put the ball into the box from good positions. Blackwells United look at times like a poor side but we know that we have players who should at least get the club in the playoff places and that looks like it probably won’t happen this season unless we go on our traditional storming finish to the season, we’ll see but the club better get ready for that 26k average dropping to 19-20k if they don’t shape up on and off the field.

My under 18’s side have reached the cup semi final and currently sit on top of the league still undefeated. I’m really proud of them as a group and as individuals, they are a smashing bunch of lads who have given me their everything so far, keep it up lads.


Finally RIP young Liam Riley who lost his life in Afghanistan fighting for our country. His life was cut short all too early and although is family must be extremely proud or their son they are no doubt devastated at his loss. Liam was a Killamarsh lad and from what I’ve heard from everyone who knew him he was a top notch lad who will be missed by many.
I plan to promote some kind of an event in his memory but will speak to his family first to see what their wishes would be.

Regards n respect, Steve NEXT JOURNAL APRIL 2010