Its a Funny Old Game

That was what Jimmy Greaves used to say, and when he went in TV punditry it became a catchphrase. With April Fools day looming how about a quick look at the lighter side of the game.

Paul Gascoigne when he was playing for Rangers against Hibernian he spotted the referee had dropped his yellow card. Gazza picked it up went to give it back to him and then held it up as if to book him. The ref did not think it was funny and instead booked Gazza. Not sure on what grounds. Even the Hibs fans booed

---

It was back in the mid 70’s I think, I was offered a seat way up in the West Stand. A mid week game V Everton. There was this old chap a little way over from us and he moaned about everything! The line up was wrong, wrong positions, he wasn’t playing well, etc to hear him you would think old Nicholson never got anything right.  In the toilet at half time first voice “ Gor that old boy is in good form tonight” second voice “He hasn’t said a good word about anyone.’ Third voice “That’s my dad, your right, but bringing him to watch Spurs is the only pleasure he gets these days.”

There’s a story that I heard many years ago about how one day Bill Nicholson was about to make a substitution, I think it was Frank Saul coming on, when there was a hold up because a dog was on the pitch. When someone in the crowd yelled “Don’t worry about Saul, leave the dog on.”

There's only one David Betnley

'Oops’ -  David Bentley playing for Blackburn in 2007 found he had changed his name to Betnley. 

There’s been some wonderful lines on TV over the years. Jimmy Hill (did every job going, player, PFA boss, manager, chairman) once said “If England want to win this game they will have to score a goal.”  Well you don’t get insight like that every week.

When I was a young whippersnapper one of my uncles used to take me to West Ham, I know but there’s one in every family, anyway I could just see over the wall. We use to go in the old Chicken Run, that’s now the stand facing the TV cameras these days. There was a old boy there who did not say much but every halftime he would come out with a funny. He would say things like Leslie (West Ham goalie) calls himself a goalkeeper if he put his head in his hands he’d drop it. About England center forward Johnny Byrne I remember when he last scored, the post office issued a special stamp. There were several that I did not understand about Bobby Moore and his private life. Anyway one day they had this right winger, not that good but he tried, name of Redknapp, don’t know what happen to him, anyway this game they were attacking the North end so he kept running past us. He wasn’t having a good game, every time he went to cross the people behind the goal ducked sort of thing, every pass went to the other team. So half time comes and someone says hey granddad what do you think of that winger then? This old boy drew on his pipe, looked around and said, passing he couldn’t find his team mates with a bloody map.

Former manger Ron Atkinson was asked one game what he thought of the ref. He said all my career I tried not to criticize refs and I don’t see why I should change that for this useless idiot.

Tottenham famously sent their team out in the Cup Final with only half of the players having the sponsors logo on their shirts. They ended up with far more publicity than they could of dream't of.

I'm going for a beer.

A few years on from the earlier story we used to go the mid week games at Hammers sometimes and Chelsea were there one Monday. As kids we use to be able to stand in the car park and ask the players for autographs. Most players used to stop and sign, anyway, one of their team, sorry cant remember who, pushed the kids out of the way and went to climb on the team bus, when Shellito (Chelsea full back) shouted after him, hey its not the kids fault your S*!!*.

Fulham came to the Lane one season, they were never well supported and there were very few fans on a cold afternoon. The Park Lane who like to taunt the visitors chanted “Did you come in a taxi.”

A few years back I watching a game on TV, waiting for the news. It was two teams in a relegation fight, I think it was at Coventry. One set of fans started chanting ‘Going down going down…”.  A few moments from the other end came “So are we, so are we….”

The 1992 Cup Final saw the teams given medals, just the wrong ones. The winners  Liverpool were handed the losers medals while the Sunderland players were handed the winners medals.

‘Another oops’ When Real Madrid beat Barcelona in April 2011 to win the Spanish Cup. They did an open- topped bus parade for the fans and dropped the trophy which the driver then ran over ! top pic.

Finally back to Spurs, when Tottenham played their 1981 FA Cup Semi-final Replay with Wolves at Arsenal they were much the better team. The press said it was the best home team performance the ground had seen all season. The Tottenham fans, in the North Bank, usually Arsenals end, were so happy with the teams performance they chanted “We kind of like it here”.

I hope you enjoyed that quick collection. Now why don’t you go to the comments section and tell us a silly story that made you smile.