Hart-warming

The clock was close to midnight, with desperate sports journalists scrambling down some late thoughts in a last-ditch attempt to make the first edition, as England's players approached their small but incredibly vocal band of supporters in the Olympic Stadium in Kiev.

"England's number one," was belted out by the travelling army and in turn Joe Hart turned to them, punching in the air in more of a manner of a local non-league player simply delighted to be getting an opportunity to be playing semi-professional football for his hometown club. It was refreshing. Hart's actions were followed by similar recognition towards the crowd from his fellow players.

England had just beaten Sweden 3-2 in extraordinary circumstances. Coming from 2-1 down to win meant it was the first time since Cameroon in 1990 that the Three Lions had recovered from a second half deficit to win at a major tournament. It was essentially an away game for England, just three or four thousand fans in a 60,000 crowd, with thousands of Swedish fans inside the stadium.

It was also the first time I had watched England play in a competitive game since 2007 (Russia). Due to a combination of factors, including work reasons, finding time to watch England has become impossible. I was there purely as a fan. Events like Wayne Rooney's outburst at supporters after England drew with Algeria at the 2010 World Cup (where he publicly criticised Three Lions fans who had turned on the players) hardly helped. An unloved England - until now.

But I saw an opportunity to have time off and booked a few days in Kiev, a beautiful city, with friendly people, remarkably different to the hostile and sullen residents of Moscow. I'm glad I did. I saw the rapport between English footballers millionaires and their supporters return.

Having an English manager helps. Roy Hodgson has shades of Sir Bobby Robson in him, a decent likeable gentleman who just wants to do the right thing. His players clearly understand him and are also wanting to play for him.

A small gesture like singing the national anthem also helps the players become liked. England supporters belt out God Save the Queen and they expect the men representing them to be equally passionate. All eleven starting players and manager sang the anthem for the first two games in Euro 2012, and most bellowing it out in the manner of a rugby player.

It also looks like England's players are bothered about playing for their country again, after years where club football appeared to be the be-all-and-end-all. England fans can put up with a lot. They know this crop isn't the best, they know the sides of the last 20 years have been so much better. But just giving their all helps: Scott Parker flying into challenges, Steven Gerrard's surging runs just like at Liverpool, Andy Carroll competing for every header and the defence calm and well organised.

It did not take much but with thanks to the small things, England's supporters found it considerably easier to get fully behind the team when they went down to 2-1. In recent years, the Three Lions would have crumbled and the team would have been severely criticised during the game. Not so this time. Walcott, 2-2. Welbeck, 3-2. Job done.

England supporters stayed behind for half an hour after the game. Not because they were forced to for security reasons. They wanted to revel in the victory and more importantly than that, they at last felt part of a win. Three Lions was played over the tannoy. It seemed fitting. Whatever happens in the remainder of the tournament, it seems as if, for the first time since 1996, this England side have become loved again.

A Grim day for football

With a rare Saturday off, I decided to progress with my ambition to "do the 92" (attend all Football League & Premier League grounds - I'm currently on 80-odd).

My destination was the Pirelli Stadium for Burton Albion v Grimsby Town, a match that the visitors needed to win to maintain their 99-year Football League status.

I was told that although tickets would be available on the day, security would be tight and you needed identification of a Burton Albion association. Armed with my Premier League & Football League press accreditation, I thought that would be suitable back up to help me out if necessary.

But what happened? I turned up at the turnstile about 2pm, paid my money and walked in. Easy as that.

It was no surprise therefore to see Grimsby fans dotted all the way around the entire ground. Although a large number of these were keen only to ensure the best possible atmosphere, sadly a fair percentage were seemingly there exclusively for trouble.

First, when Greg Pearson had given Burton the lead somewhat against the run of play, one Grimsby "fan" ran on to the pitch and pushed his own keeper Nick Colgan. There were similar attempts from visitors from the away end to encroach during the rest of the half especially after Shaun Harrad's scrappy second which sealed the Mariners' fate.

The second half was even worse. Harrad scored a wonder third from a free kick. He ran to what he thought was his own fans and slid on his knees. One Grimsby fan ran on and attempted to belt him, prompting an incident between Burton players and a Grimsby contingent. No police in sight because they were all at the other end of the ground.

Grimsby fans spent the last five minutes of the game on the pitch from all sides with stewards and police having a difficult job to ensure the match reached its conclusion.

Violence then erupted at the end with Grimsby supporters attempting to attack anyone they could see. They picked up advertising hoardings before police only managed to gain some kind of control with a baton charge.

Fans from the likes of Plymouth Argyle and my own Wycombe Wanderers have taken this season's relegations with great dignity. However the actions of a large number of Grimsby supporters ensure they will certainly not be missed from the Football League.

And I used to have a soft spot for the men from Cleethorpes.

The Santa Clause

The complexity of football transfers sometimes bears no bounds. Fees can be dependant on appearances, a new club's league position or a percentage of sell ons.

It is the one that specifies a club will be due a certain amount of money if player makes x number of appearances that really gets my goat.

This week Middlesbrough's Gary O'Neil did not travel with his side to Plymouth. Why, I hear you ask? Because O'Neil has made 99 appearances for Boro. One more will mean they have to pay another £1 million to Portsmouth as agreed when a transfer was arranged in 2007.

Ridiculously unfair on the player who is now in limbo. And also an insult to the fans that watch the game.

Christmas is for football. Apparently not.

Once upon a time Football League clubs scheduled plenty of matches around Christmas, Easter and the Bank Holidays. Peak times for peak attendances.

Now it seems as if the league wants the cash-strapped clubs to play more matches on Tuesday nights in November and December in freezing temperatures.

Many clubs will have just two festive fixtures this season - Boxing Day and Monday, December 28. The FA & Football League have decided to schedule FA Cup 3rd round day for Saturday, Janaury 2 meaning there will be no New Year's fixture for many League 1 & 2 clubs (there is a League 1 & 2 programme scheduled for that day but with a few clubs still in the FA Cup some of these will be cancelled).

The league recently removed the August Bank Holiday as a fixture date while Easter Monday will be without Premier League fixtures.

You have to be a real football obsessive (or a masochist, one of the two) to watch the game on cold wintery evenings when full snowman outfit is required. Southampton had to play a league match at Hartlepool only two weeks ago.

Yet another example of the FA, Football and Premier Leagues shooting themselves in the foot.

Seeds of doubt

I can't decide whether I'm looking forward to tonight's World Cup draw or not.

On the one hand, we can discover who everyone is playing, where England fans will scramble for accommodation and look forward to the greatest sporting event there is.

On the other, the draw is over-hyped (especially by Sky Sports who don't even have the rights to show the event) and there should be no great surprises. Once again FIFA's seeding system leaves a lot to be desired. Favouring the big teams (or the ones that give them the most money), all top eight seeds should qualify for the next stage even given the worst case scenario. Two of the eight seeds will have to face the not so mighty France and Portugal. Bless.

After the ridiculous seeding system for the play-offs, surely FIFA need to have a re-think. Everyone has qualified for the World Cup on merit. Surely they should have equal chance in the competition proper?

Raking it in

If ever football can be confirmed as being out of touch with the masses, now is it.

The FA, on behalf of FIFA, have released World Cup ticket prices to the Englandfans members (to become a member fans pay £85 every two years). To see the World Cup Final, members can apply for cheapest priced tickets @ £265 rising to £592 for the most expensive. Even quarter-final matches will set you back over £100.

This in a country where you can get a bottle of beer for £1 and comfortably get a three-course meal in a restaurant for less than a tenner.

And to put things into perspective, ticket prices for the test matches in South Africa over the next two months can be bought for merely £2.50 a day (rising to £7 a day for the most expensive seats).

So the next time you hear one of those Sepp Blatter speeches on what FIFA are doing for familes, the game, the community, the masses, ignore it. He'll only be talking claptrap.

arrogance.com @ St James' Park

Yes, Newcastle fans and observers are right to be up in arms over the decision to rename St James' Park, sportsdirect.com @ St James' Park Stadium. But the fact that Toon disgust has reached the Commons only sums up just how arrogant supporters connected to that club are.

Why are Newcastle so special? Why has the issue of stadium naming rights being sold off in the name of sponsorship only come into fruition now?

Bradford City's famous Valley Parade ground is sponsored. So too is Bournemouth's Dean Court, Dagenham's Victoria Road, Shrewsbury's New Meadow, Walsall's Bescot Stadium, Leyton Orient's Brisbane Road. All of these names are no longer - certainly according to their official titles.

The situation is just as bad in non-league football. Even UniBond North Division One side Bamber Bridge's famous Irongate ground has been renamed in favour of a few extra pounds.

Bradford once warned all media that their ground must be referred to by its sponsored name - or journalists would face the consequences.

My own team, Wycombe Wanderers renamed their Adams Park ground (named after the gentleman that donated the old Loakes Park ground to the club for free) to the Causeway Stadium earlier this century for a fee of just £10,000 per annum before coming to their senses.

All this is wrong, wrong, wrong. It crosses the line between a viable business revenue and something that is sacrosanct. It upsets the fans who matter the most.

But Newcastle are definitely not a special case.

Law 18 anyone?

I defended referees yesterday and said they need to make the most of their positions: "they are always right."

They were absolutely right again yesterday when it comes to the 17 laws of football. But perhaps the biggest rule in the game is Law 18: the rule of common sense.

Step forward Mr Hall and Mr Miller.

Hall refereed the QPR v Reading game and sent off Ben Watson in the first-half for taking a free-kick too quickly. Watson, the QPR player, had indeed taken it too quickly, was on a booking so should have been carded. But people are human.

Similary Miller sent-off Guy Moussi of Nottingham Forest after the French midfielder netted a winner in the dying seconds against Barnsley. Second booking, red card. Human emotion does not seem to come into it.

Mr Hall and Mr Miller should maintain their public stance that they were right (indeed they were by the rule book). But at the same time they should review their only performances and think about law 18 (a rule explained to trainee referees on training courses).

Loyalty?

Middlesbrough chairman Steve Gibson has been rightly praised for his loyalty to managers. He has kept faith with Bryan Robson, Steve McClaren and Gareth Southgate during the hard times. Most other chairmen would have sacked Southgate when Boro were relegated to the Championship in May. But not Gibson. Which makes the decision to sack Southgate now all the more staggering.

The former England defender (famous for that miss against Germany in the Euro 96 semis and the subsequent Pizza Hut commercials) was given his P45 AFTER Boro had comprehensively beaten Derby 2-0 at home to put them up to 4th in the Championship, just ONE point off top spot. In any other industry, it would be unbelievable. But to take a well-worn manager's cliche, "that's football."

Already we have seen Ian McParland sacked as Notts County manager despite being four points off the lead, Wycombe manager Peter Taylor fired the day before the game and Darlington boss Colin Todd sacked just four months into his reign.

It's time for a bit of loyalty in football. Just look at the managers who have stayed around the longest. Manchester United and Arsenal were not doing too badly the last time I looked.

Respect the ref? They should respect themselves

The FA's respect campaign has long been derided as a complete waste of time. And the situation with referees this season is getting even more ridiculous.

The one golden rule of football I grew up with was "the referee is always right, even when he's wrong." But sadly that adage is no longer true as the referees and the authorities are setting precedents.

Referees have been apologising to managers for making mistakes this season. How very noble. The referee's chief Keith Hackett has been calling club's up to apologise. How very polite. Referees are getting dropped for minor mistakes. These are referees for goodness sake. How can they earn respect if their bosses are blaiming them for every single thing they get wrong?

Sir Alex Ferguson has jumped on the bandwagon with his disgraceful outburst about Alan Wiley's fitness. The authorities should throw the book at him but managers can get away with any criticism of referees they like - because referees are not prepared to stand up for themselves.

Darren Bent's beach-ball goal at the weekend takes the biscuit. Who really knows the football law concerning beach balls? The attention seeking Jeff Winter and Dermot Gallagher should know all about respecting match officials. Their criticism of Mike Jones is appalling.

Football players make mistakes. Managers make mistakes. Aren't referees allowed them without fear of retribution? Stand up for yourselves guys please (and that goes for your bosses and former colleagues) ... or you'll make things worse.

The problem with blogs...

is you can just get bogged down with work commitments and get out of the habit of updating them. I have been met by a fiercely busy start to the football season, combined with an exciting end to the cricket season. But I'm back, with abject apologies.

Super Fred - no other word to describe him

Super.

–adjective
1.
of the highest degree, power, etc.
2.
of an extreme or excessive degree.
3.
Informal. very good; first-rate; excellent.

You can only use that word to describe the very top sportsmen and Freddie Flintoff fits that bill completely.

So the news this morning that he will quit cricket after the Ashes series, comes as an awful shock.

Flintoff may not have the best statistics for an England player (76 tests, batting average 31.69 and bowling average 32.51) but there are times when stats do not tell the whole story.

Flintoff was the talisman, the man the captained always turned to get a wicket - and invariably he did.

He excited crowds and was the man his team mates loved, always willing to put in the hard yards.

At just 31, he is way too young to retire, but his body seems to have gone because of his total effort and commitment to the cause.

He will be sorely missed on the test stage. Supermen don't grow on trees.

Pont calling kettle black

After such a fantastic 1st test with the dramatic, gritty conclusion, it seems a shame that the focus has been on Australian captain Ricky Ponting moaning again.

Ponting's argument that England bringing on the physio and 12th man to waste time between overs was against the spirit of the game was probably a valid one. But it did it make any difference to the result? No. The final over needed to be started before 6.40pm. The final over finished at 6.43pm. The physio and 12th man were not on the field for longer than three minutes and therefore made not a jot of difference.

This is the very same Ricky Ponting that was warned for time wasting by Steve Bucknor in the 3rd Ashes test in 2005 at Old Trafford on the 4th day. You will remember that Glenn McGrath and Brett Lee hung on on the final day with Australia nine down. No England moans then.

Ponting has also been in trouble with the ICC for various misdemeanours in his time and along with his refusal to "walk" and excessive appealing, he is proving himself to be very hypocritical indeed by making such comments.

Ponting's rant also seems to further undermine his ability to captain under pressure. It's not difficult to captain when you have Glenn McGrath and Shane Warne in your side, but Ponting is now discovering that captaining a test side is not so easy.

It was about time that a situation like Sunday went in in England's favour. They should have won the Boxing Day test at Durban 2004 (when South Africa went off for bad light after Makhaya Ntini had hit 16 off the last over with the home side eight down). They should have won that Old Trafford test in 2005. And they should have won in both Antigua and Trinidad only last winter with West Indies holding on (with even more obvious time wasting tactics employed).

No, it was entirely just that something like that went in England's favour. And Ponting should realise, what goes around, comes around.

"All we need is Ravi Bopara...

better than Lara, and Sangakkara."

That's what England fans sing about their new No 3. And you cannot blame them because Ravi Bopara certainly looks the part.

Three consecutive tons have cemented his place in the team and he seems a much more confident and composed character than either Ian Bell or Owais Shah.

Which makes Shane Warne's comments in the Guardian last month surprising: "Bopara is a good first-class cricketer, but he is not an international cricketer. I think he's got all the talent in the world, but I just don't think he's got the temperament. He can be put off his game too easily and he's too worried about how he looks. Let's hope England aren't relying on Bopara [for the Ashes] because they could be in trouble."

An Aussie stirring things on the eve of the Ashes? Where have I heard that before?

From what I've seen, Ravi Bopara has the perfect temperament for international cricket. His 52 off 53 balls led England so close to victory against Sri Lanka in the 2007 World Cup, his quick-as-a-flash ton in Barbados should have put England in with a chance of victory, and his reaction to his unfathomable dropping in Trinidad first class.

If these comments are likely to continue from Warne, I'll have to turn the sound down during what promises to be another exciting Ashes series.

Wimble-done

Wimbledon was a great but tiring two weeks. 150 hours graft in a two-week period is not many peoples' ideas of fun but I enjoyed every minute of it. No real shocks in the tennis - with Federer and S Williams triumphing - but some wonderful matches. I cannot wait until next year's action upon the lawns of the All England Club.

True Brits?

So far, it has been a quiet summer for major sport and our British teams have not really had too much chance to impress.

But this weekend starts an extended period of major competition for our people which will culminate in the Ashes. It is British Grand Prix weekend and Jenson Button must have a fantastic chance of success. The British & Irish Lions also face the first of three matches against South Africa. Their chances of victory are low.

England's under 21 football side are through to the semi-finals of the European Championship and can fancy their chances following a terrific 2-0 win over Spain.

But the main event for this time of the year is Wimbledon. Whilst Andy Murray has his best ever chance of claiming the title at SW19, there is, as ever, interest throughout the draw. The men have a difficult time with Dan Evans facing Nicolay Davydenko, James Ward facing Fernando Verdasco, Alex Bogdanovic playing Tomas Berdych and Josh Goodall taking on Michael Llodra in the first round.

Last year's junior superstar Laura Robson makes her senior Wimbledon bow. She is not expected to beat Danielle Hantuchova. But her fellow Brit ladies all have a chance - Melanie South is up against Mathilde Johansson, Katie O'Brien plays Iveta Benesova, Georgie Stoop takes on Vera Zvonareva, and Elena Baltacha will challenge Alona Bondarenko.

As much as I'd love Murray to win Wimbledon, I would be similarly delighted if our lower-ranked Brits could put up a show (and that means winning matches!).

My favourite time of the year

Today I start a period of 18 consecutive days of work, 12 hours a day. But I cannot complain. Why? From Saturday, I will be working at SW19.

I am honoured once again to be at Wimbledon for the next fortnight. It is a place with so much tradition and prestige.

Wimbledon has perhaps even more drama than football but is is watched and played in a for more relaxed manner.

I am looking forward to catching up with colleagues on the Official Wimbledon website and it promises to be another exciting fortnight. It is arguably my favourite time of the year.

Licence to make money

It's once again that time of year when football fixtures are released - and also when DataCo work their magic.

DataCo are employed by the Football & Premier League to protect "their" copyright of football fixtures. Originally designed to stop betting companies making a mint out of the "brands," these bizarre copyright rules means that fans are unable to publicise their club's fixtures.

The likes of Tony Kempster, who sadly passed away this week, were also unable to publish Football & Premier League fixtures on their unpaid websites. A licence fee costs hundreds or even thousands depending on how many clubs' fixtures you wish to publish. Tony claimed on his site that publishing fixtures of all teams would cost £9,000.

It would be a fitting tribute to Tony and his great work if common sense can finally prevail on this matter.

RIP Tony Kempster

I was very sad to hear the news of Tony Kempster's death last night.

Tony was founder and author of online football bible, www.tonykempster.co.uk. This site had the lot - statistical information for all the leagues in British football right the way down to county leagues.

It was an unpaid labour of love that Tony, a fan of football particular in the non-league maintained regularly. Tony had many friends in football (sadly I never got to know the guy) and underwent an incredible battle against cancer right to the end. His dignified accounts at http://health.tonykempster.co.uk/ are quite heartbreaking.

From all fans of football: thank you Tony, may you rest in peace.

We're not dead without Fred

I read in amazement that so many respected pundits and journalists suggested that England had no chance of regaining the Ashes without Andrew Flintoff.

Amazed largely because of how dramatically England's bowling attack has improved without Freddie, since he pulled up in Antigua during the winter.

In Jimmy Anderson, Stuart Broad and Graham Onions, England have three genuine match winning fast bowlers. Add Graeme Swann and Monty Panesar, England have two spinners who are both considering more threatening than Nathan Hauritz, Australia's only real spin option.

And Tim Bresnan cannot be written off either. He showed at Chester-le-Street what he can do.

Clearly a fit Flintoff is a fantastic weapon. But to say we have no chance without him is absurd indeed.