New Liverpool signing Oyvind Leonhardsen is the cover star of Football Europe as they get set to preview the 1997-1998 season.
Newsmakers this month were Paolo Di Canio, in dispute with Celtic, Franco Baresi, who retired, and Esteban Cambiasso, billed as “The new Maradona” after helping Argentina win the World Youth Cup.
Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger is looking forward to his first full season, and is looking to get rid of the “Boring boring Arsenal” reputation.
In Germany, reigning European champions Borussia Dortmund had had no big transfer arrivals, and this gets a full page profile.
There is a poster of Brazil defender Celio Silva, captioned as “Manchester United and Brazil”. He signed for Untied that summer but the move fell through when he was unable to get a work permit.
There is a full page profile of Ajax, who have lost star players under the Bosman Rule, and are now having to make use of the new arrangements, while there is a profile of Benfica’s new Brazilian star Paolo Nunes to end their three year title drought.
Ricardo Villa of Tottenham Hotspur is the cover star of this edition of Shoot in the summer of 1979, a year after joining the club.
In news, Luton Town are playing pre-season friendlies in Northern Ireland against Larne, Crusaders and Ballymena, while Aberdeen are setting up a scouting network in Republic of Ireland.
Shoot has a series of features of title winners across Europe. This week’s subject is Northern Ireland’s champions Linfield, complete with a team poster.
In news, band made up of footballers such as Ossie Ardiles, Peter Withe and Viv Anderson have joined forces with Jimmy Savile to record a Reggae single to try and reduce violence on the terraces.
In foreign news, there is internal rumblings over money at Austria Vienna, European Cup Winners Cup Finalists the previous year, which the club have blamed on their star players.
There is a double page feature on 18 year old Argentine player Diego Maradona, with the headline AT LAST A SUCCESSOR TO THE FABULOUS PELE. No pressure there.
As well as Linfield, there is a feature on West German champions HSV Hamburg, with Kevin Keegan up front.
Brighton have been promoted to the top flight for the first time in their history, and Shoot does a feature on what they have to do in order to avoid relegation.
Gordon Hill uses his column to reply to a Spurs supporter asking if an increase of foreigners in English football is a good thing, stating he believes that it is.
Paul Hegarty of Dundee United gets a Player Profile, revealing that his favourite TV shows are any sporting programme.
Danny McGrain is writing his column while on holiday in America, commenting on the inability of the SFA to agree a TV deal for coverage of domestic football, focusing on what he views as a positive, the death of the TV expert.
There might be Argentines at Spurs, don’t expect any to arrive at Arsenal, as manager Terry Neill tells Shoot he’s prefer to sign British players.
The magazine ends with a poster of four Leeds United players who feature in Wales recent win over Malta in a European Championship Qualifier.
It took a while for a photo adventure in November, a week of Annual Leave in the middle of the month saw me take an afternoon stroll to Minnowburn after the morning stroll got rained off.
The next day, it was dry and bright, so I made an early morning journey for my now monthly visit to Cavehill.
There was also a very wet visit to Blackmountain.
That was sandwiched inbetween two football matches, Linfield’s home matches against Glenavon and Glentoran.
My only photo adventure so far in December was a trip to Windsor Park to see Linfield take on Dungannon Swifts.
Unfortunately, there will be no Boxing Day game against Glentoran this year.
I have a bit of time off over Christmas, and I plan on using it to explore the great outdoors with Cavehill, Blackmountain, Lisnabreeny Hill and Belvoir Park Forest on my hitlist, weather permitting. So keep an eye out for that.
Talking of weather, i’ve always got an eye out for snow. Doesn’t even look like that will happen.
So, 2021, what is planned?
Well, I have tickets for concerts (Paul Weller, Doves, Paul Heaton and Jacqui Abbott, Ash, Lightning Seedsm Beabadoobee) but who knows when they will be?
I do hope to walk up Bray Head, and visit Mourne Mountains and Arthur’s Seat. I also hope to go to football matches on a regular basis.
Seriously people, can you all start behaving yourselves so that I can go places and take photos of things again?
Got a bit of time off at Christmas, so might as well head out for some walks, starting with my now monthly trip to Blackmountain.
Although, I only started with Blackmountain because the planned trip to Cavehill the previous day got rained off.
I had planned to arrive at Sunrise but my bed was too comfy. I did eventually drag myself out of it, arriving at around 8.50am.
The sun was still rising and was quite spectacular. I could see the glare in my left eye as I drove through West Belfast so it was good to get a proper view of it.
It was nearly a perfect storm in terms of weather. It was foggy, frosty, icy and the sun was rising. It made for some interesting photo opportunities.
As spectacular as that was, the fog meant I couldn’t get the views of Belfast that I am used to when I visit Blackmountain.
Despite being cold as well, getting chillier the further you went up, I wasn’t on my own, passing lots of walkers, runners and cyclists, even some doggy footprints. There was even one runner wearing shorts.
Weather permitting, by the end of my time off, I hope to visit Cavehill, Lisnabreeny Hill and Belvoir Forest Park.
You will have seen in my previous blog post that I might be changing my weekend in London (I have late cancellation on my hotel) to a weekend in Brighton (I’m flying into Gatwick) next July as a back-up.
If I do, i’ll take the time to visit Devil’s Dyke. Yep, i’m already looking up things to do in Brighton just in case.
Also on my hitlist for 2021 is Binevenagh, Mourne Mountains, Bray Head and Arthur’s Seat.
Although, circumstances other than my inability to act upon my intentions may ultimately determine if I will or won’t.
Defeat at Larne last time out meant that Linfield fell four points behind in the race for the Irish League title. Recently history suggested there was no need to panic. On the Saturday before Christmas in 2018, Linfield fell four points behind Ballymema United. Due to the quick turnaround of games, it was a one point lead by New Year’s Day.
For reasons that will covered later, Linfield won’t have the opportunity to get themselves in front by the first day of 2021, but they did have the opportunity to cut Larne’s lead to just one point if they could beat Dungannon Swifts at Windsor Park.
Linfield only ever have three types of results against Dungannon Swifts. They either hammer them (as in March and October 2019), or get a barely deserved one goal win (as in October 2018) or an awful draw (as seen at Windsor Park in August 2016, February 2018 and January 2020).
For a long time in the first-half, it was looking like it would be one of the latter two. This was a scoreline that nobody saw coming at 4pm.
After successfully navigating the online scramble for tickets, I found myself in the Lower Deck of the North Stand. Not ideal, but if a ticket is available, you just have to grab it.
As i’ve restarted collecting programmes (well, ones from this era might be worth a bit in the future), I got the programme for this game. Amongst the Editorial was the news that Joel Cooper will be rejoining the club on loan for the rest of the season. The programme had been on sale for a few days, before the news was announced officially. Everybody missed the scoop. And people think that print media is dead.
Unfortunately, some of the information in it was made redundant inbetween print and matchday, such as informing supporters that the match against Crusaders will be live on BBC2 (I even had it circled in Christmas Radio Times) and the arrangements for ticket sales for the match against Glentoran on Boxing Day.
The match started, or rather didn’t start, in farcical circumstances with both teams out on the pitch just warming up. It looked like they’d been brought out too early. Looks like the Referee might be asking Santa for a new watch for Christmas.
If the match started early, Linfield didn’t really start at all. Slow and devoid of ideas. Kirk Millar had a couple of overhit crosses, and if it wasn’t happening for him, it wasn’t happening for Linfield, with nobody else able to step up.
At the other end, Dungannon were posing a threat to Linfield, with Chris Johns having to be alert to avoid being embarrassed from a wide angle with a shot.
Finally, it looked like Linfield were going to make a breakthrough when their first cohesive attacking move saw Niall Quinn fire wide from the edge of the box when fans in the North Stand were expecting him to score.
Shayne Lavery then fired just wide soon afterwards as Linfield looked to take a lead on a day when it was essential to get the first goal.
0-0 at half-time, a sense of frustration, but there was hope for Linfield in the shape of Dungannon’s recent second-half capitulations. The past two Saturdays have seen them go from 1-2 to 1-6 against Glentoran, and then from 1-0 to 1-5 against Ballymena United. This is a side who concede in bulk.
The problem for Linfield was getting that first goal. The early moments of the second-half saw even more frustration for Linfield.
Every attack saw the ball bouncing everywhere except to a Linfield player or into the back of the net. It was looking like it was going to be one of those days.
A strange paradox where it felt like a goal was only a matter of time but, at the same time, was never going to come.
Thankfully, that goal came on 66 minutes when Shayne Lavery was able to move with the ball and create space for himself in the box. However, it was Jimmy Callacher who then took over, crossing for Andrew Waterworth to head home from a few yards out. Linfield had the breakthrough.
By this point, Jordan Stewart had come on for Niall Quinn, a straight swap on the left. Even though it made sense not to shuffle players about, it was surprising that it wasn’t Matthew Clarke that went off. It wasn’t really a game that required both Quinn and Clarke.
Jordan Stewart soon had an impact on the game when his through ball to Shayne Lavery allowed him to cut in and finish from a wide angle to give Linfield some breathing space.
If there was any doubt as to the destination of the three points, that was wiped away within two minutes, when Jimmy Callacher headed home from a Kirk Millar corner to make it 3-0.
Dungannon’s fragility when they concede was there for all to see, Linfield going from 0-0 to 3-0 in the space of ten minutes, a goal glut reminiscent of the title run-in in 2017.
With a 3-0 lead, Linfield took the opportunity to rest Kyle McClean and Andrew Waterworth, bringing on Bastien Hery and Daniel Kearns. Seems a bit pointless resting players when there is no match for at least three weeks. Might as well if you’ve got a 3-0 lead.
It would soon be a 4-0 lead thanks to the double act of Millar and Callacher, Callacher heading home from close range.
A few minutes later, Linfield had a corner, and Callacher arrived on the scene, very interested, eyeing up a repeat of his hat-trick against Newry in 2018. Unfortunately, there would be no repeat.
Just the four, when one would have done, Linfield cut Larne’s lead at the top to one point, due to their game against Portadown being postponed due to Covid Protocols, as was Crusaders match against Carrick.
That would have been a good confident boost ahead of the match against Glentoran on Boxing Day. Except, there is no match against Glentoran on Boxing Day. Football being punished because this stupid 3rd world shithole can’t behave itself.
Or no match against Crusaders the following Tuesday. Circled in Radio Times for nothing.
Instead of a match against Glenavon to start 2021, Linfield are scheduled to start 2021, note the emphasis on scheduled, with an Irish Cup tie against Annagh United, the draw taking place two days before this match.
Coincidentally, the programme for this match, printed before the draw, had an interview with Mark McAllister, now of Annagh United. It’s almost as if they knew.
That would have been a brilliant away trip in the olden (pre Covid) days but it’s at home. I’ll live with giving this one a miss. Would have been heartbroken to miss out on an away game at a ground i’ve never been to.
Giving players an opportunity to rest will be key in the second-half of this season, especially with three games that now need slotted in. Some clubs have it worse though.
Someone who won’t be playing for Linfield for a while will be Christy Manzinga, who begins a retrospective three match ban for an incident against Glenavon.
I’ve no problem with that, he deserved a red card. As long as it is applied to all cases. No action against the Glenavon player who was involved with Manzinga for his part in the incident, or Davy McDaid for his tackle on Jamie Mulgrew last week suggests a flaw even at this early stage.
After spending most of last season playing catch-up in terms of games played, thankfully Linfield have no outstanding games other than the three Christmas/New Year postponements.
You would like to think that clubs who are out of the Irish Cup will be able to make use of those free Saturdays when Irish Cup games are being played.
Elsewhere in cup draws, the World Cup Qualifying for Qatar 2022 took place, with Northern Ireland getting a difficult draw with Italy and Switzerland standing in their way. It will be hard to see Northern Ireland breaking into the Top 2, but we’ve got to dust ourselves down and go for it.
The away game against Lithuania was very tempting, but the date in September wasn’t ideal. If it was October, I would have been very tempted.
Even though it’s a competition I think is a nonsense, I might see about going to the Finals of the UEFA Nations League in Italy. I’ve got to have some trip to dream about or look forward to.
So far, I have a short trip to Bray lined up for three days in late June to base myself for a Last 16 Euro 2021 game (England, Scotland, Croatia or Czech Republic v Germany, France, Portugal or Hungary) and try and get a ticket.
Between you and me, Euro 2021 is looking very unlikely as far as i’m concerned. I’ll be amazed if it goes ahead.
In mid July, i’m booked for a weekend away over the weekend of the Final. Again, i’ll try to get a ticket, but if not, there’ll still be plenty of non football things to occupy me.
I’ve got late cancellation on my hotels, so I won’t lose out too much. To be honest, i’m already looking up hotels and things to do in Brighton as a back-up.
I do hope at some point in 2021 to visit Old Trafford. I was hoping to do the midweek game against Leicester in May, and make a week of it (taking in Sheffield and Peak District or Saddleworth Moor) but i’m not optimistic about that.
So, football in Northern Ireland takes an enforced break. Boxing Day 2020 was always going to be different, it was always going to lead to disappointment for a lot of people who would miss out on tickets. For it not to happen, and well in advance unlike 2009 and 2010 is something else. Football is being punished because wider society can’t behave.
Northern Ireland needs to look itself in the mirror and ask if it really did enough. A lot of people who say yes should really think about their answer. Really? My own observations contradict that.
I’ve been shouted at and abused in the street for asking people to move over a wee bit to give me some room.
A lot of people aren’t making an effort. This country needs to lose this whole “Big Lawd Attitude”. Your dick isn’t going to fall off if you give someone a bit of room on the footpath.
Ramming up people’s arses in a Supermarket doesn’t make the queue go quicker. Know what you need to buy.
Don’t stand in the middle of the aisle staring at shelves trying to decide what to buy. Be smart.
“I do what I like and nobody tells me what to do” – How’s that working out?
Ladies, don’t think you’re getting off. Some of you have been just as bad.
I know that Political figures have set a bad example, but you can be better. I know it’s hard.
I’ll park around the corner to go to a shop because there’s no parking space outside, then i’ll see someone parked on a double yellow outside and blocking traffic and i’ll wonder why I bother.
It’s hard, but be better. Let those who fall short face the consequences, always keep your standards high.
Walk on the left, it’s literally that simple. We’ll all get to where we’re going a lot easier.
This country is absolutely paralysed by it’s obsession with Pubs and World War II.
Pubs, Pubs, Pubs, Pubs.
Want Pubs to be reopened with no restriction? Then get the R Number down. Get the R Number down by making an effort.
A casual reminder that it’s not your patriotic duty to go to a pub, or to go out for a meal, to buy a sandwich at lunch or to go shopping, or to pick fruit for minimum wage. Your patriotic duty is to take preventative measures against the spread of Coronavirus. It’s really not that hard.
All the World War II Fanboys banging on about the “Blitz Spirit” getting to live out their kinky little fetish and deciding that sacrifices and looking out for others isn’t really their thing.
You can still go out and do things, just be smart about it. Don’t block people’s access, just be smart about what you’re doing. Maybe try looking where you’re walking and not staring at your phone?
I feel sorry for people not even born yet who’ll spend the 2070s listening to people banging on about how they were the generation who defeated Covid, when the truth shows they were not. They’ll probably be using it to try and jump queues.
“I’m a Covid Hero”. No you’re not.
Want the things you love to come back? We all do. Just be smart.
I’ve never felt unsafe at any football match I have been to this season. I can’t say that for any time i’ve walked in Belfast City Centre or Lisburn Road.
So that’s me for football in 2020. I’ve no idea when i’ll be at another game. Hopefully, Linfield v Coleraine on Friday 15th January.
As much as I enjoy Windsor Park, it would be nice to visit another ground in 2021.
October was a month where I went to not one, not two, but three football matches. Yay!!
My first photo adventure of the month was a trip to Wilgar Park to see Dundela take on Queen’s University in the County Antrim Shield, my first football match since March.
That was followed by a week off work, where I went for a stroll up Cavehill, as well as trips to Terrace Hill Garden, Redburn Country Park and Blackmountain
It was then time for a welcome return to Windsor Park to see Linfield take on Carrick Rangers, before a return visit for the match against Crusaders two weeks later.
Unfortunately, due to the situation with Coronavirus, it was too big a risk to travel anywhere, so I decided to have a Staycation in Belfast when using up Annual Leave in the middle of the month, walking up hills North, East, South and West, as well as documenting Street Art on the Peace Wall.
Monday was spent at Cavehill. The weather was dull so the photos weren’t that good.
Tuesday was spent at Giant’s Ring, more daylight to work with and a lot better photos, as well as an enjoyable walk.
Wednesday was spent getting photos of Belfast Peace Wall, while on Thursday, I went to Lisnabreeny Hill, but like Cavehill, the weather was dull, so the photos didn’t come out as I hoped.
Friday was the best day of that week for weather and photos, so I headed to Blackmountain, and got lots of photos, travelling along the Ridge Trail this time, as my previous visit saw me head up Divis first.
Two days later saw the return of Hit The North, originally postponed due to Coronavirus and back in it’s original traditional slot of September having moved from it’s new traditional slot of May.
I was out on the day getting photos, and then was out the following week getting photos of the aftermath.
This week, Match has an exclusive interview with Pierre Van Hooijdonk, labelled “Britain’s most dangerous footballer” after going on strike at Nottingham Forest due to a dispute.
Leeds United players go to a computer class as part of a community project, while Alexi Lalas has released an album called Ginger.
Dwight Yorke drew a crowd in Dublin as he paid a visit to sign autographs for fans.
Elsewhere in news, Eric Hall has brought out his autobiography, while Frank Lampard described abuse from his own fans when he broke into the team at 17 as character building.
Van Hooijdonk’s interview sees him deny reports of a rift with Forest team-mates, and claim Forest priced him out of a move to a club outside England.
John Robinson of Charlton is this week’s subject of Job Swap, where he reveals if he could be a Football Legend, he would be Kenny Dalglish, and if he was a Pop Star, R Kelly.
Another Dutch player getting interviewed in this edition if Jaap Stam of Manchester United.
There is a double page interview with Hearts duo Paul Ritchie and Gary Naysmith, who say that Hearts are noe considered a big scalp for rival clubs, as much as Rangers and Celtic.
Match goes behind the scenes with Ian Wright as he prepares for his acting debut, staring in an advert for Chicken Tonight.
David Batty gets interviewed where he says he wants to revive Newcastle’s season. Within weeks, he had rejoined Leeds United.
Again, not a lot on in August 2020, but I did manage some photo adventures.
The middle of the month saw me spend a weekend with hillwalks on successive days, Cavehill on the Saturday morning and Lisnabreeny Hill on the Sunday morning.
That walk up Lisnabreeny Hill saw me advance further on a walk I did a few weeks earlier, where I had a short jaunt through Cregagh Glen. This time, I continued on through to Lisnabreeny Hill and was rewarded with some spectacular views and photos.
The month ended with me checking out some new Street Art that had appeared in Belfast City Centre as part of a project called Belfast Entries.
Analogue Boy In A Digital World 