A tale of two Nigels

QUESTION one: Is Nigel Adkins the most upbeat man in Britain? Here is the Scunthorpe United manager, quoted in the town’s local evening paper ahead of this afternoon’s match against Leicester City:

“We are looking forward to getting back to Glanford Park with a positive energy that surrounds the building.”

Ask Roy

IT’S taken months of intense negotiation, but I’m delighted to announce a world exclusive that will rock football to its very foundations. Tonight, on this blog, I welcome one of the most talked-about figures in football: Roy Keane, manager of Ipswich Town.

Thierry Henry comes to Doncaster, among other places

IT was bound to happen to somewhere this weekend. It probably happened in several places. But as I happened to be at Doncaster’s game against QPR, I’ll concentrate on how it happened there.

How to be England goalkeeper

As things stand, and if I was 30 years younger, I would now be England’s outright number one, just as City fans always claimed I was and I believed myself to be.

Former Manchester City hero Joe Corrigan, in his autobiography published last year, wasn’t exactly glowing about the state of English goalkeeping.

Not The Football League Show!

NO Match of the Day this weekend for Gary, Alan, Lawro and the other Alan to make mildly sarcastic comments during (and for me to make mildly sarcastic comments about). But we’ve still got a chance to catch up with the latest developments below the top flight in The Football League Show.

That football ground in Newcastle

A FEW years ago, Darlington signed a naming rights deal for their ground with a local commercial radio station. As a result, their home became known as The 96.6 TFM Arena. Not surprisingly, BBC Radio Cleveland didn’t bother with the sponsor’s namecheck.

Igor Akinfeev’s Big Night Out

I HAVE a friend who is a Manchester United fan. Whenever he watches a City game on TV these days, he invariably finds himself asking: “Why didn’t we sign Shay Given?”

A kick up the Noughties

TWO months from tonight, we’ll all be getting ready to welcome a new decade. Already, the reviews of the Noughties are starting to seep out (in summary: Bush, Blair, Cowell, Leona, Boris, David Brent, Am I Bovvered?, Peep Show, John and Edward, Obama, Coldplay – possibly in that order). For Doncaster Rovers and Blackpool, the Noughties have turned out very nice indeed.

Visibly impressive in League Two

MANY years ago, Radio Five Live hosted a sports debate show from the Moss Rose. Before the programme, each of the guests were asked to say something into the microphone to check for sound levels – and Jimmy Armfield came out with: “Why is Macclesfield the hardest ground in the Football League to find?”

The curious case of Daniel Sturridge

DANIEL Sturridge will have been glad of his substitute’s cameo as Chelsea thrashed Atletico Madrid last night. Not only did he get his first experience of Champions League football, he also saw his appearance time for the season rocket from six minutes to 18.