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30 May 2008 ~
A photo of Chelsea’s match with Dynamo Moscow in 1948 is among the items in a collection of works by the Russian photographer Ivan Shagin being sold by Bonhams the auctioneers on June 10. As a Bonhams spokesman says: “For disappointed Chelsea fans this might be just the thing to cheer them up. A happier reminder of their club’s link with Moscow.” John Terry has probably set off for a cabin in the backwoods of Montana for some healing time away from the madness and the crowds and the hollow, mocking laughter. But while he’s away, it would be a lovely gesture if someone bought this for him. Over to you, Roman.
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 Badge of the week
Here’s an image that appears to sum up the post-Soviet era in eastern Europe. At some point in the 1990s the previously expressionless train representing Lokomotiv Sofia had a smiley face added to it. An emblem of the Socialist transport system thus became Tomov the tank engine whose laughing likeness adorns pyjamas and pencil cases in the club shop. However, Lok Sofia’s history is quite different to that of the various other train teams, the best known of which were in Moscow and Leipzig. Founded by railway workers in 1929, long before Bulgaria became part of the Soviet bloc, they won their first league title in 1940. The club has had intermittent success since while being largely overshadowed by city rivals Levski and CSKA. Or, as one of their fansites says: “It took an enormous amount of will, love and daring to nobly stand its ground in the Bulgarian football elite, without being one of the state’s pets.” ---
from Ed Parkinson
“Lots of Hartlepool supporters are feeling exceptionally annoyed at the club's choice of artistic flourish in the new centenary suite. To celebrate 100 years of existence the club opened what is basically a posh bar (Hartlepool posh not Emirates posh) and, ignoring numerous Pools legends, got Alan Shearer to cut the ribbon. This would be mildly irritating but they have also put up a large painting of the boring one doing that one-finger-half-up goal celebration. The club's justification is that our first match was against the Mags but Shearer didn't play in that one. Could the real reason be that our chairman, Uncle Ken Hodcroft, is really an avid fan of all things black and white and has hijacked our centenary to cuddle up to his hero Alan? Has any other club disrespected its own history in quite such a stupid manner? If so let me know and I might feel a bit happier. As things stand I'm emigrating.” ---
This week in history ~ La Liga, May 30, 1999
 Results Real Madrid began the season with Guus Hiddink in charge but after a 3-0 defeat at Barcelona in February he was replaced by John Toshack. Real went on to be knocked out of the Champions League quarter-finals by Dinamo Kiev and suffered their worst defeat in 46 years, 6-0 to Valencia, in the first leg of their Spanish cup semi-final.
Despite their defeat at Real Madrid in this round of fixtures, Mallorca were second going into the last day. But a 3-0 defeat at Valencia pushed them down to third with Real taking the second automatic Champions League qualification spot by beating Deportivo 3-1. Two goals for Raul on the final day made him the league’s top scorer on 25, one ahead of Barcelona’s Rivaldo.
Mallorca’s defence – expertly drilled by coach Hector Cuper – included Lauren, later with Arsenal and Portsmouth, and Marcelino, who was to play just 14 games in four seasons with Newcastle. Valencia took Spain's last CL spot with that win over Mallorca, finishing one point ahead of Celta Vigo who lost 1-0 at home to Atletico Madrid.
Barcelona’s squad contained eight Dutch compatriots of coach Louis van Gaal including Patrick Kluivert, the de Boer twins and the relatively obscure goalkeeper Ruud Hesp, who was in Holland’s 1998 World Cup squad although he was never capped.
Rafa Benitez’s Extremadura could have escaped relegation with a win over Villarreal in their last fixture, but they only just managed a draw thanks to two goals in the last five minutes. Extremadura and Villarreal both went down after losing play-offs with Rayo Vallecano and Sevilla from the second division.
Benitez took a year off from coaching after Extremadura’s relegation during which he worked as a football analyst for the Spanish media. On his return he took Tenerife to promotion before moving to Valencia. Extremadura are now in the third level Secunda Division B. ---
from Bill Lund
“Following on from the Oliver Holt Wikipedia vandalism in the Howl two weeks ago, here's an amusing dig at Birmingham City. Hopefully they will be eligible to enter the competition (or at least its current incarnation) again in a year's time.”
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WSC Trivia ~ No 17
We’d just unloaded a new issue from the printer’s van. It felt heavier than usual. Could they have printed some sections twice? We opened one of the bundles, each of which had been covered with a sheet of paper. On the front cover, where a picture of Graham Taylor is supposed to be, is a close up of a studded black leather boot with an enormous heel. It’s Skin Two, an S&M magazine. Expensive too – £7. The people who have just moved in to the office below walk past and see us on the pavement, panting slightly from all the unloading, with our pile of fetish magazines. They smile tightly as we say that it’s a mistake. A phone call to the printers confirms that the wrong bundles had been loaded on to the van. A few miles away, Skin Two staff unwrap their new issue, stare at Graham Taylor and wonder if they have gone too far this time.
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Stickipedia
A mine of information constructed from sticker cards
 Alex Ferguson, St Mirren & Willie Munro, Clydebank Football 78
One of Panini’s innovations when they launched collections for the UK market was a Scottish club section. In this first British album, Rangers and Celtic were given the same allocation as the English teams – 14 players plus their boss – while the other SPL clubs were restricted to seven players and manager. The Scots were habitually photographed against a backdrop of plain sky varying from mid-blue to bleak grey. In Willie Munro’s case, what appears to be fog behind him accentuates his resemblance to a cruel aristocrat in a Gothic horror film. Alex Ferguson’s mini-biography, meanwhile, contains two mistakes in its opening sentence. The first is that he “spent most of his professional career with Rangers” when he was only there for two seasons. Secondly it’s suggested that he “operated on the right wing” when he was a centre-forward. These lines disappear from his subsequent Panini pen portraits. He may have had a (stern) word.. ---
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