Search: 'Mike Dean'
Stories
A mainstay of the Magpies’ early 2000s top-four side, the South American remained a familiar face on and off the pitch in the north-east long after leaving St James’ Park
Badge of the week ~ Al Hussein Sports Club, Jordan
Al Hussein Sports Club came into existence after their founder, a share fisherman, was hypnotised by a storm petrel. Khalid Hussan, later to become first club president, was having a cigarette on deck in the dead of night when the diminutive bird alighted on the boat railing and cocked a gleaming eye his way. Lost in his own reverie – in his own words he was wondering at the time how to dry plates while his wife washed up without looking inadequate – Hussan paid no heed to the bird at first, but then realised he had been staring into its beady eye for several minutes.
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Dear WSC,
I’m sending out a plea to WSC readers to see if they can tell me of a top goalscorer who was less popular with his own club’s fans than Bournemouth’s Brett Pitman? As Steve Menary’s entry for the Cherries stated in your Season Guide (WSC 283), he was always the first to be moaned at by the Dean Court crowd despite banging in 26 League goals last season (not to mention the 30 before that since making his debut as a teenager in 2005). Granted, Brett was hard to love. His body language was a combination of seemingly uninterested slouch with an unathletic, head-lolling waddle. His reluctance to jump for or chase down over-hit passes was an obvious crime in the eyes of the average football fan. I guess his arm-waving, sour-faced tantrums when not receiving the exact ball he wanted from team-mates cemented his distant relationship with the fans. I can’t recall a single chant about Brett – an astonishing feat when less talented strikers like Alan Connell (13 goals in over 100 games) were lauded on the terraces. Pitman had been at the club since he was 16 years old, scored spectacular goals ever since and never demanded a move – hardly the sort of pantomime mercenary or hapless donkey that usually attracts the ire he received. After signing for Bristol City, his valedictory interview with the local paper was not a fond farewell: “Pitman Fires Broadside At Cherries Boo-Boys” read the headline. So can any other readers suggest a less-loved goalscorer at their club? Not just one that left for a rival or did a silly celebration in front of his former fans when scoring for his new team – but one with a consistent record of excellence met with lukewarm indifference at best?
Simon Melville, London