Juan Ugarte Retires

If you know who he is great, if you don't, i'd introduce him as the Wrexham / football league goal machine of the 04/05 season. The clubs first Spanish player (?), with a goal tally up at around 25 in 30 appearances (league and cups - with 5 in one game) in 04/05. After a triumphant day, and scoring the winner, in the Millennium Stadium in April 2005 he would only make 3 more appearances for Wrexham FC. His injuries would never recover, and on Wednesday he took the decision to retire from the game, this is his farewell letter to the fans and club:

Firstly - thank you all very much!

I would never have thought I was going to be in this situation, but I have to say that I'm retiring from football. The football club and I have agreed to cancel my contract by mutual consent.

My hamstring won't let me give 100% to play professional football and that's why I am taking this decision.

After speaking with Brian Little, and I have say that he is one of the best managers I have worked with in my career, we thought that this was the best option, because he can now bring in another striker that, hopefully, will score a lot of goals and help the team stay up.

As for our supporters, the only thing I can say to you is "Thank you very much". You have been absolutely fantastic to me, even if I haven't been able to do for you what I would love. You made me feel I was in the best team in the world. The day we won the LDV Vans Trophy is going to live with me forever, because, without a doubt, it was the best day of my life.

So thanks again to you the supporters - I love you all!!!

Thank you very much also to Denis Smith and Kevin Russell because they were fantastic to me, and that season I scored all of those goals is going to stay as the highlight of my career. That is why I was working hard, because I wanted to have those feelings back.

Thank you also to all the players, including the YT's, that I have played alongside, with a special mention to Matty Crowell - I wish him all the best in his career that I am sure is going to be good.

Thanks a lot to all the staff, especially Brian Little, because they have been fantastic to me.

Thanks to Mel Pejic for being so patient with me.

All the best to Wrexham FC for the rest of the season and I hope we stay up!

Wrexham will be in my heart forever. Love you all!

Juan Ugarte

It's not often a player gets to sign off on such good terms, I thought it worth a post in it's own right.

I only saw Ugarte score 2 goals, and I only saw him play in 3 full matches; but one of those matches, and one of those goals was that Millennium Stadium final. A trophy which in the July 2005 was paraded around the Racecourse by Juan and Co., alongside Steven Gerrard & Co.'s big shiny trophy at the Pre-Season Liverpool friendly; they'd won something in Europe that season...

Cynics would say; he was a striker paid for doing what he did. Fair comment, but this was Juan Ugarte, who early on in his time at Wrexham was placed amongst the legends (he even had his own mug made and on sale in the club shop the week after his 2 goals against Chester!). "He came from Real Sociedad, and made the Chester sad"; Thanks for the memories.

The Joke Continues

Wrexham FC. Ive got to write about it. OK, "quick capsule review" of recent 2007 events:

June - Carey offered a "2 year managerial contract", following keeping Wrexham in the Football League on the final Saturday, he accepts.

July/August: Pre-Season doesnt go well. Results begin "OK", good home win v Morecambe, beat Port Vale in the League Cup, and get to face Aston Villa...

Last 3 months: "Everything" deteriorates, rapidly, worse than i've ever seen on the pitch.

And so here we are, mid November; Wrexham have scored "3" goals at the Racecourse all season. Chesterfield scored 3 at the Racecourse in just 15 minutes... it's bad.. The chairmen announced almost 2 weeks ago now on the "official" website that Carey will be asked to step down (sacked?) and perhaps "assist" a more experienced manager - "an announcement will be made on Thursday" . On BBC Sport we had headlines such as "Brians Exit Speech". Rumours abound to Careys successor... though when no announcement was made. Confusion and speculation and conspiracy theories abound... the next day the board then comment to the press about potential names taking over and who they have "been in conversation with": "Aldridge, Mark Wright, Stan Ternant" etc etc.

Yet, Carey is manager for the FA Cup game at Peterborough. Wrexham lose 4-1... our defensive gaffs are later laughed at by Lawrenson, Hanson and Lineker on Match of the Day, the Hope & Williams howler being the last scene of the closing credits, great...

The chairmen announce 'this week' in the press "We have not spoken to anybody about the vacancy, and have not received an application"... Carey is in the press as "manager" and saying things like "There's no point sulking, we must carry on". What a mess... and YESTERDAY, an announcment of Wrexham maybe closing a deal with Brian Little... Just how shambolic does the club sound?

Whatever happens, whoever they announce in the next 24 hours, all I ask for is mid-table anonymity - anything above 20th to be honest! I couldn't stand a survival Saturday again. And you know, it wouldn't surprise me if they deny 'again' any talks with anybody, and nobody is appointed.

On a finishing note to this whole debacle, I really hope Steve Evans sorts his act out, or the club help him overcome his demons. For the past 12 months he's been an alleged drunk, seen most nights round Wrexham, turning up for training drunk, dropped from the team on various occassions for alleged heavy Friday nights round Wrexham (spotted last Friday night in Wrexham, and surprise surprise isnt even on the team bus for the FA Cup tie last weekend). I've refused to believe a lot of the rumours surrounding Steve, but i'm reading far too often "Steve spotted pissed again in "... Come on Steve, you're a role model, national representative, and on his day the best no-nonsense DFA centre-back i've seen in a Wrexham shirt as a supporter.

Mind the Gap

I've had Radio 5 on in the office today, listening to all the latest football news, revelations, specualtions and transfer debates. Listening to the amounts of money being splashed about quite off the cuff blase from the presenters and reporters... John Terry "earning" £135,000 "a week". Wasnt Terry on the bench for half last season too, oh, and now out for a possible month - what's that, just over half a million pounds, for 'light' training for a month? Last week it seems Alan (broken leg last season) Smith has gone to Newcastle for "£6 million", with all these exchanges flying about and the money exchanged for Tevez over the past year or so, and so on and so on... I just had to listen harder to what really is happening just those 3 divisions higher than the club I follow...

The below is stuff I know you all know, but to put into context read on: The owners of these "big" clubs are a mix of American Football club owners, Russian Oil Tycoons, and new to the "big" club bracket are wannabes Manchester City with an ex-Thai Prime Minister with the vault. Their managers splashing that bottomless pit of off-shore Swiss bank account cash on said wages excessing £100,000 a week, players owning penthouses and property across the world, racehorses, owning any cars they want, the clubs they play for have megastores the size of an average Tesco and selling as many products as Tesco with the club Trademark stamped on everything. Fair enough...

Come down just 3 divisions, and the club I follow, the owner is the guy who owns the Ford dealership on the corner next to the ground, the club shop (the size of an average house lounge) sells home and away shirts (shorts if in stock), a couple of scarves, 3 styles of pin-badge, a bumper sticker and the official calendar... and thats about it. Some players house-share (in a case well documented, a player houseshares with the chairman), the players are often spotted in the local pubs and doing the food shopping in ASDA with the Mrs - i've spied a couple since working in Wrexham and wandering around at lunch. The top player is on maybe £1250k a week, which may stretch to a semi-fancy car and a semi-detatched house in a Midsomer style village just outside the town...

I know it's early (super early!), but I "so" want a cup-run and a lucky draw to take on some Premier League club and give it a go again (we could do with the money). The enjoyment of watching Neil Taylor kick Blackburns Bentley all over the pitch in pre-season isnt enough.

And so, the new season draws ever closer. The gap between leagues pulls further apart. "Fuck the Gap"

To post in July

To keep us with a succession of at least a post a month...

Stewart Lee. He's been getting about the media the last couple of weeks! Spotted on Channle 4's "8 out of 10 Cats" last Friday night. Randomly scanning the radio frequencies the next morning, I hear his voice talking about Joe Pasquale being a "thief of material" on Jonathan Ross' Radio 2 showwith David Baddiel and James Dean Bradfield also in the studio - a superb interview! All promoting his month long Edinburgh Festival run. I recently got his new "un-official/official" DVD (Distributed by Go Faster Stripe, Cardiff)... all totally new material, and he just keeps getting better. Stewart Lee a comic sage of the times. Those familiar with his "official" DVD release in 2004/5, will be familiar with the 9/11 opening... this time it opens with 7/7, and off into territory of why 'hopefully' Lee will always remain a relatively underground comedy circuit / BBC 3 / BBC 4 / Radio 4 / the occassional Channel 4 appearances, and controverial writer of plays, director, producer and novelist (i need to get his novel!)... figure.

Football: Just got the new Wrexham 07/08 home shirt! It'll make its debut tomorrow night, and maybe another sweaty run-out in Thursday nights 7-a-side training. I've joined the village 7-a-side team - who play in a 7-a-side league setup across Flintshire and Wrexham district (a squad of about 20 or so, so theyve got options, and are not just stuck with me as left-back!), season starts end of August! My 4th week on Thursday, it's brutal, i mean, seriously hard going... a Connahs Quay Nomad playing between the sticks though! I won't go on about Wrexhams Pre-Season stuff, or the Kaid Mohammed debate, only i can't wait for the 07/08 season to get underway!

I'm sure Dave will be on shortly/hopefully with his New York exploits. From the snippets ive heard mailed to me from some internet cafe on Times Square, i need to hear more!

Ever in doubt?

Saturday, 3.45pm, 0-1 down, not one Wrexham player "at the races", worse case scenario for the club a reality... Even after Valentines successful pen, things barely got better after a few goal-mouth scrambles at the wrong end... it took Llewellyns mazy run through 3 of them and slot into the bottom right corner to really get the party atmosphere alight, and we were "all" still celebrating in the stands before Llewellyn turned provider for Proctors looping header for the 3rd just 2 minutes later!

Few sporting occassions have had me come out in goosebumps, and get those shivers, this one did; this was without a player on the pitch, a ball being kicked; just watching an old stadium fill to bursting Saturday, a swaying kop, scarves, flags, the sun beating down and inflatable sheep bouncing atop the crowd all contributed to an atmosphere and a noise i've never heard before at the Racecourse, let's all get back there for the first game next season! The goosebumps returned on on the drive home on hearing highlights of Ian Gwyn Hughes' commentary on BBC Radio Wales. Sport eh?...

Justice. Any set of supporters who chant that mono-tone "Eng-er-lund, Eng-er-lund, Eng-erluuuuund" as loudly as possible over 'any' national anthem deserve what they get... this lot did just that, and got their deserves. What will happen to the "Boston Goals" feature on Soccer AM now?... Like i give a shit!

Speaking of Socer AM: Llewellyns cross to Proctor for the 3rd will be on the programmes "Showboat" feature Saturday morning - the classic cross legged flick/cross (ala Joe Cole / Ronaldo), you know the one! I was sat behind the guy filming this, and he's put it on YouTube! You can't see the cross-legged flick on this vid very well, but you get the jist :-)

3-1 and finished 19th, high and dry above relegation. Survival means I may get to hear the chant at Mansfield Towns 'John Nutter' again next season; "Oi John! Your Missus is a Nutter!" - the best chant of the season, by a long way! Until August then... re-group, re-assess, and push on, and to quote hero Brian Carey: "Make sure this never happens again". What a memory!

Fans United

Now the side-show of the Ryman League Cup semi-finals are over, let's get to far more important issues...

A call to support the only North Wales football team in the football league, and a constant feeder to the WelshYouth, U-21's and "A" Squad: Wrexham FC, in the relegation battle of all relegation battles, to avoid the “big” drop out of the league into the Conference this Saturday. Wrexham (21st) V Boston Utd (23rd).

Wrexham need a win or a draw to guarantee survival, keeping their "years" of league football history alive, versus relegation rivals Boston Utd, who need to beat Wrexham to survive! A true "Them or Us" scenario will unfold...

If you think Wrexham are battling relegation because they deserve to be, and just not good enough, think again and read this summary: Wrexham were forced into administration in 2005 by a property-developer chairman and equally crooked board around him, who purposely bankrupt the club, whilst illegally signing over the stadium and land to his property developing business to bulldoze in order to sell the land and build a shopping retail park on the site of one of the oldest football grounds in the world (Racecourse est.1872) – officially the oldest ground still in use today and staging international football matches - including this beauty in the mid-80’s http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5HTSLLHKT38. Due to marches, protests, petitions, local government support and candle-lit vigils outside the ground; the bulldozers never got near, but the club went into administration.

Matters off the field in Wrexham have a lot to answer for, for their current position. For those unfamiliar with football administration it equates to 10 league point deduction, squad size restrictions & unable to buy players. Wrexham couldn’t pay wages for 3 months, and couldn’t afford electricity for floodlights – it took Robbie Savage to pay that bill! Craig Bellamy donated money to afford loan players last month. Wrexham were in administration for a record length of time (17months - if you are in administration for 18months the club is disolved!). In administration squad players are transfer listed (by the administrators to try and re-coup monies to the creditors by selling players), or leave on Bosmans due to unable to renew contracts and wage agreements. An example; Carlos Edwards went to Luton Town under the Bosman ruling, Luton sold him on to Sunderland for £1.5million; Edwards scored Sunderlands screaming winner last weekend, gaining Roy Keanes team automatic promotion to the Premiership – if Keane holds him in the highest of regard, you’d best believe how good he was for Wrexham in footballs basement! Wrexham FC saw £0 for these transactions.

The above is just a part of it, never-the-less, some players haven't cut it, coaching and managerial staff up-heavals, suspensions, injury situations, and many loan players haven't bothered playing is all part of it... it has "all" culminated to one last Saturday - tomorrow!

If you're not able to be amongst the expected 12,000+ at the Racecourse tomorrow (i will be, Mold Road Stand with a bunch from Conwy - Mal your a legend giving up your Manchester derby ticket mate!), listen to the radio, watch Sky Sports News who have a pitchside reporter at the game, keep watching that teletext flickering refresh pages, keep hitting the refresh button on the internet, or see the vidi-printers scroll...

In the words of so many on Red Passion (and how good have some of the threads been on that forum this week!) "Come on the town!". Fans United!

Strange But True

If you know me well enough you'll remember I used to play golf... and got to a decent level aged 17, representing Conwy County and got selected twice for the North Wales Boys (versus Northern Ireland and Staffordshire). Anyhow, I recently re-took up the game last summer and am frustratingly worse than I was, but that was always going to be the case. But can still have a good knock... yesterday evening I thought i'd go down the club whilst it was quiet... loosened a few shots off on the practice ground, and noticed another left-handed golfer out there (I too am left-handed - there aren't many!). Didn't think too much of it it until he paced over towards me... "he looks a bit like... yes it is, Mickey Thomas".

We then proceeded to catch-up since we met a few weeks back at Old Trafford, and chat about the still frustrating times at Wrexham FC. Five minutes of freindly chat he then asked if I fancied a knock on the course itself. A minute later we were walking towards the 1st tee, fairly surreal! This was Mickey's first time on Conwy golf course, having joined a few weeks ago...

His running commentary on my round was great "This young lad has got a swing better than Graeme Sharpes, and Sharpe is no slouch on the golf course" great laugh, and enjoyable as I played the best golf since returning to the game (+1 gross for 10 holes if you're interested!). I had to phone my mate Matt on the course whilst in this surreal situation, on explaining to Mickey that Matt is an avid Wrexham and Wales supporter he took the phone off me and chatted about Wrexham and continued his comedy commentary on my game over my mobile phone with Matt for a couple of minutes, legend!

He wants to get as much practice in for the Man Utd post-season charity golf event, so at the end of it we exchanged mobile numbers and arranged a game next week on his return from Italy, and after the Manchester derby (he's gutted he's not at the Racecourse on Saturday!)...

Wales v San Marino - Millennium Stadium - 28.03.07

The night didn’t have the best of starts. At the eleventh hour my mate pulled out of attending the game so I went to the match on my own. I arrived at the Millennium Stadium about an hour before kick off to soak up the atmosphere. An error of judgement really, seeing that the only people in the ground were me, the stewards and the San Marino goalkeepers warming up. No not a great attendance again tonight by Euro 2004 standards. A combination of the quality of opposition and it being a Wednesday night fixture probably explains why it wasn’t any higher. I read a message on the Wrexham F.C. fansite ‘Red Passion’ that questioned where all the fans have gone since those hazy days back in 2002-2003. As someone who was unable to get hold of a ticket for the Russia play off I could understand his frustration as last night I sat with a whole row to myself. I do understand it’s hard to get motivated to spend the sort of money needed to buy a ticket and travel from Caernarfon or Milford Haven when there’s so little to shout about. Naturally the lack of people leads to a lack of noise. The atmosphere was perhaps the flattest I’ve seen at the stadium. Hopefully the draw of seeing Koller, Cech and Rosicky will attract the masses for the next home match.

It was a strange game really. San Marino were never going to beat us so even if we’d have knocked ten past them it wouldn’t have given any indication of our position in the group. I hate to be disrespectful to another national side but bloody hell San Marino were awful. Because of the geographic location of the country, San Marino display all the mannerisms and characteristics of the Italians but none of the skill. They’re like Italy’s evil step brother. I’ve never seen a team give away so many needless free kicks. That’s not just fouls, they managed to concede one for a back pass and three for handball. Three for handball?! You wouldn’t see that on a primary school playground in this country. But let’s be fair, it’s a country with a population that couldn’t fill the Millennium Stadium…a bit like Wales then really. As a result of this lack of discipline the referee began to stand out…well he was about twenty two fucking stone! I was up in the heavens of level six of the Millennium Stadium and even at that height I was thinking “I bet he has more than an hour for his lunch break”. It was cruelly funny that the ball kept on hitting him throughout the game because the poor guy was struggling getting out the way in time!

It reflects badly on Wales that we didn’t score more than three. We really lacked a cutting edge tonight. If we’d have finished the way Slovakia did against us we’d have vastly improved our goal difference. We need to be more clinical when it comes to finishing. Against the big two of the group we may only have a couple of chances on goal. You can look back at two pivotal moments of the campaign where if Bellamy would’ve been more lethal things may have been different. His one on one with Petr Cech back in September and the only clear cut chance we had on Saturday. I’m not having a go at Bellamy it’s just an observation. At times our play bordered on arrogance, our showboating and general cuteness in front of goal was not appreciated by the Welsh fans. It’s great to see it when it’s pulled off but when it doesn’t, like every occasion last night, it’s just embarrassing. We should be showing San Marino the same respect that we show the bigger nations. The corners were really bad (All fifty two of them) For a team of short arses it’d be nice to think we’d work out some tidy set pieces but we never looked like scoring. James Collins looked our best hope at these times but he understandably looked rusty (No hair pun intended). I worry that some of these balls will be food and drink to the defences of Germany and the Czech Republic and we'll be hit on the counter attack. Free kicks weren’t too great either, though it was good to see the responsibility shared out between Giggs, Koumas and Bale.

Bale once again looked good going forward. At times he left gaps behind him but it’d be wrong to try to stifle that sort of creativity by criticizing him. As his talent grows it might be a case of him being pushed into a left midfield role, I for one wouldn’t be against that. Koumas had a great time ghosting past the San Marino players, whether he’ll be given the space to do that against the Czechs I don’t know. He picked up yet another yellow card leaving him with his record dangerously close to missing the Germany game. Easter didn’t really have a chance to get stuck in, I don’t know where it leaves his international career after being taken off at half time. Good to see David Cotterill get involved. There’s definitely something about him, if he can break into the Wigan team we will reap the benefits. I still don’t think Toshack knows who his best eleven are. I think the right back position is a problem. I feel Ricketts is struggling out of position and Duffy has all of a sudden fallen out of contention. With Delaney a long way of full fitness I’d have liked to have seen Rob Edwards brought in for the role, his omission from the squad was baffling.

In conclusion, it was a game that didn’t tell us much. Basically to qualify for Euro 2008 we need to go on the greatest run in the history of Welsh football. It would have been nice to see a few more goals. But as Toshack said in the post match interview “A win’s a win”.

Geezers Need Excitement

You may be aware that Wales defeated England, let me repeat that, "Wales defeated England" in a fast and open game. After jeering our English friends (well taken lads!), the losing of my voice and the sinking of several ales, a bit of a scuffle ensued, bit of beer flying, followed by the glass - yes that's the feeling of a glass hitting me on the back of the head - landlord vaults the bar! By now we were very pissed in that "we can take on the world" mood, and errrr, we just watched as the trouble was herded out onto the street.

Did anybody watch "The Championship" on ITV the other weekend? My post glass round the head and recovery hangover was turning on to see the MK Dons late winner v Wrexham - the ball didn't cross the line, the linesman didnt signal goal, the referee didn't signal goal. A great double save from Ingham, yet the person responsible for "pressing the button to play music when a goal is scored", pressed the button, 'then' the goal was given by the linesman! Let's keep "playing music when there is a score" for sports such as Ice Hockey and the likes - not league 2 (div 4) football.

I did enjoy 'the' local derby match of the other weekend though, as Conwy Utd entertained Llandudno Junction. Conwy running out 2-1 winners, creeping up the league, 5 games in-hand, oh no, i sound like a proper fan.

I'd been to watch Llandudno v Llangefni a couple of weeks ago (top of the table clash), impressed by Chris Johnson, Llandudno centre back, though I did a double take as he ran out in the tangerine Conwy Utd strip! Llandudno with a slim chance of promotion to the Welsh Premier this season, currently 4th in the direct North Wales feeder league i.e. The Championship of N.Wales. He'd drop a league to play for Conwy United?! The matter was cleared up chatting to the Conwy bench (I was in school with most of them); if Llandudno don't have a game, some of their players have contracts making them eligible for Conwy Utd; keeping match fitness - totally legal under the FAW rules at that level! The Dudno manager and coaching staff stood amongst us, scouting. Slightly scary that I know the faces and names of the players in these lower Welsh leagues.

Speaking of lower Welsh league players, got to mention Matt Christie who plays football with us on "Wednesday nights", for being spotted by Glan Conwy FC coach, and getting his first couple of games under his belt - it was only because their coach saw him skin past me "once" that he was offered to sign for them, obviously :) Fair play Matt, great to see you on the back page of the Weekly News this week as Glan Conwy won their Semi Final in Mid-Wales to get to the FAW Trophy Final! Great achievement! See you Wednesday night to try and frustrate you some more, at least I know the calibre of player i'm up against now, FAW Trophy finalist and League 1 in the Welsh Pyramid... gives me hope of playing for "Kinmel Aztecs" - Div 4 of the Clwyd League, the bottom of the entire FAW pile... technically it would take them 7 seasons to get to Welsh Premier if they won every league consecutively, I love stuff like that. I should update Wikipedia with this stuff - does anybody care though? Probably not.

Weekend just gone then. Wales v Ireland, Euro Qualifier... not the best. Wrexhams Steve Evans held his own, but i never realised just how slow he was compared to the rest. I kept a keen eye on him throughout, "what a tackle" on Duff, he's all heart and perhaps over-aggressive & over-committed (3 red cards this season too) yet kept Keane quiet. A "my thoughts on defending" post later in the week I think...

The weekend sport did have an upside; Wrexham winning away 0-1, and Steve McNumpty and his team of world footballing 'names' and talents couldnt beat (or even score past) Israel; a team with such luminary figures as "Spungin", "Ziv (so want to pronounce that as Viz)", "Tamuz"...

Another Loan (Moan)

OK, i'll cover it, as briefly as possible; Wrexham FC... amongst everything else at the club off the pitch, I feel we have made too many loan signings recently (7 in 5 weeks with more to come). They just don't seem to have any heart in it, we're now in "the relegation battle" - ive tried not to write that before, or if i have it's been with a sense of fun, still in the hope and belief "Its just a phase, it's Wrexham!" - not anymore. A survival of football league status; 5 home league games remaining, just 4 goals and 3 points scored, no win, since Brian Careys appointment, 9 league games ago. Strong centre-back Steve Evans now serving a 5 match suspension for his red on Sunday. I believe Gareth Evans will be centre-back - a player so shit we couldn't even get rid of in the summer - and they tried.

Loanees replacing regular fit first team players places in the 'team', I don't get it!? Fair enough to patch up injury / suspension holes - but i think there are 4/5 loanees now, all starting - where is the sense of 'team' there?!

Got to get a Wrexham / Everton tie-in here; Wrexham currently have Evertons 3rd or 4th keeper "John Ruddy" on-loan, starting now ahead of international first-team keeper Ingham, who admittedly was a liability / shite in his last few games, though kept a clean sheet against Wales... From what i've been reading each game, John Ruddy is "Ruddy ...insert cheap shot here...".

In total fairness the Shrewsbury match report reads well for on-loan, Jeff Whitley (Cardiff) as perhaps the best player on the pitch - have i just contradicted my entire post? I dunno, but i do know that another loanee has been signed yesterday; a striker from Stoke City called Martin Paterson.

I'm behind Carey with my support. One of the best centre-backs the club has had is in danger of his reputation being tarnished by his work in a job he didn't even apply for. He may prove to be a great manager, but thrust into managing a depleted, low morale, injury riddled squad with loss of coaches, after the transfer deadline, at 22nd in League 2 with not many games remaining at the time of his appointment, is just cruel! I'm led to beleive this current run is the worst in Wrexhams "history" - of which, there is lots! Brian, be a hero!

Oh to start this season over again; Unbeaten for 7 league games, "hammering" Sheffield Wednesday at Hillsborough in the Carling Cup, and taking Birmingham to extra time in the next round! From the depths then, let's get it back for the final fight...

How good does: Season 2006/07, League 2, Wrexham - Pos. 23rd - Relegated from the football league Look on any players CV?! Pull it together!

I will leave posting about Wrexham FC for a few weeks now. Let it take it's course and see what happens. Follow the results on that vidi-printer people!

Todays Betfair prices for the drop:

Torquay United 1.15
Wrexham 1.67
Boston United 2.00
Accrington Stanley 3.55

* There is rumour of Boston Utd going into administration... how ironic! We're relegated to League 2 because of the 10 point ruling, the very rule which could keep us in the league this season! Dire. Ashamed to have included this paragraph in my post to be honest.

Unibond Screen Wipe to Barca

Can I just skip writing anything about Wrexham on this post? I'll just say, i'll be checking the Chester result Sunday afternoon... in Spain. Hoping for any sort of a result... an arse cheeked deflection in the 96th minute to get a draw will do!

Went to watch a Unibond Division 1 game last Saturday: Colwyn Bay 2 v 0 Shepshed Dynamo, well deserved win. Still think they should be competing in the League of Wales, bigger attendance, better prospects... or they could continue to strive for promotion to the Unibond Premier Division (even then they'd be 3 steps from the Football League)...

Moving on though; Charlie Brookers BBC Four show is back, fantastic! First caught my attention on seeing his piece about "aspirational adverts on TV" - an amazing rant (included below too)! If you've not seen his shows, heres a 'genius' clip of Celebrity Big Brother 2007 "go on cry, cry yourself tolerant":




Think i'll have to put in another clip here too, Eastenders - "The real East End has Hawksmore churches, fashionable nightclubs, a thriving Bangladeshi community. Eastenders however, has just got Keith Miller swabbing windows with a rag on a stick":



You see how it brightens up my week "from the get-go"!

Anyhow, i'm off to Barcelona with Emma in the early hours, a city centre boutique hotel with rooftop pool and across the street from the Picasso Museum awaits... and of course a trip to Camp Nou.

Anfield one week, Racecourse the next, The Bays Llanelian Road after that, obvious next choice; Nou Camp!

Adios.

Wandering where my results went

OK they lost to Wycombe Wanderers, with the worst Wrexham performance i've ever seen. Wrexham are currently 23rd in League Division 2. I've looked up Forest Green on Wikipedia, their in Gloucestershire...

Best Wrexham player on the pitch was Steve Evans (biased i know - Welsh, plays in my favourite position and is a no nonsense get stuck in block everything defender, respect). He completed close to 100% of his long and short passes, his cross-pitch long passing distribution was Premiership class, strong head challenges, and cleared the lines far too many times for comfort. Be good to see Steve get another Welsh cap against N.Ireland tomorrow. Likely with Gabbidon and Collins injured... and Tosh at the Racecourse to witness the abomination too on Saturday.

Cherno Samba, "quick capsule review: piece of shit". Completely disinterested, no pace not even a burst of pace with or without the ball, waiting for the ball to come to him (true of most the players in fact). What has amused me is, he's been picked to play for England U-21s against Spain tomorrow night!? Stuart Pearce wasnt at the Racecourse.

Best bit of the game was the fight! 2 yellow cards and a straight red. Strong challenge, and a reaction... McEvilly then waded in to chants of "Evil, Evil, Evil" which definitely spurred him on to get 'stuck in' to one of their players faces. Their keeper was red carded for kicking the ball HARD and low (towards our wheelchair area - no laughing matter) at a fan in our stand - this caused the burberry caps to pile down the steps and hang over the hoardings entering argument with Wycombe players and staff (cocky Wycombe physio pointing and counting the crowd as if he could 'ave us all' just made things a whole lot worse!), quite scary really, 6 rows back from it, officials had lost all control. Ive got the pics and video on my phone... couldnt resist.

Dave, can we expect post-match analysis after Tuesday night game sir? We should do a Wales / Welsh football blog, with Sid and Mat - would be legendary!

Yes Wales lost the 6 nations match too, so the worst possible outcome for sporting results i wanted.