A Spann in the works

Wrexham have been something of a base / launching pad / home for Trinidad & Tobago footballers in the last few years, nurchering talents such as Carlos Edwards (a good mention on Match of the Day last Saturday "cutting his teeth with Wrexham"), Dennis Lawrence and Hector Sam.

Following the summer-long rumours and constant readings of Sunderland and Sheffield United messageboards to a particular Trinidad & Tobago player on trial with both clubs throughout June and July - not to mention the fantastic YouTube clip appearing amongst it all, and heavily rumoured to join Wrexham (Brian Carey had him on a shortlist since February at Trinidad v Iceland apparently)... He was finally spotted on the Wrexham team bus for the trip to Darlington on Saturday, and was sat amongst the bench for the defeat... It seems he had his first full training session with the club yesterday judging by all the photos in the local papers this morning and splashed about on various websites, and mention of a 3 year contract. So just a work permit to come through, and Silvio Spann with (hopefully) strikes like the one leaving his foot last month in the Gold Cup below, are coming to the Racecourse very soon!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ChSTu7wuCiM

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!