latest news
It Was 13 Footballing Years Ago Today...
July 24, 1974: While it doesn't look quite as barmy as good old Uncle Ken Bates' plan to install electrified fences at Chelsea, Stoke City's idea to combat crowd trouble on this day 34 years ago was nearly as crackers. The Stoke hierarchy clearly took inspiration from the castle builders of the middle ages, installing a moat between pitch and terraces at the Victoria Ground.
July 24, 1995: Match-fixing was not exactly new in football, but never before had such a high profile figure as Bruce Grobbelaar, winner of six league titles and the European Cup with Liverpool, been involved. The keeper was charged after The Sun recorded Bruce discussing match-fixing with a shady bunch. Grobbelaar, along with John Fashanu and Hans Segers, denied the accusations, claiming The Sun's video simply showed him gathering information to hand over the police. Two juries in two trials couldn't come to a decision, and Grobbelaar subsequently sued The Sun for libel. However, while he technically won that case, he was awarded the princely sum of £1 in damages, and ordered to pay the paper's £500,000 legal costs.
July 24, 2000: Lord. Real Madrid like to make a ruckus over Portuguese wingers, don't they? For it was on this day eight years ago that Luis Figo made the ever popular move from Barcelona to Real, and while the £38million fee (then a world record) may have cushioned the blow for the Catalan money men, it didn't satisfy the fans. On his return to the Nou Camp a few months later, a pig's head was thrown at Figo, the whistles from the Barca faithful were apparently louder than a plane taking off and chants of Pesetero (roughly translated as 'money whore') rained down on Figo. Still, he won two La Ligas and the Champions League at Real, so we think he probably got over it.
On This Day In Real History
1704: A proud day for the British Empire, as Admiral Sir George Rooke captures Gibralter from the Spanish. That'll learn them.
1883: There's a fine line been bravery and stupidity, something that Captain Matthew Webb, the first man to swim the English channel, found out to his cost 125 years ago. Clearly thinking he had this aquatic lark sorted, Webb attempted to swim the rapids at Niagra Falls. Unsurprisingly, he drowned.
1936: The speaking clock was first introduced by the General Post Office, providing timekeeping and comfort to the friendless.
And At Number One...as Figo was dodging spit was the insufferable 'Life Is A Rollercoaster' by Ronan Keating.
