Vanarama National League column

Posted on January 10, 2018 by FWA editor

Christmas and New Year – tiring train journeys, extra roast potatoes and hitting the post.

By Luke Coulson of the FWA and Ebbsfleet United

Bursts of orange, red and yellow lit up the night sky as the fireworks continued to welcome in the New Year and disturb my sleep. That evening, in preparation for my game the following day, I opted for chicken and pasta instead of champagne. However, my neighbours didn’t make the same choice as they continued to party late into the night with most of the country.

A week prior to the beginning of 2018, we travelled to Lancashire to play against Fylde at the beginning of our chaotic Christmas schedule. The managing staff decided for us to travel by train for the first time so that we could return home sooner to be with our families over the festive period – a decision that was gratefully welcomed by the team.

On the morning of the 23^rd, the train journey north was tedious and busy with passengers travelling to their Christmas holiday destinations. Yet despite the journey, the long day was worth our time as we returned to Ebbsfleet with a valuable away point after our excellent performance resulted in a 1-1 draw.

Over the festive period, the schedule of fixtures is relentless with a strenuous and draining four games in just ten days. Despite Christmas being a time of joy and celebration, the hectic schedule means that many footballers have short holidays that have to be controlled in terms of eating and drinking.

After the Fylde match, I travelled to Bristol to spend Christmas with my family before driving three hours back to Ebbsfleet on Christmas Day, ready for our Boxing Day game. Although, I resisted the temptation of mince pies and Christmas pudding, I must admit my will power faltered when I was asked if I wanted an extra roast potato, which may be the reason I struck the woodwork twice against Bromley but was unable to find the net. Although, I was able to assist Danny Kedwell who tapped home the winning goal and his 11th goal of the campaign as he continued his prolific run of form in our 2-1 home win.

If the Christmas break is tiring then the fixtures over New Year are exhausting. With only three days to recover from our Boxing Day game, two fixtures in three days awaited us to celebrate the beginning of the New Year. Firstly, we played Dagenham and Redbridge in our final game of 2017 and just as in our match against Fylde, a late equaliser for the opposition meant we shared the spoils in an identical 1-1 draw.

Two days later on New Year’s Day, we travelled 45 minutes up the road to face a Bromley team that we had beaten six days earlier. Yet this time, it was not only on a 3G surface but live on BT Sport. Unfortunately, in front of TV cameras, we weren’t able to replicate the previous result and we suffered our first defeat in seven games, losing 4-2.

If dominating our match against Bromley and losing was hard to take, then the following game against Chester was unbearable. We dictated the game from start to finish, controlled possession and created chance after chance. However, owing to misfortune and some last-ditch defending from Chester, we couldn’t equalise after their undeserved opening goal and suffered our second loss in a matter of days.

Yet the losses came to an abrupt end as we returned to winning ways last night (Tuesday) with an excellent win at Maidstone. A local derby match is always difficult especially with a passionate home crowd; however our team performance was superb and was equally matched by our travelling support. The 2-1 win keeps us tenth in the table but closes the gap to three points from the playoffs, a gap that can easily be closed.

For more on the Vanarama National League, visit:http://www.thenationalleague.org.uk/
For great leasing deals on cars and vans, visit:http://www.vanarama.co.uk/

Gordon Banks to attend Pele celebration

Posted on January 8, 2018 by FWA editor

The Football Writers’ Association is delighted to announce that World Cup winner Gordon Banks will be among our special guests when we honour Pele at the FWA Tribute night on London on January 21.

Banks will join us at the Savoy Hotel in London to pay tribute to Pele when the great Brazilian flies in to receive his lifetime achieve award from the FWA. The former Chesterfield, Leicester and Stoke goalkeeper played 73 times for England and was in goal when Sir Alf Ramsey’s men beat West Germany in the 1966 World Cup final.

Arguably his greatest save came four years later, in the 1970 tournament, when he defied the laws of physics to keep out a goalbound header from Pele as England lost 1-0 to Brazil in Mexico.

“From the moment I headed it, I was sure it had gone in,” Pele has said.

“After I headed the ball, I had already began to jump to celebrate the goal. Then I looked back and I couldn’t believe it hadn’t gone in. I have scored more than a thousand goals in my life and the thing people always talk to me about is the one I didn’t score.”

Former International soccer players England goal keeper, Gordon Banks (left) with a picture of his famous save from Brazil striker Pele (right) attend a news conference in London where they announced the 100 all time greatest footballers chosen by Pele for the celebration of 100 years of FIFA the wiorld governing body.

Vanarama National League column – Tranmere Rovers

Posted on January 3, 2018 by FWA editor

THE VANARAMA NATIONAL LEAGUE COLUMN – TRANMERE ROVERS

By Glenn Moore, former football editor, The Independent

The novelty has worn off. It was interesting visiting all those new grounds for a while, and being the Vanarama National League’s big fish, but now all Tranmere Rovers fans want is to get back into the Football League.

The generation brought up on John King’s golden era, when the Wirral club were Wembley regulars and thrice on the brink of the Premier League, have found the adjustment to non-League status especially hard. Older supporters, remembering the dark days of the early-mid 1980s, are more sanguine, but equally dismayed by results such as the 5-2 New Year’s Day defeat at Fylde.

That loss – to a club making swift progress under former Rovers veteran Dave Challinor – ended a run of five successive victories which had sent Tranmere hurtling up the congested Vanarama National League table. Despite a shocking start – perhaps a hangover from last season’s play-off final defeat to Forest Green – automatic promotion was suddenly back on the agenda. It still is. Though leaders Macclesfield are six points clear at the top they have not escaped the pack as did Rovers and Lincoln last season, and Cheltenham and Forest Green the year before.

Tranmere, though 11 points adrift, are already in the play-off places. With a game in hand another good run could put them in with a chance of overhauling the leaders when Macclesfield visit Prenton Park next month.

It will require courage and composure. Manager Micky Mellon – who took Fleetwood out of the Vanarama National League – has spoken of the character required to play for a club whose former status and current ground often inspires opponents. “It is easier to play against Tranmere than it is to play for Tranmere,” he claimed recently. Mellon, who has also won promotion with Shrewsbury, explained. “It is easy to get up for playing against Tranmere. We’ve got to be at it every week because everyone raises their game against us.”

While goalkeeper Scott Davies will be missed after suffering a groin injury at Fylde, Mellon has Steve McNulty to lead the way in central defence. The cult hero, a National League promotion winner with Fleetwood and Luton Town, is the defensive equivalent of Ade Akinfenwa. He may not look an athlete, but more than makes up in presence, experience and technique what he lacks in mobility.

It should help that with Leyton Orient’s demotion, Tranmere are no longer the new ‘fallen giant’. Now in their third season in the Vanarama National League there is a degree of familiarity and knowledge. Off the pitch, under former FA chief executive Mark Palios and his wife Nicola, the club is on a firm footing. Gates have held up with the 5,000-plus average higher than all but six teams in League Two. The platform is there to prosper if they return to the Football League. First, however, Mellon and his team have to achieve the most difficult part, and produce the results to get them there.

For more on the Vanarama National League, visit: http://www.thenationalleague.org.uk/
For great leasing deals on cars and vans, visit: http://www.vanarama.co.uk/

Vanarama National League column Dec 20 – Gateshead

Posted on December 20, 2017 by FWA editor

The Vanarama National League column – Gateshead by Glenn Moore.

Gateshead International Stadium will stage a very local affair on Boxing Day, and enjoy an unusually vibrant atmosphere. The ‘Heed’ host Hartlepool in a rare Vanarama National League north-east derby with every expectation of a substantial four-figure gate.

It will be a significant match for Steve Watson, the former Newcastle United player who was lured back to his native north-east in October to take on his first managerial job. Watson, who made more than 350 Premier League appearances, for Everton, Aston Villa and West Brom, besides the Toon, has declared it his mission to take Gateshead into the Football League.

Watson, 43, had been assistant manager at table-topping Macclesfield, but seized the chance to replace Port Vale-bound Neil Aspin and come home. He returned to a region that, while noted as a football ‘hotbed’, has made little impact in the country’s premier non-league competition.

This is only the third season in the National League’s 39-year existence that there have been two clubs from the north-east in the league and there have frequently been none. The Northern League’s reluctance to join the original Alliance Premier League in 1979 meant several of the area’s bigger clubs were left behind as the football pyramid was formed. Blyth Spartans, of FA Cup giant-killing fame, were then dominant in the Northern League, but by the time they switched into the pyramid were playing catch-up and are yet to progress beyond Vanarama National League North.

Gateshead, who were formed in 1977 after the eponymous former Football League club, and its successor club Gateshead United, both folded, have the region’s most regular National League club with 20 campaigns in four stints. They were briefly joined by Darlington from 2010-12, and now by newly-relegated Hartlepool.

The holiday fixtures – the return at Victoria Park is on New Year’s Day – will be a good test of both teams’ progress. Watson has improved Gateshead’s results, but they remain lower-mid-table, eight points off the play-offs. Pool, anxious for an instant return, are one point ahead but have lost four on the spin. They play Saturday, at home to Maidenhead, while Gateshead have the weekend off.

It will also be a measure of the effect Watson’s arrival has had off the pitch. In many respects playing in a smart stadium refurbished as recently as 2011 has its advantages, but unfortunately the International Stadium is both designed for athletics and too big for non-League football.

At 11,800 its capacity is only exceeded by The Shay at Halifax. However, an average gate hovering between 750-850 is matched only by Boreham Wood. With only the two covered stands each side of the ground usually opened for Vanarama National League matches, and an athletics track around the pitch, fans often complain about a lack of atmosphere.

Proposals to build a new ground have been floated but Watson’s short-term solution is to copy the philosophy of his former manager Kevin Keegan. “We have to entertain, to get out on the pitch and play good football, to get positive results,” he said. “Then before you know it, there are more on the gate.”

For more on the Vanarama National League, visit: http://www.thenationalleague.org.uk/
For great leasing deals on cars and vans, visit: http://www.vanarama.co.uk/

Vanarama National League Column – Dec 13

Posted on December 13, 2017 by FWA editor

Dreams of Wembley – by Luke Coulson, Of Ebbsfleet United and the FWA

It was a cold September morning and my manager pulled me to one side after the training session to talk about our upcoming fixture. The meaning of the conversation was simple; my gaffer wanted to ask if I was ready to play against my former club, Eastleigh FC.

Of course, my answer was yes.

Despite the fact that I have fond memories from my time at the club, I only played for the Spitfires for a single season, hardly a Ryan Giggs length of service. Nonetheless, the question from my manager needed to be asked as facing up against your former team mates for the first time can be a difficult challenge.

That particular Vanarama National League encounter earlier in the season ended in 2 -2 draw, but what I remember most about that game was my disappointing performance and the fact that I clearly didn’t handle the pressure very well. I remember striding out on to the pitch that day to demonstrate my ability, but I walked off that day thinking that my former employers must have returned to Hampshire with the opinion that selling me in January to Barnet was a great decision.

This weekend, however, I have the opportunity to give a better account of myself as we once more welcome Eastleigh FC to Stonebridge Road for the first round of the FA Trophy.

The BuildBase FA Trophy not only gives us a chance to have a break from the Vanarama National League but gives us an opportunity to try and repeat the feat of the Ebbsfleet United squad from 2007/08 that lifted the famous trophy for the first time in the club’s history.

In addition to trying to emulate the past, as a team we also want to continue our excellent recent home form which will lead us into the busy Christmas schedule. After beating Leyton Orient and Hartlepool before enjoying a rare weekend off, last Saturday we won our third home game on the bounce by outclassing Guiseley, which was evident in the 4-0 score line.

In the opening game of the season, Guiseley held us to a 2-2 draw and therefore we knew what to expect from our opponents and knew that if our mindset was right, we would win the game comfortably. The win has lifted us to tenth in the table and has added to our ever growing confidence as we head into the first round of the FA Trophy.

This weekend, not only am I focused on putting on a performance that my former club won’t forget but I want to help the team move one step closer to every young footballer’s dream, playing at Wembley.

Baptism of fire for Leyton Orient and Hartlepool – Vanarama National League column

Posted on December 7, 2017 by Simon Collings

Glenn Moore of the FWA, provides his mid-season assessment of the National League’s new boys.

As December bites so reality sinks in for those teams relegated into the Vanarama National League. Hartlepool and Leyton Orient have now played 23 league matches, half the campaign, and there is no avoiding the fact that non-League is proving very tough.

At the weekend Leyton Orient, under new manager Justin Edinburgh, lost at bottom club Solihull Borough. They are now 20^th, one place above the relegation zone. Hartlepool, having conceded twice late on to lose at home to Macclesfield, are 13^th; which means Jeff Stelling has to wait for the bottom half of the Vanarama table to flash up on Soccer Saturday to see where his team are.

This difficult baptism should come as no surprise. It is often said that relegation can enable struggling clubs to take stock, reform, and come back stronger, but that rarely applies to dropping out of the Football League. Of the 19 clubs relegated from League Two in the last decade (Torquay went down twice) only two bounced back immediately, Bristol Rovers in 2015 and Cheltenham the following year. More worrying for Hartlepool and Orient is that only seven of the 19 have climbed back into the Football League while five fell further, often due to financial problems. Boston, re-formed Darlington, Stockport County and York City are now in Vanarama National League North. A finally resurgent (and re-formed) Hereford are pushing to join them from the Evo-Stik South Premier.

“This is the biggest club in the Vanarama National League,” said Edinburgh after Saturday’s defeat. Therein lies one of the problems. Opposition players are inspired by playing a club with such a long Football League pedigree, and by visiting Brisbane Road. “We have to embrace that and not fear it,” added Edinburgh, who said Orient was the “only job I would have taken in the National League [because of] the pull of the size of the club, the history.”

But if history helps attract fans, players and managers it counts for nothing on the pitch. Stockport are averaging 3,209 at the gate this season, the fifth highest attendance outside the Football League, but are mid-table in the Vanarama National League North. They lost at second-place Brackley Town in front of 585 on Saturday. That was one of the Saints’ best gates of the season – swelled by travelling Hatters fans.

In many respects the Vanarama National League is like the Championship: full of clubs with (relatively) storied histories, big followings, decent stadia – but fiercely competitive and no respecter of reputations. Orient are the Sunderland of non-League. Like the Wearsiders the O’s have put their faith in a new manager, one with a solid pedigree, hoping that unlike a succession of recent bosses this is the one who stops the rot. The current season may be gone with regard to promotion but, as with Chris Coleman at Sunderland, if Edinburgh can turn things around the club will develop momentum, and could take some stopping next season. However, as the likes of Wrexham, Tranmere and Stockport know, with hungry upwardly mobile clubs like Sutton United, Bromley and Brackley around there are no guarantees.

Jeremy Wilson scoops prestigious award

Posted on December 1, 2017 by FWA editor

Jeremy Wilson rewarded for groundbreaking coverage of dementia in football.

FWA member and Telegraph reporter Jeremy Wilson has won a prestigious honour at Alzheimer’s Society Dementia Friendly Awards after spearheading a campaign for research into potential links between playing football and dementia.

The Daily Telegraph’s deputy football correspondent won the National Journalist of the Year Award for a series of hard-hitting stories about former footballers who are living with dementia and their families.

Through a series of interviews and investigative news reports, Jeremy has championed change since reporting how half the surviving outfield 1966 England World Cup-winning team had been diagnosed with Alzheimer’s or memory loss.

The Telegraph immediately called on the authorities to commission independent research into the prevalence of dementia in football and Jeremy personally met with families of former players, reporting with great care and diligence the different symptoms and the full devastating impact on their lives.

Jeremy’s work culminated in a major breakthrough with the announcement last week of a major study assessing whether footballers are at greater risk of degenerative brain disease, jointly commissioned by the Football Association and Professional Footballers’ Association.

Jeremy said: “I am thrilled. Like many families I have been affected by dementia as both my grandmothers had this condition and therefore it feels extra special and a little bit more personal.

“Above all, I am delighted for the families of the footballers as they have trusted us to tell their stories. They have driven the campaign to get answers from football and I am really pleased their stories are being heard.”

Jeremy was accompanied by Dawn Astle, the daughter of former England international Jeff Astle. Dawn and family have been campaigning on what they call ‘sport’s silent scandal’ since an inquest found that Jeff died in 2002 from head injuries caused by playing football.

Dawn said: “I had to fight back the tears when it was announced that Jeremy had won. He really is a fabulous journalist but he has got a heart of gold as well.

“I feel so lucky that he has got stuck into this issue – and the work that he has done has meant that families in the world of football who are affected by dementia will get answers to their questions on the links between the two.”

Alzheimer’s Society Chief Executive Jeremy Hughes said: “With skill and sensitivity, Jeremy has done the newspaper industry proud by uniting with many retired footballers and their families to tell the moving stories of how dementia has affected them.

“His tenacious journalism prompted other families to tell their stories and was featured across other national media, including the BBC and Sky News, to tackle once and for all the taboo that has forced many people to keep dementia a secret.

“Jeremy has also led a successful Telegraph campaign for new research. It has been followed by our national game’s governing body, the Football Association, and Professional Footballers’ Association funding research into potential links between dementia and playing football.”

Alzheimer’s Society ambassador Angela Rippon hosted the Alzheimer’s Society Dementia Friendly Awards 2017 which have been sponsored by British Gas and are now in their fourth year.

“Dementia devastates lives and, by 2021, one million people will be living with dementia across the UK,” added Mr Hughes.

- Alzheimer’s Society relies on voluntary donations to continue its vital work. You can donate now by calling 0330 333 0804 or visiting alzheimers.org.uk.

Jeremy Wilson scoops award

Learning from defeat – Vanarama National League column

Posted on November 29, 2017 by FWA editor

Luke Coulson of the FWA, and Ebbsfleet United, gives an insight into post-match analysis.

Patrick Vieira’s long legs took him through the Leicester City defence, around the keeper and allowed him to pass the ball into an open net and cement Arsenal’s place in history.

The Frenchman’s winning goal at Highbury meant the Arsenal team of 2003/04 went undefeated throughout the whole Premier League season. Yet, in the game of football, losing is inevitable. Even the Arsenal ‘Invincibles’ of 2003/04 lost in domestic cup competitions along the way, suffering defeats in the FA Cup, Football League Cup and Champions League. As a player, you have to accept that there will be times when the team underperforms or the opposition execute the perfect tactical game plan to get the win. However, the important aspect about a loss isn’t the result itself but the reaction that comes afterwards.

The professionalism of Ebbsfleet United means each fixture is recorded and analysed which gives us the opportunity to watch the match from a different perspective. For me, it is an important element in my development as it allows me to understand what areas of my game need improvement, but also what areas of my game are strengths.

After our breakfast on a Monday morning, which usually consists of bagels, boiled eggs, fruit, cereals and a copious amount of coffee, a team meeting gives the squad a chance to discuss the positives and negatives of the previous game. In these meetings, the manager creates an open and positive environment in which he is keen to hear our opinions and encourages us to give constructive criticism to each other.

Nevertheless, despite being able to learn from previous mistakes, defeats will happen. A poor team performance, fatigue from the previous fixture or a misjudged refereeing decision can cost you a game.

Last week, we suffered our first back-to-back league defeats of the season. A gruelling six hour journey to Wrexham resulted in a 2-0 loss and was followed three days later by another away defeat to Woking. However, as the saying goes: ‘you learn more from losing than winning’, which is why we worked even harder on the training pitch to correct our mistakes and on Saturday, Hartlepool felt the full force of our frustration. We dominated the game from start to finish and moved ahead of them in the league after our 3-0 victory.

Reading and listening to comments since the match, it seems that most people agree that Saturday was our best performance of the season so far. However, with the quality of teams in the National League, we have to accept that defeats will happen moving forward. Yet, if we were able to recover and improve like we did this past weekend, we have a great platform to build upon moving into the tough Christmas period and our ambitions will certainly remain in reach.

For more on the Vanarama National League, visit: http://www.thenationalleague.org.uk/

For great leasing deals on cars and vans, visit: http://www.vanarama.co.uk/

FWA Northern Managers Awards dinner

Posted on November 27, 2017 by FWA editor

The Northern branch of the FWA staged another very successful awards night in Manchester on Sunday November 26th, with a host of leading managers and football personalities in attendance.

David Wagner made it back from Huddersfield’s game with Manchester City in time for the dinner, and Sean Dyche returned from Burnley’s defeat by Arsenal to attend, along with award-winning managers Chris Wilder, Phil Parkinson, Gary Bowyer, Gary Mills, Graham Fenton and Lee Picton. Nick Cushing and Darren Ferguson also won awards but were unable to attend, as were Jose Mourinho and Rafa Benitez, who sent recorded acceptance speeches.

They were joined by legends Bryan Robson and Dennis Tueart, and many others for an event that raised thousands of pounds for the designated children’s charity, The Seashell Trust.

BREAKING NEWS – PELE IS COMING

Posted on November 24, 2017 by FWA editor

PELE TO RECEIVE FWA TRIBUTE AWARD AT THE SAVOY

The Football Writers’ Association is delighted to announce that Pele, arguably the greatest footballer of all, will be joining us at the Savoy Hotel on January 21^st to receive this year’s FWA Tribute Award.

Pele, 77, has accepted our invitation to join some of the greatest names in world football as recipients of the FWA Tribute Award, and will be flying in from America to collect it at our annual gala dinner at the Savoy.

His achievements should not need repeating, as a member of three World Cup-winning sides, the scorer of over 1000 goals, and numerous personal accolades during a glittering 15-year career.

Paul McCarthy, the FWA’s executive secretary, said: “Traditionally, we have honoured those who have made an outstanding contribution to the British game but I’m sure you will agree that in a World Cup year and on the 60th anniversary of his first appearance in a World Cup, there can be no more fitting recipient than Pele.”

Tickets are on sale now and FWA members should receive an email with details.

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