Some terribly childish fun with the Match of the Day team

[Pies]

Vintage Ratboy footage marks anniversary of FA Cup giant killing

While Liverpool supporters will pay their respects at the Hillsborough Memorial game at Anfield tonight, today represents a very different kind of anniversary for Wimbledon fans.

It is 21 years to the day that the Dons caused one of the biggest upsets in English football history, by beating League Champions Liverpool in the 1988 FA Cup final. The Crazy Gang - whose members included Dennis Wise, Vinnie Jones and John Fashanu - proved too strong for the likes of Alan Hansen, John Barnes and Peter Beardsley on the day, coming out 1-0 winners thanks to a Lawrie Sanchez header. Unfortunately, the Wombles were denied the opportunity to compete in Europe, thanks to the ban on English teams caused by the actions of Liverpool supporters in the 1985 Heysel disaster.

It’s amazing to think that just eleven seasons earlier, top flight Wimbledon were a non league side. If such a fairytale rise through the leagues is ever to be repeated, it will probably be done by the club’s current incarnation, AFC Wimbledon. Started by fans when the original club was brutally murdered by Adam Crozier’s FA and sold to a Milton Keynes franchise in 2002, AFC will begin next season with the likes of Luton and Oxford Utd in the Blue Square Premier.

The video above is taken from the BBC’s coverage of the 1988 final (the last one to be screened on both the BBC and ITV), and shows Dennis Wise getting thoroughly embarrassed on the coach journey to Wembley. Say what you like about Wise and Vinnie Jones (who used to affectionately refer to his aforementioned colleague as ‘Ratboy’), but footballers simply aren’t as funny and honest as this when interviewed on camera any more.

The Welshman has started less league games than John O’Shea

Sir Alex Ferguson, Alan Hansen and Robbie Savage have all taken turns this week to talk up Ryan Giggs as the most deserving winner of the PFA Player of the Year but The Spoiler does not believe that he should win it this season.

The Welsh midfielder is arguably the greatest footballer in the Premier League’s history and probably deserves some kind of award recognising his overall contribution to English football but it wouldn’t be right for someone who has started just nine of Manchester United’s 24 league games (37.5%) to date this season to be crowned the year’s standout performer.

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Hansen and Lawrenson “work rate” hits an all-time low

Match of the Day 2 received a couple of unwelcome visitors last night when a six-fixture Sunday meant BBC super-pundits Alan Hansen and Mark Lawrenson were forced to interrupt their golf schedule in preparation for spending the evening on the MOTD 2 sofas instead.

Adrian Chiles has done an excellent job of turning MOTD 2 into a brighter, cleverer and more informative spin-off, largely thanks to Lee Dixon’s critical input and an imaginative guest rotation policy. Hansen and Lawrenson, possibly fed up at being unable to adopt their customary lolling posture, given the more modern design of the Sunday seating, turned in one

Owen declares “I’m better than you” via the medium of clothes

While his old England buddy, Alan Shearer, actually begins to impress the nation with his ability to repeat exactly what Alan Hansen has just said and still get paid for it, Michael Owen was caught up in a similarly absurd expression of nonchalant wealth.

Striding into Ascot to enjoy a fine day of horse racing, the dinky little striker thought it wise to avoid being spotted by wearing the world’s most snooty outfit. All that was missing was a sharp nosed wife and a concierge. Whatever that is.

[kickette]

Pundits phone in a terrible performance

After a gripping season finale and Euro 2008 to keep the public entertained, you’d assume that MOTD would be home to enthusiastic and thoughtful BBC pundits, and yet, on last night’s evidence, the honchos in charge should be on the phone begging Wright to rethink. Not to mention pleading with Gavin Peacock to renounce his faith and possibly replace the increasingly irksome Lineker, whose big joke last night was that Trinidad and Tobago are two countries. Hilarious Gary, just brilliant.

Worse by miles, however, were Shearer and Hansen.

Capello’s first chance to show what he can do - what will the experts make of him?

If Fabio Capello does half as good a job of managing the England team as he has of convincing the press he is the sadistic head of a bleak Victorian educational academy, England should never lose again.

As tonight’s broadcast opens, Lineker’s certainly bought into it. “A new era, a new set of rules … new teacher… pass their exams…” and Ray Stubbs picks up the theme with some headmaster questions to Capello himself. Fabio doesn’t much care for the comparison, though. He prefers “serious” and “professional.”

Lineker tries the first joke of the evening by saying “Stubbsio” knows his “Fabio Capello from his Marty Pellow.”

Hansen, Shearer and Wright complete the studio line-up for Capello’s debut, and all goes much as one might expect - calm, and upbeat. Hansen is head and shoulders above the two Englishmen with strong feelings about David Beckham being denied his hundredth cap. A potential awkward moment looms when Hansen compares Beckham’s tireless, uncomplaining attitude to that of players who “in this day and age players retire for fun.” Premature retiree Alan Shearer is sitting right next to him, but lets the remark slide.

Shearer opens with a bit of a lunge, claiming Fabio “has probably got the best CV of any manager at any time…If he can’t get success we’ve got a problem…a problem bigger than we think there is.”

Ian Wright thinks “We’ve got the right man.”

A cagey start, then. Nothing controversial, but not too much insight either. Seems the pundits are as much in the dark as everyone. Will they be able to resist the educational comparisons at half-time?

Half time: England 1 Switzerland 0. England have an unpleasantly familiar look about them - toothless in front of goal, losing possession too easily, disjointed. The pundits face an awkward dilemma - be positive or be frank?

Hansen - Positive. “They’ve created chances.”

Shearer - Positive. “They’ve tried to get it down and play, and play in the right way.”

Wright - Neutral. He comments on fans booing and the quiet atmosphere. “We’re trying to do it too quickly,” apparently.

They all agree Joe Cole was great and were quite keen on Wayne Rooney’s effort, then come back after a Munich ‘58 tape suddenly very animated about David Bentley. For Shearer, he’s very nearly the man of the match so far. Strange he didn’t mention that earlier. England get off quite lightly.

Reports have abounded in the last couple of weeks of how Capello doesn’t hesitate to defend a 1-0 lead, could the second half be even more dour than the first? Please god, no.

Full time: England 2 Switzerland 1. A much more lively second half, with Rooney the pick, if a bit showboaty at times, and Switzerland didn’t just come to go to Harrods and the Lion King. The flurry of substitutions on both sides disguised some of the cracks in the defence. Gerrard gets Man of the Match, but I thought he only started playing in the last 15 minutes. The pundits will have a bit more to coo over, but that first half was creaky.

Hansen - “The big bonus is Bentley.”

Shearer - Pat on the head for the new man for “lifting a team which was so low in confidence.” “We’ll be OK”

Wright - “Like it.” “The boys didn’t panic.” “Be patient - we’ve got a guy who’s a winner.”