20 years of the FA Premier League - Part 1

1992/93

THE new football revolution began in August 1992, when the 22 leading clubs in England broke away from the Football league to create the FA Premier League.  With a massive new live television deal with BSKYB, bigger sponsors and higher transfer fees, the English game changed forever.  The honour of scoring the first ever Premiership goal fell to Sheffield United’s Brian Deane.  Deane scored after five minutes in his side’s 2-1 win over Manchester United.  Title favourites Arsenal threw away a 2-0 lead at home to Norwich City on the opening weekend, losing 4-2 and only ending a disappointing 10^th in the final table.  Under Jack Walker’s millions, Blackburn Rovers were a fine 4^th in their first season in the top flight, with new English record signing Alan Shearer scoring 15 goals before a serious knee injury on Boxing Day 1992 ended his season prematurely.  Top scorer was Teddy Sheringham, who netted Sky’s first live televised goal in Nottingham Forest’s 1-0 opening weekend success over Liverpool.  A week later, Sheringham moved to Tottenham and scored another 21 goals and with it, Forest lost all direction and form.  The late, great Brian Clough decided to retire from football management, but his legacy was clouded by relegation, after an emotional final home game at the City Ground; Forest beaten 2-0 by Sheffield United on May 1.  Afterwards, Clough admitted his side hadn’t been good enough to stay up.  Middlesbrough and Crystal Palace also went down, as unfancied Oldham Athletic pulled off a remarkable run of three wins at the end of the season.  Joe Royle’s team beat Southampton 4-3 on a dramatic final day to stay afloat.  Palace lost 3-0 on the final day at Highbury to drop out of the league, relegated by an Ian Wright hat-trick.  Despite their league failings, Arsenal did manage a cup double, beating Sheffield Wednesday in both FA Cup and League Cup finals.  It was QPR who ended up as London’s top finishers, winding up a creditable fifth.  Fellow London side Chelsea sacked Ian Porterfield in February, after failing to win in 12 matches between December and February.  Unfortunately for Porterfield, he became the first manager to lose their job at this level.  Another club who struggled were defending champions Leeds United.  They sold Eric Cantona to Manchester United in November for £1.2million and proceeded to finish a dire 18^th; failing to win an away match all season.  At the top, Manchester United held off stiff challenges from Aston Villa and Norwich City to win their first title in 26 years.  The title was secured by Villa’s shock 1-0 home loss to Oldham on May 2.  One evening later, Old Trafford partied in style with a 3-1 triumph over Blackburn the crowning glory.  Alex Ferguson’s men eventually finished ten points clear at the end of the season.

CHAMPIONS: Manchester United, 2^nd: Aston Villa, 3^rd: Norwich City, 4^th: Blackburn Rovers, 5^th: QPR, 6^th: Liverpool, 7^th: Sheffield Wednesday, 8^th; Tottenham, 9^th: Manchester City, 10^th: Arsenal

RELEGATED: Crystal Palace, Middlesbrough, Nottingham Forest

BIGGEST WIN: Blackburn Rovers 7-1 Norwich City (3 October 1992)

HIGHEST SCORING GAMES: Oldham Athletic 5-3 Nottingham Forest (22 August 1992), Oldham Athletic 6-2 Wimbledon (3 April 1993), Liverpool 6-2 Tottenham (8 May 1993)

TOP SCORERS: Sheringham (Tottenham) 22, Ferdinand (QPR) 20, Holdsworth (Wimbledon) 19, Quinn (Coventry) 17, Shearer (Blackburn) 16, White (Manchester City) 16, Cantona (Manchester United) 15, Wright (Arsenal) 15, Le Tissier (Southampton) 15, Robins (Norwich City) 15

1993/94

AFTER their success in 1992/93, Manchester United went onto dominate the following season, although a mid-season wobble did almost throw away the title.  Having signed Roy Keane from Nottingham Forest in the close season, United looked awesome in the first half of the season.  Keane’s gritty determination, combined with the pace of Ryan Giggs and Andrei Kanchelskis and the natural finishing from Mark Hughes and Eric Cantona meant they established a 15 point lead at the turn of the year.  Norwich City, Leeds United and Arsenal made sporadic challenges, but the only sustained threat came from Kenny Dalglish’s Blackburn Rovers.  With Alan Shearer back to full fitness, Blackburn closed United down and capitalised on a dip in form from Ferguson’s side.  A 2-0 win at Ewood Park against the champions in April put Blackburn within striking distance.  However, a draw at home to QPR and defeats at Southampton and Coventry City ultimately meant the late surge didn’t happen.  The defeat at Highfield Road on May 2 ensured back-to-back titles for United, without kicking a ball to do it.  They beat Chelsea 4-0 in a one-sided FA Cup final to complete the double.  Newcastle United joined the Premiership fold and Kevin Keegan’s entertainers finished an excellent third in the table.  Andy Cole was in red hot form all season, finishing top scorer with a stunning 34 league goals.  One of Cole’s former sides, Arsenal had a better finish, with Ian Wright once again showing his predator striking class.  The Gunners ended the campaign 4^th and with the best defence in the league, only shipping 28 goals to opposition teams.  Graeme Souness’s miserable reign at Anfield came to an end in January, when he was sacked after a dismal FA Cup defeat at home to lowly Bristol City.  Liverpool finished a poor 8^th in the table, but did produce the comeback of the season on January 4, recovering from 3-0 down inside 21 minutes at home to Manchester United and rescuing a 3-3 draw.  Souness wasn’t the only manager to lose his job this season, with similar fates befalling Peter Reid (Manchester City), Bobby Gould (Coventry City) and Ian Branfoot (Southampton).  Swindon Town went straight back down after just one season, conceding a record 100 league goals in the process.  Relegation also befell Oldham before the final games, but the final day turned into a relegation dogfight between Everton, Southampton, Ipswich and Sheffield United.  Everton stormed back from 2-0 down to beat Wimbledon 3-2 and survive by the skin of their teeth.  Ultimately, Mark Stein’s last minute winner for Chelsea against Sheffield United sealed a 3-2 win and sent Dave Bassett’s team down, despite having been as high as 15^th, two weeks before the season’s end.  However, 93/94 belonged to one team only; Manchester United. 

CHAMPIONS: Manchester United, 2^nd: Blackburn Rovers, 3^rd: Newcastle United, 4^th: Arsenal, 5^th: Leeds United, 6^th: Wimbledon, 7^th: Sheffield Wednesday, 8^th; Liverpool, 9^th: QPR, 10^th: Aston Villa

RELEGATED: Sheffield United, Oldham Athletic, Swindon Town

BIGGEST WIN: Newcastle United 7-1 Swindon Town (11 March 1994)

HIGHEST SCORING GAMES: Norwich City 4-5 Southampton (9 April 1994), Everton 6-2 Swindon Town (15 January 1994), Oldham Athletic 2-5 Manchester United (29 December 1993)

TOP SCORERS: Cole (Newcastle) 34, Shearer (Blackburn) 31, Le Tissier (Southampton) 25, Sutton (Norwich City) 25, Wright (Arsenal) 23, Beardsley (Newcastle) 21, Bright (Sheffield Wednesday) 19, Cantona (Manchester United) 18, Wallace (Leeds) 17, Holdsworth (Wimbledon) 17, Ferdinand (QPR) 16, Cottee (Everton) 16, Campbell (Arsenal) 14, Rush (Liverpool) 14, Sheringham (Tottenham) 14

1994/95

HAVING come close the previous season, Blackburn stated their intentions in pre-season by breaking the English transfer record to sign Chris Sutton from Norwich City.  Together with Alan Shearer, the pair formed the deadly SAS partnership which would eventually spearhead Blackburn to their first championship in 81 years and in dramatic circumstances too.  Going into the final day, Rovers were two points clear of Manchester United, but were beaten 2-1 by Liverpool at Anfield.  A win at Upton Park against West Ham would have been enough for the Red Devils, but some inspired Ludek Miklosko goalkeeping and wasteful finishing meant a 1-1 draw was not enough.  So, despite conceding to Jamie Redknapp’s injury time free-kick, Blackburn fans celebrated losing a match!  Shearer’s goal tally left him as top scorer and Tim Sherwood lifted the trophy afloat on a glorious May afternoon.  The season was to be dogged by many bad headlines which dragged football’s publicity down the gutter.  Dennis Wise was jailed for assaulting a taxi driver, Chris Armstrong failed a drugs test, Paul Merson had time off the game after admitting to excessive gambling and cocaine addiction and Eric Cantona was suspended for eight months after his famous kung-fu kick on a Crystal Palace fan at Selhurst Park.  The temperament of the fantastic Frenchman had always been questioned and this time, it cost Manchester United.  Despite scoring five goals in one match against Ipswich, Andy Cole’s shock £7million move from Newcastle in January turned into an expensive flop for many Manchester United supporters.  A match-fixing scandal also gripped the game this season, with Bruce Grobbelaar, Hans Segers and John Fashanu all accused of taking money to fix matches.  All three would end up being acquitted.  Arsenal manager George Graham was sacked in disgrace in February and banned from the game for a year, after taking illegal transfer bungs for the signature of hopeless Danish midfielder John Jensen.  With the Premier League being reduced to 20 clubs from the following season onwards, there was increased pressure on managers throughout the season.  Phil Neal (Coventry), Ron Atkinson (Aston Villa) and Mike Walker (Everton) all lost their jobs during the season, due to the intense relegation scrap.  Ultimately, it was a miserable season for East Anglia with both Ipswich and Norwich City being relegated.  Norwich had started 1995 in 7^th position, but only one win in the second half of the season sealed their fate.  Crystal Palace and Leicester made instant returns to the Football League, but the other club that came up, Nottingham Forest, finished a brilliant 3^rd, having gone 12 games unbeaten at the start of the season.  Tottenham fans also had Jurgen Klinsmann to cheer on this season, as he scored on his debut, with a famous celebratory dive against Sheffield Wednesday.  Klinsmann guided Tottenham to 7^th and won the Football Writers award before returning home to Germany at the end of the season.

CHAMPIONS: Blackburn Rovers, 2^nd: Manchester United, 3^rd: Nottingham Forest, 4^th: Liverpool, 5^th: Leeds United, 6^th: Newcastle United, 7^th: Tottenham, 8^th; QPR, 9^th: Wimbledon, 10^th: Southampton

RELEGATED: Crystal Palace, Norwich City, Leicester City, Ipswich Town

BIGGEST WIN: Manchester United 9-0 Ipswich Town (4 March 1995)

HIGHEST SCORING GAMES: Manchester United 9-0 Ipswich Town (4 March 1995), Aston Villa 7-1 Wimbledon (11 February 1995), Sheffield Wednesday 1-7 Nottingham Forest (1 April 1995)

TOP SCORERS: Shearer (Blackburn) 34, Fowler (Liverpool) 25, Ferdinand (QPR) 24, Collymore (Nottingham Forest) 22, Cole (Newcastle & Manchester United) 21, Klinsmann (Tottenham) 20, Le Tissier (Southampton) 19, Sheringham (Tottenham) 18, Wright (Arsenal) 18, Sutton (Blackburn) 15

1995/96

THE primary title contenders in 1995/96 were Manchester United and Newcastle United.  Newcastle topped the table from day one and after beating Bolton Wanderers 2-1 on January 19, established a staggering 12 point lead over the men from Manchester United.  United started the season poorly, having sold Paul Ince and Andrei Kanchelskis and still missing Eric Cantona through suspension.  They lost 3-1 at Aston Villa on the opening day, giving Alan Hansen the chance to say ‘you can’t win anything with kids.’  Defeats at Liverpool, Leeds and 4-1 at Tottenham on New Year’s Day left United with a mountain to climb, but Cantona quickly turned the title battle into a one man crusade.  He inspired his team to an amazing run of results in the spring, which saw Newcastle’s lead disappear.  On March 4, the Frenchman scored the only goal of the game at St. James Park to make Manchester United title favourites.  A month later and Newcastle lost the greatest game in FA Premier League history; 4-3 at Liverpool, thanks to a stoppage time winner from Stan Collymore.  Despite a 3-1 loss at Southampton a week later, which was blamed on hideous grey away shirts, Ferguson’s side turned on the screw.  He started playing mind games, questioning Leeds outstanding performance at Old Trafford in mid-April and the scheduling of a Nottingham Forest v Newcastle fixture near a Stuart Pearce testimonial at the end of the season.  Kevin Keegan responded live on Sky Sports, losing his rag after an away win at Leeds on April 29.  The ‘I will love it if we beat them!’ rant has gone down in folklore, but no more.  Ian Woan scored a brilliant late goal to earn Nottingham Forest a point against Newcastle three days later and Manchester United completed the job with a comfortable 3-0 away win on the last day at Middlesbrough.  Four points was the difference at the end of the season and with the prominence of youngsters coming through at Old Trafford, such as Nicky Butt, David Beckham and Paul Scholes, a new generation of dominance began to blossom.  Whilst United were rejoicing, it was misery for their Manchester rivals, Manchester City.  A 2-2 draw at home to Liverpool on the final day of the season was not enough to keep them in the Premiership.  It was heartbreak for Alan Ball in his first season in charge at Maine Road; his side not recovering from a dismal start.  QPR and Bolton Wanderers also lost their fight against the drop.  Defending champions Blackburn never looked a factor all season, but Alan Shearer still ended top scorer again as they finished a poor 7^th, not helped by Kenny Dalglish’s decision to step aside after the title glory of the previous May.  Meanwhile, Liverpool broke the British transfer record to lure Stan Collymore to Anfield from Nottingham Forest.  He and Robbie Fowler began a formidable partnership which shot Liverpool to third place.  Chelsea had another unspectacular season, but an 11^th place finish was enough to convince England to appoint Glenn Hoddle as Terry Venables successor after Euro 96! 

CHAMPIONS: Manchester United, 2^nd: Newcastle United, 3^rd: Liverpool, 4^th: Aston Villa, 5^th: Arsenal, 6^th: Everton, 7^th: Blackburn Rovers, 8^th; Tottenham, 9^th: Nottingham Forest, 10^th: West Ham United

RELEGATED: Manchester City, QPR, Bolton Wanderers

BIGGEST WIN: Blackburn Rovers 7-0 Nottingham Forest (18 November 1995)

HIGHEST SCORING GAMES: Sheffield Wednesday 6-2 Leeds United (16 December 1995), Liverpool 4-3 Newcastle United (3 April 1996), Southampton 3-4 Nottingham Forest (19 August 1995)

TOP SCORERS: Shearer (Blackburn) 31, Fowler (Liverpool) 28, Ferdinand (Newcastle) 25, Yorke (Aston Villa) 17, Kanchelskis (Everton) 16, Sheringham (Tottenham) 16, Wright (Arsenal) 15, Armstrong (Tottenham) 15, Cantona (Manchester United) 14, Dublin (Coventry City) 14

1996/97

MANCHESTER United achieved their fourth title in five years, but struggled to show any superiority throughout the season.  Luckily, all their nearest challengers had stuttering campaigns, which meant Alex Ferguson’s side got over the line, once again by not playing.  Despite 17-year old sensation Michael Owen coming off the bench to score at Wimbledon, Liverpool’s 2-1 loss at Selhurst Park, combined with Newcastle’s 0-0 stalemate at West Ham was enough for Ferguson’s side to be crowned the best in the land again.  This was despite a horrifying six days in October, which saw his champions lose 5-0 at Newcastle and then, 6-3 to Southampton.  Liverpool established a five point lead at the turn of the year, but threw the advantage away, with costly defeats at Aston Villa (1-0) in March and Coventry (1-2) in April.  Roy Evans side had only themselves to blame, with David James guilty of several high profile blunders in the run-in.  In the end, they finished only fourth, when title glory could have been theirs.  Newcastle suffered a huge shock when Kevin Keegan resigned at the beginning of January; the previous season’s toil had taken his stress levels to new extremes.  Kenny Dalglish took up the reins and despite a leaky defence, qualified for the Champions League with a 5-0 battering of Nottingham Forest on the final day.  Newcastle also managed to persuade Alan Shearer home to Tyneside, in a record £15million move from Blackburn Rovers at the start of the season.  However, his partnership with Les Ferdinand didn’t quite blossom as many expected, due to injuries.  Arsene Wenger took over at Arsenal in September and guided his ageing Gunners side to third place, with Ian Wright once again scoring goals for fun.  Chelsea went global, by signing Gianfranco Zola.  Zola’s impact was instant when he moved from Parma in November, walking away with the Football Writers award at the end of the season.  Ruud Gullit’s side finished sixth and won the FA Cup, lifting the gloom over the Bridge, as they had to deal with the tragic death of club director Matthew Harding in a helicopter crash on the way back from a Coca Cola Cup tie at Bolton in late October.  Another side who spent the money were Middlesbrough, with Emerson and Fabrizio Ravanelli arriving at a colourful Riverside Stadium.  The season turned into a nightmare for Boro, as they lost in both domestic cup finals and were docked three points for failing to fulfil a fixture at Blackburn on December 20, claiming they had 21 players out through illness and injury!!  Consequently, they were also relegated, despite Juninho’s heroics at Leeds on the final day of the season.  Incredibly, Coventry City beat Tottenham 2-1 at White Hart Lane to stay up against the odds, with Sunderland going straight back down after a 1-0 defeat at Wimbledon.  Wimbledon themselves finished a creditable 8^th, having strung together a 20-game unbeaten run at one stage in all competitions.

CHAMPIONS: Manchester United, 2^nd: Newcastle United, 3^rd: Arsenal, 4^th: Liverpool, 5^th: Aston Villa, 6^th: Chelsea, 7^th: Sheffield Wednesday, 8^th; Wimbledon, 9^th: Leicester City, 10^th: Tottenham

RELEGATED: Sunderland, Middlesbrough, Nottingham Forest

BIGGEST WIN: Newcastle United 7-1 Tottenham Hotspur (28 December 1996)

HIGHEST SCORING GAMES: Southampton 6-3 Manchester United (26 October 1996), Everton 7-1 Southampton (16 November 1996), Chelsea 6-2 Sunderland (16 March 1997)

TOP SCORERS: Shearer (Newcastle) 25, Wright (Arsenal) 23, Solskjaer (Manchester United) 18, Fowler (Liverpool) 18, Yorke (Aston Villa) 17, Ferdinand (Newcastle) 16, Ravanelli (Middlesbrough) 16, Le Tissier (Southampton) 13, Dublin (Coventry City) 13, Bergkamp (Arsenal) 12, Juninho (Middlesbrough), Collymore (Liverpool) 12, Claridge (Leicester) 12, Cantona (Manchester United) 11 

The X-Factor - The next generation

(By Jason Wright, Entertainment Expert)

SATURDAY saw the launch of eighth series of The X-Factor and its much hyped makeover, aptly entitled “The Next Generation.”  So, how did the new judges fare on their debut?

GENERATION: Louis, Tulisa, Kelly and Gary head the new panel

     Simon Cowell had stepped down to focus on the US counterpart and had persuaded Cheryl Cole to join her on the other side of the Atlantic Ocean, until we knew what happened next.  Meanwhile, Dannii Minogue hasn’t returned either, due to commitment clashes in Australia.  In their place alongside veteran Louis Walsh were Take That’s Gary Barlow, N-Dubz front girl Tulisa and American singer Kelly Rowland.  Fans were angry at these inept decisions taken by ITV and Cowell, with wild rumours of the judges being constantly booed by the audience at the live auditions.  Again, as with many rumours in the show’s past, this claim was quickly dismissed by the programme.

     Still, bosses at ITV feared a mauling in the ratings similar to Britain’s Got Talent and American Idol in the US, two shows that Cowell has quit or limited his appearance this year.  Critics initially scoffed this refresh approach, until they saw the first episode at the show’s press day.  John Plunkett, a TV columnist for The Guardian newspaper described it as, “ITV looked to fill the Cowell-shaped hole at the heart of its most popular and important programme with as much ‘vazjazzle’ as it could muster.  Some of it worked, Cowell’s replacement Gary Barlow looked a natural in his role as the show’s “Mr Nasty.”  Simon Cowell would have been proud.”

     Similar praise was also given by other media critics and when the programme aired over the weekend, so did the fans, with the general feeling of any doubts being dismissed.  The consent feeling is that recent years of The X-Factor have been heavily biased on the performance of the judges.  However this series promises to be geared more towards the contestants striving to win and it’s exactly what the viewers wanted.

     Nearly 12 million watched the first episode, slightly down on the figures of last year’s opener but still pretty impressive considering the concerns over a steep drop over the ratings.  A Digital Spy poll reported that a whopping 76 per cent had given the thumbs up for the new judging panel.

     In my own personal view, the first episode certainly turned out to be better than first predicted though I’m still not overly convinced on the performances of the new panel.  Gary Barlow is already a big plus to the show; he is brutally honest when someone isn’t talented enough and has already settled in well as head judge.  Tulisa was a nice surprise too.  She seemed to know what she was talking about; she also stood up for herself brilliantly when one of the rejected acts on this week’s show responded to the rejection by calling her a “scumbag.”  However, I already dislike Kelly Rowland; I think she is out of her depth and often or not, takes the job with over the top comments.  Maybe my opinions will change on her as the series goes on but for now, I’m certainly not impressed by her.

     No doubt the feedback from experts and the great British public will act as a massive boost of confidence to the brand new judges but this just the beginning.  They now need to keep the momentum up for a few more weeks to come, so the viewers can be convinced that the future of The X-Factor is, against all odds from a few months ago, in fact very bright after all.

The UK riots - My view

By Simon Wright (Personal column)

SO, ‘BROKEN Britain’ lies in ruins after last week’s horrific scenes of rioting and looting across the country.  Note to toy manufacturers, no batteries have been included in these burnt out shops, homes and businesses.  Some shops look like the burnt out shell that was The Loft nightclub after the 2009 fire in Channel 4’s Hollyoaks, whilst others remain open for business as if last week was a storm in a teacup.

     It wasn’t though.  Approximately 3,000 arrests have been made by police, with at least 60 per cent of these having been charged for the crimes.  The damage is likely to end up reaching £1billion pounds and it is a dreadful promotion for the capital city, with the 2012 Olympics now less than a year away.  Chelsea Ives, one of the rioters, was an Olympic ambassador.  That’s an embarrassing image sight for the organisers and I’m pleased the IOC (International Olympic Committee) has backed us.  I’m shocked to realise that we have so many idiots in our country.  London was the worst hit, but there were also severe disturbances in Manchester, Birmingham, Liverpool and Bristol, with minor damage reported in Nottingham, Gloucester, Oxford, Wolverhampton, Milton Keynes and West Bromwich.  So, why did we end up all fearing for the establishments we live and love last week in the worst riots seen in this country for many a generation.  Many reasons have been given, which I will go into detail later on in this blog.

     First of all, as I tuned into Sky throughout Monday night last week, I was appalled to see what was happening.  It shook me to a core and I felt sick to the stomach.  Anger was building up inside me; as the pictures saw London look like a disaster movie, with many industries looking as battered and bruised as you would if you’d taken on Mike Tyson in his prime.  I was leaving the country in 48 hours time and when I heard of trouble reaching my own hometown, I started to wonder what I would come back to.  Luckily, it has calmed down since then, but the damage has been done and left so many heartbreaking stories.

    Ashrof Rassle is brave to say he still loves this country and wants to stay.  The Malaysian student is recovering in hospital after he was attacked and robbed on the streets by thugs.  The video was recorded and uploaded to YouTube and is an absolutely disgraceful act.  I feel massively for Trevor Reeves, who could only watch in horror as his local furniture store burnt down in Croydon.  It had survived two World Wars and lived through four generations of family, what a tragic way for the business to end.  Then there’s Richard Bowes, who was attempting to remonstrate yobs that set fires to bins near his home in Ealing, only to be beaten to death in an act of cynical behaviour.  Finally, there are the three young lads in Birmingham, who were protecting their livelihoods (businesses and mosques) and ultimately paid the price, with their lives.  I’m so proud to see the community of Birmingham come together at a time of such overwhelming tragedy.    

     The government has taken a load of stick for their handling of the carnage to have descended on the UK and some of it is fully merited.  More organisation has to be used around holidays, with rotas the only way forward.  I’m sorry, but you cannot have the five main figureheads of the country (Home Secretary, Prime Minister, Deputy Prime Minister, Mayor of London and Chancellor) on holiday at exactly the same time.  The one politician I did feel sorry for was Boris Johnson.  He was heckled in the streets, but he was trying to help and also got involved in the cleanup in Clapham.  It got worse when Boris was bullied in an interview last Tuesday night (August 9) by ITN anchor and Daily Mirror columnist Mark Austin.  Johnson did really well to get his points across, despite Austin’s ignorant attempts to butt into his answers.  The way he handled the interview was very professional and dignified.  As for Austin, it was a foul piece of journalism and a bad example of how to do it.  For me, a respected news anchor dropped the ball here.

     As the week has progressed, I have been deeply unimpressed by the way David Cameron has handled this national crisis.  If I knew he was going to be this bad, maybe he should have stayed in Tuscany after all, sipping his precious cappuccino!  Despite the destruction, he still wants to cut 16,000 jobs on the police front.  What on earth is he doing!  Has he had his eyes shut throughout?  If anything, we need more police on the frontline as the anarchy broke out.  I’m afraid Mr. Cameron has been just as clueless of late as Arsene Wenger!  One message to Dave; I’m sure they do decent deals on priceless coffees at Starbucks if you really are that desperate for a caffeine boost!

     Last Thursday, he did say this in an emergency Commons debate; “And to the lawless minority, the criminals who have taken what they can get.  I say this, we will track you down, we will find you, we will charge you, we will punish you.  You will pay for what you have done.”  At least he has stuck to that, with magistrates working 24 hours a day to send a lot of the criminals into prison cells for their actions.  However, boot camps might have to be the way forward, because it might teach all of them a lesson in how to behave.  Any confidence I had in the coalition government has disintegrated.  Nick Clegg looks like a spare part, George Osbourne would rather be somewhere else rather than the House of Commons half the time and Theresa May is under huge pressure now, probably fighting a losing battle for her job.

     Now onto those who caused so much damage, fear and grief to the innocent.  It is inexcusable what they have done and an utter disgrace.  This was thuggery of the highest order.  Some don’t look sorry at all – I’ve heard stories of them smirking in court and laughing away without a care in the world.  You are a disgrace to society and I only wish we had bigger wheelie bins to tip you into!  I say to the courts, lock them up and throw away the key.  Boo hoo that you can’t afford the latest Nike Pegasus trainers, a Dell laptop or a 4-pack of Carlsberg Special Brew – it’s a tough life and we have all had to make sacrifices in the recession.  If you don’t like it, we don’t need you in the country, bugger off onto another planet!

    Despite some of the compensation packages that have been set-up by the government for affected businesses, it will end up being us that pays for most of the damage, not the loonies who did the damage.  Most taxpayers wouldn’t mind seeing these clowns having benefits and hand-outs being taken away from them.  It might help them learn, though that’s unlikely. 

    The parents need to take some responsibility too for the actions of their children.  For some of the criminals, running back to Daddy is probably the best option.  Oh wait, your Daddy probably encouraged you or is getting smashed out of his head at the local watering establishment!  The parents must take more control of their kid’s actions.  I’m pleased to have seen many parents hand their kids into the police.  Well done to you, no matter how hard it must have been, you’ve done the right thing.  To those parents who are protecting their violent youngsters, hang your head in shame, because you are not much better!

    Historian David Starkey will also probably need to find a new occupation.  His comments on last week’s edition of Newsnight have no place on television and he’d better hope that TalkSport offer him a place on their radio programming for sporting history.  After all, they seem to accept those disgraced professionals who make barbaric comments on TV.  Richard Keys and Andy Gray spring to mind!

     After what has happened last week, I have to ask myself, do I want to be a part of this country anymore?  I have to question it.  Our country might recover – but it will take lots of work to repair the burnt-out buildings and shattered glass windows.  I’m afraid, unless these police cuts are reviewed, the EMA (Education Maintenance Allowance) is restored and parents take more responsibility, this could easily happen again anytime soon.

     Lastly of course, my symphonies go out to those who have lost loved ones and been significantly affected by these devastating riots.

The word that is very complex

By Simon Wright (Personal column)

NOTE: No harm intended towards anyone, this is an honest opinion from myself in which I share my experiences and feelings on the subject.

AS I was finishing off my glass of wine on the balcony of the apartment I stayed on my recent Fuerteventura holiday two nights ago, I began to think of a word that brings a lot of joy, but also can create massive heartbreak and plenty of problems; love.

     What is love?  It’s a very strong word which can be used in a variety of ways.  When this word is used in any given sentence, the words for me that sum it up are desperation, affection, feeling and closeness.  Why do I think these words?

Desperation – Sometimes, people just want to love someone, no matter what, which will inevitably lead to desperate measures.

Affection – In a loving relationship, it is important to show affectionate ways of love, and no, that does not mean regular use of the bedroom!

Feeling – An obvious word; when you love someone/something, there must be some kind of feeling behind it, otherwise, it isn’t true.

Closeness – The help from friends and family can never be forgotten, especially when you get rejected or are going through a tough breakup. 

For me, I always have a loving family and plenty of close, loving, caring and supporting friends who always stick by me, despite being at time, an absolute nightmare.  Those who know me can vouch me for that!

    I’m even known as a relationship expert, though that’s a tag that I’ve pretty much adopted.  I’m there for a lot of people and have offered a lot of impartial advice down the years to plenty of people, even if that opinion can sometimes be quite damming.  So, what about my love life in relationship terms?

     Well, it’s non-existent and I’m afraid, it always has been.  Does it frustrate me?  Yes, of course it does.  Being single is no fun; I’m not going to lie.  It was when I was 16, 17, even 18 years old, but it isn’t now.  If you say to me; ‘I want to be single for the rest of my life,’ then you are more than likely to receive a slap round the back of the head with a wet fish rather than any decent advice, because you’d deserve it! 

     However, am I desperate to find someone?  No, absolutely not.  If I was desperate, I’d be on a dating website by now and that’s something I haven’t contemplated and don’t plan to either.  If something develops and happens, it happens and of course, all good if so.  Relationships do come with plenty of complications.  I believe that many given friendships can attract total opposites.  Look at me, I don’t drink excessively, despise heavy metal, love Formula One, don’t smoke, hate horror movies and would be a nightmare at any given international cuisine restaurant!  So, I’m very different to many people I know.  In a proper, full-blown relationship, it is very difficult to be completely opposites.  The hobbies and interests two people have can make things very complex.  Let’s be honest, we know the turn ons and turn offs in a relationship.  Romantic meals, regular trips to the movies and social drinks out are the way to go, whereas playing video games excessively, doing DIY in your spare time and watching football 24/7 are so dire – you’d be left behind in the 20^th century!  At the end of the day, there’s no contest between choosing a romantic movie at the cinema with your girlfriend to watching Bayern Munich v Borussia Dortmund at 11pm on a midweek evening on ESPN!  And if you choose the latter option, you deserve to be dumped and get a life!

     I’m no stranger to love heartbreak, it has happened to me twice.  The last time was pretty recent, last Christmas in fact.  I expressed my feelings to someone I know pretty well, but it didn’t work out the same way and frankly, I honestly don’t think there was a chance of that happening.  I moved on pretty quickly from this disappointment and that was a real help from the experience that did leave me totally traumatised in the summer of 2008.  I fell for another girl who I’d met on my course at Milton Keynes College.  I really liked her and had never felt like this for anyone before.  Yes, there had been very brief school crushes, but everyone’s had them, I was mad about her.  I generally felt that she felt the same way, but she wasn’t ready for anything at the time.  Fine, I wasn’t bothered about that; there’s no point pressuring girls or talking them into bed, because the following morning, there are bound to be plenty of regrets.  What upset me was that this girl went on to date another guy she met on the internet, clearly having not met him before and she didn’t have the decency to tell me.  I always thought I had a chance with her until that moment, and the experience really knocked me back.  It dented my confidence totally in expressing general feelings towards the opposite sex.  It was painful to experience, but I’m a better person for it.

    However, there is someone for everyone and I believe in it anyway.  Love is around the corner and my advice would be, which corner?  Don’t rush into things, otherwise they can and have the tendency to spiral out of control.  Single or not, it will only make things worse.  Traditionally, I am the fast and furious type, but this time, I have to admit slow and steady will earn the right results.

     Love is complex, but if it was easy, would there be any point in the word existing – not really!  Go with the flow and just see where the path takes you because no-one knows what’s around the corner.

Premiership magic moments

WITH the 20th Premiership season due to start at the weekend, I will share now some of my golden moments from the best league in the world.

Better late than never from Bruce - April 1993

Manchester United were fighting Aston Villa for the first Premiership title in 1992/93, when they met Sheffield Wednesday on a sunny Easter Saturday at Old Trafford.  After a referee injury, linesman John Hildridge took charge and awarded the visitors a penalty for a clumsy challenge by Paul Ince on Chris Waddle.  Lifelong Manchester United fan John Sheridan converted the spotkick.  With stoppage time approaching, Bruce went forward and headed in an equaliser.  Then with seven minutes of injury time having been played, Bruce reacted quickest to a poor Nigel Worthington header and the ball sailed past Chris Woods despairing dive.  Alex Ferguson and Brian Kidd jumped onto the pitch in delight and relief and the game was won, 2-1.  Manchester United went onto win their first championship since 1966 by ten points.

Robbie too fast for Gunners - August 1994

Liverpool's first home match of the 1994/95 season saw a remarkable feat by young hotshot Robbie Fowler. Against the famous Arsenal back four of Dixon, Keown, Adams and Winterburn; the Toxeth lad scored the fastest hat-trick in Premiership history; 4minutes 33seconds.  It was red hot stuff at a crazy Anfield and a Premiership record unlikely to be broken.

Blackburn end the 81 year drought - May 1995

It was a sensational finish to the third Premiership season.  Blackburn Rovers, under the millions of Jack Walker, held a two point lead over defending champions Manchester United.  At Anfield, they were beaten by a stoppage time Jamie Redknapp free-kick.  Seconds later, news filtered through that United had only managed a 1-1 draw at Upton Park against West Ham, so the Premiership title went back to Ewood Park in amazing circumstances.

Collymore closes in - April 1996

There can be no doubt what is the greatest match of the 20 year history; it was at Anfield on Wednesday 3 April 1996.  Liverpool took on Newcastle United, with both sides still chasing the title.  Robbie Fowler gave Roy Evans side a dream start, heading the home side infront inside two minutes.  Newcastle responded clinically through Les Ferdinand and David Ginola in a game that went end-to-end.  With the scoreline tied at 3-3 in the 90th minute, John Barnes found Stan Collymore, who squeezed a shot inside Pavel Srnicek's near post to seal a 4-3 win for Liverpool.  It was unbelievable stuff and a brilliant spectacle of a football match.

Keegan loses it live on Sky - April 1996

Kevin Keegan fell victim to the master of the mind games, Alex Ferguson.  Ferguson made some comments about the performance of Leeds United in a match at Old Trafford, regarding to cheating their manager, Howard Wilkinson.  He also criticised the re-arranging of a match between Nottingham Forest and Newcastle, so close to a testimonial for Stuart Pearce, suggesting Forest would take it easy.  Keegan was furious and expressed his live on Sky Sports.  'I will love it if we beat them, love it!'

Beckham's brilliance - August 1996

He was already an emerging talent, but David Beckham's rise to stardom was complete on the opening weekend of the 1996/97 season.  Manchester United were already cruising, 2-0 up at Selhurst Park against Wimbledon when the young England sensation spotted Neil Sullivan off his line and lobbed him from the halfway line.  It was one of the greatest goals seen in Premier League history and a goal that is still seen over and over again today.

Newcastle's revenge - October 1996

Having thrown away a 12 point lead the previous season, Newcastle United responded in explosive fashion, ripping Manchester United apart in October 1996.  Goals from Darren Peacock, David Ginola, Les Ferdinand, Alan Shearer and a delicious lob from Phillipe Albert gave Newcastle a historic and stunning 5-0 win over the champions; a reminder of what great football the Toon Army produced in the Keegan days.

Adams wraps it up - May 1998

In February 1998, some bookmakers began paying up on another title success for Manchester United, but Arsenal chased them down and overtook them, with the pivotal clash being a 1-0 win for the Gunners at Old Trafford in March.  On May 3, Arsene Wenger's side wrapped up their first Premiership title with a 4-0 thumping of Everton at Highbury, crowned by this moment from captain Tony Adams.

Everton's great escape - May 1998

For the second time in five years, Everton went into the final day in the relegation zone.  A nervous Goodison Park witnessed a 1-1 draw with Coventry City.  Bolton Wanderers lost 2-0 at Chelsea, which meant they went down with Barnsley and Crystal Palace and the Toffees stayed up by the skin of their teeth.

Di Canio's goal - March 2000

For me, it is the greatest ever Premiership goal.  Witness a moment of art from West Ham's Paulo Di Canio against Wimbledon.  No more words are needed.

Bradford beat the drop - May 2000

Bradford City defeated the odds on the final day of the 1999/2000 season to keep themselves afloat in the Premiership.  David Weatherall's header was good enough to beat Liverpool and with Wimbledon losing 2-0 at Southampton, it was the Dons who were relegated, promoting unbridled joy at Valley Parade.

Fair play from Paulo - December 2000

There have been times when Di Canio hasn't shown the best side of himself in the Premiership, but this was in the real spirit of fair play.  With the match tied at 1-1 between Everton and West Ham, Paul Gerrard was injured and the Hammers had the chance to win the game.  However, with an unguarded goal, Di Canio sportingly picked the ball up and stopped play.  He was rightly applauded for his actions.

Tottenham 3-5 Manchester United - September 2001

Manchester United produced one of the greatest comebacks in Premiership history at White Hart Lane in September 2001.  They had a nightmare first half, conceding three goals to Dean Richards, Les Ferdinand and Christian Ziege.  However, Ferguson's men stormed back to a 5-3 win by full-time in a stunning fightback.

The 'Untouchables' - 2003/04 season

Saturday May 15 2004, history was made.  Arsene Wenger's Arsenal beat Leicester City 2-1 at Highbury to complete an amazing feat; a whole 38-game league season unbeaten.  They won 26, drew 12, lost absolutely none.  It is something that is incredibly unlikely that we will see ever again.  Quite possibly the most remarkable achievement ever in English football.

Chelsea and Mourinho conquer the league - April 2005

Second place; their best league finish for 49 years wasn't enough for Roman Abramovich.  He sacked Claudio Ranieri and replaced him with 'The Special One,' Jose Mourinho.  Chelsea went onto score the most amount of Premiership wins in a season, least goals conceded in a season, most points in a Premiership season and wrapped up the title with a Frank Lampard double at the Reebok.  Chelsea were now a permanent force at the top of the English game.

Survival Sunday - May 2005
For the first time ever in Premiership history, the fate of the three relegated clubs would only be decided on the last day of the season.  Norwich City went into the day, with the fate in their own hands.  However, a 6-0 drubbing at Fulham ended their top-flight status.  Despite scoring first, Southampton lost 2-1 at home to Manchester United and went down as well.  It was between West Brom and Crystal Palace.  Palace went 2-1 ahead at Charlton, courtesy of an Andy Johnson penalty, but conceded late on and Albion's 2-0 success over Portsmouth was enough for the Baggies to stay up.  The first side to do so in Premiership history having been bottom at Christmas.

London riots escalate

ONLOOK: Riot police watch a fancy dress shop on fire in Clapham

FEAR, astonishment and disgust are amongst the emotions for many British citizens after the dramatic pictures and videos last night.  For the third successive night, the police were fighting a losing battle against hundreds of violent gangs, simply intent on causing as much destruction and damage as possible.  Hundreds of arrests have been made as London begins to count the cost of the damage.  Homes and businesses have been looted and set ablaze as British society faces upto its biggest problem for many decades.  Prime Minister David Cameron has had no choice but to cut short his summer holiday in Italy and make pleas for calm.  Tonight, 15,000 policemen will be out on the streets of London, but the trouble has now also descended outside the capital.  There were major disturbances in Birmingham last night, along with minor skirmishes in Liverpool, Nottingham and Bristol.

     The trouble began at the weekend in Tottenham, after the shooting of Mark Duggan by police last Thursday.  It spread to Ealing and Brixton on Sunday, with cars being smashed up, shops looted and set on fire, with police seemingly standing back and allowing the mob to take whatever possessions they felt like.  Yesterday, the initial trouble began in Hackney, as hundreds of youths attacked riot police and looted stores in broad daylight.  As the Hackney situation was brought under control, fires began in Peckham, with a Greggs store and a local electrical shop set ablaze; the gangs having no regard for the safety of innocent bystanders.  As YouTube footage came in of a man having his bag pack ransacked, dripping blood on the pavement floor, more London boroughs were targeted.  Gangs flooded the high street at Lewisham, once again, torching cars and looting stores at almost freewill. 

     At Clapham Junction, remarkable footage came in from a Sky News reporter close to the scene of a Ladbrokes store being robbed, with windows smashed, cash points targeted and a plasma TV being hauled off the wall.  Amazingly, it seemed like these idiots were being cheered on by people who found it funny!  The spread of violence has come through organised rumours on social networking sites Twitter and Facebook, as well as the BlackBerry private messenger service.  Research in Motion, the Canadian company that owns BlackBerry has promised it will help police to catch those responsible.  In Croydon, a large local furniture store was set on fire and destroyed in one of the most dramatic images of the evening.  The owner is devastated, as it was a business that had gone through four generations of his family.  168 years of graft all burnt out in less than half an hour.

     Prime Minister Cameron has faced a barrage of criticism for his lack of response to the dire situation.  CNN figurehead Piers Morgan wasn’t impressed on Twitter; “Now Cameron’s finally woken up, he should recall Parliament NOW.  This is a national emergency and the British public need protecting.”  This morning, the PM held a meeting with the police and under-fire Home Secretary Theresa May, before revealing in a statement that parliament will be recalled on Thursday for one day.  London Mayor Boris Johnson and Labour leader Ed Miliband are also returning home early from their summer breaks. 

     May went on BBC breakfast this morning to refute claims that heavy-hitting police tactics should be the order of the day, rejecting calls for the army and water cannons to be used, which would be a first in this country.  Yesterday, she pledged that those responsible will face strict action;

“I want to be clear – those responsible for the violence and looting will be made to face the consequences of their actions.”

     The outrage on social networking sites was clear from many shocked onlookers watching on their television screens.  Journalism student at the University of Northampton Chris Ola told me via Twitter the implications will be felt for many; “I can understand the outrage over the police killing the man…but this is ridiculous…it’s going to hurt the taxpayer.”  Another student at the University of Northampton, Stef Ventura fears the worst; “I fear for our country, we might be rewinding to the 1980s.”

     The blame game has already started, with some of the blame being laid at the Metropolitan police, who were over-stretched massively last night.  They made pleas for parents to know where their children were and get them inside as the mayhem continued.  From the skyline, London looked more like a disaster movie, not a bustling capital city that should be looking forward to host next year’s Olympic Games.  Former Labour mayor Ken Livingstone blamed the coalition’s dramatic spending cuts, telling the Daily Mirror; “The economic stagnation and cuts have inevitably created social division.”  Ex-deputy Prime Minister John Prescott expressed his viewpoint by setting-up a Twitter hash tag #where’sthegovernment.

BURNING: The Sony warehouse in Enfield burns to the ground

     However, it isn’t now London where this is happening now.  Birmingham saw trouble too.  Over 50 businesses were targeted by yobs in the Bullring shopping centre.  Melissa Hicks gave me a quick update of the situation on Facebook; “Birmingham City Centre is being smashed up and the big Primark shop has been burnt down.”  In Liverpool and Bristol, it was a similar, if quieter story.  This morning, the large Sony CD warehouse store on the corner of the M25 in Enfield was still burning to the ground, after it was set on fire in the early hours.  The FA have cancelled tomorrow’s night international friendly at Wembley between England and Holland and Carling Cup matches at Crystal Palace, Charlton, West Ham and Bristol City have been postponed on police advice.  The Premier League is also in contact with the police on a regular basis, with significant doubts over the fixtures taking place on the opening weekend involving Tottenham, QPR and Liverpool.  However, despite the Birmingham trouble, the third Cricket test at Edgbaston between England and India is set to go ahead on time tomorrow morning.

     As the cleanup began this morning, the whole country has to reflect on the trouble and the damage it has done to our society, with fingers crossed that tonight doesn’t bring the same amount of carnage and chaos in the country that last night did.

Premiership goalkeeper bloopers

THE 20th Premiership season begins next weekend and to celebrate, I thought it should be time to embarrass some Premiership goalkeepers with a selection of the biggest blunders in the two decades of football so far.  I'd advise all keepers to run away and hide, because it's time to open the vault and embrace the madness!

Peter Enckleman - Birmingham City v Aston Villa (September 2002)

This still makes me giggle everytime I see it.  Peter Enckleman miscontrolled a simple throw-in backpass from Olof Mellberg and let the ball slip underneath his feet, before trickling into the net.  What was worse; it was the first Second City derby in 16 years and ensured Birmingham beat Aston Villa 3-0.  The Blues did the double and finished above Villa in their first season in the Premiership and got a serious laugh at poor Peter's expense.

Tim Flowers - Blackburn Rovers v Liverpool (February 1996)

It was a weak shot and one of the freakiest goals ever, certainly in Stan Collymore's colourful career.  His 11th minute shot hit a divot in the Ewood Park ground, which Blackburn keeper Tim Flowers had created to help with his postioning.  Collymore's shot hit the divot and bounced over Flowers head and went in.  Liverpool won the game 3-2 and this Flowers moment summed up Blackburn's defence of the title; forgettable!

Shay Given - Coventry City v Newcastle United (November 1997)

Shay Given is normally one of the most reliable Premiership goalkeepers around, but he failed to check his directions in this gaffe.  He claimed the ball from a poor cross and rolled it out, but didn't realise Dion Dublin had wondered off the pitch.  Dublin cheekily ran back onto the field and kicked the ball in the net.  Referee Paul Durkin allowed the goal to stand and it has gone down as one of the strangest in Premiership history.

Massimo Taibi - Manchester United v Southampton (September 1999)

One of the softest goals in Matt Le Tissier's career, which still ranks amongst one of the biggest gaffes in history.  At 2-1, Southampton looked like they might cave in, but somehow, Le Tissier's dribbler of a shot squirmed underneath the grasp of Massimo Taibi.  It was a horrendous error and Taibi only played once more for Manchester United, conceding five at Stamford Bridge.  Oh dear!

Fabian Barthez - Arsenal v Manchester United (November 2001)

Another Manchester United goalkeeper to hang their head in shame was Fabian Barthez.  The charismatic Frenchman had more bad days than good and this was a prime example.  A poor clearance and losing the ball from underneath his body gave Thierry Henry, his international team-mate two simple goals.  Both blunders came in the last five minutes, ensuring United lost 3-1 at Highbury and Sir Alex looks unimpressed.

Carlo Cudicini - Manchester United v Chelsea (May 2004)

Carlo Cudicini had a couple of clangers in the 2003/04 season.  One at Highbury and another at Old Trafford.  With this one, he simply misjudged a woeful cross and Ruud Van Nistlerooy was never going to miss from close range.  Although Chelsea held on for a 1-1 draw to finish in the runners-up spot, Cudicini lost his regular spot in the Chelsea side to Petr Cech when the Jose Mourinho era began in the summer of 2004.

Jerzy Dudek - Liverpool v Manchester United (December 2002)

Jerzy Dudek became a Liverpool hero in Istanbul with his penalty heroics, which was eventual redemption for this gaffe against Manchester United.  Jamie Carragher's simple header back to the Polish goalkeeper should have be caught with his eyes closed.  He lost it and Diego Forlan was presented with an early Christmas gift.  United won 2-1 at Anfield and Dudek lost his place in the Reds side for the best part of two months.

Hereulho Gomes - Fulham v Tottenham Hotspur (November 2008)

Hereulho Gomes regular appointment with the Premiership DVD bloopers list already is enough for a TV series!  This was his worst moment of his catastrophic career at White Hart Lane so far, letting a simple Clint Dempsey in at his near post.  Not the first time Dempsey has benefited from dismal goalkeeping, and it won't be the last Gomes mistake either, I'm sure of that!  For the record, Fulham won this match 2-1.

Ian Walker - Leicester City v Bolton Wanderers (February 2004)

There have been a fair share of England goalkeepers screwing up in the past and Ian Walker had his moment of madness in this match.  Youri Djorkaeff's free-kick was met by a rather tame effort from Bolton's Kevin Davies.  Walker had the ball, then somehow lost it and the ball crept over the line.  Bolton couldn't believe their luck, earnt a fortunate point and Leicester were relegated at the end of the season.  On this evidence, its hard not to see why!

Edwin van der Sar - Fulham v Arsenal (May 2004)

Edwin van der Sar had erratic days at Fulham and none more so than against Arsenal in 2003/2004.  In November, his sensational display kept 'The Untouchables' out.  This time, he tried to be too clever and dribble the ball around Jose Antonio Reyes.  Reyes nicked it off him and the cocky Dutchman was punished.  Arsenal won 1-0 and got one game closer to that historic landmark with an extra bit of help!

Tottenham riot exposes police failings

THE Metropolitan police faces severe criticism for failing for control a shocking night of violence in North London, which has seen many homes and businesses destroyed by violent gangs.  Around 300 people battled police in Tottenham, which saw looters break windows and steal from businesses in the area.  A bus was also set on fire, as were two police cars, flats and shops, including a large Carpet Right department store.  Today, the carnage on the streets of Tottenham shows the full implications of last night’s rioting, which Downing Street has called “totally unacceptable.”

     Scotland Yard; still trying to defuse the severe criticism it has taken for the phone hacking scandal confirmed that 26 policeman were hurt in the trouble and 42 people have been arrested for a variety of offences.  However, many local residents will feel that the police have not covered themselves in any glory once again. 

BURNT: The remains of a police car before it was attacked last night

      The trouble began in the area on Thursday night, when a father of four, Mark Duggan was shot dead by police near Tottenham Hale tube station.  It was believed that Duggan had possession of a gun at the time.  Tension was rising in the community and yesterday, a peaceful demonstration outside Tottenham police station took place involving family and friends of Duggan.  Approximately 150 people marched in the protest.  However, as darkness fell, the disorder began, with two police cars parked not far away from the station on Forster Road set alight by angry protestors that seemed only interested in causing chaos.  The carnage spread onto the corner of Brook Street and Tottenham High Road, where the Carpet Right shop was smashed into, looted, and then set on fire.  So too was a double-decker bus.  An Aldi supermarket was also torched and burnt to the ground by the angry mob.   

     Today in Tottenham Hale Retail Park, Sky News has caught sensational footage of at least five, possibly more people looting the JD Sports shop in broad daylight, taking trainers and bags of clothing at their disposal, with remarkably, no police.  Eyewitnesses are reported to have seen laptops and televisions taken from a nearby PC World shop too.  Despite all these blunders by the Metropolitan police, Home Office secretary Theresa May continues to back the under-fire force;

    “I condemn utterly the violence in Tottenham last night.  Such disregard for public safety and property will not be tolerated and the Metropolitan Police have my full support in restoring order.”

Adrian Hanstock, a commissioner for the police said; “The death of Mark Duggan was absolutely regrettable.  A peaceful demonstration was hijacked by a small number of a criminal element that used the event for their own gain.  We kept a dignified presence at the vigil.  Our preparation was in place and the contingence we had needed to be proportionate to the levels of concern we had in the community.”

FIRE: Shops were targeted, including an Aldi supermarket

     An enquiry into last night’s trouble has already begun and it will be interesting to see what evidence is found.  Although the actions of the rioters last night can’t be condemned and the violence is utterly disgraceful – to wreck people’s homes and businesses in totally unacceptable, the failings to control the possibility of trouble, especially in such a hostile community over the past 48 hours staggers even myself.  Fingers crossed this is the last of the trouble in Tottenham, though I fear more might come.  

Baby swap plot cleared by OFCOM

MEDIA regulator OFCOM has cleared BBC soap EastEnders of any wrongdoing over a controversial storyline last Christmas.  The baby swap plot, which ultimately led to the departure of actress Samantha Womack, received a record number of complaints, but the drama will not face any actions for the dramatic episodes which were screened around New Year.

     The storyline focused on two of the show’s most loved characters, Ronnie Branning, played by Womack and Kat Moon, played by Jessie Wallace giving birth to two beautiful babies almost at the same time.  Ronnie’s baby, James tragically passed away and in clear distress and not knowing where to turn, Ronnie sneaked into the Queen Vic and snatched Kat’s baby Tommy whilst the new mother was in hospital.   OFCOM received 1,044 complaints whilst 23,000 people complained about the episodes to the BBC.  In response, producer Bryan Kirkwood elected to end the storyline earlier than initally planned, with Ronnie giving the baby back to Kat and Alfie Moon in April.  Recently, Womack left EastEnders after Ronnie was sentenced to three years in jail for her actions.

SWAP: The baby plot has been cleared by OFCOM

     Many viewers were worried that these episodes had been shown in a pre-9pm watershed slot, but OFCOM said that the soap had “a record of tackling controversial and, at times, highly sensitive social issues.”  Another feature in the report was this;

“The storyline presented Kat’s grief, disbelief and anger and the temporary breakdown of her relationship as well as her gradual coming to terms with her loss and the efforts to rebuild her life following the tragedy.” 

     They concluded that the extensive research and meetings the BBC held with cast members and foundations before going ahead with the storyline, consequently “providing sufficient context overall to justify the potential offence.”

    Ultimately, although I admit that it wasn’t the right time of year to broadcast a storyline like that, some people took their criticisms way too far and need to accept that soaps like EastEnders, Hollyoaks and Coronation Street will broadcast controversial and perhaps, distasteful storylines in order to get a reaction.  Hopefully, EastEnders can now move on from this brave attempt, and under the guidance of Kirkwood, will almost certainly aim for more challenging scenarios and storylines in future.  

Pixar Animation Studios - 25 years of magic moments

By Jason Wright (Entertainment Expert)

THE sound and image of a hopping lamp is certainly the best way to describe Pixar in a nutshell.  The release of Cars 2 this year marks the 25th anniversary of the studio’s production in film.

     Pixar’s traits go back to 1979 when Ed Catmull, a New York university graduate, teamed up with George Lucas, known for masterminding the Star Wars saga.  Together, they set up a Computer Graphics division within Lucasfilm to trial and test out early CGI animation functions.  The release of Disney’s Tron in 1982, which relied mainly on CGI effects, convinced Catmull that it was time to move into the foray of animated film.

     Four years later, Pixar was born.  Spearheaded by Catmull, John Lasseter and Apple guru Steve Jobs, the first few years saw a production of animated shorts.  The first being Luxo Jr which featured the lamp mascots whilst backstage, it was case of solving the necessary issues and problems required before beginning to consider producing a feature animated production.

     In 1991, the company piloted their early creations in a feature film to several investors.  Walt Disney Pictures liked this idea a lot, believing that it would revive their animation crown which had begun to wane in the late eighties.  A $26million investment was made to distribute three animated films and in 1995, Toy Story was the first film to be produced in complete CGI, opening to huge box offices figures worldwide.

     Many box office successes continued with A Bug’s Life (1999), Toy Story 2 (2000), Monsters. Inc (2002), Finding Nemo (2003), The Incredibles (2004) and Cars (2006) whilst at the same time, the studio continued to churn out quirky and witty short cartoons to accompany the theatrical releases.  The partnership brought a new lease of life to Disney’s animation features.

     However, behind the scenes, events were of a more crumbling nature.  A disagreement over the release of Toy Story 2 and contractual arguments soon broke out between the two parties which eventually led to the announcement of a split Pixar and Disney in 2004.

     Less than two years later however, when Pixar was preparing to sign a lucrative distribution contract with 20^th Century Fox, Disney vetoed the deal when it came up with a final offer that Pixar just couldn’t refuse…company takeover.  It became a wholly owned subsidiary of Disney for an estimated $7.4 billion.  Steve Jobs became a non-executive producer, as he went to return to his first love of Apple whilst still continuing to work for Pixar and John Lasseter was appointed as president of Disney’s Animation Studios.

     This new deal brought more box office hits in Ratatouille (2007), WALL-E (2008), Up (2009) and ten years after the first sequel, the Toy Story trilogy was completed with Toy Story 3 last year which subsequently grossed nearly $200 million worldwide.

     The success of the movies in the box office have also earned critical acclaim in the form of award, for example a Pixar film has won the award for Best Animated Feature at the Oscars six times in the last eight years, better than a standard 1:3 ratio.

     Love it or hate it, you just can’t ignore Pixar’s films and they will be around for a very long time to come.  Congratulations on Pixar’s deserving 25 years of success and here’s to the next 25 years!

TV classics - TV-AM

By Jason Wright (Entertainment Expert)

THE seventies and early eighties had massive restrictions on television broadcasting hours.  For example, ITV could only broadcast between 9:25am to 1am each day, with the downtime hours being taken up by a test card with the continuous deafening tone.  That changed in 1979, the Independent Broadcasting Authority (IBA) ruled that breakfast television should come to ITV.  The following year, several companies showed interest and in the end, a nine-year license was awarded to TV-AM.

     A purpose-built studio was used on the London borough of Camden along the banks of the Regent’s Canal.  Broadcasting was initially due to start in the summer of 1983 but was brought forward in response to the surprise announcement of a rival breakfast service from BBC.  On February 1, 1983, TV-AM took to the airwaves with “The Famous Five” consisting of Michael Parkinson, Anna Ford, Angela Rippon, Robert Kee and David Frost.  The programme was split into two separate blocks; Daybreak, ran for the first hour of the programme and concentrated on the morning’s news headlines whilst Good Morning Britain was a mixture of news along with special reports and interviews with politicians and celebrities.

     Just months into its birth and cracks immediately began to appear.  Peter Jay, the man behind the company was forced out when he refused to make any snap changes to early criticism.  Jonathan Aitken took over and fired Angela Rippon and Anna Ford, replacing them with Anne Diamond and Nick Owen.  He also axed the Daybreak strand and Good Morning Britain ran throughout the programme’s duration.  Aitken also began to target younger viewers with children input, most notably by introducing Roland Rat, a puppet with an hip attitude and would often be seen throughout the summer months.

  However, money was disappearing quickly and in 1984, TV-AM was on the verge of administration when it was purchased by a private Australian business investment.  Bruce Gyngell took over the day-to-day running of the show and built on changes that had been made by Aitken before cost-cutting measures were forced.  Gyngell decided to make weekends permanently for children’s programming, hence beginning the start of Wacaday and an array of popular cartoon series.

     In 1987, the Unions began a mass dispute with the company, beginning a long and bitter strike.  Gyngell worked extra hours to ensure that programming was affected at a minimal risk and somehow, this proved to be more popular than its normal schedule.  Months of rowing finally resulted in Gyngell firing all of the striking staff and replacing them with non-union staff.

     Come the 1990s and operating at a reduced staff rate, TV-AM was pulling in double the audience of BBC’s Breakfast News.  This was mostly down to a more dedicated and core presenting team of Mike Morris, Richard Keys and Lorraine Kelly whilst Ulrika Jonsson began her career on the station as a weather forecaster.  Under the 1990 Broadcasting Act, the ITV Breakfast Franchise went up for competition in 1991 and unlike before, cash bids were now the essence in maintaining or losing the license.  With a bid of £14 million, TV-AM were confident of success, but the license went to Sunrise Television, a consortium of LWT, The Times and Disney UK, with a higher bid of £34.5 million.  Bruce Gyngell responded by making an ill-mannered and heat of the moment comment to the press:

“I do not believe that Sunrise is a profitable company.  I predict that Sunrise will go bankrupt by 1994. It’s an extraordinary decision!”

     Eventually, TV-AM had to admit defeat and throughout 1992, they began selling off their shares in the company which included their news service being loaned out to Sky News for the year.  December 31, 1992 saw TV-AM grace the screens for the final time and was replaced the following day by GMTV, having been forced to change its name from Sunrise after Sky threatened to sue.

     In its 9 years on air, TV-AM had its fair share of ups and downs but its warm charm and rare approach to make any drastic changes to its format made it a very popular programme and the way it was forced to depart was a very sad and untimely circumstance.

2011 Hungarian Grand Prix - McLaren's renaissance continues

MASTERFUL: Button was the expert again in slippery conditions

MCLAREN’S mid-season renaissance continued at the Hungaroring yesterday.  Britain’s Jenson Button celebrated his 200^th Grand Prix start in tremendous fashion, as he recorded his second win of the 2011 season, making it back-to-back wins for the Woking team.  However, Sebastian Vettel took full advantage of errors by Fernando Alonso and Lewis Hamilton to increase his world championship lead to 85 points.

      In very challenging circumstances in Budapest, it was Button’s brilliant ability in these conditions that excelled once again, as he has shown on many occasions in the past, not least five years earlier when he won his first Grand Prix here.  It was Vettel who held off the McLarens in qualifying and halted a ‘supposed’ mid-season slump to take another pole position.  He made a perfect start in unseasonable wet weather in Hungary, leaving the silver cars behind.  The two Ferrari’s and Mark Webber’s Red Bull all made tardy getaways, allowing the underperforming Mercedes GP cars of Nico Rosberg and Michael Schumacher vault up into fourth and fifth places.

     As the Mercedes cars struggled to keep up with the three leaders, it was Hamilton who looked the most comfortable.  He pressured Vettel into a small error on lap five and charged by into the lead.  Quickly, the track began to dry and Felipe Massa was caught out.  At the same place where Vettel and Alonso had ran wide in the opening laps, the Brazilian fought his moment on lap nine, but it left him in a spin and a harmless kiss with the barriers.  Two laps later, Webber was the first driver to make the switch to dry tyres and his solid sector times forced all the major players to make changes shortly afterwards.

EXPLOSIVE: Heidfeld's demise was a scary, fiery moment

     Lap 25 saw a catastrophic fire, which ended the race for Lotus Renault driver Nick Heidfeld.  Heidfeld was having a bad weekend and pitted from a lonely 19^th place for his second stop of the afternoon.  A wheel nut problem at the pitstop led to oil and smoke smouldering from the car on the pit exit, spewing across the pitlane.  As the engine blew up, Nick parked the car on the grass as the fire began to take hold through the exhausts of his car, and for the second time this season too (he had a similar issue in Barcelona practice this season).  Seconds later, something else around the area, possibly the KERS battery pack on the Renault exploded as marshals attended the scene with fire extinguishers.  Luckily, nobody was seriously injured, although team boss Eric Bouillier seemed to hint that Heidfeld had been over-revving the engine before his demise, which will increase the possibility of him being replaced in the team after the summer break.

     With the possibility of a Safety Car to clear away the remains of Heidfeld’s Renault, the leaders all pitted for a second pitstop with Button using the pits to outsmart Vettel and make it a McLaren 1-2.  On lap 40, Webber was the guinea pig again, as he made the move to the prime, harder tyre.  Meanwhile, Alonso on super-soft, option tyres moved upto third, ahead of the Red Bull’s, but within seven laps, his rubber looked very second-hand.  Hamilton went in a similar direction, whilst both Button and Vettel went down the Webber route.  Meanwhile, a gearbox problem after a silly spin ended Schumacher’s day before half-distance.

     Seven laps later and Hamilton spun away his six second lead at the turn six chicane.  As he recovered, Lewis spun his rear wheels up, which forced the lapped Force India of Paul di Resta off the road to take evasive action.  The move was considered dangerous by race stewards, despite Hamilton’s claims that he couldn’t see di Resta when he started the manoeuvre.  A drive-through penalty was awarded, but by then, his race chances had already been ruined.

     A brief rain shower made grip on the slick tyres almost non-existent.  New leader Button and Hamilton enjoyed a great mini battle, swapping lead position on several separate occasions.  It gave Alonso the chance to pit and repair some of his damage, although a later spin lost him any chance of catching Button and Vettel.  Rosberg, Webber and most crucially Hamilton decided to make a gamble for intermediate tyres, but lost their initiative.  The rain quickly stopped and all three were forced to make an extra pitstop.  Plus the penalty, Hamilton was relegated to sixth, but passed Massa, whose tyres were finished on lap 60 and then, with aid from Kamur Kobayashi’s grip less Sauber, overtook Webber with six laps remaining for fourth.

     Button kept his nerve and brilliantly won from Vettel by 3.5 seconds.  On an off-day, Alonso somehow kept his Ferrari pointing in the right direction for a podium, with Hamilton, Webber and Massa ensuring that McLaren, Red Bull and Ferrari dominated the afternoon.  The Force India of di Resta survived his near-miss with Hamilton to finish seventh; his first points since Malaysia and also, the Scot’s best ever finish.  Rosberg recovered to ninth in his 100^th GP start, whilst the Toro Rosso team, also in their 100^th GP celebrated the milestone with a double points finish, with Sebastian Buemi in 8^th and Jaime Alguesuari tenth.

     Sebastian Vettel took another big stride towards the title in Hungary, but Jenson Button showed his supreme skill in slippery conditions once again.  Formula One now goes on an extended summer break, with the next action at Spa in Belgium in four weeks time.