April
2002 News
This is the latest news
of all the players who appeared in the 1970-71
FKS Publishers Ltd
Wonderful World of Soccer Stars Album
27 April
McFarland Out
Torquay
United, who finished 19th placed in Division Three have
let go of Roy McFarland (Derby
County). The
club's poor finances were blamed for the sacking. It
seems that Chairman Mike Bateson wanted to lay off Roy's
assistant, David Preece, but Roy stood by him leading to
both being sacked !
Mike
Bateson blamed the breakdown of On Digital the failing
ITV digital channel for having to make his decision.
Money is now unlikely to be paid to the League clubs, who
had made financial decisions based on the promised
income. But this reeks of an excuse to me ...
See BBC SPORT TORQUAY UNITED
McFarland leaves Torquay
Torquay United Football Club
15 April
McHatrick Hurst
Sir
Geoff Hurst has
been appointed McDonald's 'Director of Football' in the
build up to the 2002 World Cup. McDonald's are, it seems,
one of the official sponsors of the competition.
Manchester United's youth coach, Eric Harrison, has also
been appointed McDonald's National Football coach.
The two will aim to do
various football community work visiting various places
around the country spreading the word of football and -
no doubt - the health benefits of Triple Cheese Burgers
with Super Sized French Fries and Coke.
13 dates are lined up
during April and May from Southampton to Sunderland, but
as I don't have precise locations there's not much point
in passing on the whereabouts. If McDonalds wish to
contact me about sponsorship of Bob's 70-71 Geoff Hurst
page, it is available for any deal that includes a
complete set of World Cup Happy Meal toys ... (I'm so
quick to sell out it even frightens me !)
Berti
Bodgit
Things
could probably not have started worse for Berti Vogts's (Star
Players of Mexico 1970) as he took charge of the Scottish national
side for the first time. 4-0 down away to France, one
saving grace was the final score was only 5-0. But as
reported in the following BBC article, there was far more
wrong with the game than just the scoreline ...
BBC SPORT FOOTBALL Berti's
Bloomers
reports
BBC
Sport Online's Clive Lindsay in Paris assesses
Scotland's first match under Berti Vogts.
It may have only
been the first episode, but Scotland's new series
under fresh direction could be dubbed Berti's
Bloomers.
Berti Vogts'
decision to blood several young players and adopt an
attacking 4-3-3 system against the world and European
champions always had the potential to leave the
German with egg on his face.
The result was
certainly a bit of a stinker.
And, to make
matters worse, on the way to that 5-0 drubbing in the
Stade de France, Vogts somehow managed to substitute
the wrong player midway through the second half.
Whether his lack of
English contributed or not, this was a bizarre
episode.
Gary Holt's exit
after less than 30 minutes on the park would have
been rather comedic had it not occurred during one of
Scotland's worst-ever international maulings.
And had it not been
compounded by decisions that are hardly likely to
endear Vogts to at least three other members of his
fledgling squad.
Rab Douglas had
been persuaded by the Scottish Football Association
to travel on the understanding that they would fly
him home should his wife go into labour.
The speed of events
back in Scotland conspired against that possibility
as daughter Brooke came into the world.
To compound the
disappointment of the Celtic goalkeeper, he remained
on the bench throughout, thus missing out on what he
expected to be his first cap for his country.
Vogts at the
weekend suggested that teenager Kevin McNaughton
would be given his debut in defence.
By Tuesday, the
German was explaining that the withdrawal of Rangers
midfielder Barry Ferguson had forced a rethink and
that the Aberdeen player was more likely to come on
as a substitute.
On to Wednesday
night and McNaughton was another to be left
languishing on the bench, even though it was open to
Vogts to use three more substitutes.
David Weir could
also have special reason to lament his first game
under Vogts' management.
The Everton central
defender has previously voiced his dislike for
playing in the right-back position in which he was
given a painful night by Thierry Henry - and not just
because of a badly cut and swollen eye.
Vogts had insisted
before the match that the performance was more
important than the result and that he would have been
more defensive had it been a World Cup or European
Championship fixture.
This was, after
all, a match against a side eight weeks away from the
defence of the World Cup, playing in front of a
capacity 80,000 crowd and determined to avoid the
criticism that they received after their last outing,
a 2-1 victory over Romania.
Vogts always said
it was going to be a learning process.
He had barely seen
half of his squad live in action before they
assembled in East Kilbride on Sunday night and only
had three days hands-on with them before his first
match against the team rightly installed as World Cup
favourites.
The Scots are
learning the hard way and the former Kuwait boss was
given confirmation of the gulf in class between them
and the very best.
All of Scotland
hopes that the lesson is sufficient to ensure that
his young charges quickly grow in stature and force a
different interpretation of Berti's Bloomers.
Also see BBC SPORT SCOTLAND Vogts sees a
silver lining
BBC SPORT WORLD CUP 2002 Scots
pulverised in Paris
Scottish Football Association -
Latest News
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