It was only a matter of time until someone came in for Tony Gold. I’ll be the first to admit I hadn’t heard of Takeley FC before the appointment, but it’s clear this move is a win-win for both parties. A match made in heaven.
Gold has been “itching” to get back in the dugout following his departure from Rowley Lane, and it’s no surprise to see Steve Grenfell and Darren Yarlett joining him.
The challenge of a Step 5 club is one Gold will relish and Takeley FC fans should brace themselves for a revolution that involves some breathtaking football and, dare I say, silverware at the end of the road.
* As an England fan, I was sad to hear about Theo Walcott’s injury that looks set to rule him out of the World Cup this summer. However, it appears that the real news was missed by many national outlets on Monday as there was a major outbreak of vile antisemitic messages on Twitter. Quite what the link between a football match and the Holocaust is beyond me. The Twitter police and the Met Police, along with the CST and Kick It Out, have been informed.
Of course this isn’t a new problem. It’s been festering away for years, but you’d think the bigots and uneducated people out there would realise that this type of abuse is unacceptable. Clearly they still don’t.
Quite what the link between a football match and the Holocaust is beyond me.
The offensive postings were published (and one or two removed) in the aftermath of the FA Cup tie between Arsenal and Spurs – two clubs with massive Jewish fan-bases. Some Spurs fans were goading their north London rivals over Walcott, but the tone of the replies were disgraceful, the lowest of the low. And to think, some fans still describe it as “harmless banter”. One can only hope the authorities deal with these idiots with the firmest of hands.
* One or two eyebrows were raised when North London Raiders and Norstar merged last summer, but the club goes into the New Year in an incredibly strong position. Now Norstar London Raiders sees their respective A and B teams sitting pretty at the top of the Premier and second divisions, with the C-team just three points off top spot in Division Three.
The A’s hold a 13-point lead over their rivals and are within touching distance of their first-ever title success.
A rock-solid spine of Jake Doffman, David Rhodes, Dan Grossman plus the creative genius of Jamie Wolfson and Matt Stock, along with important goals from David Dinkin and Josh Green, has turned them into the real deal.
They have five games remaining where, no doubt, their spirit, character and bottle will be tested. But the signs are that history is in the making. Now that really would be an amazing story.
