Sugar daddies and the Yankee dollar - Part II

Part one of this blog explored the ownership styles of three Premier League clubs (Arsenal, Chelsea and Manchester City). All slightly different, and now part two looks at three more, how they came to be under such rule, and perhaps a peek into the future.

Liverpool - John W. Henry

Anfield was in turmoil. Owned by the two characters from the Muppets who booed everything from the director box, slipping down the league, and seemingly further back than they were when Hicks and Gillett took over. Henry (and his Fenway Sports Group) bought the club in late 2010, and quickly identified the one thing that would get him onside with the club's fans - put Kenny Dalglish in charge. Woy Hodgson did well with Fulham, but signings like Joe Cole, Paul Konchesky and Christian Poulsen just weren't good enough.

Since then, Henry has overseen a rise in morale at the club, with Dalglish still in a year long honeymoon period. Throwing money at players like Downing, Henderson and Carroll hints at a strategy more like the cast of Byker Grove, but a new kit deal (around £25m a year) and talk of a new ground being back on the agenda, perhaps long term they are in comfortable hands.

Liverpool's former owners appeal for handball

Manchester United - Malcolm Glazer

Before Liverpool, before Arsenal, Manchester United were owned by an American sports mogul. Malcolm Glazer owned the Tampa Bay Buccaneers (NFL) and completed his takeover of Manchester United in 2005. Using an unpopular method of purchasing the club using it's own shares as collateral, amazingly the club has continued to win trophies. The sale of Cristiano Ronaldo for £80m has effectively funded the transfer dealings since, and it's highly likely that under any other manager, the club would have struggled. Up-and-coming youngsters Ryan Giggs and Paul Scholes continue to lead the way.

In spite of the on-field success, the club's fans have continued to protest at the owners, with scarves, not renewing season tickets, and even setting up a rival club (not Man City, but FC United of Manchester). Rumours of an Arab/Far East sale rumble on, and surely Glazer knows that without him, the overall value of the club will plummet. Alas Glazer didn't announce his impeding takeover like Michael Knighton did in 1989, playing keepy-uppy in front of the fans in full kit. Berk.

Norwich fans rebel against Delia

Newcastle United - Mike Ashley

Ashley owns Sports Direct, the sportswear shops that make JD Sports look like Harrods. Amazingly he made so much money, he treated himself to Newcastle United, apparently without even looking at the accounts. Initially seen as just a fan with money, he was seen in the away end at Arsenal drinking a pint of lager, although he wasn't topless so perhaps not your typical Toon fan. By the end of the 2008/09 season, the club were relegated and seemingly in turmoil, after giving Alan Shearer eight games to keep them up. Shearer hadn't managed a game before, or since…

After replacing promotion winning Chris Hughton with Alan 'David Brent' Pardew, Ashley and his so-called Cockney Mafia of Dennis Wise and Derek Llambias have taken a back seat, and shrewd investment in players (mostly from France), and of course banking £35m for Andy Carroll, the club appear to be in a better position than they have been since the Bobby Robson days. Of course, the recent decision to rename St James' Park as the Sports Direct Arena has deservedly brought much criticism, so perhaps not all is rosy after all for the man who incidentally owns that house on Totteridge Lane with the most garish Xmas tree lights (his neighbours include Arsene Wenger and David Dein incidentally).

Even Ashley struggled to afford a balti pie at the Emirates

Perhaps these are not all the best examples of a sound investment with your lottery winnings. There have been worse run clubs in recent memory, Portsmouth, Leeds and Darlington being the most topical, but targetting the top clubs never hurts. Although Leeds' alleged contract talks with Seth Johnson deserves a blog in itself.

Sugar daddies and the Yankee dollar - Part I

Owning a football club is one of those pipe dreams for winning the pools, along with a toilet made out of solid gold and a King Ralph bowling alley in the shed. Even winning the pools is one of those things about the game that has almost vanished, almost worth a blog of it's own.

But what sort of football club owner would you be? In the first of a two-part blog, we look at three Premier League clubs, and how their main owners have got involved, and what will come next?

Arsenal - Stan Kroenke

'Silent' Stan is married to the daughter of the founder of Wal-Mart, and is well-known in America for owning various sports clubs. Now the majority shareholder in Arsenal, he has overseen a period where the club seem to be accruing money like it's going out of fashion. Of course he's used his own money to buy shares in the club, but with Arsene Wenger at the helm, does he need to invest anything in the team?

With a transfer kitty of over £50m available and gaining interest, the new ground being paid off, and new deals on the horizon, his investment is growing without real success on the pitch. The fans crave a trophy, but hey ho, surely UEFA will boot everyone else out and give the Champions League to the Gunners by default?

Stand up if you hate Tottenham

Chelsea - Roman Abramovich

Stamford Bridge had been poodling along for a while under the ownership of Papa Smurf, with such ideas as electrifying the perimeter fences to keep the fans from misbehaving... In 2003, present manager Claudio Ranieri suddenly was shown a massive bag of Russian money and new signings a-plenty. Of course he didn't last long, but the seed was sown. Millions spent, millions wasted.

League titles followed, but it seems that Mourinho, Scolari, Ancelotti etc will be followed out the revolving door by Villas Boas unless the Champions League trophy comes soon. The fact that they start with ten men whenever Torres is in the line up doesn't help. They have no chance when their sharpest shooter is Ashley Cole... Their aim to break even seems further away than ever.

Chelsea's new away kit, sponsored by Marks and Spencer

Manchester City - Sheikh Mansour

City were one of those clubs whose glory days seemed long ago. Within recent memory, they graced the third tier of English football, and it was a bad time to be neighbour to Manchester United. All was to being to change in 2007, when Thai Elvis impersonator (and corrupt politician etc) Thaksin Shinawatra bought the club. He only lasted a year before being substituted by Abu Dhabi royal Sheikh Mansour (and an awful lot of money).

So far, several million pounds have gone on some of Europe's finest, and $amir Na$ri. An FA Cup has come so far, and while they appear to have lost Carlos Tevez down the back of the sofa, at least they can afford to take a stance. Roberto Mancini's shoddy European record aside (another thing he brought from Italy), they are currently top of the league and no doubt will return for another crack at Europe next year. Unless Financial Fair Play comes out of nowhere... Of course their bench alone is worth more than most small countries, but as long as they keep loaning them out, everyone's happy!

Pull my finger or I'll sign Gareth Barry

Part Two will look at Manchester United and the glorious Glazers, Liverpool and their saviours (plus a look at Statler and Waldorf), and Newcastle's Mike Ashley's project, which seems to be unpopular yet promising.

Penalty shootouts - the only solution?

It's a lottery. The 'dreaded' penalty shootout. One of these keepers will be a hero. "Kevin, will Batty score this penalty?".

The cliches you associate with spot kicks deciding a game. It's painful to watch if you're involved, even if you're a neutral. They can decide in a couple of minutes something which could have required a dozen games with no outcome. In their early years, both the MLS and Japanese J-League used shootouts to resolve drawn league games, before seeing the error of their ways.

But, are there any better alternatives to penalties?

The silver/golden goal

More commonly associated with ice hockey, golden goals were brought in to reduce penalty shootouts - it was basically 'next goal wins'. It provided some big moments, the Euro 96 final was resolved by an Oliver Bierhoff golden goal. Due to teams trying to defend to force penalties anyway, the silver goal was introduced, where the team winning at half time in extra time would win. The Euro 2004 semi final was won by a silver goal scored by Greece. That also fell by the wayside, and back to penalries it was.

Golden goal wins Euro 2000 for France

Coin toss

A simple game of chance? Oh no. The humble coin toss was the ultimate choice when it came to resolving the 1968 European Championship semi final between the USSR and Italy - Italy won the toss, therefore the match after a 0-0 draw. Flipping the coin is used already for choosing ends, and of course who goes first in a penalty shootout. Until physical money is replaced, the option is always there. But does the era of legal wrangling mean the end to this pipe dream?

The Queen was not interfering with play

Reducing number of players

One idea bandied around whenever England lose a penalty shootout is the plan that once in extra time, each team should withdraw a player at regular intervals, reducing the number of players on the pitch, until a goal in scored. This does not help on occasions when commentators speculate "they could play all night and not score a goal", or of course when all the players are gone. Another hockey idea, maybe we could also bring in fighting to the death as well.

Arsenal were forced to play with Squillaci and Chamakh instead of no-one

Of course, if penalty shootouts were never invented, we'd have missed out on some of football's golden moments. John Terry's Moscow slip of 2008. Pearce's redemption in 1996. Grobbelaar's wobble in Rome in 1984.

And while strictly speaking not a shootout, we may have also been denied the greatest World Cup penalty miss of all time...

Ross scuffs it

The loan rangers

Today's first Premier League match awoke many a discussion, such as Harry's impending court case, or Manchester City's title aspirations... But it also raised the ugly head of the loan system, more so it's restrictions.

Emmanuel Adebayor is currently owned by Manchester City, and is on a season long loan at Spurs. Nothing wrong with that. Spurs needed a centre forward, and City wanted rid of him. He's done pretty well this season, and Tottenham were third before the game (they still are).

But because of the Premier League's restrictions, Adebayor was unable to play against his owning club. It's fine for him to play against City's rivals, but not City themselves? Are the FA that worried that he'll score an own goal or worse against his current team?

      

A tale of two cities

Spurs lost an excellent game 3-2, with several talking points, but as David Pleat writes in his Guardian column, they had to change their team accordingly, so it was not merely a case of putting another player in, but also altering from what had been a pretty successful system.

This blog isn't to completely criticise the loan system. It has proved the stepping stone to a great many careers, such as Beckham (played at Preston), Wilshere (Bolton) and Defoe (Bournemouth). It also seems to be the current fashion for MLS players to keep sharp in their pre-season, with this January seeing the arrivals of Thierry Henry, Landon Donovan and Robbie Keane.

 Looks weird doesn't it?

The loan system these days tends to be abused - newly rich clubs can sign lots of players to stop their rivals from signing them, then end up with surplus. Some shady deals involve loans too, such as Genoa signing Kevin Prince-Boateng in 2010, only to loan him straight to AC Milan.

Perhaps FIFA/UEFA/whoever could set some rules in stone, to ensure some consistency. Financial fair play, squad sizes etc are a start. Football truly is a squad game now.

But football is what football is. It's not going to be far away before national teams start loaning players!

Stand up, sit down - is terracing coming back?

Aston Villa have announced that they are exploring the prospect of safe standing areas. The Football Supporters' Federation have an ongoing campaign to restore the choice for fans to stand or sit. The Bundersliga are seen as torch-bearers, as grounds are allowed safe standing areas for domestic games, with the facility to install seats for European and Internationals. Is it time for terraces to come back?

It seems strange timing that Villa make their announcement today, on the day of the deadline for the e-petition set up demanding a new inquest into one of the deaths of a Liverpool fan at Hillsborough. That tragic day was the spark for the Taylor Report which recommended all-seater stadia for England.

Now exclusive flats at Highbury Square, but history was made here

Ninety-six Liverpool fans died on April 15th 1989, and the battle for true answers has been ongoing ever since. Standing at top level football has been a thing of the past for nearly twenty years as a result. But... Surely enough has changed at football to allow fans to make the choice? Most stadia are futuristic, designed within an inch of their lives for the comfort of all concerned, and monitored like a reality TV show.

However, it is also safe to say that most grounds are also quiet, peaceful places, where the main noise comes from the groups of fans who happen to spend most of the games on their feet.

 Sing when you're winning? singen, wenn Sie gewinnen sind?

Borussia Dortmund's Signal Iduna Park (formerly the Westfalenstadion) is home to the German champions, and was visited by this writer in September 2011 on Matchday 1 of the Champions League. The atmosphere was almighty, and despite the forced seating as per UEFA regulations, not one person in that South stand was seating, and they were led by the bandmasters at the front, including Daniel Lörcher, as profiled in Blizzard issue two by Uli Hesse. The atmosphere was electric, and must be a contributing record to their recent title win.

Surely if that's not an advert for safe standing, I don't know what is. Will we see it in England? Who knows. Aston Villa's announcement is a big step. Will any others follow? Or will the Emirates, Old Trafford or Stamford Bridge remain seated and mute?

But will the law-makers and paymasters accept it? Or should stewards start learning to alter the terraces to seats before a UEFA match?

Looking for lost coins

To read more about the FSF's campaign, follow this link

...but the pitch ain't one - artificial pitches

21st of May 2008. Moscow. England captain John Terry steps up to take Chelsea's decisive fifth penalty in the shootout to decide the champions of Europe. On a wet night, his footing gives way, he shanks his kick off the post, and Manchester United go on to win.

Slippery when wet

In theory, this could be any other game. But on this night, the game occurred on a temporary grass surface, installed because Moscow's Luzhniki stadium usually has a synthetic surface called FieldTurf. It's existence is becoming more commonplace, despite widespread criticism, but is it that bad?

In the 1980s, four clubs in the English Football League played with artificial turf, with rather negative memories for fans involved. QPR, Preston, Luton and Oldham had astroturf at various stages, and unfortunately YouTube footage is rare enough, the fact that the ball barely bounced doesn't help.

After the rebuilding of Wembley stadium, the pitch cut up badly several times, causing numerous managers to complain about the risk of injuries. My previous blog about Wembley talked about the numerous events that have been held there, and it's highly likely these contributed. Of course the stadium needs to be paid for, but playing in a ditch is no-one's dream.

 The mazy runs got too much for the pitch

Wembley was relaid with Desso, comprising of natural and synthetic fibres, to a far greater improvement. Most of the leading clubs in England also use this turf, and hopefully the Premier League will not have to deal with poor quality mudbaths again, like those seen in the winters of the early 90s.

Along with scientific developments, surely economic factors should play a part in clubs being allowed to use artificial turf? Clubs seem to be going into administration every month, and any excuse to reduce overheads must be seen as a good thing. The potential loss of revenue from weather affected matches could make a difference, and as long as we don't go back to the 'plastic pitches' of the 90s, it can only be a good thing.

The ball's not on the spot ref!!

Of course this may well have a negative impact on the club shops, sales of blades of grass keyrings will plummet!

Money talks - when the board speaks

Today is the day after Friday 13th. It appears that someone in the blue half of Merseyside walked under a ladder, tripped on a black cat that sat on the cracks of the pavement. This morning, he felt the need to unburden himself, to appease Toffees and media alike, and let them know the expense of running a football club.

In a blog on the Everton website, the chief executive Robert Elstone seeks to debunk the myth that Everton are broke, and has produced some graphs to show that they have spent nearly £500m in the last five years, with a huge amount (£244 million) going on player wages. The opposing graph shows that their main income is TV, matchday and commercial income. Will it make a difference? The fans appear to be revolting against the board, and despite the club doing well to stand still, they could benefit more than most from a sugar daddy.

Moyes's watch paid for a Gibson, a Neville and half a Donovan

Arsenal on the other hand appear to be a page from another book. Two billionaires own the majority of the shares, and by all accounts the club are sitting on a transfer kitty of as much as £50 million. Majority owner Stan Kroenke is generally known as Silent Stan, and has only given one major interview, to the Telegraph in September. Kroenke made his money in the US, largely for improving the value of his clubs, and doesn't appear to have put much of his own money in.

Kroenke is a disciple of Billy Beane, the man behind Moneyball. The quote he gives to the Telegraph talks about spending money and extracting value. While this board are at the club, and Arsene Wenger is at the helm, we can expect plenty of rough diamonds being brought in, polished, and sold on at a profit. Who needs big money moves? Wenger was clearly uncomfortable during his late August trolley dash, and although the signings have largely settled the club, a huge influx of money to his kitty would probably sit there gathering dust.

Stan's idea of picturing them naked didn't work with the youth team

It could be worse of course - Blackburn's owners don't talk much either. The owners Venky's took over, and swiftly replaced Big Sam Allardici with Steve Kean, and virtually threw him to the wolves. The runnings of the club are a mystery, with rumours that they are advised by a group of agents. The latest noises is that the club is seriously in debt, and look like having to sell their best players this January window to keep the banks happy.

The ultimate insult came during the summer, when the Rovers players were filmed in an advert for their paymasters, although it looked like David Dunn had been on the greasy chicken long before the takeover...

'Colonel' Dunn flies down the wing

The old adage that the fans own the club has long gone, and no-one wants an owner that is a loudmouth. Celebrity chairmen are dangerous, and for every Silent Stan, there's a Simon Jordan. But accountability and transparency are the way forward - if the board want the fans on-side, just let them know what's going on. Is the manager tight, or hamstrung by debt?

Maybe there should be an FA rule, ensuring all chairmen are on Twitter... Or just a fit and proper person test that works would be a start!

Who's the banker in the black? Referees in the spotlight

Seems like as good a time as any. This week saw yet more referee controversy, after the dismissal of Vincent Kompany against Man Utd. Man City appealed, failed, and their captain copped a 4 game ban (3 for the foul, 1 as he has already been sent off this season). Opinion was split. Apparently, 30 years ago it would have been fine... If Nani hadn't jumped, he'd have lost his leg. Fair enough, the ref made a decision.

On Wednesday night, Man City were again at home, this time against Liverpool. Just before the end of the game, this happened...

Not that kind of player?

The issue with this decision? Consistency it seems. This challenge on Joleon Lescott was just as bad as Kompany's, and nothing happened. Of course it was a different referee, and they couldn't be expected to make the same decision. But if the official had seen Johnson's face while doing it, would the interpretation of 'excessive force' be the same?

Glen may need to steal a new toilet seat after this

Referees often get a bad press, but then some don't help themselves. The old adage of a 'good referee not getting noticed' often applies, but the the egos kick in. Jeff Winter, Graham Poll, personalities themselves it seems. Poll has his own column in the Daily Mail, and Winter claimed he was applauded off at Anfield by the Kop after his last game. Gunnerblog nailed the phrase in December during Arsenal's visit to Man City saying "Great referees don't get noticed. Phil Dowd is trending on Twitter."

Poll of course didn't cover himself in glory at the 2006 World Cup, famously booking Josip Šimunić three times before sending him off. He can now be relied on for various opinion pieces whenever a ref becomes the talking point.

Left hand or right hand?

Games can't go ahead without referees, and the FA know this. Constant campaigns to encourage youngsters into the sport, and even positive headlines like 26-year-old Michael Oliver being promoted to the FIFA list must have an impact. Of course the chance to come up one-on-one with some of football's finest must also appeal, like when Paul Alcock came up against Paolo Di Canio. It's probably a good thing it didn't happen to Winter, I dread to think the reaction.

5.9, 5.8, 6.0, 6.0, 6.0, 5.9 for Alcock

What can be done to improve consistency and accountability amongst referees? Well, technology needs to be introduced to help, goal-line technology and replays and all. Perhaps officials should be encouraged to explain after games their decisions? The UEFA idea of extra refs in penalty boxes certainly doesn't appear to have made much difference.

They could give refs microphones, but I think we can all thank a young, squeaky Tony Adams for that not catching on...

Family ties - it's in the blood

The news clippings are there to be found online. Dad signs up child for club membership before umbilical cord is cut... Uncle puts a tenner on the boy to play for England. Is there too much pressure from family to support a certain team?

Made in Chelsea

The above photo was vilified when published in the press, and no wonder. While the arguments are that perhaps the above family belongs more at Anfield, it shows how impressionable kids are, especially when football is involved. While it is impossible to research, children's names must be heavily influenced by their parent's favourite players. It may be worth looking at children registered in Islington in the summer of 1989 being called Michael Thomas...

Commitment in fans is admirable, and it's difficult to imagine your average season ticket holder not singing the more child-friendly songs to newborns as lullabies. A Rangers-supporting cousin of this author is fondly remembered for singing anti-Celtic songs to his unborn child. I don't think he has any Dutch in him, but the below photo may prove otherwise, the resemblence is uncanny...

Schtoppppppp!

Clubs shops up and down the land make a living out of the younger fan. Home draws for the bigger clubs in the cups are welcomed as much for the increased revenue from the future fans, where babygros, bibs and cuddly mascot toys can pay several weeks wages for a wantaway Argentine striker. Loyalty is a commodity that cannot be easily bought, and the clubs know this. Yes it's exploitation, yes it's somewhat murky. But give a 5-year-old a day out at a successful team, the smell of Bovril, meat pie and defeat can be intoxicating.

Plus you know who to blame for Mexican waves and countdowns at Carling Cup matches...

Yes son, that is the new Spurs ground over there...

Time to dust down Ronnie Radford... The FA Cup 3rd round

The first full weekend of January. Resolutions already starting to fade... Christmas decorations coming down. Wrexham fans reminisce over 1992. The FA Cup reaches the third round, and the big boys join the party.

Will this season be any different? Every year after the second round draw, the cameras park themselves in the player lounge of a small team waiting for the big draw. This year, the David v Goliath draws appear to be Everton v Tamworth, Liverpool v Everton and Tottenham v Cheltenham. Will we be showing clips of those in 40 years?

Friedel misses the ball, and his wig

There is always the accusation that the big clubs don't take the cup competitions seriously any more. Try telling Manchester City last season. Will Redknapp be sending out his Europa League team on Saturday? Those looking for shocks will be perhaps nervous that even the stiffs will probably have plenty of international caps between them, and playing for places. Those clubs in mid-table mediocrity will be more concerned with avoiding relegation than a trip to Wembley.

In 1989, Sutton United (Conference) beat Coventry City (Division One, 1987 winners) 2-1. Everyone remembers the result. Who cares that Sutton got dicked 8-0 by Norwich in round 4?! Newcastle's conquerers in 1972, Hereford made it through to round four, and were beaten by a Geoff Hurst hat-trick in a replay (I have it on good understanding the ball crossed the line all three times).

Dave adds another scalp

The greatest cup shock of all, the 1988 final. Wimbledon (as they were) beat that season's champions Liverpool courtesy of a Lawrie Sanchez goal and a Dave Beasant penalty save. What happened after that? Wimbledon gradually sank down the divisions, moving to Milton Keynes, and the fans evolving into AFC Wimbledon, even taking ownership of the honour of winning the 1988 final. Will we ever see the likes again?

Probably the best final in the world. Probably...

I meant the likes of rising from non-league to win the cup. Not Dave Beasant's hair.

NC's hopes for 2012...

2012 is here. Not the God-awful John Cusack disaster film, but the year. Over-hyped already (this blog won't help), we have Euro 2012, the Olympics and all sorts to look forward to.

Rather than come up with a list such as rising stars or predictions for the rest of the current season, I've decided to come up with five things that may make football a better place this year.

1. Kick Blatter out of football

Don't do that in Qatar Sepp

Sepp Blatter appears to have survived 2011's dictator cull (Gaddafi, Bin Laden, Kim Jong-Il didn't make it), but it seems only the English media seem to be keen to get him out, with rows over poppies and handshakes. The Teflon kid of Geneva seems genuinely bulletproof despite the various corruption allegations, but it may well take something serious to finally give him the heave. Without hoping for a racist comment, or being caught in a fake Sheikh style sting, he's going to pretty much have to kill someone to get the boot.

2. Team GB win Olympic gold

We're going to need a bigger podium

There seems to be more fuss about the football team at the Olympics than anything else. The fact that three of the four associations involved don't want anything to do with it doesn't help. But wouldn't it be good if Britain actually won? Like a British Lions tour, it could be aspirational, and at least give the Scots, Welsh and Northern Irish a chance to play at a tournament. Plus with the next Olympics in Rio, Celtic skin roasting in July would be interesting...

3. Minnows win Euro 2012

Judge me not by my size... Argh!!

This is to be the last European Championship contested by 16 teams, before the search for more money leads to diluting it to 24 teams for France 2016. In the past, the tournament has led to a few shock wins, with Greece, Denmark and Czechoslovakia all victorious. The big money this year is destined for Spain, with Germany and Holland dark horses... But the idea of a smaller team winning it, with attractive football, no backs to the wall, would be awesome. Do England count as a minnow? Or just a big fat waste of money...

4. A gay footballer

Would John Terry say anything to him?

In November 2011, the head of the Italian PFA Damiano Tommasi said that he wouldn't recommend coming out to gay footballers. In the English professional leagues, there is not one openly gay player. Would one person be brave enough to do it? Gareth Thomas (above) came out towards the end of his rugby career - but yet the idea of a footballer doing it is so strange. There are still a lot of taboos in the game, the ongoing John Terry racism case shows that perhaps there is work to be done. But maybe it just takes one, for the floodgates to open. And pray that players, fans and press are adult enough to behave...

5. We have the technology

Groundsman had overdone the sherry the night before

The rows have been going on for years. No doubt if England play Germany in the summer, something else will happen. It doesn't need to! In tennis and cricket we have hawkeye, rugby there are video umpires, and most other sports use replays or gadgets. With the fans in the ground all Twitter-ed up, they know within seconds whether a ball has crossed the line. Without treading old ground, it would just be nice to see someone grow a pair and make a decision. Just to stop the ridiculous arguments. And for the record, yes Lampard would have equalised. But England deserved to lose. Accept that.

Well, that's the 2012 preview done. Personally, NC will be hoping to grow during the year, cover more varied topics, and provide new views on football. To be honest, just existing in 2013 will be nice! Enjoy the resolutions.