The chaps at Umbro certainly know how to grab attention...

By shoving a reallife billboard on the A4...


Umbro this week utilised a 3D billboard space in West London to launch its new Have Your Say survey. Have Your Say is a year long, global exploration of fan’s opinions on the beautiful game, giving them the chance to share their views on the issues most important to them. At the end of the year, the results - representing the most comprehensive global study into fans’ opinions ever - will be presented to football’s governing bodies.

Among the topics addressed were “Are foreign players the most exciting in the Premiership”?, “Is being a WAG a career option in 2008?” and "Do referees get enough respect?". Alan Shearer even turned up to answer the question “Football. Still the beautiful game?”. You'll be pleased to know he said yes.

We're not quite sure how the drivers along the A4 reacted, but we'll be surprised if there weren't a few near-collisions when the WAGS were on view...

Posted by: Lex

It's not about cats, it's about leg-mauling canines...

No, we don't know what this is all about either...

Posted by: Lex

Carling Cup Final tickets winner Daren Chamberlain says thanks to Catflap and King of Shaves...

It was a huge surprise when I got the call to say I had won tickets to Sunday’s Carling Cup Final at Wembley – as a rule I never win anything so this was fantastic! The tube journey up to Wembley was loud, with fans of both teams in good humour and fine voice. Exiting the station, the sea of supporters making their way along Olympic Way was really something to see. We had a great view of the match from the fantastic view that our seats on the halfway line gave us. A few seats along in the row in behind were of a number of former Chelsea players including Nigel Spackman, Dave Beasant, Colin Lee, Colin Pates, and John Hollins amongst others. A lot of the match was spent on the edge of the aforementioned seats. All that was missing was the right result for us, but we’re still on for the treble! Thanks Catflap and King of Shaves.

PS:  If you need to fill any FA Cup Final or Champions League Final seats I’d be only too happy to help out…

Daren.

Posted by: Lex

Awaydays: Oakwell, Barnsley

Just in time for their home FA Cup quarter-final tie against Chelsea...

Getting there:
By road, leave the M1 at Junction 37 and take the A628 towards Barnsley. Stay on this road (the ground is well signposted) and you will eventually see the ground on your right. There is a fair sized car park located at the ground. Alternatively, Barnsley railway station is about a ten minute walk away. This station is served by trains running between Sheffield & Leeds. From the train station turn left away from the town centre and head towards the bridge that the dual-carriageway runs over. Go under the bridge and turn left up the slip road and then take the first road on the right and head towards the Metro Dome leisure complex at the top of the hill.

Around the ground:
Pub: Be warned, unless your favourite film is Football Factory, wearing colours in town is not advisable. But there are plenty of decent pubs in town such as a Weatherspoons and O’Dwyers which is a popular haunt for home fans, with away fans allowed in small numbers. Also, if you fancy a stint on the treadmill before the match the Metrodome is an all-in-one leisure centre based just a short two minutes from the away turnstiles. If exercise before a match is not your thing, a) we thought not, and b) worry not, it has a bar.

Grub: The aforementioned Metrodome serves food as well as a tipple, or again visit town where there are your usual top class pre-match eateries such as KFC and Burger King, while various burger vans surround the ground.

Inside the ground:    
Fans/Atmosphere: For big games at Oakwell, theres nowt better. The home fans are passionate and get behind the team with vigour. Some of the fans do have a reputation, but if you aren’t looking for trouble you wont find any, and the club pride's itself on being a 'family club'.
        
Bogs and Pies: As there are three new-ish stands, the toilets are of a decent standard and do a job, if you excuse the expression. Food is football ground standard, not the best but not the worse.
            
Stewards/Police Friendliness: The stewards aren’t the most friendly and some of them seem to have a chip on their shoulder, but you just have to put up with it. Like you were told at school, backchat gets you nowhere. Police are only around for the bigger games, tend to be very low profile and the South Yorkshire force aren’t too bad.

Fact!
Dickie Bird, Michael Parkinson and Darren Gough are all avid Barnsley fans.

Read CATFLAP our FREE Football Magazine http://ezine.catflapmag.com

Posted by: Lex

Maybe now their 'long-suffering' fans will stop moaning for a couple of years...

(And, congrats...)

Posted by: Lex

#1 Breaking wind while meeting the Queen.

Former Premier League ref Jeff Winter answers our questions in our brand new feature...

Posted by: Lex

Posted by: Catflap Magazine

Newcastle v Manchester United
Where St James’ Park, 15.00
What you hope to see Fergie/Keegan mind games ala 1996
What you’re likely to get Fergie struggling to keep a straight face at what’s become of his old foe…
Fact! When angry, Alex Ferguson is a shade of red one below the surface of the Sun.

Wigan v Derby County
Where JJB Stadium, 15.00
What you hope to see Postponement
What you’re likely to get The Premier League record for lowest ever attendance to be shattered. Not that you could really blame anyone involve. We think we’d prefer to watch live squash.
Fact! Paul Jewell is an official Weeble, and will never fall over no matter how hard you push him.

Barnet v MK Dons
Where Underhill Stadium, 15.00
What you hope to see Paul Ince only putting his matchday suit on once he’s out the tunnel.
What you’re likely to get Kevin Gallen defying the fact that he’s been around for 40 years to grab couple for the Dons.
Fact! Paul Ince blinks 274 times a minute.

Chelsea v Tottenham
Where Wembley, 15.00
What you hope to see The players and managers might not like it, and the fans on the day will find it excruciating, but let’s be honest, for the neutral, penalties are mint.
What you’re likely to get We don’t know about the match, but the tubes will be chocker…
Fact! No one outside London cares…

Posted by: Lex

It's tough in London on £60k a week...

It really is tough getting by in London. Congestion charges, Oyster cards, stuffy tubes, angry taxi drivers. And don't even start on the house prices. Because professional footballer Jonathan Woodgate already has. The poor boy still hasn't found a house since moving to Spurs from Middlesbrough.

'I'm still living in a hotel. We need to find a place to live. We've seen apartments, we've seen houses and all the prices and it's a lot more expensive down here than it is up north. I think you could buy 10 penthouses up north for the price of something down here,' Woddgate told the Daily Mail. But he wasn't finished there,

'House prices are a joke, they are. It's unbelievable. When you are looking about and you see some of the houses, you think “What?”. But that's London and that's the way it is. Hopefully, I can find a house and get settled. You just want the right place for you and you want to get it at the right price. You don't want to end up getting ripped off in any way, do you? 'It's expensive for everyone, isn't it? You don't want to be blowing stupid money on a house.'

Indeed Jonathan. Our sympathies go out to you if it turns out you have to sell your ten penthouse flats on Teeside to buy one in London. Oh the woe...

Posted by: Lex