ALFIE'S RANT!

Alfie Yorkshire is a retired miner from Barnsley. He's now 78 and is a stereotypical old northerner.  @
He resides in the The Downs View Sunset Home for the Elderly. Alfie writes regularly to this @
publication and has some very forthright views about the modern game. We've decided to let Alfie @
have his say, so listen without prejudice!

1. When I were a t'lad growing up in Barnsley in the 1920's we knew what hardwork was all about.  @
Kids today don't know they're born. We used to play with a big, heavy ball made from Pig's bladder @
and done up with laces, not like these days with all that fancy leather stuff. Oh aye, you knew @
when you'd head that ball, some people were in hospital for months with brain haemmorhage, and @
they considered themselves lucky - at least it made a man of you. It were in the war..... Alfie will @
be back next week with his views on player celebrations.

2. All this kissing and cuddling when a goal is scored...it's a bloody disgrace. Footballers today are @
nothing but a bunch of fairies. In my day you could score twenty five yarder and you'd consider @
yourself lucky to get  brisk handshake. Bring back National Service, oh aye that would stop all @
this kissing and another thing.... More from Alfie next week as he discusses the influx of foreigners @
into the game.

3. All these foreign players in the game, it's a bloody disgrace. I remember t'days when the @
English league meant English, not like nowadays when they let any Johnny Foreigner over to play.  @
I didn't go half way around t'world fighting the hun just so they could play in our league.  @
Winston Churchill will be turning in his grave. Did I ever tell you about the time I met Winston @
Churchill, it were in 1947 and he said to me... Alfie gives his opinion about skill in the modern game @
next week.

4. Of course in the olden days players knew how to play not like these days. Stanley Matthews had @
more skill in his left toenail  than the whole bloody lot of today's footballers. It's all kick and rush, @
no bloody skill at all. I could play better than most of them and I'm 78 years of age. Oh aye, if it @
weren't for the war you know, I could have made it to the top, all the big clubs...

Alfie next week gives his opinions on money in the game

5. Money's ruining the game . Millions of pounds for players, I wouldn't pay ten bob for most of them.  @
They're worth two thirds of four fiths of damn all!  They aren't fit to tie Matthews' bootlaces.  @
Footballers today get far too much money, bring back the maximum wage and there'd be a stop @
to all these drugs, drink and nightclubs. And another thing, pop stars today you can't even tell if @
there man or t'woman, I remember when...

Unfortunately, Alfie will not be writing to us anymore as he has gone to that great football stadium @
in the sky. His last request was that his ashes be scattered over the grounds of his beloved @
Norhern F.C. However this is now the car park of a well known SuperStore. The council refused @
Alfie's last wish saying that it would set a dangerous precedent. Apparantly that would never @
have happened in Alfie's day.
