In praise of...Star Wars Minute

In recent years, podcasting has become the go to for further analysis and insightful discussion about all manner of topics. For this reviewer it is a go to for all NFL, football, current media and arts. From Bill Simmons to The Guardian via Colin Cowherd, these podcasts give great information and keep abreast of all goings on. Whilst it may make the listener feel like they are being spoken to, the garnering of information from various source makes you a more nuanced and knowledgable consumer.

And when on social media you become aware of other podcasts and products of discussion which led me to becoming aware of the Star Wars minute podcast. A podcast by Alex Robinson and Peter the Retailer, two self confessed Star Wars nerds who took on the impossible task of analysing, scrutinizing and celebrating every Star Wars film one minute at a time.

That means every minute, including credits of each of the now seven films.  They started with Episode IV - A New Hope and have gone in chronological order of production. When I first encountered them they were thirty minutes into The Phantom Menace, so I had some catching up to do. Nearly a year into listening to them I have listened to all of Phantom Menace and Jedi, I am an hour into Empire with Attack of the Clones just started.

My praise for the podcast is that it is consistently witty and funny; its constant poo-pooing of the idea of the force as being categorised by midichlorians, Obi-Wan Kenobi being a complete liar throughout the films, the long con of Senator Palpatine and Yoda having a Grover moment, after all he is a Muppet.  Even to the point that Jar-Jar Binks is not the worst thing about The Phantom Menace

It utilises the guests - look forward to the episodes of Chris Radtke - to great effect and the ambition of the idea has clearly come to fruition as they are now the godfathers of minute-by-minute podcasting.

There influence can now be seen by the number of films being dissected in this manner from Back to the Future to Alien cycle to Ghostbusters. They have created a market that cinephiles, geeks and nerds all together can celebrate their favourite films. 

What comes across most in each pod is the reach of cultural knowledge that the two presenters have, using all that hidden away vaults of past television programming, obscure films and catchphrases to good use when talking about Yoda's bulging eyes when Luke Skywalker attempts to lift the X-Wing out of the swampy waters, they reference Don Knotts from Three's Company and Marty Feldman of the 1970s. It shows how influential televisual culture was on children born in the late 1960s and early 1970s, and how important those programmes were as avatars of parenting and moulding of children.

The podcast is growing more and more, they have just begun Attack of the Clones as I mentioned and while I look forward to them dissecting the worst episode of the Star Wars cycle there promises more to come with Revenge of the Sith this time next year and eventually The Force Awakens in 2018.

You can support Star Wars Minute via Patreon, where you can access bonus episodes and help keep the website going. And follow them on Twitter @StarWarsMinute

There is a great community of Star Wars fans who went quiet before the second trilogy appeared in 1999 and since has got stronger. With Disney buying out George Lucas and now owning the franchise, the forthcoming origin films of Han Solo, Lando and Boba Fett promise that the community will only get bigger and this sharing of affection and love of the film will keep getting stronger.

The 200th Americarnage

Americarnage  is one of the most entertaining podcasts across the world wide web, a show that covers all of the American sports - NFL, NBA, NHL, MLB - and all things pop culture from films to music in a show that runs for approximately one hour recorded on a weekly basis.

This week beginning 14th December 2015 the show celebrates its 200th podcast with all the crew
assembled, experienced NFL broadcaster Nat Coombs, American sports specialist Iron Mike Carlson, stand-up comedian Dan Louw and the esteemed producer Harry Holgate. This week's guest is one of the All-Pro line up who has featured frequently on the pod, comedian and actor Marek Larwood.

In the last year, the podcast has taken a leap forward from something of jovial fun and fraternity mantra, to the go to podcast for NFL fans in the UK thanks to Coombs and Carlson’s stellar work on Channel 4 last year and which is much missed this season. Although their work on the NFL games at Wembley in October and November were highly praised.

The show still pays studio rates for the studio time, it is a freelance production under the umbrella of Nat Coombs' MeMo Interactive, with sponsorship now from male grooming company ManCave, where customers can email the show weekly with many answered on the show.

This interaction with the listeners and subscribers is vital to the longevity of the podcast over the last 200 shows. The hosts like their fans want genuine heartfelt analysis on a sport that when the show started in 2010 was very much on the sidelines. Now when Tom Brady and Deflategate was rampant in the off season, the BBC put the story on their Sport website as a lead story, and now it shows highlights. The sport is now closer to the centre than the margins, and it is the output of podcasts such as Americarnage, Fourth Down and Out and Double Coverage.

The quality of the show is undisputable, the quality and knowledge expressed in the show is second to none. The continued on the hoof content serves the pod well and while people may get lost in the shuffle with so many strong personalities on display, it is where the straight man of Coombs can maintain control. Although the quality of the show is apparent when some parts are missing, last week's #199 starred David Whitney who with Nat and Dan (Mike is absent) they have three side splitting moments of high hilarity starting with Old Tom Coughlin still in charge of Whitney’s favoured New York Giants in twenty years time,

‘Get me a banana on the field. Take Beckham out and put a banana in!’

‘Sir, Beckham stopped playing for us 10 years ago’

As any podcast it has these slight tangents and diversions that in other less able producers hands would turn into a mess but Harry’s sure hand makes it a great lesson, even when he has little or one microphone to work with.

With Carlson off this week, the guest is David Whitney (stand-up comedian) whose knowledge of NFL is as strong as any die hard fan, and in spite of his absence Carlson has still produced a 60 second NFL round-up of the week's action - an example of how much the show means to him. In an email I ask Carlson about the show, 'the biggest problem is reach, on C4 we can reach a hundred thousand people, many of whom aren't fans. We're always looking for ways to reach potential audience; we're better on sports than any humour site, and funnier than most sports sites.'

This continued mix of light heartedness and serious analysis is a facet of the shows popularity and staying power.

For this writer, having met the crew behind the scenes I am overjoyed they have reached this milestone. Usually you say here is to the next 200. But how about a different toast, here is to the first
TV show, After Dark Americarnage.

If you have not listened to the show please attempt to do so at www.americarnage.co.uk and follow the show and stars on twitter: @Americarnage @NatCoombs @DanLouw @dwhitters

Follow me @NextToTheAisle

In praise of..Back to the Future

Today is October 21st 2015, the furthest day in the trilogy of Back to the Future films. Things are not quite what they seem or how Robert Zemeckis imagined they would be through 1989 eyes or 1985 eyes to be more exact as Marty McFly, his girlfriend Jennifer and Doc Brown take off in the DeLorean outside of his house and travel into the future to save Marty's children.

The 2015 envisioned by the filmmakers is nothing like now - no flying cars, no hoverboards, no self-tying shoes - the closest thing they got right is the Chicago Cubs being close to the World Series, the baseball team are currently in the semi-finals versus the Kansas City Royals.

But why is there all this fandom about this date? Why is it holding its own two days after the release of the final trailer for Star Wars VII: The Force Awakens.

Whereas Star Wars, Lord of the Rings and Star Trek have fans who are close to the point of feverish delirium and hysteria, the Back to the Future (BTTF) fans are not like that considering it was a huge box office success.  In some ways, the BTTF trilogy is a set of films held in great affection due to the passion it was made with by Robert Zemeckis starring one of still most under-rated Hollywood stars of the late 1980s and a perfectly cast film.

The film is reliant upon the characters of Marty (Michael J. Fox) and Doc Brown (Christopher Lloyd) and their friendship is prevelant across the trilogy, in essence a bromance more than a paternal relationship, Marty and Doc are best friends. Yet we are never told how they first met, we just believe that they are best buddies so it incorporated the buddy action genre of Lethal Weapon by taking two different strands of society - young and old - and bonded them together. Usually someone like Doc would be an outsider to a youth like Marty, a person you avoid instead Marty embraces his eccentricities.

The film was somewhat under the radar in 1985 with not a lot expected due to the lack of success for Zemeckis' previous films although Romancing The Stone did do a dent and gave the greenlight to BTTF. Yet it shot out of the gate and was a blueprint for forthcoming blockbusters; high concept, fast cars, funny scenes, action scenes, music and a kick ass theme tune in Huey Lewis and the News' The Power of Love, a seminal track of that summer and a song they are defined by.

The film is one of those that you can watch again and again, and still be struck by the freshness and zest of the production; the attention to detail in the production design of 1950s Hill Valley, the care in the script to poke fun at science fiction in that era (My name is Darth Vader! I come from the planet Vulcan!) and how Marty ends up teaching his parents how to be better people and not turn into the alcoholic Mum and stepped upon Dad they are in 1985 at the film's beginning.

The film is probably held in such esteem and appreciation by the film going public because it is a stand alone trilogy. There are no prequels, no sequels forthcoming. The destruction of the DeLorean at the end of BTTF3 is a knife through any notion of there being a reboot or reimagining. We do not need it, we are happy with the three films we have; unlike say Star Wars and Trekkie fans who are constantly salivating at the thought of something more to add to the universe.

Where those fans want an ever-expanding universe, the BTTF universe is restricted to a three film, five year span that was glorious, funny, spell binding and set the trend for what you can do if you get it right and have the right amount of faith put into you.

It remains one of my top 3 films of all time, and will continue to be so as it stars one of my favourite actors at the height of his powers in a seminal sort of role. And who would not want to be Marty McFly on his skateboard in 1955 avoiding Biff and his cronies.

Its a film full of dreams and showed you that dreams can come true. Marty dreamed of a better life, a chance to play on a stage in front of people and a better homelife. By chance by going back in time, he achieved that. And oddly in the aspirational 1980s of Greed is Good era, all Marty wanted was a family full of affection, his dreams become a reality but the film is fittingly shot like a dream.

In praise of...Bill Foulkes

It is always sad when a true footballing legend passes away. Some leave too soon, some live a full and happy life grateful that they have fulfilled their career to the best of their ability in spite of certain obstacles put in front of them and in the process become iconic for that club and can be called a club great by their retirement and in their passing become legend.

William Anthony Foulkes was born on 5th January 1932 and sadly passed away this morning 25th November at the age of 81.  Foulkes was a one club man for the 17 years at Old Trafford and played 688 matches for the Red Devils, the fourth most for the club - behind Bobby Charlton, Paul Scholes and Ryan Giggs.

Foulkes won four league titles (1956, 1957, 1965 and 1967), one FA Cup in 1963 and the European Cup in 1968, ten years after perhaps the biggest obstacle of his career was overcome.

In February 1958 on the way back from a European Cup tie in Belgrade, Manchester United were waylaid in Munich and despite the unsavoury conditions the plane attempted a take off. The plane crashed yet Foulkes survived, whilst several team-mates of the Busby Babes died.

Oddly Foulkes benefited from the death of Mark Jones and the forced retirement of Jackie Blanchflower due to sustained injuries in the crash. They were first choice centre-halves so Foulkes had to step into the fold and be a leader for the newly formed team.  He was in the words of Bobby Charlton "as hard as nails, as tough as teak – I was always glad I didn't have to play against him."

Yet listening to Foulkes' contemporary Jimmy Armfield on BBC 5 Live this evening, Armfield mentioned how following the Munich Air Disaster Foulkes had to be an example to the team and two weeks following the crash Foulkes was playing again in an FA Cup tie at home to Sheffield Wednesday.  United won the match 3-0 and got to the final at Wembley, which they lost.  Armfield also mentioned how Foulkes would say how he had to mask some of the difficulties of dealing with the disaster and how his grit and toughness embedded in him by his work in the mines and his National Service in 1955.

It is telling that Armfield chose to mention this story on the same day that English cricketer Jonathon Trott decided to leave the Ashes tour of Australia due to stress-related issues with immediate effect.  Trott's issues will not be disclosed and he is allowed his privacy. 

My praise for Foulkes is that following the death of team-mates and the fact he faced death down, Foulkes easily could have taken as much time of as he wanted.  Instead Foulkes manned up and decided to be an example to those around him, and hence enhance his reputation not only as a professional but as a human being meaning his legend grew.

Sometimes when you hear of individuals such as Trott or Marcus Trescothick talk of the stress related issues such as depression in a sporting context - where you travel the world and are paid handsomely for being quite good at a sport - in contrast to the careers of Foulkes and Charlton and what they had to overcome, a turn of phrase from another bygone era, 'You never had it so good'.

In praise of...Paul Gascoigne

Following on from the latest documentary into the latest sorry chapter of Paul Gascoigne's ongoing battle with off-field demons involving alcohol and substance abuse; this writer felt it necessary to correct the balance and remind readers of why Mr. Gascoigne is held in such esteem by writers, fans and now gossip columnists.

For many, Gascoigne or Gazza as he became to be affectionately known, is the once in a generation player and talent who transcends the sport he plays in, becoming known to millions of households, bringing new supporters to the sport.  He follows in the footsteps of Pele, Cruyff, Zidane and now the modern day duo of Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo. 

This is not to state that Gascoigne is as great as those aforementioned players, far from it.  Yet he remains the most gifted player from the British Isles since that other player who had a drinking problem, George Best.

That is why every time I talk about Gascoigne in glowing terms with my father, the question is asked 'How good was the Belfast boy?' and how sad to hear that Best wasted the peak years of his career when he was early to mid 1930s with his desire for booze and birds instead of scoring goals and winning trophies.

In this day and age, that is why a player like Ryan Giggs should be applauded because he has maintained such a high standard of performance and application for 20 years and over a 1000 games.  Giggs' resume of trophies is one of immense achievement.  What did Paul Gascoigne win apart from the affection of millions? An FA Cup winner's medal for which he could not collect and a Scottish Premier League title with Glasgow Rangers.

My point though is that Gascoigne's first great purple patch, late 1988 to May 1991 with Tottenham was one of the most amazing periods of football performance witnessed by this writer.  Being a Spurs season ticket holder was helpful and perhaps a bit myopic to ignore such talent elsewhere in the league at Liverpool (Barnes, Rush, Beardsley); yet did any one player carry the weight of responsibility with such blasé nature and passion as Gascoigne.

Being a passionate individual helped Gascoigne when he moved to London - you do wonder what might have happened if he had gone to Manchester United and worked with Alex Ferguson, how many trophies would they had won together - yet Gascoigne's weekly highlight package for Tottenham helped him get on the plane to Italia'90 when his tears in the semi-final versus Germany endeared him to the nation and made football cool again. 

Whilst it was England's best finals performance since the 1966 World Cup and the team had the goals of Gary Lineker, the inspirational defence of Mark Wright without the industry and guile of Gascoigne, England might not have made the knockout stages.  His free-kick deliveries to Mark Wright and David Platt versus Egypt and Belgium respectively in the dying minutes of both games, helped save English blushes.  Not forgetting his through ball to Lineker in the quarter-final versus Cameroon that dissected the defence and led to the goalkeeper upended Lineker from which he converted the winning penalty in extra time.  Gascoigne along with Lothar Matthaus was the stand out performer of the tournament. 

His first game of the new season was a home game versus Derby at White Hart Lane, where he scored a treasure chest of three long range efforts all past his England team-mate Peter Shilton.  However, injuries became a problem throughout the season; ankle knocks, hamstring strains caused Terry Venables to manage him effectively.  The FA Cup run was systemic of his handling of Gascoigne as performances at home to Oxford, away at Portsmouth, home to Notts County and subsequently the semi-final against Arsenal at Wembley Stadium, made it Spurs' year.

Against Portsmouth, Spurs trailed 1-0 at half-time yet Gascoigne scored twice including a rare header to win 2-1.  Against County, Gascoigne's hamstring was so bad he played virtually on one leg but his mere presence again turned around a half-time deficit. Then the semi-final when Gascoigne won the game after 4 minutes with his memorable free-kick, that every knew he would score.  Again injury meant he did play the whole game but his influence was never in doubt.

The final became less about Brian Clough v Venables as Cloughie v Gazza as the main event.  Yet as well known, Gascoigne's self-destruction came to the surface as his two assaults on Garry Parker (which was not cautioned) and then Gary Charles (again not cautioned) led to him being stretchered off with the first serious knee ligament damage of his career.  Spurs conceded from the subsequent free-kick and looked like they had a mountain to climb.

Yet this is where I thank Gascoigne the most.  Spurs were a lesser team without him undoubtedly, and yet they stuck at it despite having a Lineker penalty saved by Mark Crossley and a legitimate goal chalked off incorrectly for offside.  A team that contained such names as Steve Sedgley, Justin Edinburgh and Vinny Samways played out of their skins.  The industry of Paul Stewart elevated the team to better things culminating in Stewart's second-half equaliser and subsequent Des Walker own goal under pressure from captain Gary Mabbutt.

Who knows what would have happened if Gazza had been fit and played the whole game.  Yet for me his absence brought to the fore for me the ideal and ethos of the team ethic in the sport, no one man is greater than the rest of the team.  A team is a sum of all its parts, not made up of just four or five good parts.  Tottenham gave me one of the greatest days of my life and they did it without their best player, should not that team be remembered with more fondness than just the team that won it without Gazza.

In praise of...Ricky Ponting

Ten years ago, I would not have been able to write this column.  Ponting was the archetypal Australian cricketer - pugnacious, tenacious and a pain.  His natural talent and combative leadership were sometimes blinded to me by the fact of his nationality, and his ability to score run after run and ton after ton.

However, as he retires from first class cricket today he does so on his terms.  Embattled and crucially undefeated as he walked off the Kia Oval on Thursday 11th July for the last time in his whites with a score of 169 not out as the Nottinghamshire bowlers could not make inroads to the Surrey second innings to bring about a low total to chase.

Ponting found himself with his back against the wall, and he responded with the sort of commitment to the cause you would expect from someone who has scored over 13,000 Test runs.  The stage was set at the close of the previous day's play when Ponting was fed a leg side long hop that he dispatched with his trademark pull to end on 41 not out.  He then progressed to complete his 82nd first class century in his last innings.

The change of opinion in my eyes came through not a masterful innings, but more so the character he showed in defeat when Australia lost the Ashes to England in 2005.  A series full of moments and lore for more than one book, the tone was set on the first morning at Lords when Steve Harmison gave Ponting and Justin Langer some chin music; both required on field treatment.  

In the third test at a sold out Old Trafford, England were primed to take a 2-1 series lead with Australia wilting under a seam bombardment from Harmison and Andrew Flintoff. Yet Ponting, captain of the team stood firm and resolute with an astounding 156 that helped save the match as Brett Lee and Glenn McGrath saw out the vital draw.  England would ultimately regain the Ashes, and Ponting slowly morphed from pantomine villain to plucky loser; in spite of him mouthing off to Duncan Fletcher for utilising specialist fielders like Gary Pratt during the series, an episode that led to Ponting's second innings dismissal for 48 at Trent Bridge.  Ponting was booed, Pratt adored yet Ricky endured.  He scored 8 Ashes centuries.

He recovered from knockbacks with his dogged determination, none more so than during a home test series versus Pakistan in January 2010.  Ponting had not scored a test century since the Cardiff test of the 2009 Ashes series in July, with more single digit scores than half centuries.  The Pakistani pace attack by the then reputable Mohammed Amir had seemed to figure him out, with a golden duck in the previous test at Sydney.  Ponting needed a knock, and he found it at his home ground of Hobart for the third test.  Ponting was helped by a mis-timed pull being dropped in the deep when on nought.  Ponting made Pakistan pay by scoring 209 and then 89 in the second innings.  Ponting had his doubters and he proved them wrong time and time again.

Ponting retires with a test average of 51.85 and 41 test centuries, a mark only surpassed by Sachin Tendulkar a player who is most likely the equal of him.  Yet in One Day Internationals, Ponting was just as adept scoring 13704 runs in 375 games with 30 hundreds, none were better than his knock of 140* in the 2003 World Cup Final in Johannesburg versus India, a knock of power, precision and poise that made it too much for India too chase and started Australia's nine year dominance of the format with three World Cup victories.

Ponting was that mixture of a leader who fittingly led, yet bounced back from knockdowns earlier in his career when his wayward drinking could have cost him his career.  He became the model professional something Andrew Symonds refused to adhere to and which cost him.

Ricky Ponting can enjoy his farewell tour now, ending in the West Indies 20/20 tournament as an overseas and marquee player.  A player of our time - in your face but who could back it up, he deserves his retirement as he can happily rest on his laurels.

Thanks to ESPNcricinfo whose Statsguru was indispensable for this article.

In Praise of...Americarnage

Americarnage is one of the most entertaining podcasts across the world wide web, a show that covers all of the American sports - NFL, NBA, College Football, NHL - and also films, politics and all things American in a show that runs for approximately one hour recorded on a weekly basis.

Starring experienced broadcasters Nat Coombs (host of C4's NFL coverage) as the anchor of the piece, with help from Mike Carlson, ubiquitous American sports specialist, with the laughs coming from 'Hollywood' Dan Louw, a stand-up comedian and produced by Harry Holgate, one of the best dial twisters in the world of audio recording.  I was granted the opportunity to sit in on a recording of the latest episode this past Tuesday (16th October) before it is uploaded onto the Americarnage website on Wednesday (www.americarnage.co.uk).

I arrive at the Royal National Institute for the Blind (RNIB) recording studio in Camden Town on a mild Tuesday early evening, where I meet producer, Harry Holgate, who tells me I am the first to arrive of the cast.  After offering me a coffee, Harry shows me a tour through the seven studio layout where.Americarnage will be recorded.  The show pay studio rates for the studio time, it is a freelance production under the umbrella of Nat Coombs' MeMo Interactive, with sponsorship from popular American BBQ restaurant, where customers can email the show weekly with many answered on the show.

My first question is how did the podcast originate, 'It was really an idea of Dan's to do a show about American sports, and he wanted to do a project with Nat for sometime having worked together on Channel 5 some years before.  I had gone to university with Dan, so I came on board and Nat bought Carlson to the party.  We did a pilot in December 2010, which was good and after a few weeks we started recording weekly in January 2011 and bar a few weeks off here and there for one reason or another we have done an episode every week.'

Do you have a big following? 'We are helped by Carlson having a significant amount of followers due to his work, and people like our NFL coverage which is the big draw.  We do better when the NFL season is on.' When listening the feel is very independent and off the cuff, 'And that was something we strife for, in fact ESPN America wanted to buy us out but we felt that our content would be impeded and we like the feel of our identity.'

The quality of the show is undisputable, it was nominated for Best Sports Podcast in the 2011 Podcast Awards and require more nominations for this year's awards.  Whilst they do not have the money or reach of any ESPN podcasts (Football Today, Fantasy Football), the quality and knowledge expressed in the show in regards to the sports is as good.

Yet the quality of the show are the slight imperfections on display; the on the hoof feel gives the sense that it is done in one take (which it is - with Harry editing out swear words and any sensitive material when listening back) and the fact that the host is an experienced television/radio broadcaster allows him to handle any hot topics or the possibility of Hollywood making him corpse.  Louw has quite a wit, which is sometimes lost on Carlson on numerous episodes.

With Carlson off this week, the guest is David Whitney (stand-up comedian) whose knowledge of NFL is as strong as any die hard fan, and in spite of his absence Carlson has still produced a 60 second NFL round-up of the week's action - an example of how much the show means to him. In an email I ask Carlson about the show, 'the biggest problem is reach, on C4 we can reach a hundred thousand people, many of whom aren't fans. We're always looking for ways to reach potential audience; we're better on sports than any humour site, and funnier than most sports sites.'

The strength is in the NFL coverage, where the three guys note how poor the AFC is whilst also reminding us how old Brandon Weeden is - this chemistry between seriousness and light heartedness is another facet of the show's popularity.  Instead of a strict by the book professionalism in ESPN shows, this laugh at each other, laugh at yourself mentality and the wonderful air of self-deprecation about such topics ranging from the pronunciation of croissants, Jimmy Saville and antique cottages.  It is an intelligent type of comedy where like Family Guy has a scattergun approach to humour - in this week's episode Louw/Whitney gained three minutes of material from the premise of new movie Looper.

If you have not listened to the show please attempt to do so at www.americarnage.co.uk and follow the show and stars on twitter: @Americarnage @NatCoombs @DanLouw

David Whitney's homepage is www.davidwhitney.org and his twitter handle is @dwhitters

In Praise of...Ledley King

So it is July 19th 2012 which is the day Ledley King finally gave in to the constant injuries that befell his 14 year career.  It could have been July 19th last year, or the same day next year.  But all in all it must be believed that Ledley has finally done the right thing.  For Ledley, his career will be more a case of what might have been, rather than what it was.

In his 14 year career he accumulated only 260 league appearances, 313 in all competititons.  That is an average of 18.5 games per season.  Where most professionals are expected to play 45-50 games a season, so really he should be quitting after having played 630 games.  He only played about 40% of the games he should have throughout his career.

However, sometimes it is what you do when you are around that makes people remember you with such fondness.  King came through the ranks of the Spurs Academy and was granted a debut in an end of season clash against Liverpool at Anfield in May 1999; however it was a performance against the same opposition at White Hart Lane over a year later in November 2000 that set him apart from the crowd.  King played in central midfield, a position out of his comfort zone yet he did a job for a team that resulted in a home win for Tottenham.  His maturity and control of his play made him look to be something special.

Soon he got to play at his preferred central defence and again he grew into the role as model professional and expert player.  After Sol Campbell left Tottenham for the hated North London rivals, Arsenal in July 2001 it was time to turn to Ledley as the beacon of hope and leader of the team, soon he was made team captain.

During that spell of transition he scored a rare goal away at Bradford, rare yes but it remains the fastest goal ever to be scored in the Premier League, King found the back of the net after 9.7seconds.

From 2006 though, King's career became one of stop start as the knee injury sustained in pre-season training of that year would define his legacy.  King's injury was not like normal knee injuries where cartilage and ligaments could be repaired; in King's case it was no cartilage at all. It meant his bones were touching each other and so the injury had to be managed with care meaning no training and not playing every game of the season, for instance if he played Saturday he could not play until the following weekend.

Whilst King did manage to find some great performances and a huge level of consistency in his play, especially during Spurs' charge for the Champions League in 2009/10 culminating in the victory at Manchester City.  That run of form allowed him to be selected for England's disastrous World Cup campaign in South Africa that summer, although a groin injury sustained in the first half of the first game versus America meant his tournament was over.

Another sad indictment is that during a 14 year career where he was heralded as one of the finest English defenders of his era, he only garnered 21 full caps and two goals.  In contrast to his Senrab clubmate from his youth, John Terry, who is closer to 100 hundred than 50 and has captained his country.

The argument can continue that King was and is a better defender than Terry; as a chorus of a White Hart Lane song can attest to.  King even had a last laugh in 2008 when he beat Terry's all conquering Chelsea in the Carling Cup final at Wembley, and was able to lift the trophy (and then proceed to attempt to drink Faces nightclub in Ilford dry that same evening)

Personally, I was at that game and was amazed at how two eternally crocked players like King and Jonathan Woodgate totally outplayed the dominant Chelsea attack of Didier Drogba, Florent Malouda et al.  They did not so much keep them at bay, as not give them a sniff.  For me it remains the most dominant defensive display I have had the privilege to see.

Alas, in what was now his last season, 2011/12 King was becoming more prone to mistakes letting attackers muscle him off the ball (Grant Holt of Norwich for one) and being clearly outpaced by younger legs; at least Younes Kaboul and Brad Friedel were able to account for any errors in a season that saw Tottenham finish 4th in the Premier League.

However, for all the way his season finished and for what his injury history will overshadow part of his career, for a man who it seemed was around forever, to retire at the young age of 31 is still sad news.  It should not be discounted that he is a rare breed - a one club man of distinction and class which in this day and age of mercenaries should be applauded.

In Praise of....Peter Crouch

In a footballing career, there are those players who will never give up.  There are those players who will always try to be better than they are expected to be; either due to physical attributes, perceived expectations, or people think of them as weaker than they are.

Scott Parker has overcome a veritable lack of pace to be a marshall of recent midfields he has played in leading to the captaincy of England in his possession; based upon being the most consistent player of the last two seasons and a genuine respect by his peers.

Grant Holt was thought of as a plodder from the lower leagues whose Championship prolifigacy would not translate to the upper echelons of the Premier League - he has now scored 12 goals, is the spearhead of his club side Norwich City and is now realistically being considered for the England squad this summer at the European Championships.

Peter Crouch is one of those players who is always considered to be a laughing stock, always cast away from a side as an expendable commodity, or a scapegoat if a side comes up short.  If he is such a scapegoat why do teams keep writing big cheques for him.

What other player at 6' 7'' would be able to translate such a lanky frame into a winning role for each side - having struggled to gain a regular first-team place at Aston Villa, Rafa Benitez took a punt on him in the transfer window after their glorious Champions League triumph of 2005 as an additional piece to the puzzle as they attempted to win the domestic league. 

He never the less scored goals in the league, and Champions League including a spectacular overhead volley at home to Beskitas.  Sadly he only won an FA Cup at Anfield before being sold to Portsmouth, and scored 11 league goals that season.  Pompey's financial dilemma led to another sale to Tottenham Hotspur, his boyhood club and the side that was the first to cast him off back in 1998 for no fee.  To get him back it cost £10million,

Yet Crouch more than made up for that fee, when his crucial goal in the 1-0 victory away to Manchester City guaranteed Spurs their first taste of Champions League football and all the purse money along with it.

He scored vital goals again in Europe's premier competition including the winner away at AC Milan when he converted Aaron Lennon's square ball, his composure and assuredness gave Spurs the one goal advantage that they held onto at White Hart Lane.

Sadly, he fell out of favour as Spurs failed to breach the Top four and avoided the Champions League at the expense of Manchester City.  Seeking a new club, Stoke City forked out £10m for the big man and he is fitting in well into the Stoke system of long ball set pieces, and his close control is being helped by scoring vital goals, already 12 this season including the spectacular long-range volley that evaded England team-mate Joe Hart's grasp, a special goal from a rarely praised player.

Whilst many pine for Andy Carroll to grow up and out of his funk and join the England ranks, thier seems little reason for England and Stuart Pearce to ignore the good work ethic and purple patch of Crouch. Don't forget he has scored 22 goals in 42 appearances for his country, a stupendous return for a man who is thought of as plan B. 

And come a major championship, a tournament where Wayne Rooney is absent for the first two games due to his suspension, Crouch can be a pain for European defences with his height and he always proves a good link-up with quicker teammates such as Darren Bent or Danny Welbeck.

Crouch is a man who always seems to come up with the goods when it is needed, vital goals on big occasions, and always able to answer the critics with a piece of outstanding ability that bucks the trend that a big man cannot do flexible things.

Credit to him.