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Football Talk
Raoul Simons, Evening Standard28 Feb 2008
Nazis, crocodiles, vampires, celery, Alice bands, the referee's wife and an omelette controversy all play a part in this week's Football Talk.
Fayed still puts his trust in one of the 'vampire family'
Prince Charles may be the son of a Nazi, the husband of a crocodile and hail from a family of vampires, according to Mohamed Fayed, but that does not stop the Fulham owner from supporting his charity. The Cottagers are one of 60 clubs who officially back the Prince's Trust's football initiative, which was launched by the Prince of Wales in 1997. Defender Moritz Volz is even signed up as one of the trust's 'Football Ambassadors'.
Celery shocks Wembley visitor
Foreigners have never quite got the Carling Cup and why English football gets so excited by the secondary knockout competition. And the fog of confusion must have been even denser for one Norwegian visitor to Sunday's final. Upon entering Wembley on the Chelsea side of the stadium, he was searched by a steward who routinely asked, "Are you carrying celery?" before pointing to a large bin of confiscated vegetables. Over in Spain, meanwhile, serious interest in the game was reported at Sevilla where club officials, still bitter about the manner of Juande Ramos's departure, were rooting for Chelsea.
Alice band of brothers showed how to really turn on the style
For trivia buffs, Sunday's Chelsea-Tottenham game should be remembered for the setting of a new football record. A Wembley final with three goals from three different scorers who were all wearing Alice bands. But Didier Drogba, Dimitar Berbatov and Jonathan Woodgate should all be grateful that their managers are so tolerant of accessories. Reading's balding boss Steve Coppell said: Stephen Hunt knows my feelings on hairbands they're banned. It's just jealousy on my part."
Ref's wife enjoys final whistle
Nigel Spackman, Dave Beasant and John Hollins were among a 20-strong contingent of former Chelsea stars sitting together among fans in Wembley's bottom tier for the Carling Cup Final. The group may have long since left Stamford Bridge but showed their true Blue credentials by walking out before the trophy presentation. In contrast, the wife of referee Mark Halsey was spotted cheering enthusiastically from her VIP seat as Ledley King and Robbie Keane lifted the Cup.
Gross error is food for thought
Juande Ramos has been hailed as a genius for changing the Tottenham players' diets, but the Spaniard should be warned by the fate of a predecessor who tried something similar.
A decade ago, Christian Gross tinkered with the food at White Hart Lane only to end up with egg on his face and the sack after nine months.
Former striker Les Ferdinand told FourFourTwo: One thing you do as a new manager is instill your ideas, but you've got to bring the players on board. You don't tell a player like Gary Mabbutt, a club legend, that he can't have an omelette as his pre-match meal even if he'd been doing it all his life, just because it didn't agree with you."
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