Phil Sharpe is the Man to Save Ossett Albion

By James Grayson (Twitter - @jamesAgrayson)

Phil Sharpe is the man Ossett Albion need to turn to if they want to avoid relegation after the departure of joint-bosses Lloyd Fellows and Paul Watson last week.

Former Frickley Athletic, Bradford Park Avenue and Harrogate Railway manager Sharpe has a track record of galvanising teams in sticky situations and he fits the bill for Ossett.

He somehow kept Frickley in the Northern Premier Division during his time there on one of the smallest budgets in recent NPL history. He then had a successful spell at Bradford where he won the NPL President’s Cup and had them challenging at the top of the NPL Division One North.

Harrogate Railway was the next stop and he did a good job despite the low budget before a move to Ossett Town where he had to cope with savage budget cuts. Albion have a small budget and Sharpe knows the score and how to cope with limited resources. Sharpe also inspires an excellent team-spirit within his camps.

Albion have 14 matches to save their season and a call to Sharpe will be a step in the right direction.

Caretaker bosses Steve Nicholson and Richard Tracey failed to inspire a much-needed victory at Warrington Town at the weekend after losing 2-1.

Former Emley captain Nicholson and ex-Bradford Park Avenue striker Tracey were handed the role after Fellows and Watson left Ossett one point above bottom-placed Garforth Town and 11 league games without a win.

And Ossett know Garforth are hot on their heels as Town are improving. Garforth were unlucky to lose 4-3 at home to New Mills after leading twice in the match.

Ossett host Salford City next week at Dimple Wells.

'Skyfall' is One of the Finest James Bond Films Ever Made

By James Grayson

Right from the beginning of James Bond in 1962, you knew 007 would win the battle. But, in Skyfall, you genuinely feel that Daniel Craig’s character is beaten.

007 is wounded, frail and vulnerable and even unable to hold his gun steady, a stark contrast from the Bond we are used to seeing. And this leaves him open to attack from the villain Raoul Silva (Javier Bardem).

Silva, a former MI6 operative, wants to humiliate, discredit and kill M (Judi Dench) and is able to penetrate MI6’s systems. Silva is the most dangerous Bond villain there has been for a long time and Bond’s attempts to kill him lead to a gripping finale set at an isolated house in Scotland.

But another success of Skyfall is the decision to have the villain in the heart of London rather a far-flung country. The London Tube plays a key part in a ten minute section and viewers in the UK can relate to it. The Tube scenes add realism – something lost during the Pierce Brosnan years. In the Brosman years there were too many implausible scenes and Craig’s Bond has made it more believable again.

But while Craig is superb, Dench gives her finest performance as M. She is in real danger and while Bond and had their differences in the previous two films, 007 shows his loyalty to her and MI6. Alongside Dench, there are excellent debuts from Ralph Fiennes (Gareth Mallory), Ben Whishaw (Q) and Naomie Harris (Eve), who all look set to feature in the next Bond movie.

Skyfall may be a gritty and serious film, but director Sam Mendes ensures it retains the humour that has always been associated with the Bond franchise. As Bond leaps onto a moving Tube Train, a waiting passenger says to his wife, “he’s desperate to get home".

While Skyfall is a move from the Bond we all know, it still leaves its mark as one of the finest Bond films ever made. Skyfall has everything. It has whit, charm, romance and of course car-chases. It is a must-see and leaves you gagging for more.

Football: Five Issues That the FA Need to Tackle

By James Grayson (Twitter - @jamesAgrayson)

The announcement that the FA are to invest £150 million to improve run-down is a welcome sign. While not a total solution to the problems in the Grassroots game, it shows the FA are interested in tackling their many problems. Grassroots funding is one of them and I have picked the five key issues I believe the FA need to tackle to improve the game.

1. Racism

You don’t see bananas being thrown in England anymore, but racism is still widely seen at grounds up and down the country. You only have to watch Sky Sports News’ undercover footage of Millwall fans racially abusing El-Hadji Diouf a few months ago. Racism has to be stamped out and the only answer is harsh punishments for clubs and individuals, whether as a fan or a player, manager, etc. The Kick It Out campaign has been running for over ten years, but has it worked? Maybe a little bit, but why do we keep seeing headlines with racism in them.    

2. Grassroots Funding

When the Premier Division is earning millions in TV revenue, it is sad that the Grassroots game receives little funding. Clubs from semi-professional to the Dog and Duck on Sunday morning struggle to pay bills whether for pitch rent or referee fees. It is a major sad state of affairs and something the FA need to look at – the news of the funding for new pitches is a step in the right direction.

3. Club Finances

The recently introduced tighter controls on debts in the Premier League will hopefully significantly reduce spending. But the FA needs to come down on clubs, not just Premier League, who are spending money they don’t have. Leagues need to have stringent financial checks on their clubs to avoid more Armageddon situations. The Portsmouth saga has been embarrassing for the whole of football and this scenario must not be repeated. It paints football in a bad light.

4. Crowd Disorder

Football has been dogged by hooliganism for over 40 years and it still exists on a smaller scale. While there is not a lot the FA can do, they still have to continue to try and eradicate it. Fighting between supporters still happens, but one of the major problems is persistent standing and offensive chanting. All-seater stadiums have encouraged families to spend their Saturday at the football. But standing and chanting deters people. Only Premier League team Sunderland seem to be acting on persistent standing, while offensive chanting seems go unpunished everywhere. The FA also has a problem with missiles being thrown at players and officials which is threatening safety.

5. Disciplinary System

Although it is an obscure choice, there are major inconsistencies in the disciplinary system. It often appears that the FA break-up the rule book when it suits them. Few red cards get overturned, mainly because of mistaken identity. But the John Terry racism case made a mockery of it. Terry got four matches for a racist comment when Eden Hazard almost received a longer ban for kicking a ball-boy. While Luis Suarez got eight games last year for a racist remark to Patrice Evra. And when a serious incident happens, the FA hide behind the rule that if an incident is seen by an official, they cannot intervene. This has meant players have got away with serious offences such David Luiz last week.

La Cage Aux Folles All Set for Yeadon Premiere

By James Grayson (Twitter - @jamesAgrayson)

They have pushed the boat out this year so Yeadon Amateur & Dramatic Operatic Society are hoping the local community turns up in force to see La Cage Aux Folles.

Led by new director Jonathan Tate, David Kirk stars as Georges, while Andrew Walton plays Albin who doubles up as drag queen ZaZa.

However, the society has taken a risk by deciding to pick La Cage as their spring musical in a bid to attract new followers.

La Cage is rarely performed by local amateur dramatic societies and secretary Linda Marshall explained why: “La Cage is a fabulous show that isn’t performed often and you hope it attracts new audiences.

“It is difficult to costume and difficult to find the right cast members, but you have to set yourself the challenge and that is what we have done by choosing La Cage.

“This year we have a new production team, musical, director and choreographer and we were looking for something that isn’t done often to introduce these new people to Yeadon audiences.”

La Cage revolves around the lives of gay couple Georges and Albin who are happily running a drag club until Georges’ son announces his engagement to a controversial right-wing politician.

Georges and Albin then have to meet their son’s fiancée’s parents, but their attempts to ‘play it straight’ descend into a farce.

Andrew (pictured above), who has previously performed in La Cage before, believes audiences will find the musical amusing.

Andrew, while doubling up as a Job Centre Business Manager for the Department of Work and Pensions, has starred in productions for a number of societies including the Ilkley Amateur Operatic Society.

He has appeared as Billy in Carousel, Bobby Child in Crazy for You and Roger De Bris in The Producers and Andrew says the role of Albin is the most challenging of his acting career.

“At the start of one of the songs, I start off as a man and get dressed throughout the song into a woman,” he said.

“You’re putting on the make-up, putting the dress on, the wig on, the shoes throughout the song. That is quite frightening at times to think that everything has to go in the right order because by the end of the song, I need to be there as ZaZa.

“It is daunting and it is my hardest role because I have to be something completely different.”

The musical contains a number of familiar songs including Gloria Gaynor’s hit I am What I am and Andrew insists people will enjoy La Cage.

He said: “Anyone who comes will find it entertaining. There is some very dialogue throughout the production and there are some fabulous songs in it.

“There are a lot of songs that everyone will know and the song I am What I am that was made famous by Gloria Gaynor in the 80s was actually written for this production.

“There’s a song called The Best of Times which a lot of people will know. There are all these songs out there that people don’t realise that they actually originated from a musical into mainstream pop songs.”

La Cage begins at Yeadon Town Hall on Tuesday 12 March and runs through until Saturday 16 March.

Tickets cost £12 in the stalls (£11 concessions) and £14 in the balcony (£13 concessions).



Sky Sports Star Stelling gets Leeds Trinity Journalism Week off to a Fine Start

By James Grayson (Twitter - @jamesAgrayson)

Leeds Trinity’s 2013 Journalism Week began with a bang as a large audience crammed inside the Mary Halliday Lecture Theatre to hear Sky Sports star Jeff Stelling speak.

Stelling, best known for his role as the anchor for Gilette Soccer Saturday, recalled a number of anecdotes about the show, but also told the story of his career.

And to a stunned audience, Stelling revealed that he originally wanted to be a court reporter when he started out at Hartlepool Mail.

After moving into sport, he began to work for radio before a move into television.

He initially worked for TVam. Eurosport followed and during his spell with the satellite broadcaster, Stelling even commentated on fencing.

But Stelling eventually got his big break when he moved to work for BSKYB – a job he claims he got because of his knowledge of horse racing.

However when Stelling originally started working for Rupert Murdoch’s company, it had no rights to broadcast main sporting events. On the day of the World Cup final, Stelling played subbuteo with co-presenter Suzanne Dando on live TV.

Despite the intital low-points at BSKYB, the success of Soccer Saturday has made Stelling a household name. Sharing the screen with former footballers like Phil Thompson, Paul Merson and until his death, George Best, Stelling’s show attracts millions of viewers each week.

Stelling is also known for his stint as host of cult Channel 4 programme Countdown, but he played down his role on the programme, which he left last year: “Rachel Riley did the maths, Susie Dent had the dictionary and all I did was press a button to start the clock.”

Journalism Week continues until Thursday at Trinity.



Farsley AFC Ladies Aiming High

By James Grayson (Twitter - @jamesAgrayson)

MATCH PHOTOS

Farsley AFC Ladies, formed in 2009, are aiming high and hoping to win promotion from the West Riding County Women’s League First Division this season.

A crushing 10-0 victory against Wortley on Sunday put them back in the frame for the title ahead of a crunch game at Silsden.

An incredible first half six goal haul from Millie West (pictured below) , a Claire Parker hat-trick and one goal from Sarah Carter gave Farsley victory and put them above Wortley in the table.

But the overall performance showed that Farsley are making progress after a couple of years of stagnation. Back in 2009 the team was made up of players who stepped up to adult football from under 17s level.

They won promotion from the Second Division at a canter in their first season as an adult side, but played against teams of a similar age. However, for the last two years, Farsley have started well, but dropped off towards the end of the campaign.

Now Rob Womersley’s team look the real deal. Farsley have grown as a club and are well-known across West Yorkshire which has attracted experienced players to the club. The team playing at Throstle Nest, a tremendous facility has also helped. New signing Claire Parker, formerly of Leeds United Ladies has brought a new attacking element and repaid the club with six goals in just five appearances. Captain Kath Raw (pictured above) has bags of experiences having played for a number of local sides as well as an Italian team.

The experience of these players along with the younger ones who have grown stronger in the last two years has made Farsley a formidable opposition. And if they can keep going, Farsley will have a strong team for years to come.

Play-Offs Look Out of Reach for Farsley AFC after Salford City Defeat

By James Grayson (Twitter: @jamesAgrayson)
Match Photos

There is now no doubt that an Evo Stik Division One North play-offs place looks beyond Farsley AFC after the 2-0 defeat at Salford City. A dramatic run of wins would put them back in the picture, but given the inconsistency of Farsley’s season, it’s unlikely.

After a week off to visit Glasshoughton Welfare, I was back on Farsley duty and everyone knew it was a must-win game. I was confident, despite the fact that Salford can be a difficult place to go.

There was an air of confidence before the match. The burgers were nice, the people were nice and I got to have a conversation about the joys of Twitter with Salford’s Laura Flint, despite the fact she works for Manchester United. I even shared a laugh and joke with the referee and his two assistants about a play called ‘God’s Official’ which is being performed at Harrogate Theatre next month. It’s a comedy about a football team who are relegated because of a dodgy refereeing decision so they decide to kidnap the ref.

And until the hour mark, everyone was relatively happy. Farsley had played well and were creating multiple chances. Salford goalkeeper Ritchie Branagan had to pull out a number of good saves to prevent Farsley from going ahead. I saw new signing Osebi Abadaki for the first time and he looks like a fantastic coup. He caused a couple of problems, but his efforts were hindered by the fact Salford had two men on him at all times.

But, despite their dominance, Farsley were caught out and Salford got their goal. A second one followed and while Farsley nearly scored in the closing stages, it just wasn’t their day. Farsley could have played until midnight and I don’t think they would have scored. Salford’s goalkeeper deserves a medal for the number of saves he made. And how James Riley’s late header stayed out, I just don’t know?

So is that the end of Farsley’s season? Possibly, but Farsley have to keep going because it is still mathematically possible to reach the top five. Whatever the outcome, Farsley have the makings of a strong team for next season though. They have a leader in James Riley (pictured right) in the back four – a player who wins everything and has exceptional leadership skills. Robbie O’Brien has joined from Bradford (Park Avenue) and Robbie is a fantastic player. Hard-working and skilful, Robbie will become an important player for Farsley.

But, let’s leave next season plans alone for the time being and concentrate on the final 12 games.