105 posts, over 4'000 views, with readers coming from as far afield as the USA, Hong Kong, Australia (me, admittedly) Denmark, France, Canada and Slovenia. It's been a lot of fun and I have many plans to improve the time spent on it, the presentation, the reach etc so please keep reading and thanks for the support and interest throughout this first year.
The main thing of course that makes my blog and the many others out there possible is that football just keeps throwing up stories. So, on this historic anniversary, I thought a little look back over the year on Sub Please might be worthwhile...some of the events on which I blogged will be remembered for years.
My personal highlights of this footballing year would be the rampant form of the mighty Southampton; the entertaining exploits of Tottenham in Europe featuring Monkian who I was lucky enough to meet in the Summer; experiencing football in an entirely different league and continent with the A-League; and of course attending matches in person at the underwhelming but still brilliant 2010 World Cup.
What's been your highlight? Let me know via the comments below or on the Facebook page - also any advice or suggestion about how Sub Please copuld improve will always be gratefully received. To jog your memory here is a look back at the footballing year:
May: Fabio Capello springs few surprises in his squad for the forthcoming World Cup other than omitting the unfortunate but out-of-form Theo Walcott. The fact that much importance is being placed on the fitness of Gareth Barry hints at the disaster to come. Jose Mourinho wins the European Cup with a second club as a Sneijder inspired Inter Milan are too much for Bayern Munich. My career as an illustrator starts. And ends.
June: The Big Show. The FIFA World Cup kicks off in Johnannesburg to the sound of angry bees using rusty chainsaws. The novelty of the vuvuzela wears off after around 8 minutes, hospitals across the Rainbow Nation have proctologists on standby to remove the plastic instruments from the rectal passage of thousands of annoying/deserving fans. Bafana Bafana become the first host nation to crash out at the group stage despite an honourable showing - France and Italy go into meltdown. England scrape through and are then given the rogering of a lifetime be a youthful and exuberant Germany team who provide the most entertainment in the tournament. Spain look ominous.
July: Asamoah Gyan rattles the crossbar in a moment that was perhaps the most dramatic and gripping point of the entire tournament - Ghana failing to become the first African team to make the semi finals. Spain lift the trophy against StreetFighterTekkenMortalKombat FC Holland who resort to fouling in an attempt to stop the best team in the world. Iniesta becomes a hero across Spain for his moving tribute to deceased friend and Espanyol player Antonio Puerta - a move that sees Iniesta applauded at every away ground he visits to this day. I complete my Panini sticker album, after an outlay of far too much money.
August: Melbourne Heart begin their first ever A-League campaign with an extra supporter. They lose. Southampton begin their campaign as favourites for League One. They lose. Gina writes a guest colum for the site, generating more feedback and views than anything I could produce. I lose.
September: Chelsea start the Premier League like the runaway train in Unstoppable (which, just like in the film, proves...'stoppable'.) Berbatov scores a hat-trick to defeat Liverpool and sulks the whole time, Spurs get their Champions League campaign off and running with an entertaining draw.
October: Now resident in Australia I start to engage with the A-League, with initial impressions being that the quality of players is lacking, but quality of punditry excelling. United stutter, Chelsea march on, Rooney plays the contract negotiation of a lifetime.
November: Gareth Bale cements his status as better than Lionel Messi and Jason Park put together with two exceptional performances against Inter Milan. Maicon kills himself. Barcelona crush bitter rivals Real Madrid 5-0 at Camp Nou in an incredible display of pressing and attacking football. Jose Mourinho, for the first time in his career, has no excuse.
December: FIFA convince nobody that the choice of Russia and Qatar as World Cup hosts is fuelled by anything other than, well, fuel. Arsenal lose to an as-yet-unconvincing United to relinquish top spot, Chelsea start to fall apart. I attend my first A-League game and get really quite drunk.
January: Incredible sums of money are spent on Fernando Torres, David Luiz, Edin Dzeko, Luis Suarez and most eye-wateringly of all, Andy Carroll. Chelsea are still falling apart, Arsenal are looking good. We all know it won't last.
February: Two legends of the game announce the retirement...whilst one is a legendary footballer, the other is a legendary arsehole. Real Ronaldo and Gary Neville each receive tributes on this site of which I have no doubt they are immensely proud. Rooney scores that bicycle kick, Arsenal lose that cup final. No-one is surprised.
March: Arsenal aka Spineless FC continue to fall to pieces. The Champions League reaches the business end, with Tottenham and Schalke perhaps the most chuffed to have made it to the quarter final stage. Southampton begin a promotion push that takes them within reach of the automatic places, not many people outside Southampton seem to care.
April: Manchester United do what Manchester United do, and continue a perfectly timed return to form to put themselves within reach of a record 19th title and a third Champions League final in 4 years. QPR get themselves back in the Premier League, no one is happy for Neil Warnock. The FA Cup final is set for Stoke City v Manchester City, I politely inform my sister that I won't be at her wedding. She is pleased.
May: Here we are, one year on. Reading it back, a lot has happened but not much has happened - Barca are still beautiful and deadly, United are still the ones who always find a way to win, England are still in my bad books after the horrors of SA2010, and every week I'm still finding plenty to write about. Roll on the next 12 months!!
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