The Moon of Liberty

This morning, the first Saturday in September, brought the return of the hugely enjoyable Radio 5 live show fighting talk back to our radios. The idea is simple, the panel are asked questions and then have to talk an answer, and the jokes, cheap shots at others expense, ect they get in, the more points the are supposed to get. Sucking up to the host helps too hwoever, as he determines the points.

The host is normally found on Radio 1, DJ Colin Murray. He loves US sports, Liverpool FC and is from Northern Ireland, attacking either of these three things usually means points lost. Sucking up on any of these three things usually means points gained. The two with the highest score go into the final 'Defend the Inderfensible' round in which they are given a rediculous proposition and have to defend it as well and as humerously as they can for 15 seconds.

There are four panelists, today verbal sparring combatants include olympic badminton medalist from Athens Gail Emms, comedian and Leyton Orient fan Bob Mills, Footballer Pat Nevin and from Toronto, US sports show host Greg Brady, a show regular and friend of Colin Murray's.

Newcastle bashing seems to be the order of this week following Kevin Keegan's resignation. The Mike Ahsely bashing in particular came thick and fast. The panel were asked which football supporters could feel they had been mugged this season already. Brady stated he though it was Liverpool and they were in trouble, not suprisingly he did not get many points for that. Gail Emms, although a Tottenham supporter is someone who has been Nottingham based, seemed to reather enjoy digging the knife into Derby County's plight.

Into the second half of the show Gail Emms olympic experiences seemed to take over as she shot into the lead. First she told of how Andy Murray was comforting to her after she had lost her badminton match in Beijing, then followed up by telling us she was sat next to Tony Blair at the closing ceromany, and yet the Chinese wanted photos of her as they love their badminton. or as Murray paraphrased it 'More important then Tony Blair.'

Emms went into the final against Bob mills and won with her defense that badminton players should wear, tighter, skimpier clothin on court. A deliberate question on Murray's part to create as much inudendo as possible, and of course she got Murray's verdict as a result to win the show. If you have not heard it before, I highly reccommend giving it a listen, it airs 11.00 am on Radio 5 Live, and will be on every Saturday morning for the duration of the football season.   

A number of years ago I sat down to watch what proved to be a fairly dull evening of football. Liverpool were playing German side Bayer Leverkusen in the 1st leg of their Champions league Quarter Final.1st legs of these games tend to be standard fair, the home side tries to establish a lead, the away side plays off the break to try and keep themselves in with a shout for the 2nd leg.

This particular game was a fine example of the pattern. Liverpool were trying to build a lead to take to Germany, Leverkusen played a defensive formation with just the one man up front in order to try and create something on the break. The man up front would be alone with little support most of the night, working as hard as he could to try and give the defense a break, but some time, run down the clock to make it more difficult for the home side to score.

On this night the man up front was not even a first choice striker, they were aving their main men for the second leg. I recall thinking their lead striker would make a great name for a Robot Wars Robot. Entering the arena, and now from Leverkusen ... BERBATOV!!! With Jonathan Pierce then telling us about the robots attacking weaponary and obvious weaknesses. Dimitar Berabtov was that nights man to play up front alone, working tirelessly for no reward, a bit like a robot really. only to be dropped for the second leg. As it turned out Liverpool only won 1-0, Leverkusen went through two weeks later, and Berbatov have done his job for the night.

Little then did we know that a few years later the saem Dimitar Berbatov would be right here in England, being bought by Manchester United for over £30 million as a top rated superstar player. He re-created himself after signing for Tottenham as a top goal scorer and brilliant technical player. From being a small squad player at Leverkusen he suddenly became Tottenham's top striker, and now a few years on he will be back in Europe's top competition not as the lone man up front in a team trying to retrict first leg damage, but as a star in his own right. Jonathan Pierce may also be doing the commentary, in days where Berbatov need not be a robot anymore.

Only time will tell of course if he actually delivers, but the story of Berbatov, a little known Bulgarian who has become a superstar, a man who learned his trade by doing his bit for the squad in his earier days, is an example for all youngsters who want to get into football.