In today's Ronnie, there is a big supplement about our lads helping to present the Young Achiever Awards. YBR is there, along with Big Al, Dyer, Bellamy, Lua Lua, Solano, Given and Lovely Aaron Hughes. Nice stuff.

-- Anonymous, November 21, 2001

Answers

ironic that they are giving out awards to achievers yet they are the biggest set of under-achievers going! (So far)

BTW Dougal - what is this Hughes obsession about?

-- Anonymous, November 21, 2001

A number of things: he has been interviewed by the Fanzine I'm involved with and is about the only one of the b*ggers to be civil, in fact thanked our team for choosing to interview him and made them a cup of tea. Basically gave them a lot of respect on both occasions. He loves the Toon, met his wife at SJP, and is a rare breed: a fairly good player who we have paid nothing for and who is unprecedented according to YBR and Freddy Shepherd in thanking them for his contract. He has played in 4 positions this season without really letting us down in any of them and hasn't whinged about it. He had his debut in the Nou Camp as a bairn. Oh, and he's really horny, too ;))

-- Anonymous, November 21, 2001

an anagram for you dougal: " 'as a huge horn"

-- Anonymous, November 21, 2001

Fair enough Dougal. I have to say I get the impression he would live and die for the Toon and is a top class professional. As for his 'other attributes' he's out of my age range, i.e too young for me!

As regards the other lot interviewed for the fanzine (TF I take it) I am unhappy with the idea that the were uncivil or not @rsed. Bloody typical of footballers isn't it? However, I met Shay Given at the end of last season and he was really nice actually so I won't hear a word of criticism against him.

-- Anonymous, November 21, 2001

Lynda, it varies with the players but you get some real attitude from the "big" players about it, possibly because they aren't being paid or possibly because the fanzines are such niche markets (ie. not Total Football or 4-4-2). The irony is, they would get a fair representation in the fanzines which they may not get elsewhere.

-- Anonymous, November 22, 2001