: Thomas W. J. Simpson
: Football thank god for Mohamed from a marriage licence to a season ticket
: novum publishing
: 9783991467427
: 1
: CHF 14.30
:
: Erzählende Literatur
: English
: 304
: Wasserzeichen
: PC/MAC/eReader/Tablet
: ePUB
Football, Thank God for Mohamed: From a Marriage Licence to a Season Ticket is a light-hearted reflection on the life of a boy growing up. It explores how he perceives life has changed culturally over the last sixty years, from his school days through to marriage, children and eventually retirement. The author makes parallels between everyday life and the world of football. That same small child grew up to become a full-time football supporter. How did he choose a team to support? Why did he choose Fulham? What roles are represented by the football managers, linesmen, and referees? What is the difference between a fan and a supporter? And have you ever thought about how sex is related to the beautiful game? No? You will after reading this book and you'll have a few laughs along the way.

Chapter One

The Perfect Match

Good days, bad days: GOOD MATCHES, BAD MATCHES

It wasn’t until I was about seventeen or eighteen that I personally knew of anybody by the name of Mohamed (apart from a couple of blokes that worked in the local newsagent’s and the takeaway), but none really to say I knew up close and personal. Back in the 50s and 60s there weren’t many foreigners on the estate where I lived, and only a couple at my school. So I didn’t really get to mix with many people from a different culture. But then, in the late 1990s, as if by chance, two Mohameds came into my personal life, and also my footballing world. Two men, whose worlds could not be further apart if they were living on different planets.

One was a very, very famous rich Egyptian shop owner, known as Mohamed Al-Fayed. The other was a not very, very famous rich Tunisian hotel entertainments manager, known as Mohamed Ali Amroussi. But these two men between them showed me two different footballing worlds that I could never have envisaged.

The second of these two men, the poor old entertainment manager, Mohamed Ali Amroussi, took my son Lee and me on an absolutely mind-blowing and amazing adventure into the football experience of the Africa Cup of Nations in 2004, which was held in Tunisia. This story you will be able to read (if you’re bored and with nothing better to do) at a later date under the heading ofExtra Timewhen it has been published.

The first of these two men, Mr Mohamed Al-Fayed, changed the whole meaning of football for me and many, many, other Fulham supporters who watched my beloved team Fulham playing mainly in the lower leagues for over 30 years sadly without much success, apart from an amazing 11-match cup run in the 1974–1975 FA Cup (which is still a record today. And due to rule changes regarding the cancelling of replays, it will stay a record). Sadly, this ended with a Wembley 2–0 defeat to West Ham (Wet Spam) in the final. If you can call losing a success, I suppose getting to our first ever major final was our success, after having been beaten in a few more minor semi-finals in previous years.

Fulham, as I said, hadn’t had a great deal of success over the years. In 1996 they were languishing, or should I say slowly dying, in the Third Division, under the guidance of Ian Branfoot. Branfoot was soon then replaced by Micky Adams who had been at the club as a player for a couple of seasons. Adams took over the role as player–manager and helped us slowly up the table. Fulham, at this time, looked as if they were about to go out of the league altogether due to a financial meltdown. And the rumours were that the ground had been sold to a company called Cabra Estates for about £14 million, and the club would possibly go out of business altogether, or have to find another place to play.

Then, on the 5th of April 1997, Fulham’s future was about to change dramatically. Fulham were drawing with Carli