CINXE.COM

BBC - BBC Sport: Phil McNulty

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Strict//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-strict.dtd"> <html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en"> <head><script type="text/javascript" src="/_static/js/bundle-playback.js?v=HxkREWBo" charset="utf-8"></script> <script type="text/javascript" src="/_static/js/wombat.js?v=txqj7nKC" charset="utf-8"></script> <script>window.RufflePlayer=window.RufflePlayer||{};window.RufflePlayer.config={"autoplay":"on","unmuteOverlay":"hidden"};</script> <script type="text/javascript" src="/_static/js/ruffle/ruffle.js"></script> <script type="text/javascript"> __wm.init("https://web.archive.org/web"); __wm.wombat("http://www.bbc.co.uk:80/blogs/philmcnulty/","20090416182656","https://web.archive.org/","web","/_static/", "1239906416"); </script> <link rel="stylesheet" type="text/css" href="/_static/css/banner-styles.css?v=S1zqJCYt" /> <link rel="stylesheet" type="text/css" href="/_static/css/iconochive.css?v=3PDvdIFv" /> <!-- End Wayback Rewrite JS Include --> <title>BBC - BBC Sport: Phil McNulty</title> <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html;charset=utf-8"/> <meta name="description" content="This is the blog of BBC Sport's chief football writer Phil McNulty."/> <meta name="keywords" content="bbc, sport, bbc sport, football, blog, phil mcnulty"/> <meta name="DCTERMS.created" content="2009-01-27T12:00:00Z"/> <meta name="DCTERMS.modified" content="2009-04-14T11:28+0:00"/> <!-- Barlesque r56 --> <link rel="index" href="/a-z/" title="A to Z"/><link rel="help" href="/help/" title="BBC Help"/><link rel="copyright" href="/web/20090416182656/http://www.bbc.co.uk/terms/" title="Terms of Use"/><link rel="icon" href="/web/20090416182656im_/http://www.bbc.co.uk/favicon.ico" type="image/x-icon"/><meta name="viewport" content="width = 974"/> <!--[if IE]><![if gte IE 6]><![endif]--><link rel="stylesheet" href="/web/20090416182656cs_/http://www.bbc.co.uk/includes/blq/resources/gvl/r56/style/main.css" type="text/css"/> <!--[if IE]><![endif]><![endif]--><!--[if (IE 6)|(IE 7)]><style type="text/css" media="screen">html{font-size:125%}body{font-size:50%}#blq-container{float:left}.blq-tooltipped:hover {background-position:0 0}/*Redraw forcer*/</style><![endif]--><!--[if IE 7]><style type="text/css" media="screen">.blq-clearfix {display: inline-block}</style><![endif]--><!--[if IE 6]><link rel="stylesheet" href="/includes/blq/resources/gvl/r56/style/ie6.css" type="text/css" /><style type="text/css" media="screen">.blq-js #blq-nav-links-inner{filter:progid:DXImageTransform.Microsoft.AlphaImageLoader(src='/includes/blq/resources/gvl/r56/img/panel.png', sizingMethod='crop')}.blq-js #blq-nav-foot div{filter:progid:DXImageTransform.Microsoft.AlphaImageLoader(src='/includes/blq/resources/gvl/r56/img/panel.png', sizingMethod='image');margin-top:-189px}#blq-acc {background:transparent; filter:progid:DXImageTransform.Microsoft.AlphaImageLoader(src='/includes/blq/resources/gvl/r56/img/mast_bg.png', sizingMethod='scale')}</style><![endif]--><script type="text/javascript" src="https://web.archive.org/web/20090416182656js_/http://wwwimg.bbc.co.uk/glow/cached/gloader.1.3.5.js"></script><script type="text/javascript" src="/web/20090416182656js_/http://www.bbc.co.uk/includes/blq/resources/gvl/r56/script/blq_core.js"></script><script type="text/javascript">blq.panelSrc="/includes/blq/resources/gvl/r56/img/panel.png";blqOnDomReady(function(){blq.addGoTrack('blq-main', {external:true});});</script> <!-- Identity head --> <link rel="alternate" type="application/atom+xml" title="Atom" href="https://web.archive.org/web/20090416182656/http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/philmcnulty/atom.xml"/> <link rel="alternate" type="application/rss+xml" title="RSS" href="https://web.archive.org/web/20090416182656/http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/philmcnulty/rss.xml"/> <script type="text/javascript" src="https://web.archive.org/web/20090416182656js_/http://www.bbc.co.uk/emp/swfobject.js"></script> <script type="text/javascript" src="https://web.archive.org/web/20090416182656js_/http://www.bbc.co.uk/emp/embed.js"></script> <link rel="stylesheet" href="https://web.archive.org/web/20090416182656cs_/http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/mt-static/themes/bbc/css/main.css" type="text/css"/> <link rel="stylesheet" href="https://web.archive.org/web/20090416182656cs_/http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/mt-static/themes/bbc/css/colours.css" type="text/css"/> <script type="text/javascript" src="/web/20090416182656js_/http://www.bbc.co.uk/dnaimages/components/commentbox/gloader/commentbox.js"></script> <script type="text/javascript" src="https://web.archive.org/web/20090416182656js_/http://www.bbc.co.uk/glow/gloader.js"></script> <script type="text/javascript"> gloader.load( ["glow", "1", "glow.net"], { async: true, onLoad: function(glow) { if (window.dna) { glow.ready(function(){ dna.lang.register(glow); }) } } } ); </script> <!-- DNA Comments --> <link rel="stylesheet" media="screen" href="https://web.archive.org/web/20090416182656cs_/http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/mt-static/themes/bbc/css/dna_comments.css" type="text/css"/> <!-- /DNA Comments --> <link rel="stylesheet" href="https://web.archive.org/web/20090416182656cs_/http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/philmcnulty/localstyles.css" type="text/css"/> </head> <body class="grey"> <div id="blq-container"><div id="blq-pre-mast" lang="en-GB"><!-- Pre mast --></div><div id="blq-container-inner" lang="en-GB"><div id="blq-acc" class="blq-rst"><p><a href="/web/20090416182656/http://www.bbc.co.uk/" id="blq-mast-home" title="Go to the bbc.co.uk homepage"><img src="/web/20090416182656im_/http://www.bbc.co.uk/includes/blq/resources/gvl/r56/img/header_blocks.gif" width="107" height="32" alt="British Broadcasting Corporation" id="blq-blocks"/></a></p><p class="blq-hide"><strong><a id="page-top">Accessibility links</a></strong></p><ul id="blq-acc-links"><li id="blq-acc-txt"><a href="/web/20090416182656/http://www.bbc.co.uk/cgi-bin/education/betsie/parser.pl">Text only</a></li><li class="blq-hide"><a href="#blq-content" accesskey="2">Skip to content</a></li><li class="blq-hide"><a href="#blq-local-nav">Skip to local navigation</a></li><li class="blq-hide"><a href="#blq-nav-links">Skip to bbc.co.uk navigation</a></li><li class="blq-hide"><a href="#blq-search">Skip to bbc.co.uk search</a></li><li id="blq-acc-help"><a href="/web/20090416182656/http://www.bbc.co.uk/help/">Help</a></li><li class="blq-hide"><a href="/web/20090416182656/http://www.bbc.co.uk/accessibility/">Accessibility Help</a></li><li class="blq-hide"><a href="/web/20090416182656/http://www.bbc.co.uk/accessibility/accesskeys/keys.shtml" accesskey="0">Access keys help</a></li></ul></div><div id="blq-main" class="blq-clearfix"> <div id="blq-content"> <div id="image"> <img src="/web/20090416182656im_/http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/philmcnulty/images/philmcnulty.jpg" alt="BBC BLOGS - BBC Sport: Phil McNulty" usemap="#sportblog"> <map name="sportblog"> <area shape="rect" coords="0,0,160,67" href="https://web.archive.org/web/20090416182656/http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/"> <area shape="rect" coords="160,0,974,67" href="https://web.archive.org/web/20090416182656/http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/philmcnulty/"> </map> </div> <!--main content starts here--> <div id="content"> <div class="main content"> <!--contents starts here--> <div class="content-left"> <div class="post" id="entry-73742"> <h2><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20090416182656/http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/philmcnulty/2009/04/tony_pulis_is_taking_a.html" rel="bookmark">Magpies survive at fortress Britannia</a></h2> <div class="meta"> <p class="categories">Post categories: <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20090416182656/http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/philmcnulty/premier_league/" rel="tag" title="">Premier League</a> </p> <p class="flt-l "> <span class="vcard author"><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20090416182656/http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/philmcnulty/phil_mcnulty/">Phil McNulty</a></span> <span class="separator">|</span> <abbr class="published" title="2009-04-11T22:47:34+00:00">22:47 UK time, Saturday, 11 April 2009</abbr> </p> <p class="flt-r"> <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20090416182656/http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/philmcnulty/2009/04/tony_pulis_is_taking_a.html#comments" title="Comments made about this entry." rel="comments">Comments (70) </a> </p> <div class="cleardiv"><!-- clearing --></div> </div> <div class="post_content"> <p><strong>Tony Pulis is taking a break from Stoke City's relegation fight to run the London Marathon - Alan Shearer's sights are set only on a short sprint to safety for Newcastle United.</strong></p> <p>Pulis will hope Stoke have taken more giant strides towards their goal of staying in the Premier League by the time he starts his <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20090416182656/http://www.stokecityfc.com/page/NewsDetail/0,,10310~1602548,00.html">26 miles 385 yards trek for charity on 26 April</a>. Shearer simply wants to negotiate six more games and collect enough points to ensure his emergency mission to save Newcastle from the drop is remembered as a success and not a gallant failure.</p> <p>And both men emerged with cause for optimism from <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20090416182656/http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/eng_prem/7978854.stm">a typical tear-up near the bottom of the table </a>that was as memorable for the atmosphere inside the Britannia Stadium as it was for the quality of football on offer.</p> <p class="read_more"> <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20090416182656/http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/philmcnulty/2009/04/tony_pulis_is_taking_a.html#more" rel="bookmark">read the rest of this entry</a> </p> <ul class="ami_social_bookmarks"> <li class="bookmark">Bookmark with:</li> <li><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20090416182656/http://del.icio.us/post?url=http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/philmcnulty/2009/04/tony_pulis_is_taking_a.html&amp;title=Magpies survive at fortress Britannia">del.icio.us</a> | </li> <li><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20090416182656/http://digg.com/submit?phase=2&amp;url=http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/philmcnulty/2009/04/tony_pulis_is_taking_a.html&amp;title=Magpies survive at fortress Britannia">Digg</a> | </li> <li><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20090416182656/http://www.newsvine.com/_wine/save?popoff=0&amp;u=http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/philmcnulty/2009/04/tony_pulis_is_taking_a.html&amp;h=Magpies survive at fortress Britannia">Newsvine</a> | </li> <li><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20090416182656/http://view.nowpublic.com/?src=http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/philmcnulty/2009/04/tony_pulis_is_taking_a.html">NowPublic</a> | </li> <li><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20090416182656/http://reddit.com/submit?url=http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/philmcnulty/2009/04/tony_pulis_is_taking_a.html&amp;title=Magpies survive at fortress Britannia">Reddit</a></li> <li class="help"> - <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20090416182656/http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/podsandblogs/2007/04/social_bookmarks_explained.shtml">What's this?</a></li> </ul> </div> </div> <div class="post" id="entry-72781"> <h2><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20090416182656/http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/philmcnulty/2009/04/hiddinks_sweet_smell_of_succes.html" rel="bookmark">Hiddink's sweet smell of success</a></h2> <div class="meta"> <p class="categories">Post categories: <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20090416182656/http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/philmcnulty/champions_league/" rel="tag" title="">Champions League</a> </p> <p class="flt-l "> <span class="vcard author"><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20090416182656/http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/philmcnulty/phil_mcnulty/">Phil McNulty</a></span> <span class="separator">|</span> <abbr class="published" title="2009-04-09T00:15:39+00:00">00:15 UK time, Thursday, 9 April 2009</abbr> </p> <p class="flt-r"> <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20090416182656/http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/philmcnulty/2009/04/hiddinks_sweet_smell_of_succes.html#comments" title="Comments made about this entry." rel="comments">Comments (236) </a> </p> <div class="cleardiv"><!-- clearing --></div> </div> <div class="post_content"> <p>Guus Hiddink revealed Chelsea could smell victory in the air as they geared up to all but extinguish Liverpool's Champions League hopes - a far cry from the odour that surrounded them on their last Anfield visit.</p> <p>Hiddink said: "If a team feels that an opponent can be hurt in some parts it would be stupid not to go for that. The team knows that and if a team smells that it is good. It is good that the Chelsea team had that smell here."</p> <p>Chelsea followed the scent and it led them to the brink of a place in the last four of the Champions League with a swagger that was a stunning example of the restorative powers of one of the world's master coaches.</p> <p>When Chelsea played at Anfield on a freezing Sunday in February with a cold snap about to bite, the only stench detected was that given off by a decaying team under the stewardship of <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20090416182656/http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/teams/c/chelsea/7879638.stm">a coach who would be sacked eight days later</a>.</p> <p>If <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20090416182656/http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/eng_prem/7856404.stm">Liverpool's 2-0 win</a> then effectively sealed Luiz Felipe Scolari's Stamford Bridge fate, the manner of Chelsea's performance and approach here will only increase the desire to turn Hiddink's temporary tenure into a permanent residency.</p> <p class="read_more"> <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20090416182656/http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/philmcnulty/2009/04/hiddinks_sweet_smell_of_succes.html#more" rel="bookmark">read the rest of this entry</a> </p> <ul class="ami_social_bookmarks"> <li class="bookmark">Bookmark with:</li> <li><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20090416182656/http://del.icio.us/post?url=http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/philmcnulty/2009/04/hiddinks_sweet_smell_of_succes.html&amp;title=Hiddink's sweet smell of success">del.icio.us</a> | </li> <li><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20090416182656/http://digg.com/submit?phase=2&amp;url=http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/philmcnulty/2009/04/hiddinks_sweet_smell_of_succes.html&amp;title=Hiddink's sweet smell of success">Digg</a> | </li> <li><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20090416182656/http://www.newsvine.com/_wine/save?popoff=0&amp;u=http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/philmcnulty/2009/04/hiddinks_sweet_smell_of_succes.html&amp;h=Hiddink's sweet smell of success">Newsvine</a> | </li> <li><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20090416182656/http://view.nowpublic.com/?src=http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/philmcnulty/2009/04/hiddinks_sweet_smell_of_succes.html">NowPublic</a> | </li> <li><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20090416182656/http://reddit.com/submit?url=http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/philmcnulty/2009/04/hiddinks_sweet_smell_of_succes.html&amp;title=Hiddink's sweet smell of success">Reddit</a></li> <li class="help"> - <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20090416182656/http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/podsandblogs/2007/04/social_bookmarks_explained.shtml">What's this?</a></li> </ul> </div> </div> <div class="post" id="entry-72413"> <h2><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20090416182656/http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/philmcnulty/2009/04/f.html" rel="bookmark">Tired Man Utd need escape act</a></h2> <div class="meta"> <p class="categories">Post categories: <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20090416182656/http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/philmcnulty/champions_league/" rel="tag" title="">Champions League</a> </p> <p class="flt-l "> <span class="vcard author"><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20090416182656/http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/philmcnulty/phil_mcnulty/">Phil McNulty</a></span> <span class="separator">|</span> <abbr class="published" title="2009-04-08T00:01:26+00:00">00:01 UK time, Wednesday, 8 April 2009</abbr> </p> <p class="flt-r"> <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20090416182656/http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/philmcnulty/2009/04/f.html#comments" title="Comments made about this entry." rel="comments">Comments (284) </a> </p> <div class="cleardiv"><!-- clearing --></div> </div> <div class="post_content"> <p>Manchester United's knack of placing themselves in dire peril only to somehow make a dramatic escape is portrayed as part of the magic of the club by Sir Alex Ferguson</p> <p>Ferguson simply regards this as Manchester United's way - and may explain the Scot's calm demeanour in front of Europe's media as he dissected a desperate night against Porto that leaves them clinging to the Champions League crown by their fingernails.</p> <p><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20090416182656/http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/philmcnulty/">The 1999 Champions League final win against Bayern Munich</a> is Ferguson's prime exhibit, but United may have to become the first English side to win in Porto's intimidating Estadio do Dragao if they are dig themselves out of their latest deep hole.</p> <p>Porto coach Jesualdo Ferreira's poker face never flickered as he revealed a secret behind <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20090416182656/http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/europe/7976964.stm">the 2-2 scoreline that leaves United in danger</a> when he said: "We never forgot we were playing against the World and European champions."</p> <p>Some feat this - and easier said than done on a night when United never remotely resembled champions of the world, Europe or anywhere else for that matter.</p> <p class="read_more"> <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20090416182656/http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/philmcnulty/2009/04/f.html#more" rel="bookmark">read the rest of this entry</a> </p> <ul class="ami_social_bookmarks"> <li class="bookmark">Bookmark with:</li> <li><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20090416182656/http://del.icio.us/post?url=http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/philmcnulty/2009/04/f.html&amp;title=Tired Man Utd need escape act">del.icio.us</a> | </li> <li><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20090416182656/http://digg.com/submit?phase=2&amp;url=http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/philmcnulty/2009/04/f.html&amp;title=Tired Man Utd need escape act">Digg</a> | </li> <li><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20090416182656/http://www.newsvine.com/_wine/save?popoff=0&amp;u=http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/philmcnulty/2009/04/f.html&amp;h=Tired Man Utd need escape act">Newsvine</a> | </li> <li><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20090416182656/http://view.nowpublic.com/?src=http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/philmcnulty/2009/04/f.html">NowPublic</a> | </li> <li><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20090416182656/http://reddit.com/submit?url=http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/philmcnulty/2009/04/f.html&amp;title=Tired Man Utd need escape act">Reddit</a></li> <li class="help"> - <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20090416182656/http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/podsandblogs/2007/04/social_bookmarks_explained.shtml">What's this?</a></li> </ul> </div> </div> </div> <!--contents ends here--> <!-- sidebar starts here --> <div class="sidebar"> <p class="jump"><a href="#jump_more">Jump to more content from this blog</a></p> <div class="block block-one about"> <div class="wrap1"> <div class="wrap2"> <div class="wrap3"> <div class="title"><h3>About this blog</h3></div> <div class="inner"> I'm Phil McNulty and I'm BBC Sport's chief football writer. I cover the biggest, best, most interesting and most hotly-debated sport in the world. Here are some tips on taking part and our <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20090416182656/http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/sporteditors/2008/05/house_rules_1.html">house rules</a>. <div class="cleardiv"><!--clearing--></div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> <div class="block rss block-one"> <div class="wrap1"> <div class="wrap2"> <div class="wrap3"> <div class="title"><h3>Subscribe to BBC Sport: Phil McNulty</h3></div> <div class="inner"> <p>You can stay up to date with BBC Sport: Phil McNulty via these feeds.</p> <p class="rss_link first"><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20090416182656/http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/philmcnulty/rss.xml">BBC Sport: Phil McNulty Feed</a><span>(RSS)</span></p> <p class="rss_link"><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20090416182656/http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/philmcnulty/atom.xml">BBC Sport: Phil McNulty Feed</a><span>(ATOM)</span></p> <p>If you aren't sure what RSS, is you'll find <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20090416182656/http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/help/3223484.stm">our beginner's guide to RSS</a> useful.</p> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> <!-- Block one starts --> <div class="block block-one football"> <div class="wrap1"> <div class="wrap2"> <div class="wrap3"> <div class="title"><h3>Football headlines</h3></div> <div class="inner"> <div id="about"> <h2>Football headlines</h2> <ul> <li><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20090416182656/http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/sport1/hi/football/europe/8000737.stm">Live text - Uefa Cup</a><br>Manchester City take on Hamburg in their Uefa Cup quarter-final trailing 3-1 from the leg.</li> <li><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20090416182656/http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/sport1/hi/football/europe/8001580.stm">Ferguson &amp; Wenger predict classic</a><br>Sir Alex Ferguson and Arsene Wenger both expect the upcoming Manchester United-Arsenal Champions League semi-final will produce two classic matches.</li> <li><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20090416182656/http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/sport1/hi/football/internationals/8002944.stm">Union urges SFA rethink on pair</a><br>Players' union chief Fraser Wishart says Scotland's FA should reconsider its ban on Barry Ferguson and Allan McGregor.</li> </ul> <p>Visit our <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20090416182656/http://www.bbc.co.uk/football">football page</a> <br>Visit the <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20090416182656/http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport">BBC Sport website</a></p> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> <!-- Block one ends --> <!-- Block one starts --> <div class="block block-one football"> <div class="wrap1"> <div class="wrap2"> <div class="wrap3"> <div class="title"><h3>Other football blogs</h3></div> <div class="inner"> <div id="about"> <h2>Other football blogs</h2> <ul> <li><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20090416182656/http://jmayers.blogspot.com/">Beautiful game</a></li> <li><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20090416182656/http://www.caughtoffside.com/">Caught offside</a></li> <li><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20090416182656/http://www.youthemanager.co.uk/blog/">Fantasy football blog</a></li> <li><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20090416182656/http://goal.blogs.nytimes.com/">Goal (New York Times)</a></li> <li><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20090416182656/http://blogs.reuters.com/soccer/">Reuters soccer</a></li> <li><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20090416182656/http://www.runofplay.com/">Run of play</a></li> <li><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20090416182656/http://soccerblogs.net/">Soccer blogs</a></li> <li><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20090416182656/http://www.spaotp.com/">Some people on the pitch</a></li> <li><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20090416182656/http://www.theoffside.com/">The offside</a></li> <li><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20090416182656/http://www.offthepost.info/">Off The Post</a></li> <li><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20090416182656/http://www.insidefutbol.com/">Inside Futbol</a></li> <li><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20090416182656/http://www.worldcupblog.org/">World Cup blog</a></li> <li><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20090416182656/http://soccerlens.com/">Soccer Lens</a></li> </ul> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> <!-- Block one ends --> </div> <!-- sidebar ends here --> </div> <div class="cleardiv"><!--clearing div--></div> <!--more--> <div class="related content"> <h2>Other posts from this blog</h2> <div class="grids"> <div class="first unit"> <h4><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20090416182656/http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/philmcnulty/2009/04/shearer_gets_to_grips_with_rea.html" rel="bookmark">Shearer gets taste of reality</a></h4> <div class="meta"> by <span class="vcard author"><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20090416182656/http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/philmcnulty/phil_mcnulty/">Phil McNulty</a></span> on <abbr class="published" title="2009-04-04T18:44:25+00:00">18:44 UK time, Saturday, 4 April 2009</abbr> <span class="separator">|</span> <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20090416182656/http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/philmcnulty/2009/04/shearer_gets_to_grips_with_rea.html#comments" title="Comments made about this entry." rel="comments">Comments (61) </li></a> </div> <p>Alan Shearer wasted no time in reaching for the last refuge of the beaten manager as he announced he was going to "take the positives" from a painful start to his Newcastle United reign. The positives, sadly for Shearer, were...</p> <p><strong><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20090416182656/http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/philmcnulty/2009/04/shearer_gets_to_grips_with_rea.html#more" rel="bookmark">Read more...</a></strong></p> </div> <div class=" unit"> <h4><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20090416182656/http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/philmcnulty/2009/04/fabio_capellos_iron_mask_slipp.html" rel="bookmark">Capello allows his mask to slip</a></h4> <div class="meta"> by <span class="vcard author"><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20090416182656/http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/philmcnulty/phil_mcnulty/">Phil McNulty</a></span> on <abbr class="published" title="2009-04-02T00:33:11+00:00">00:33 UK time, Thursday, 2 April 2009</abbr> <span class="separator">|</span> <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20090416182656/http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/philmcnulty/2009/04/fabio_capellos_iron_mask_slipp.html#comments" title="Comments made about this entry." rel="comments">Comments (128) </li></a> </div> <p>Fabio Capello's iron mask slipped for just a moment in a rare public display of emotion that emphasised the importance of England's scrambled victory against Ukraine. A defiant double-pump of the fists followed by a sharp burst of applause at...</p> <p><strong><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20090416182656/http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/philmcnulty/2009/04/fabio_capellos_iron_mask_slipp.html#more" rel="bookmark">Read more...</a></strong></p> </div> <div class=" unit"> <h4><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20090416182656/http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/philmcnulty/2009/04/shearer_can_save_newcastle.html" rel="bookmark">Why now for Shearer and Newcastle?</a></h4> <div class="meta"> by <span class="vcard author"><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20090416182656/http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/philmcnulty/phil_mcnulty/">Phil McNulty</a></span> on <abbr class="published" title="2009-04-01T09:09:04+00:00">09:09 UK time, Wednesday, 1 April 2009</abbr> <span class="separator">|</span> <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20090416182656/http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/philmcnulty/2009/04/shearer_can_save_newcastle.html#comments" title="Comments made about this entry." rel="comments">Comments (107) </li></a> </div> <p>A former title-winning manager once insisted you could actually smell a club was in crisis the moment you opened its doors - and it seems the stench of relegation has become too overpowering for Newcastle United owner Mike Ashley to...</p> <p><strong><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20090416182656/http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/philmcnulty/2009/04/shearer_can_save_newcastle.html#more" rel="bookmark">Read more...</a></strong></p> </div> <div class=" unit"> <h4><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20090416182656/http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/philmcnulty/2009/03/owen_must_not_be_dismissed.html" rel="bookmark">England still need Owen</a></h4> <div class="meta"> by <span class="vcard author"><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20090416182656/http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/philmcnulty/phil_mcnulty/">Phil McNulty</a></span> on <abbr class="published" title="2009-03-30T11:20:00+00:00">11:20 UK time, Monday, 30 March 2009</abbr> <span class="separator">|</span> <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20090416182656/http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/philmcnulty/2009/03/owen_must_not_be_dismissed.html#comments" title="Comments made about this entry." rel="comments">Comments (233) </li></a> </div> <p>Michael Owen may just have been watching the credits roll on his England career as coach Fabio Capello swatted away the merest notion of him being enlisted for World Cup combat to confront Ukraine. England strikers dropped like fallers at...</p> <p><strong><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20090416182656/http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/philmcnulty/2009/03/owen_must_not_be_dismissed.html#more" rel="bookmark">Read more...</a></strong></p> </div> </div> </div> <!--end more--> </div> <!--main content ends here--> <div class="cleardiv"><!--clearing div--></div> <div id="explore"> <div class="more content"> <h2><a name="jump_more"></a>More from this blog...</h2> <!--grids--> <div class="grids"> <div class="unit topical"> <div class="title"><h3>Topical posts on this blog</h3></div> <div class="inner"> <div id="beingdiscussedNow"> <h2 xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml">Being Discussed Now</h2> <ul class="dna-list" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml"> <li> <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20090416182656/http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/philmcnulty/2009/04/tony_pulis_is_taking_a.html">Magpies survive at fortress Britannia</a> <span>(70)</span> </li> <li> <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20090416182656/http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/philmcnulty/2009/04/hiddinks_sweet_smell_of_succes.html">Hiddink's sweet smell of success</a> <span>(236)</span> </li> <li> <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20090416182656/http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/philmcnulty/2009/04/f.html">Tired Man Utd need escape act</a> <span>(284)</span> </li> <li> <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20090416182656/http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/philmcnulty/2009/04/shearer_gets_to_grips_with_rea.html">Shearer gets taste of reality</a> <span>(61)</span> </li> <li> <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20090416182656/http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/philmcnulty/2009/03/martin_oneill_is_a_noted.html">Liverpool have 'the Big Mo'</a> <span>(219)</span> </li> <li> <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20090416182656/http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/philmcnulty/2009/04/fabio_capellos_iron_mask_slipp.html">Capello allows his mask to slip</a> <span>(128)</span> </li> <li> <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20090416182656/http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/philmcnulty/2009/04/shearer_can_save_newcastle.html">Why now for Shearer and Newcastle?</a> <span>(107)</span> </li> <li> <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20090416182656/http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/philmcnulty/2009/03/owen_must_not_be_dismissed.html">England still need Owen</a> <span>(233)</span> </li> <li> <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20090416182656/http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/philmcnulty/2009/02/david_beckham_has_split_opinio.html">Let's celebrate Moore and Beckham</a> <span>(262)</span> </li> <li> <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20090416182656/http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/philmcnulty/2009/03/rooney.html">Rooney and Gerrard make Fabio smile</a> <span>(108)</span> </li> </ul> </div> </div> </div> <div class="unit archives"> <!--block item - dark green top box--> <div class="title"><h3>Archives</h3></div> <div class="inner"> <p><strong>Past twelve months</strong></p> <ul> <li><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20090416182656/http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/philmcnulty/2009/04/">April 2009 (6)</a></li> <li><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20090416182656/http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/philmcnulty/2009/03/">March 2009 (12)</a></li> <li><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20090416182656/http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/philmcnulty/2009/02/">February 2009 (9)</a></li> <li><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20090416182656/http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/philmcnulty/2009/01/">January 2009 (9)</a></li> <li><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20090416182656/http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/philmcnulty/2008/12/">December 2008 (5)</a></li> <li><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20090416182656/http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/philmcnulty/2008/11/">November 2008 (10)</a></li> <li><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20090416182656/http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/philmcnulty/2008/10/">October 2008 (8)</a></li> <li><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20090416182656/http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/philmcnulty/2008/09/">September 2008 (15)</a></li> <li><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20090416182656/http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/philmcnulty/2008/08/">August 2008 (7)</a></li> <li><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20090416182656/http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/philmcnulty/2008/07/">July 2008 (7)</a></li> </ul> <p class="all"><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20090416182656/http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/philmcnulty/archives.html">complete archive</a></p> </div> <!--end item - dark green top box--> </div> <div class="unit tags"> <!--block item - dark green top box--> <div class="title"><h3>Categories</h3></div> <div class="inner"> <p>These are some of the popular topics this blog covers.</p> <ul class="tags"> <li class="rank-4"><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20090416182656/http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/philmcnulty/arsenal/">arsenal</a></li> <li class="rank-1"><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20090416182656/http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/philmcnulty/blackburn/">blackburn</a></li> <li class="rank-1"><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20090416182656/http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/philmcnulty/carling_cup/">carling cup</a></li> <li class="rank-8"><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20090416182656/http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/philmcnulty/champions_league/">champions league</a></li> <li class="rank-5"><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20090416182656/http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/philmcnulty/chelsea/">chelsea</a></li> <li class="rank-20"><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20090416182656/http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/philmcnulty/england/">england</a></li> <li class="rank-4"><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20090416182656/http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/philmcnulty/everton/">everton</a></li> <li class="rank-2"><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20090416182656/http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/philmcnulty/fa_cup/">fa cup</a></li> <li class="rank-5"><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20090416182656/http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/philmcnulty/liverpool/">liverpool</a></li> <li class="rank-1"><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20090416182656/http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/philmcnulty/luiz_felipe_scolari/">luiz felipe scolari</a></li> <li class="rank-4"><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20090416182656/http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/philmcnulty/manchester_city/">manchester city</a></li> <li class="rank-5"><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20090416182656/http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/philmcnulty/manchester_united/">manchester united</a></li> <li class="rank-4"><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20090416182656/http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/philmcnulty/newcastle/">newcastle</a></li> <li class="rank-1"><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20090416182656/http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/philmcnulty/portsmouth/">portsmouth</a></li> <li class="rank-19"><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20090416182656/http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/philmcnulty/premier_league/">premier league</a></li> <li class="rank-4"><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20090416182656/http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/philmcnulty/spurs/">spurs</a></li> </ul> </div> <!--end item - dark green top box--> </div> <div class="unit authors"> <div class="title"><h3>Latest contributors</h3></div> <div class="inner"> <ul> <li><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20090416182656/http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/philmcnulty/phil_mcnulty/">Phil McNulty</a></li> </ul> </div> </div> </div> <!-- end grids--> </div> </div> </div> <!--MT global footer start--> </div><div id="blq-mast" class="blq-rst"><!-- Identity status --><form method="get" action="https://web.archive.org/web/20090416182656/http://search.bbc.co.uk/search" accept-charset="utf-8"><fieldset><input type="hidden" name="uri" value="/blogs/philmcnulty/"/><input type="hidden" name="go" value="toolbar"/><label for="blq-search" class="blq-hide">Search term:</label> <input id="blq-search" type="text" name="q" value="" accesskey="4"/><input id="blq-search-btn" type="submit" value="Search"/></fieldset></form><h2 id="blq-nav-btn"><a href="/web/20090416182656/http://www.bbc.co.uk/a-z/" class="blq-blue">Explore the BBC</a></h2><script type="text/javascript">blq.exploreReady();</script></div><div id="blq-nav" class="blq-blue blq-rst"><div id="blq-nav-links" class="blq-clearfix" lang="en-GB"><div id="blq-nav-links-inner"><p id="blq-home"><a href="/web/20090416182656/http://www.bbc.co.uk/">Home</a></p><h3 class="blq-hide">Popular links</h3><ul id="blq-pop"><li><a href="/web/20090416182656/http://www.bbc.co.uk/apprentice/">The Apprentice</a></li><li><a href="/web/20090416182656/http://www.bbc.co.uk/drama/heroes/">Heroes</a></li><li class="blq-last"><a href="/web/20090416182656/http://www.bbc.co.uk/f1/">Formula One</a></li></ul><h3 class="blq-hide">A to F</h3><ol class="blq-nav-sub blq-first"><li><a href="/web/20090416182656/http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/">BBC iPlayer</a></li><li><a href="/web/20090416182656/http://www.bbc.co.uk/cbbc/">CBBC</a></li><li><a href="/web/20090416182656/http://www.bbc.co.uk/cbeebies/">CBeebies</a></li><li><a href="/web/20090416182656/http://www.bbc.co.uk/food/">Food</a></li></ol><h3 class="blq-hide">H to L</h3><ol class="blq-nav-sub"><li><a href="/web/20090416182656/http://www.bbc.co.uk/health/">Health &amp; Parenting</a></li><li><a href="/web/20090416182656/http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/">History</a></li><li><a href="/web/20090416182656/http://www.bbc.co.uk/learning/">Learning</a></li><li><a href="/web/20090416182656/http://www.bbc.co.uk/local/">Local &amp; Nations</a></li></ol><h3 class="blq-hide">M to Sc</h3><ol class="blq-nav-sub"><li><a href="/web/20090416182656/http://www.bbc.co.uk/music/">Music</a></li><li><a href="/web/20090416182656/http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/">News</a></li><li><a href="/web/20090416182656/http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio/">Radio</a></li><li><a href="/web/20090416182656/http://www.bbc.co.uk/sn/">Science &amp; Nature</a></li></ol><h3 class="blq-hide">Sp to W</h3><ol class="blq-nav-sub"><li><a href="/web/20090416182656/http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/sport/">Sport</a></li><li><a href="/web/20090416182656/http://www.bbc.co.uk/tv/">TV</a></li><li><a href="/web/20090416182656/http://www.bbc.co.uk/weather/">Weather</a></li></ol><p id="blq-more"><a href="/web/20090416182656/http://www.bbc.co.uk/a-z/">A whole lot more <span class="blq-hide">from the BBC</span></a></p></div><div id="blq-nav-foot"><div><p class="blq-hide"><a href="#blq-nav-links-inner">Back to start of navigation</a></p></div></div></div></div><div id="blq-foot" lang="en-GB" class="blq-rst blq-clearfix"><div id="blq-footlinks"><h2 class="blq-hide">BBC links</h2><ul id="blq-bbclinks"> <li><a href="/web/20090416182656/http://www.bbc.co.uk/info/">About the BBC</a></li> <li><a href="/web/20090416182656/http://www.bbc.co.uk/help/">BBC Help</a></li> <li><a href="/web/20090416182656/http://www.bbc.co.uk/feedback/">Contact Us</a></li> <li><a href="/web/20090416182656/http://www.bbc.co.uk/accessibility/">Accessibility Help</a></li> <li><a href="/web/20090416182656/http://www.bbc.co.uk/terms/">Terms of Use</a></li> <li><a href="/web/20090416182656/http://www.bbc.co.uk/jobs/">Jobs</a></li> <li><a href="/web/20090416182656/http://www.bbc.co.uk/privacy/">Privacy &amp; Cookies</a></li></ul></div><div class="blqFooterAdContainer"><!-- Ad --></div><p id="blq-copy"><img src="/web/20090416182656im_/http://www.bbc.co.uk/includes/blq/resources/gvl/r56/img/footer_blocks_grey.gif" width="68" height="21" alt="BBC"/> &copy; MMIX</p><p id="blq-disclaim"><a href="/web/20090416182656/http://www.bbc.co.uk/help/web/links/">The BBC is not responsible for the content of external internet sites.</a></p></div><div id="blq-obit"><strong>This page is best viewed in an up-to-date web browser with style sheets (CSS) enabled. While you will be able to view the content of this page in your current browser, you will not be able to get the full visual experience. Please consider upgrading your browser software or enabling style sheets (CSS) if you are able to do so.</strong></div></div><script type="text/javascript" src="/web/20090416182656js_/http://www.bbc.co.uk/bbc.com/script/analytics/vs/vs.js"></script> <script type="text/javascript" src="https://web.archive.org/web/20090416182656js_/http://js.revsci.net/gateway/gw.js?csid=J08781"></script> <script type="text/javascript"> DM_tag(); </script></div> <div class="stats"><img id="livestats" src="https://web.archive.org/web/20090416182656im_/http://stats.bbc.co.uk/o.gif?~RS~s~RS~News~RS~t~RS~HighWeb_Blog~RS~i~RS~0~RS~p~RS~52802~RS~a~RS~Domestic~RS~u~RS~http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/philmcnulty/~RS~r~RS~(none)~RS~q~RS~~RS~z~RS~48~RS~" alt=""/></div> </body> </html> <!-- FILE ARCHIVED ON 18:26:56 Apr 16, 2009 AND RETRIEVED FROM THE INTERNET ARCHIVE ON 11:34:59 Dec 01, 2024. JAVASCRIPT APPENDED BY WAYBACK MACHINE, COPYRIGHT INTERNET ARCHIVE. ALL OTHER CONTENT MAY ALSO BE PROTECTED BY COPYRIGHT (17 U.S.C. SECTION 108(a)(3)). --> <!-- playback timings (ms): captures_list: 0.955 exclusion.robots: 0.07 exclusion.robots.policy: 0.051 esindex: 0.015 cdx.remote: 5.886 LoadShardBlock: 185.753 (6) PetaboxLoader3.datanode: 155.295 (8) PetaboxLoader3.resolve: 123.572 (2) load_resource: 159.471 (2) -->

Pages: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10