"I
am not a number, I'm a free man," bellowed the
Prisoner. Greedy sod, he should have been grateful,
because Coventry City striker Paul Williams is remembered
in the tomes of football folly by just a solitary letter.
Yes, one blessed letter.
SHREWS
MOVING WITH THE TIMES... WEDNESDAY
23rd JULY 2008
Good to see that
Shrewsbury Town finally thought of a name
for their new stadium this week - the
Prostar Stadium. Not bad, given that they've
already been playing there for a year.
Of course, Prostar isn't a reflection
of the club itself, or the quality of
the players, (despite managing director
Rob Bickerton's claims that ".. it's
a fitting name for a fabulous sports stadium."
Incorrect Robert, it's a
fitting name for Prostar Ltd, a West Yorkshire
sportswear manufacturer. (And not half
as much fun as Gay Meadow.)
So it seems that we are deeply entrenched
in an era of grounds being named commercially,
and it doesn't just happen at Arsenal.
Personally, grounds always seemed more
real when they were named by the road
that they resided on.
Not only would you get the sense of a
stadium built right in the heart of the
community, but in the case of trudging
around bland nondescript new towns looking
for some non-league hovel, the place was
a darn sight easier to find, and didn't
necessitate conversations with beered-up
locals in Man United shirts proclaiming
that the town didn't even have a semi-professional
outfit.
Residents of St Leonards in Sussex,
you know who you are.