Maxs on Broadway

So the Drink Team strayed a little over the weekend. We hit up Baltimore, Maryland, using the NSCAA Convention as an excuse to our other halves. By the way, NSCAA stands for Arseholes Wearing Embroidered Adidas Polyester Suits in case you were wondering. Anyway, no sooner had we arrived at our top notch hotel, the quest for a decent pint began in earnest. We'd been tipped off to a pub that allegedly had over 600 varieties of beer in the house by none other than MLS Superfan 'Binks' ... and on the way to over to Max's we questioned just how good this place could possibly be, after all the recommendation was coming from a man who holds season tickets for three MLS teams. Upon arrival at Max's it was very clear this was a bar that took it's beer extremely seriously, as all real men should. The beer was so good that if it were any closer to New York I would probably only see my children on Sundays. Honourable mentions go to The Greene Turtle, The Horse You Rode In On (for the name alone) in Fells Point, and McGerks (sp) in Federal Hill.

Moving to New York

Well, the reason I moved to New York in the 80's was nothing to do with my sleep patterns but more along the lines of needing to get a job ! Anyway, here's the Liverpool band The Wombats contemplating the move to the big city.

Keegan's Back

Kevin Keegan is back at Newcastle United. If owner, Mike Ashley can get Alan Shearer to join him then, then he may as well get work started on a personal statue of himself outside the Gallowgate End. No one would complain. As a kid I used to see Newcastle quite a bit, as it was only an hour away on the train from Carlisle. I remember very clearly going to Keegan's first game for Newcastle against Queens Park Rangers in 1983, it was beautiful sunny day and I was outside the Gallowgate at noon, these were the days before all-ticket affairs became the norm. I remember paying one pound to get in ... imagine that. The capacity was only 36,000 in those days at St.James but the atmosphere was electric even though both ends of the ground were uncovered. The Geordies are not my team but I do like to see them do well, mainly because of the kind of people who follow the club. Kevin Keegan must be the most excited 56 year old on the planet today.

Celtic Kicker

The New York Giants kicker, Lawrence Tynes, is apparently a Celtic fan. Football is all he knew before his Dad moved him from a US military base in Scotland to his current home state of Florida.

Likely Lads ....

So Big Sam has gone, and the Geordies are crying out to be entertained by their beloved Mags, desperate for a return to Keegan era football, complete with unfathomable tactics and random emotional outbursts. How would the Gallowgate love long lost Geordie Ray Hudson to return home and lead them all to nervous breakdowns ...... surely that would be more fun than bookies favourite Harry Redknapp (a cockney) taking over on Tyneside.

Hanks in the Holte End

Famous Yank celebrity Tom Hanks has decided to adopt Aston Villa as his soccer team, because "it sounds like such a nice place, and they sent me some free mufflers". Apparently a muffler is a scarf. And obviously Hanks has never been to Villa Park.

Say Hello to El Billo, El Jimmo and El Siddo

Classic 80's John Smiths ad. And I still really miss my mate called Smith.

If Your All Going To Scunthorpe Clap Your Hands

If your all going to Scunthorpe clap your hands, If your all going to Scunthorpe clap your hands, If your all going to Scunthorpe , all going to Scunthorpe, all going to Scunthorpe - clap your hands. Ah, the songs of my youth. We could have done with this mad Yank on our team back then, 721 CPM - that's claps per minute fool. Maybe not though eh

Yanks Abroad

An American friend of mine once told me a story about how he was on vacation in London, and had decided to do some shopping along the Kings Road. After filling up a few bags with EuroClobber he decided to take the weight off his feet and dipped inside the nearest boozer. Unbeknown to him, this particular nuclear sub was populated by some nasty Chelsea HeadHunter types. A football fan himself, the American visitor was feeling quite at home and soaking up the authentic hoolie atmosphere making mental notes regarding the hoolie dress code, slang and manners. After a pint or two he went to relieve himself in the gents and upon his return to the bar was bumped into by one of the said HeadHunter types, "Hi" said our American friend, as opposed to a traditional English grunt of acknowledgement. His 'Hi' was received in silence. Minutes later, as he sat back down with his pint, a dart was resting in his thigh without apology. No further violence ensued and the American removed the dart and quietly made an exit from the pub. This clip is for you.

Probably the Best Pub Team in the World

This is like the Dream Team for over 40's. The people from Carlsberg outdid themselves on this one. Nice to see Peter Reid still has that snap in midfield.

Happy Birthday

My little boy is 5 years old today.

Road Safety with Kevin Keegan

Your Barred

Apart from being one of the best beers on the planet John Smiths also make the best adverts, or commercials as they are called in the US. Here's one from the current 'Your Barred' series.

Slippery

Ronaldo is as slippery in front of a microphone as he is in front of a ball. The interviewer comes close to getting him to implicate himself as the diving twat we know he's capable of being, and Ronaldo wriggles out of it every time.

The Sondico Gang

We haven't carried Sondico in the shop for a number of years now, but one of our favourite reps has recently added the company's line to his sales pitch. So with that in mind we'd like to share this gem, which was probably shot around 1994. Everyone's favourite Geordie has just joined the Sondico gang .....