Robert Enke 24.08.1977 – 10.11.2009

It’s strange how events that don’t seem to directly affect you can put life into perspective. As I sat in front of my computer earlier this evening (10th November 2009), fretting about the ever-nearing deadline for my University application, I was suddenly alerted to the tragic death of Hanover 96 and Germany goalkeeper, Robert Enke.



All previous thoughts relating to the various “£1 a pint nights” that I’m sure to encounter in student union bars located in an as yet undecided city somewhere in the UK were wiped away, to be replaced with a feeling of total sorrow and shock.

For those readers who are perhaps not aware of what happened, 32 year-old Enke took his own life in an incident at a level crossing near Hanover, in which he was hit by a train. The suicide came just three years after his two year old daughter, Lara, died after losing a battle with a rare heart condition.

Most people will have experienced some sort of loss or grief in their life, but few will have had to cope with what Enke’s widow, Teresa, is sure to be going through. Having lost her daughter and now her husband, she has been left to bring up an eight month-old baby, Leila, who the couple adopted earlier this year. I cannot even begin to comprehend how heart-broken she must be, but my thoughts are especially with her, as well as with anybody else who knew the goalkeeper.

Personally, I never knew Enke. I have, however, watched enough German football to know that he was a very, very good goalkeeper. His consistently impressive performances between the sticks at the top level of German football not only earned him the idolisation of Hanover fans and subsequent captaincy of the club, but also the “Best Bundesliga Goalkeeper” award at the end of the 2008/09 season. Enke had also cemented his place in the German national squad, with a place in the World Cup squad beckoning and a starting spot very much up for grabs.

In addition to his performances on the pitch, Enke, who also played for major European clubs including Spanish giants Barcelona, was known for his involvement and hard work in many social and political projects within Hanover. These projects included the fight against right-wing extremism and the promotion of animal rights. During the 2006/07 season, a fan wrote a song about the goalkeeper titled “Robert Enke Nummer 1”. CD sales of the single helped to raise money for a local heart charity in Hanover.



The feeling of immense sadness, mourning and devastation that has quickly swept over Hanover 96, as well as German football on the whole, is a feeling that has sadly been shared by fans of many football teams across the globe in recent years. As a massive Queens Park Rangers fan, I know exactly how fans of the North German club are sure to be feeling at the moment. Young striker Ray Jones was killed in a car accident in August 2007. He was only 18.

Robert Enke had what millions worldwide dream of. His death has opened my eyes to the fact that whilst many people will strive for fame and success as their ultimate goal, there can be no doubt that there is nothing more important than personal happiness and family.

Robert Enke, 24.08.1977 – 10.11.2009.

By Nik Brumsack

Club Feature : Barnet FC

The Club Feature is going to take place every fortnight, we will be putting a club under the spotlight and looking into their background and looking into some of their history and see how the future is looking.

Last week Nik kindly wrote about his thoughts about how the takeover at Notts County was looking. This week I bring you my take on Barnet before we move into our fortnightly slot.
Any suggestions into which clubs you would like us to look at and write about are welcomed and we will try and cater to all the ideas we get.

What a difference 20 years make!
Close to financial ruin but after a turbulent time with highs and lows along the way its Barnet that currently top the League 2 table. Here is some insight into what has happened at Underhill during this time.




In July 1986 Barry Fry made a much welcomed return to the club, having left the club for Maidstone United in the 84-85 season. He his return saw Barnet finish runners up in the newly formed Football Conference earning themselves a reputation of a highly attacking team, scoring 86 goals in the process and being beaten to the all important promotion slot by Scarborough.
In the following season Barnet once again finished runners up, this time to Lincoln City. Lincoln had been relegated from the Fourth Division the previous season and made an instant return leaving The Bees disappointed once more.
The 87-88 season saw the club have their worst finish under Fry in his second spell at the club. The club looked strong contenders for the title at the beginning of the season but as the season was played out promotion soon became a distant thought and were soon in the mix with the relegation contenders. Luckily Fry did steer the club clear of the relegation places and finished in a respectable 8th place. In that season the club used no fewer than 47 players!
The 89-90 season saw Barnet battling it out at the right end of the table once again and once again finished in the runners up position, this time it was Darlington that beat them to the top slot.
Finally in the 90-91 season Barnet and Fry got what they deserved after being runners up three times in four years, promotion!
The club had to wait until the final game of the season to wrap it all up but after victory against Fisher Athletic the club had finally reached the Fourth Division and entered the Football League. Barnet also enjoyed a good cup run that year, reaching the 3rd round and being knocked out by Portsmouth in the process.

Having gained a reputation of good attacking football whilst playing in the Conference, Barnet did not disappoint in their first two fixtures. In the first ever league match played by the club the end result was a 7-4 defeat at home to Crewe Alexandra and in the League Cup fixture following that a 5-5 draw with Brentford was played out.
After that exciting start The Bees continued to make a good impression on the Fourth Division, making the end of season Play-Offs. They lost the semi final fixture against Blackpool but having only just entered the Football league the fans must’ve been proud of their efforts.

In the following 92-93 season the Fourth Division became the Third Division after the formation of the Premier League.

It was this season Barnet were hit by controversy!
Stan Flashman, the clubs Chairman, came under fire for his dealing with the clubs accounts and players wages. The whole saga was printed all over the back of the countries back page headlines and really put the club under an unwanted spotlight.

Barry Fry left his position a few games before the end of the season but this did not stop the club from taking third and final automatic promotion spot in the league table, earning them the right to play Division 2 football just two seasons after arriving from the non leagues.

During the close season Barnet marginally survived a vote of expulsion by the Football League EGM but despite the decision the club lost the vast majority of the team that helped the team gain promotion through a tribunal which nullified the player’s contracts.

Gary Phillips took the reins and scraped together a team of players through free transfers ready for the new season. In January 94 Ray Clemence came in to assist Phillips but couldn’t help prevent the club from getting relegated that season.
Phillips was relieved off his duties at the end of the season and Clemence himself took charge of the club.

During his two years in the hot seat Clemence took the club to 9th and 11th in Division Three but left the club in 1996 to become Goalkeeping coach for England.
The 96-97 season was the most unstable for the club. Terry Bullivant had two spells as caretaker, Terry Gibson also had a spell as caretaker, Alan Mullery was in charge for a short period of time before departing and then finally John Still came into the club in 1997.

Still was manager for four years and lead the club to two Play Off semi finals but the 00-01 season saw Still depart, Tony Cottee replaced him from a short period before returning just as the club had lost their football league status after ten years in the big time.

More trouble off the field distracted Barnet once again.
In 2002 the controversial sale of the freehold on Underhill was sold to the club by the London Borough of Barnet went ahead but has not seen any changes made to the stadium.
The council spoke out in support of the club and has said publicly that they would help the club with the stadiums modernisation but no help had materialised initially but an additional 2000 covered seats to comply with the Football League requirements.
Work on the South Stand was finally started in late 2007 and took just over a month to complete. The North Stand had a temporary structure with more covered seating put in place, this is used by away fans on their visit to Underhill now.


A graphical view of Underhill now.

Back to the football.....

Peter Shreeves took control at Underhill for a season following Still’s failure to take Barnet back up at the first time of asking. Shreeves was given the job for a season before leaving.

Martin Allen, a young hungry manager was given his first big test in management in 2003.
Allen completely overhauled the squad in time for the 2003-2004 season and made the papers for holding a squad get together at his house as a team bonding day and bring the club much closer together as a unit.
Unfortunately due to Allen’s successful period at the club it was Brentford who came into offer ‘Mad Dog’ their vacant manager’s position just two months before the season was due to finish.

Paul Fairclough took the reins and finished off the hard work by leading Barnet into the Play Offs once again but ended up losing to Shrewsbury Town on penalties.
This was enough to give Fairclough the full time position and lead the club onwards and completely take the league by storm, winning the league by 12 points. Having topped the table after beating Canvey Island 1-0 in August the club never looked back. Producing displays from the old Barry Fry days with an attacking brand of football and seeing the goals fly in, especially in the first half of the season, the title was wrapped up with weeks to spare bringing Barnet back to the Football League.

Barnet started the new season in League 2 as strongly as the finished the last, topping the table. As the season wore on the form began to slip and the club started to tumble down the league. A good cup run was the highest point in the year when they reached the 3rd round of the Carling Cup, being drawn against Manchester United at Old Trafford. The dream became a nightmare for Ross Flitney as after two minutes into the game he was sent off. Barnet ended up losing the game 4-1 but could take great heart from a battling performance and a score line that flattered the hosts.
Eventually the club avoided relegation on the final game of the season by defeating already relegated Rushden and Diamonds 2-1 and lifting the club up to 18th position.
In the following two seasons Fairclough enjoyed more success in the cups than in the league, finishing 12th in both seasons but reaching the FA Cup 4th round in both seasons.
It was halfway into the 08-09 season that enough was enough and once again flirting in the lower half of the table that Fairclough finally decided to leave the club after two and a half years of struggle.

Ian Hendon was given the reins as caretaker manager and made a few astute signings immediately. Paul Furlong, Gary Breen and Matt Lockwood were three of the five names joining in the January transfer window. Hendon and the new signings soon buoyed with a 4-1 thrashing handed to high flying Bradford. Further wins against Rochdale and Chester as well as a 6 match unbeaten streak at home helped Barnet to 17th place in the end of season table.

After enjoying six months as caretaker boss Ian Hendon was signed up to a two year contract and the team building soon began by bringing in Jake Hyde (Swindon, free), Jake Cole (QPR, free), Yannick Bolasie (Plymouth, loan), Albert Jarrett (Gillingham, free), Paul Furlong (Free) and also bringing in Ahmed Deen on a non contract basis.
The much anticipated start of the new season didn’t get off to the best of starts for Barnet. A 1-0 defeat at Lincoln and a 2-0 defeat, albeit in extra time, in the League Cup to Championship side Watford must’ve had The Bees faithful wondering if another season of finishing mid-table was on the cards yet again, even at the earliest stage of the season.
However the last five games (one of which in the Johnstone’s Paint Trophy) has produced five wins, including a 1-0 victory against Sven’s Notts County. Four straight clean sheets were kept before the 3-1 victory over Northampton on Friday night as Hendon’s Bees climbed to the top of the table, having played a game more. However after Saturday’s game the club did drop down to fourth position, however it is an excellent return from the six games played.
With players of the quality of Micah Hyde, Ishmael Yakubu, John O’Flynn, Albert Jarrett, Gary Breen and Paul Furlong at the clubs disposal it certainly looks as if there are exciting times at Underhill under Hendon’s guidance.

It’s excellent to see a young manager getting the chance with a club like Barnet and hopefully bringing back the good times from the Barry Fry era back to the club.

Let’s hope the continued hard work pays off and hopefully we will be seeing The Bees in League 1 with Hendon in charge in the very near future.

A night when football was the winner

Finally we saw football become more important than individual teams last night when Burnley hosted a friendly at home to Accrington Stanley.

For once rivalries were put to once side as the people of Lancashire got together in a fundraising friendly for Accrington Stanley to help pay off a tax bill of nearly £400,000 which has been threatening the club of possible extinction once again.
With prices at £10 for adults and £5 for concessions it was a fantastic way of raising funds, especially with both teams promising to field full strength teams for the match ahead.

With 5,301 fans in attendance for the match called the Save our Stanley (SoS) Cup it was Burnley that turned out 4-0 Victors with goals coming from Jay Rodriguez (2), Chris Eagles and Fernando Guerrero.

Burnley deserve a massive amount of credit for arranging the fixture. I’m sure there are not many teams in the top flight that would make such a gesture to a struggling team.
Having had the pleasure of seeing Burnley in action at Turf Moor at the end of last season against QPR I can quite honestly say they deserved their promotion as they were one of the best teams I saw last year. I can also say that even after the game that I and a few friends enjoyed a drink with a few random Burnley fans after that game and they all seemed very nice people and had a lot of time to talk about both clubs with no rivalry involved at all. I can quite honestly say it’s been a rare occasion that we have been able to enjoy but it’s one that I wish would happen more often.

Let’s hope the game raised enough money to pay off the tax bill and keep Accrington Stanley alive and kicking.
Having seen the club play in the League Cup against the team I support, QPR, this season I can quite easily say that Accrington do play extremely good football and we were lucky to escape with a 2-1 victory on the night. The fans on the night were also fantastic! Around 150-200 fans made the long trip to West London that night and did not stop singing all night.
I wish the club and the fans all the best for the future and wish them every success in the future.


This was truly a day that football was the winner!

The future’s bright, the future’s black and white for County

In our first feature article on Putting The Boot in Nik Brumsack looks at the highly publicised takeover at Notts County and gives you his views on how things are going so far.


This summer, hidden somewhere amongst the depths of inflated transfer fees, ‘will he won’t he?!’ transfer sagas and managerial changes, a football revolution is occurring.

Where? Well that’s simple. Meadow Lane, home of League 2 outfit Notts County.



‘The Magpies’ as they are nicknamed, have consistently had to live in the shadow of hated city rivals and two time European Cup winners, Nottingham Forest.

However, for fans of County, this could all be about to change. Since Middle Eastern Consortium Munto Finance completed their takeover of the club in June, the profile of The Magpies has rocketed.

Recently appointed chief executive, Nottingham-born Peter Trembling made the new owners’ intentions clear in an interview with BBC Nottingham, claiming that “Our plans are very straightforward. We want to bring success back to Notts County Football Club."

The club has set a 5-year plan for County to be playing at Championship level and the investors haven’t wasted any time in showing they mean business, appointing ex-England boss Sven-Göran Eriksson as director of football to assist manager Ian McParland.

And it’s not just off the pitch that the big names have been brought to the midlands-based club.

Eriksson has got to work quickly, playing a huge part in the signing of 73-cap England defender Sol Campbell, as well as highly-rated young goalkeeper Kasper Schmeichel, whom the Swede managed whilst at Manchester City.

In addition, County have made some smart signings from Football League clubs. Lee Hughes, who scored 18 league goals for Oldham last season was snapped up quickly and has already got four goals this campaign.

Ex-Spurs midfielder Johnnie Jackson has joined from League 1 side Colchester and looks to be another astute signing. The 27-year old has shown he is clearly capable of playing at a higher level than League 2 by winning Colchester’s player of the season award when the club were in the Championship. Along with Campbell, Hughes and Schmeichel, the Magpies’ number 21 could well form the backbone of a County side that look certain to push for promotion this season.

Despite demonstrating the club’s huge potential in the first month of the new season, it’s important that all of those involved with Notts County FC keep their feet on the ground and look to build the club up from the bottom.

The board have realised this and have subsequently given Eriksson the responsibility of expanding the club. He has been made responsible for the development of training facilities, creating a centre of excellence as well as establishing links with other clubs.

The new owners would have struggled to find a more suitable candidate for the director of football role.



Eriksson’s 5-year stint as England manager will have played a part in Sol Campbell’s decision to drop down three divisions to join the club. Signing a player of Campbell’s pedigree has considerably raised the profile of the League 2 club.

The appointment of the ex-England boss has seen other talented players arrive at County, which has in turn seen improved performances on the pitch. This has led to the big rise in attendances at Meadow Lane, generating a lot more revenue for the club in the process.

The Swede will no doubt have created contacts with several of the Premiership’s top managers in his time as England head coach, straight away opening up the possibility of County benefiting from loan deals involving some of the country’s best young prospects. The loan signing of Portsmouth’s Matty Ritchie, who scored 12 goals from midfield whilst at Dagenham last season, is a prime example of the sort of player that fans of the Magpies can expect from now on.

Notts County sit comfortably in the play-offs at the end of August, racking up an impressive total of 13 goals from just 5 games along the way, showing just why many bookmakers have installed them as favourites for the League 2 title.

There can be no doubting that it is certainly a very exciting time to be a fan of Notts County FC at the moment. It is, however, crucial that board and fans alike don’t get carried away by the recent takeover.

The board need to remain sensible and not forget that County are still a side plying their trade in the 4th tier of English football.

A big rise in ticket prices is not what is needed at the club, especially not with the current economic climate looking the way it is.

The fans need to remember that despite the signings that have been made, these players will take time to gel, and success may not come straight away.

Patience is required by the board, management, players and fans if County are to fulfil their newly-found potential.

The future’s bright, the future’s black and white.

Welcome to Putting The Boot In!

This is a new page that is totally dedicated to football. It doesnt matter what it is we will have an opinion and will do our best to cover as many bases as possible.
We are going to review the results across the divisions and supply our own insights into how things are panning out in the respected leagues.
We will also offer club features and how the club is progressing towards the future.
Any ideas are gladly welcomed and we will do our best to serve the football fans around the country.

Thanks for your support.