Fletcher's faux pas not worth wasting time on

If it's a new month then it must be time for a new betting "scandal" in football. Step forward Sir Alex Ferguson, Patrice Evra and Louis Saha, who now find themselves the subject of an FA investigation over bets they are said to have made with each other over the result of two European Championship qualifying matches between Scotland and France. Details of the bets were revealed in an interview given by Darren Fletcher to Zoo magazine. "He [Ferguson] was happy when Scotland beat France. He won a bit of money because he was making bets with all the French lads. They were looking at him like he was a bit crazy, so they took any bet," the Scotland international said. "But he had the last laugh 'cos we managed to beat them twice."

Poor Fletcher, he probably thought he was being cute and revelatory. He won't make the same mistake again, not after yesterday's po-faced announcement from the FA to the effect that it "will take action against any participants in our leagues found to be in breach of our regulations, if it is proved they bet on a match that they were involved in or could potentially influence". It is difficult to imagine a more frivolous use of the FA's time and resources than this so-called investigation of Ferguson and co, although it is not difficult to work out why the FA would make such a song and dance; it is easy and it is eye-catching. A far more worthwhile job would be to examine the corrosive effects on the game wrought by the boom in gambling on the betting exchanges. But that would require effort, ingenuity and courage - attributes that are in short supply amongst those charged with protecting the game's integrity.

From The Guardian online sport section.

Things go from bad to worse for the Dazzler

Bad luck Darren. Get well soon.

The Guardian says

United suffered an injury setback yesterday when it was revealed that Darren Fletcher is unlikely to feature in the league again this season after damaging knee ligaments while representing Scotland in midweek. "It was a bad blow with Darren Fletcher, which to me just emphasises the futility of playing these friendly games. It's crazy. We have lost him for six weeks now," Ferguson said. But, while the recent losses of Eduardo da Silva, Tomas Rosicky, Denilson, Abou Diaby and Bacary Sagna have hurt Arsenal, Fletcher's absence will not impact on United in anything like the same way.

The Dazzler suffers

Man Utd Star Darren Fletcher Knocked Out By Toilet Door

Mar 10 2008 Exclusive by Keith Mcleod

FOOTBALL star Darren Fletcher was left unconscious and bleeding when a toilet door fell on his head. The Scotland midfielder was revived in the Old Trafford dressing room after he starred in Manchester United's 1-0 Champions League win over Lyon.

As boss Sir Alex Ferguson was being interviewed yards away, Darren, 24, was being treated by club medics. He needed stitches in his gaping head gash. A club insider said: "It happened half an hour after the end of the match. It looked very, very nasty. I saw blood pouring out and the medical staff had to treat him there and then.
I know he got stitches. He looked pretty dazed and pretty shocked. You don't expect a door to just fall on you."

United reached the quarter finals with a 2-1 aggregate win.

The source said: "The dressing room was relaxed and happy after the match - it was a case of job done. It seems that there was something seriously wrong with the toilet door. I don't know if fittings had come loose or what - but when Darren went to open the door, it came away and clobbered him. It was a nasty wound but it could have been worse. The other players were looking about scratching their heads in disbelief but at least medical staff were right there on the spot."

Fletcher's mishap is the latest in a series of bizarre incidents around the Old Trafford dressing rooms.

In February 2003, David Beckham suffered a head graze after a flying boot hit him full on the face. It is believed the boot was kicked by an angry Fergie. In October 2004, there were reports of flying pizza following a bad-tempered match with Arsenal.

Other strange football injuries include Chelsea keeper Dave Beasant who hurt his foot after he let a salad cream bottle slip from his grasp. Leeds star David Batty hurt his ankle after a toddler drove over it on a tricycle. Midfielder Darren Barnard of Barnsley damaged knee ligaments when he slipped in a puddle of puppy urine. And Dundee striker Derek Lyle had to miss Saturday's 2-0 Scottish Cup defeat by Queen of the South after he fell through a coffee table and cut his stomach.

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Daily Record article.

via the Fiver.

Darren Fletcher's house.

Helen Wallis is my stalker. On my walk today, I texted and asked her about a nightclub in Sale that I’d passed. She asked what I was doing in Sale, and I explained that I was walking to Dunham Massey. And then who should I run into there? Yes, Helen Wallis. She’d brought Max along as an alibi, but I knew her game, the viper! I’ve never heard anything quite like the sound of skimming chunks of ice over a frozen pond. It was like a bird singing through a vocoder as it flew overhead, or a rattling tin of jumping beans running away through a tunnel. It echoed, distant, and mechanical. We ate freshly baked scones with cream and jam, a perfect treat given the crispness of the day. We drove back past Darren Fletcher’s house. It’s horrible.

Who won the 57 Decorations Contest, 2007?

Of these three entries, which do you think won the contest?

Tall Trees

Tall Trees, originally uploaded by chiptooth.

Beaver House

Beaver House, originally uploaded by chiptooth.

Old Lansdowne Road

Old Lansdowne Road, originally uploaded by chiptooth.