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Caught in the crush MATCH flies up the motorway to Blackburn, skidding into the Ewood car park on the stroke of one, which is the time Tim told us to get there. Strolling into the club shop, there's no sign of Mr Flowers anywhere, but we do spot Tim Sherwood and Billy McKinlay. "Alright lads, seen Flowers anywhere?" asks MATCH. At that point, everything goes black. We'd forgotten it was half-term, but there's plenty of kids hanging around the ground to remind us and MATCH gets crushed in the rush for autographs. Dusting ourselves down, we can still just about see Tim Sherwood's head bobbing above the junior Rovers. "I think he's in the dressing room," the skipper tells us. MATCH has lost Billy though. He's only a little fella and we fear he's been swallowed by the stampede. Only when he's spotted playing Crewe the next night are we sure he's okay. Lookin' good MATCH gets directions to the home dressing room, but we can't resist stopping to recreate some classic Chris Sutton strikes on the Ewood turf. Booted off the pitch by an irate groundsman, we mooch up the tunnel to the changing room where the spark of flashbulbs behind the door tells us we've got the right place. "Alright MATCH?" asks Tim. "Where are the girls?" we say. That's when the bad news hits us.... Tim's the model! We're forced to admit though, he looks pretty cool in his black and blue top. But then he spots a green and red effort among the pile he's got to model today. "Zubizarreta! I'm keeping this," he cries. "Zubi what?" asks MATCH. "Andoni Zubizarreta, the legendary Spanish 'keeper, wore one like this. He played in 4 World Cups for Spain, including France '98. He's a legend." "He was a clown against Nigeria though," mutters MATCH. Luckily, Tim doesn't hear. The socks suck! It's all go for these model-types. Tim quickly changes into his next outfit and is looking good... apart from the socks that is. "What's wrong with them?" he asks. "The red clashes with your top. You take 'em off and we'll nip down to the club shop and borrow a black pair," we say. MATCH soon races back and, with the right socks on, Tim smiles for the camera. When he hands us back the socks we realise that some Rovers fan is gonna buy them without realising that one of their heroes has worn them before. Gloved up Tim's just as good at this modelling caper as he's at goalkeeping. "Yeah, but my jaw's aching from all this grinning," he laughs. "I think it's going to seize up!" Next up are the gloves. Tim's modelling some space-age Uhlsport efforts that look like they could stop a cannonball let alone a football. "I didn't even have a proper pair of gloves until I joined my first club Wolves," says Tim. "They bought me a proper pair and I used to wear some of John Burridge's hand-me-downs. Before that I used to wear a pair of welding gloves that my dad got from the sheet-metal factory he used to work in." A load of balls Tim's final task of the day is to have his photograph taken with some of Uhlsport's new footballs. He picks one out and says:" This is a nice ball. I got a look at it when Lyon used the same one in our UEFA Cup tie this season. Well, I say I got a look at it, but it was just a flash as it flew past me into the goal! That's the thing now, technology is making it more difficult for 'keepers. The balls are so light and slippery these days, and the players can really get some swerve on them." Tim's having no trouble holding the balls today though. Which is just as well coz the photographer wants him to hold six at once. What a pro. He doesn't even get narked when MATCH sticks a seventh ball on his pile, sending them tumbling. Well, we don't think he does, but we aren't sticking around to find out!
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