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Commonplace Lavatory Laughs

Toilet humor has always been the comfort zone in everyday journalism, and we are always mindful of notable bog-related stories and historic moments, particularly within football. What a delight it was to find out that an online journalist a famous broadcaster has a West Brom-themed urinal at his home. Reflect for a moment about the Tykes follower who understood the bathroom a little too literally, and had to be saved from the vacant Barnsley ground following dozing off in the toilet during halftime of a 2015 loss against Fleetwood Town. “His footwear was missing and misplaced his cellphone and his hat,” elaborated a Barnsley fire station spokesperson. And nobody can overlook at the pinnacle of his career with Manchester City, Mario Balotelli visited a nearby college to use the facilities back in 2012. “He left his Bentley parked outside, then entered and inquired the location of the toilets, then he went to the teachers’ staff room,” an undergraduate shared with a Manchester newspaper. “Subsequently he wandered round the campus as if he owned it.”

The Lavatory Departure

Tuesday marks 25 years to the day that Kevin Keegan resigned as the England coach post a quick discussion within a restroom stall with FA director David Davies in the bowels of Wembley, subsequent to the memorable 1-0 setback versus Germany during 2000 – the national team's concluding fixture at the historic stadium. As Davies recalls in his journal, his private Football Association notes, he entered the drenched beleaguered England dressing room directly following the fixture, seeing David Beckham weeping and Tony Adams energized, both of them pleading for the suit to bring Keegan to his senses. Subsequent to Hamann's direct free-kick, Keegan moved wearily along the passageway with a distant gaze, and Davies found him slumped – reminiscent of his 1996 Liverpool behavior – in the dressing room corner, muttering: “I'm done. I can't handle this.” Grabbing Keegan, Davies worked frantically to salvage the situation.

“What place could we identify for a private conversation?” stated Davies. “The tunnel? Full of TV journalists. The dressing room? Heaving with emotional players. The bath area? I couldn’t hold a vital conversation with the national coach while athletes jumped in the pool. Merely one possibility emerged. The restroom stalls. A dramatic moment in England’s long football history happened in the old toilets of a venue scheduled for destruction. The impending destruction could almost be smelled in the air. Pulling Kevin into a stall, I closed the door after us. We remained standing, looking at each other. ‘You can’t change my mind,’ Kevin said. ‘I'm leaving. I'm not capable. I'll announce to journalists that I'm not competent. I cannot inspire the squad. I can’t get the extra bit out of these players that I need.’”

The Consequences

Therefore, Keegan stepped down, later admitting that he had found his period as Three Lions boss “without spirit”. The double Ballon d'Or recipient continued: “I had difficulty passing the hours. I found myself going and training the blind team, the deaf team, working with the ladies team. It's an extremely challenging position.” The English game has progressed significantly during the last 25 years. Regardless of improvement or decline, those Wembley restrooms and those twin towers are long gone, although a German now works in the technical area Keegan previously used. The German's squad is viewed as one of the contenders for the upcoming Geopolitics World Cup: National team followers, value this time. This exact remembrance from a low point in English football serves as a recall that situations weren't always this good.

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Quote of the Day

“There we stood in a long row, clad merely in our briefs. We were the continent's finest referees, premier athletes, inspirations, mature people, mothers and fathers, resilient characters with great integrity … but no one said anything. We hardly glanced at one another, our looks wavered slightly nervously while we were called forward two by two. There Collina examined us thoroughly with a chilly look. Quiet and watchful” – former international referee Jonas Eriksson shares the degrading procedures referees were previously subjected to by former Uefa head of referees Pierluigi Collina.

Daily Football Correspondence

“What does a name matter? There exists a Dr Seuss poem called ‘Too Many Daves’. Has Blackpool experienced Excessive Steves? Steve Bruce, along with aides Steve Agnew and Steve Clemence have been removed from their positions. So is that the end of the club’s Steve obsession? Not quite! Steve Banks and Steve Dobbie remain to manage the main squad. Total Steve progression!” – John Myles.

“Now you have loosened the purse strings and provided some branded items, I've chosen to type and offer a concise remark. Ange Postecoglou claims he started conflicts in the school playground with kids he knew would beat him up. This pain-seeking behavior must justify his decision to join Nottingham Forest. Being a longtime Tottenham fan I will always be grateful for the second-season trophy however the sole second-year prize I envision him securing along the Trent, should he survive that period, is the second division and that would be quite a challenge {under the present owner” – Stewart McGuinness.|