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Thespence

by Thespence
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Si

Si

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Posted

Anyone know if there's any truth to the story that Barnsley fans were singing "Where's yer baby gone?" to Billy Sharp, f***ing scum if true.

 

Seen it a fair bit of twitter, deserve to be kicked in the face if true, every one of them.

 

Without doubt, absolute disgrace.

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Si

Si

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Posted

Anyone know if there's any truth to the story that Barnsley fans were singing "Where's yer baby gone?" to Billy Sharp, f***ing scum if true.

 

Looks like bollocks, thankfully.

 

 

:thup: cool, hope so.

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Ishmael

Ishmael

Posted
Posted

Anyone know if there's any truth to the story that Barnsley fans were singing "Where's yer baby gone?" to Billy Sharp, f***ing scum if true.

 

Looks like bollocks, thankfully.

 

But what did it sound like?

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Tooj

Tooj

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http://lesrosbifs.net/2012/01/former-leeds-united-and-sunderland-striker-bridges-jets-back-into-action/

 

One of the best stories of 2011 was the return to action of former Leeds United, Sunderland and Carlisle United striker Michael Bridges. Having retired at the end of the ‘A’ League season last April, it looked as though Bridges was going to move upstairs with his last club, Newcastle Jets. However, a miraculous recovery from a terrible knee injury has seen him return to the pitch for Newcastle Jets during this season. Jack Essen looks at Michael’s career to date.

 

It’s hard to believe that Michael Bridges is only 33 years of age. A whirlwind career that promised so much but was plagued by injuries has taken him to the Australian A-League, a destination that has befitted fellow Englishmen in Francis Jeffers and Robbie Fowler, as well as aging Australian superstars such as Harry Kewell and Brett Emerton. The former Sunderland man is ironically representing Newcastle Jets currently as a player but also within an executive capacity.

 

Bridges’ story originates from North Shields and comes from a footballing hotbed: Wallsend Boys Club, a team that has produced Alan Shearer, Peter Beardsley, Michael Carrick and Steve Bruce to name a few. Making eleven England Under 21 appearances (scoring three goals), many tipped Bridges to be an England international, but a cap never materialised. Cries for an England call up were at their loudest in the 1999-2000 season when he scored 19 goals including a stunning hat-trick against Southampton for Peter Risdale and David O’Leary’s big spenders Leeds United, following a summer move that yielded a five million pounds transfer fee from Sunderland, helping Leeds to a third place finish and thus Champions League football.

Unfortunately this is where his injury woes and his career slide began. In a Champions League tie against Turkish outfit Besiktas, he suffered a serious Achilles injury just as his career was beginning to blossom. Incredibly, in the next four injury-plagued seasons he managed only ten more appearances for the Yorkshiremen and nine appearances on loan at Newcastle United, not returning a single goal. He was rather unsurprisingly released in 2004. Despite his lack of appearances for Leeds many supporters still consider him a cult figure. Short, unsuccessful stints at Bolton Wanderers, Sunderland and Bristol City followed.

 

Carlisle United were his next destination. Here, he spearheaded their promotion-winning forward line with fifteen goals evoking memories of his previous goalscoring exploits earlier in his career, ableit in League One rather than the now dizzying heights of the Premier League. Following his success at Carlisle United, he took the bold gamble in joining Hull City for £350,000 on transfer deadline day in 2006 after handing in a transfer request.

It turned out to be yet another unsuccessful move for Bridges in which his injury nightmare struck again with back and ankle problems. Whilst at Hull, in 2007 he made his first foray outside the UK with a six month loan spell at A-League team Sydney FC. However, after contracting a viral infection he fell out of favour and only played nine games, scoring twice. Although his time in Australia was short-lived it clearly left a lasting impression on the aging Bridges. He was quoted as saying to The Daily Mail, “The standard of football is very good. It’s surprised me, but when I played the first game against Central Coast I was blown away by it. The pace of the game, particularly in the humidity, was really intense and physically the players are as strong, if not stronger, than most I’ve come up against.”

 

He was subsequently loaned back to former club Carlisle United where he was still held in high regard on a season long deal in 2008-2009. Following his release from Hull City, after a very brief spell at Milton Keynes Dons in early 2009 he made the decision to return to Australia to join Sydney’s neighbours Newcastle United Jets after a successful trial. His time at the Jets has been considerably more successful than his spell at their English namesake. Bridges made an immediate impression, setting up a goal on his debut against Adelaide United, and he scored his first goal for the club two weeks later against Central Coast Mariners. In total in his first season – 2009-2010 – he managed six goals in fifteen appearances, which prompted the club to name him captain for the 2010-2011 season, an honour not previously bestowed upon a non-Australian born player.

 

Unfortunately for Bridges just as one door opened another closed. Injury once again sidelined him, with a knee problem keeping him out for most of the season. This injury ultimately was the nail in the coffin of a 16 year career that was called short at the tender age of 32. Keen to keep him at the club, Newcastle and Hunter Sports Group officials offered Bridges the role of International Football & Business Development Manager , encompassing both commercial responsibilities such as corporate hospitality and sponsorship sales, as well as guest speaking at corporate events. This was dovetailed with a role as first team striker coach with a promise from club officials that once the clubs’ promised youth academy was created he would have a role within developing young strikers as well, a role he duly accepted. Although disappointed in his career ending Bridges commented in April 2011, ‘‘To be honest, the knee has been great for the last three weeks of the pre-season, which is what made the decision much harder but at the end of the day the opportunity off the field far outweighs on the field’’.

 

In a dramatic U-turn after a considerable improvement with Bridges’ knee being seen in recent months, he was surprisingly invited back to train with the team in September 2011 and subsequently signed after Matchday 6 for the remainder of the 2011-2012 season. Whether his knee continues to stand up to the pressures of competitive football remains to be seen.

 

He has so far this season contributed no goals from six appearances, but Bridges seems to be in Australia for the long haul. In 2009 he purchased a house in Merewether, Sydney for his wife Kate and twin children Sadie and Riley, and he recently purchased a Tapas wine bar with former Rugby League star Luke Davico in Cooks Hill. In between playing and working for the club he also is a pundit for Fox Sports.

Whether Bridges continues playing for now or takes on his executive role within the Jets on a more permanent basis, we wish him well and hope he finishes his playing career on a positive note.

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