BFC Blogs;The Green Green Grass.

Former Tangerine-Planet.co.uk Editor and ex Blackpool FC Groundsman Liam Wood returns to the site with his weekly blog. Reviewing the week that was along with some fascinating stories from his time with club. In true "Rocky" style expect the unexpected.

Hello Seasiders!

It's good to be back here on Tangerine-Planet a website I started in 2005! It's great to see Shaun Cottam a close freind of mine take the helm and still be involved after nearly six years and I hope that you will give the site a chance as you once did back in the day and heroically aiding me on to "that" team photo. Back in the years of Colin Hendry. An honour which I still proudly boast about today as one of my greatest personal achievements.

I've advised Shaun to bring back the former Tangerine-Tournament which raised money for the school of excellence at one time. However I insisted on one change, Lets choose a charity and raise money for them. The days of raising money as fans for the club needs to end. We are no longer a struggling football league club where things like signage, washer machines and ice machines need to be funded by the fans.

We are a Premier League club and the days of scrounging need to be put behind us and as a club, a community of fans so to speak we could make a real difference in our local community by supporting a charity. Ideally Brian House a charity so close to so many would be the choosen charity but of course thats all upto Shaun and of course you guys!

Blackpool and Villa share a point!

Thank god that our losing streak came to an end! The game of course had gained a massive interest thanks to the sensational spats between Gerard Houlier and Mr Holloway. However the hopes of a bare knuckle brawl between the pair disolved as they shook hands before kick off.

Ten minutes in it looked like Blackpool where heading for defeat after Agbonlahor scored.

But only four minutes later the game saw Elliot Grandin score with his head after another fantastic corner from Mr Charlie Adam. Now if Mr Houlier thinks any of his players are better then him after that; then i think he needs a trip to Parkwood! Adam's set pieces are amongst the best in this division and if he can improve his pace he will be one of the top five players in the league.

The second half should of seen us win, but Villa nearly scored again in the second half and had it not been for the crossbar then they probably would have. So for it was robably a fair result. But what do i know, I'm only an armchair fan right?

Not quite Pastagate but...

Remember when the club wanted rid of Colin Hendry? Every penny possible was removed from his grasp meaning his wife (Denise Hendry RIP) alegedly had to make up portions of pasta for the players and Colin had to buy his own water as the chairman refused to fund a prematch meal on an away trip.

Well Three years on and there I am, 18 years old giving it large and working for the club i've pretty much upto this point unmercfily dedicated my life to. I couldn't be happier, it was my dream job working alongside Stan Raby and under the watch of a man i idolised as a father figure; Karl Oyston.

Sounds great doesn't it? Well let's have a dose of reality. The ground staff finished for lunch at 12 Noon. We'd been pretty much at it, in all weathers since 8am (sometimes a bit later for me; in those days I had what you call a "rolling start" it's not industrywide and pretty much exclusive to me and in honesty was a bit of liberty taking which with hindsight i regret) So Noon comes and were nackered and dirty and want our lunch fair enough right?

Well the official staff lunch was at 1pm. A free lunch provided by the club for it's staff something which everyone was appreciative and grateful of. But this is where the problem started, as we finished earlier then them Stan quite rightly, so not to disrupt his department, arranged with the kitchen for me to have sandwiches that would be prepared for 12 noon. Simple yeah?

Well of course not this was Blackpool FC who at the time were again begging for money off the fans to put a sign on the stadium. A campaign which may i add started on Tangerine-Planet before been hijacked.

Anyway we now have me picking up Sandwiches at Noon and the staff going for lunch at 1pm when i would be back at work. But then yet another manager got involved and insisted that if i wanted a lunch provided i would have to go at 1pm. This then went on to disrupt the groundstaff as we worked an extra hour before lunch and meant i had to go sit in the sponsors lounge, with a bunch of people who looked down on me, filthy and sweaty.

The response to this was of course a negative one and i ended up having to eat my lunch with the cleaning staff in what is essentially a cupboard downstairs. Something I took as been disrespectful and offence to. Surely it would of been easier to just give me a bloody sandwich at noon!

But thats not the Blackpool FC way. I'm now serving three sports clubs across th Fylde Coast and almost always carry a packed lunch.

Until next time keep smiling and dont believe everything you read in the papers!