THE BRICK IS BACK !!

Overnight tv video evidence has confirmed that our street`s fleet footed wideman, Scott Wagstaff, did indeed score a breathtakingly sublime 25-yard volley into the top corner to notch Charlton`s second goal in their 3-0 win against Bournemouth yesterday.   But what was equally impressive was his goal celebration which saw the much heralded return of `The Brick.`

This extraordinary contortion was first used by Wagstaff after he scored against Yeovil in a game last season and it consists of standing still, then falling flat on your back and remaining motionless until your teammates converge upon you.   This inventive celebration resulted in Wagstaff making a guest apperance on Talksport`s Hawksbee and Jacobs radio show in order to explain what it was all about.  Here`s a clip of the Yeovil brick:-

Now, a few short years ago, during Waggy`s formative years, my neighbour Mr. Slightly and I offered our services to become his joint agents.   I expect he now regrets snubbing our proposal, which would have ensured a much wider application of The Brick and all it represents.   Even back then we saw it as a marketing commodity with enormous economic potential.   We would have seen to it that Waggy and his brick would have been patented world wide so it could only be used on licence;  we would have arranged nationwide televised bricking competitions and marketed a whole range of products including remote controlled bricking gnomes, board games and BrickFit exercise DVDs.

The potential is still clearly enormous but we doubt that the new contract he has just penned with Charlton makes any mention of bricking rights.   That`ll teach him to snub our advances.   Incidentally, I have often wondered how you `pen` a contract.   Is it possible to conjugate the verb `to pen?`   Knowing Waggy, however, it`s more likely that he used a biro, so he`s probably `biroed` his new brick image rights lacking contract. 

Good goal though.  To be fair.

ALL IS REVEALED...

The mystery surrounding Scott Wagstaff`s mesmerising goal celebration after he netted the winner for Charlton against Sheffield Wednesday last Saturday, is a mystery no more.

A guest appearance on the Talksport radio programme yesterday afternoon gave Scott the opportunity to clarify what lay behind his antics, all of which is revealed in this clip from the Talksport show:-

http://www.talksport.co.uk/radio/hawksbee-and-jacobs/blog/2010-11-01/wagstaff-i-enjoyed-celebrating-doing-brick

Those of us who dwell in the sleepy hamlet we share with Scott and his family and especially those of us who also dwell in the obscure fog of yesteryear, are still none the wiser.  To be fair.

IF ONLY..

I make no apology for focussing once more on the rise and rise of our street`s gay icon pacy flanker Scott ("Buzzin") Wagstaff, for once more he has lifted the autumnal gloom, this time by netting the winning goal in Charlton`s televised encounter away at MK Dons last evening.

Following a particularly depressing episode of Emmerdale Farm and an even more angst ridden EastEnders, it was indeed a relief to switch over to Sky Sports and watch this Johnstones Paint Trophy Southern Area Round Two encounter played out in front of just over 3,000 hardy souls in Milton Keynes, the Gorky of Buckinghamshire. As to the game itself and pacy flanker`s contribution, I can perhaps do no better than repeat the remarks made this morning by my good friend and neighbour Hurting Even More Than Ever of Leybourne, who said this in a comment on the next article down from this one:-

"And gay icon six pack buzzin` Waggy has just lifted the Tuesday night gloom with yet another goal and post match interview. Parky (Charlton`s manager Phil Parkinson) describes him as one of the best athletes he`s ever worked with. So, Parky, keep him in the side. He`ll keep improving. All gay icon needs now is a decent agent. Oh, how he must regret turning down Snopper and Slightly."

Waggy`s career is clearly on an upward path and he`s now Charlton`s top scorer with five goals from nine starts. He is developing into every manager`s dream of an archetypal player. He has a good engine, gets from box to box, has an eye for a pass, gets wide, tracks back, gets to the byeline, takes on defenders and has now added the goalscoring touch to his burgeoning repertoire. And we`re all very happy for him and his engaging family.

So it`s all very positive on the playing front but Slightly (who has morphed into HEMTEoL following the Gills` descent into serial abject failure) does have a point concerning Waggy`s off-field activities. If only he had taken up the offer that Slightly and I made a season or so ago to become his joint agents, he would now be in the comforting care of two men of the world, men of substance who have been there, done it and lived to tell the tale - the SAS of football agency. We would have ensured that, as Wayne Rooney`s star is on the wane, Waggy`s recent rise would see him well placed to take Rooney`s mantle as a worldwide icon, rather than one who is recognised only in the back streets of south east London or the sylvan lanes of the Garden of England. TV appearances, product endorsements, book deals, even an end to tongue-in-cheek ironic name tags - all this and more could have been his. If only. But there it is. Life, like football, is a game of two halves, a marathon not a sprint and at the end of the day it may be time for Slightly and me to draw a line in the sand and move on from the rejection we suffered all those months ago when Waggy turned us down. But we know it could all have been so very different. To be fair.

MUSIC TO MY EARS ??

A little buzzin` music

My action shot photo, courtesy of Charlton Athletic`s website, shows a touching embrace between local hero Scott Wagstaff and a team mate, following Waggy`s goal against Oldham Athletic last Saturday. But this item is not about Scott`s burgeoning footballing prowess but more to do with the singular honour granted to him by his club and the way he went about accepting it. It is, indeed, a telling story and one he will look back on as almost a rite of passage as his career continues to blossom. Or maybe not.

Following on his recent successes, gay icon pacy flanker Scott ( "Buzzin` Sixpack") Wagstaff had been selected by the club to choose five pieces of `music` to be played before the assembling crowd as part of their pre-match entertainment before the Oldham game. It seems that his taste in music is a mirror image of his pacy flanking, for he included the well known combo, Yolanda Be Cool vs D Cup, and another outfit called Outkast as well as claiming to be able to recite the Lil Wayne rap featured in one of his selections.

Now if, like me, the above represents something of a foreign language, then it becomes clear that Waggy`s selections might have been intended to impress his growing army of buzzin` sixpack admirers rather than the eclectic gathering massed on the terraces of The Valley. A while back, my good friend Hurting Slightly less of Leybourne and I offered our services to become the pacy flanker`s joint agents - an offer which was refused with a polite but dismissive snigger. However, had we been in charge of his affairs on this occasion, there`s no doubt we would have advised him to carry out some meaningful consultation with friends and especially neighbours before drawing up his `playlist.`

Our street has an interesting mix of characters and ages and one could say that it is as representative in its musical tastes as any Saturday afternoon football terrace is ever likely to be. I`m sure there are those who might just know their Outkast from their Yolanda Be Cool vs D Cup but there are also others who are tuned in to Barry Manilow, the Carpenters, Turk Thrust and his Ballroom Syncopators, the Bonzo Dog Doo-dah Band and even the works of the sainted Wolgang Amadeus. From those and others like them, a balanced selection could have emerged and Waggy`s musical reputation could have been rescued from the cul-de-sac into which it has irrevocably descended.

But all may not be lost as I will get my ghetto blaster to direct the sound of the Adagietto from Mahler`s 5th into Wagstaff`s nearby window. That`ll teach him.

JUST LIKE WATCHING BRAZIL..

Watched the Leyton Orient-Charlton game on Sky last night partly because Saints play Orient next Saturday (my ticket arrived just now) and partly because our street`s local hero, Scott Wagstaff, was playing for Charlton. Here he is pictured celebrating his goal which effectively sealed Charlton`s 3-1 win, despite being down to 10 men following Christian Dailly`s second half dismissal.

Now we all know that football`s a funny old game and last night went a long way to lift my spirits following the untimely death of Saints` saviour Markus Liebherr and the resulting postponement of today`s game at Milton Keynes. I`ve mentioned before that Scott has been with Charlton for 12 years now and still he`s only just 20 and throughout that time he has developed through the youth teams, the reserves until now it seems that he has finally cemented his place in the first eleven. There might have been a few uncertainties among the Charlton faithful about Scott but surely last night`s performance has finally put paid to all that. His goal was quite stunning and the way he laid on the third goal in added time for his good friend Chris Solly was reminiscent of watching Brazil. Or even Saints. To be fair.

What was especially nice was that his family were at Brisbane Road last night to see Scott win the man of the match champagne from Sky tv and put in a performance and a post match interview that must have made them very proud indeed. Some of that pride has rubbed off on to the rest of our street this morning and, even as a Saints supporter, I can`t hide my real and genuine pleasure at seeing Scott doing so brilliantly in a Charlton shirt. Saints are currently a bit short in the pacy flanker department following Michael Antonio`s return to Reading. Maybe Saints` manager Alan Pardew, who knows Scott from his time as Charlton manager, might just make him an offer he can`t refuse? Hang on - there` a pig flying over my roof.

DANCING IN THE STREET...

We`re dancing in our street this morning as near neighbour Scott Wagstaff has scored his first senior goal for Charlton in their 2-0 win over Walsall yesterday. He has been with Charlton since he was about nine years old and has risen through their Academy, youth team and reserves until finally, at just 19, getting his chance in the first team.

Yesterday, he came on as a substitute in the second half and scored after just four minutes of being on the pitch. He outpaced the Walsall defence to latch on to a through ball before scoring in the left hand corner of the net with a measured finish that left the visiting custodian beaten despite a despairing dive to prevent the goal.

This morning, the Wagstaff household and most of their neighbours - even those like me who follow the fortunes of a different team - are playing re-runs of the recorded moment when Scott scored and snapping up the Sunday newspapers to see what they have had to say (the report in the Mail on Sunday is especially complimentary and includes a nice photo of Scott`s magic moment.) We are all so pleased for him and his family and hope that he will now gain confidence and go on to a long and happy career in a difficult and testing profession. Just hope he doesn`t score against the Saints or there will be trouble.

SEEING THE WORLD

My picture shows local hero Scott Wagstaff being unceremoniously `tackled` by Southampton`s Jack Saville in a recent encounter between the Saints and Charlton, for whom Scott plays. Scott lives just a few doors down the road from us so it`s natural that not only his family but also the entire street are following his progress as he seeks to make his way in the uncompromising world of professional football.

And this week has been a difficult one for him....and it ain`t going to get a whole lot better. On Tuesday evening, Charlton made the long trip to Hereford to play in a Carling Cup First Round tie. Sadly for them, Charlton lost 1-0 in extra time, which I imagine gave rise to a long time in the Edgar Street dressing room after the game as Charlton manager Phil Parkinson carried out his post mortem. I`m told Scott eventually made it back home here at 4.20am on Wednesday morning. Wednesday was a day off, but he was back training yesterday and this morning boarded the coach with his team mates for the even longer journey to Hartlepool, who they play in a League One fixture tomorrow. I shudder to think what time they will get back from there but I`m sure we will be well into Sunday.

So it`s not easy being a young man in a fiercely competitive profession, especially in the `lower leagues,` where the excesses of wealth, fame and fortune of the Premiership must seem like a distant dream. The Premiership starts again tomorrow and I am going to make a determined effort to avoid it. There is so much of it which is distasteful. Not just the greed, the exceesses and the arrogance, but also the fact that there are far too many foreign mercenaries turning out for teams and that there are still `personalities` like Ferguson, Alladyce and `Arry Redknapp behaving as if they were at all important. Sky`s coverage continues to be graced by the awful Andy Gray, whose main contribution appears to be "I have to say," when all the time he doesn`t have to at all.

I`m more convinced than ever that `proper` football is played in the lower leagues, where ambition, effort and determination are tempered by moderate rewards. Maybe Scott is better off plying his trade at Hereford, Hartlepool and other provincial outposts. At least he`ll enjoy his football and see something of the world......even if it is Hartlepool.

O FORTUNA...

On a day when, once again, the business of professional football has come in for justifiable criticism, it`s timely to reflect on the chasms which exist between the established players and those making their way in the game.

Players these days seem to fall into one of three or four quite distinctive categories. The superstars playing for the top teams in the Premiership - Roanldo, Terry, Fabregas, Gerrard, all `earning` £100,000 a week or more. The `bad boys,` also receiving sums out of all proportion to the value of their characteristics - Barton, Bowyer and today`s villain of the piece David Norris. Then the legions of journeymen, many with limited talents, some with greater potential but by and large honest professionals who form the backbone of many a club up and down the land. A prime example is Rory Delap, once of Carlisle, once of Derby and once of Southampton, who paid a club record fee of £4million to secure his services. He now plies his trade for Stoke City, back in the big time and good luck to him, for he was in many ways a model professional for Saints, doing his job, keeping his counsel and leaving on good terms.

And then there are the youngsters, trying to make their way in an ultra competitive industry, where the margins between success and failure, between riches and poverty, between adoration and indifference are so small and can quite easily rest on fortune - injury, form, the manager`s opinion. One such youngster is 18 years old Scott Wagstaff (pictured above,) whose supportive family live just a few doors down the road from me. He has been with Charlton Athletic since the age of eight and has matured through their academy and youth teams, where he captained the under-18s in a compelling FA Youth Cup run last season. Since then, he has played for the club`s reserves and made a handful of appearances for the first team.

He recently had a month long loan spell at Bournemouth, where he not only enjoyed the experience of regular first team football, but also the experience of living away from home for the first time. A change of manager at Dean Court saw Scott return to Charlton, but he has now gone on another loan deal for a month at Northwich Victoria in the depths of Cheshire and the relative seclusion of the Blue Square Conference. A learning experience if ever there was one. But we all have to go through it - testing times in strange surroundings and I`m sure Scott will emerge stronger, wiser and more ready to compete in the scamble that is his chosen profession, which is not always about abundant fame and untold riches. It`s quite often about hard graft, dedication, sacrifice and the whim of fortune, which I hope will smile kindly on a young man making his way in the world.

SCOTTY BEAMED UP...

This is 18 year-old Scott Wagstaff. He, his Mum and Dad, his brothers and sister live just a few doors down from me. A delightful family, good friends and the success that young Scott is enjoying could not happen to a nicer young man or a nicer family.

So all of us who live in this quiet backwater in Kent, whatever our football loyalties might be, will be sending Scott our very best wishes today, as it`s probable that he will be making his first team debut for Charlton Athletic in their away match at Barnsley`s Oakwell ground.

Scott has been with Charlton for ten years, coming up through the ranks of their youth teams. This year, he captained the under-18 team to the FA Youth Cup quarter final. He has been a regular for Charlton`s reserve team and has been included in a few first team squads. Now that Charlton have missed out on their play-off aspirations, manager Alan Pardew is likely to give one or two of his fledgling stars a taste of first team action and it is believed that Scott will make his debut this afternoon - an event that will be celebrated here in our quiet cul-de-sac as much, if not more, than anywhere else where Charlton fans may be following their team`s progress.

Good luck, Scotty. We`re all proud of you.

ROBINS REVISITED....

It was all of 50 years ago when I used to go to Charlton Athletic`s Valley ground to watch games like the one pictured above, which shows legendary goalkeeper Sam Bartram and centre-half Derek Ufton combining to rebuff a challenge from Wolves` Roy Swinburne. (Click on photo for larger image.)

My uncle and aunt had a pub at Kidbrooke (the `Dover Patrol`) and my parents and I lived there for a while - in between moving from the shores of Southampton Water to the Garden of England - so that my parents could learn the ropes of the pub trade themselves.

They were great days for Charlton who had huge crowds to watch their home matches in the old First Division. I still recall the names of some of the players of that era - Billy Kiernan, Jock Campbell, Gordon Hurst, Benny Fenton and a number of South African players such as John Hewie, Stuart Leary, Sid O`Linn, Eddie Firmani.

Twenty years on and I went back to the Valley to see Maidstone United play an FA Cup third round tie, which ended 1-1, I think, but was memorable for the fact that two of Charlton` players - Derek Hales and Mike Flanagan - were both sent off for fighting each other!

(Scott Wagstaff)

Now, in the street where I live - just a few doors down the road - there is a charming and athletic family, whose middle son just happens to be the captain of Charlton`s Under-18 team. Scott Wagstaff has recently been awarded his first professional contract with Charlton and us locals are all very pleased for him and his family. There`s the old saying `it couldn`t happen to nicer people` but it`s absolutely true in this case.

Moreover, years ago I helped form Larkfield Boys Football Club (see http://www.larkfieldfc.com/about_us_larkfield_football_club.htm) and perhaps the star player to emerge from those grass roots days was Damien Matthew, who went on to play for Chelsea, Burnley and Northampton before injury cut short his playing career. Nowadays, Damien is the coach of Charlton`s Under-18 team, which Scott captains, so there`s a lot of `personal` interest for me in following their fortunes.

(Damien Matthew)

So, on Tuesday evening I eschewed the chance to see Southampton`s home game against Plymouth and for the first time in 30 years or so went along to the Valley with friends and neighbours from our street to watch Damien and Scott`s team play Swindon Town in the fifth round of the FA Youth Cup. Scott scored twice in an impressive 5-1 win which puts Charlton into the quarter final next Wednesday, when they will meet Sunderland.

It`s good to see local boys making good and I suspect I had a more entertaining evening than was evident at St. Mary`s, where Saints lost at home for the eighth time this season as the crises deepen throughout my once proud club. But at the end of the day, that`s football.