Johnno Escapes Jail & The Other Yellow Fever

In an attempt to shake Mr Coldbrain from his lethargic coma I have joined the great ship Yellow Fever. I believe there's still room for more if you wanna jump aboard and grab an oar.

So my thoughts turned to the subject of my debut post. Shall I be serious and discuss the merits of signing an experienced, but match-rusty 35-year-old Estonian Keeper? No, that's been done to death elsewhere.

Shall I go all childish and mock the usually entertaining Ian Holloway for whinging that Plymouth is a long way from anywhere and bloody difficult place to travel to/from for evening kick-offs? While he conveniently forgets the lack of sympathy his fans showed when the beeb moved our quarter-final with the Pilgrims last year. No, I wont, I'll just quietly chuckle to myself.

Instead I'll draw your attention to the news that may have passed you by that Richard "Shooooot" Johnson has escaped an eight-month prison sentence in Australia for drink-driving. When this story first broke, it was pretty much assumed he'd be banged up for the offence and would have his contract cancelled, but it appears that he has promised to behave himself and will join up with the Wellington Phoenix, the New Zealand-based franchise of the Australian A-League, in time for the start of the new season.



Johnno has been plying his trade in Oz since the A-league's conception in 2005. First for Newcastle, then the now defunct New Zealand Knights, who were captained last year by Darren Bazeley of all people! The Knights had their franchise removed for financial irregularities last year, and the Phoenix have risen from those ashes. Geddit?

Interestingly the newly formed supporters group for Wellington Phoenix is called Yellow Fever. Why this has been chosen, given the team play in black and white, is unclear. Maybe they thought the path was clear given the recent dearth of posts? Whatever the reason, given their Hornets connections, and the fact they are likely to finish rock-bottom of the league (we all love an underdog, right?) I think we should adopt The Phoenix as our own. Maybe I'll keep you updated of their progress during the season (as long as Coldbrain's apathy isn't contagious).