‘Losing in front of your home crowd’; that’s the recent fate of Roy Keane who has been managing the Sunderland soccer team for the past 2 years. He has just stepped down without a push, dissatisfied with his own failure to maintain the initial team turnaround under his tenure.

Irish Times columnist Keith Duggan, writing in the sports pages of the newspaper last Saturday 6th December, reminds us of Keane’s place in Morrissey’s world (and I think hints at Morrissey’s place in his own!)…

…”Ten years ago, when Morrissey was singing Roy’s Keen on Top of the Pops, Keane was a marauding, suedehead midfielder who was at the epicentre of Ferguson’s empire and he was regularly portrayed as a half-wild Irishman in the British red tops – a character one step removed from the excesses of Punch magazine. In later years, they allowed that he might just be a smart lad after all but they could never fully come to terms with the fact he spoke and behaved in a way footballers never did before nor will do again…”

After describing some of this behaviour and popular reaction to it, Duggan concludes:
“Perhaps his last two years in football have taught Roy Keane the old truth; you can’t go home again...” Which has a ring of familiarity.

From True to you:

Inked magazine - a tattoo publication, ran a competition (open to USA / Canada residents) to find the best Smiths tattoo, the prize being a Smiths Singles Box Set.
Closing date was end of November and 14 people entered their tattoos.
They can be seen here

This is the correct track list for Years Of Refusal. I know, because I was at the office of Universal Music Sweden today (Friday) and got an exclusive listening of the album.

It seemed very odd that both All you need is me and That’s how people grow up is on there, but that was certainly the case. If I get the time I’ll submit my notes from the listening, just like I did with Ringleader.
Kindly
/ Martin Söderström, Stockholm.

Years Of Refusal:

1. Something Is Squeezing My Skull
2. Mama Lay Softly On The Riverbed
3. Black Cloud
4. I’m Throwing My Arms Around Paris
5. All You Need Is Me
6. When I Last Spoke To Carol
7. That’s How People Grow Up
8. One Day Goodbye Will Be Farewell
9. It’s Not Your Birthday Anymore
10. You Were Good In Your Time
11. Sorry Doesn’t Help
12. I’m OK By Myself

Hallo everyone from Italy.
A friend of mine who s a journalist this morning went to the offial listening of the new Morrissey album at the record company in Milan.
What he said is that the sound is more rock, lots of drums and sounds a bit Morriccone in some songs. He would give it a 7/10 and said it's good but not as the previouse ones

Here 's the official tracklist... [same as above]

See you all at the gigs.
Thanx to Marco

A journalist writes in Svenska Dagbladet (The Swedish Daily) about Years of Refusal after an pre-listening at the Universals office. The tracklist is [same as above]