Holy Grail

What's yours? CP Company 1500 Mille Miglia? Stone Island snowflake? Berghaus Ice cap? Mine is not as highly rated, and certainly not in the same circles, as these (although in my opinion it's still a decent bit of retro kit - literally)... Hartlepool United's home shirt from 1995-1997.

I'll explain. Yes I despise the replica shirt wearing masses, paying 40 odd quid to corporates, in order to wander round wearing their clubs colours, complete another corporate's logo on the front. Stupidity. However this shirt is special to me. My first ever match at Pools saw us take to the pitch in this classy affair. Wigan Athletic, complete with their 'Three Amigos' Spanish contingent (Martinez, Seba and one other?), were the opposition back in 1996 and heading on to better things.

Truth be told I don't remember much about the match. I was a timid and frightened youth in awe of what was happing around me on the terrace. Loud mouthed skinheads in Crombie jackets smoking their roll ups, cloth capped granddad's showing disgust and derision at any Pools move good or bad, intoxicated and inebriated burly lads singing their love about the club who's town couldn't even offer them a decent upbringing, schooling or employment. And plenty of young lads like myself shatting their pants at the above.

It was a draw. Wigan scored on the 89th to lead, Pools equalised 90th to send me bumping back and forth, ebbing and flowing with the Town End tide of joy. Mark Cooper smashed a long range drive onto the bar as the ref was blowing for full time. Oooh. I'd seen enough and knew I wanted the shirt...

It's taken some sourcing via CFS.com but I finally got my grail. To be honest it's never going to get worn, but as I approach thirty with my second born due any day soon, and as I become nostalgic for my childhood years (1990NiceOne) it was a purchase just as necessary as yet another bit of vintage Osti or Ralph shirting.

Peter O`Toole Illustrations

Love this guys stuff. First became aware of his work (like many in my circle) through Casual Connoisseur, with Huddersfield based pensmith arting up their tees and sweats - I thought that Bill Murray one was fantastic. Anyway just been killing time floating on the web and brushed over (see what I did there?) his website and thought I'd share a couple of his prints. Many more high class bits and pieces at www.peter-otoole.co.uk

ACM A Casual Man

A man who enjoys the finer things in life - clothes, ale, photography and film. He's been blogging for a year less than Good Northern but is doing it with more class and style than me unfortunately. Can't begrudge though because it's a fine site. Visit www.acasualman.blogspot.co.uk

Californication

Not a fan of trainers these days. My apathy stems from the thousands of poorly knocked up adidas reissues exclusive to JD - Irn Bru coloured Trimms for fucks sakes.

But this pair of kicks made me sit up and take notice. Summer on your feet, blue skies and long warm evenings - Puma Calis in a rather spiffing and refreshing electric blue. They're a strange trainer mind, as they, along with their cousins G.Vilas, are cool as cucumbers when viewed from the out step but have a proper messy abortion of an instep. 

Still, they're cool as fuck for the summer months.

Orient For A Fiver

It's strange but I look back fondly on Hartlepool's meagre existence during the mid 90s - financial turmoil, boadroom squabbles, management changes, substandard non contract / non league loan players and dwindling crowds. It seemed real. That was real football to me. It was real enough at many other football clubs too, non more so than (old) 2nd division Leyton Orient in 1994.

The debt ridden club was put up for sale, with the chairman jokingly stating that he'd expect a fiver for them. It was a press wet dream and a channel 4 camera crew were dispatched to Brisbane Road to film a fly on the wall documentary. Centred around the O's joint management team of John Sitton and future Pools boss Chris Turner, it was the sweary Sitton that stole the scenes (but not hearts) and became a cult hero.

Having played for Chelsea and Millwall during the 80s he had a reputation as an uncompromising hard man. This was something, and indeed the only thing, he put into his management technique, as tactics and guise were overlooked for fucking sweary fucking angry fucking teamfuckingtalks.

After a few halftime hairdryer tirades (that would make Alex Ferguson cry) come and go to no avail, his club are bottom of the league with injuries and suspension ruining his squad and his future in the balance, his key moment came at half time one nil down to Blackpool. And unusually calm Sitton starts off his team talk by giving fans favourite Terry Howard a fortnights notice. He sacks his best player. 45 minutes in.

And either fearing a backlash from the rest of the squad or a blind determination to show he's numero uno he utters the following line -
''You, you little cunt, when I tell you to do something, do it, and you, you big cunt, when I tell you to do something, you fucking well do it.
And if you come back at me, we'll have a right fucking sort out in here. And you can fucking pair up if you like. You can even get someone to fucking help if you like. And you can bring your fucking dinner. Cos by the time I'm through with you you'll fucking need it''.

His words don't have the desired effect and with new owners wishing to make 'wholesale' changes Sitton and Turner (and Howard bless him) duly lose their jobs. Sitton was banned from visiting Brisbane Road and Orient's training ground, and had over 60 Football League jobs applications rejected and briefly managed non league Leyton FC. He claimed he was 'deeply embarrassed' by the way he was portrayed in the documentary and said he missed the game 'that had turned its back on him'. He went on to drive a black cab.