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November Profile:
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Mark McCleary
- of Rubery
Social FC |
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Name: 'Rt Hon' Mark McCleary
Age: 28
Club: Rubery Social
Position at club: Manager/Secretary/Treasurer
(Although I do get much appreciated help in all
departments)
Tell us a bit about yourself: I've been
married to my lovely wife Helen since Aug 2007. I have a
9 year old son, Jay, from a previous relationship, and a
little 4 week old girl called Miley. I am a Senior
Project Co-ordinator at a petroleum engineering company.
We own our own house and all things considered i'd say
i'm a pretty lucky man to have what I have and the only
thing i'd change is i'd have won the lottery by now.
Where will your team finish in the league and
why: I think we can realistically aim
for promotion this season if we retain our current form.
We had a bad game against Cofton and rightly deserved to
lose - but 100% apart from that. We have goals
throughout the squad and I'd bet on us scoring in every
game. This division looks like being very tight this
year with 3 or 4 teams capable of winning it but any
team can take points from any other on their day. I'd
say Ladybird will take some stopping but whoever wins it
will need that bit of luck when it comes to injuries
Who is your clubs joker: We dont have
any, a right bunch of boring, boring men!!! Dean Crook
and Marcus George are always there or thereabouts and
their renditions of 'A Good thing going' by Sid Owen
(Ricky Butcher) are something else. We generally have a
good atmosphere throughout the squad and plenty of
banter.
Biggest disappointment in football:
Many cup final defeats and runners up league spots as a
kid but most recently was losing to Sugarbrook in the
Semi Final of the Centenary Cup last season. We were 3-1
up with 6 minutes left and I changed the back line -
although the player that came on didnt make any errors,
it unsettled the team, Sugarbrook equalized in the 93rd
minute and we ended up losing on penalties. It would
have been great to get to a final in our first season
but for rookie management decisions!
Biggest success in football: I was
captain of Longbridge Sports and Social when we won 5
trophies in two seasons in the Redditch League back in
the early 00's. As a wee 19 yr old. Hopefully I'll top
it over the coming seasons
Ever been sent off: Never been sent off
and only booked once when I turned out for Gannow (who
would become Woodbourne Sports) in an afternoon KO after
having a 'few' pints beforehand. Not a good idea!!
Who do you support: The Mighty Aston
Villa.
What's the worst piece of advice you've ever
been given in life: My dad telling me to follow
his lead and support Small Heath Alliance - and trying
to bribe me buying me shirts and god knows what
else etc. I could not be enticed to the dark side. As
the song goes 'My Old Man said be a city fan, and I said
******
Describe yourself in three words: Pain
in Arse!! lol. I'd like to think of myself as Dedicated,
Loyal & Funny.
Tell us something about yourself that only you
know: But then I wouldnt be the only one that
knew - and I cant share something with you lot that my
wife doesnt even know! Not many people know I can play
the violin, not touched one in about 15 years but was
quite good as a nipper.
What type of music do you like: Oasis,
Killers, Kasabian, Kings of Leon. Cant stand this fast
beat banging crap you hear nowadays, It need to have a
beat slower than I can count - maybe its my age.
Favourite Restaurant: Town house in
Solihull - but Nandos runs it a close second.
Favourite hobby apart from football:
Poker. Been known to win quite a bit online, then can
pretty much bank on losing it over the next couple of
days.
Whats your mobile phone ringtone: I
have a Blackberry so very limited, its a standard,
boring 'Ring Ring'.
Give us a good website to log onto: A
Clean one? erm....got to be
www.clubwebsite.co.uk/ruberysocial
Whats the most daring thing you've ever done:
I'd like to say jumped out of a plane or something but I
live a sheltered life. Probably getting a Tattoo when I
was 15 - didnt go down well with the folks at all, so I
went out and got another 3 days after with my Moms name
on and all was forgiven.
Why do you like the Bromsgrove League:
I think its a pretty well ran league and so far all the
other managers/secretarys i've encountered are decent
people. We never have to travel too far for an way game
like if we were in Kiddy or Redditch leagues. The only
downside is I wish there were more teams in all
divisions (we're working on that - Gen Sec).
Worst pitch you've ever seen in Sunday morning
football; Got to be our pitch last season at
Rubery Rec. There were pot holes everywhere, it sloped
in about 4 different directions, held water more than a
bath, was always covered in Dog muck and broken Glass -
and Bromsgrove Council wanted almost £700 to play on it!
What would you do to improve Sunday morning
football: I think the FA could assist in
improving grass roots facilities and standards of
pitches, either privately or through local councils. To
pay the large sums for hiring council pitches then being
expected to maintain them yourselves is a joke really. I
think it would be very realistic for the FA to provide a
batch of pitches for teams with changing facilities,
such as DLC and Greenlands and be able to hire them out
for reasonable fees to cover maintainance only, and not
profit. When you consider a pitch and a ref can cost
some clubs close to £100 a game, its incredible many
more dont fold.
Whats the funniest thing you've seen on a
football field: A teamate got sent off many
years ago and was told to leave the pitch area. We were
playing Studley and the pitch was a good walk from the
changing rooms (locked) across a main road and there was
nowhere for the player to go. The ref had a look around
contemplating his next move, and decided to send him to
the Oak Tree just behind the goal. Its still a running
joke now, you mess around or make a bad joke - you're
sent to the oak tree!
I also remember our goalkeeper taking a goal kick in
seriously bad winds, then having to tip the ball over
the bar for a corner when it came back at him!!
Who should be England's Number 1 keeper:
Ben Foster if he was getting the games for Man Utd. With
how poor Portsmouths defence is, I think David James is
getting the most practice so I'd go with him for 2010.
Capello or Sven: Cappello
Wenger or Ferguson: Both annoy the hell
out of me but if forced to choose I'd say Wenger
Hanson or Lawrenson: Gotta be Hansen, I
cant stand that smug look Lawro always has on his face!
Stubbs or Keys: Stubbs, LEDGE!
Facebook or Twitter: Facebook
X Factor or Strictly Come Dancing: X
Factor |
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