Did Harry Redknapp really bring on a fan as a substitute?

"Is there any truth in the story that Harry Redknapp once fielded a spectator during a West Ham game?" asks Terry Williams. "Legend has it that the Hammers were having a shocker and a fan was heckling them. Harry is then supposed to have turned round and said: 'If you think you can do any better, then prove it!'"

Incredibly, the legend is true, Terry. In 1994, Redknapp was assistant manager of West Ham and his side were playing Oxford City in a pre-season friendly when ... well, we'll let 'Arry take up the tale:

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"Lee Chapman was playing for us at the time," recounts Redknapp. "All through the first half some tattooed skinhead behind me was giving Lee terrible stick. At half-time I turned to this bloke who had West Ham etched on his neck and asked 'Can you play as good as you talk?' He looked totally confused. So I told him he was going to get his dream to play for West Ham. We sent him down the tunnel and he reappeared 10 minutes later all done out in the strip. He ran on to the pitch and a journalist from the local Oxford paper sidled up and asked 'Who's that Harry?' I said 'What? Haven't you been watching the World Cup? That's the great Bulgarian Tittyshev!' The fella wasn't bad - actually, he scored!"

The fella in question was a 27-year-old called Steve Davies who had given up park football six years earlier. The West Ham board were obviously impressed with Harry's idiosyncratic decision-making: they made him manager a month later.

Balls to the FA Cup

Last night's FA cup game between Macclesfield and Walsall saw a brilliant football prank. After 55 minutes, the game was stopped when about 30 footballs came flying over the back of one of the stands and onto the pitch, from outside the ground...

The crowd applauded, the referee looked confused, and the players looked a bit pissed off as they ran around the pitch hoofing the balls into the stands. As The Sun points out in this article, though: "Despite the extra balls no one could score and the match ended 0-0" ...shame.

Gulls announce new stadium plans

New Torquay United chairman Chris Roberts is in talks to move the club from Plainmoor to a new stadium at the Recreation Ground on Torquay seafront.

The move would involve relocating Torquay Athletic rugby club and Torquay cricket club, who are both based there.

"We're aiming to create a 21st century facility at the Rec," Roberts told the Gulls' website.

He added: "It's about what's best for the Bay as a whole. We must maximise the site's potential."

Roberts headed a consortium which bought the League Two club from previous owner Mike Bateson last month.

Torbay's mayor Nick Bye added: "He seems very enthusiastic, but we need to know more detail."

Stevie G

For the enjoyment of everybody

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SWzQn-FpEOU