Don't be mean about this, it's very close to my heart. Bryan Gunn is a bit of a local hero in Norwich and, touch wood, looks like leading the Canaries to safety in the Championship after a truly ordinary and potentially disastrous run.
So this tee is pretty appropriate really, a Shepard Fairey-style treatment of Bryan Gunn. As fitting as Darren Huckerby's declaration that California is 'like the Norfolk of the USA', I'm prepared to say that Bryan Gunn is Norwich's answer to Barack Obama. There, I've said it. Now buy the t-shirt.
Get this in t-shirt or trucker cap form from teetude's Cafe Press shop here.
I've only just got on board with the word 'heart' instead of 'love', but I'm warming to it. It was off to a bad start with the very dubious film I Heart Huckabees which, apart from sucking, had nothing to do with then-Norwich City and now San Jose Earthquakes winger Darren Huckerby. The rookie of the year, don't you know. At 32.
Anyway this is a cool T-Shirt and a twist of the I Heart NY thing. I quite like the I Heart Hackney stuff you see around but, although I live in Hackney, I don't especially heart it. I heart Broadway Market, but I couldn't get that on a T-Shirt in a suitable style.
Anyway, this is available at a knock-down €11 from La Fraise. And no, I don't know what the deal is with the dog.
I'm pretty sure that when foreign sports stars come over here, our local news is as condescending as anywhere in the world. It just seems that Americans are so much more natural atbeing ill-informed and patronising.
'English legend' Darren Huckerby (who I believe may have slain dragons) got the full treatment following his signing for San Jose Earthquakes. Apart from not knowing how to pronounce his name, the presenter on Kron managed to refer to Huckerby's former club Norwich City as 'the Norfork (sic) club', who are apparently based in the North East of England.
The interviewer went on to listen to pretty much nothing Huckerby said, even ignoring his intial mention of David Beckham (he was in the team when Hucks scored a superb goal for Coventry about ten years ago at Old Trafford, which he discusses with the presenter while a goal for Norwich against Birmingham from 2 season ago is shown). When asked about his own 'WAG', Hucks pulled some comedy gold out of the bag by declaring his wife as 'too old' to be a pop star. It never stopped Cher, Darren.
As I say, it's easy to poke fun at the Yanks and in particular their horrendous interpretation of football coverage and culture. It wasn't all that long ago, though, that I remember Wigan Athletic pulled off a major transfer coup by signing three Spaniards.
Isidro Diaz, Jesus Seba and now Swansea City manager Roberto Martinez were the men, and Granada Tonight celebrated by togging them up in their Latics kits, taking them to Wigan town centre and feeding them pies. While referring to them as 'The Three Amigos'. It's the sort of preposterous stereotyping often seen in the work of BBC's Football Focus, and particularly Garth Crooks. Who I think would do very well reporting on the MLS. Where I can't see him.
