PAS Poll 2005

Enough of the waiting, here's the results from the big "End of Year" PAS poll - thanks to all who submitted entries (and there were lots of you), and those that didn't, consider yourselves told what was good and bad last year! Special thanks to those that added comments (oooh, the wit & bile!) - you remain anonymous.... Cheers, Pab

Top Five Singles

"I Bet You Look Good On The Dancefloor" - Arctic Monkeys ("cos they're 19 and well fit and play guitar like Ian Curtis used to way up high on the chest and the singer has nice arms..")
"Gold Digger" - Kanye West
"1 Thing" - Amerie
"Dare" - Gorillaz
"Juicebox" - The Strokes

Honourable mentions :

"Black & White Town" - Doves (Martha & The Vandellas' "Heatwave", re-imagined through a haze of dope smoke in an Ardwick lockup.")
"Apply Some Pressure" - Maximo Park
"Welcome To Jamrock" - Damian Marley ("Out in the streets, they call it MUUUURRRRRDERRRRR!!!!")
"Can I Have It Like That" - Pharrell

Top Five Albums

"Funeral" - The Arcade Fire
"Stars Of CCTV" - Hard-Fi
"The Magic Numbers" - The Magic Numbers
"Some Cities" - Doves
"Late Registration" - Kanye West

Honourable mentions :

"Tales From Turnpike House" - St Etienne
"A Certain Trigger" - Maximo Park
"Careless Love" - Madeleine Peyroux ("grown up? Yes, but faultless and not self-consciously tasteful like all the young jazzers/singer/songwriters with the irritataing voices. Best ever Leonard Cohen cover too..")
"You Could Have it So Much Better" - Franz Ferdinand
"Demon Days" - Gorillaz

Best Films

"Dig" ("madness and sunglasses..")
"Sideways" ("we like wine!")
"Crash"
"Napoleon Dynamite" ("Tina, come get some ham!")
"Batman Begins"

Worst Films

"Green Street"
"Pallindrones"
"Mr & Mrs Smith"
"40 Year Old Virgin"
"Robots"

Top Players

Wayne Roooooooooooney - "goes by the name...."
David Healey
Roy Keane - "Senegal dis, Senegal dat. Why don't you f**k off and play for Senegal..... Legend"
"Oomph" Scotty Parker!
Pascal Chimbonda - "gloves in August and big 'tood!"

Worst Players

Alexander Rodic - "(exactly!) Spent the whole Man City v Pompey match moaning to a City supporter about how I couldn't believe there was a professional footballer that much worse than Jason Roberts."
Harry Kewell - "his "Little Mi" hair"
Gary Blackburne
Rio Ferdinand - "the embodiment of all that is wrong with football"
Robbie Savage - "a dirty get who's found his true home in a team full of dirty gets, managed by a dirty get."

Best Football Moment

"The greatest comeback since Lazarus. Amongst an evening of titanic moments, I reserve a special place for the following; Shevchenko blowing his pen after slagging us off the week before the game, Smicer's goal (none more deserving), and the words "Djimi Traore, Champions League Medal Winner". Also noteworthy was the complete obliteration of the bluenoses' only real achievement in twenty years, and Red Issue spitting their dummy out the next day - suck it up, lads."
"Healy 74 minutes, 7/9/2005 Windsor Park Belfast ( a sad indictment of all things MUFC when Norn Iron gave me most pleasure this year )"
"Watching a Wigan Player throw a giant inflatable ball into live-play just for a laugh, good sportsmanship."
"Discovering the joys of PAS..."
"Keane sorting out Viera in the Highbury tunnel/ Keane sorting out united on MUTV..... "

Worst Football Moment

"Last minute penalty miss against Middlesbrough to cost us (Man Citeh) Europe..."
"Glazerbowl"
"Losing to the Arse on peno's after spanking them for 120 minutes. I would have said the bin dippers winning the big cup after playing some incredibly boring football and being pummelled for 120 minutes by Milan, but that was the worst moment of my life.."
"Not going 50 games unbeaten"
"picking a forward for England "because he is tall", what next fat goalies?"

Best Gig

The Magic Numbers at The Spring & Airbrake, Belfast - "They just looked so grateful to a very appreciative crowd. Big smiles all round..."
The Earlies Queen Elizabeth Hall 25th February 2005
Gorillaz @ Opera House, MCR
Babyshambles @ The Garage
System Of A Down @ Brixton Academy

Worst Gig

The Guillemots @ The Borderline Dec 05 - "I just don't get it.."
Ian Brown at The Ulster Hall, Belfast - "Sound gripes, humpy Monkey, spides in the crowd, bottles on the stage, only 2/3rds of a set, flat vocals. And it all started so promisingly with a Bestie tribute"
Mylo - "halloween night, full of students in fancy dress, almost got pickpocketed, couldn't concentrate on the music - bar the two guys dressed in huge pepparami outfits, the night was a total disaster.."
Eminem - "cos he cancelled and cited Exhaustion. Fcuking lightweight"
U2, city of manchester stadium - "multi millionaire St Bono preaches at people who have shelled out 50 quid..."

2005 Rocked 'Cos

"I got to go to the Big Apple for the first time.."
"I married my sweetheart..."
"I met the girl of my dreams..."
The re-emergence of The Green & White Army. Pride, passion and belief. A superb repertoire of songs and displayed in full, colourful volume when we out-sung the English at Old Trafford. " we used to be shite, but now we are alright ... walking in a Windsor wonderland " and the now infamous " we're not Brazil, we're Northern Ireland "
"Brighton got Falmer, and we won't have to get wet in the Withdean away enclosure any more... and 40 turned out not to be so bad..."
"I got the job of my dreams...."
"weddings, weddings and more weddings!"

And here are 'El Presidentes' selections!

Top Five Singles

"You Can't Fool Me Dennis (Justice Remix)" - The Mystery Jets: Quirky English pop at it's best with a sprinkling on French flair to top it off. Magnifique!
"Biology" - Girls Aloud: As much as I'd like to corrode Louie Walsh in a vat of acid, he got it spot on here with these girls. yes, it's three songs in one and yes, it's got no chorus - that's why it's genius!
"Fake Tales Of San Francisco" - Arctic Monkeys: The fact I actually got a copy of this (thanks Laura @ Piccadilly!) is a feat in itself. The fact it's brilliant as well is a bonus!
"Time Is My Everything" - Ian Brown: King Monkey comes up with one of the best love songs ever - the lyrics and trumpets bring a lump to you throat (well, mine anyway..)
"One Thing" - Amerie: Knocks the spots off anything Bouncy Knowles will ever do and makes you dance like a spaz.

Just Outside:

"Hounds Of Love" - Futureheads
"Made Up Love Song #43" - Guillemots
"King Of The Mountain" - Kate Bush
"F*ck Forever" - Babyshambles
"Blue Orchid" - White Stripes
"Forever Lost" - Magic Numbers

Top Five Albums

LCD Soundsystem - LCD Soundsystem: DFA label at it's best and you get a bonus disc that includes "Losing My Edge" and "Give It Up"
The Raveonettes - "Pretty In Black": Danish electropop that includes a killer cover of "My Boyfriend's Back"Bloc Party - "Silent Alarm"; Post punk even T4's Toby & Miquita have to acclaim! The remix album is quality too.
St Etienne - "Tales From Turnpike House": Best album since "Fox Base Alpha" that makes me feel old - but in a good way.
Maximo Park - "A Certain Trigger": Part of the North East "we've got good bands too y'know" movement (see Futureheads, Field Music and erm, Journey South) who seem to divide opinion. I think they're ace!

Just Outside:

Annie - "Anniemal"
Hard Fi - "Stars Of CCTV"
Gorillaz - "Demon Days"
Cosmosonica - "Crazy Covers Vol 1"

Best Film: "Sideways" - have you drunk Merlot since??

Worst Film: "Green Street" - makes "iD" look realistic and "The Football Factory" like an Oscar winner. Horrible, horrible American poo!

Top Player: Wayne Rooney - I'd swap him for Henry...

Worst Player: Pascal Cygan - apparantly French footballer of the year a few years back, and then we signed him!

Best Football Moment: Paddy's leaving present v Man Yoo in May. Poetic justice (and pivotal moment in Man U history?) in that we do to them what they've done to teams (Bayern springs to mind) for years...

Worst Football Moment: Liverpool winning the Big Cup - only cos I had money on AC winning on pens! (Actually, it was one of the best games ever)

Best Gig: Arctic Monkeys @ The Ritz, Manchester - made me feel 15 again, and that's a good feeling! Long live the download kings!

Worst Gig: The Editors @ Academy, Manchester - like listening to magnolia paint drying...

2005 Rocked 'Cos: I got married on my 40th in NYC, in secret - yay!