It’s getting harder and harder for football clubs to be creative.
We’ve seen Arsenal announce new signings with quizzes, and other clubs reply to the deluge of ‘ANNOUNCE [NAME]’ tweets by, well, announcing the arrival of that player.
That’s all well and good for transfers, but what about starting line-ups? It’s just 11 names on a teamsheet, right? How can you play around with that besides stylist designs and a mix of fonts?
Well, Barnsley have found a way.
The Championship club have decided to present their starting XI for the visit of Newcastle United with a crossword puzzle. It’s certainly different.
BARNSLEY STARTING XI: A new take on the starting XI v @NUFC #COYR #CROSSWORD pic.twitter.com/M75oihFD6Z
— Barnsley FC (@BarnsleyFC) October 18, 2016
It’s a noble effort, particularly given the inclusion of clues for the ‘across’ and ‘down’ entries. We only wish they trusted their fans enough to present the crossword with none of the letters filled in.
We are starting to wonder about one thing, though. Have some of the players only made the starting line-up because their names fit well into the puzzle? Is that an extra consideration for manager Paul Heckingbottom beyond working out who fits best into his preferred formation?
After all, midfielder Sam Morsy helps provide connecting letters for two of his teammates – has that helped him lock down his place ahead of less lexically flexible squad members? Almost certainly not, in fairness.
Still, we can’t deny that it’s a very interesting way for the Tykes to break from the norm. And fans agreed, in their own unique way.
delete
— Adam Cosgrove (@adam_cosgr0ve) October 18, 2016
delete before people see
— Joe O'loughlin (@JoeOloughlin98) October 18, 2016
you're embarrassing us
— Jua (@joegreenbfc) October 18, 2016
Never do this again
— Aron Rodríguez (@SaloMinSondon) October 18, 2016
https://twitter.com/andybfc182/status/788440174917259264
https://twitter.com/fouldymoreskin/status/788441970251296768
https://twitter.com/alexgibbings_/status/788441975032807425
We can’t wait to see what they try for their next game. Guess Who? Charades? Pin the tail on the donkey?
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