QUICK 10 WITH..... COATBRIDGE SCIMITARS

 

Coatbridge is a town in North Lanarkshire, just east of Glasgow.

Early settlements can be traced back to the Stone Age, but the founding of the town occurred in the 12th century. Roman coins have been unearthed in the area and there are remnants of an old Roman road on the fringes of the town.

The area was renowned for coal in the 19th century and the patent for the automated telephone switchboard was installed in Coatbridge in 1886, the first in the world.

In sporting terms the local football team is Albion Rovers F.C. who play in Scottish League Two. It is home to a local cricket club, Coatbridge C.C., who were Scottish champions in 1986 and 1988. The Coatbridge Indoor Bowls Club hosted the World Indoor Bowls Championship from 1979 until 1987 and the town was home to Bert Gilroy, Scotland's longest reigning boxing champion. Keeping with the boxing link it is also home to WBO super-featherweight, lighweight and light-welterweight world champion Ricky Burns. Adding to the list of world champions, former world snooker champion Walter Donaldson hailed from Coatbridge. Scotland is renowned for golf, there are two courses in the area and Scottish number one female golfer on the European tour, Clare Queen is from Coatbridge.

Coatbridge Scimitars joined the newly formed British Bulldog this year, adding to the plethora of Scottish teams in the league. Their GM comes with experience and is looking to bed his roster in before challenging for promotion in 2022.

This is Kenny, the GM of Coatbridge Scimitars, and these are his Quick 10 Questions.

1. How did you get involved in the league?

One of the guys in Beer Warriors, a league I compete in, pointed me here a few months ago, so I signed up as it sounds like a good laugh.

2. What team do you support and why?

I support the Los Angeles Rams, have done since 1985. I think that was the year both the Rams and the Bears were undefeated after seven games, so I decided I would follow the Rams as I liked their uniforms. Roll on to the NFC Championship game and the 11-5 Rams got stuffed 24-0 by the 15-1 Bears. Then came the wilderness years of the late 80's and 90's before the glory of the GSOT.

3. How did you get into NFL?

I started watching on Channel 4 in the early 80's and it just stuck with me. Played a bit while I was at University (Glasgow University Tigers) and for a couple of local teams before I blew my knee out and had to retire from contact sport.

4. Who is your favourite player and why?

Current favourite is AD99, just one of the most dominant players at his position ever. Obviously, I also have a special fondness for anyone in the GSOT team, as well as Steven Jackson, god that man played his heart out for us and got so little reward for it over the years.

5. What is your experience with fantasy football?

Been playing fantasy football for around 10 years now, mostly on Yahoo Sports. Most years, I run between 2-3 teams, one in a league with some mates that's been going for ages, called Beer Warriors, with a proper draft every year and then another one or two in a random league with an auto pick draft. I've never played a Keeper or IDP league, so this should be a new challenge.

6. What are your views on a potential London franchise?

We've tried to get down to London most years for one of the games, my mates support Seattle and the Giants, so we've been lucky enough to have been able to see one of our teams most years. If they can figure out the logistics of the games (two blocks of 4 weeks, with everything else based on the east coast seems the most workable), then I think it could work. However, I think most UK fans would view whenever their own favourite is the visiting team as the main attraction. I don't see many completely switching allegiance to the new team. I'd also like to see them play some games out of London. I'm sure they could sell out the Millennium, Old Trafford or Murrayfield if they played a game there.

7. What other hobbies/sports do you enjoy apart from NFL?

I enjoy cycling, both for exercise and to watch. I've got a Peloton spin bike in the house and two outdoor bikes for the better weather. I'm also an avid tabletop miniature modeller and gamer, mainly sci-fi and superhero stuff. Infinity, Star Wars Legion, Guild Ball and Marvel Crisis Protocol for those in the know.

8. What's your favourite film?

I love most of Christopher Nolan's films, especially Dark Knight and Inception, but one of my favourite movies is Major League. Just so many funny and quotable moments, it's the ultimate feel good movie and I highly recommend it to anyone that hasn't seen it.

9. What's your favourite music?

Music tastes tend to vary all over the place, depending on what I'm doing or what mood I'm in. Particular faves are Gun, Green Day, Stereophonics, but I'm also partial to a bit of old skool dance like The KLF or The Time Frequency and singer songwriters like Alanis Morrisette and Tracy Chapman.

10. Who is your Super Bowl tip this year?

Has to be the Rams, if our D can continue to play at a top 5 level. I think Stafford >> Goff is a definite upgrade for the O and Cam Akers is only going to be better in his second year. Huge part of the equation though is luck and injuries, so it really could be anyone in the top half of the league.

We would like to thank Kenny for taking the time to answer the Quick 10 and warmly welcome him to the league.

The Commish

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