An ex-hurricane might be approaching our shores and ready to expel all life from our tiny island, but that doesn't mean we can't enjoy ourselves a little bit while we await impending doom. In fact, it's the perfect time to indulge in a little nostalgia.
This week, remarkably, marks 20 years since the world's greatest ever TV show debuted on Sky One.
For the next 10 years, Dream Team graced our screens with some outlandish storylines, mixed with some dramatic football, all wrapped up in badly photoshopped real Premier League coverage.
Over the course of 10 years, Harchester United won the FA Cup twice, got relegated, won the Premier League, and got to the UEFA Cup final.
And that's the normal part.
Also in that time:
- The club's chairman died of a heart attack while training with the first team.
- A hitman, hired by the new chairman, killed the club captain on the pitch at Wembley while the team was celebrating their FA Cup win.
- 4 members of the first team died in a plane crash when returning from a UEFA Cup game against Ajax.
- 3 more players were killed in a coach crash in the way to a UEFA Cup final against AC Milan.
- The manager places a £1m bet on the club to be relegated.
- The team's goalkeeper, Jamie Parker, takes the team hostage at half time in a game against Everton.
- The team's manager is murdered by the betting syndicate he worked for after the club survives on the last day of the season.
- A group of Everton fans win ownership of the club in a raffle.
- The club's record signing goes blind.
- The club were relegated for match fixing
- Club legend and icon Karl Fletcher is murder by the team's former manager
- That same former manager than drove into the team coach, killing all but four of the playing staff.
- Star striker and secret club owner Casper Rose was also murdered.
- The club captain burned the stadium to the ground.
- The ghost of Karl Fletcher scored the winning goal to give Harchester their first Premier League title.
A somewhat eventful decade.
To get us started, what's your favourite Dream Team storyline?
— Balls.ie (@ballsdotie) October 13, 2017
Over the next few days, we're going to bring you all kinds of Dream Team content here on Balls.ie, including exclusive interviews with cast members and those behind the scenes of creating this insane television show. We will also relive Harchester's famous visit to Dublin, both in storyline and real life, and remember how the actual Taoiseach attended a game of football featuring a fake team.
So, batten down the hatches, put the trampoline in the shed, close all the doors and windows, wrap yourself in a blanket, and settle in for a day/week of reliving the greatest moments, controversies, affairs, hostage situations,murders... and football in the most ridiculous football club ever invented.
To get you started, here's the not all dated first episode from 1997:
