The Ashes begin tonight. If those words mean nothing to you, let me try to explain. The England cricket team begin their series of five Test Matches against Australia, in Australia, at midnight tonight. The trophy that they are contesting is called The Ashes, also known as the urn. The first game is in Brisbane.… Continue reading The Ashes Conundrum
Over the years I have told many of the stories and memories that appear on this Blog over and over again. That’s one reason for posting them. If I have told the same story 20 times I might as well make a definitive record of it here, though that might not stop me from telling… Continue reading The best footballer I have ever seen
My sleep patterns are flexible, much more so than when I was younger. I wrote about it last year in this piece, “Usually I’m Anthony Trollope, but not this week”. I am capable of staying up till 3am, or going to bed before 9pm and waking up between 3 and 4am. These days I’m usually… Continue reading Cup Final Foolishness
April 2017 has been a terrible month for the teams and people that I favour in four different sports. The form of Leeds United, a team that I have followed for well over forty years, has been the biggest disappointment. The team has slipped from a play-off place in the top six of the Championship,… Continue reading A terrible month for sport
In many day-to-day ways my instincts are to do things the way we used to, either in the “pre-digital age” (and I appreciate that typing that phrase makes me sound like a dinosaur), or in ways that have been superseded by newer technologies. I spent decades using landlines before acquiring a mobile phone, so my… Continue reading Still adjusting to the modern world
While we’re on holiday in Devon during this first week of the Rio Olympics, here’s another Olympic memory from “1000 Memories”, available as a Kindle book here (UK) or here (US). Massacre I walked down to the end of North Great George’s Street with Aunt Margaret. She was going to have a drink in the… Continue reading Olympic Memories: Munich 1972
While we’re on holiday in Devon during this first week of the Rio Olympics, here’s an Olympic memory from “1000 Memories”, available as a Kindle book here (UK) or here (US). Mexico 1968 I thought that he was dying. I thought that the man on the television was dying. He had collapsed beside the running… Continue reading Olympic Memories: Mexico 1968
Here’s one for sports fans, on FA Cup Final Day here in London. If you could change the result of one sporting fixture in history, which would it be? If you’re a Crystal Palace fan it’s probably a straightforward choice between today’s defeat against Manchester United or the 1990 defeat to the same team. For… Continue reading If you could change one result …
One of my local tube stations here in West London is Stamford Brook. In the late 1990s the Dutch international footballer Jaap Stam played in the Premiership, for Manchester United. At the other end of the tube network, near Cockfosters, where the Piccadilly Line ends, is a station called Southgate. England international Gareth Southgate also… Continue reading Footballers on the Underground
On this date 24 years ago (26 April 1992) Leeds United won the last Football League Championship before the arrival of the Premier League. I have followed the team since the 1960s, and this feels like a good day to copy my childhood memories about the club from my book “1000 Memories” to this Blog.… Continue reading A Sporting Anniversary
The Compartments 