Football As Monoculture
This is the sub-title on a wonderful picture of football on Hackney Marshes in a piece by Simon Barnes in The Times today.
There are 88 football pitches on the marshes these days.
The marshes were also the venue for BBC Radio 1’s Big Weekend in 2012.
The Own Goal Of The Season
The press are having a field day about Gareth Barry’s superb own goal for Manchester City yesterday. Here’s the article in The Sun.
At least though there is some sort of justice, as after all the Premier League isn’t fair, where some teams spend money like water. Or should that be oil?
The London Aquatic Centre Is Changing!
The London Aquatic Centre is changing.
It will be opened fully in the summer of 2014.
Note how a lot of the seats have been reserved.
The picture was taken from a train on the East Anglian main line.
Appropriately Named Footballers
This article was on the BBC’s web site caused my eye, as it had a superb headline.
Hartley and Poole on target for Hartlepool
The first paragraph is here.
Peter Hartley and James Poole formed an appropriate scoring combination as Hartlepool secured only their second home League One win of the season by beating Notts County.
I just love wordplay like this.
To Ipswich For The Football
I was of two minds, whether to go to see Ipswich at home yesterday, as the weather has been so cold and they were playing Middlesborough, which made it look like a defeat. I had even told my son, I wasn’t going.
But the weather was sunny in the morning, so I decided to chance it, especially as there was nothing much else to do outside.
I took the train from Liverpool Street at 13:30 and arrived just in time for the match, after the walk from the station.
But what was wrong. The weather had got cold and Ipswich seemed to be holding their own against a side rated a lot better than they were.
Surely, it couldn’t last, but then Ipswich scored four good goals without reply.
The manager, Mick McCarthy wasn’t even there, as he was at home with flu. So perhaps he should try staying away more often and leave the team in the obviously capable hands of Terry Connor.
Sadly, a lot of the fans stayed away too, but those that did turn up, left with lots of smiles on their faces. Some like me, questioned, whether it was all a dream or the result of too much alcohol.
The players too, played out the last few minutes of the match, as if they had thoroughly enjoyed it.
I think though, when Mick McCarthy returns he has a serious question to answer. How come yesterday, Tommy Smith scored two good goals from superbly taken corners? I can’t remember any goal from a corner this season. Or even a very good dangerous corner. Let’s hope he decides it wasn’t just good luck.
Do You Have To Be Fat And Ugly To Play Rugby These Days?
I watched the England Scotland rugby last night on the iPlayer. It strikes me that the forwards are now getting to be so heavy that they wouldn’t be out of place in sumo wrestling. The backs too, aren’t small any more and would some of the great players of the past like Jeremy Guscott, Phil Bennett, the Underwoods or even Jonny Wilkinson ever get a game these days?
Clive Woodward wasn’t impressed either with the number of players with beards, who could have been extras in a film about the Vikings.
Rugby seems to be going the same route as American football, where size is everything. Parents, I suspect will start to keep their children away from the game, as it will get too dangerous, with all that weight running about. You read reports from the United States, where football is on the rise over the American version, simply because it is a safer game for normal people.
And talking about American football, why is the BBC spending my licence fee, on covering it so much?
Why Are UK Taxpayers Sponsoring Six Nations Rugby?
I very much object to the state-owned zombie bank, sponsoring the Six Nations Rugby. After all, if as a stakeholder in the bank, I wanted a ticket, I wouldn’t be able to get one.
Win The Toss, Win The Game
They’ve just said this, on the cricket commentary of the last game of the one-day series between England and India, as all games have been won by the side winning the toss.
I’ve always thought that the toss has too much influence.
Perhaps it would be better, if the first toss in a series was done say the day before the first match in a broadcast ceremony. And then after that the toss would alternate.
But then what do I know about cricket?
Tea At The Olympic Park
After visiting Custom House Station, I decided to go for a tea at the ViewTube, by the Olympic Park. I went via Stratford rather than Poplar to Pudding Mill Lane station for the cafe, so that I could pick up a Standard at Stratford station.
The pictures show how the park is changing. The most noticeable change is probably the removal of the extra seats in the Aquatic Centre.
Keeping Warm Outside
I have given up on the control system of my central heating and now use the damaged Mark 1 brain of a Control Engineer to switch the system on and off to keep the temperature where I want it. I have a nifty meter from Maplin’s, which gives me exact temperature and humidity.
Outside in the cold, I’ve turned to wearing my classic 1960s Liverpool University Engineering scarf. It’s all wool and I suspect, it’s rarely been cleaned, but it doesn’t smell too bad. Strangely, this morning, the BBC are at Hainsworth in Pudsey. They’re doing fairly well considering the recession, by selling cloth all over the world. They still make the all-wool cloth for university scarves like mine. They’ve also just said, that South Africa is the biggest market for blankets in the world.
I’ve also just ordered myself a cashmere football scarf in Ipswich Town’s colours from a company called Savile Rogue. If that doesn’t fix the weather nothing will.
The Anonymous Widower 