Charlotte Rampling and Elizabeth Frink
There was a piece in the Times yesterday about Charlotte Rampling and how at 66, she is still finding good parts. The article mentions her father, Godfrey, as an Army officer, but he was more than that. He was a superb athlete, winning gold in the 1936 Olympics and died three years ago at 100.
Charlotte was born in one of the villages surrounding Haverhill in Suffolk. As was Elisabeth Frink, one of our finest sculptors.
There must be something in the water.
Rangers Launch Fans Fighting Fund
It has been reported on the BBC, that Rangers have launched a Fans Fighting fund.
I thought, that was what they did anyway!
At least they’ll go down fighting!
A Row About the GB Athletics Team Captain
There has been a bit of a row about Tiffany Porter being appointed GB Team Captain for the World Indoor Athletics Championships. It’s reported here properly in the Guardian, but some papers seem to be following a rather different tack.
It would appear that Tiffany has two of the things that make me British; a British mother and a UK passport. I have a British father as well. Mo Farah incidentally, has a father who was born in England, has been here since he was eight and has a British passport.
So if Tiffany is the best for the job, why shouldn’t she have it, as in my view she’s more British than many in various British teams?
In some ways we put too much emphasis on where you are born and sadly, the race of your parents. Sometimes, some sports generally get it right. Freddie Brown, Colin Cowdrey, Ted Dexter, Gubby Allen, George Harris, Nasser Hussain, Douglas Jardine and Pelham Warner, all captained England at cricket, despite being born outside of the UK. This is not a complete list and I have also left out others born in the UK, but who were not English.
Harry versus Stuart
It would appear that the next England manager is still not any closer yet.
In the last two weeks, Spurs under Harry, have lost both to Arsenal and Manchester United.
England under Stuart Pearce, just lost to Dutch, by the odd goal in five. On the other hand his Under-21 side did beat the Belgians easily.
So perhaps Stuart won the last two weeks on points!
But if you think, England are in a mess, just look at Chelski!
Make Bradford British
I am not going to get into the race arguments on this one, as many are expending a lot of effort in that way.
I would argue that from a totally different point of view that it isn’t part of the UK. Last year I visited all 92 football clubs in alphabetical order. Bradford as many know, occupies a sad place in football history in the UK.
But arriving at the station, there was no maps and no information on how to get to the football ground, despite the fact you could see the ground from the platform. So it obviously wants to deter visitors and keep them out.
Even a policewomen, said that there was no direct walking route and that every year they get people who lost a relative in the tragic fire walking around looking for the route to the ground.
So it was one of the few grounds, I didn’t properly visit.
I should also say, that it wasn’t the most unwelcoming place I visited.
Has Stuart Pearce Done Enough?
Certainly in my opinion, as his other team beat the Belgians 4-0 on the night.
Graeme Obree’s Idea to Stop Drug Cheats
Graeme Obree has just said on BBC Radio 5, that the best way to stop drugs cheats in cycling is not to give them their prize money until several years after the event.
But why not add swimming, athletics, and of course, weight-lifting?
What It Is About Stuart?
Broad, Lancaster and Pearce
Can we have ever had three England captains or managers with the same first name?
Zara Phillips Turned Away from Horse Event
This was the headline on a report in the Daily Telegraph.
I wonder what Disgusted from Tunbridge Wells thinks of it all.
It Could Have Had A Fairy-Tale Ending, But It Didn’t!
Today, Spurs drew 0-0 with Stevenage in the Cup.
Stevenage’s caption was one Ronnie Henry, who just happens to be the grandson of Ron Henry, who was in Spurs, double side of 1960-61 and probably played for them in February 1962. I saw him play probably near to 100 times.
Ronnie Henry played right full-back today for Stevenage, whereas his grandfather always played left full-back.
I thought at one point that Ronnie was going to do what his grandfather did a few times. As the match neared conclusion, he moved forward and sent over a well-aimed cross, which didn’t come to anything. I seem to remember quite a few of Ron’s crosses leading to goals, but then he had better target men in the middle than Stevenage did. Ron, in fact only ever scored one goal, but it was against Manchester United to win the game. A Spurs corner had been part cleared and the ball bounced out to Ron, instead of redirecting it back in, decided to go for goal. It went straight-in like the proverbial bullet. If there was one player who should have shot more often, it was Ron Henry, but he was a very steady and unspectaculr player and he probably felt defending was his responsibility in the game.
He did nearly score on one other occasion, when Spurs were something like three up and could not be beaten, when he did a mazy dribble into the penalty area only to be upended by the defence. He was mobbed by his team mates and almost dragged towards the penalty spot, but still he could not be persuaded to take the penalty kick to get the second goal he never got.
I’m afraid they don’t make players like Ron Henry any more!
The Anonymous Widower 