The Anonymous Widower

Sepp Blatter Eviscerates Gianni Infantino Over Trump, Ronaldo And Saudi Arabia

The title of this post, is the same as that of this article on the Daily Telegraph.

This is the first paragraph.

Sepp Blatter can no longer bring himself to say Gianni Infantino’s name. Instead, the Swiss administrator – who ran Fifa from 1998 to 2015 until he left amid an enormous corruption scandal – refers to Infantino only as “my successor” and “the leader” as he takes his adversary to task ahead of Friday’s World Cup draw.

The article is worth a full read and the video is worth watching.

December 5, 2025 Posted by | Sport, World | , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

I’m Watching The World Cup Draw With A Sick Bucket

Here’s the bucket, which is an ideal accompaniment to when Trump appears on television.

Note.

  1. I have seen a number of American presidents and Trump isn’t even worth rating.
  2. As Putin and Mohammed bin Salman’s friend and apologist he certainly doesn’t deserve any form of Peace Prize.
  3. And who was the strumpet in the lizard costume?
  4. I thought Robbie Williams had more sense than to provide entertainment.
  5. Who’s this black guy in a red hat?
  6. Rio Ferdinand seems to be doing a good job.

But then everybody has a realistic price.

I actually suspect, I won’t watch much of the World Cup, as I can find better things too do. I certainly won’t watch any matches, where Trump is present.

December 5, 2025 Posted by | Sport, World | , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Sheffield Wednesday Placed In Administration

The title of this post, is the same as that of this article on the BBC.

Does this mean that the City of Sheffield will now work a six-day week?

October 24, 2025 Posted by | Finance, Sport | , , , | Leave a comment

New Direct Rail Link To Seaham: How This Picturesque Seaside Town Will Connect To London Starting December 2025

The title of this post is the same as that of this article on Travel and Tour World.

This is the first paragraph.

Starting December 2025, the picturesque seaside town of Seaham in County Durham will become even more accessible with a new direct rail link to London. This marks an exciting chapter in the town’s history, as Seaham’s first direct rail service will make it easier for tourists and business travelers alike to visit this charming coastal destination. Known for its stunning clifftop vistas, rocky beaches, and no fewer than 10 fish and chip shops, Seaham is already a popular spot for day-trippers, and this new rail service will only add to its appeal.

This section in the Wikipedia entry for Seaham station,  gives the current rail services from the town.

As of the May 2021 timetable change, the station is served by an hourly service between Newcastle and Middlesbrough. Most trains continue to Hexham (or Carlisle on Sunday) and Nunthorpe. Two trains per day (three on Sunday) continue to Whitby. All services are operated by Northern Trains.

With Grand Central trains, serving Seaham four times per day in each direction, Seaham could be a very convenient place to explore the North-East of England.

If the timing of the services is right, Seaham could also become popular with visiting football fans at Middlesbrough, Newcastle and Sunderland, wanting to combine an away match with a weekend away.

This Google Map shows the town.

Note.

  1. The station is indicated by the red arrow.
  2. Beaches stretch along the town.
  3. There is a port with a lighthouse.
  4. There is even a 5-star hotel; Seaham Hall on Lord Byron’s Walk. The hotel has 21 suites and a spa.
  5. I can certainly see the hotel having a zero-carbon mini-bus meeting all eight Grand Central Trains.

I don’t think Grand Central Trains will be short of passengers on this route. Especially as from 2028, they will serving the town with new Hitachi battery-electric trains.

Conclusion

How many other towns in the UK could benefit from a four trains per day service to London?

 

August 17, 2025 Posted by | Sport, Transport/Travel | , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Will Sweden Win Because They Have More Mothers In The Team?

I am posting this at half-time with the Lionesses two-nil down.

I think that Sweden has two mothers in the team and England has none.

I base my question because of four things.

  • I played a game of real tennis once, with a sports psychologist and she felt that in real tennis, there could be an improvement in female players after childbirth. As real tennis has a universal computerised handicap, increase or decrease in performance is easily measured.
  • There have also been a number of female athletes who have improved after childbirth.
  • Mothers fight for their children.
  • C and myself had three children in a short space of time. As we had no help and I was working from home, she looked after the elder two and I had the baby sitting on my desk in a plastic chair.

I would even take George across Regents Park to a client, if I needed to see someone. Sometimes, he would even be kidnapped by the secretaries.

One outcome, was that I was closest to George than my other two children and when he died, a psychologist, who knew me well, felt I grieved like a mother.

July 17, 2025 Posted by | Sport | , , , , , | Leave a comment

Liverpool Fans’ Celebrations Caused Earth Tremor

The title of this post, is the same as that of this article on the BBC.

This is the sub-heading.

Liverpool fans celebrating the club’s historic title-clinching win over Tottenham Hotspur at Anfield caused a series of tremors, university scientists have revealed.

These three paragraphs give more details.

Arne Slot’s side secured the club’s 20th top-flight championship defeating Tottenham 5-1 in front of a packed Anfield stadium on 27 April.

The most significant tremor was caused by Alexis Mac Allister’s strike in the 24th minute, which put Liverpool 2-1 ahead and registered a peak magnitude of 1.74 on the Richter scale.

The data was recorded by University of Liverpool earth scientists using equipment used to detect earthquakes.

Looking at it on a scientific basis, it is surely a very good test that the equipment is working well.

The whole of the BBC article is worth a good read.

May 2, 2025 Posted by | Sport, World | , , , , , | Leave a comment

My Broadband Lacks Muscle

I get all my broadband, TV, mobile phone from EE.

Usually, it works fine and I can watch football and Formula One, when I want to.

Occasionally, I get picture break-up, when I watch something popular.

Even more occasionally, the picture and sound is lost and a No Signal message appears on the screen.

And then, a couple of weeks ago, I was unable to watch the FA Cup Semi Final on BBC1. I just got the dreaded No Signal message.

Yesterday, was the Tuesday after Bank Holiday Monday.

  • I was watching BBC Breakfast, when the signal disappeared about 09:00.
  • Despite two calls to EE and a visit to their shop, by 18:00, the signal had not returned.
  • I was reduced to watching the news on either my television in the bedroom or my computer.
  • And then at 18:30, the signal returned miraculously and I was able to watch the television normally.

It has performed immaculately since.

So What Happened?

I had no problem on Monday, but Marks and Spencer did as this article on the BBC, which is entitled M&S Customers In Limbo As Cyber Attack Chaos Continues, explains.

Did this this cyberattack mean that everybody had spent the Easter weekend checking their systems?

Whether they did or not, when the City started up again after the Easter Holiday, they needed so much capacity, my television signal over broadband was switched off.

Only when City workers adjorned to the bars and restaurants at 18:30 and switched off their systems, did I get my television signal back.

Next Monday, is Another Bank Holiday

I don’t know what will happen! Do Openreach?

 

April 30, 2025 Posted by | Computing | , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

I Am Not Watching Crystal Palace And Aston Villa

I must be the only person in the UK, who can’t watch the FA Cup semi-final. on his main television.

  • I can watch it on my computer using iPlayer.
  • I can watch it on the TV in my bedroom on Freeview.
  • I can watch it on the TV in my bathroom on Freeview.

As I want to use my computer, I am listening to the Radio 5 commentary on BBC Sounds.

My main television is driven by a BT/EE system, that works on broadband and all it shows is this screen.

This is an enlarged view of the bottom-left section of the screen.

Can I please have a signal?

The signal is supposed to come through my broadband, but because everybody is watching the football, there’s nothing left for me.

But how come I can watch the football using iPlayer on my computer.

As an experienced programmer, it looks like a bug to me. Or it could be a broken cable.

This third picture shows the Freeview picture in my bedroom.

Nothing wrong with that!

But now at 82:30, I’ve got my signal back and I’m able to watch and listen to the match. But not in high-definition. Although, that is now back at 87:16.

I seem to have a demonic touch with hardware and if it fails with anyone, it will fail with me.

 

 

 

 

April 26, 2025 Posted by | Computing, Sport | , , , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

Newcastle Fans Had Few Trains To London

Yesterday, I felt LNER and Lumo would be cashing in, with Newcastle United playing at Wembley.

The finalists were settled on the 6th of February, so that surely gave Network Rail time to reorganise any engineering works so that LNER and Lumo could be running the maximum number of Newcastle United supporters to London.

Lumo didn’t run at all to London on the Sunday and all LNER trains went via the Stadium of Light.

I would have thought, that Network Rail’s inflexibility cost LNER and Lumo a good publicity opportunity.

March 17, 2025 Posted by | Sport, Transport/Travel | , , , , , | 1 Comment

Is Another “I Was There” Event Happening At Brisbane Road?

As I start to write this amazingly, Leyton Orient are one-nil up in the F. A. Cup at home to Manchester City.

Is it going to be one of those events, where in years to come, people will claim they were at Brisbane Road to watch it?

I thought about going, but didn’t buy a ticket. In a way, I’m glad I didn’t, as the weather wasn’t too good today.

The goal that Leyton Orient scored was one of the most spectacular goals ever scored in the F. A. Cup. But I saw everything on television!

This page on the BBC is entitled ‘Strike of a lifetime’ – an own goal that belongs in FA Cup folklore.

It contains a video clip which shows the goal, which was an own goal scored off a rebound of a shot from Jamie Donley.

The classic event of this type happened on the 31st October, 1972, when Llanelli famously beat the All Blacks 9-3 in a Rugby match.

The Wikipedia entry for the match has this first paragraph.

As part of their 1972–73 tour of the Northern Hemisphere, the New Zealand national rugby union team’s fourth match saw them take on Llanelli RFC of Wales at Stradey Park, Llanelli, on 31 October 1972. In one of the most famous results in rugby union history, Llanelli won the match 9–3 in front of 20,000 spectators. Llanelli centre Roy Bergiers scored the only try of the game, charging down a clearance by All Blacks scrum-half Lin Colling after a penalty from Phil Bennett rebounded back into play off the crossbar. New Zealand full-back Joe Karam scored a penalty to give them their only points of the game, before Llanelli wing Andy Hill hit a penalty to secure victory for the Scarlets. The result was immortalised by Welsh entertainer Max Boyce, whose poem 9–3 appears as the opening track on his Live at Treorchy album.

A much larger number of people claimed to have been at the match, than actually were.

Sadly unlike Llanelli, Leyton Orient didn’t hang on.

But according to the BBC, the goal has acquired legendary status.

February 8, 2025 Posted by | Sport | , , , , , , | Leave a comment