How Long Can Spurs Keep Gareth Bale?
It’s some years since I’ve seen a more outstanding British footballer, as Gareth Bale. Last night, he helped to bring Spurs a victory at West Ham, and even stored the winning goal. The match and Bale’s influence on it is reported here on the BBC.
But then how long can the real money-bags clubs of the world, let this situation continue, before they make the player and Spurs an offer they can’t refuse?
I doubt, he’ll be playing for the club next year! But it will be the biggest transfer fee of recent times.
So just how good is Bale?
Although, I have a history of being a Spurs supporter until the 1970s and saw the great double side, I’m much more of an Ipswich supporter these days, as I have lived in the county for forty years.
But now, as I have Sky through my BT broadband, I generally make sure, that I see Spurs if I can. Partly because of my history, but also to see what sort of fireworks Bale will produce.
He has certainly delivered in recent weeks.
No other footballer has had such an effect on me. Let’s hope that kids these days, want to be the next Gareth Bale, as his style of play is very exciting.
He seems to combine the skill and thinking of a Blanchflower or a Beckham, with the speed of Cliff Jones and the power and ball skills of a Gascoigne or Puskas.
Let’s hope he behaves off the field like Bobby Moore, Bobby Charlton, Trevor Brooking or Gary Lineker.
A Trip To Huddersfield
Yesterday, I took the train to Huddersfield to see the two Towns share a goal-less draw.
I went via Manchester Piccadilly, as I wanted to have a decent lunch in Carluccio’s at the station, where I know the wi-fi is also excellent, as it incidentally was on Virgin’s trains and in their First Class lounge at Euston. The same can’t be said for their food and drink offering on the trains at the weekend.
It was very cold outside and as I passed through Highbury and Islington station to get to Euston, it was actually trying to snow.
It may seem strange to get to Huddersfield via Manchester, but then there are four trains about every hour on that route. They are new trains, but are only three coaches and often are completely full with standing everywhere. It was a classic case of the Treasury deciding how many coaches should have been bought for the Trans Pennine route and then dividing it by three to fit their budget. It’s a pleasant enough half-hour route though through the Pennines as this picture shows.
Manchester To Huddersfield
Although, the cleaner at Piccadilly was a bit slapdash.
Slapdash Cleaning At Piccadilly
I feel right to blame the cleaner, as he actually came into the carriage whilst I was waiting to sit down.
I should point out that these Trans Pennine trains, illustrate some of what is wrong with the layout of Piccadilly station, which was probably designed by a Scouser with a bizarre sense of humour, to get at their rival city. These trains turn up at all sorts of places in the station and are often the second or even the third train on the platform, counting from the concourse. I think it was the third yesterday. It must be a nightmare for staff to get passengers on the right train. But I’ve changed trains at Piccadlly so many times now, that I know the traps the station sets for you. Hopefully things will get better with the Northern Hub works. But this won’t be fully implemented until 2018.
At present. there are two solutions for passengers to avoid the problems; allow plenty of time and have drink or a meal in the station or take another route. For Huddersfield yesterday, I could have gone via Leeds, but that would have meant a walk up the hill in the cold to get a meal, as Leeds station doesn’t have a restaurant only snack bars.
The journey on to Huddersfield was enlivened with one of those bizarre incidents that seem to happen to me. A screw fell out of the bottom of my camera onto the floor. In crawling around the floor looking for it, I was assisted by a retired lady doctor from Hull, who like me had gone to Liverpool University. We must have looked an odd pair. I’ve now got the problem of finding a screw for the camera. Or should that be an independent camera shop?
Huddersfield station is not your ordinary drab station, as the picture shows.
Huddersfield Railway Station
It is a Grade 1 listed building and actually contains two pubs. Pevsner described it as one of the best early railway stations in England. The statue by the way is Harold Wilson. The football ground is a twenty-minute walk downhill from the station and despite Huddersfield Town not being on television very often, the ground is well-known to viewers because of Rugby League.
John Smith’s Stadium
The John Smith’s Stadium was one of the first modern grounds to be built in recent years. As the picture shows, the view is good and I’d rate it one of the best seats for visiting supporters along with Barnsley, Burnley or Wolverhampton. You would never describe it as pokey or restricted like Charlton or QPR, although the stewards were complaining of the cold. So that must have been bad!
A steward incidentally told me that Ipswich had attracted a thousand fans. This must be quite a lot considering the distance from Suffolk and the weather. But on the other hand Ipswich, Suffolk and the football club must have one of the largest diaspora of any part of the UK.
The Football Fan In A Hijab
The BBC web site has this article, which talks about fifteen-year-old Amina Qureshi supporting Bradford in a hijab.
I actually don’t think this is as rare as the article makes out. When I saw Ipswich win at Bolton, I came across a small group of Asian girls supporting, some of whom were similarly attired.
I seem to remember too, a young girl in a hijab, with her father, who was wearing fairly traditional clothes for a Muslim man at Leyton Orient, which has more than a few Muslim supporters.
A Taxi From Liverpool Street
I don’t often take taxis from Liverpool Street station to home, as there are quite a few convenient buses. But on Tuesday night, it was very cold and late, so I decided to use one.
Since I last used a taxi from inside Liverpool Street station, they’ve moved the taxi rank to be alongside Platform 10, so the first problem was finding one.
There was only one there, which probably shows how few people coming into the station actually use them.
The driver was very apologetic, as he said he’d have to go round the houses a bit because of traffic restrictions behind the station.
He got me home quickly, talking as ever about football.
And then he refused any tip, because of the delay in getting out of the station.
Abramovitch Shows His True Feelings About Frank Lampard
I’m half-watching Chelsea beating Brentford and when Frank Lampard left the field to a standing ovation from most Chelski supporters, after scoring a goal, the television cameras showed the look on Abramovitch’s face.
He showed no emotion at all!
Compare that with the Brentford Chairman, Greg Dyke’s enthusiasm this morning on the radio.
Mick McCarthy Was Right
After yesterday’s win by Ipswich Town at home to Blackpool, Mick McCarthy said.
It was a horrible, scrappy, scruffy, ugly, magnificent 1-0 win.
“I’m not bothered how we get them as long as we get the points to keep us in this league.
He was absolutely right. It was an awful game. But then so was the Blackburn game last week and I wouldn’t have given Blackburn a cat in Hell’s chance against Arsenal yesterday.
But at least the goal Michael Chopra scored yesterday, was a very good one.
We’re All Brentford Supporters Now
Brentford visit Chelski in their FA Cup fourth round replay today. I doubt, there is too many, who want Chelski to win. Greg Dyke, the Brentford Chairman, said on Radio 5, that even Chelski supporters want Brentford to win, as that would hasten the departure of the manager they hate.
I doubt that I’ll be watching, as it will probably be too painful to watch, as I can’t see Chelski making the same mistake twice.
But here’s hoping!
If Brentford should win, then it will be West London’s turn to party after the Olympics in East London last year.
A Rum Deal
This article about the coat of arms for Deal is such a good example of how we all get involved in wasting money, because some self-serving organisation or quango, thinks it knows that’s best and doesn’t use common sense.
Obviously, the College of Arms doesn’t, as surely there’s only one Deal in the UK.
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 Anonymous Widower 