When Was The Last Time the Met Police Commissioner Patrolled on a Horse?
At Tuesday night’s football at White Hart Lane, the Metropolitan Police Commissioner, Bernard Hogan-Howe was part of the mounted force policing the match. It’s here in the Metro.
It’s not the first time though that Hogan-Howe has been at a high-profile event on a horse in uniform. This is an extract from a report in the Guardian.
One of Bernard Hogan-Howe’s greatest pleasures as chief constable of Merseyside police was riding through the crowds on horseback at the Grand National. It gave him the chance to pursue his passion for horse-riding while also soaking up the very particular atmosphere of Aintree.
I’ve always felt that horses are an interesting part of a Police Force’s tools. If of course they are used properly.
But I do wonder who was the previous high-ranking Police Officer who patrolled on horse in London?
The Luckiest Footballer Alive
Former Tottenham midfielder Hossam Ghaly, was lucky not to be involved in the rioting in Port Said, despite playing for one of the teams involved. Apparently, he’d been sent off before the trouble started and was in the dressing room.
Can there have been a better time and place to get a red card?
When Was The Last Time Sussex Had Two Teams in the Fifth Round of the FA Cup?
With Crawley beating Hull at the KC Stadium and Brighton beating Newcastle at home by the same score, it means that Sussex has two teams in the fifth round of the FA Cup for the first time. Brighton of course did make the 1983 Cup Final.
I do suspect that the draw might be fixed so that they play each other, as who would fancy a trip to the Deep South.
It’s actually quite a small list of counties that have two League teams outside of the obvious, like Greater London, Greater Manchester, Merseyside, Tyne and Wear and a few others, who have two clubs anyway. I can find Bristol, Derbyshire, Devon, Essex and Hampshire. And of course Sussex.
One Of My Least Favourite Stadia Will Get a Station
The Ricoh Arena at Coventry is a reas9onable stadium, unless you want to get there when the buses aren’t running from the centre. That happened on News Years Day in 2011 as I reported here.
But it would now appear that by December 2013, it will have its own station! About time too!
Should Paul Scholes Captain GB in the Olympics?
Rules say that for Olympic football, you must pick an under-23 side, but you are allowed three overage players in your side. This article in the Daily Mail says that Giggs, Scholes and Beckham could be those overage players.
Obviously others will have their view and especially, when it is known, who’s not going to Euro-2012.
Liverpool Supporters Boo Evra
The Suarez affair has not shown Liverpool of their supporters in a good light. Watching the match today between Liverpool and Manchester United, there is a lot more booing of Patrice Evra.
I think, it’s going to need some sort of punishment to bury all of this.
Incidentally, it doesn’t seem that the supporters behaviour is not much better at Loftus Road, where Chelsea and John Terry are playing.
It wwould appear that we might be winning the battle against rscism in football, but now we have another one, where supporters use a racist incident to stir up trouble.
Harry ‘Forgot Secret Monaco Account’
This was the headline on the front of last night’s Evening Standard and it refers to a claim by Harry Redknapp at his trial for tax evasion.
I have a simple question. If he couldn’t remember this, what hope has he got of remembering how one of the players he is interested in buying has played?
So why would anybody bother to employ him?
Memories of Another Welshman Playing for Spurs
Spurs could probably claim that they were robbed against Manchester City today, as Mario Balotelli could have been sent off after kicking Scott Parker in the head. Harry Redknapp thinks he should have been according to this report on the BBC. But he would wouldn’t he! And so do I!
On the other hand Spurs second goal had a bit of familiarity in my mind. Aaron Lennon weaved inside from the left and gave a perfect pass for Welshman Gareth Bale to drill home from outside the box.
I can remember that great Welsh winger, Cliff Jones, doing the same from probably the other wing and teeing the ball up for either John White or even Danny Blanchflower to score. It couldn’t have been Jimmy Greaves, as he usually scored inside the six-yard box and the distance was too great. Also Greaves didn’t join Spurs until the 1961-62 season and I have a feeling this was earlier.
Jones in his prime was as fast if not faster than Bale, although he wasn’t protected as much by the referee. He’s one of those players, who if they played in the modern era would be so much better.
My father also saw another great Welshman, who played on the wing for Tottenham in the 1930s. He was Taffy O’Callaghan, who although not being as fast as either Bale or Jones, was in a team nicknamed the greyhounds, which won promotion in 1932-33. But by repute he could hit the heavy leather ball as hard and accurate as any.
So perhaps Harry’s team will upset the odds and win the Premier League this year or perhaps in the near future. They have the most important brick in place.
Where Is The Africa Cup of Nations?
I’ve always enjoyed this football tournament, as I said here.
But this year it’s on Eurosport and the only way to see that is by using Sky. All you get is highlights on ITV4 and that’s not in my guide.
Older Footballers
With the return to action of Thierry Henry and Paul Scholes in the last few days, I can remember seeing some older footballers playing at the top level in the 1950s and 1960s.
John Charles – Although he was in the twilight of his career, I must have seen him in 1962 at Tottenham. He would have been in his early thirties at the time.
Stanley Matthews – He played for Stoke in the early 1960s and when I saw him at Tottenham, he must have been nearly 50 and still playing at the top level.
We’ve also had quite a few goalkeepers, who have still be playing at 40.
But to me, the greatest of these older footballers was Danny Blanchflower.
He was an outstanding player and captain, who completely bossed the game. He was also someone blessed with the gift of the Blarney Stone.
His finest moment for Spurs, was probably, when at 36 he lifted the European Cup-Winners Cup in 1962.
If he has a modern counterpart it is David Beckham.
He has been asked to keep himself available for the Olympic football.
It may be wishful thinking, but I don’t rule out Beckham playing in the final. Just like Blanchflower, he has the skill to provide the ammunition and on-field coaching to others, who can do all the hard work.
The Anonymous Widower 