AND THE OSCAR GOES TO . . . ?
I’LL tell you who it doesn’t go to and that’s any of the various numpties in government who have decreed that footie fans cannot possibly be permitted to watch their team in the open air but can instead watch them from a bar or cinema despite the blindingly obvious fact that such venues tend to have roofs on.
It’s not often I agree with West Ham manager David Moyes but when he asked how his team were not allowed to have spectators in for their home game with Manchester City while 500 yards away a cinema at Westfield was showing the game he was spot on. We actually have a situation where clubs with the appropriate facilities can wine and dine their paying guests (or as Roy Keane would put it the prawn sandwich brigade) but come kick off time those guests in their dining rooms or boxes are not allowed to look out the window or step outside to watch the game. Instead curtains are drawn or shutters closed and the game is then watched on the box. Johnson, Hancock, Sage, the Department for Media, Culture, and Sport, PHE, the Welsh Stalin, Imperial College, and the wannabe Krankie need to take a good look at themselves because this situation is surely the very definition of absurd.
Outraged from Islington
On Tuesday many people were a wee bit upset that the entire Marseille team remained standing while the Manchester City players were “taking the knee” before the start of their Champions League fixture. The following evening the same people were similarly upset when four Krasnodar players
refused to make the gesture as they hosted Chelsea. Comments included “Absolutely disgraceful” “Poor show” and this classy little belter “F*** Marseille for not taking the knee”. As for me I was delighted at the show of defiance and also pleased to note that ‘ Guardianistas’ have zero class which I have always suspected.
Won’t somebody think of Richard?
As of Monday coming there will have been three Pay Per View Monday games played under SKY and BT’s (in conjunction with the Premier League) mandate to empty the pockets of already hardup footie fans. The first game was West Brom 0-0 Burnley and it was awful. Next up was Brighton 1-1 West Brom and it was almost as bad as the first. On Monday we have West Brom vs Fulham to look forward to and it’s almost certainly going to be awful and end 0-0. Keen-eyed readers may have noticed a common denominator here and it is of course West Brom. Now it’s not the Throstles fault that they’re chosen for these 5:30 kick-offs but I do feel desperately sorry for the only Baggie I know here who, when he could be watching his heroes, is stuck running the Monday night quiz at Jessic. Richard Gwinnett I salute you. (In truth he’s almost certainly better off not seeing the games.)
Team of the week
Edouard Mendy Chelsea, Timothy Castagne Leicester, Thiago Silva Chelsea, Toby Alderweireld Spurs, Jao Cancelo Citeh, Patrick Bamford Leeds,
Michail Antonio West Ham, Harry Kane Spurs, Phil Foden Citeh, Wilfried Zaha Palace, Sadio Mane Liverpool. Manager: Marcelo Bielsa Leeds.
This week’s games
Premier League today 2:30; Sheffield United vs Citeh. 5pm; Burnley vs Chelsea. 7:30; Liverpool vs West Ham. Tomorrow 2pm; Villa vs Southampton. 4pm; Newcastle vs Everton. 6:30; United vs Arsenal. 9:15; Spurs v Brighton. Monday 7:30; Fulham vs West Brom. 10pm; Leeds vs Leicester. Champions League Tuesday 10pm; Citeh vs Olympiakos, Atalanta vs Liverpool. Wednesday 7:55; Istanbul Basaksehir vs United. 10pm; Chelsea vs Rennes. Europa League Thursday 7:55; Ludogorets vs Spurs, Benfica vs Rangers. 10pm; Arsenal vs Molde, Leicester vs Braga, Celtic vs Sparta Prague. Selected Championship today 2:30; Bristol City vs Norwich. 5pm; Barnsley vs Watford, Middlesbrough vs Forest. Friday 9:45; Cardiff vs Bristol City. Selected Scotland today 7pm; Scottish Cup 2020 semi-final Hearts vs Hibs. Tomorrow 2pm; Kilmarnock vs Rangers. Scottish Cup 2020 semi-final 4:30; Celtic vs Aberdeen. Stand out games United vs Arsenal, Leeds vs Leicester, and Atalanta vs Liverpool.
F1
Emilia Romagna Grand Prix tomorrow 2:10. Lewis Hamilton’s inexorable march to championship number seven continues tomorrow on one of F1’s great tracks. Imola, though tarnished forever by the deaths of Ayrton Senna and Roland Ratzenberger in 1994, is a fantastic high-speed circuit which is almost guaranteed to provide multiple overtaking opportunities and as such should be that rarest of things in modern day F1, an actual race as opposed to a procession.
And finally
Last week’s question, a sneaky one: Alan Hudson, Kenny Hibbit, Peter Ward, Chris Turner, Nicky Reid, Gary Mills, Roger Davies, Steve Daley, Roy Greaves. Coach Alan Hinton. Which team had these players in their squad in 1982? The answer is Seattle Sounders who plied
their trade in the North American Soccer League, the forerunner to the current Major League Soccer. Many ex-league players found themselves America-bound as their careers wound down. Other Seattle alumni included Harry Redknapp, Mike England, Bobby Moore, and Ray Evans, while the great George Best could be seen in the colours of the Los Angeles Aztecs, Fort Lauderdale Strikers, and San Jose Earthquakes, and you could have seen Rodney Marsh with the Tampa Bay Rowdies. This week: in the same vein who did Edson Arantes do Nascimento play for?
I was minding my own business in the usual watering hole earlier this week when a stranger got my attention and asked me if I was the chap who writes in the paper. “For my sins yes” said I. “I really enjoy your column,” he then said, “but I wasn’t sure if it was you or not because you look younger in the flesh.” Personally I think this very nice QPR fan is probably due a visit to specsavers but don’t be too surprised to see a new photo on the masthead in the next couple of weeks. (And yes it may be hard to believe but this really happened!)