Cracked it! Further to the last post, it was this Arsenal game that was on, but the night in question was three weeks later (March 29th 1994), and we were down at Nottingham Rock City again, only this time it was to see Primal Scream. The night Robbo danced his gout away.
Although l grew up loving George Best, Diego Maradona is in with a good shout of being classed as the greatest footballer of all time, especially during the time he was playing for Naples. He obviously had many issues, but that just made him more human, especially coming from the dirt poor background he had, and didn't distract from his enormous talent and ability to alter the outcome of games, despite (like Best) some of the ferocious tackling he had to endure. Personally, although it was annoying that he got away with the 'Hand of God' against England, most other players on that pitch would have done the same thing if they could have, so l've no issues with it (apart from the debate about players wanting to cheat in the broader sense, but that's for another day). Lionel Messi has been the modern days nearest equivalent to Maradona, and some (insane) people prefer Cristiano Ronaldo, but comparisons are kind of pointless, as they involve different types of games and opposition, but Maradona was certainly something very very special, and should be lauded for his exceptional skills, outrageous balance, and bravery on the field. There's an excellent piece by Maradona's former Argentina teammate Jorge Valdano in The Guardian (look here), which is an infinitely superior tribute than anything l could muster up and is well worth reading.
I love this film of Maradona warming up and juggling a football, and speaking from personal experience as someone who could also do lots of tricks with a football, Maradona's touch is gobsmacking. Another great player who will be missed by anyone with a love for the game.
On the other hand, l have nothing but contempt for the way he mistreated his records
It was 10 years ago to the day since l went to watch Manchester United at Sunderland. My mate dropped out at the last minute so l went by myself. Had to go in the home end, it chucked it down with rain, and it was a really underwhelming 0-0 draw. I also got a parking ticket, and cursed all the way home.
On the other hand, l wish crowds were allowed back into the grounds, so l could do it all again. Football without fans is crap.
So, Jose Mourinho is the new Tottenham Hotspur manager, after the sacking of Mauricio Pochettino.
However, Pochettino has transformed the club during the last five years or so, playing attacking entertaining football, finishing in the top 4, and taking them to their first European Cup / Champions League final as recently as May, as the club was in the process of moving to a new ground, whilst having limited transfer funds. He's supposedly getting a £12 million pound pay off, and will have no shortage of offers, but if Daniel Levy (Tottenham Chairman) is anticipating things will improve under Mourinho, he must be mad, and can kiss goodbye to entertaining football. Apparently the training and mood around the ground was getting depressing, and recent results have not gone well, so let's see what happens now (Cue the entry of Mourinho, scowling).
At least Manchester United may have a chance of signing Harry Kane (and / or Christian Eriksen) now, so it's not all bad news.
Inspired by an advert on Sky where someone has Liverpool stuff framed on the wall behind him, l thought about framing my programmes from Manchester United versus Liverpool in the late 1960's / early 1970's, plus a couple from Oxford United against Manchester United, as l was living by Oxford at the time, and saw Manchester United lose there when they were in the Second Division (and went to lots of Oxford United's home games).
However, l haven't sussed out a way to frame them yet. The enclosed photo is the best l have come up with so far, but l'm still not happy with it so far.
If l don't sort it soon, it probably never will be.
I was reminded of this song when watching the 2018-19 end of season Match of the Day, as it was played over the closing credits and montage. Now l can't stop listening to it, and whoever chose it for use deserves a gold star.
Unless it drives me mad / madder.
From their Duel Mono album
Enjoy!
Being a bitter and twisted Manchester United fan, l didn't watch the Champions League (European Cup in old money) semi final second leg at Anfield between Liverpool and Barcelona, just in case Liverpool managed to miraculously get through, after being 0-3 down from the first leg (which l was happy to watch). Despite ignoring it as much as possible, l then started to receive texts mocking me from my Liverpool supporting mates, as Liverpool, just as l feared, managed to win 4-0 and go through to the final. Even l, much as it pains me to say, must admit that was a fantastic result against a team who were being quoted at 50-1 on to progress. Damn their scouse hides!
Last night however, l did watch the other semi final second leg between Tottenham Hotspur (Spurs) and Ajax of Amsterdam. Spurs ended up needing to score three goals in the second half to go through, didn't look like doing it, and l was busy texting my mates a picture of my Ajax shirt, saying l would be wearing it on the day of the final, when they would have been playing Liverpool.
How quickly things turned around was unbelievable, as with pretty much the last kick of the game, Spurs managed to complete their comeback, leading to (what l would argue) were even more ecstatic and deflated scenes than the night before had produced. I wasn't really bothered who went through before the game, but was crying along with the raw emotion on screen at the end of the game. Although l love lots of other things in life, nothing compares to the drama of this, even with teams l don't support.
As the great Sir Alex Ferguson famously said, 'Football - Bloody Hell'
People who don't follow the game are seriously missing out on nights like these (as l'll begrudgingly include the Liverpool one).
Here's the Nofilter highlights (until they get taken down).
Enjoy
Various scans and photographs from the recent short trip to Hamburg.
Lots of drink was taken by all (Hic).
Manchester Airport menu
Our room info
Instructions from the German bar staff for the best places to buy tickets to see St Pauli (We couldn't get in but watched some of the game inside the stadium on TV in the supporters bar)
Posh leather bound menu from Hamburg
Bill for our drinks at the top of Clouds (Robbo paid)
My bill for a bottle of wine from Hamburg Airport which we sneakily drank on the plane, and got told off for when we put the empty bottle in the rubbish bag (Breaking the law, Breaking the law...)
A ticket for the game we couldn't get into (found in a bar later on)
Chips on the return plane home
Outside the St Pauli stadium
View from the top of Clouds
Beans on Toast on stage and my signed poster
Where we had to get off the train because one of our party was going to wee himself (It wasn't me or Robbo)
YEEEEEEEEEEEESSSSSSSSSSSSSSS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
What a result for Manchester United! Plus a pretty accurate prediction from Charles M Schulz and the Peanuts crew. Linus would have loved to be in my shoes after that game.
3-1 away from home against Paris Saint Germain!! Through to the Quarter finals!!!!
A dodgy penalty at the end, but l'll take the win any day. To say l'm outrageously happy at the moment would be an understatement. Ole Gunnar Solskjaer for manager and president, and Mauricio Pochettino can bugger off to rescue PSG.
Thank fuckity fuck Jose Mourinho got told to fuck off and take his black cloud of misery with him.
Eric Cantona can have the last word - filmed after the game.
So the great Albert Finney has passed away (last week). In all of the tributes to his great body of work, one that seems to have been forgotten is Charlie Bubbles, written by Shelagh Delaney and featuring some long forgotten Manchester sights, including what Manchester United's Old Trafford used to be like, before it evolved into the 'Theatre of Dreams', and kids could still afford to attend en mass.
Reminds me of when l was a lad, back in our day when it was all bomb sites etc blah blah blah blah blah blah......
To celebrate South Korea knocking out Germany in the World cup, and to take my mind off the life sapping England v Belgium 'game', here's Korean artist Hyungkoo Lee's 'The Objectuals'.
They're strangely disturbing
When l was young kiddiewinkle, l played Subbuteo now and again like every other sane friend of mine. Some of us dodgier lads even used to go into Wallingford when we were on Summer holidays and nick various boxes of teams to vary the games a bit (Security was pretty lax in the olden days). However, the game that l enjoyed playing most of all, and hardly anyone remembers, was TAF 4-2-4, which l used to play when l lived in Germany. I always thought that the game helped give me a better theoretical understanding of passing the ball into space and how to control and move a ball into space when l played football for real (I was obviously excellent at the real game).
I lost my original game (or my parents probably chucked it when we moved back to Blighty) but l purchased another a few years ago for that lovely Proustian rush, and just to see one again, as people l spoke to then had never even heard of it, and despite the drink and drugs over the years in between, l knew l wasn't imagining it.
When it arrived, I was pretty chuffed that it was in such good condition, and it immediately bought back many happy memories, but an added bonus was that it has been signed by Tom Waterman, the creator of the game on the inside of the outer lid.
Hurrah!!! A reason for keeping it, as l can now class it as a collectors item / rarity.
Mmmmmm A blurry picture of last weeks breakfast.
I had no interest in The Royal Wedding, but had been invited to a party that morning. I said l would go and have my breakfast there before heading off for the FA Cup Final if potato salad and quiche were being served, so they put them on for me.
Hurrah!! Although l should have given the final a miss.
My memory is rubbish with some stuff.
I 'm not totally doolally, so l do remember playing for The Travaux football club years ago, but until l saw these items in amongst other crap in one of my many storage boxes, l had no memory that we actually started the team, and played in it's embryonic first season. I even had to become a member (number 60!) of the Travaux to play for them. As the newspaper cutting confirms, we were pretty good, hit the ground running, and won the league straight off (or at least finished second - as l stated, my memory is crap).
That was before the drink and drugs took their toll!!
