Category Archives: Blog
When solidarity matters
The story of the International Brigades, the foreign volunteers who fought against the forces of fascism in the Spanish Civil War , is one of the more noble, if tragic chapters of that terrible conflict. The majority of these volunteers , from a variety of national backgrounds including the UK,were motivated by a simple spirit of solidarity, and the belief that Franco’s military uprising against the democratically-elected Spanish Popular Front government, backed as it was by Mussolini and Hitler, represented a defining ideological battleground that would define the future of …
The beauty of youth
I think it was Oscar Wilde who wrote something once about how the best relationships were those that drew together the energy of youth and the wisdom of experience. I guess not many of you bothered to watch Tuesday night’s FC Barcelona game at the Camp Nou against a hardly glamorous champion from Belarussia. After all , Barca have already qualified for the next round of the Champions League at the head of their group, and you are saving your voice, and your liver for this coming weekend’s Classico. You …
Mourinho has the edge this season
One year is a long time in football and I can safely predict that we shall not see a repeat of last year when Barca next meet Real Madrid at the Bernabeu. There have been some exemplary matches ( the last one against Milan was one of them) but this season’s FC Barcelona has matured but seemed to have got tired and somewhat demotivated in the process. By contrast Real Madrid is looking sharp and dangerous, not least in front of goal and all this with a club that appears …
Let’s not forget Messi is human
There was collective intake of breath last night when Messi, seemingly fouled by a Zaragoza defender, clutched his achiles tendon and then started hitting the ground to deal with what seemed excruciating pain. For a brief moment there was a deya vue – memories flooded back of September 2010 when Messi badly injured was subsequently carried off on a stretcher. Messi continued playing last night and once again his presence proved decisive in motivating a convincing Barca victory. It would seem that the main reason Messi plays more matches than …
The dog’s dinner at St Paul’s
What a dog’s dinner the clerics of St Paul’s have made of it. The way they have been going about things shows at best naivety, at worst self-indulgence on an issue they could not have handled more pathetically. First let’s be clear: the British coalition government might be pretty awful in many respects but it is not some South American military junta nor some Middle Eastern dictator, nor is the Met police some repressive, torturing out-of-control secret security force, and nor for that matter are the guys camping outside St …
Gaddafi’s Irish connection
BBC NEWS ‘s usually impeccable Nick Robinson last night produced a Cameron-puff report on Gaddafi’s end which might have been scripted by the Ministry of Information, or should I say Ministry of Truth. The focus was on Cameron as hero of his first ever war as prime-minister in contrast to Tony Blair, as arch villain- usual footage of Tony all smiles with Gaddafi in the days when he was ‘on side.’ Robinson did have the courtesy to mention that Blair’s negotiations led to the dismantling of Libya’s nuclear and chemical …
The evasive Barca goal
Rumour has it that Guardiola and Mourinho share one thing in common at present: they want to qualify for the next round of the Champion’s League as quickly as possible so as to focus their efforts when the battle for La Liga really gets underway early in the New Year- and when you have to draw on all your resources to compete in the early Spring with the other big guns in Europe. While not just Real Madrid but Chelsea and Arsenal seemed to be firing on all cylinders this …
Scotland vs Spain
Watching Scotland play Spain last night was a delight. I can’t think of a more genial bunch of fans than the Tartan Army. Two days on the Costa del Sol and they had won the hearts and minds of every local, with their harmless good cheer. No matter their players weren’t quite up to the standards of their hosts. Spaniards joined in the Scots singing, and even tried to liven up the bagpipe with some rhythmic flamenco clapping. Spain was quite simply beautiful to watch. This was a team that …
Barca’s Unanswered questions
Nothing like having a belated ten day holiday in Sitges to meditate on the affairs of FC Barcelona. This is after all the town/village, just down the coast from the Catalan capital, where much of the creative talent behind the region’s great fortunes and modernism was developed. They say that long after los indianos –those who traded successfuly and built their palaces-painters and poets used to drink champagne watching the sunset and the sunrise. Here too resided once the likes of Bobby Robson and Jose Mourinho and Louis Van Gal and several …
Pep Guardiola: Football’s Guru
Anyone expecting Pep Guardiola to make a bid for the presidency of Catalonia may have been disappointed by his speech to the Catalan parliament the other day, where he received a medal, honouring him or his professional work. Pep’s short speech was short, articulate, and hugely inspirational. He was there to make clear the importance of being passionate about what you do in life-however unimportant you think what you do is- , and to leave us with no doubt that the one overriding passion in his life is football- playing it, …
