I love Gareth Southgate. Truly and deeply. And not because he dresses sharply, although that helps. And not because he seems like a caring, balanced guy, which is also a plus. I love him because he wins. I love him because he has turned around English football in a way that continues to be underestimated […]
Why Twenty20 cricket is shit
It’s becoming harder and harder to say anything original about the current state of British politics. It feels like a lot of stuff is happening under the surface, and by that I don’t mean in backrooms or offices of state (although, there probably is a lot of that taking place). What I mean is Covid, […]
If even Steve Baker thinks so, have the Tories gone too far with the culture war stuff?
The culture wars have been good for the Conservative party. They were undoubtedly one of the things that helped the Tories win the 2019 general election so decisively. The party was able to paint itself as the guardians of old school British common sense, protecting the country at large from the army of the woke. […]
What I learned about football after a ten year absence – and what I think that taught me about modern England
It started with my daughter taking an interest in Fulham Football Club. This happened after some players from Fulham had come to her school. Given Craven Cottage is located miles away from her school in south London, I thought this was somewhat peculiar, but I had no reason to think she was making it up. […]
Why England v Belgium scared me a little
I had planned to watch last night’s World Cup match with a friend I don’t see all that often as he has moved out of London. We had planned to meet at a very large bar near London Bridge that has an outdoor screen. I had naively texted him to say I would get there […]
World Cup 2018: Thoughts on England v Tunisia
I suddenly remembered why I stopped watching England play football whenever possible about ten minutes before kick off last night. I can say with absolute certainty that I watched every single England senior men’s team football match between around 1998 and the 2010 World Cup. I know because often times, when England were playing say, […]
Why are England’s sporting failures always so predictably samey?
It is Day Two of the first test match of the summer; already, England have found a way to massively disappoint. They won the toss and elected to bat, on what was a windy, overcast day; it was as if Root had decided to bat first if he could the week before and no acts […]
Nostalgia moment of the month: Gazetta Football Italia
It was the impending World Cup that made me think of it – Gazetta Football Italia, I mean. I’m slightly dreading the next version of the tournament finals to determine which nation rules supreme in the sport of association football for various reasons, part of which is general Putin-phobia, but I feel certain I would […]
The Ashes could go any which way: a whitewash by England or Australia both seem like possibilities
Noted cricket commentator Jim Maxwell has described the England batting line-up, due to play in the first Ashes test in Brisbane in just under 11 hours time, as the “worst ever” to play in an Ashes Down Under series. He has a point: the top of England’s order is fairly atrocious. Root has been the […]
How this American football match reminds me of Corbyn’s Labour
Drawing on American football annals for an analogy that works for British politics may seem a stretch for some of you, but stay with me here. In 1916, Georgia Tech faced a college from Tennessee called Cumberland in a football match that lives on in infamy. It will become clear why this is. Cumberland had […]