The Round Ball Game - II

[BBMmk2]

Oh no, how sad indeed!

Not too bad a game last night, Belgium v France. For a long while I thought it would end up with penalties! I always thought that Belgium would win.

[eighthobstruction]

Jimmy Greaves scored many of his goals from a Gilzean flick....delivered with just the tiniest patch of Brylcreme...

[LMcD]

Who did what?

Never played for England?

Denis Compton never played for England in football.

Charlie George got one cap.

I'm guessing Beefo has mentioned the Hammer - Billy Bonds.

Apparently he represented England in wartime matches, but never in an 'official' international.

[zola]

It's strange how England caps used to be so hard to come by. Players revered by the fans of their clubs who got a handful of caps or none. Peter Osgood, Alan Hudson, Charlie George, Rodney Marsh, Stan Bowles, in a later era Matt Le Tissier. Strange how all those are the same type of player...the type who "can not be trusted".

Now, if you are English and play for a Premier League team you are more or less guaranteed a cap. Of course, that says a lot about the Premier League and the number of non-English players. And there are many more international games played now in a season in which to earn a cap, with interminable qualifying games for the World Cup and the Euros.

[Lat-Literal]

Sad to see the death announced from a brain haemorrhage of the great Scotland and Spurs Centre Forward, Alan Gilzean, a great hero; and from just down the road from here in Coupar Angus. R.I.P.

Sad news, JC, although not too bad an age.

I was a bit surprised that he wasn't mentioned by Alan Brazil this morning or if he was I missed it.

Apparently he represented England in wartime matches, but never in an 'official' international.

That's very interesting - I'm not sure that I was aware of wartime matches - something new to explore.

It's strange how England caps used to be so hard to come by. Players revered by the fans of their clubs who got a handful of caps or none. Peter Osgood, Alan Hudson, Charlie George, Rodney Marsh, Stan Bowles, in a later era Matt Le Tissier. Strange how all those are the same type of player...the type who "can not be trusted".

Now, if you are English and play for a Premier League team you are more or less guaranteed a cap. Of course, that says a lot about the Premier League and the number of non-English players. And there are many more international games played now in a season in which to earn a cap, with interminable qualifying games for the World Cup and the Euros.

Some of my favourite players there - especially George, Bowles and Osgood although the latter sits more in that Chelsea 70 side as a whole. George and Bowles were both Flash Harrys and hence very popular with fans, perhaps especially with children as they stood out. The old guard could seem, by comparison, a bit grey and it was no doubt their appearance of a greater personal steadiness which gave them priority for international selection. Somewhere along the line I found that I lamented the end of both those types and by the 2000s had especial criticism for the more prevalent modern swagger. Why? I think it was because it was less colourful but much more about the way it was then the norm to be accompanied by an acutely hard edged business sense.

I've just been to Tescos. It tends to be ex builders who "are just coming up to 70" who end up talking with me if anyone does. God knows why. I guess they remind me a bit of my uncles etc when they were alive. Anyhow, all were there in the stadium in 1966 for the World Cup Final - just as everyone of my age saw the Stone Roses at Alexandra Palace when they didn't but actually I did - and the news from the street is that Sir Bobby Charlton being establishment has been ordered not to travel to Russia. That British politicians are not there is of no surprise and no concern but there is disappointment that not only Charlton but William and Harry have been unable to separate sport and politics, especially as Macron and the King of Belgium have no such qualms.

[Constantbee]

Any signs and portents? BBC Tees presenter reports a cash receipt from a shop for £19.66, another a chance encounter with a removal van bearing the name Pickford. Also the anniversary of Gareth Southgate’s signing for The Boro – 11 July 2001. Bob Fisher’s afternoon programme featuring a local historian talking about how 1966 was celebrated on Teesside. Lots of UJ’s but no St George’s flags on display, which came in much later, of course.

[Lat-Literal]

Any signs and portents? BBC Tees presenter reports a cash receipt from a shop for £19.66, another a chance encounter with a removal van bearing the name Pickford. Also the anniversary of Gareth Southgate’s signing for The Boro – 11 July 2001. Bob Fisher’s afternoon programme featuring a local historian talking about how 1966 was celebrated on Teesside. Lots of UJ’s but no St George’s flags on display, which came in much later, of course.

Those are splendid and I can't match them.

The only synchronicity I am getting is that when I look at and hear Southgate there is a personal identification with him. Notwithstanding the lack of athleticism in me, it is like looking at and hearing my more serious side - for there is a resemblance - that is, had I been successful. I'm not sure that has ever happened with me and someone in the public eye before. So it feels a bit odd but also quite uplifting. He was brought up 15 miles south of here and lives in North Yorkshire - a mansion apparently - so even the geographical references feel right.

Apart from that, tomorrow is two years to the day since Geoff Hurst's 1966 shirt failed to be sold at auction for the starting price £500,000. One senses that it would be different now.

This will lower the tone but so far as it is still the peoples' game, the first in my head is pretty good for those of the George and Bowles era and the second which is currently being used by Toolstation in their ads is for today's white van people and their party loving families. Both leap out sledgehammer style. I think the latter is a very underrated modern pop record:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YEOoXjdnOmw

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ch6qy0qdifc

[Constantbee]

He was brought up 15 miles south of here and lives in North Yorkshire - a mansion apparently - so even the geographical references feel right.

He's also a keen fly fisherman, we're told.

[Lat-Literal]

He's also a keen fly fisherman, we're told.

That would be the upward mobility - they lose connection with animal rights.

I recognise it isn't quite the same thing - ordinary folk also do it etc - but I have to be selective too about Alexander Armstrong.

I like him as long as I block out the huntin' and shootin' aspects - with Osman it's easier; he's mostly at his brother's Suede gigs.

[Lat-Literal]

Not to be too miserable but I was going to say last night that the very weird vibe that was coming from the BBC pundits could have implied that they had received bad news from the England camp. While I described it as feeling like a nuclear bomb - I did very much sense it and that for what it's worth is my slightly weirdy, semi spiritual, dimension - what I had in mind was something about Harry Kane. I nearly put that into writing. While officially everyone in the squad is fine, comments from Hoddle today - well, in the past two hours actually - suggest that this might not be the case - https://metro.co.uk/2018/07/11/harry...oddle-7703633/. I predict that someway in it is Jamie Vardy who will need to step up to the plate.

Wasn't this bit of Sussex from the Britpop era just great!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ksTOq8WpV0w

(but flawed, obviously)

This is my favourite by them, though:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3lK-lBToezw

[Nick Armstrong]

The build-up begins (in a Mews behind here, an hour or so ago...):

[teamsaint]

The build-up begins (in a Mews behind here, an hour or so ago...):

Fever Pitch indeed !!

For quite a while I used to pop this on the cassette player in the car a a good volume on my way to the Dell/SMS. From the golden pen of Paul Simmonds, and Hampshire's finest band.
It'll do for me tonight too.

Team Mews : Unchanged.


Like he was going to change it.



Not sure if it is an omen for me but 28 years ago is exactly half a lifetime away in my case.

[Lat-Literal]

I wasn't quite sure where I would be tonight.

I decided on home.

[Lat-Literal]

….I know that the other home nations see it as the dominant country having success but my mind goes exactly to the opposite. Just beside the markets where youth who have managed to get a few pounds someway or another will be mingling with megabucks types from the city, some very old people - poor and ill - will be in their high rise London flats as they have been for decades. A result will not solve their problems any more than a good day of sunshine but it won't half help. That is where my head is on this particular occasion - it always was!

Good luck England.

[Lat-Literal]

Oh good grief...……….. think it was someone in the Guardian who said that for a game that is supposed to be fun it has a strange similarity with agony.

Stones, I feel, has been excellent. Raheem...still no goals and mercurial but I think he has answered as indeed he did on Sweden. Just keep pestering.

I'm having him in every time unless and until it really goes pear shaped.

Half Time - England 1 Croatia 0