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Super Bowl 2025

The Super Bowl poses many challenges. To the viewer, he/she must – if he/she wants to see it live – stay awake between the hours of 11.30pm and 3-30am. As it’s mainly an event, rather than a sporting spectacle of competitiveness, the commentary must cater for the casual as well as the [...]

February 11, 2025 // 0 Comments

England 26 France 25 (Six Nations)

England confounded the negativity of the Press in the build-up by not collapsing in the final quarter but by winning in the dying embers. In truth it was not a great game of rugby. France dominated the first half but made some dreadful errors. Marcus Smith’s kicking was not reliable off the [...]

February 9, 2025 // 0 Comments

A Woman Bathing In A Stream/Rembrandt 1654

You might have thought radio is not the best medium to present an art programme but I always enjoy Moving Pictures on Radio 4 presented by Cathy Fitzgerald. The picture  subject matter is on the programme website but I prefer to consult my Works of Rembrandt by the publisher Taschen which had a [...]

February 6, 2025 // 0 Comments

The Tanner Report: Newcastle 1 Fulham 2

The mystery continues as to why Fulham can get satisfactory results against teams above us and play poorly against those below. We have beaten Nottingham Forest, Chelsea and now Newcastle away – drawn at Liverpool, Spurs and Arsenal – but lost crushingly to Wolves and drawn with [...]

February 3, 2025 // 0 Comments

Reflections upon Ireland 27 England 22 (Six Nations)

Yesterday I tuned into ITV’s coverage of the Six Nations clash at Croke Park between last year’s champions Ireland and England – under the captaincy of decade-long “FEC” (future England captain) Maro Itoje (now 30) for the first time – which resulted in a 27-22 victory for the [...]

February 2, 2025 // 0 Comments

France 44 Wales 0 (Six Nations)

France opened the Six Nations with a resounding victory over Wales. The only negative in an impressive performance was the upgraded red card given to Romain Ntamack which might put the fly half – only recently returned from a long injury lay-off – out for a sizeable part of the rest of [...]

February 1, 2025 // 0 Comments

The Tanner Report: Fulham 0 Manchester Utd 1

The less said about this dreadful match the better. Fulham’s performance was dire: once again they sat back in the second half and, the longer it stayed 0-0, the more I thought the away team would score. Tactics tend to be impressionable and many sides – Fulham included – adopt [...]

January 27, 2025 // 0 Comments

Nazi war crimes: fact or fiction?

In the week I had two interesting conversations regarding the Nazis. The first was with an old cultivated friend and brother of a distinguished historian, who said that non-fiction was more reliable than any fiction in understanding history. The second was with a highly knowledgeable, well informed [...]

January 23, 2025 // 0 Comments

Sir Keith Park

On Monday I walked from Victoria Station to my club The Reform in Pall Mall. As a London park I prefer Regents Park, not just because of its greater amenities (the boating lake, Rose Garden, Open Air Theatre and Zoo), but because you can get lost there – whereas at St James, you are more or [...]

January 21, 2025 // 0 Comments

Smith or Smith

I followed the Radio London commentary of the Harlequins 24 Glasgow Warriors 7 match, being unwilling to lay out £25 monthly for broadcaster Premium Sports. So I cannot give a total report but – with the Six Nations looming – I thought I might offer my ha’porth on Fin Smith [...]

January 20, 2025 // 0 Comments

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