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Coverage of the Third Test

Away from my TV, I have been following the Third Test v India on Talksport. You can see the difference from TMS even though the latter is more sanitised and diverse than in the past version. David Lloyd has joined the Talksport team. He knows his cricket at every level but overdoes the [...]

February 17, 2024 // 0 Comments

The Motive and the Cue

This play by Jack Thorne – directed by Sam Mendes -is the hottest ticket in town. Its subject is the direction of Sir John Gielgud (Mark Gatiss) of Richard Burton (Johnny Flynn) in a 1966 Broadway production of Hamlet. I went to the matinee yesterday with my customary companion after we [...]

February 16, 2024 // 0 Comments

Kurt Hamrin

The passing of Kurt Hamrin this weekend was probably not covered by the British sporting medusa but he was a legend for Fiorentina and Sweden. He and Gabriel Batistuta were joint Viola capocannoniere (top scorers) with 151 goals. Kurt Hamrin – known as the ‘Little Bird’ – played [...]

February 5, 2024 // 0 Comments

Monet (The Restless Vision)/Jackie Wullschlager

This is a comprehensive account of the life of artist Claude Monet (1840-1926). He was born in Paris. As his father Alphonse’s business was supplying ships the family soon moved to Le Havre. As a youngster Monet, known then as Oscar, was a talented caricaturist and – only after meeting [...]

January 30, 2024 // 0 Comments

Thoughts on a great Test victory in India

In an era of Test match decline Ben Stokes has done so much to restore its status. The final day, resulting in an improbable England victory, was as exciting as it gets. So much so that I dared not leave the TV transmission for fear of missing something. Ollie Pope’s 196 put England back into [...]

January 29, 2024 // 0 Comments

American dynasties/The Kennedys – PBS

PBS produces outstanding documentaries and I have particularly enjoyed the one broadcast this week on the Kennedys. There have been innumerable films and documentaries on President Kennedy’s assassination so it’s interesting to see all the Kennedys in context. Joe Kennedy the patriarch was [...]

January 26, 2024 // 0 Comments

The decline & demise of José Mourinho

Last week José Mourinho was sacked from AS Roma. After his time at Chelsea, Inter Milan, Real Madrid and Manchester United he moved down a level to Tottenham Hotspur and Roma. Now where? He has not managed PSG nor Barcelona, nor AC Milan, but more likely he will take over the Portuguese national [...]

January 24, 2024 // 0 Comments

Hitler and the Jews

My favourite podcast The Rest Is History, presented by Tom Holland and Dominic Sandbrook, has run two episodes on Hitler and the Jews and they make for searing listening. For 2,700 years Jewish people had been targeted – initially because of their alleged rôle in the death of Jesus Christ [...]

January 20, 2024 // 0 Comments

The Reform Club

I have just returned from three days at the Reform Club. I have gone though various stages. My first was the decision to join made last year after a convivial lunch with a friend member. The accommodation is far cheaper than a West End hotel, the location in Pall Mall convenient and the Sir Charles [...]

January 18, 2024 // 0 Comments

The Tanner Report: Chelsea 1 Fulham 0

This dreary match reminded me of the 2002 FA Cup semi-final with our West London neighbours which ended in the same score. Chelsea just about deserved their win on Saturday but we Fulham fans were incensed that a violent challenge by Gusto on former Chelsea favourite Willian was only punished by a [...]

January 15, 2024 // 0 Comments

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