Day -100 WorldCup2018
Well, well, well. One hundred days to go. It popped up on a visit to the BBC website today and I thought, bah, amateurs, where were you when there were 900, 800, 600, 200 days to go?
I had a dose of nostalgia today when I found out that Steve Wright is still on BBC Radio, the same Steve Wright who I used to wake up to every morning over twenty years ago; the Steve Wright from whom I first heard of the comedian Steven Wright and that really confused me. Hearing him took me back to the days of the opening day of the 1994 World Cup (the only day of that World Cup that I was in England for), Eric Cantona and scissor kick attacks on abusive supporters, the seagulls and trawlers that followed that kick, Tony Yeboah and amazing goals for Leeds, Leeds playing a season as reigning champions, Liverpool winning the league (oh no, sorry that was before that time), trips to Villa Park, Dean Saunders' wonder goal against Ipswich scored right in front of me at the Holte End, Dalian Atkinson (oh Dalian, RIP), Steve Staunton's incredible dare-to-dream goal at Old Trafford watched in a near empty pub in Loughborough on a Sunday afternoon where the few locals wondered what I was getting so excited about, Man United winning the first Premier League. And there was University, but I'm the football nerd.
The last bit was particularly painful with Fergie time, Sheffield Wednesday, Steve Bruce, Brian Kidd and all that. The saddest trip to Villa Park was the final home game in 1993, prior to which the league title was already pretty much lost but a 1-0 defeat to a desperate Oldham confirmed that United would be champions. My first end of season lap of appreciation for the fans by the Villa players was a sombre affair. All the excitement of the 5-0 win against Middlesbrough (my first match), the late winner against Wimbledon (when the Holte End was packed because of the £5, or £10(?) special) and the memorable abuse of Vinnie Jones, the Saunders goal against Ipswich, the many Dwight Yorke magical moments: all of that fun, all the exertions, looked like it had drained out of the players' faces as they trudged around the pitch.
I say sad and sombre but I always remember that it's all relative to real sadness. The BBC had a great time repeatedly reporting yesterday and Sunday about an Arsenal fan who called into the radio, in tears, because of Arsene Wenger and what he is doing to Arsenal. In tears. Really. I digressed, but I really have to stop because I could take that a lot further.
Steve Wright's on the radio but where are Leeds or Oldham, or, of course, even Villa? Oldham in the Premier League. It really happened, kids. Joe Royle was the genius manager who then couldn't do a thing right at Everton. They are now in the third division. And this was also around the same time that Tranmere Rovers almost beat Aston Villa in the League Cup semifinal. Tranmere were up 3-0 in the first leg and Villa scored in the 94th minute. In the second leg it was 2-1 for Villa until a couple of minutes before the end. It went to extra time and Villa won on penalties. Against Tranmere. They are now a non-league team.
If anybody is still with me now on this personal history journey of mine, I commend you and thank you.
That's my 100 days to go marker then. A look back at something quite unrelated. I should have, could have, mentioned Boris Johnson's threat that England will not "fully" participate in the World Cup, after the suspicious incident involving the former Russian spy and his daughter in England today. Hoping they both recover is more important than Johnson's theatrical diplomacy.
One more thing. It's hard to get fully excited about the 100 days to the World Cup when before that I have to suffer (relatively) through Aston Villa's increasingly tight promotion battle. Another win today was good. That's nine wins out of the last eleven, but wins for Fulham and Cardiff means it's going to mean that even a draw is going to seem like a defeat.
I'll leave it there. C'mon the Villa. C'mon the 100 days, be good, full of fun and we look forward to the end.
Well, well, well. One hundred days to go. It popped up on a visit to the BBC website today and I thought, bah, amateurs, where were you when there were 900, 800, 600, 200 days to go?
I had a dose of nostalgia today when I found out that Steve Wright is still on BBC Radio, the same Steve Wright who I used to wake up to every morning over twenty years ago; the Steve Wright from whom I first heard of the comedian Steven Wright and that really confused me. Hearing him took me back to the days of the opening day of the 1994 World Cup (the only day of that World Cup that I was in England for), Eric Cantona and scissor kick attacks on abusive supporters, the seagulls and trawlers that followed that kick, Tony Yeboah and amazing goals for Leeds, Leeds playing a season as reigning champions, Liverpool winning the league (oh no, sorry that was before that time), trips to Villa Park, Dean Saunders' wonder goal against Ipswich scored right in front of me at the Holte End, Dalian Atkinson (oh Dalian, RIP), Steve Staunton's incredible dare-to-dream goal at Old Trafford watched in a near empty pub in Loughborough on a Sunday afternoon where the few locals wondered what I was getting so excited about, Man United winning the first Premier League. And there was University, but I'm the football nerd.
The last bit was particularly painful with Fergie time, Sheffield Wednesday, Steve Bruce, Brian Kidd and all that. The saddest trip to Villa Park was the final home game in 1993, prior to which the league title was already pretty much lost but a 1-0 defeat to a desperate Oldham confirmed that United would be champions. My first end of season lap of appreciation for the fans by the Villa players was a sombre affair. All the excitement of the 5-0 win against Middlesbrough (my first match), the late winner against Wimbledon (when the Holte End was packed because of the £5, or £10(?) special) and the memorable abuse of Vinnie Jones, the Saunders goal against Ipswich, the many Dwight Yorke magical moments: all of that fun, all the exertions, looked like it had drained out of the players' faces as they trudged around the pitch.
I say sad and sombre but I always remember that it's all relative to real sadness. The BBC had a great time repeatedly reporting yesterday and Sunday about an Arsenal fan who called into the radio, in tears, because of Arsene Wenger and what he is doing to Arsenal. In tears. Really. I digressed, but I really have to stop because I could take that a lot further.
Steve Wright's on the radio but where are Leeds or Oldham, or, of course, even Villa? Oldham in the Premier League. It really happened, kids. Joe Royle was the genius manager who then couldn't do a thing right at Everton. They are now in the third division. And this was also around the same time that Tranmere Rovers almost beat Aston Villa in the League Cup semifinal. Tranmere were up 3-0 in the first leg and Villa scored in the 94th minute. In the second leg it was 2-1 for Villa until a couple of minutes before the end. It went to extra time and Villa won on penalties. Against Tranmere. They are now a non-league team.
If anybody is still with me now on this personal history journey of mine, I commend you and thank you.
That's my 100 days to go marker then. A look back at something quite unrelated. I should have, could have, mentioned Boris Johnson's threat that England will not "fully" participate in the World Cup, after the suspicious incident involving the former Russian spy and his daughter in England today. Hoping they both recover is more important than Johnson's theatrical diplomacy.
One more thing. It's hard to get fully excited about the 100 days to the World Cup when before that I have to suffer (relatively) through Aston Villa's increasingly tight promotion battle. Another win today was good. That's nine wins out of the last eleven, but wins for Fulham and Cardiff means it's going to mean that even a draw is going to seem like a defeat.
I'll leave it there. C'mon the Villa. C'mon the 100 days, be good, full of fun and we look forward to the end.
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