Our favourite things this week: from Ireland's Call to Steve McCurry's travels
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Version 0 of 1. 1) Ireland’s call: standing tall for 20 years Did you know that rugby crowds began singing national anthems in 1905, when the Wales winger Teddy Morgan responded to the All Blacks’ Haka with a rendition of Land of Our Fathers and the fans in Cardiff Arms Park joined in? Did you know that the Ireland team sang The Rose of Tralee at the 1987 Rugby World Cup due to the political situation in the north? And did you know that Ireland’s Call, the song commissioned by the IRFU to find some kind of compromise between God Save the Queen and The Soldier’s Song, is now 20 years old? Malachy Clerkin tells the fascinating story behind the new anthem in this feature for the Irish Times. 2) Myth, scapegoats and excuses: Harry Redknapp at QPR Football lost one of its most divisive figures to the treatment room last week. Harry Redknapp hobbled off for a knee operation, leaving the rest of us to debate his merits as a manager. The pro-Harry camp think he is a link to the past: a proper old-school, down-to-earth football man who loves the game, is polite enough to answer questions and always speaks his mind to fans. The anti-Harry camp think is a bullshitting charlatan: a cynical dinosaur of a coach who spends recklessly, ruins football clubs and shows a complete lack of loyalty and responsibility when the going gets tough. A fair portion of the first group work in the media and a lot of second group support clubs he has managed. Clive Whittingham is one of the latter: Let’s give a really brief, really harsh, assessment of Harry Redknapp’s two years as QPR manager. He signed 21 players permanently at a cost of £58m, not including the undisclosed fee for Reading keeper Alex McCarthy, and almost that many on loan. He sold or released 25 for a recouped amount of £21.5m. For all of this, QPR currently play with a striker at right wing, a central midfielder at left wing, and a 36 year old centre back with no ankles at left back. Redknapp took over a club in the bottom two of the Premier League going into an away game at Sunderland, and he leaves a club in the bottom two of the Premier League going into an away game at Sunderland. He’s achieved nothing in two years, and he’s spent millions. We are exactly where we were when he took over, and the accounts say we’ve lost obscene amounts doing it. 3) Steve McCurry’s football gallery You might be familiar with Steve McCurry’s famous photograph Afghan Girl. It sat on the front of National Geographic and inspired various articles and documentaries. You might not be familiar with his football photography, which is spellbindingly excellent. Scroll along until your heart is content. 4) Meet John, the accountant with 3,000 Bradford City programmes Hunter Davies is not far wrong with his description of the modern-day match programme: “Loads of glossy colour photos, acres of adverts and arse-licking about the awful sponsors.” John Dewhirst, a 52-year-old accountant (naturally), begs to differ. Over the years he has amassed a collection of 3,000 Bradford City programmes, which he has used as inspiration for a new book. To be fair to Dewhirst, he wears his eccentricity lightly and can laugh at his esoteric pursuit: “When I need a shrink, I can give him the book to save the cost of the first few get-to-know-you appointments.” The book, A History of Bradford City AFC in Objects, is a sturdy tome, with 344 pages and 1,050 images. Dewhirst published it himself and is charging £30, reasoning that “those who will chunter about paying £30 will also chunter about paying £15, so I decided not even to waste my time trying to appeal to people who are not going to recognise value.” Dewhirst is unapologetic about his love for football memorabilia in this New Statesman interview and it’s hard not to be seduced by his zeal: “It has been a gamble, a cock-on-the-block moment in my life. But I am a firm believer that products with passion tend to be more appealing than those without. Football is about passion. So, too, are football memories.” 5) Tennis at San Quentin Prison San Quentin State Prison played host to Johnny Cash 46 years ago, when he recorded one of the greatest live albums ever recorded. These days it is home to the largest death row population in the US. Amid the vast 163-year-old structure sits a tennis court that is at the centre of the prison’s rehabilitation program. That tennis court brings people together so Vice Sports went inside to have a look. 6) The sounds of downhill skiing Pop on your headphones, turn up the volume and feel the force of the slopes tickle your eardrums. 7) Bruce Rioch: the one before Arsène Wenger Before showing their live coverage of Bolton’s FA Cup replay against Liverpool last week, the BBC ran a little documentary about the Bolton team that knocked Liverpool out of the Cup in 1993. Three of the team that won at Anfield gathered in a local pub, where they watched the highlights reel, told a few stories and generally basked in the glow of their glory days. Bolton were in the third division at the time and, here they were, defeating FA Cup holders Liverpool at Anfield. The players had every right to take the plaudits, but a lot of their conversation resolved around the importance of Bruch Rioch, Bolton’s manager at the time. The tone of the conversation – “that was all Bruce’s idea”; “the gaffer was great at that”; “that was the boss’s decision” – was unusually respectful towards their former boss. The players were unstinting in their praise for Rioch, which was good to hear as he is often remembered within the context of someone else: the man who followed George Graham, the man who preceded Arsène Wenger, or the man who bought Dennis Bergkamp. Rioch became Arsenal’s shortest-serving manager when he was sacked in 1996 but his time at the club deserves a proper reassessment. Bergkamp offers as much in his autobiography, but if you’re stuck for time, this article by Adrian Clarke, who was breaking into the Arsenal team when Rioch was in charge, is perfect. 8) An Irishman Abroad meets Keith Gillespie When Keith Gillespie sat down to write his autobiography, he wanted to be as honest as possible. Two years later he released How Not to be a Football Millionaire. Whether you have read the book or not, Gillespie is well worth lietening to on Jarlath Regan’s Irishman Abroad podcast. He speaks freely about his gambling addiction, his poor investments and how he trusted people who squandered his money and left him bankrupt. Gillespie’s story is a cautionary tale, but he also has a few cracking anecdotes. He recalls how Alex Ferguson acted as his agent on the day he signed for Newcastle, lying to Kevin Keegan in the negotiations to help Gillespie quadruple his wages; he speaks about the time the Manchester United youth side beat the first-team 4-2 in a friendly game, with Paul Scholes chipping Peter Schmeichel from 30 yards; and, even though he left the game with no riches, he reflects that he “lived the life that so many would want to live”. Gillespie hopes that young players will hear his story and learn from his mistakes. They should listen to this interview; they might learn something invaluable, but it’s also a fine way to spend an hour. 9) Celebrating the terrible goals in hockey history This is a lot of fun. 10) Atlético Madrid’s biggest fan in India Imagine you are an Atlético Madrid fan. You live in India and have supported the club for years but have never seen them play live. You are preparing to watch the Madrid derby with your brother on TV, like every other year. Then you win a competition to go see the match at the Vicente Calderón courtesy of the club, who will introduce you to your hero, Fernando Torres. Atléti win 4-0 and Torres is pleased to meet you. You might be as excited as this guy, but probably not. |