Boxing Day in the UK means local derbies for many football fans. It does not matter at what level the teams play at these games always have extra edge and meaning.
Today’s fixture at Clarence Park between St. Albans City and Hemel Hempstead Town proved to be of no exception.
This National League South mid table contest thrilled a bumper crowd of almost 1500 citizens of West Hertfordshire. St. Albans won the game 2 -1. The winning goal was a very accomplished header from a corner 10 minutes before time.
A great afternoon’s entertainment and I also won a raffle prize.
A grand weekend of sport brings early seasonal joy.
Supporting a sports team brings moments of happiness, periods of disappointment and great doses of indifference. Research has shown that when a team wins it’s fans are not just happier but also more productive.
Well I can’t complain about last weekend’s results.
West Ham won.
Leeds United won.
Northampton Town won.
This trio of glory is as rare as a total eclipse so that it is worth some celebration.
At the London Stadium West Ham hosted Crystal Palace in a game to find out which is the fourth best team in the capital. Palace led at half time but as soon as Robert Snodgrass had lashed in an equalizer the momentum of the game swung, Further goals from Hernandez and Anderson did wonders for the well being of East Londoners.
Across the Atlantic the NFL has been providing compelling entertainment. So many teams are in form and it is impossible to predict a Super Bowl winner with confidence. The play offs commence in a few weeks. So many teams must believe that they can win. Perhaps the New Orleans Saints are the team to beat. They have so many potent offensive players who create havoc for any opponents.
Last weekend was splattered by many epic contests. None more so than the Dolphins battle with the Patriots. The Dolphins won the game with a score on the very last play. The decisive final move included two lateral passes. Amazing.
Meanwhile back at Soldier Field, Chicago Bears hosted the free scoring Los Angeles Rams. It was a brutal contest full of immense hits and collisions. The Bears won the day and gave reason for the citizens of Illinois to sing loud and feel proud.
It was a thrilling night out at the Roadmender last Friday. A trio of local bands provided exciting entertainment for music fans.
First up was Kilamojo, followed by Deaf Trap then the headliners The Keepers.It was three hours of top rousing fun to start the weekend. The bands were lively, loud and raucous. The noise that they created blended with a wild audience, made for an irrepressible atmosphere.
A week earlier the Black Prince hosted The King of Hearts Festival when ten bands and musicians put on a show to raise funds for the Dryden cardiac ward at Northampton General Hospital.
The stage was not only taken by local bands, but also by bands from Marburg which is Northampton’s twin town in Germany. The event was the result of lots of hard work by many people including young music svengalis Matt King and Matthew Wetherill.
You don’t have to travel to a big city or spend a small fortune on tickets to enjoy a great live show. For a few shillings you can have a great time supporting bands from your own neighborhood.
It’s a question that football fans have considered recently. Some think that the light blues are the best ever team to play in the Premier League. Others think that they still have something to prove.
One thing for certain is that Manchester City is the best team in the Premier League right now. Liverpool look good and Arsenal are cohesive and consistent but City set the pace.
After only 14 games they have 38 points and a goal difference of 37. They have already played at Anfield and the Emirates Stadium so it is realistic to think that they could remain undefeated this season. If you want to bet on them doing this then bet now. The odds are only 5/1.
Some defenders don’t get this close to Sergio Aguero.
During the past few months I have seen City play 4 times. In those games they scored 15 goals and only conceded 1. I have never seen an English club team play with so much confidence and control. All of their players are highly skilled, smart, disciplined and very fit. In many games they keep possession of the ball for over 70% of the time and they scored a goal in the Manchester derby after a move of 44 passes.
Of course their squad has cost a lot of money. At least £1.5 billion. However other clubs have invested fortunes in players for little return.
An awesome foursome of a midfield led by City legend Colin Bell.
The record for the biggest win in a Premier League game is Manchester United’s 9-0 victory over Ipswich Town many years ago. Manchester City would surely love to improve on this achievement. With Kevin De Bruyne and Ben Mendy due to return to the team, it must be a record that is in danger of being smashed.
Over the past few months I have had the good fortune to work in Crosby, which is a small coastal town just north of Liverpool. It is part of the Sefton coastal area which stretches a few miles further to Southport.
It really is a lovely place. At first when you visit you might think that it is unremarkable. However when you find the beach your opinion changes.
Crosby beach is vast. It is a wonderful place for a walk or just to sit and take in the views. You can look across the Irish Sea or watch vessels coming in and out of Liverpool.
The beach is the permanent home to “Another Place”, the sculptures by Antony Gormley. There are scores of these dotted all over the sand.
The whole area is beautiful. However, a word of warning. The tide can come in very quickly and if you are unaware you could be trapped. Also beware of mud and silt. If you find this you can sink very quickly. If nobody else is about you can be in deep trouble. I can vouch for the capability of the local coastguard who rescued me from this situation.
A few miles further up the coast is Formby. Again the beach is enormous and it is a marvelous place for walking. You can enjoy the environment whilst looking out for wildlife. Apart from a rich variety of birds the area supports communities of Natterjack Toads as well as several types of Lizards and Newts.
It also supports Red Squirrels.
Red Squirrels are sadly a rare sight in England. They can only be seen in a handful of areas. They used to live all over the country until a caravan of North American Grey Squirrels illegally migrated here bringing with them the Squirrel Pox virus which is lethal to the native red. Build that wall! Build that wall!
“I hope that John Wilson sees this”.
The local population of Red Squirrels live in a small forest that is managed by the National Trust. They are definitely worth visiting. Take a camera and be patient. You will be rewarded with some fun memories.
Southport is the largest town in the area. The beach here is even bigger. Again be aware of the tide changing and look out for mud. There is a nature reserve along the coast just north of the town. There is also the world famous Royal Birkdale Golf Club which has hosted many Open Championships. Several ex footballers live around here so if you visit the Co-op you might catch sight of Lawro or even Kenny Dalglish.
The town itself is very smart and busy. Much of it was laid out during Victorian times and it has retained much of the charm of a traditional seaside resort with wide boulevards, parks and lakes for you to promenade by.
The whole area is worth a visit.
Book early and you could find a really good value break that you will enjoy.
I wanted to see a show whilst I was in Chicago. Phil Collins and Elton John were scheduled but I was not interested. However when I found out that Smokey Robinson would be in town I was committed.
Smokey is a premier league performer. He is in the same division as Aretha, Etta, Sam and Otis. To see him would be memorable.
However the show would not be in Chicago. It would be at the Genesee Theatre in Waukegan, about 35 miles north of The Windy City. No problem, there are trains every hour and the last train back is at midnight.
The show was on a Friday night. I arrived in Waukegan at about 5pm. It was quiet, very quiet indeed. To pass the time I went for a walk around the town. Then I went for another walk around the town. I still had time to kill. There was a McDonalds so I went there for a coffee.
I started to think that my evening was going to be disappointing.
I need not have worried.
The Genesee Theatre is a gem. It was built at the turn of the last century at a time that we in the UK call Edwardian. The show was a sell out and a great atmosphere was building up.
I had really nice company. There was Karen from Chicago and there was Ruth who lives in Chicago but hails from Edmonton North London with her husband Tom. There was Lynette, a care worker from Brisbane.
Then there was Lynette’s friend Zoey.
Zoey told us that she is a police officer back in Brisbane and that she and Lynette were on a little soul tour. They had been to Detroit to see the Motown Museum but that the highlight of their tour would be to see Smokey.
What she didn’t tell us was that she is the fastest thing to come out of Australia.
Faster than when Cathy Freeman won gold at the Sydney Olympics.
Faster than when Skippy the Bush Kangaroo dashed home to tell Sonny that Clancy had fallen down the old mine shaft.
If anybody has any aspirations to hold up a post office in Queensland, forget it! Zoey will have you cuffed and kissing the tarmac before you get to the first set of traffic lights.
Smokey was fantastic and the audience was with him all of the way. He came on stage to a standing ovation and things built up from there. He performed many of his great songs, “My Girl”, “Second That Emotion”, “Get Ready” and of course”The Tracks Of My Tears”.
The vibe in the noise in the theatre was amazing. Smokey had the audience in his hands. Then, close to the end of the show he asked for a volunteer form the audience to join him on stage and to sing with him.
Whoooooooooooooooooooooooooosh!!!
Before any body could say Jack Robinson, Zoey was on the stage. Nobody else stood a chance. She must have broken the world land speed record to get there. It was an unforgettable moment. What a way to end the evening.
I never thought that I would ever see a real NFL game. Not a game in London but the real thing. An NFL game in an NFL stadium. Where better to go than Soldier Field, home of the Chicago Bears.
The stadium is stunning. You can walk from downtown along the shores of Lake Michigan to the game. Like many NFL stadiums there are no covered stands so even if you spend a weeks wages on your ticket you will still be exposed to the elements, including the bitter wind that blows across the lake. The sun might shine brightly but you still need to wrap up well
Fans arrive early. Some arrive very early. Many enjoy pre game food and drinks at tailgate parties.Some like me just want to soak up the atmosphere and enjoy the views.
The game itself is amazing. I saw 2 games. Bears versus New England Patriots and Bears versus New York Jets.
What can I say about the Patriots game?
I saw one of the greatest players playing for one of the greatest teams. Tom Brady is 41 years old yet he is performing at the highest level in a brutal sport. Mind you, if you saw the guys whose job it is to protect him you would understand why. The guards and tackle positions of The Patriots are staffed by monsters. I bet their mum’s love each and everyone of them. Patriots defeated The Bears 38-31 in a cracking game.
The following week I saw The Bears defeat The Jets 24-10. The Bears are like Leeds United, there are signs of improvement.
I love this sport. There is so much going on. To see how players smash into each other and then get up off the ground is fantastic. Of course the most glorious sight is when a quarter back launches an enormous pass that miraculously falls into the gloves of a wide receiver who is flying full pelt towards the end zone. Incredible!
I relish my memories of the games I saw. Great games, great stadium and great fans such as Ben, Julie and Matt.
Sports bars are fantastic. You go into any bar, order a beer and within minutes somebody will ask how you are and what you think of the game.
Of course bars in Chicago show NBA,NHL,NFL and MLB. However there is a special place that attracts those who miss their dose of La Liga, Bundesliga or Premier League.
The Globe Pub on West Irving Park Road is a home from home for fans of the world game. Be there on a Saturday morning and enjoy live action while you enjoy a beer and a breakfast. When I called I was able to watch Leeds United and West Ham simultaneously.
I also had great company. I met Gary who is one of the owners of the pub. He is American, so how did he get involved? Well, every Sunday during the 1980s a local tv station showed English football book ended by Benny Hill, Monty Python and Dave Allen. I can understand the attraction.
The pub is great. It is a hub for English people who live in Chicago. Notable visitors include Sean Bean, David Beckham and Rod Stewart. Several English teams have supporters clubs based here such as Jake and his fellow Forest fans. It has a large selection of beers. I had a couple of Daisy Cutters which were wonderful. You can even buy Sam Smith’s.
The pub walls are adorned with flags and banners of sports clubs from all over the world. I noticed that there wasn’t Castleford Tigers scarf there so I presented mine to Nikola, who will find a space for it.
The Globe Pub is definitely the best sports bar in Chicago.
Gordon's Gubbins. 