A View From the Chaise Longue -What a Night in Qatar!
Many are calling it the World Cup that just keeps giving, and isn’t it just? The two quarter-final matches were evidence of no matter how much we can hate football sometimes, its beauty still shines through. No other sport can provide such drama. Nervous Neutrals Across the world last night, neutral observers were pacing the floor and hiding behind cushions and sofas as the drama of the quarter-finals unfolded. What it must have been ...
A View From the Chaise Longue – The Quarter-Finals
So, the 2nd round of the World Cup is done and dusted. Spain were the latest big name to be shocked and deservedly so. After laying down an early marker in the group stages, Spain changed tact. They decided to employ the tactic of boring their opponents to death by passing the ball to each other for what seemed like years. From the chaise longue view, it felt inevitable that Spain would crash out at some point. I’m no Pep Guardiola, but the ...
View from the chaise longue – England restore calm to win at a canter
It was red wine and the chaise longue for the culture vulture again last night. Yet again, I didn't feel physically and mentally equipped to go out in the cold and into a pub of football experts. I don’t know why, but hearing someone shout “GET GREALISH ON!”, every 20 seconds, seems more tolerable in the summer. Perhaps it's because you can escape to the garden when it is warmer? I must admit, I spent the hours before the Senegal game ...
The days of camping, golden tench, and Casa Roberto’s
I was chatting to my old mate Stewart the other day and we got to on to the subject of eating out. I say chatting, people don’t really chat anymore as messenger and WhatsApp have killed the voice. When the great Cliff Richard wrote, ‘it’s so funny, we don’t talk anymore’, was he offering us a dark forecast of a dystopian future? Probably not. Anyway, the Facebook messenger conversation started with a picture of a golden tench that ...
England Dismantle the Myth of Passion and Desire
I nearly went to the pub to watch football last night. I then realised I was a bit tired and couldn’t be bothered with listening to inane bar stool bullshit. So, with Jennifer on the hospital evening shift, I stayed home alone with a bottle of vin rouge. What a culture vulture I am. Viewing Without Distraction Watching football without distraction makes it almost seem like a different game. I found myself picking up on little bits of ...