Sport & Leisure


Where Have the Kennet’s Roach Gone?

Posted on October 19, 2026

A friend asked me this whether I’d seen any roach in the Kennet on my dog walk today. It was a simple question, but it stayed with me. It brought back memories of a river I once knew through a float, a landing net and an optimism that my angling ability rarely justified. It also prompted me to do some reading. Were the fish really disappearing, or was I remembering everything through the forgiving haze of thirty-odd years? Was I right ...

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View From the Chaise Lounge: The Underrated Brilliance of England’s Greatest Striker

Posted on October 8, 2026

Goals, assists, records and an extraordinary ability to improve with age. At what point do we finally accept that Harry Kane is genuinely world class? There is something quite extraordinary happening with Harry Kane. At an age when most strikers are beginning to lose a yard of pace, drop deeper to conserve energy and contemplate the lucrative business of winding down their careers in the Middle East, Kane appears to be getting better. The ...

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View from the Chaise Lounge – The Worst Goal England Could Have Scored

Posted on July 15, 2026

After days of hype, endless previews and enough dramatic music to invade a small country, game day finally arrived. It started exactly as expected, with Argentina demonstrating that football is as much about psychology and gamesmanship as it is about passing the ball. There were niggling tackles, theatrical tumbles, mysterious injuries that disappeared the instant possession changed and constant conversations with the referee. Actual football ...

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Off the Chaise Lounge for a Regrettable Night in the Pub as England Find a Way Through

Posted on July 12, 2026

The Pub Was My First Mistake After some pressure from my stepson, it was off the chaise longue and down to the pub for last night’s game, a decision I would later come to regret. One side of the pub was watching a television around two seconds ahead of the side I was sitting on, which meant cheers, groans and anguished cries were erupting before I had any idea what had happened. There is nothing quite like watching a dangerous attack ...

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England’s Night of Chaos, Courage and Chaise Lounge Carnage

Posted on July 6, 2026

I should probably start this post by admitting that one player, amongst many heroes last night, stood out as a towering example of why Thomas Tuchel is an elite football manager and I am a Chaise Lounge enthusiast. Anthony Gordon. Thunder, Rain and Mexican Fire As rain delayed the start of the match, nothing could dampen the crackling atmosphere inside Mexico’s fortress. This was never going to be a polite little kickabout. It had ...

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