It’s funny how friendships evolve as we get older. Some quietly fizzle out, others become more distant, while a precious few remain wonderfully consistent.
Those are often the friendships where people evolve at roughly the same pace. I once read that if you still have exactly the same opinions and life skills at 60 as you did at 30, you’ve probably wasted 30 years. It’s a bit harsh, perhaps, but there is definitely something in ...
Argentina Go Out in Style in an American Jolly Jamboree of Old Bollocks
Yesterday felt strangely flat.
For six weeks the chaise longue had become my office, my press box and, occasionally, my therapist. There had been moments of breathtaking football, moments of utter tedium and enough time during VAR delays to complete a small home extension, but overall it had been a tournament that provided plenty of entertainment, at least until the ...
Firstly, thank you to everyone who has read, liked, commented on and shared my ramblings from the Chaise Lounge over the last few weeks. They were never meant to be anything more than the thoughts of a middle-aged bloke shouting at a television and occasionally frightening the dog, but so many of you came along for the ride. It made the World Cup feel like something we all experienced together and I genuinely appreciated every bit of it.
T...
Welcome to Football’s Highest Exam
England face Mexico at the Estadio Azteca, which is not ideal if you were hoping for a relaxing early Monday morning, a gentle stroll into the quarter-finals, or a football match that doesn’t also resemble a science experiment.
The Azteca sits around 2,240 metres above sea level, which is roughly 7,200 feet in old money. That means the air is thinner, the lungs have to work harder, and footballers ...
England Win the Group… But Are They World Cup Winners?
England have done what was required. Three games, top of the group, and a favourable last 32 draw. Tick. Tick. Tick. The 2-0 win over Panama wasn’t exactly footballing poetry. It was more the sporting equivalent of doing the washing up. Nobody enjoyed it much, but it needed doing.
To be fair to Panama, they were organised, hardworking and about as welcoming as a wasp in a sleeping ...
