Soapbox: Swansea treks, Bent duds, Jordan Henderson’s boo boys

Pete Sixsmith wonders what to do with himself now that footie is over. He casts his eye over assorted topics, and wonders whether the ominous interest from Anfield and Old Trafford will bring at last pleasure into the lives of those so eager to barrack “the best player we have produced since Colin Todd” …


The last week
in May brings the end of the football season.

The so-called close season lasts for the whole month of June, unless there are exceptional circumstances like European Championship qualifiers. But local football grinds to a halt and the club committees have the opportunity to re-seed the pitches, paint the goalposts and sort out the budget for next season.

For dedicated anoraks like me, it’s a six-week period for recourse to reading books, going for walks and generally mooching around looking for something to do. Exam marking is usually on the agenda, but they have put it all online this year and I do not relish that, so may drop out.

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Birflatt Boy on Blatter’s gaffes: no mincing words


Monsieur Salut didn’t get as worked up as some about the World Cup venue votes. Cries of foul play? Last-minute manipulation? Prize snatched from under the expectant winner’s nose. Er, no, that was London beating Paris to the 2012 Olympics. But other issues have arisen, so stand by for some straight(ish) talking from Birflatt Boy

A couple of weeks after the ridiculous announcement that the 2022 World Cup would be held in a country that currently has three suitable stadiums, and where the temperatures during the tournament will be so high that you could cook bacon and eggs on the roof of your car, there is now furore surrounding comments from the Fifa president Sepp Blatter.

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