Protest at Newcastle United

My concern with the Republican Convention made me forget about the prospect of flooding in Texas from hurricane Gustav, or to check if the autumn like weather blitz we are experiencing in the UK is connected to the hurricane build up in the Atlantic. After three months where we did not experience consecutive hot days and there were only two, possibly, three spells of consecutive days of sunshine without rain, we now have torrential ain from dawn to dusk and throughout the night. Because the ground has not dried out from what happened two years ago the risk of flooding is always there and while some of the new or improved defences created from two years ago are working we are experiencing local flooding with last night two severe warnings issues and forty others placed on alert.

It rained all day yesterday, Washing out cricket at Durham, elsewhere and this morning although there is no rain at this moment more is promised which not only ruled out play today but possibly tomorrow when an important 40 40 match was scheduled.

Yesterday's rain dampened the level of protest outside the Newcastle football stadium but this did not prevent the future of the club and the impact on the region dominating local news programmes, filling the back pages of national newspapers where previous managers and players are all give their viewpoints. Because of the resignation at West Ham for similar reason this appears to have become a crucial time for the balance of power between Managers, players and the clubs, as understandably if players know that it is the owner, chairman or director of technical services who is controlling movements in and out they will talk direct and by pass managers thus further weakening their ability to manage the players and build them into a team.

While Mike Ashley the billionaire owner is alleged to be partying on champagne in New York, the most important of players in Newcastle's recent history broke silence and explained why although he would love, really love, to become the manager of Newcastle Football club he would not do so unless he was able to manage the players and just be the head coach. So far there has been only snippets of the interview with Alan Shearer which is to be shown on Saturday on BBC1 where he is already contracted as a football pundit for the weekend review of Premiership matches with highlights. What has been shown is sufficient for everyone to know that he considers the situation which Kevin Keegan found himself as unacceptable. The full interview will be shown tomorrow. There was also an interesting statement from the Football managers Association on what happened when they assisted Keegan at meetings and found they there was not one spokesperson for the club but three, presumably representing the owner, the chairman and Mr Wise, all outsiders to the club and the local population.

Clearly there is concern about how the situation will develop a week Saturday when Hull make their first visit as new entrants to the Premiership. It is important that any demonstrations inside and outside the ground are peaceful and this will be difficult with genuine protestors mingling with serious trouble makers and those wanting to protest within the stadium or just watch a game of football and the world's supports news media in attendance. My own view is that a boycott would be more effective and avoid trouble. I was unsure by what a fan's "representative" had to say in terms of everyone supporting team inside the ground unless he like me is concerned about what will happen if supporters stay outside the stadium while the targets for the protest stay away. He was accompanied at the interview by a well known vicar wearing the Newcastle shirt who previously had sang abide with me in an effort to unite everyone behind the team. My view is that only if one hits Ashley in his pocket will he decided to sell up and which in turn will lead to a new chairman and a director of technical services selected with help by the manager to ensure that they will be able to work as a team and that the manger will have the last word.

Usually they kind of story lasts a couple of days and the media move on to the next big thing, so that events at Man City or Man United only a weekend ago have become history. Conveniently the Manager of West Ham also resigned over the same issue of players bought and sold without having the final word. This is a great coincidence and smacks of the Premiership club owners having got together and developed a policy for the future designed to take control away from manager who will be renamed head coaches. Clearly something had to be done be following the scandals and allegations of Mangers and Clubs involved in bribes and back handers to secure the transfer of particular players but tit is one thing for Managers not to be directly involved in the negotiations about price and player wages and perhaps to have someone separately heading a team, identifying players to be brought into the club in the future. The situation has to change so it is time to man the barricades, metaphorically of course.

The film of the day, The Silent Barricade, a film which I can find nothing about on the internet and which looked as if it was produced during the time when Prague was part of the Russian Communist empire. The film is about the rise of the communist/trade unionist/people against the Germans towards the end of World War II creating barricades and defending them with limited weaponry with the focus on one family where both the adult daughter and teenage son join their father against his wishes and perform heroics, the sun blowing up a tank. Just when the ammunition ends and the German's bring big guns to destroy the barricades and the human resistance, they withdraw. The Russian Tanks arrive to general acclamation.

In the evening I watched the last part of the X Factor preliminaries just as a sixteen year old girl sang a version of a Damien Rice song and got herself into the next round and there was also another young women with great looks, personality and voice who struggled because after practicing for two months she had strained her throat but also impressed. In between here was he annual collection of awfuls some duly primed to behave badly. Big Brother House is reaching its ends of days after a series which failed to create the kind of public interest achieved since it was established. This time there were some redeeming features with a visually disabled participant taking the second prize and the winner a modest and kindly, but determined young woman who nevertheless will disappear from public view along with the £100000 cheque.

At last I had Saturday to look forward to, cricket at Durham if it stopped raining; the Belgium Grand Prix Formula One time trials for the last 5 places on the grid then 11 to 15th and then first ten; Andrew Murray in the Semi Final of the USA open, The Opening ceremony of the Paraplegic Olympic Games; Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland and England all playing in their first qualifying matches for the World Cup in 2010; and a box office Boxing night if all else fails; and of course I could receive that phone call to say I had won all or a share of the 92 million on offer in the European Lottery.

Football passions, past and present

Last night I watched a film called the Peacemaker, an action movie about nuclear terrorism starring George Clooney and Nicole Kidman which turned out to be a chase movie with the usual last second between a big bang and happy ever after. The film centres on a Serb Croat who appears to lose his child and wife in fighting and raises the two hundred million dollars required to have one of the stolen bomb. I am not sure who the Peacemaker was in the film or ever is, any more.

I write this while watching a BBC film God on Trial in which a group of Jews, some due to make their journey to the gas chamber at dawn and others who will live on in the concentration camp together with the new arrivals who have arrived a day early, debate the nature of God and the significance of human life in the universe where in our galaxy there are 1000 million stars with solar systems and planets. The drama comprises a series of moving and thoughtful statements included a factual analysis of the God of the Old testament in which evil was brought upon the Egyptians including the death of their first born innocent children because the Pharaoh the King decided against letting the chosen people go, although he was not punished and only the innocent, including his soldiers who had obeyed their orders were destroyed some in horrific and prolonged ways and concludes and reminds that the God of the Old Testament was not good or just, but just powerful and on the side of the Jews. This speakers concludes that all that has happened is that God has had decided to enter into a new covenant with Hitler.

Another took a different viewpoint reminding that it was irrelevant whether God existed in the form believed by the Jewish prisoners at that moment and the issue was that the only way Hitler who had tried to make himself God could convince his people that what they were doing to the Jews was right was not just to remove their wealth, their normal clothes, their hair, their teeth fillings and their dignity and make them live in filth but make them lose their faith, and therefore they use their faith as their final act of defiance. For although the setting of their deaths was dramatic and horrific it was shared whereas for many that final moment of realization that all the trappings of life were unnecessary and of no value, except how we live and how we face those final moment of physical self awareness.

The play ends with the group of contemporary visitors who are being told the story of Jews who put God on Trial standing among the physical souls of those who died that day as they prayed for forgiveness and eternal salvation, grateful the at they had been given those few moments of awareness to make peace with themselves and each other, and as the visitors to make their way to their coach, one reminds that despite the attempt of one man and his people to eradicate a whole race, we are still here, to which I add as the belief in God, despite the many faces, often held by people in conflict with each other.

Given this film of a play the future of one football manager and one football team has to be put into the perspective of the fundamental issues and choices now and times past. It was a day in which the nice manager of West Ham, the club he played for and loved resigned on principle because he had no control over who can and who left the club, especially the decision to sell two players to Sunderland in the last days and moments of the transfer window. His departure was not greeted with anything resembling the level of protests as built up in relation to the news that Kevin Keegan had effectively been sacked by the Newcastle Chairman and Board early on Tuesday morning following meetings held the previous day for what is believed to have been a similar situation when the club not only failed to recruit the number of players he needed to meet the situation he faced because of injury and developments at other clubs, but because of the attempts to sell players including Michael Owen who would be free to leave the cub in the New Year unless he signed a new long term contract.

For me the issue is no longer whether Keegan is the right person for the present situation, or ever was, of who did what and when or did not do what they should among owner, chairman, chief executive and Director of Football and his recruiting and buying team or whether the club or Keegan initiated the confrontation. For me this issue is that he is there and should stay and be supported in the way he wants to be because the alternative not just spells disaster for the Club, and for the morale of an important community, but would mark the final death of a great public participation sport with principles, confirming my fears that in the medium and long term the arrival of the bottomless millions of an Arab state into the Premiership is a very bad thing indeed. My hope is that not only will a way be found to keep Kevin as the Manager of Newcastle United Football Team but that the vents of the past 48 hours will shock all those involved in the management and promotion of the game to think again about the direction the game has taken and decide on a different course. I think this is unlikely but the hope is there.

I first supported Sunderland Football club when I came to the North East in 1974 as the first Director of Social Services for the new local authority of South Tyneside, and where I subsequently had a short spell as Director of Social Services for Sunderland, and my work included the management of several thousand employees and an annual revenue budget of ten of millions, and although a chief officer and fellow of the British Institute of Management, I was part of a management team headed by a Chief Executive and I was also accountable to an elected Council Committee equivalent to the board of a football club and which in turn was accountable to the board of the company controlling a football club. My main function however was the statutory provision of services to the most vulnerable and needy people in society, and I believed and acted on the basis that my duty to them took priority over everything else, including my personal interests and position.

While there are significant differences between a football club and a social services department and there has been a revolution the scale and organisation of both since I was involved with the latter I suggest that there are important similarities in priorities between both types of organisation then and now with the foremost a duty to serve and protect their best interests of the customers of the respective services.

On coming to the North East, I quickly learnt that the relationship between football clubs and the whole community, as it was between the local councils and the community was very different from that which I had previously experienced having worked in a senior management positions in the field of Social Work in the North West, in Yorkshire, and in London and where during this later period I held a national position which also enabled an understanding of the variations in the provision of social welfare services throughout Britain. The best way of describing this difference between the North East and other parts of Britain where I had lived, worked and studied is to say that the within communities there were great loyalties formed through common work and its hardships, commons faiths and common social livings which were and to some extent remain tribal and were all embracing to a level perhaps only found in the coal valleys of South Wales, the coal fields and industrial areas of Scotland and in Northern Ireland. This was also so because of the extended nature of families still living on one estate or within one town and that there had been had been only limited movement of people from other parts of the UK or outside these Island since World War II and that the overwhelming majority of people lived in council provide accommodation or low cost and standard rented private accommodation also grouped in high density estates.

Football in the North East as it was in the other cities and major towns was working class supported sport where you became part of a crowd loyal to one club and where you could give way to basic emotions, shouting and singing what you felt as and when you wished.

One of my first games was at Arsenal to see Stanley Matthews play for the opposing team, some sixty years ago. I then stood on the terraces at Crystal Palace when I knew all the faces around me as during years that the club required re-election for three consecutive seasons to the former third division south. I learnt to take extra care in the 1950's when the Palace played Mill wall because the reputation of some Millwall young men. I visited other grounds in the area where I was located between leaving home and coming to the North, including Oxford City and Liverpool.

Throughout the past thirty four years I have held season tickets at both Sunderland 1975-1990 and 2007-2008 and at Newcastle 1992-2007 and for this season I had decided attend matches at both clubs selectively and to watch others live on TV, partly because of the way the Premiership had developed and partly for non football reasons. During the eighties in to the nineteen nineties, visiting other grounds on organised supporters trips or through personally arranged transport, I experienced being stoned in a coach for over half an hour by pint sized children after leaving a match at Everton, was twice on an underground train wrecked by organised gangs associated with football in London, once by a Chelsea gang attacking members of the Sunderland London supports club and the second occasion when a West Ham gang broke out of the train to attack a Chelsea gang where both clubs had been playing other teams, this was on the night of cup game between Sunderland and Chelsea when Chelsea supporters within the ground attempted to attack Sunderland supporters, on a night where I was watching with several political leaders of South Tyneside Council from ordinary seats in a stand. There were also occasions within grounds including at Tottenham where I had to run for my life despite police protection and at Arsenal where the problem involved a young policeman who lost his head and where I agreed that the matter should be handled internally by the police.

I mention these things to demonstrate that I know something of reality of being a football fan and what it means to fans and to local communities in general, especially the passion and the rivalries.
I gave up on Sunderland in the early 1990's because I no longer enjoyed going to games, not just because the team lost but because of the lack of quality in performance which I was able to compare with other teams through the increasing showing of games on television. Going to my first match at St James when Newcastle returned to the Premiership was like switching between the Catholic and Protestant religions, but it was also a revelation, and having obtained a season ticket I then had that one period which perhaps only occurs once during any lifetime, of sporting bliss, when I found it difficult to wait until the next game. For me the team winning something was secondary to that rare combination of a team which played exciting and quality football, and which also won games, a manager who was able to communicate with everyone at whatever level of society. Who else could have convinced fans that selling Andy Cole to Manchester United was a good thing? We did not like it but we took it because you said so. We also took the disappointment of not winning the league title after coming close, as we did the disappointment of losing two subsequent visits to Wembley in the FA Cup.

There was also continuing hopes of a revival back to what had been glory days with the appointment of some, but not all of the subsequent managers, but after the departure of Sir Bobby Robson there was a growing discontent and lack of confidence that the situation would improve. The ground had been developed into an all seated super stadium and the core support also changed significantly, as did the atmosphere and the cost of attending games and for several years the stadium was generally filled despite poor play and losing streaks by players who were obscenely overpaid compared to the majority of those supporting.

I say this not just on the basis of my limited contact with other supporters at the ground, but as a regular listener to the Legends

' programme on Century radio and 606 on BBC 5, as a reader of local papers and watcher of regional TV sports news and programmes. In this context I have told Messrs Slaven and Horsewell at the Legends' programme that I will never listen again to the programme following their infantile, inappropriate and offensive approach to the situation during the first hour of the programme on Tuesday evening.

There was a combination of reasons why I did not renew my season ticket for the 2007-2008 seasons at Newcastle and bought one at Sunderland instead. It had become evident since the take over of Chelsea, and the input of Sky money, that without a similar injection of funds no team could hope to play on a regular basis in the Champions League or become a serious contender for the Premiership title on a regular basis. Having the funds was an essential but not the only ingredient for success, which also included the ability to pay the wages which the best contemporary footballers are able to command. The manager/coaching/ and back up staff had to possess the ability to organize and motivate a mixed group of millionaire performers over not one but several seasons, and cope with a continuous movement of some players between clubs, as well as working with the administration of a world wide business enterprise, and satisfying the supporters which included the interests of sponsors and hospitality clients, and achieve success not just now and again, but on a continuous basis. In addition this had to be achieved by providing Sky, and now Satanta and to a lesser extent the BBC and ITV and other TV channels showing and paying for live matches, entertaining spectacles and have a manager who is a larger than life personality who could front the club and handle the wall to wall 365 24 hours media interest for news and gossip.

Only four clubs appeared to possess the funds, management structure, stadiums and supporters to sustain these requirements. Chelsea, Manchester United, Arsenal and Liverpool. I regard this situation as the death knell of the Premiership and the football leagues as they are at present, because the four clubs will become divorced from the rest and become a European and ultimately world wide Championship competition, breaking away altogether from the Premiership if they risk losing their position.

Monday 31st August appeared to confirm this view with the entrance of Abu Dhabi money, and while I was delighted for Man City supporters and the Man City Club which like Sunderland has attempted to remain focused on meeting the aspirations of its core fans, I speculated how long Mark Hughes would last if he fails to deliver. I also feared for the consequences of the development in the rest of British football.

I also used to follow American Football where what impressed me was the system for buying in knew players- the annual draft- which appeared to ensure that the teams performing badly had the first pick of each round of the draft and thus over a period of time every franchise had the opportunity to play and win the Superbowl as well as heading their Division. I suspect there is now no way to achieve more of a fair playing field between teams who make it into in the Premiership and except for the top four or five the rest can only hope of making it into competitions once or twice a decade, and winning one of the two cup competitions as happened this year in the FA Cup with Portsmouth. Only a similar Injection of funds to that promised to Manchester City will enable a club to join the first rank and remain there.

The problem with Newcastle is that it became a top four and world wide brand club under Sir John Hall and Kevin Keegan, doubling its season ticket holders, and one assumes also dramatically increasing its sponsorship and sales as well as administration and support staff as well as the new super stadium, without achieving trophies let alone sustaining a position after the departure of Sir Bobby Robson. It is now entrenched as a middle to lower Premiership position club and Kevin Keegan recently expressed the reality of this to the public.

As the situation went from bad to worse since the departure of Sir Bobby, the frustration and disillusionment of the core support has intensified although everyone also puts on a bold front when in contact of supporters of Sunderland and those of Middlesbrough and at away games. It became a different situation at home games where the atmosphere became increasingly depressing to match the performances. I decided not to renew my season ticket because I did not enjoy matches and I could not see any significant and lasting change despite the arrival of a new owner and his management and administrative appointees.

I turned back to Sunderland, (who I had continued to support through televised games) after going to the new stadium and the establishment of the new ownership and the appointment of Roy Keane, because there appeared to be a significant change with an emphasis on retaining and developing the supporter base and a honest and open manager who tried to ensure that the players never forgot who they were playing for first. The atmosphere in the promotion year was a throw back to times at Newcastle a decade ago and at Sunderland three decades beforehand.

I was thrilled and delighted with the news of the return of Kevin Keegan to Newcastle as the Manager, initially assuming he had accepted the position only in the knowledge that he would have the resources and authority to rapidly move the club forward, bringing in players necessary and moving on those who could not or were unwilling to fit into the new team. The extent of the task was evident at the first match of the return, when I sat next to a father who had brought up his son from Norwich for the day as a special birthday treat and who would be returning home that evening after the game.

I was amazed by the appointment of Denis Wise after the failure to bring Alan Shearer back into the club in some managerial capacity. This is not intended to imply a criticism of Mr. Wise but I did not and do not see how such an obvious Londoner could ever become acceptable to the fans unless he was seen to produce an amazing new player or two, with Berbatov and Robinho being the two current examples. On Sunday when I went for a drink to supporters ' pub in Sunderland before game against Man City, everyone was watching Rangers play Celtic in preference to Chelsea V Tottenham, (and confirms my belief that Newcastle and Sunderland should seek to join the Scottish Premiership, just as Tyne and Wearside would be better served becoming part of an independent Scotland). I have always found the antipathy towards London clubs and Londoners as strong among Newcastle core supporters as it is towards Sunderland and donning a club shirt and supping pints as the new owner has been seen to do.
I also did not see how someone as charismatic and hands on as Kevin Keegan could work with some one devoting themselves to recruitment and transfers unless Kevin had the overall control and not the other way around.
I was also disappointed to learn that it was not the intention of the new owner to do a Chelsea which has to be done if one wants to break through the bar of getting into Europe competitions on a year in and out basis. The Bolton or Portsmouth approach can only ever involve competitive success for one year or two but cannot be sustained for a club intending to fill a 50000 seater stadium.

Part of the Newcastle brand appeal has been the ability to attract world class players able to perform in the Premiership and before the old Gallowgate. While the Gallowgate loved players with big personalities such as Malcolm MacDonald, Ginola and Tino Asprilla, they also worshipped those who score goals regardless of their media appeal such as Alan Shearer, Les Ferdinand and Peter Beardsley. Because of his constant injury problems Michael Owen has been a great disappointment and is yet to prove himself. At present the club has no great scorer or personality players with perhaps one new signing indicating that he might become a new hero, and this situation fuelled the sense of gloom which led one passionate Toon neighbour from not renewing for the first time since reaching adulthood, although unlike me he would never switch to also supporting another club.

I suspect that like many supporters I was thrilled with the performance at Manchester United on the opening day and accepted the defeat at Arsenal in the context of Arsenal having suffered an unexpected setback the previous week. I applied to join the Members club so as to able to buy tickets in advance of the general public after the Arsenal game such was my confidence that Newcastle would have a better season subject to further transfers and the injury position.

Similarly players and supporters were mesmerized by the performance of Man City at Sunderland last Sunday, explained by the news the following day, and which I did not expect will affect the rest of the season given the purchases that have been made and the ability of the manager to motivate and organize. I would be surprised if either set of supporters expected miracles, but continued to hope for good run in a cup competition.

The circumstances which have led to the present situation between Kevin Keegan and the club are only relevant in that they will determine how a resolution can be found, however short term. The departure of Kevin for any reason at the present time could destroy Newcastle United. While this is likely to be reflected in attendances and purchases I was concerned by the depth of feeling, and not just the behaviour of the teenagers, having watched Sky throughout the day and listening to the first hour of the Legend 's programme.

As an outsider it is not easy to see a medium term solution which does not involve Kevin being given the authority and the funds to take the club to the next level.

I cannot see Mr. Ashley and his team becoming acceptable again to Newcastle supporters and the Newcastle Community unless they are willing to make it clear that Kevin has control of all football matters, including the selection of players transferring in or out of the club, subject of course to the interests of the players and their representatives. Mr. Ashley and his team will also need to make funds available enabling Newcastle to compete in the current and changing market. If Mr. Ashley is unwilling or unable to do this then he should arrange to sell his interest to someone who can.

I also wonder if there are not roles for Sir Bobby Robson and Alan Shearer at the present time as both are able to command the attention and patience of supporters

The choice is a simple one between making Newcastle United what is likely to now become a top six club or everyone admitting that this is not going to be possible in the medium term and accepting the consequence in terms of support, wages and club income and expenditure. Newcastle United is still a worldwide brand, but without a top notch product it could quickly become another Leeds.

What happened at Newcastle United?

Recently I had a familiar dream where I found myself in a strange town seeking a bus which would get me in the direction I needed to travel although not completely home, uncertain of which bus stop and the direction to take I went for stop to stop only to see the bus I required leave from a different location and then discover that this was the last of the day, there was no train or taxi service and I was marooned. There was no panic or fear just inconvenience and irritation that the people are had asked for help claimed ignorance or just ignored.

This morning there was no such dream and I awoke contentedly around 8am, started to write, made myself an coffee and two slices of toast, determined to start on a house and to attend to other practical matters and some project work. I switched on the TV for the news channels including Sky Sports News to learn the reaction to the events of yesterday and early on, I cannot remember the precise time, that there was news that Kevin Keegan had been called to a meeting with the Newcastle Board. There was a photo of Terry McDermott taking a phone call or making a phone call at the training ground. So for the first part of the morning the impression was that Kevin had walked out of the club as he did not return to the training ground, and this was because of a disagreement with the board, presumed to be over the buying and selling of players following injuries to key existing members of the team. There is also believed to have been a disagreement over the future of Joey Barton and whether he should be sold should the opportunity arise during the transfer period. I also wondered about the position of Michael Owen.

By early afternoon Sky were reporting that Kevin Keegan had been sacked by the board. Only later when the club issued a statement on their internet site saying he had not been sacked did Sky confirm that Keegan had told his friends that he had been sacked.

During the afternoon various young people and some not so young assembled by the ground calling for the Owner and the Director of Football to resign. There were hundreds if not thousands of emails and texts delivered to the Sky from season ticket holders and supporters saying they would not set foot in the ground if Keegan left while Ashley and Wise remained in position. Several well known former players including John Beresford expressed their concern, explained that the departure of Keegan would be disastrous for the club. He, at least I think it was who appealed to those involved to resolve their differences for the future good of the club.

By late afternoon a promised statement from the club had not been issued and it was early evening before a statement was made, not to the press, but on the club internet site. This said that Kevin had not been sacked and that the club wanted him to continue with the club as manager and pursue the strategy to progress the club. Thus the statement did not say that he would continue and there has been no word from him or his friends since.

In the evening I switched to the Newcastle Legends and I was shocked by the attitude of Bernard Slaven and Mick Horsewell. Their attitude and behaviour was infantile and totally inappropriate for the situation. They tried to retrieve their position during the programme by saying they had a lot of regard for Kevin Keegan and the fans but they clearly had lost the plot. Only Malcolm MacDonald appeared to realise the gravity of the situations and its potential implications. Later I wrote to him to explain why I would never listen to the programme again and also explained to Messrs Slaven and Horsewell my reasons for adopting the position.

I awoke eightish on Wednesday to a spokesman for the professional managers association explain that Kevin had been in touch with them last night and that he had not resigned and that it there would be talks between the club, Kevin and respective advisers over the next days to try and resolve issues of mutual concern. The attempt to sell Michael Owen and Joey Barton by the Board using Mr Wise is reported to have been the catalyst as well as the overall situation where Keegan found he had no control, and little power over which players came to club and which left. The root cause appears to be that the club was being run foremost as a business when Keegan was being used as front expect to motivate whatever players were available to win, without regard to what could be expected in today's market. Keegan a man of integrity and love for the club and its supporters realised he could go no further and attempted to change the position and the board in turn created a situation to force him to leave tantamount to constructive dismissal. This is the way the situation is now being presented.

How far this was with the prior approval of the owner Mike Ashley who likes to stand on the terraces wearing a shirt King Kevin and was caught on camera at Arsenal downing a pint, which he afterwards said he thought was non alcohol lager, may never become known as usually in such a situation there is a confidentiality undertaking entered when the situation is agreed. This is usually because of the financial settlement reached. However I cannot see Kevin, the league managers Association, the players, the supporters or local media and media in general being prepared to accept such a situation and it is evident that those involved now face the starkest of choices. If Keegan stays then this will only be on his terms in that he will need to be told how much money is available for new players and then it his responsibility and his alone to spend that money in terms of players in and layers out whoever actually conducts the deals and sorts out the legal and financial equipments of the Premiership and company law. There is no other acceptable alternative. If Keegan departs then I will join anyone and everyone to organise a boycott of the club until ownership changes hands and the present administration is replaced. I would be surprised if I was not joined by thousands, if not tens of thousands of others. The choice is therefore simple.

Mr Ashley Kevin Keegan and Newcastle United

September 1st and 2nd will go down in the history of British Football and Newcastle United as a day of infamy. I begin by saying that if Kevin Keegan leaves the club as is presently forecast in the media I will not set foot in the club again, even if someone like Alan Shearer or a world known Football manager is appointed while Mike Ashley remains the owner and Denise Wise remains at the club. Both have to go regardless of what happens now. I also want to know if the Abu Dhabi investment company attempted to buy Newcastle Club and if so why was the offer rejected. Whatever the outcome of this particular matter there were three other developments which will have a profound effect on the future of the game not just in England and Wales but on the sport in the rest of Europe.

There was nothing to indicate anything of what was to happen as I made my way on Sunday to a seat on the front row a little distance from the centre line. It is an interesting position to experience football, similar to the view of managers and coaches and where you have no perspective ..s and combination of moves. However you feel very much part of the game which is difficult sitting even midway in a stand, let alone towards the back. You also get a different perspective on the rest of the stadium especially those at the rear of top decks very distance. I found the first 40 odd minuets satisfactory as Sunderland held a fired up and exceptionally well organised Manchester Team. Sunderland had the problem of the mix of new and old players and the threat of new signing Shaun Wright Phillips but Sunderland held them well and overall a nil nil score at half time would have been a fair result. Then against the run of play Manchester scored a soft goal and to compound this it commenced to rain and sitting in line with the edge of the roof was little protection. I therefore rushed to get my self and a packet of crisps but still found myself part of a long queue and had to take the coffee with him as the game recommenced. What happened was a great disappointment as instead of taking command the team succumbed to persisted attacks from Man City and it was only a matter of time before a second and then a third goal was scored and it looked as if worse was to follow. I have not witnessed a more convincing demolition by any team this season so far. To make things even worse it commenced to rain more heavily and I was soaked by the time I reached the car with water pouring off my face.

Back home I consoled myself soup, and instead of salad went for the last prepared pasta dish. I spent the rest of the evening on project work and uploading on my space the majority of the photographs taken during recent trip to London creating two 101 sets. I must add those of Oxford and others of London in the near future.

I awoke early on Monday on what appeared to be bright day and put out the bin and box of recycling material. There was a continuing problem with the garage door so I took the precaution of taking out the car and then managed to close the door. I decided to sort this out either later in the day or as soon as practical. There was news on the progress of hurricane Gustav reported on yesterday and on transfer and then the bombshell, the investment arm of the Royal Family of the Arab Emirate state Abu Dhabi had entered into an agreement with the owner of Manchester City to take over the finances and control, and provide finances to enable the team to with the Premiership and the European Cup.

Before commenting on this development I did my research on the Emirate which the largest and most wealthy of the Emirates, significantly more important than Dubai. It has a small resident population which are one the wealthiest on the planet about the size of the cities of Newcastle and Sunderland and has 86% of the land areas of the United Arab Emirates.

If anyone has any doubt that the purchaser of the club have bigger financial clout than the Russian owner of Chelsea then one has to look at three of their recent investments. The University of New York is one the most important private funded Universities in the USA with 40000 students and with study facilities in London Florence, Prague, Madrid, Berlin, Accra, Shanghai, and Singapore with new facilities in Tel Aviv and Buenos Aries. There is now to be a campus in Abu Dhabi city, the first of its kind to be established abroad by any US research university and one which has 31 Nobel Prize winners over the years and well as a host of other research awards.

The second is the decision to build a new motor racing track as part of a theme park called Ferrari World and which is hosting a race in the Formula 1 World series championship

The third is the world renowned Cleveland complex of hospital and health resources known as the Cleveland Clinic, Ohio and which is to provide a world class speciality hospital in Abu Dhabi which will open in 2010.

Closely following on this news came the unbelievable news that the club had been given the funds, in advance of the formal take over in order to place bids for two of the most well known players known to be seeking moves Berbatov who wanted to leave Spurs for Manchester United and Robinho, the Brazilian super star who wanted to leave Real Madrid.

There were then developments where the background is becoming known. The first concerns the role of Manchester United in the sale from Spurs of Berbatov and who had set his heart on moving to Manchester United. It is not possible say precise sequence of events except that Spurs issued a statement that they had not given permission to Manchester United to speak to Berbatov about a transfer and only after the deal was completed just before the end of the transfer period did Spurs issue a statement to say that as a consequence of the deal they would not be complaining about the Man U conduct to the Football Association.

Spurs also issued a statement to say they had accepted the offer of Man City for Berbatov and that it was up to him to agree personal terms. However Sky then reported that the manager of Manchester United had gone to the airport to greet Berbatov who had travelled up in a private jet and was taken to the training camp where he was given a two hour medical and then came to the Manchester United Club to agree personal terms and for the registration as Man U player to be put through the system.

I have sympathy with Berbatov who came to Premiership and performed brilliantly scoring a goal every two games and who in his two seasons at Spurs achieved what few arrivals from other leagues have been able to accomplish. He set his heart on playing for Manchester United because he believed it was the best club in the world and he wanted to play in European competitions and win trophies.

I also have sympathy for Spurs who wanted to keep their match winning player. It is the conduct of Manchester United that should be investigated whether Spurs are happy or not. The responsibility of the Association is everyone involved i.e. the professional players, the clubs but also the supports and this includes those of Spurs.

Then came the news that Real Madrid had decided to cut their losses as Brazilian Robinho had made it plain he wanted to leave to leave the club and Spain and wanted to go to Chelsea. It is understood that when he heard about the offer from Man City which topped that from Chelsea said whatever as long a he could go regardless of the club in question and where it was located. He had threatened to retire from the game if he could not move. I share in the delight of Man City a club that is well run with decent prices and where the fans have been long suffering having faced third division level football for a period and always living under the shadow of Manchester United.

I am also delighted that at last Chelsea will not be able to buy its way into positions and titles without competition but what the development means is that it will be impossible for anyone else to complete unless they are backed by those prepared to invest hundreds of millions of pounds in players, regardless of the financial return. It is reported that Robinho has been offered a contract worth £160000 a week £90000 after tax.

There are now eight of the Premiership clubs owned by non British interests including three American and two Russian all prepared to invest substantial funds. There are now two from the Middle East although Al Fayad at Fulham is firmly British based and one for Iceland or is it Norway. Arsenal who used Emirates money for their new stadium have been the subject of take over speculation but this is the first time someone has come in bought up a minor club albeit with a long tradition and substantial fan base come hell or high water and promised to make them top of the heap within a few years and appears to be doing so for the challenge and the desire to do excellence. I worry about the impact on fans and on the further escalation in seat costs. Some £500 million is said to have changed hands over player transfers.

All this distracted me from Durham Cricket Club as they played Hampshire at the Rosebowl, stripped of all the extra seating and the hospitality facilities in an important Pro 40 match which would end under the excellent floodlighting noted when I attended the 20 20 final

's day. This was to be my area of interest to day but alas it was quickly evident that Durham would lose after Hants won the toss of the coin, decided to bat first and commenced a ferocious assault on Durham's bowling ending their overs with a score of 300 hundred runs. Durham opened badly in an effort to score runs quickly as the weather forecast was of heavy rain. Sadly although the rain came it stopped, enabling a reduced over game to continue and Durham continued to lose wickets without anyone being able to score runs which would make the result close. As with the County Championships they are still in with a chance as they have a game in hand but I fear that the earlier defeats in the Provident Trophy and the 20 20 finals days, coupled with Steve Harmison's recall to England has taken its toll and they no longer look the tight and confident team of earlier in the season. They lost badly and I saw little of the game as a consequence
I had been tempted to stay up to watch Andrew Murray play in a last sixteen in the New York Open but was too tired. He won what may well become regarded as the most important game of his career to-date moving on to the quarterfinals on Wednesday.

Earlier in the day I shopped at Asda buying bread, salad and fruit. Sardines previously four for £1 were not 2 for £1 although there were cheaper versions available. I also bought a tin of anchovies. A small tin costs 74p. I was prompted to try a tin, usually only eating anchovies stuffed into olives after listen to a special programme about the fish. Apparently those caught in the Bay of Biscay are the best quality although there are 100 versions with a large quantity off Japan and South America. One major restaurant has created a dish of pieces of toast topped with anchovies which you dip into custard. Weird.

I bought a small pack of beef cut for stir fry which had been reduced in price and was excellent value providing two servings. One I had for lunch and the other I froze for another time. Talking of value I was charged £2.50 for a cup of coffee and a packet of crisps at Sunderland who also charge 5.50 for fish and chips and where the chips comprise a small portion of French fries for £190. Durham offers a large plate of proper chips for £1.50. I also bought some more frozen vegetables and pasta meals in the morning but no cheese, salami or ham.

After lunch I decided to sort out the problem of the garage door and to visit the firm which provided the replacement electric mechanism. They are located on an industrial estate near Albany Village Washington. As mentioned previous writing Washington was a new Town created from various villages between Sunderland and Chester Le Street on the way to Durham City. Each community is separated by a major road network and open land and associated with each residential and local shopping area there are individual and commercial enterprise designed to provide local work opportune units. Finding the form was not as difficult as expected as heading for Albany Village, clearly marked after leaving the first A1M turning into Washington, which was he first bonus, the industrial estate was also marked as the village was approached. Before turning into the estate I noted a sign to Bolden and speculated where this road might lead. At the firm an assistant contacted a manager who advised that the problem was battery which cost only a few pence at car store but provided one. On return home the original remote worked so I am yet to use the replacement battery, having no need to go out today. I was pleased with the way I had handled the situation and that the solution had not proved expensive. I have worked hard on project work while keeping one eye on the TV and one ear to the radio. I assumed that after the excitement of the football developments Tuesday would be a quiet day when I could write, commence some house cleaning and more project work In some respects it became even more of an emotional day glued to the TV and Radio as the news broke that Kevin Keegan was leaving the club after a dispute with the owner and then that he has been sacked.

Return in Triumph Olympics 2008

The return of the most successful British Olympic team in 100 years, and because the 1908 London Games include only two dozen nations and competitive preparations was in their infancy, it can be argued this has been the most successful team of all time. Some thirty individuals have gold medals because of quartets, trios and duos and some seventy individual brought back a medal to their part of the United Kingdom.

This should have a profound effect on Britain's involvement in the 2012 Games and on participation in sport in general. It could have positive consequences for the political and social landscape.
For once all the ingredients came together, individuals with the dedication and drive to win and push themselves beyond their previous limits to do so. There was Shanaz Reade getting off the plane on crutches, obviously angry with herself for trying to win in the only way she knew and that momentary miscalculation when her dream of Gold and nothing but Gold ended. She had crashed twice beforehand, and badly injured but pressed one. No medal then but a model for hundreds of thousands of young people. There was 14 year old Master Daley getting of the plane trying to take everything in and getting a great hug from Tessa Jowell and the warmest of smiles from the Prime Minister because of his courage but more because of the way he conducted himself on TV and also become an icon for the youth of the nation. There was also Ms Cooke who had nipped back to Switzerland where she is now based to enjoy the triumph with her friends and sponsors, and then quietly letting slip that she had gone back into training last Tuesday in preparation for her next world competitive event in September, before joining her fellow competitors at Heathrow for the photocall and press conference and then going on to Wales to join her team members for the reception at Heathrow before travelling to Wales for an open topped bus ride around Cardiff before returning to her parental home village in the Welsh Valleys, challenged by the disappearance of coal mining and where a third of the working population now have to live as the minimum national income.

The second ingredient was government funding which enabled the elite athletes to concentrate full time on preparations and competing, as well as the funds for equipment and for training facilities and to encourage new generations to join in and for some to replicate the achievements.

The third has been the administration, coaching and support staff able to work together effectively and create a sense of a team, and one should not forget the patents and the relatives who made sacrifices in time and money to give support over the years before the national funding became available. There is a momentum which should continue forward to 2012

The return home was well planned and orchestrated with the Athletes in their team GB outfits and medals parading down the steps of the plane after The Princess Royal, Lord Coe and other passengers had quietly left determined that for once the attention should be focussed on the athletes before they had their press conference where the media appeared for once in awe and wonderment, trying not to ask any question which might spoil the moment, although it was evident that that those attending the conference had been well prepared.

There were three aspects which caught my attention. The wise advice from one former Olympian the swimmer Sharon Davis who at the time could not hide her jubilation as the main poolside BBC commentator that the successful athletes would be overwhelmed by the public attention, and then there would a great sense of anti- climax as the media moved on, and they and their team mates had to decide if to begin another four year cycle with the incentive of winning at home, embarking on the rest of their lives, trying to hold on to the memory of one unbelievable moment in time.

The second was that already the two leaders of the pack had been identified. Chris Hoy because he had won the more medals at any one Games since the 1908 London games and who represented maturity and the ability to become a major ambassador for 2012. He had confirmed that he would be competing in 2012 and responded with great diplomacy at the decision to close the indoor cycle centre at Edinburgh and the new Glasgow centre emerged. On one hand the vicious is that the best athletes need to live and work together in their preparations and before those from Scotland should have one place of their own rather than concentrating everyone in Manchester. However had he not had the opportunity to just go along and try out the sport and young person without setting his sights on international competition he might not have developed into the success of today. Then he was given the question which could have spoilt the party, was he happy about being part of a British team at the games rather than a Scottish. Yes he was proud to represent Scotland at the Commonwealth games but he was also proud to be part of the British team because he was proud to be Scottish and British. If there was any doubt that he will become Sir Chris Hoy, either now or after 2012, then he flattened them.

For Becky Adlington aged 19 she was asked for her reactions to the news that a pub was to become the Adlington Arms. No she did not know about that although she did know about the Swimming Pool, and yes she was looking forward to the shoe, and no she has no intention of sharing them with her sister, who fortunately had a different size. She was proud to come from her small town of Mansfield and to represent them and anything else was a bonus. She showed indications of having every intention to remain herself but also to follow in the footsteps of all the few others who are able to remain the centre of public attention beyond their sports or other specialist activities. She could be destroyed in terms of the continuing effort required for a second round of Medals and as a normal, girl next door human being that young people will want to identify with, in contrast say to Amy Winehouse and other rock stars, football prima donnas and personality celebrities without any other achievement.

The media has the most important a part to play with the natural tendency to now look for skeleton in the cupboards of the individual concerned and in their families. However I thought they did well in terms of the families who where invited to assemble at a Thames side. Here members of families of athletes who had participated without medal success were interviewed and able to demonstrate how proud they were for being related to someone who had been part of the team and their joy at being able to see them again. One medallist who had returned early to be with his family reminded that what was important to his son was not the medal but that he was able to read him a bedtime story. There were also nice reminders that partner had been separated so that all the right images were available for the TV and morning papers.

Of course this is only a few days when the nation can take its mind away from financial concerns, wars and famines, and not everyone was giving their full attention to the Olympics whatever the success stories. There were other sports commanding attention with the start of the football season, Rugby union and rugby league, the Motor racing Formula One events and the US Tennis Open championships. Hopefully the public will now switch in vast numbers to the Olympic success sports, but the majority will not.

Gordon Brown and Tessa Jowell adopted a low key approach by not giving live interviews but greeting the returning competitors on behalf of the government and nation. As if on cue the following day the Conservative Sports Minister expressed concern about the whether the government was doing enough to involve young people in Sport and ensuring that there was a good legacy in terms of the effective use of the facilities once the games are over. This was unnecessary and inappropriate and a political mistake although one can understand the panic among the opposition within and outside the Labour Party as it looked that the Government led by Tony Blair had adopted a policy and programme which brought general acclaim and were now handing the present unplanned success intelligently and with understanding. There was also a nasty article in the Independent newspaper top day arguing that France had deserved to get the games more than Britain because of having a better public sport participation structure than in the UK.I have no means of knowing if this comparison is valid but assuming it is, then the counter argument is that if France has such a good system and provision and Britain less then The Olympic committee made the right decision because we would benefit and progress more.

It will be interesting to see how Scotland handles the official reception following the comments of Chris Hoy and an example of how it is possible for those with different and conflicting agendas to work together constructively is the Northern Ireland power sharing Executive. I watched the recording of the June meeting yesterday when the new chief and deputy Ministers were appointed by the majority parties to office at the Assembly, following the retirement resignation of Ian Paisley. Moderate political leaders reminded that for the grater part of forty years Mr Paisley had said no and for the previous 18 months he had said yes to the benefit of all the people of Northern Ireland and consequently they were able to wish him well in retirement. The new Unionist Chief Minister emphasised his party's continuing opposition to the aims of the Republicans but the willingness to make the all Ireland committees work and to concentrate with the Republicans on improving the situation of everyone in Northern Ireland and similar commitment was given by Martin McGuiness the reappointed deputy chief Minister. It struck me that if this was possible then a way had to be found to create a great British football team for 2012. If not then I would hope that the World and European federations will step if there the democratic power of the majority to do so.

There are 100000 and more volunteers registered for he games when less than that number will be needed. I had thought the reason for the TV screen at Middlesbrough because they were hosting a preliminary game or two, but according to the excellent 2012 internet site, it is Newcastle because of its size, with Villa park in the Midlands, similarly Manchester United and the Millennium Stadium Cardiff as well as Hampden Park with the final at Wembley.
There are ambitious plans to get all the visitors to Olympic Park by public transport with a new seven minute rail link from St Pancras connecting with the underground net work there used by both St Pancras and Kings Cross, with Euston nearby this will enable visitors from the North East, North West and Midlands to travel to central London and to the games and directly from Europe by train. This will mean that only official vehicles will be allowed onto the site with competitors and the support teams housed in the village adjacent to the stadium where apartments will be equipped with the latest technology.

Later on I decided to watch Braindead one of the Peter Jackson's horror films before Heavenly Creatures and Kate Winslet. This a funny film with unbelievable horror in which the most grotesque looking beings cannot be killed until the hero decides to use a rotary lawnmower and his adoring girl friend a blender to reduced several dozen of the creatures to go before this is all burnt. The plot centres on a monkey that was raped by a rat on the island of Sumatra and who now tears into any human or animal flesh with gusto. The creature also has the problem that any transferring of blood will result in an immediate transformation of the being in question, turning them instantly into a blood seeking grotesque monster who will tear into flesh with their hands. Set in fifties New Zealand the film made by Peter Jackson with his lifelong partner Fran Walsh gives an insight into their character, but for most adults the film should not be viewed after a meal or before going to bed. Wiser to stick to dreams about being an Olympic champion however unrealistic this is.

Olympic Party 2008

Sunday 24th August was the official end of the Beijing Olympics and the official day that London became 2012 Olympic city for the third time in its history.

Once upon a time the Olympics was the opportunity for talent young people to compete against each other in a variety of competitions to prove who was best at that moment in time. The was a good idea for the events to be held in different countries to promote cultural understanding and to enable different people to experience the competitions not as participants but as supporters, Special stadiums and other facilities had to be created to enable competitors to perform at their best and for as many supporters as possible to participate which in turn involved ensuring there was appropriate transport and accommodation available for the relatives and friends of the participants and for those with a general interest the different sports. At one level this is still the situation.

Then politicians and country leaders appreciated that winning events had significant benefits for the nation in terms of its status in the world and their own and enabled them to achieve a cohesion through public support for successful members of the team. It was the 1936 Games held in Germany which provided Hitler and the Nazi regime to use the games as a major propaganda event, the 1948 Games as the 1951 Exhibition provided the opportunity for Britain to show that it had survived the war and was looking forward to the future. The Atlanta Games in the USA enabled to the country to demonstrate the progress being made in combating its inherent racism and tribalism, the Sydney games provided the opportunity for Australia to dispose of its XXXX image and to mark the first stages of recognising and apologising for its horrific record towards its indigenous people. The Spanish games was an important step to show the progress since its fascist decades and Athens was a brave attempt to remind of the original objectives and values.

And then came China with echoes of 1936 Berlin.

Where were the Chinese people? Glued to TV we were lead to believe marvelling what their nation was achieving and preparing them for the sacrifices ahead as tens of millions are forced to change their lives from peasant farmers into working in the new state dictated industrial economy. They built some iconic performances areas with the bird best stadium, the swimming pool and the Ling Ling media tower, iconic memorials to the vast fortune of some 25 billion dollars devoted to creating the month of events. The won over 50 Gold medals and 100 in total. In one event there were blatant examples of a bias in favour of the hosts and yesterday a similar suggestion made about the diving although it was not won by someone from the host nation. Our youngest competition aged 14 Tom Daley acquitted himself well coming 7th in the ten metre board final. Tom Daley is not the youngest ever competitor or would have been the youngest medal winner had he succeeded in the synchronised swimming event and has a comparatively long history of participation in national and international events to some of the British competitors. His event required courage as well as skill and to finish 7th out of thirty qualifying competitors is a significant achievement. I was also impressed by his interview this morning along side to Gold Medal winners. It is to be hoped that everyone will allow him to practice and compete and to grow up without being spoilt by eh fan adulation and media interest.

Later in the Party in Mall celebration to mark the 2012 start day, the USA eight Gold Medal winner in Beijing Mark Phelps stopped over in London, his first visit to say hullo and to confirm his intention to return for 2012. His recent interview confirmed that he is a much better ambassador for the USA that my first impressions. He is still a freak human being along with Usain Bolt from Jamaica. These are two very different personalities. Phelps appears to have the made up his mind to run an international corporation or become a presidential candidate whereas Bolt could feature in the Hollywood story of his life and become one of the playboys of Caribbean world.

The closing ceremony had lots more fireworks and spectacular wow features but the tradition of the athletes breaking ranks and creating their own sense of a party was firmly resisted by the Chinese authorities, presumably with the blessing or even encouragement of the Olympic authorities. It will be interesting to see the London approach. The first indication of this was the eight minute come to London feature at the games. This comprised a Beijing to London red bus which opened up to show a London skyline made from green hedging. Former East Londoner David Beckham kicked his football and in an earlier interview mentioned that it was his father who encouraged him to practice rather than go out and to drink orange juice, Leona Lewis also a Londoner, looked gorgeous and an arrangement of a Led Zeppelin number about a whole lot of love. Having dancers with umbrellas was a good warning for visitors but I am not sure if the former band member Jimmy Page meant anything to the world wide audience and one could have used one of a dozen former or current rockers to end the message, It will be interesting to see how the media respond to the style of the segment although everyone should be pleased by the two verse well sung version of the National Anthem. The two hour closing ceremony was sandwiched between excellent BBC reviews of the Games event and their significance for London 2012, including an interview with Sebastian Lord Coe. Everything said by those directly involved suggested that Britain would be concentrating on the legacy of the games for the population in general and on promoting multiracial good sportsmanship. The first test was the party in the Mall.

The amount of organising and funding for this event only became apparent as I watched the TV event unfold. In addition to the main location outside Buckingham Palace there were some thirty screens erected around the country where there is to be direct participation in Olympic events, The closest to the north east was Middlesbrough which is one of the Football venues. This clearly demonstrated the political behind the scenes influence as Middlesbrough has the poorest crowd and local population involvement of the three teams in the three Premier teams in the North East. There were said to be 40000 to 50000 assembled in the Mall which omens well given the counter attraction of the Notting Hill carnival, sporting events including football.

After watching the event live I also listened to the radio two broadcast which had a different feel, omitting the recorded inserts of well known athletes talking of their experience and expectations. There were also only a few of he on stage interviews when the guests were impressive and the interviewers moronic. Before and in between the live acts there were more back stage interviews with the artists and some additional material, including "Keep on running", Junior Walker, "Keep on running," Bruce Springsteen, "Born to Run", "Nowhere to run to Baby- Martha Reeves. 1951

Afterwards there was a special top of the pops featuring number ones at previous Olympics beginning with

Australia 1956 Johnny Ray Walking in the Rain very appropriate for London ;

Rome 1960 Apache with the Shadows;
Japan 1964 Tokyo Melody which admittedly only got to number one in the charts but was the BBC theme tune for the games. This reminds that the Chinese their own pop number called Beijing Beijing. For the Japan games 1964 the number was Roy Orbison and Pretty Woman, (also reminding that the Chinese had scoured their nation to present the beautiful, slim and tall ladies to the world but the British presentation included someone in a wheel chair and I hope this aspect will become a major feature of the opening of the Games in 2012.

Mexico Games 1968 the official British team song, was Mexico, sung by Long John Baldry, amazing given his jazz blues background. Mary Hopkins Those were the Days had been number one and continued for throughout the Games.

Munich 1972 was Rod Stewart and You wear it well. Some 700 athletes form 120 counties and 190 off medal events was the biggest until that time, but is now remembered for the terrorist horrors committed against the Israeli Team.

Montreal 1976 All- Kiki Dee and Elton John, Don't Go Breaking my Heart.;

Moscow 1980 Xandu Olivia Newton John was the number 1;

Los Angeles 1984 Frankie Goes to Hollywood and Two Tribes go to war;

Seoul 1988 He aint Heavy, He's my brother;

Barcelona 1992 Jimmy Nail I want no body else;

Atlanta 1996 Forever Love Garry Barlow;

Sydney 2000 Maria Carey and Westlife It's against all odds:

Athens 2004 Natasha Beddingfield These Words.

But what was for 2008? Given that the Games are spread over a number of weeks not all the number ones in the UK were features and it would be interesting to hear what was top of the Pops in the cities and countries where the games were held.

It emerged that the organisers had invited the artists on the basis that they would agree to perform one of the iconic songs associated with sport and performance. This resulted in Katherine Jenkins doing Nesum Dorma associated with the World Cup, and a composite rock band starting off the event with We will rock you and We are the champions of the world which have become Icon numbers of the I was there Live Aid concert at Wembley 2008.

The dancers reminded of Hair and the Gay group whose name I cannot remember but who dressed up in butch fancy dress with the hit song YMCA. This time the dancers represented youth cultures and their contemporary dress wear. The next singer, unknown to me performed Nobody does it better. James Morrison was the most negative pointing out that if the organiser wanted karaoke they should just have had karaoke and decided on an authentic performance of Imagine adding his unique voice. The Feeling felt challenged by doing a version of David Bowie's Hero for a day, and the interview with the lead singer. McFly appeared genuinely delighted to have been asked and by the audience response singing The Winner Takes All Another group Scouting for Girls did London Calling and the end of show stopper was Heather Small Proud where the twelve year old Trombonist Young Musician of the Year. Later I watched the decision programme of Last Choir Standing which was outstanding and where the Welsh Youth Choir sung for their lives and came through, I had worked this out as the three successful choirs contesting the final also performed in the Mall which must have been their greatest thrill to-date and for their families.

While Radio 2 concentrated on the music and interviews with the performers the TV show had live interviews some of the most successful athletes of times past with my favourite was Sally Gunnell who I have seen perform live at Gateshead. Now married with three sons she was thrilled to be back before the Camera and admitted that she did not usually watching the Olympics from the TV couch but had done so with her family who had been inspired. Mary Peters was there with a girl being fast tracked for Fencing while the mother of another teenager said her daughter was being fast tracked for diving which suggests that we have already identified those most likely to be able to compete at the required level. There was also evidence of the long term preparation as a water polo team were being trained for a sport where we had previously no entries or interests but were entitled to include a team as the hosts. This suggests other ventures such as baseball, beach volley ball and the like. It will be interesting to see how much of this activity is keep away from the media in the build up to the games and how far the government and the organisers will be able to keep the momentum generated by the Games to be maintained and progressed over the next four years.

I kept one eye on Teletex during the afternoon and evening as Durham progressed to a major win in the Pro Forty competition and moving to second in the Table with a game in Hand. It looked as if they could go top at one point at Middlesex appeared to have the upper hand over Hants, but they then collapsed and lost so Hants are now top of the pile which makes the four day and pro forty meeting there that much more important. My original intention to watch a replay of the Euro Grand Prix where our now Swiss based lad second to Phillipe Massa but widened his gap as top driver to six points. Rather than watch this or match of the day I had decided to write and listen having watched last week's and this week's of episode of Spooks code 9 where the story line is a good one but the script and acting pathetic. I also watched a early episode of Regan the Sweeney series in which featured the late John Thaw and his sidekick George Cole's Minder. I went to bed at midnight tired but content.

Olympics 2008 Boxing Athletics Taekwendo

What a day. It commenced with the anger and frustration of the shenanigans of the Taekwondo competition involving a Chinese entrant where two of the four judges went blind when the British competitor scored a clear winning kick to the head. Their unscrupulous behaviour nearly cost the opportunity for a medal and it was not surprising that given this situation and the short period given between reversing the decision and the holding of the semi final that the British competitor lost to someone she has beaten on two previous meetings. Whoever went on to win the gold and bronze they have won because of an attempted cheat. Later a disqualified competitor kicked the referee and he and his coach achieved an instant lifetime ban. Together they made a mockery of the intended spirit of the Olympic games.

The sixth Olympic sport alphabetically is Boxing where the professional sport is generally regarded as corrupt with fights fixed and where the activity is much supported by villains. The British Amateur Boxing Association is known for setting high standards and few believe the spin put on the decision to send the best prospect for gold and a current world amateur champion home because he had failed to reach the required weight for his competition. At least they admitted they were sending home a second boxer because of media reports about behaviour in Britain sometime ago. The team needed good performance by the remaining members of the team to counter the feeling that Boxing was not a true Olympian event and its continuing participation is open to question.

This afternoon a British competitor, James deGale, aged 22 from London won the first Boxing Gold Medal for forty years in the middle weight class. As a Southpaw he established himself as a boxer rather than a fighter and until Beijing he had won silver medals in Europe 2007 and 2008 and Bronze at the 2008 Commonwealth games. To win the Gold he had five contests of four two minute rounds which he won 13-4. 11-5. 8-3. 10-3, and 16.14. In the final he was bitten by his Cuban opponent who fought a dirty in other ways, holding on and wrestling as he became more desperate. The Olympics is regarded as a ticket to Boxing professionalism and when asked if he would remain an amateur with the London Olympics in view he replied perhaps if he could have a flash car and more money.

Two other British boxers achieved a bronze. Tony Jaffa Jeffries aged 23 comes from Sunderland where he has struggled to achieve success and has had difficulties maintaining his position as membership of the British team. His progress to a bronze meal is therefore a major achievement for him and the city. Hopes were raised for super heavyweight David Price, the six foot seven 25 year old from Liverpool when he knocked out his second round opponent who was favoured for the Gold Medal, He had a hold medal at e Commonwealth Games in 2006 and had progressed well in the 2007 world championship having to withdraw with injury, He was unable to produce his form in the semi final and was automatically awarded a bronze. But if there are question about Boxing what can be said about athletics where enhancement performance drugs became the norm.

Both Stephen Cram and Sebastian Coe put a brave face on the inadequate performance of British Athletes in the blue ribbon events. They admitted the fact that there are athletes achieving a significant position, let alone a medial potential, in the middle and long distance events of 800 metres 1500, 3000, 5000, 10000 and marathon. And there was a similar problem with the throwing events of Javelin where we once had Steve Backley and others, and the discuss and the hammer. Although a vast sum, some 260 million had been used to support and promote Athletics the team had come to Beijing with a modest target of five medal which they had failed to achieve. My criticism centres on two aspects. The speed athletes at 100 and 200 metres tend to be over confident exhibitionists and as with the US the inability to complete the basics of baton passing is unacceptable. The second problem is the inability of the administration to create a sense of a team for which there is no excuse, except perhaps the athletes have been allowed to focus too much on their separate financial careers. There is also the problem of climatic conditions in the UK.

There is continuing embarrassment is that the only British Gold Medallist was Christine Ohuruogu who was banned for a year for missing three out of competition drug tests in succession. I can understand a competitor missing one but three? She was also banned from competing in the Olympic games as a British Athlete for life. She appealed against this ban and was successful after saying publically she would run for another country if this aspect of her punishment was not lifted. She nearly lost the British relay team a place in the final by an inept performance in the semi final and she underperformed in the opening leg of the relay, failing to provide the team with the start which would have been necessary if they team were to have a chance of a medal. Her victory has to be qualified and it is significant that former Olympic athletes such as Steve Cram always makes a point of mentioning the background and the reactions of other athletes on how she has been able to continue to run quicker than previously. There was also a double edge sword in the comments of Jonathan Edwards about the triple jumper Phillipe Idowu, aged 30 from Hackney, reminding that he showed him no respect during the years when their careers overlapped. One suspects that the dyed red hair, the Bling and the over confidence about his own performances is borne of growing up the son of a vicar, being successful at school in basketball and American football and early success when he switched to the triple jump. In Athens 2004 there were high hopes for him but he failed to record a legitimate jump in the first three and thus was unable to continue with final three jumps. However he won the 2006 Commonwealth games and the world indoor championships earlier in 2008 and came to Beijing confident of the Gold. He was narrowly beaten into the Silver admitting he was disappointed and had hoped to participate in London 2012 as the reigning champion. I hope is performance then will prove my assessment wrong. Athletes can become personalities, but only after they have achieved something remarkable.

Heather Fell, continued British success in the women's Modern Pentathlon since its introduction to the Olympics in 2000 when British women won the Gold and Bronze and where a Bronze was won in 2004. The event is called Modern because none of the five sport were part of Olympics in Athens. The basis of the events tends to attract upper and middle class entrants with shooting, horse riding and fencing forming three of the sports together with swimming and a cross country run. Although in China the latter was run on a flat surface in a stadium which would have been ludicrous had it not been for a twisting course. One disappointing worth mentioning is that Kelly Sotherton from the Isle of Wight aged 32 in 2000 moved to the Midland to train with Dame Kelly Holmes. She has never been in the world front rank of the seven event heptathlon (100 metre hurdles, 200 metres and 800 meters , High Jump, Shot put, Javelin and Long Jump) However I medal was expected after a bronze in Athens, a Gold at the Commonwealth games and a silver at the World Indoor championships in 2008. In the heptathlon the medals awarded for accumulative points from each event, in the Pentathlon the points in the first four events are turned into seconds for the cross country so that Heather Fell commenced the final event 19 seconds after the leader at that point and had to finish before the successful medallist to deprive her of the position. She summoned up the attitude of British involvement, work hard and play hard

For me the star of the Athletics team was thirty year old mother Tasha Danvers. She is one of those athletes who promised much at earlier ages failing to reach the final of the World Championships in 1999 and then when reaching the 2000 Olympic final she went out too fast and finished last. She then had a child in 2004 which prevented participation in the 2004 games and when she qualified of Beijing no one expected her to win a medal,. Not only did she get a bronze but looked as if with a few more metres should could have passed the silver medallist. With this achievements she was expected to announce her retirement but with a glint in her eye she spoke of trying to do better in 2012. There were nearly 150 medals to won in the Athletics events , with 42 of the 220 nations winning at least one bronze. Only five nations won more than one Gold, the USA with 7, Russian and Jamaica with 6, Kenya 5 and Ethiopia 4. To be impressed by one and partly impressed but another does not justify the money and attention which should be switched to other sports which are not tainted and where the sense of participation and commitment to excellence meets the Olympic Ideal. One suspects big and small p political considerations will govern what happens in practice.
David Beckham featured in the eight minute segment of the closing ceremony as the Olympic flag was passed by the Mayor of Beijing to the Mayor of London and one of the main BBC commentators could not resist commenting that it was hoped the dreadful football team would do better in 2012. The reality of football, the British national sport, hence the involvement of David Beckham and the passing to him a football by a young Londoner to kick into the crowd, is that the four football associations of England, Wales Scotland and Northern Ireland cannot agree the basis for a British team which would enable participation in the Olympic Games in 2012 and in the future. However the demise of British football excellence on one hand is more than matched by the majority of the players in the English Premiership who are some of the best players from Europe and South American, and with the exceptional talent from Africa, Asia and from the antipodes.

Last Sunday I watched Newcastle's first game in which they held Manchester United to a draw when losing 6.0 in the same fixture lasts season. Yesterday I first listened to the live home match and then watched the highlights of the 1.0 win against Bolton, which had been the disappointing first game of the return of Kevin Keegan to St James last year when I had returned for the first time in the greater part of a season. I also listened live on the radio to Sunderland's away victory and Spurs where the winner was scored by the colourful French International striker Dijbril Cisse, on loan from Olympique de Marseille, who has also become the Lord of the Manor of Frodsham through buying a property when he played for Liverpool. I watched the full Sky replay between 10.30 and midnight and bought an online ticket for the next home game.

I continue to be impressed by the Last Choir Standing and the growing professionalism of the remaining four who are clearly loving every moment with the special clothes, hairdo's and make up as well being able to perform to such a large audience. Their performance, the final three choirs, in the Mall outside Buckingham Palace this afternoon as part of the London 2012 party reflected their growing professionalism as well as natural talent. I watched the BBC i player of the decision show and for once concurred with all three judges who said they thought the performance of the youth choir from Wales was extraordinary in that everyone appeared to be singing as if it was for their lives, which in one sense they were

It was also a week since visiting the Royal Albert Hall so before the football I watched and listened to the National Youth orchestra make some amazing music in the Saturday Prom on BBC 2. It has been a coincidence that on a weekend when youth endeavour is celebrated that the national Youth orchestra were contracted to play and that one of the Last Choirs is full of young people still at school while another represents the multicultural aspect of rapidly changing Britain.

Because of the nature of day I decided on Friday night to have roast chicken for lunch and a Stir Fry for Sunday lunch. I had also intended to have roast potatoes but became so involved with the watching the TV that I forgot to put them in oven in sufficient time especially as the chicken was cooked ready earlier than anticipated. For the evening there was salmon salad. Alas there was no email or phone call to say I had won either the great jackpot in the European Lottery or the double roll over in the national. Theer was little project work. Sunday is the closing ceremony and a celebration of London 2012, the Formula One race from Spain and some cricket and football. On Monday there is the return of the successful Beijing competitors so it will not be Tuesday until the house is cleaned and I go for the new spectacle, Wednesday will be in tray day and so it will be Thursday before marking the end of Summer with a return to full working, although there will be cricket days, especially if the weather improves.

lympics Highs and cheats

There was an unprecedented situation in the Olympic games on Saturday morning British Time as for the second day in succession it was evident to professional and lay berserkers that at least two of the judges were grossly negligent or worse, the later there is no evidence except that they did not see as clear as ever anything can be clear a winning score by the British competitor. This was worse than the situation regarding the British male competitor who also came up against a Chinese competitors. The situation was sufficiently grave that if I had any say in the matter I would have declared the sport void for the purposes of allocating Olympic medals and refused to recognize the international body for the 1021 Olympics and led the call all for a new international body to be formed. The British team submitted a protest but no one expected the protest to be upheld. It is understood that the judges examined the video and photographic evidence and reversed the decision thus eliminating the Chinese competitor and current Olympic champion at Taekwondo. Although the decision was reversed and understood to have been accepted by the Chinese federation what happened leaved a very nasty taste and if I was involved I would insist on a full independent and potentially criminal investigation. That this involved two Chinese competitors and host for the games thrown a major doubt in my mind at the value of any other medals won by the Chinese which involved individual judgments rather than being first past the post, or other forms of scoring independent of human judgment. I emphasize that I have no evidence of corruption or unscrupulous intervention by the Chinese government or sporting authorities but we know of only too well what happens when the stakes are so high whether it is national pride or individual ambition.

It is not surprising that Sarah Stevenson could not get her act together for the semi final match where she lost badly to an opponent she has previously beaten twice. She still has a chance to win the bronze but it would be surprising if she is able to perform such is the damage created by the disgraceful and unacceptable behaviour of those which turned the competition into a farce. At this moment the bronze medal match is under way and I am pleased that the commentators are not leaving the matter alone referring to what happened earlier as shenanigans. I am so pleased to say that she won well and therefore will have a bronze medal although she will have to learn to live that she was cheated our of the silver or gold and for once I find it difficult to forgive whose responsible. Amazingly Wikipedia had this information on line with seconds.

I believe that twenty nine different sports have been included in the 2008 Olympics in China.

Alphabetically Archery was one of the sports where only a small number of medals were available 5 x 3 a total of three but where British expectation was high because three medals had between won at the world championships. The highest position gained was fourth in one of the five events. South Korea was the dominant force with two Golds and five Medals in total. China managed three medals, one in each category and Ukraine the other Gold. Six nations shared the medals.

Athletics is second where cheating through the use of drugs became the standard and where its place in the games should be relegated in terms of public and media attention until there is confidence that the problem has been overcome. Britain's performance has deteriorated in the middle and long distance races since the emergence of the African nations butt here ha been some exceptional individuals with Jonathan Edwards the most notable because of his behaviour on and off the track. The full report will be later.

There was hope more than expectation of a medal in Badminton (3) as the mixed doubles partnership of Nathan Roberston and Gail Emms was ending after the games. The couple had surprised everyone with a Silver Medal in Athens. The couple have had success at the Commonwealth and European competitions but their greatest success was to win gold in the 2006 world championship. Gail retires at the end of the Games. All the Gold medals were won by Asian Countries with China 3 (8 in total) and the others going to South Korea and Indonesia who each also won a silver and a bronze. The only other medal a Bronze went to Malaysia. Badminton along with Squash are popular games played in Britain for recreation and fitness

We are Sailing British Olympic success 2008

Two Olympic sports have been completed with two further medal successes, one Gold and one Silver.

It is perhaps natural but never inevitable that there would be success on the water in sailing vessels. Britain is one main island and hundreds of others, with Northern Ireland part of the second largest land mass. Along the entire coast there have been ports and harbours throughout the ages and as our rivers have lost their industrial uses, the nation has turned to the small boat with yachts of all sizes and motor cruisers. The British love to go on rivers, and continue use the cross channel ferries as well as go on holiday cruises. The Royal Navy remains one of great sea forces of the world and although sea transport had changed radically with the use of container ships and fishing has been severely constrained so as to preserve European fish stocks, British young men and women still love to go to sea,
However before savouring the most successful sailing Olympics of all time from the British viewpoint it has to be remembered that perhaps only 100 individuals can expect to earn a living as competitive sailors and that some of out best well known sailors earn their livelihood abroad and that there are less than half this number sponsored to compete in the Olympics and world championships. The major problem remain that of sponsorship and that television does not like the sport because of the difficulties of showing events and the lack of interest among the general public which rightly regards sailing as still the province of the middle and upper classes. Having said that I have seen one article which suggests that over two million people own boats in Britain and that several million more will take to water in a vessel in some form each year.

This Olympics, the British team achieved their objective of four Gold Medals, added to which was one silver and one bronze, six in total and the best result ever for the British Team. Three young women, named three blondes in a boat after the famous book Three men in a boat ,won the Yingling class. Sarah Ayton aged 28 years from Ashford in Middlesex was awarded the MBE for her gold in the same class in Athens 2008. She now adds a second Gold. Pippa Wilson aged 22 from Southampton was the second member of the Crew and is a professional sailor. Sarah Webb is the oldest member of the winning team at 31 from Ashford in Middlesex and received the MBE as a member of the same crew as Sarah Ayton who joined the Royal Yachting Association's Youth Squad competing in the world youth championships in 1995 and 1996

Whereas little information is available about thee three blondes Ben Ainslie along with Chris Hoy of cycling is regarded a one of the best at his sport in the world, a view for once shared by sailors around the globe. Aged now 31 from Macclesfield in Cheshire, but brought up in Cornwall. he was taken into sailing by his parents at the age of 4 and commenced to compete in races at the age of tem. His father was a professional sailor who participated in the first Round the World Race in 1973. Ben has already had an extraordinary career and it will be interest to see if he now retires with the 2012 Olympics now in view. He has a long history of success gaining a Silver Medal at the 1996 games in Atlanta and has now won successive Gold Medals in 2000, 2004 and 2008. He is destined to be among those knighted for their achievements as a consequence of the success of the 2008 games.

The most exciting of finishers in any of the sports at the Games was that of Paul Martin Goodison, also a life long sailor now aged 30 years from Sheffield. He was in second position as the final medal race approached and after a week often becalmed waters which held up races, the race was fought out on choppy seas where previous experience and developed skill was required to find the best route between markers. The result was in doubt up to the finals seconds and such was the delight of the British team, including Ben Ainslie that Paul was lifted in triumph still in his boat out of the water.

Iain Percy aged 32 from Southampton has had mixed fortunes at the Olympic games having first won a Gold Medal in Sydney in 2000 but was only able to come sixth in 2004. He recovered from this disappointment to with bronze in the 2005 Championships and then Gold in the European of the same year, He was awarded and MBE for Sydney. This time he won Gold again with Andrew known as Bart Simpson, as crew. Bart also aged 32 from Chertsey but now living in Dorset.

Nick Rogers and Jonathan Joe Glanfield aged 29 recovered brilliantly from a disastrous start in their final Medal race to win Silver in the 470 class, having won the same Medal in the same class at Athens.

The sixth winning event produced Britain's first ever medal, a bronze in wind surfing which requires continuous upper body strength and stamina as well as sailing skills. Bryony Elizabeth Shaw is 25 years old and was born in Wandsworth. A feature of the sailing events is that unlike many athletes, sailors are expected to participate in a long series of races. Bryony who tends to be called Britney commenced windsurfing in the South of France in 1992 when 15 years of age, her father was an academic lecturer at the second University at Oxford and went to school near Headington, where I lived for over two years. She commenced to race competitively at a reservoir near Oxford and left university early in 2004 to concentrate on the sport, ranked 12th at the world championships in 2007 and 8th in 2008. She had a bad patch in the race series after starting well with 4th and 3rd positions and then finished 11th twice 6th and 5th. This was followed by a third, a first and a second which brought her to third overall in terms of the points awarded to that time. Although she came fourth in the final race this was sufficient to gain the bronze. She lives with a another wind surfer Greg King, near Weymouth where the sailing events are to be held in 2012.

Eighteen nations shared the 33 medals awarded in the sailing sport with only Australia winning more than one medal(2) and two nations winning three medals. Australia and France against the British six.
Having reported on cycling hopes of a ninth Gold medal were dashed when Shanaze Reade crashed in the final of the BMX bike race. The pressure and drive of this young woman to win after becoming world champion was such that she picked herself up in the settings races after her first crash where she took a lump from her elbow. She then got through to finish second overall which meant that she had the best position in the second of the two semi finals. Then horror of horrors she crashed again in the first race of the semis and appeared to be badly shaken as well as hurt. However she managed not only to finish second in the second race but to win the third which meant she had qualified in a good position for the final. She commenced the final in the lead but as they race commenced its final segment a French competitor who had won all three semi final runs as well as the setting races nipped passed her by changing direction. As they approach the final bend Shanaze instead of reconciling herself to second position and a silver medal, attempted the same manoeuvre and crashed after clipping the rear wheel of the French rider. On one hand I though this was the result of having attempted to ride to close to the rival and that she should have settled for a medal as part of the British team. However she was remarkably brave in continuing after two falls and the drive to win and be first and not to settle for second, may be uncritical, but is the kind of attitude which changes an also ran into a winner.

A similar level of frustration and disappointment was shown by the 17 year old Taekwondo competitor who had to fight four times in the course of the morning. He first become interested in the sport at the age of five after watching the Power Rangers cartoon. He joined a local club to the family home and then won the British Championship at the age of seven and then the world junior championship at 15. Selected to join the elite training squad based in Manchester his parents moved home and work to Manchester to help and support him. He won his first bout easily with the match stopped when the margin of points reached seven. The second contest was more difficult and then he was in the semi final he was narrowly beaten in the dying seconds after coming back three times for a point deficit. However it is inevitable that there will be an enquiry into what happened in the final when the judges repeatedly failed to confirm his scoring. including a hit to the head of the opponent which should have scored two points. To be charitable the judges may have been influenced by the crowd, and youth of the young man. In other circumstances one could make stronger allegations with considerable justification. It is hoped that the international association of this sport will conduct an enquiry and take appropriate action to ensure the judges do not officiate again.

Yesterday was a making up day as far as food was concerned with pasta parcels filled with spinach for lunch, a little salad and olive pasta for evening meal, some cereal and some toast during the day, strawberries, liquorice allsorts and lots of tea. The sore throat did not become the problem anticipated but when I coughed it was from the chest indicating that there was a problem.

I watched one poor film, the free with the Mail on Sunday DVD of Gene Hackman as a deputy district attorney attempting to persuade Anne Archer to leave her hideaway and return to testify against a bug time crime boos who she had witnessed present when his hitman murders the lawyer she met for the first time as a blind date arranged by her best friend who has been siphoning funds for his own use. Having witnesses the incident she takes to the hills she resists the plea of Hackman who unintentionally plays a dumb and irresponsible character who nearly gets himself as well as the woman played by Anne Archer killed several times in this would be thriller which has little credibility. It is worthwhile listing the mistakes which would have led him to being sacked if I had anything involvement. By luck he finds out there is a witness to someone who ahs evaded justice for years and where it is self evident given this is the USA the criminal will have workers in the justice system on the payroll. In such circumstances you do not disclose to anyone where you know the witness is in hiding and make sure that you are followed and then you ensure that you take without sufficient officers to ensure you can bring the witness if she agrees in safety. As she is located across the border in another country one presumably arranges local support as soon as the individual agrees to help and you ensure that you will have adequate communication throughout. The operation needs to be conducted as one would a military undertaking in its planning and its execution.

The thrill element rests on being in a position to escape the first attack and get on a train more by food fortune that planning. When I make a trip I always check out the various forms of public transport available beforehand and what happens if I or the public service breaks down in terms of drink, food, clothing break down. This is basic common sense even when travelling alone so the responsibility is greater when one is responsible or has dependents accompanying.

The second aspects which stretched the credulity is that while Hackman quickly becomes aware that two individuals have got on the train who are obvious villain he slowly works out there is third, although how this individual managed to get on the train remains an unanswered puzzle. There are two possible characters who could be the third villain and it is evident to everyone except Hackman who the individual is. His greater stupidity is not to assume that either or anyone else could be the third individual. Having realised that there were only two people who were aware of his mission he assume that one of these rather than the other is the guilty party whereas common sense dictates that you assume that either could be in on the conspiracy and got outside the system for assistance. He appears never to have heard of the FBI or the Canadian government. His next act of stupidity is to behave in such a way that he identifies to the criminals who the woman is when they would have no immediate way of knowing which of the other passengers she was By all means act as decoy but the best way in the circumstances would have been for her to act as any other passenger and sit with the other passengers who do not have a private compartment on the train. Amazingly the witness in question agrees to give evidence after surviving several near death experiences thus putting herself, her son and any other members of her extended family at grave risks for the rest of their lives from the crime boss and his friends. This is a film to avoid Narrow Margin unless of course you are too tired to do or watch anything else.