Mihir Bose's Blog, page 54
April 19, 2013
Why football cannot have its cake and eat it
Insideworldfootball
In Britain this has been a great week for turning the clock back promoted by the death of Lady Thatcher and a necessary look back at her legacy.
Yet it is too simplistic to see the riots by Millwall fans at the Wembley semi-final as a return to the old spectre of football hooligan. There is, of course a historical twist to this. With the riots coming just days before Thatcher was laid to rest it was natural to reflect that it was Millwall and their riotous fans back in 1985 filling British television screens with violence which first prompted the Lady to think that the only solution for such behaviour was more stringent police control. This, followed by other acts of football hooliganism that caused deaths, led to the dreadful, and ultimately unsuccessful, attempt to impose ID cards on football spectators.
In Britain this has been a great week for turning the clock back promoted by the death of Lady Thatcher and a necessary look back at her legacy.
Yet it is too simplistic to see the riots by Millwall fans at the Wembley semi-final as a return to the old spectre of football hooligan. There is, of course a historical twist to this. With the riots coming just days before Thatcher was laid to rest it was natural to reflect that it was Millwall and their riotous fans back in 1985 filling British television screens with violence which first prompted the Lady to think that the only solution for such behaviour was more stringent police control. This, followed by other acts of football hooliganism that caused deaths, led to the dreadful, and ultimately unsuccessful, attempt to impose ID cards on football spectators.
Britain’s Libel Laws: Malice Aforethought
Mihir Bose recalls a classic case highlighting the problems with Britain’s antiquated libel laws.
History Today Volume: 63 Issue: 5 2013
The decision to set up a royal charter to underpin Justice Leveson’s recommendations ovn regulating the press may or may not mean the end of press freedom in this country, 334 years after the expiry of the 1662 Licensing of the Press Act. But the Leveson report has done little to deal with a problem that has done much to discourage good journalism: Britain’s wretched libel laws.
Leveson did not look at the libel laws, arguing that Parliament was already debating a new bill. However he did comment on the cost of libel and proposed a free arbitration service for anyone who feels unfairly treated by the press. It would have the power to impose fines and compensation. That sounds worthy but the problem is the system, as now agreed by Parliament, may result in exactly the opposite of what Leveson intended. As Simon Jenkins has pointed out, it could result in a ’stampede for anyone – including lobbyists – trying to grab a compulsory correction plus a quick payoff ... Fines and compensation at the arbitration stage will put editors in thrall to chief executives and nervous publishers. Worse ensues if editors reject the new regulator and, because a matter of law is at stake, the case goes to a proper court. They there face punitive “million-pound” fines.’
History Today Volume: 63 Issue: 5 2013
The decision to set up a royal charter to underpin Justice Leveson’s recommendations ovn regulating the press may or may not mean the end of press freedom in this country, 334 years after the expiry of the 1662 Licensing of the Press Act. But the Leveson report has done little to deal with a problem that has done much to discourage good journalism: Britain’s wretched libel laws.
Leveson did not look at the libel laws, arguing that Parliament was already debating a new bill. However he did comment on the cost of libel and proposed a free arbitration service for anyone who feels unfairly treated by the press. It would have the power to impose fines and compensation. That sounds worthy but the problem is the system, as now agreed by Parliament, may result in exactly the opposite of what Leveson intended. As Simon Jenkins has pointed out, it could result in a ’stampede for anyone – including lobbyists – trying to grab a compulsory correction plus a quick payoff ... Fines and compensation at the arbitration stage will put editors in thrall to chief executives and nervous publishers. Worse ensues if editors reject the new regulator and, because a matter of law is at stake, the case goes to a proper court. They there face punitive “million-pound” fines.’
April 16, 2013
Rugby League wants its own Jonny Wilkinson moment: Brian Barwick reveals his World Cup hopes
Evening Standard
16 April 2013
Brian Barwick may seem an unlikely Rugby Football League chairman. His life has been all about the round ball game; a former editor of Match of the Day and chief executive of the Football Association, he grew up in the 60s singing You’ll Never Walk Alone while Bill Shankly made Anfield a feared name in English football.
But as we meet in his office in Twickenham, he is keen to talk about his new dream of the climax of this November’s Rugby League World Cup Final at Old Trafford. Pointing to a huge picture on the wall of Jonny Wilkinson about to score the drop goal that won England the union equivalent in 2003, Barwick says: “Ten years ago I was in Sydney to see him land that kick. If Kevin Sinfield [the England captain] lands the same sort of kick at the same time, it will have the same impact.”
16 April 2013
Brian Barwick may seem an unlikely Rugby Football League chairman. His life has been all about the round ball game; a former editor of Match of the Day and chief executive of the Football Association, he grew up in the 60s singing You’ll Never Walk Alone while Bill Shankly made Anfield a feared name in English football.
But as we meet in his office in Twickenham, he is keen to talk about his new dream of the climax of this November’s Rugby League World Cup Final at Old Trafford. Pointing to a huge picture on the wall of Jonny Wilkinson about to score the drop goal that won England the union equivalent in 2003, Barwick says: “Ten years ago I was in Sydney to see him land that kick. If Kevin Sinfield [the England captain] lands the same sort of kick at the same time, it will have the same impact.”
April 12, 2013
The Little Wonder: The Remarkable History of Wisden, By Robert Winder Wisden Cricketers’ Almanack 2013, Edited by Lawrence Booth
The Independent
Like cricket itself, its annual chronicle has adapted to survive on a tricky modern wicket
Cricket has always claimed to be more than just a game. Neville Cardus wrote that, "if everything else in this nation of ours were lost but cricket, her constitution and the Laws of England of Lord Halsbury, it would be possible to reconstruct from the theory and practice of cricket all the eternal Englishness which has gone to the establishment of that Constitution and the laws aforesaid." And CLR James was convinced that "cricket is first and foremost a dramatic spectacle. It belongs with the theatre, ballet, opera and dance".
Those who care little for the sport might dismiss such claims as dotty. But the game does attract some remarkable devotees. Cardus, then the Manchester Guardian's music critic, doubled up to become its cricket correspondent. James, a West Indian radical who 50 years ago published his classic Beyond a Boundary, was a Trotskyite deported from the US. And the great mathematician GH Hardy, a confirmed atheist, consoled himself as he lay dying by getting his sister to read out the scores of an Australia-India series.
Like cricket itself, its annual chronicle has adapted to survive on a tricky modern wicket
Cricket has always claimed to be more than just a game. Neville Cardus wrote that, "if everything else in this nation of ours were lost but cricket, her constitution and the Laws of England of Lord Halsbury, it would be possible to reconstruct from the theory and practice of cricket all the eternal Englishness which has gone to the establishment of that Constitution and the laws aforesaid." And CLR James was convinced that "cricket is first and foremost a dramatic spectacle. It belongs with the theatre, ballet, opera and dance".
Those who care little for the sport might dismiss such claims as dotty. But the game does attract some remarkable devotees. Cardus, then the Manchester Guardian's music critic, doubled up to become its cricket correspondent. James, a West Indian radical who 50 years ago published his classic Beyond a Boundary, was a Trotskyite deported from the US. And the great mathematician GH Hardy, a confirmed atheist, consoled himself as he lay dying by getting his sister to read out the scores of an Australia-India series.
April 11, 2013
The Iron Lady was never a football ‘person’ but had a shaping influence
Insideworldfootball
Mrs Thatcher's death not only marks the passing of a leader, the like of which we may not see again, but it also marks a watershed in sport.
Thatcher was the last of the British Prime Ministers who did not care about sport. Her husband Denis was passionate about sport, particularly his golf and was a former rugby referee, her son Mark played cricket for Harrow's first XI but Mrs Thatcher could not understand why people cared about sport.
Mrs Thatcher's death not only marks the passing of a leader, the like of which we may not see again, but it also marks a watershed in sport.
Thatcher was the last of the British Prime Ministers who did not care about sport. Her husband Denis was passionate about sport, particularly his golf and was a former rugby referee, her son Mark played cricket for Harrow's first XI but Mrs Thatcher could not understand why people cared about sport.
April 9, 2013
Dave Whelan putting Premier League survival before FA Cup glory
Semi-final is a chance for Wigan to create history and is of huge personal significance to club owner but his priority lies elsewhere
Evening Standard
Given Dave Whelan’s past with the FA Cup, it is clear how much Saturday’s semi final against Millwall means to Wigan’s owner.
The former Blackburn player will lead his team out at Wembley 53 years after he suffered a double leg break in the Cup final against Wolves, an injury which ended his top-flight career. With a laugh, Whelan says: “I will not be wearing shorts on Saturday — I wish I could. I hope to go into the Wigan dressing room after the game as I only go in if we’ve won.”
Evening Standard
Given Dave Whelan’s past with the FA Cup, it is clear how much Saturday’s semi final against Millwall means to Wigan’s owner.
The former Blackburn player will lead his team out at Wembley 53 years after he suffered a double leg break in the Cup final against Wolves, an injury which ended his top-flight career. With a laugh, Whelan says: “I will not be wearing shorts on Saturday — I wish I could. I hope to go into the Wigan dressing room after the game as I only go in if we’ve won.”
April 5, 2013
Who is the most powerful man in football?
Insideworldfootball.com
Why is it impossible to decide who is the Lionel Messi of football's men in suits?
Forget the argument about whether Lionel Messi is the greatest player. That argument can never be resolved as it depends on a variety of factors, many of them intensely subjective.
Why is it impossible to decide who is the Lionel Messi of football's men in suits?
Forget the argument about whether Lionel Messi is the greatest player. That argument can never be resolved as it depends on a variety of factors, many of them intensely subjective.
April 3, 2013
Only judge Di Canio on his ability to do the job
Evening Standard
The controversy surrounding Sunderland’s appointment of Paolo Di Canio as manager is turning into a classic soap opera. It emphasises how the hype the Premier League generates means some supporters do not understand that while football springs from society it does not represent all of society. Legendary Liverpool manager Bill Shankly may have said football is more important than life and death but he meant it as a joke. The Di Canio froth shows the problems caused when Shankly is taken literally.
The controversy surrounding Sunderland’s appointment of Paolo Di Canio as manager is turning into a classic soap opera. It emphasises how the hype the Premier League generates means some supporters do not understand that while football springs from society it does not represent all of society. Legendary Liverpool manager Bill Shankly may have said football is more important than life and death but he meant it as a joke. The Di Canio froth shows the problems caused when Shankly is taken literally.
April 2, 2013
He helped write Cantona’s trawler speech, so Watkins is well qualified for the choppy waters of British swimming
Evening Standard
As a man who has felt the hot whirr of an Alex Ferguson hairdryer and helped draft Eric Cantona’s infamous “seagulls following the trawler” speech, Maurice Watkins deserves to be listened to.
Not for nothing did he earn the nickname ‘Henry Kissinger of football’, honed after 28 years on Manchester United’s board, and now he is applying his diplomatic skills to another sport.
As a man who has felt the hot whirr of an Alex Ferguson hairdryer and helped draft Eric Cantona’s infamous “seagulls following the trawler” speech, Maurice Watkins deserves to be listened to.
Not for nothing did he earn the nickname ‘Henry Kissinger of football’, honed after 28 years on Manchester United’s board, and now he is applying his diplomatic skills to another sport.
March 30, 2013
Why English football cannot get rid of the monkey on its back
Insideworldfootball.com
The World Cup qualifiers have produced the usual bag of results that make you sit up and take notice. Spain rediscovering their touch with their victory in Paris, Israel suggesting they might become more than a country that makes up the numbers but, inevitably, it was been England that has made all the headlines and the wrong ones at that.
The World Cup qualifiers have produced the usual bag of results that make you sit up and take notice. Spain rediscovering their touch with their victory in Paris, Israel suggesting they might become more than a country that makes up the numbers but, inevitably, it was been England that has made all the headlines and the wrong ones at that.
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