Sport – SteveWhittythoughts1965

It has been a strange week. The one word that springs to mind when you describe it is change. Be it a change of habits or government.

Monday 1st July

I woke up to find myself in the second half of the year. The first six months have flown by. This is something that happens when you get older. Time is something you take for granted until you realise when it starts to run out.

Glastonbury has been and gone. Not that I watch any of it on the telly. I find it difficult to enjoy events held on a dairy farm. Having said that, I have attended Bearded Theory over the last three years which is held on a farm. You cannot have it both ways.

It is good to be able to reward people who do a good job. I include my team in that.

Tuesday 2nd July

There has been talk of retirement at work. Chris who I have worked with for almost ten years is due to leave in a couple of weeks. I will miss her as she was a calming influence when I joined the civil service. It has got me thinking about my retirement. This is due to happen in 2032. My aim is to make my life simpler. The first step is to combine all my old work pensions into one. This is not just for me but also for my family just in case I were to pass away before I retire. The whole process was straight forward.

I wish the trains were the same. It seems whenever summer arrives the trains become delayed. It is frustrating given the lack of information given. New trains, the same old shitty service.

Wednesday 3rd July

The best gifts are the unexpected ones. I received a £20 voucher as a thank you for my work with data quality. I will spend that on cups of coffee over the coming days.

Seeing Mark Cavendish break the Tour de France record for stage wins brought a lump to my throat. I have been following his career over the years. He is a true British sporting legend.

I was given a reminder about becoming old. I had to help my neighbour to his feet. He had fallen while trying to clean himself after an accident. He looked all bewildered by what had gone on. I felt sad for him as I suspect these problems have been going on for a long time.

Thursday 4th July

It was General Election Day. I went to vote early in the morning. I wanted to get it out of the way as I was going to be busy. It was encouraging to stand in a big queue at 7:15 in the morning. Hopefully, this is a sign of a big turnout.

Today was the start of spending three days in the record shop helping out my friend while he was attending a festival. Outside of my home, this is my favourite place to spend time. Being able to talk music is pure joy as I am always learning something new.

Friday 5th July

As expected Labour won the election by a landslide.

Saturday 6th July

I have always held a love-hate relationship with the England football team. They promise so much yet they always let you down. The match against Switzerland was going that way as well. Somehow they clawed their way back into the game. The penalty shootout was a masterclass in taking the spot kick. So we move on to Wednesday where we face the Netherlands for a place in the final of Euro 2024. Could it finally be our year?

Sunday 7th July

I woke feeling run down. I have developed a cough and a blocked nose. Normally, I would have gone and done the laundry but could not face it. I will stop off by the chemist and purchase some covid tests. You cannot be too careful.

Until the next post, keep on smiling.

This is a slightly different post than usual. It is about the FA Cup Final. One of the great sporting days in England, traditionally it was the last game of the football season thought this has changed over the last couple of years.

The FA Cup Final or Football Association Challenge Cup to give its full name is the oldest cup competition in world football. It was first played for in 1872 when Wanderers beat the Royal Engineers 1-0.

The competition begins in August when the amateur and semi-professional play qualifying rounds to make the main draw. The professional clubs from the Leagues 1and 2 tier join in the 1st round and the clubs from the Premier League and Championship join in the 3rd round. The magic of the FA Cup is that potentially clubs from the lower leagues can play clubs from the Premier League. There have been cases of giant-killing performances. This season Luton Town of the Conference beat Norwich City of the Premier League 1-0 at Norwich in the 4th Round.

Cup Final day has always been a magical day for me. Growing up it was one of the few games that was shown live on television. It was not just the match, there was the build up which lasted throughout the day until kick off. Particularly the singing of the Cup Final hymn 'Abide With Me'. A strange choice as it is normally sang at funerals. I always find it a emotional moment. I am not alone, just search You Tube for the effect it had on Elton John.

Another piece of magic about the cup is that you are never certain who would win. I have witnessed some acts of giant-killing. Here are two that I would like to mention.

1973 – Sunderland beating Leeds United 1-0. Sunderland were at that time a second division club and Leeds were the biggest club in the country. I can still hear that magic piece of commentary, “Porterfield, 1-0.”

1988 – Wimbledon beating Liverpool 1-0. “The Crazy Gang have beaten the Culture Club.” Wimbledon had been a semi-professional club up until 1977. Liverpool had won the league in a convincing manner during the season.

This years final has the potential to create another piece of giant-killing. Manchester City will play Wigan Athletic. City are one of the richest clubs in the world while Wigan continually struggle to stay in the Premier League.