1) Times haven’t changed much since 1996, the Manic Street Preachers are touring Everything Must Go and the European Championship is happening. This time, however, none of the teams warmed up with a match against Bamber Bridge, as Czech Republic did 20 years ago.
England fans know there will be no repeat of the 4-1 win over Holland while there will also be no Scotland to provide a modern day Gazza an opportunity to deliver some brilliance. The Euros have provided some utter crackers in the past. Perhaps the best of the lot: France 2-1 Czech Republic in 2000? Has their been a better goal than Ronnie Whelan’s? France v Portugal in 1984 is a reminder of when people still liked Michel Platini. Eight years ago we all thought Andrey Arshavin was the next big thing (so did Arsène Wenger, in fairness). And without wanting to look like we’re rubbing it in, the Dutch losing a cracker against Czech Republic in 2004.
2) The BFI last week released a fascinating archive of cricket on film, some of which has never been seen before. There is footage dating back as far as 1901, with Lancashire’s Arthur Mold bowling to A.N. ‘Monkey’ Hornby: the England captain who lost the inaugural Ashes.
Other highlights include the batters of Cobham Ladies – “Amazons at the wicket!” – giving the men of Manor Athletic a hiding in 1925, the great West Indian Learie Constantine in 1945 and Bills Ponsford and Woodfull opening together for the first time in England.
3) England play Wales on Thursday afternoon. When these two sides met in 1966 it was the last time England’s World Cup-winning XI played competitively together. Wales picked up what is billed as “their only win at Wembley” in 1977 – a moniker which rather ignores this – and in 1980 they won 4-1 to inflict upon England their worst defeat between 1964 and 2005. In 1984 the last Home International Championship meeting was staged between the sides, with Mark Hughes scoring on debut, then in 2004 David Beckham did this.
4) With any major football championship comes the plethora of team songs. None of them will compete with French man on balcony being cheered and booed by Republic Of Ireland fans as he pops in and out, however. Wales have brought out the big guns for this: the Manic Street Preachers have Together Stronger (C’mon Wales), which gets bonus points for having “Hal Robson-Kanu” as a lyric and a tribute to Gary Speed. The Welsh rugby team is currently in New Zealand, so there seems little chance of the Manics getting Jamie Roberts on stage for this one. Also backing Wales are the Super Furry Animals. They don’t appear to have got the memo about football anthems, given that their effort, Bing Bong, is genuinely good.
At the other end of the spectrum is the unofficial England anthem, We Are England, by Shaun Ryder, Goldie, Paul Oakenfeld and some of the other ones out of Black Grape. You might think David Guetta’s official tournament song is the worst France could offer but you would be wrong: Skip the Use (no, us neither) have covered Kiss’s I Was Made for Loving You.
5) Tips for walking 1km on a slackline suspended 600m in the air between two mountains? Do. Not. Look. Down.
6) The best of the rest: Ninja trampolining into holes in walls alert! Meanwhile: man nails incredible golf shot – with a frisbee. Texas A&M baseball fans: the most weirdly intimidating supporters in the world. Finally: seriously big air … in a souped up go kart.
Highlights from last week’s blog
1) The Copa América is under way and Argentina are among the favourites. No surprise given their ludicrous striking riches, yet none of Lionel Messi, Sergio Agüero and Ezequiel Lavezzi offer the kind of thunderbastard beauty you got from Gabriel Batistuta. Indeed when it comes to visceral violence, Argentina might be football’s equivalent of George RR Martin.
2) Roger Federer missed the French Open and now Rafael Nadal is out of Wimbledon. The era of these two modern greats is coming to an end but who was better: Federer on grass or Nadal on clay? It turns out that in 2007, this question was answered once and for all.
3) Who knew Rivaldo played baseball? It’s difficult to decide who is less sporting: this guy or NBA star Andre Drummond, here shutting a child down on an ambassadorial goodwill tour to Norway.
4) Twenty years ago, Richard Krajicek bulldozed Peter Sampras (in his pomp) to win the Wimbledon men’s final. Sampras hadn’t lost a match there for three years and wouldn’t lose another for five.
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