Robben dud

There are one or two footballers I have found instantly unlikeable even though I don’t really know them. One has been Arjen Robben whose rolling dives in agony after the merest hint of body contact with an opposing full-back, used to make Didier Drogba blush. And they were team mates. I know this sounds callous but I used to wish that he’d payed against the likes of Stuart Pearce or Julian Dicks whose tackles often resulted in a flying winger ending up in Row C of the spectators. Ribs would be properly bruised when Psycho said hello. Anyway after a couple of seasons in the ‘brutal’ Premiership old Arjen took himself off to the gentler slopes of La Ligue where the Real fans decided he was a tosser too so off he toddled to the Bundesliga where he joined the great Bayern Munich. It’s not been a bad career for the Dutchman and he topped it with the winning goal in last season’s Champion’s League Final. And didn’t he celebrate… like a knob.

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New expressions

Several new phrases have entered the media language this week-end spawned by the actions of two of our enduring entertainers, who are occasionally celebrated in this blog (and if you can’t guess their identities the image above is a clue to both of them!).

Mandela

Here’s an image of the great Nelson Mandela on the day of his release from prison. Those images of him strolling down the road proudly will never fade. He could have been a bitter man but with massive grace and statesmanship he went on to repair a broken country and create a rainbow nation. Frankly only he could have done it and in doing so he became a hero to the world. His passing leaves an unfillable void.

Sigh it’s Xmas marketing time

Well the last posting was a celebration of some lovely festive activity down our local High St and this is the antidote; a little rant about the indulgent and schmaltzy Xmas ads that have been running for weeks now. Apart from Iceland’s two bob ads they were all interesting to watch the first time round but it’s only 2nd December and I’m already sick of listening to Lily Allen, watching Ant &Dec joshing with a ginger bread man, and trying to understand why M&S couldn’t just do an homage to one of Alice in Wonderland or the Wizard of Oz, but both? Will sticking Helena Bonham-Carter on the end as the Wicked Witch of the West/dog-catcher really help sales? Is she really thought of as a style icon?

Err…what do I know eh. Am I alone in thinking Rosie Huntingdon-Thingummybob in her undies was doing a decent job pitching the appeal of M&S? Well it worked for me Santa.

Robbie Bland

I’ve been writing a bit lately about ageing and I notice I have been getting a little more reflective and mellower in my postings. It’s a sign of getting older I guess. I’d far rather watch Time Team than X Factor these days and I started wearing comfortable rather than stylish clothes quite a while ago. It comes to us all. But I have taken particular interest in the ageing process of one Robbie Williams of late, the one-time bad boy of Take That whose latest album has an intriguing title….

So here it is Merry Xmas

Well it’s 1 December and it’s starting to feel a lot like Xmas don’t you think? I hate cynical marketing but I admit to being a bit of a fan of good old-fashioned festive celebrations. A couple of days ago they switched on the lights in Teddington and we had a quick peek down there. It was great; not so much because the lights were spectacular (being a Blackpool boy I can justifiably say they’ve got a long way to go before they can call 12 trees lit up illuminations!) but because the townsfolk were out in force supporting our local High Street businesses, a theme very close to my heart. And the atmosphere was just great.