Category: “Football”

I didn’t manage to the end of the opening Newsnight report on MPs’ expenses before deciding that bed was a better place to be (via this quick blog), but I couldn’t help but be struck by a formidable contrast tonight … between the basic pro-football stance of Sky Sports coverage of football – admittedly easier [...]

Several days late, in the eyes of some, to the issue of football stadia. Late, that is, if it is indeed the case that the twentieth anniversary of the Hillsborough tragedy was the subject I should have been addressing a couple of days back, failure to do so having sparked something of a mini-riot on my [...]

I’m out at a birthday dinner tonight, so will be spared the difficult choice between Champions League football and BBC 2′s new reality TV/elimination-contest programme, The Speaker. Reality TV and elimination contest are two concepts usually enough on their own to make sure I don’t watch, but I hope I’m right in saying this one [...]

Paul Fletcher scored the greatest goal I ever saw, several decades ago, for Burnley against Don Revie’s ‘dirty Leeds.’ A picture of the moment hangs in our hallway.  Now Burnley’s chief executive, Fletcher has shown in the last few weeks he still has flair and creativity – with that rare thing, an April Fool that [...]

I liked it, though not as much as I was hoping to. My sons said much the same. My partner and daughter weren’t that keen to come, which suggests in the build up the message has been football, football, football, rather than incredible story of extraordinary period in the life of remarkable human being. First things [...]

A bit rushed this morning, but enough time to get on one of my hobby horses, plug a radio piece for a TV project I’m involved in, and promote the good side of sport. First, the hobby horse – it is a myth that young people are not interested in politics and political debate. Interesting [...]

Up in Manchester for a speech yesterday, and what an unexpected treat to get back to my hotel room at half ten and channel hop my way to the ITV documentary on Brian Clough.  Non-football fans stay with me …. this was not just about football. It was modern history. A look at one of [...]

I’ve pre-recorded an interview for BBC Radio 4′s The Week In Westminster this morning. Back in the days when I was almost a journalist, I used to present the programme myself, so I was in the same Millbank studio, joining Danny Finkelstein for the two of us to be quizzed by Steve Richards about whether [...]

As you may have seen both online and in some of the papers today, Alex Ferguson is the front cover of my one-off issue of the New Statesman and inside is a long chat about football, politics, leadership and a fascinating insight into his life and his mind. TV viewers will know that Alex does not open [...]

So off to another Burnley home game. I had honestly (sic) been thinking I would stay home, wash the car, trim the edges of the lawn, help pick new fabrics for the worn sofa, maybe bake a cake and read all the reviews of Fiona’s book and their focus on my inability (sic) to load [...]