Author Archives: Tessa Heywood
Temper your expectations!
Tonight we watched from behind our sofas as Wayne Rooney marked his England return with the goal that secured a place for England in Euro 2012’s last eight – but it was a rough passage eased by helpings of good fortune and controversy against Ukraine.
Ukraine, however, will complain long and hard about a contentious second-half incident when Marko Devic’s shot clearly crossed the line before it was scrambled away by John Terry, only for the officials to remain unmoved. The incident immediately revived the debate about goal-line technology, with a final decision on whether it is introduced expected to be taken in Zurich on 5 July.
England will of course regard it as a measure of justice for Frank Lampard’s disallowed goal against Germany in Bloemfontein at the 2010 World Cup – but it was also an illustration of how they rode their luck for long periods in front of a predictably partisan home crowd in Kiev tonight.
The Ukrainians immediately demanded a goal and their claims were vindicated as replays showed the ball crossed the line before Terry’s intervention.
Before the game manager Roy Hodgson had said England could dream a little – ahead of the confrontation with Italy in Kiev, they can now afford to dream a little more.
But lets not get too carried away! We get so above ourselves in these tournaments and the nation as a whole always seems to think that the England team can win the whole thing! This is quite clearly unlikely to happen while are unable to achieve No.1 status in the FIFA World Rankings. We are currently No. 6 in the world and No. 4 in Europe, meaning the very best we should perhaps be hoping for in this competition is 4th place and anything better than this is a bonus?
Sorry – you might not like that, but it’s true!
Where are they now?
As a child of the 70’s I was a regular in the audience at Top of the Pops. It got so bad that sometimes my parents were known to moan when we watched it the following day – “Are we going to see anyone else but you?” as I always managed to get myself on camera for the bulk of the show!
Happily, most of the tapes must have been destroyed as I’ve yet to see myself on any of the re-runs on BBC4! I have, however managed to come across this tape of a rehearsal for a 1975 show which shows you what a good fun show it used to be to work on and to watch!
OK, we know where Noel Edmonds is these days but the David Essex stand-in? If you know who and where he is, please let me know – not to mention Legs & Co who must surely have hung up their dancing shoes by now!
Home at Highbury
If you’ve got a spare £795,000 knocking about, you could own a luxury apartment built on Arsenal’s former ground, Highbury. The iconic art deco East Stand and West Stand exteriors still stand as part of the development.
It’s safe to say Spurs fans wouldn’t be too happy with the decor in the concierge area of the East Stand apartments!
They might cost a lot, but the apartments are spectacular.
And they have a view directly out onto the former pitch, so you can relive glory days gone by every day.
Sir Gary of the Barlow
It’s been a good few weeks for Gary Barlow. After the success(?) of the concert he masterminded at Buck House, comes a week when he continues to dominate the tabloid headlines!
At the beginning of the week, his Jubilee single “Sing” reached No. 1 in the charts and he was awarded Premier Inn’s “Celebrity Dad of the Year 2012”
It is the first time Gary has won the accolade and he was chosen in a public vote. The X Factor Judge said winning the award felt “amazing”.
And then, today, in the Queen’s Birthday Honours List it was announced that he has been awarded the OBE in recognition of his services to the entertainment industry and to charity.
I can’t help but think this last one must have come as something of a disappointment. There have been many calls for him to be knighted and Sir Gary does have something of a ring about it. But, more importantly, when us commoners regard the OBE as something being awarded for “Other Buggers Efforts” it’s just a wee bit of a smack in the face perhaps? – discuss!
There’s only one Theo Walcott!
When substitute Theo Walcott came on to the pitch against Sweden on the hour mark last night, England were trailing 2-1 and staring defeat in the face – again!
England, who had been leading through Andy Carroll’s bullet header going into the break, conceded twice during a wretched 10-minute period after half-time to leave them deep in trouble. But new manager Roy Hodgson’s decision to replace James Milner with Arsenal attacker Walcott had an almost instant reward.
Within four minutes Walcott collected a cleared corner on the edge of the box and equalised with a 20-yard shot that deceived Swedish goalkeeper Andreas Isaksson and was a sight to behold – surely a contender for goal of the tournament?
14 minutes later, the England winger burst into the penalty box, went past two Swedish defenders and crossed for Danny Welbeck to flick in the winner – job done!
It was a game-changing contribution from the 23-year-old, who was making his first appearance in a major tournament and scored his first England goal for nearly four years.
Oh yes, and did I mention the fact that he plays for Arsenal?
Here’s what was said by the players and pundits:
“I wouldn’t say I was the game changer. It’s always nice to come off the bench and show what you can do. I’ve been disappointed that I haven’t played.” – Theo Walcott
“I’m happy with the finish and to get three points but it was disappointing to let in two goals. We came back, we stuck together and the team spirit showed.” – Danny Welbeck
“Great game, wonderful result and that customary gut-wrenching feeling of watching England. Nothing quite like it.” – BBC Match of the Day presenter and former England striker Gary Lineker on Twitter
“I think Ashley Young is gonna have to make way for Wayne Rooney.” – Former England striker Ian Wright on Twitter
Conspiracy Theory #2795
So England were only able to manage a 1-1 draw against France in their first game of Euro2012 last night. As always, there has been plenty said in the press about the lack of a win against a French side that, despite being the favourites, had a pretty poor back line that should perhaps have been exploited?
I am of the opinion, however, that more sinister forces are at work! Last night, for the first time in 16 years, the England Supporters Band were unable to play after their instruments were confiscated at the stadium in Ukraine!
However, while the irritation of hearing The Great Escape theme tune repeatedly grated with many listeners, it was last night found to drown out the various mindless chants that Roy Hodgson’s barmy army indulge in and therefore is clearly the lesser of two evils.
It is not known whether the band will be allowed to play in England’s next game on Friday against Sweden in Kiev. If they can’t play however, and if the rumours are to believed and Hodgson is planning to start Jordan Henderson, England supporters will be rendered speechless for the entire ninety minutes so that TV audiences can watch the game in muted disbelief.
It’s Donald Duck’s 78th Birthday!
In this, the second of my occasional “On this day in History” series, I am excited to tell you that on June 9th 1934 Donald Duck made his debut in the Silly Symphony cartoon “The Wise Little Hen.” (Though he is mentioned in a 1931 Disney Storybook.)
That means he is officially 78 years old today!
If, like me, you are fond of the old school Disney characters, a few other things you might not be aware of are the fact that Donald Duck supposedly represents what we are and Mickey Mouse represents what we should be – deep huh? Also, his full name is in fact Donald Fauntleroy Duck and he has his own star on the Hollywood Boulevard Walk of Fame!
So sit back and enjoy the cartoon on this wet and windy Saturday in June.
Gawd Bless You Ma’am!
This is the first and last of my posts about the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee. After 5 full days of TV coverage I just wanted to mention the new portrait that appeared over the weekend in Bristol that was widely reported as being by the enigmatic street artist Banksy.
This latest work shows an image based on a 1950’s Queen Elizabeth. In the mural the Queen is shown wearing a tiara and a David Bowie “Aladdin Sane” style lightening-bolt drawn on her face. After careful research, however, this picture has now been discovered to be by another artist called Incwel and is featured on the Street Art website.
Banksy’s work usually includes a satirical social and political commentary. We do know that in the last month Banksy has been busy at work creating at least six new pieces in the UK. The first to appear was a portrait of a child worker sewing a string of Union Jack bunting for the Jubilee. It was painted on the side of a Poundland shop, a place where cheap goods, often using child-labour are sold.
In another “dig” at the Jubilee celebrations, Banksy has also decided to give away his piece titled, “Er…”. It’s a downloadable print, of course, and you’re encouraged to grab it for free, print it on anything you want (for personal use, not resale). Cheeky chappie!!!
Betty Swollocks!
The first in a new series of This Day in History!
On 30th May 1999 in New Jersey, Lenny Kravitz walked off stage after 40 minutes and collapsed from heat exhaustion. He had been performing in a fur coat.
Now I’ve checked the average temperatures for May/June in New Jersey to find they are pretty similar to what we’d expect here, with highs of low 20’s. So while it isn’t exactly the tropics, perhaps an energetic stage performance should have been attempted in more suitable attire? #justsaying and #callthefashionpolice!
Basking in reflected glory?
The internet has responded in fine form to the Chelsea skipper, John Terry, donning his full kit to receive the Champions League trophy last night. If you’ve been on planet Mars for the past few weeks you will not know that Terry was suspended from taking part in this crucial fixture due to an extremely stupid tackle in the semi against Barcelona that saw him receiving a sending off. However, last night, when Chelsea were the ultimate victors on penalties, Terry changed out of his suit and into his kit to go and receive his winner’s medal and lift the trophy.
My 3 favourite tweets are:
During the match – a spectator
After the match – taking part in the celebrations
And am I the only person who sees his inclusion in the squad for the Euros and Rio’s absence as sending out the wrong message???
Tessa's Blog 
