32 Programmes
Read 32 Programmes by Dave Roberts (or should that be 32 grams?), a football book, fitting for the start of the World Cup. It's a nostalgic book, based on the author's memories of attending matches, and who he was with and what was going on in his life at the time. I thoroughly enjoyed most of it, though it took a surprisingly sombre turn at the end, as the author suffered from mental and physical health issues.
The author's memories of racism in football crowds in the 1970s sadly didn't feel that far away from where we are now in society.
Muzzy
Read Muzzy Izzet's autobiography (Muzzy) on the commute to and from work. A strange choice, as I am not a Leicester fan.
I read it for nostalgia. I remember Muzzey Izzet as a player, as his unusual and memorable name (his full name is Mustafa Izzet) was always on regional sports reporting. He was also unsual as a player in that 90s era of English football, being a skilful player with composure under pressure.
I enjoyed some of the memories and stories, and his charity work and hospital visits were genuinely inspiring.
Be still my beating Hearts...
Some people say that to find out which football team you should support, you should take a ruler and a map, and find the closest professional club to your place of birth. If I did that, I think I'd get Hearts or Hibs. I've always found the name Heart of Midlothian alluring and charming, and unusually celebral for a football club, being named after a Walter Scott novel.
Now that I've shown you my credentials, I can say that I am thoroughly enjoying the title race for the Sottish Premier League and hoping that Hearts can win. I don't have them as favourites; I'm worried about Celtic's know-how in getting over the line. I think it might go down to the final round, perhaps even the final kick.
Tags: football