Vicki Sparks commentary on the Portugal v Morocco match in the football World Cup has once again divided opinion. The problem the broadcasters face is simple. They want to embrace positive discrimination, as it is what they think is best for a quiet life, but women do not have the vocal attenuation to be able to add anything to a football commentary.
The BBC tried it with rugby but it did not work and they abandoned it after one game, so please lets hope this is another one off experiment which they will realise was a mistake.
I would question the value of female pundits too but Sky Sports are using them more and more, even though they are nowhere near the standard of their female Sky Sports news reporters. Only Michelle Owen seems to meet the standard required.
So its not jobs for the boys, its what suits best, and high pitched female voices just don't fit.
Friday 22 June 2018
Sunday 17 June 2018
New disaster hits Emmerdale
Not, not really, it is just another bit of my past which is disappearing as part of the meltdown of the traditional high street shopping portfolio. Mothercare are suffering and I know I shopped in there when number one son was on his way, Habitat used to furnish my houses in London, I purchased loads of music from HMV and who did not get kitted out in the underwear department of M & S. The real hit though, has come with the announcement that House Of Fraser are shutting a large number of stores in it's portfolio.
Beattie's in Birkenhead has been a keystone store in the Pyramid Centre for generations. It was purchased by House of Fraser about ten years ago. Birkenhead has already lost the M & S store so with this double whammy the life has been sucked out of the centre. It could very quickly become a ghost town, with charity shops and discount outlets the only surviving stores.
Plymouth, like Birkenhead, will see its store close as well. It used to be called Dingles and was the biggest single shop in the centre of Plymouth. When I was at school in Plymouth, I was in there all the time, either with my parents buying sensible things, Christmas presents or food in their excellent top floor restaurant. Boy that was a bit treat.
When I and my chums were studying for our O Levels, we would meet at the reference library early in the morning for about 4 hours revision. It was then down to Dingles restaurant for our lunch and home to do a bit more studying. Three of the S-Club were in the group, and when we had sat our final O level examination, we decided to spend the whole day in the Dingles restaurant.
We managed to achieve that, by buying just enough food and drink at intervals which kept the staff from throwing us out!! Dingles was a Plymouth institution, and I remember Stuart, one of the S-Club, meeting some Cornish rugby supporters in Twickenham. 'I guess you can only press your noses against the window of Dingles' he said, intimating they were Country bumpkins and could not afford to shop there. That nearly caused a right to do!!
It suffered in a major fire about ten years ago, which started in the restaurant area, but it was rebuilt to its former standard and will be a sad lost to the Plymouth centre. Initial plans from British Land who own the site, indicate it could be turned into residential units with retail on the ground floor. Time will tell.
Interestingly at the time I was in Plymouth, the 'girl next door' was called Belinda Lee, she is now Belinda Earl OBE, and is style director at M & S. Let's hope her job remains secure in the churning retail marketplace.
Beattie's in Birkenhead has been a keystone store in the Pyramid Centre for generations. It was purchased by House of Fraser about ten years ago. Birkenhead has already lost the M & S store so with this double whammy the life has been sucked out of the centre. It could very quickly become a ghost town, with charity shops and discount outlets the only surviving stores.
Plymouth, like Birkenhead, will see its store close as well. It used to be called Dingles and was the biggest single shop in the centre of Plymouth. When I was at school in Plymouth, I was in there all the time, either with my parents buying sensible things, Christmas presents or food in their excellent top floor restaurant. Boy that was a bit treat.
When I and my chums were studying for our O Levels, we would meet at the reference library early in the morning for about 4 hours revision. It was then down to Dingles restaurant for our lunch and home to do a bit more studying. Three of the S-Club were in the group, and when we had sat our final O level examination, we decided to spend the whole day in the Dingles restaurant.
We managed to achieve that, by buying just enough food and drink at intervals which kept the staff from throwing us out!! Dingles was a Plymouth institution, and I remember Stuart, one of the S-Club, meeting some Cornish rugby supporters in Twickenham. 'I guess you can only press your noses against the window of Dingles' he said, intimating they were Country bumpkins and could not afford to shop there. That nearly caused a right to do!!
It suffered in a major fire about ten years ago, which started in the restaurant area, but it was rebuilt to its former standard and will be a sad lost to the Plymouth centre. Initial plans from British Land who own the site, indicate it could be turned into residential units with retail on the ground floor. Time will tell.
Interestingly at the time I was in Plymouth, the 'girl next door' was called Belinda Lee, she is now Belinda Earl OBE, and is style director at M & S. Let's hope her job remains secure in the churning retail marketplace.
Thursday 14 June 2018
Stoned
They say what goes around, comes around, and that certainly seems the case where the Rolling Stones are concerned. I remember their Voodoo Lounge tour in 1995 with great affection.
I had tickets for one day of their Wembley Stadium dates, and went with my next door neighbour to see all the action. I vividly remember Symphony for the Devil as a highlight, as Mick Jagger suddenly appeared near the roof of the stadium to belt out the number over most of North London.
The Stones needed to cancel one of the dates for some reason, so I was able to go again as my mate 'Dodgy' Dave Jones had tickets for the original but could not make the reschedule. That gave me a chance to take SWBMO to Wembley as I was still in the impressing phase of our relationship. I enjoyed it as much as the first gig and she, too had a great evening.
How time flies. Now the Stones are touring again, although Charlie Watts still had time to visit the Oval yesterday to take in some cricket. So 23 years after that last gig at Wembley, our two girls were thrilled to go to Old Trafford last week to see the old gits banging out their stuff again. No standing on the pitch for them though as new man on the block got some swish tickets in the posh seats. They loved it, as did we all those years ago.After all, it's only rock 'n roll.........
I had tickets for one day of their Wembley Stadium dates, and went with my next door neighbour to see all the action. I vividly remember Symphony for the Devil as a highlight, as Mick Jagger suddenly appeared near the roof of the stadium to belt out the number over most of North London.
The Stones needed to cancel one of the dates for some reason, so I was able to go again as my mate 'Dodgy' Dave Jones had tickets for the original but could not make the reschedule. That gave me a chance to take SWBMO to Wembley as I was still in the impressing phase of our relationship. I enjoyed it as much as the first gig and she, too had a great evening.
How time flies. Now the Stones are touring again, although Charlie Watts still had time to visit the Oval yesterday to take in some cricket. So 23 years after that last gig at Wembley, our two girls were thrilled to go to Old Trafford last week to see the old gits banging out their stuff again. No standing on the pitch for them though as new man on the block got some swish tickets in the posh seats. They loved it, as did we all those years ago.After all, it's only rock 'n roll.........
Wednesday 6 June 2018
Absent friends
On a Southern softie tour at the moment. I am playing golf tomorrow at Westerham in Kent.It is a memorial day from Andy Richardson who was a leading light in the Algarve golf society and who died suddenly earlier this year. He is the fourth member of the original 16 to be no longer with us.
As a tribute I spent a bit of time putting together a photo book covering all 21 years of the trips. During the information gathering I found out two wives have sadly died recently too. It illustrates how fragile we are.
The photo book was a struggle too. Twenty years ago mobile phones rarely took good photo's, and more recently people took photo's on their phones and either lost them or deleted them. Still I managed to fill 80 pages with the help of Chairman Dick and a few others who dug out some hardcopy photo's, records and songs.
We plan to present Richo's family with a copy which I hope they will like.
Getting here, I have played in the Twickenham RFC past players v present players match. The present players, the 'hero's, won 4.5-3.5 to regain the trophy but myself and Phil Coles won our match 9 & 7. Too little though.
I then stayed a couple of nights with 'off the record' Dick and met up with Stanley making three of the S Club 5 together and fairly sober!
Today I caught up with an old friend Ray Dudman, again, on the golf course and we chatted all things work, retirement and rugby. Ray had a distinguished rugby career with Harlequin's, London Division and the Barbarians and would turn out occasionally for Twickenham when he was returning from injury. He got the better of me today but I think he might struggle around Wallasey if we can factor in a return match.
So a hectic week, back to Scouse Friday and it all starts again up North.
As a tribute I spent a bit of time putting together a photo book covering all 21 years of the trips. During the information gathering I found out two wives have sadly died recently too. It illustrates how fragile we are.
The photo book was a struggle too. Twenty years ago mobile phones rarely took good photo's, and more recently people took photo's on their phones and either lost them or deleted them. Still I managed to fill 80 pages with the help of Chairman Dick and a few others who dug out some hardcopy photo's, records and songs.
We plan to present Richo's family with a copy which I hope they will like.
Getting here, I have played in the Twickenham RFC past players v present players match. The present players, the 'hero's, won 4.5-3.5 to regain the trophy but myself and Phil Coles won our match 9 & 7. Too little though.
I then stayed a couple of nights with 'off the record' Dick and met up with Stanley making three of the S Club 5 together and fairly sober!
Today I caught up with an old friend Ray Dudman, again, on the golf course and we chatted all things work, retirement and rugby. Ray had a distinguished rugby career with Harlequin's, London Division and the Barbarians and would turn out occasionally for Twickenham when he was returning from injury. He got the better of me today but I think he might struggle around Wallasey if we can factor in a return match.
So a hectic week, back to Scouse Friday and it all starts again up North.
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