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Tottenham chairman expresses his view that its supporters will soon give him credit .
Why ? Because of the massive improvement and capacity of the new stadium.
I’m really not interested in the Tottenham football club as the main reason is that I am a big fan of the Liverpool club.
Besides who is really interested in any improvements of a stadium when the club has been languishing at 17th place finish in the last season of the English Premier League.
I have been a distant admirer of the sacked manager Ange Postecoglou, who finally won silverware in the Europa League .
In comparison Liverpool have made a big impact by winning the Premier League with its new manager Slot.
Tottenham has a appointed a new manager in Thomas Frank who had fairly good results with his previous team Brentford. It remains to be seen what the results will be. Their tendency is to appoint a series of managers , and no patience to develop the team with one person.
His forte was sprints and he excelled in100m and 200m
In due time he was spotted by his coach who saw a potential talent of coaching in him
So he introduced him to learn coaching.
Then Jermaine moved into coaching a school team and then joined the national coaching team in Jamaica.
A few young athletes from India travelled to Jamaica to improve their style of running their specific event. There they met Jermaine and invited him to continue training them in India.
Subsequently he travelled to India and is now coaching budding athletes.
One of his pupils, Aryana Kadam, is a national gold medalist of India in the 200m
I was watching Aryana Kadam during the training of his athletes
They had multiple excercises for building up their bodies for athletics besides actual running
He says “it’s not only running , but also looking after and development of the bodies . In a week I give them two days only for the excercises, and remaining days for running .”
His athletes have a good style for running . They specialise in the sprints .
I asked him “why do only a few Indian athletes win at the International level ?”
“It’s because they train only to win medals initially without an overall development as I recommend . As a result they fade away when it really matters . It’s not only training to win against other international athletes but to strive to do even better every time, against stronger and faster athletes .
He has been training Aryana from the age of 12 years . He has now grown up to be a strong athletes. He has competed at an international meet in France .
He recommends “ as youngsters being trained for athletics, they need to be nurtured until they grow up and continue to develop.”
Sponsorship for such athletes goes a long way .
Let’s hope there are more coaches like Jermaine to take our young athletes to the next level.
These can be memorable with, humour , joy on winning or sadness when losing.
In my youth, I remember a variety of games like cricket, hockey, table tennis, and even sticks and stones , marbles gilli danda, and daba dubi .
For a game of hockey , we played on a mud ground. It would be watered to reduce dust flying in the air . We were 5 brothers and some neighbours usually joined us. Captains of the two teams selected players one by one . Then the game would begin and the crescendo of the noise of hockey sticks and shouts of team members’ encouragement would rise . Occasionally there would be disputes regarding goals scored, whether they were offsides ( which was the rule in those days ) or not.
Cricket was another pastime. We used tennis balls rather than the season balls that are used in test and one day cricket .
Team members’ talents varied . Some were good batsmen , or bowlers or fielders . An amusing incident was when my brother was gifted cricket stumps. He would bring it out for us to play a match . If there was an argument about a decision during the game , he would take his stumps and walk away .
Another incident was when batting , I deflected the ball into my home window . I was very upset . With great apprehension I confessed this incident to my mother , but she graciously forgave me . The outcome of this was that the glass panel was replaced by an asbestos sheet to prevent a recurrence.
Another time , a neighbour joined us for a game . He was the wicket keeper. My brother who was batting, swung his bat to hit the ball and unfortunately hit our wicket keeper on the chin . That was the end of the game as he began bleeding.
Table tennis was played on our dining table with a proper net and table tennis balls. I remember my twin brother and I playing matches. If one of us won, then he would be ‘reigning champion’ and avoided playing again in case he loses, despite the other insisting on another game.
Sticks and stones , Gilli Danda and Marbles were games you will rarely see today .
Sticks and stones only required a stick and the use of the stones on the ground.
Gilli Danda required a ‘Gilli’ which was a piece of wood pointed at either end. The gilli had to be struck with a small plank of wood .
With Marbles you could have a variety of games like ‘pops and spans’, and ‘triangles’. These were played with coloured glass marbles. Some marbles were precious to us as they were of opaque glass and beautiful colours. The other marbles were of transparent glass and a typical double ‘S’ at the centre. Singles and doubles were played with ironies ( small iron ball bearings); a pair of small ironies would be thrown into a designated space against a wall and you had to strike one of them with a larger ironie.
Daba Dubi only required a ball made of stuffed cloth or a tennis ball. One had to get the other ‘ out’ by striking him with the ball.
Today I’m an avid follower of football though I never played the game. I have played tennis, table tennis and participated in athletics . The early experiences of playing hockey and table tennis later helped in representing school and college teams, besides athletics.
When and where will I see the rustic games of ‘Sticks n Stones’, ‘Gilli Danda’ and ‘Marbles’ ? These only require home made equipment and acquiring marbles.
The thrills of kite flying were immense (this was in the 1960’s )
Evenings were a time to fly kites after returning from school. We bought our kites and thread with manja from a shopkeeper called kite man .
He had several sizes of kites
6paise a medium kite
2paise a tiny kite
12paise a bigger kite called a daboo.
The manja, is thread coated with a glass powder . This would be at the front part of a flying kite , which is used to deal with another kite flyer in a kite fight. This manja and thread would be wrapped on a device called a firki..
Strong thread would be at the rear part of the flying kite .
I liked the 6paise kite as it had wax lines on it . The daboos were also waxed .
We had names for the various wind directions .
Evening breeze was generally from west to east .
Morning breeze was from east to west
Afternoon breeze was from north to south
Night breeze was from south to north .
We flew our kites in the wind direction.
In those days , many youth flew kites and the sky would be full of kites .
Some kite flyers were skilled in kite fights . I would take great care to ensure any flyer would not ‘pull’ me from behind.I.e. cut my string and lose my kite as it sailed away.
In the same way I would be ready for a kite fight and enjoy it with those in front or on the side .
There would be another set of youth who would only be interested in catching the kites that lost their fight and went sailing to land and get caught by them .
As a young guy , I would get thrilled when my eldest brother joined us to fly kites .
There were interesting incidents
when one of my daring brothers climbed the roof of our house to catch a kite . I too ventured to climb the neighbour’s roof and was reprimanded ‘Who is there on the roof’ by an old lady.
Another incident was quite serious . My brother caught a kite that floated near our home . He began pulling it but a sudden pull from the other end , caused the ‘manja’ to cut through his arm to the bone . Blood flowed as he got back to our home and was detected by my aunt . My father (a doctor ) was immediately contacted . The first thing he did , was to give my brother a spanking and then took him to the hospital where he was stitched .
On the 14th January , a kite flying festival is held called Makar Sakranti. Young and old participate in flying kites on this day .
At the end of October on a certain feast day there was a legend that kite flyers would release their kites in the sky which signalled the end of the season .
We were sad when this happened . We missed our evenings of kite flying .
The season spanned between end September to end October .
Sadly we now don’t see kites being flown . Youth have other pursuits .
Emma Raducano won the US Open Tennis Grand Slam 2021 . It has been a fantastic achievement for a qualifier ranked about 150 in women’s tennis.
She won her match with Leylah Fernandez another teenager 6-4, 6-3, after a pulsating final , which the score line hardly suggests .
What was the turning point of this hard fought match ?
Without detracting from Emma’s game the point was when she fell while returning to Leylah and was 30-40 on her service . The momentum was with Leylah. She could have broken Emma’s service at the next point . However Emma began bleeding a little from her bruised leg . The referee called for a medical timeout .
This got extended while her wound was dressed . On the other side we saw Leylah expressing her anguish at the length of time being taken . Her protests with the tournament supervisor went in vain .
When play resumed , Emma held her serve and went on to win the match.
My dear reader what is your opinion ?
Leylah had come back from the previous rounds after being a set down. She won matches against Osaka, Angelique Kerber, Kvitova and Sabalenka all in 3 sets . These are previous champions or in the top 5 .
Do you think Leylah could have won this match with Emma ?
The last six months were very eventful . I was given the latest treatment for cancer in UK which helped me to recover remarkably .
I’ve been suffering since the past two and half years , and this Car-T cell therapy was the last option .
The NHS specialised department , gave me the best care . I was also a recipient of care from the Beatson’s Center for Scanning .
Now I’ve been able to live a normal and full life . One of my dreams was to return to playing tennis . A good friend agreed to have a few sessions with me at the Giffnock Tennis club , of which I’ve become a member.
A recent event was organised by the club to raise funds for the Beatson’s Center . It was the Jean Invitation Tennis Tournament . This lady was herself a regular tennis playing member who has cancer .
I being a beneficiary of the good care received from NHS and the Beatson’s Center decided to also participate .
It was a great day . The tennis was more fun than competitive with two large teams being formed from about 40 gents and ladies . The points and games were a mix with a lot of innovations mainly doubles . Sponsors for beverages pitched in to quench one’s thirst between games .
I enjoyed myself , with tennis and meeting the various participants. Towards the end of the event Jean ( in whose name the event was organised) made an appearance and was given a grand ovation by all present .
The thought of fundraisers for cancer has struck a chord in my heart .
I’ve also heard of marathons and half marathons being run for this cause . Surely the generosity of people will help in alleviating a lot of distress when terminal illness strikes .
Damien and Sean were two good friends in high school . They made it to university together .
Damien was a sportsman and loved football . He was tall and tough , with tousled hair , aggressive and practical .
Sean had expressive eyes, brilliant ideas and a friendly approach . He was of medium height and neatly attired
During their life in University , Damien shone in sports specially in football . He captained his team and led from the front.
Sean too did well . He was an all rounder. He did well in academics and also took a lot of interest in sports. He followed the latest exploits of the football team .
What are the attributes of good leadership ?
On and off the field !
Damien is a hands on leader . He inspires his team by his aggressive approach ; a never say die attitude even in the face of defeat .His presence on the pitch , gives an impetus to the team for playing at their very best.
What about Sean ?
Sean can strategise for the team . His knowledge of team players helps in the final lineup or to bring on a player as substitute at crucial times of the match . He also is a great motivator .
The half time chats mean a lot to his team when they are trailing the opponents . He can advise, and change tactics with positional play.
His interaction with the seniors on selection or inducting new players goes a long way .
Empathy, and emotional intelligence too goes a long way in understanding the team members . It’s not only about winning but also about dealing with a loss or poor performance.
Do you think one is better than the other ?
We have great examples of team captains becoming managers/coaches later .
Some examples are
Zinidane captained France at the World Cup and now successively manages Real Madrid
Steve Gerard captained England , Liverpool and now manages Team Rangers .
One cannot forget Sir Alex Ferguson who had a long and successful tenure with the ManUnited team. He balanced discipline with love, and team members remember him as a father figure.
On a personal note , I am very impressed with Juergen Klopp with the way he handles his team , Liverpool. You can see his response to victory with such enthusiasm and defeat with maturity.
So dear reader a penny for your thoughts for whom you think offers good leadership
I’ve always been an avid tennis lover – Playing the game and following it too.
We have seen some great tennis players over the years. Among them I had favorites like
Roger Federer, Rod Laver , Boris Becker , Bjorn Borg , Pete Sampras and Andre Agassi
The intensity of Rafael Nadal surprised me as I thought he would fade away as a result of the way he played. Kudos for his disciplined approach to fitness which stood him well.
The biggest draw at the peak of his career was John McEnroe. The red band and the fiery temper had been a unique pattern of tennis on court .
This caricature by Ian my son in law, surprised me as it linked the famous McEnroe to me . My tennis cannot be compared to him though at some time in my younger days I could compete for being very short tempered .
Those days we played with normal racket heads whereas times have changed . Today the large head is an advantage not to forget a head that is tough and talented .
So cheers to Ian for helping me reminisce the past, when great tennis rivalries continued over the years.
I eagerly wait to get back on court and enjoy a good game.
Do you agree that football is one of the most popular games worldwide?
And which League is the best ?
My interest began about 8 years ago, when I was aquainted with youth who were great lovers of football. So I wisely began following some teams at the top of the English Premier League , i.e. Chelsea, Tottenham, Liverpool and Arsenal. Sometime later I was told by a young Man United fan, “seriously you should follow only 1 instead of 4 teams, its not fair to back so many teams .” ( As one of these could be serious contenders to Man United which was one of the best teams at that time). So that was the time I decided to follow Liverpool.
Their theme song ‘ You will never walk alone’ always inspired me . However Liverpool did not fare very well , and most often was in the top 5 or at times even lower in position on the table.
Many of my acquaintances joked with me, “ your team will be walking alone” at the bottom of the league. I know and I’m sure most Liverpool fans will agree, that the resilience of the team and the perseverance to ‘never give up’, has been a significant part of the character of the team members.
Even though Liverpool slowly improved in their position since the past few years, 2018-2019, and 2019-2020, have been a revelation. They were remarkable in their victory at the UEFA Champions League in 2019 and that same year in the EPL , ManCity won with just 1 point away from runnersup Liverpool .
Liverpool also won the Nations Club World Cup in 2019 .
This year 2020 was even better, when they ran away with a margin of 25 points from second placed ManCity. To think that no team on the EPL can overtake them , is enough to consider them as Champions of the English Premier League. It will surely be cruel to see nobody being given the Cup, because of non-completion of the remaining match fixtures. This is a delicate matter, mainly due to the last 3 teams who are fighting to avoid relegation. I hope wisdom prevails to resolve this matter.
Now I will share a bit of my involvement with the FPL ( Fantasy Premier League). I had never understood how the points system worked with the selection of a team. Thanks to one of the young men Wendell, I learnt the ropes to form the team ‘Challengers’ this year. The previous years team was formed too late after the season had started so I was way down in the league table.
This year my team ‘Challengers’ did quite well to lead in two private leagues 1) GenSYS league table and 2) Londinium . In both tables my team’s current Postion is no. 1 . This came about with some constant watch and study of good players from the different teams. Many factors come into play, whether its a home match, form of the players, formation whether defence or attack oriented, and making transfers to get the best team. This foray into the FPL led me to watch even more matches in the EPL , as it gave me insights into the best football players from the other teams.
I am not surprised to see guys , getting their teams ready before the Friday deadline for team selection.This can be to the annoyance of others who are not involved, ānd find that enthusiasm difficult to digest.
In conclusion , I am overjoyed to see my team Liverpool on top of the English Premier League table and my team ‘Challengers’ also top the private leagues of the FPL that I have participated in.
I hope that the Corona virus pandemic will end in the coming months, and we will appreciate coming back to our normal lives. ….which will also include sports …and football….and the EPL.
In the meantime, we
STAY SAFE, STAY HEALTHY AND BE POSITIVE.
WE CAN TRUST ALMIGHTY GOD AT THIS TIME!
AT THE END OF THE ROAD IS A GOLDEN SKY
AND THE SWEET SILVER SONG OF THE LARK……..so walk on , walk on , with hope in your hearts.
viewvin 