El Classico part 1 has come and gone and has left many very elated and just as many with a bitter and sour taste in their mouth. Barca vs Real, the best teams in La Liga and arguably in Europe and the world. The draw that all football pundits look forward to; the most exciting match of the season. Did it live up to its billing? I believe so.
Featuring in the production are 2 young managers at the top of the game; the mild mannered Guardiola and the irrepressible Mourinho. The last 3yrs have belonged to them and they are as big an attraction as the stars themselves, especially Mourinho.
On the field there are many actors featuring on both sides but the 2 main attractions are Messi and Ronaldo. Messi plays football with a business like attitude and that is to get the job done without messing about. Ronaldo is a showman with an extravagant and flamboyant style plus an attitude that does not endear him to the fans.
The game kicked off at such a frenetic pace with Barca dictating and in no time had taken the game away from Real. In no time Barca had knocked in 2; if only Mourinho knew what was about to hit him he would have declared himself sick and stayed home. He was suspicious that Barca were fielding more than 11 players; I felt so myself. They swarmed, stormed and raided the Real end relentlessly with Messi always in the middle of the action. We must not forget the other stars like David Villa, Iniesta, Pedro, Puyol etcetc. You could resemble this to when Attila sacked Rome or was it the Goths, the Germanic tribe? By the time Barca had put in 4, Mourinho was looking like a motherless child while Guardiola was strutting the lines and barking out orders. You could see some hair growing on his bald patch. The young Bojan came on as a sub and in no time had joined the party by knocking in the 5th.
Meanwhile Ronaldo who had been locked out of the game looked dejected, morose, bad tempered and brattish. He went as far as shoving the Barca manager which should have earned him a red card.
Over all it was an entertaining game. We now await the return leg which should be just as entertaining. Don’t be surprised if Madrid reply in kind. I wish my friend Mourinho all the best. I like and admire him which does not mean that I dnt admire Guardiola. I also wish him the best.
Tuesday, November 30, 2010
Sunday, November 28, 2010
HOLIDAY WITH MY UNCLE: JUSTICE ASHTON PIPER
It was 1962(AD if you must know)& what we still called summer holiday was upon us. This was a holiday that usually was about 3 months long and a carry on from the British school system. It was a holiday that soon got boring and left you wishing you were back in school. I guess this was how most students felt because apart from the academics ,Kings College, Lagos had so much to offer by way of sports and other extra-curricular activities like the Cadet unit, photographic society, geographical society etc, etc. Every school term featured at least 1 major sport like football, cricket, athletics, hockey along side the minor sports like squash, table tennis & lawn tennis. When these games were not officially organized, students organized themselves into little groups and played any game of there choice which they called cashu or cashew which I believe is derived from the word casual. These games were played with such zest and spirit that left students famished and looking forward to their evening meals. School meals were properly prepared, nourishing and filling. I recall my favourite meal was beans, fried plantain & fried fish(ewa, dodo & fried fish). I better get back to my story before I forget what it is all about.
So it was in the summer of 1962, the very day after the commencement of the holiday, Uncle Ashton(Piper) appeared at our home to take me on holiday. No one should misunderstand this; Uncle Ashton was not going away on holiday to the Caribbean which is where he came from. That would have been marvelous had he been going to some exotic Caribbean island on his annual leave and had decided to take me; at least that was my initial thought. The only person on holiday was I. I was going to do the circuit with Uncle Ashton. Junior magistrate Patrick Doyle.
Maybe I should say a bit about Uncle Ashton Piper. Uncle Ashton was not a blood uncle but a very close friend of my old man. He was then a circuit magistrate in the old Western region of Nigeria & later became a judge before he retired and went back home to the Caribbean. He was a big man with a very warm disposition. He was married to Prof. Kofi Duncan’s sister and I remember in the fifties we use to spend a lot of time at the Duncan’s home at Palm avenue, Mushin. I can assure you that it was a different Palm avenue; palm trees were actually growing there. After my father passed on in 1959, Uncle Ashton was one of his few friends that stuck around and comforted us in whatever way possible.
Back to my story: It was dinner time at Uncle Ashton’s and like every polished family of them days, you had to wash up before coming to table. So all 4 of us, Uncle, his wife Aunty Ama, & Augustus his son politely sat down to supper. I can not recall if his daughter Cecilia was old enough to seat at table then. 1st course was passed at least so I thought; mug of cocoa and two slices of buttered bread. That went down very well with me; what a great starter I thought but then I noticed that I had wolfed down my food and others were still eating. So I said to myself ‘keep calm, the 2nd course will soon follow’. Alas!! Uncle Ashton announced “you children run off to bed, I’ll just retire to my study’. I thought to myself if maybe I should retire to the kitchen. That night, I did not sleep well and neither did Uncle Ashton, Aunty Ama nor anybody else within a kilometre of my stomach rumbling and grumbling. Aunty Ama made me a quick fix egg omelette and peace returned. After that night, I had a different dinner from every one else. My dinner was anything from rice and corned beef stew, chips and egg or just plain ketchup, fried plantain(dodo) to leftovers from lunch. Importantly, my stomach was always full and I was happy to understudy Uncle Ashton on his circuit.
I got to learn pretty late that Uncle Ashton passed on in September of 2008. I regret not having bade him farewell then. He was a lovely man & one of the 1st gentlemen of that era that actually played with kids. A belated RIP to him.
So it was in the summer of 1962, the very day after the commencement of the holiday, Uncle Ashton(Piper) appeared at our home to take me on holiday. No one should misunderstand this; Uncle Ashton was not going away on holiday to the Caribbean which is where he came from. That would have been marvelous had he been going to some exotic Caribbean island on his annual leave and had decided to take me; at least that was my initial thought. The only person on holiday was I. I was going to do the circuit with Uncle Ashton. Junior magistrate Patrick Doyle.
Maybe I should say a bit about Uncle Ashton Piper. Uncle Ashton was not a blood uncle but a very close friend of my old man. He was then a circuit magistrate in the old Western region of Nigeria & later became a judge before he retired and went back home to the Caribbean. He was a big man with a very warm disposition. He was married to Prof. Kofi Duncan’s sister and I remember in the fifties we use to spend a lot of time at the Duncan’s home at Palm avenue, Mushin. I can assure you that it was a different Palm avenue; palm trees were actually growing there. After my father passed on in 1959, Uncle Ashton was one of his few friends that stuck around and comforted us in whatever way possible.
Back to my story: It was dinner time at Uncle Ashton’s and like every polished family of them days, you had to wash up before coming to table. So all 4 of us, Uncle, his wife Aunty Ama, & Augustus his son politely sat down to supper. I can not recall if his daughter Cecilia was old enough to seat at table then. 1st course was passed at least so I thought; mug of cocoa and two slices of buttered bread. That went down very well with me; what a great starter I thought but then I noticed that I had wolfed down my food and others were still eating. So I said to myself ‘keep calm, the 2nd course will soon follow’. Alas!! Uncle Ashton announced “you children run off to bed, I’ll just retire to my study’. I thought to myself if maybe I should retire to the kitchen. That night, I did not sleep well and neither did Uncle Ashton, Aunty Ama nor anybody else within a kilometre of my stomach rumbling and grumbling. Aunty Ama made me a quick fix egg omelette and peace returned. After that night, I had a different dinner from every one else. My dinner was anything from rice and corned beef stew, chips and egg or just plain ketchup, fried plantain(dodo) to leftovers from lunch. Importantly, my stomach was always full and I was happy to understudy Uncle Ashton on his circuit.
I got to learn pretty late that Uncle Ashton passed on in September of 2008. I regret not having bade him farewell then. He was a lovely man & one of the 1st gentlemen of that era that actually played with kids. A belated RIP to him.
patrick hornblower: SPORTS
patrick hornblower: SPORTS: "Great sports weekend. Some 4 years ago, many thought Nadal would be burnt out in no time cos of his style of play.Most thought that he was e..."
SPORTS
Great sports weekend. Some 4 years ago, many thought Nadal would be burnt out in no time cos of his style of play.Most thought that he was extremely aggressive & expended much more energy than his contemporaries. He was compared to the gazelle like, graceful, elegant & personable Federer. But alas, here he is still winning titles & covering more ground than any other top contender yet, still looking as fit as a fiddle. His style of play belies his warm personality & gentleness off court.
Today in London he'll be facing Federer for the umpteenth time. 2 very contrasting styles & both masters in their own ways. I am set for one of the finest evenings of tennis.
I wish the both of them the best of luck.
Today in London he'll be facing Federer for the umpteenth time. 2 very contrasting styles & both masters in their own ways. I am set for one of the finest evenings of tennis.
I wish the both of them the best of luck.
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