Where were you when....

For all of those who know me, I am the son of a teacher from a family of teachers. Please if you notice anything wrong about my grammar or punctuation, let me know before mummy sees it.

Footballing matters

So, again, my country has been knocked out at the crucial stage. No, not England, but the Black Stars.The problem was not the Stars, the coach or even the game plan (which admittedly, was virtually non-existent).  Out by penalties in the semis.  It seems to me that our starting point then is the semi-final, How do we develop our game from the semi-final to get to the trophy? That is the big project. The answer does not lie in seriously brilliant talent. We have had that for ages. It does not lie in foreign coaches. We have had the so-called stars, the foreign coaches, the opportunities (home advantage) for so long and we have always arrived at the same point. It lies in a local coach who can work with players, humble enough to respond to the call and not be too late to catch their plane (Mr Ayew, take note!!!). We are not too far from the finished  article, we need a little bit more to take us a little further, we are within touching distance. I hope that we have that little bit more, the polish, the finesse to take us back to where we once belonged, the pride of footballing excellence, a mantle that has been worn by the likes of Ivory Coast, Cameroon and the North Africans for so long.

Where were you when....

As a footballing fan, I am a hapless victim of "were where you when"... In this instance, I will recount 7 of my favourite instances and not in any particular order.

·         26 May 1989 Arsenal v Liverpool - In footballing matters, I have always had the fortune of being the black sheep in the family. Whilst the whole family had been Asante Kotoko driven, I was the lone voice celebrating the Phobia. Whilst I proudly followed Arsenal, other family members held fiercely onto the red colours of Northern England, Liverpool and Manchester United. So it was with that we settled before my newly-acquired 28 inch TV set on a rickety table in our upstairs front (back?) room to watch Michael Thomas perform the acrobatics of desire to push the ball over the line to give Arsenal the first title win in 18 years. How sweet. That song Goldigga, listen to the lyrics carefully about 18 years? Even Kanye knows.

·         21 May 2005 Arsenal v Manchester United FA Cup Final We were in my brothers’ home (Liverpool supporter) watching the most one-sided event as Mr Wenger employed negative tactics against a marauding Manchester United and won an undeserved trophy (based on performance) with the last kick of the game (and the career) of Vieira who had been Captain Fantastic for an era.

·         2 March 2002 Newcastle v Arsenal. A week before my birthday and family members needed a reason to get me an Arsenal replica jersey. As we watched in my front room and as I tried to justify the investment in said garment, Denis Bergkamp came to my rescue with a goal that confounds logic and defies reason – and sceptics still ask if he  really meant to do it.

·         23 October 1999 Chelsea v Arsenal in my front room, I had been told off for screaming the house down as a seemingly inept Arsenal struggled in vain to find a path past Chelsea. Then arrived Mr Nwankwo Kanu, the giant of a man with a tongue twister for a name, who then reduced Chelsea fans to tears with a hat-trick.  And I needed help up the stairs after I hit my hip against the door post.

·         2 July 2010 Uruguay v Ghana and Asamoah Gyan misses penalty. I was in the front room. The dent in the wall proves it.

·         4 May 2002 Arsenal v Chelsea In my front room as the Invincibles finish off Chelsea. Those immortal words from Tim Lovejoy “It’s alright, its only Ray Parlour”, before the Romford Pele released a 25 yard screamer into top corner. Priceless.

·         8 May 2002 Manchester United v Arsenal In the local pub with work colleagues from Barclays Bank. Wiltord scores. And the Gunners equal United’s record of 3 doubles.

Now these were not my 7 best, that would be much more difficult to select, these were the 7 best moments when I remember exactly where I was at the time.

Were You There When They Crucified My Lord

To continue the theme of "where were you when..." I now turn my attention to Easter. Lent starts next week. Catholics and Anglicans (and other denominations) the world over will be preparing for Easter and traditionally  most people will be giving something the love up for Lent. It seems a cruel twist of providence that Lent should start the day before Valentine's day when chocolate will be sold in abundance, all these women who cannot indulge in gifts from their beloved ones could result in an increase of incidents of road rage on February 15th!!! Whilst for many, this is the only time to get "spiritual" after 10 months of living outside the Christ zone, I think there is a trick here that today's (evangelicals, Pentecostals, Charismatic) child of God is missing. I do not need a set time in the year to remind me of the price that was put on my head and the One who set me free, but as we approach Easter, I pray that I will remember daily how precious a price it was. Isaiah 53:4 and 5 graphically describes what that was all about. Let us not make Lent to be like the story I recently heard about a preacher who was held up in a churchyard by a robber who asked for his wallet. The priest took out his wallet but in so doing revealed his collar. The robber, on seeing his collar, relented and started to walk away but the priest offered the man a bar of chocolate, to which he received the response, "I'm sorry, Father, I have given up chocolate for Lent". I was not there when they crucified my Lord, but I didn't need to be. And I do not necessarily need to give up anything to remind me. All I need to know is that the price has been paid. In Full.