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.
TALKING WADDLISH
A couple of weeks or so ago, David
Beckham retired. In true Beckham celebratory fashion, he wept after he was substituted
in his last professional game. I say he has earned the right to weep. My beef is not with him though,
it is with Chris Waddle, who claims that Beckham would not make his top
thousand player list, and could not be really described as one of football’s
greats. Sometimes, I think people should rehearse what they say in their minds,
taking a good look at themselves before they open their big mouths.
Firstly, I maintain that Chris Waddle
does not know 1000 footballers. I doubt that he knows 500 footballers. But that
is just me being petty. I remember that day in 1990 when Chris Waddle stepped
up to take a penalty that could have made the difference against West Germany.
I remember seeing him weep after he missed. However, I remember Beckham against
Greece 3 minutes into extra time win England a place in the World Cup 2004 with
a magnificent 30 yard freekick. Chris Waddle played at the highest level for
Olympique Marseille (3 titles), Spurs, Newcastle and Sheffield Wednesday. Beckham
played for Man United (6 titles, 1 Champions League), Real Madrid (1 title), LA
Galaxy (2 titles) and Paris St Germain (1 title).
I am not a particular Beckham
lover but respect is due where it is. He may have sold a couple of shirts, perpetuated
the myth that is Skinny Spice, and allegedly have children named after cities
in which they were conceived (I am not sure about Romeo, though). If Chris Waddle
thinks that Mr Beckham is not in his top 1000, he is entitled to think so. After
all, Henry (yes, my Henry!!!!) named Chris Waddle in his top 10. But I think he
should have been a bit more accommodating in his comments regarding a winner
who has beaten him hands down in every comparative area. If Beckham had
achieved nothing at all, he was part of the side that dismantled (and inadvertently
restarted a revolution in) German football in the 5-1 demolition derby, in Munich.
Chris, you could not even muster that against half the German team.
THE POINT OF SAMSON
Samson was one of the most controversial
judges in the Bible. A man who insisted on marrying from a land where he was
told not to (twice); tied fire to the tails of 300 foxes and set them loose in
a vineyard (RSPCA alert); lost a bet to 30 men for 30 full sets of clothing so
went off to kill 30 men to redeem his bet; killed a 1000 men with the jawbone
of a donkey because his father-in-law and his wife were burnt alive, but not before
his wife had been given away to his best man; killed a lion who attacked him (it
says to his surprise, the lion attacked him – it suggests that he killed the
lion because it disrespected him). I don’t know about you but trying to catch
300 foxes, and then tying them together as involuntary couples would not be my
idea of an afternoon pastime, but then to set their tails on fire suggests to
me behaviour worthy of a visit to a psycho analyst.
In his redemption, it says he
killed about 3000 Philistine men and women on his last day on earth, killing more in his death
than he did in his whole life. And he judged Israel for 20 years so an average
of 200 killings a year. It is all put into perspective though when you read
that a) The children of Israel did evil in the sight of the Lord and because
there was no king, they all did what was right in their own eyes; b) The Philistines
were the enemy and c) before he got involved in a lot of his, erm, activities,
the Spirit of the Lord came upon Him, in some cases mightily. I am just saying
that at least he made an impact in the lives of his people. There was a judge
who ruled before him for 8 years, and his claim to fame was that he had 40 sons
and 30 grandsons and they road on 70 donkeys. Yeah.
I need that kind of Spirit to
come into my life and make a huge impact on lives around me. Not necessarily to
kill 1000 men, but to be of value to my community and to those I love and care
about.
MADNESS IN WOOLWICH
Two young men butcher a young
soldier in cold blood. Their ignorance as they rationalised what could only be described
as cold-blooded murder astounded me. If you are going to stand up for
something, at least get your facts right. I just think that they should be sent
to visit some of their relatives in Nigeria for some proper re-education. A few years behind bars in the UK will only mean
they will come out after a few years and then tell us they want to assassinate some
royal; they will then be monitored and followed at the taxpayers’ expense. I
say a few weeks in a village with no running water or electricity can sometimes
have a dramatic effect on one’s beliefs. That tied in with some mosquitoes and
having to fend for yourself off the land could be one road to rehabilitation.
Or maybe, I am just talking
waddlish.
