November 24, 2012 · 9:12 pm

Video Games and Art

Here’s a speech I gave at London’s City Hall on Thursday 25th October 2012, during the London Games  Festival http://www.londongamesart.com .  It was about why I thought games and interactive entertainment were a key part of the growth in tech based business, what part they could play in the UK’s economic growth and importantly what the Mayor and the Government could do to kick start the much needed economic and social growth we need right now.

That night the assembled guests marveled at the fantastic examples of video game art hanging on the walls of City Hall. Now, anyone can buy these wonderful pieces in an exclusive auction running right now. The great thing is that EVERY SINGLE PENNY raised will go to the wonderful video games charity, SpecialEffect. You can see what’s on sale here http://www.ebay.co.uk/sch/specialeffect2012/m.html?_nkw=&_armrs=1&_from=&_ipg=&_trksid=p3686

I would like to thank the Mayor and deputy of Mayor London for allowing the video games industry such a prestigious space to show some of our most creative visual art to the public. I would also like to thank Kirsty Payne, Nadia Lawlor and Adam Cooper who have worked tirelessly to bring these wonderful creations to you.  This exhibition showcases games that are now part of our culture from Mario to Sackboy to Sonic and beyond. This is a first for London and a first for the video games industry and shows that London can and will continue set the pace within the digitally connected global economy.

London’s games sector is part of a national success story that contributes over £3bn to the UK economy a number which is set to rise and rise in the coming years.

London is the home to gold standard business success stories such as Mind Candy, with their 60 million registered players, Rocksteady Studios, creators of BAFTA winning Batman Arkham Asylum and Arkham City, Sports Interactive creators of BAFTA winning Football Manager, Splash Damage and Mediatonic whose games have been played by over 300 million people. Add to this the vibrant indie PC mobile and social games and App developers based in London such as, AppyNation, Future Games of London, We are Interactive, Ustwo, Hoopla, Honey Slug, Hotgen, Hand Circus, Playmob, Preloaded and many more.

 Alongside the games developers we also have a vibrant publishing and technology scene which is growing all the time. Sega, Square Enix, Capcom, Namco Bandai, Microsoft Studios, Konami, GREE, Sony Computer Entertainment, Mastertronic and many more  have their European headquarters here, along with household technology names like Facebook, Twitter and Google. Of course The UK Association for Interactive Entertainment, who have worked tirelessly on behalf of the whole industry to put this wonderful exhibition together, are also based right here in London. All of these companies employ thousands of skilled designers, marketeers, finance, legal and logistics professionals. London employs 24% of all UK jobs in computing and related activities.

An historic world trading centre, London is sat bang in between mainland Europe, Asia and the Americas. Historically, we used our technical prowess and innovation combined with our spirit of endeavour to build our great businesses and institutions. The old River Thames and the Oceans which were the arteries of trade, have now been complemented by the thing we call the Internet. Our ships and sailors have been replaced by our agile tech companies skippered by intrepid digital entrepreneurs. We are in a new Golden Age and the stakes are high.  London continues to lead the way in digital trade and exchange of ideas with an evolving culture fostered through a spirit of collaboration and disruptive  business models.

 In short London is at the epicentre of this digital world economy culture. But we are in a global race, and some may even say that this country is at economic war, either way the stakes are the highest they can be.

The UK and London have some of the most creative and innovative hi-tech businesses around.  We are growing and a success story but could grow faster and employ more Londoners if we could solve our talent shortages.

Simply put, we don’t train enough people, early enough in their education, in the right things – chiefly computer programming – and we need to address this.   

The Mayor’s Education Inquiry recognised the challenge for London set out by Next Gen Skills’ evidence. 

In 2011 there were just 382 A level computing and computer studies entries across London out of 98,027 entries in all subjects – 0.4% of all A-levels taken in the city.  We know that this is down to poor curriculum, low numbers of schools offering the subject, low numbers of qualified teachers and poorly articulated career horizons.

The Ukie-backed Next Gen Skills campaign was launched last year to solve skills shortages not just in the video games industry, but across digital creative and hi-tech businesses.

Since then the Government has committed to reforming the outdated ICT course students study at GCSE and create space in the curriculum for Computer Science to be taught in our schools. 

On 19 October the Government has also made clear its support for Computer Science teachers, by providing £20,000 bursaries  akin to Physics teachers to attract bright new talent.

This is welcomed – at the moment 2/3 of ICT teachers in London are not qualified to teacher even the outgoing ICT curriculum. 

Now we need a new strategic look across London’s 32 Boroughs at the quality of our provision and the quality of our teaching.

We believe the Mayor could play a major role in improving partnerships between business, universities and schools for the study of STEM subjects, and promote effective routes into STEM-related professions like ours.

So we have challenges, of course we do. All new and innovative industries will have these, but we know what we have to do and if we are in any doubt about the power of games, just draw on the inspiration around here  at City Hall. The video games and Interactive Entertainment is the new rock ‘n’ roll and the movies rolled up in one. Our games, our play and our communities will shape and define our culture and create our wealth.

Enjoy these wonderful images.

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November 20, 2012 · 3:10 pm

GamesAid gets pretty vocal

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It was back in April at the MCV Awards  that Ian Chambers mentioned to Ian Livingstone and I that he had the idea of assembling a choir and performing a live concert, in front of real people, entirely made up of people from the games industry. Without really thinking it through, Ian and I said we were in and it would not be a problem to get 25 fellow games industry people together. To make things even ‘better’ we would do it as a fund raiser for GamesAid and set a target to raise £10,000 and a load of awareness to boot.

Then it dawned on me. It’s not often that one really does take oneself out of one’s comfort zone. [Or indeed refer to yourself as ‘one’ Ed ].  Yes we all talk about it and some of us do it, but usually we know that we can and will achieve the goal. But this choir lark means some of us i.e. me, were truly going to a new place.

So on the 19th of September this year, a few souls from the games industry assembled at the wonderful Neville Mariner rehearsal room deep in the crypt area of St Martin’s, just off Trafalgar Square in central London on the start of our journey. Could we be blended into a functioning choir?

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Ian was very clear from the start. We needed to both believe we could do it and enjoy the experience. If we did that, then the hard work or the ‘note crunching‘ would become secondary and thus easier.

It turned out that we did have some ‘form’ in the gathering. Rich Keen, Becca Roberts, Harry Holmwood, Ombelline Wallon, Katie Brooks and Rob Cooper all have great voices. Ian of course is an accomplished musician and singer, although as a choir we would not have the benefit of his Alto on the night!

The overriding lessons of the early sessions were geared around the act of breathing which is vital, obviously. I was struck by just how hard this can be and how exhausting one is after just one number! We were told to stand up straight and put our weight on our toes. Look forward, head up and smile. We did as we were told. We always do.

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The curve ball outside of all the physical effort and technique needed is that the songs are not always as I remembered them as a kid. Because many of them are different ‘arrangements’ we are effectively learning new songs. Without giving the game away too much, harmonies can lead us all into temptation. Temptation to sing the versions or arrangements we all know and have come to love. Unlearning can be as hard as learning especially after all these years!

Despite all of this, Ian has managed to drill us into a semblance of a harmonised unit. The 2 months have flown by, we have had 6 rehearsals which have all been well attended, given everyone is always mega busy, it’s a tribute to the dedication of the choir members (I am loathe to use choristers just yet) that we have come so far. But with less than a month to go now, we have to up our game. A lot.

So more single practice at home, in the shower or walking along the street, more rehearsals and more belief are needed. As our choir master keeps telling us there is no substitute for the hard hours we all need to put in to make sure we deliver on the night of the 19th of December.

The venue is booked, and it is stunning the wonderful St Stephen’s in Rosslyn Hil, London, NW3.

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We have even got  the mince pies, mulled wine, film crew, sheet music, venue, ticketing all sponsored by the wonderful people at EA, IGN, Sega, Indigo Pearl, Ubisoft, OnLive, Mastertronic and Fink Creative.

If you would like to come along and lend your support on the night, sing along, enjoy the festive fancies and support the wonderful charity that is GamesAid www.gamesaid.org then you can buy at ticket at http://www.justgiving.com/christmasconcert .

Every single penny of your entrance fee goes to GamesAid. It’s only £20 for adults and only a tenner £10 for under-16s. 6.45pm on Thursday 19th December 2012, mark your diary now.

Have yourselves a Merry Little Christmas!

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August 9, 2012 · 12:18 pm

My Mum, my inspiration

We all have our inspirational characters, some we know and love dearly, some we have never met. Some may be teachers and hopefully for all us, our parents would be right up there.

I am happy to say that both my parents are the most inspirational people in my life. Dad has always been spiritual, polite, mannered, considerate and above all loyal. He dislikes confrontation but will never yield on his principles, but he just won’t attack head first. Instead he always gets his way through consensus and wants to see everyone treated fairly. He has always liked sport, but his first love has always been music, closely followed by his garden. As a boy, Dad was not the one on the touch line, yelling support, encouraging me to play every single sport on offer, and give everything for the team, he inspired me in other ways. No, the person always there, always taking an interest in sport and pushing me was my Mum.

So when the tickets for the London Olympics went on sale, I just had to get a ticket for Mum. We have watched the Olympics down the years on the BBC starting with Mexico 68. The image of Bob Beamon smashing the World Record in the Long Jump was iconic. Even more so was the Smith and Carlos salute. David Hemery winning the 400m Hurdles. Then in Munich1972 the horror of the Israeli athletes being taken hostage, and then killed, Mary Peters winning the Pentathlon and Mark Spitz what an icon. Montreal 1976 was Brendan Foster bronze in 10,000m. Mum and I would be up all night watching everything. Mum’s absolute favourite of all time was and still is of course Daley Thompson.

So when I was lucky enough to get 3 tickets for the Athletics on August 9th 2012 I couldn’t wait to tell my Mum that she would be there. She was literally over the moon.

For the last year she has been bursting to get to the Olympic Stadium. Today is the day we are there together. Stratford is about a mile from Leyton where Mum and Dad were born. Today my Mum’s dream of attending the Olympic Games is realised and it’s on her doorstep. This is what it is all about. Citius, Altius, Fortius.

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August 2, 2012 · 7:59 pm

Why Bradley Wiggins is so important

I have admired Bradley Wiggins CBE (that’s Commander of the British Empire, he got upgraded from Officer you see) for about 8 years. Truly. He’s more ‘Come on’ than ‘Yeehaw’ if you will. My admiration morphed a little bit more towards full on adulation in Beijing in 2008 when he over celebrated post Gold medal and got in a bit of a scrape with the Chinese authorities. I voted for him for BBC Sports Personality of the year that year, sadly he came nowhere. I think it will be a different story this December though. Here was a sportsmen who stuck to his game and in so doing eschewed precisely everything that the cult of celebrity seems to demand. And that is why I think he is so important to all of us.

Born in Belgium and with an Australian father, he moved to Britain when he was 2.  That is sort of irrelevant but I thought I would add it in. I have never had the pleasure of meeting Wiggo, but I hear that he is the life and soul of any party, self-deprecating and just plain funny. He loves fashion (Fred Perry over Lacoste ) always wears his hair in a Mod style and loves music, like many of us Brits, citing Pete Townshend and Paul Weller as musical icons. I can see Wiggo also is a complex character(aren’t we all darling) playing out maybe 3 of the 4 Jimmys in Quadrophenia. He is certainly a tough guy (Roger Daltrey), a romantic (John Entwistle) and at times a bloody lunatic (Keith Moon). Maybe he also sees himself as a beggar and a hypocrite (Pete Townshend), but we certainly don’t see him that way.  You could see him singing away to himself ‘Cut My Hair’ or ‘Going Underground’ whilst riding like a nutter on his bike.

I suppose I like his down to earth approach. His quote about the Olympics ‘it’s great it comes around every 4 years and it’s a nice thing to do’ sums up his attitude. Upon winning the Tour de France, and in so doing, being the only British rider ever to do so, and the first person ever to win the Tour and an Olympic Gold Medal in the same year his interview with the French media is legendary. He has learned to speak French, but when asked ‘how he felt after winning’, he slipped back into English and simply answered, ‘I cannot express my emotions at winning The Tour in French, sorry.’

And so to the Olympics 2012. Wiggo and his team mates bravely rode their hearts out in the Road Race to try and get Mark Cavendish a Gold Medal. Sadly, that wasn’t to be. 3 days later, Wiggo won the Time Trial and took his 4th Olympic Gold Medal. The crowds were out in force for both races, given there were no need for tickets, over 300,000 lining the roads of London and Surrey for both races. The atmosphere was highly charged and it has to be one of the best ever events held in the UK, alongside the Opening Ceremony of course.  In the hours and days following Bradley’s win, the media predictably wanted a piece of Wiggo. My mouth went dry when I read that ‘public relations guru’ Max Clifford (I must look up that four letter word ‘guru’ later) felt that Wiggo would be worth £30M in the next couple of years. Fortunately, Mr Wiggins has said that he will simply go back to Wigan, where he now lives, and get back to his family and the next chapter of his life, which hopefully will involve more cycling. He hates the ‘cult of celebrity’ and all it stands for, something that will chime with many of us I suspect.

He has been one of many Olympians for years now who have demonstrated the right way of taking part and winning or losing. Dedication, grit, humility and grounded, all of our Olympians have defined what sports people should be about. Let’s hope that the children and young people of the UK look to them as role models, rather than the overpaid and arrogant sportspeople who occupy our screens week in week out in non-Olympic years. Let’s also realise that all of us have a mad moment now and again, after all none of us are perfect are we?

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June 8, 2012 · 1:05 pm

#oneaday65 Breaking with tradition

At this time of year, or every two years to be precise, for the last 30 years I have readied myself for a major football tournament and if England are playing, I would be travelling to support them. This time I have decided to stay at home. Well actually I have decamped to north Majorca with some mates to watch a few of the games and try and drum up some personal enthusiasm for the European Championships 2012.

I wondered if it was my age? It’s not as I have already decided to go to Brazil in 2014 for the next World Cup. Is it the location? I must admit I have never been to Ukraine, which is normally a reason to travel, but no the location is neither here or there. To remember why I decided to give this tournament a miss and watch from afar, all I have to do is take myself back to Port Elizabeth and then Bloemfontein two years ago. One game saw the ‘Golden Generation’ totally misfire and manage a 0-0 with Tunisia and the other saw us get a wholesale beating at the hands of Germany who played us off the park. The FA’s reaction to 2010 was palpable and only when Fabio Capello decided that he too didn’t fancy a summer holiday in Eastern Europe with players who believe they are better than they really are, did he leave the job of manager.

We had the phoney war of Harry Redknapp, ‘will he, won’t he’ be the next England manager. In the end it was the venerable Sir Trevor who decided his old West Ham compadre was not the right sort and Roy Hodgson got the job. I didn’t expect a revolution at the FA, in many ways their hands are tied, but I wanted more youth in the team, players who are hungry. To some extent, we have some youth. The likes of Hart, Oxlade-Chamberlain, Young and Jones give cause for hope. For me ‘young’ Theo Walcott does nothing. We lost Frank Lampard and Gareth Barry to injury, which will be a blessing in my view and when Gary Cahill got his jaw broken last week, we shipped in Martin Kelly, who I have not seen much of, I must admit. So we have got some youth in for sure.

Sadly though, John Terry is still there, despite all of his largesse and hubris from four years back. No matter what you think of him, he brings controversy wherever he goes. It appears that no manager has been able to stand up to him, he always gets his own way. Even in Munich, when suspended for The Champions League final, he decided to change into a full kit, including shinpads, and get his hands on the cup. The gentleman that is Frank Lampard, stood aside and let his captain lead the celebrations. Whether John Terry is a racist or not is neither here or there in my book. The bottom line is he is divisive. He is a bully and there is no place for him in our national team. After holding his own personal press conference at the last World Cup, clearly undermining the manager and those in charge. I thought he would be shown the door, permanently.

Whilst we are on the subject of racism, let’s hope the supporters inside the stadiums of Poland and Ukraine don’t let their nations and UEFA down and start all their neo Nazi stuff. Surely these people know their history? At the last World Cup most of the participating teams took time out to visit Robben Island, the place where many including Nelson Mandela were imprisoned by a cruel, Apartheid, racist regime. Most, however, did not include the England team. They decided to play golf instead and at that point I thought stuff it, I will not support them again until attitudes change.

I was very encouraged to see that the England team have today visited Auschwitz. If ever there was a symbol of the evil of racism and totalitarian regimes, that is it. You never know, someone at the FA may have learned that our England players need to play their part and show that they have some humility and are prepared to do the right thing. You never know, I may even break my boycott and head East if they progress to the second stages!

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April 30, 2012 · 11:13 pm

#oneaday 64 – Do they FA know FA?

Back in February I thought I called it. I really did. When Harry Redknapp walked free, I thought he would be the next England football manager. Don Fabio Capello did not fancy taking a beleagured England football team to the European Championships being held in Ukraine and Poland this summer and resigned and I thought Harry would be a shoe in. Dead cert. Banker. Ok, not a banker.

And I still thought he would be a odds on favourite on Saturday night when discussing the exact same issue with one of my Spurs mates. Then late last night (Sunday 29th April) the news broke on Twitter (as usual), that the FA were talking to Roy Hodgson and West Bromwich Albion had given their blessing. It turned out that Mr Hodgson’s contract with WBA runs out at the end of June and he is thus a free agent and therefore to a cash strapped Football Association, an affordable man.

I have to say I am very disappointed with this decision. I have never been that impressed with M Hodgson, but then as a West Ham supporter, I loved Redknapp, although many of my lot don’t. But the FA have decided to take the affordable option and the safe one. Harry is simply just too toxic for the FA. He has led a debateable career with many accusations of ‘bungs’ and they probably fear that some members of the press, may just want to dig up some more dirt on him.

Given Mr Hodgson has been all but confirmed by the FA and appears to be the only candidate interviewed, which is another mystifying decision, I will change my view, and give the man the support he deserves. He always seems to be a nice chap, polite and professional and seemingly well liked by his players at everywhere bar Liverpoool. He is also respected by the press and pundits alike. And that can be an advantage.

The FA have a very mixed record in this department, so we really should not be surprised. The job only went full time in 1946 with Walter Winterbottom who lasted until 1962. Then the great Sir Alf Ramsey who won the World Cup, but was not everyone’s cup of tea was the man with the best record. I can remember all the managers including Sir Alf. Sad but true.

After him we stumbled along – Joe Mercer came from Man City and lasted a year, Don Revie from Leeds who lasted a miserable 3 years.We didn’t even qualify for the World Cups in ’74 and ’78! Brian Clough, the people’s choice was ignored. Then came Ron Greenwood (who had been a success at West Ham) and he lasted 5 years with a relatively successful World Cup in 1982, we never lost a game, but went out on goal difference!  Brian Clough was ignored again. Then came Bobby Robson who got us to the  quarter final in Mexico ’86 ( the Hand of God one ) and the World Cup semi final in 1990 in Italy who wasn’t too bad. The FA then sent us all into the wilderness years by appointing Graham Taylor who was shockingly bad. Terry Venables did a couple of years culminating in Euro ’96 and another semi final penalty loss to Germany, and he was followed by Glenn Hoddle who started well, took us to a World Cup quarter final in France where we lost on penalties to Argentina this time. As England started to find some form, Glenn found God and lost the plot. Howard Wilkinson filled in for a while, whilst we all yawned and winced when we could be bothered, and then we got lumbered with Kevin Keegan who was always going to be disastrous. Peter Taylor took temporary control, made Beckham captain and prepared the way for Sven Goran Eriksson who started well and got us to 3 quarter finals at 3 championships – losing to Brazil, Portugal and Germany on penalties before handng over to his assistant Steve McClaren, he of the umbrella. Another disaster. When he got sacked Stuart Pearce stepped in whilst the FA found a replacement in Fabio Capello. And now we have Roy Hodgson.

As England managers go, this one is neither remarkable or inspiring. But I for one will wish him well and hope he can inspire some respect into our underperforming so called world class ‘superstars’. Let’s just hope he does not pick John Terry as captain though, that really would be the end.

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April 11, 2012 · 9:49 am

#oneaday 63; Tax. Stab 1

Tax. Blimey. There’s a 3 letter word to get everyone’s hackles up. 3 letter words can be like that. Tax is a word that never seems to be associated with anything good, or at least I can’t remember it being so. Poll Tax, value added tax, council tax, road tax, even purchase tax back in the old days made grown men and women weep. Indeed it feels like it still does!

And tax is now right slap bang in the centre of our politics. It could well be the key defining subject for the next general Election in 3 years time the way that the tax bandwagon is rolling right now. Mind you, some would say that tax is always the most important issue at ANY general election.

The person who has the most say over tax in the UK is the Chancellor of the Exchequer, currentlyMr George Osborne. Even he is now talking all about tax. How rich people are avoiding tax, legitimately and otherwise, and how this is fundamentally wrong and needs immediate attention and reform.

Even the Mayor of London election campaign has become a race based on whether Boris or Ken has avoided more tax than each other. Some of the media have fallen over themselves to accuse Ken Livingstone of channeling his fees into a company to avoid paying personal tax, an accusation that is fundamentally so naive it must be political. I am no Livingstone supporter, but I do like to see fair play.

Form what I can understand, Mr Livingstone has set up a trading company and that company issues invoices for the goods and most probably services Mr Livingstone supplies – like public speaking, writing, media appearances and so on. That company pays Mr Livingstone a salary on which he pays tax at the national rate. Every year, the company will declare its profits (or losses) and pay corporation tax to the UK Government via the Treasury. The rate of corporation tax (currently has just moved down to 24% from 26%)  is different than the rate of personal tax (currently 20% for earnings up to £35,000 and then 40% on the additional earnings between £35,001 and £150,000 and 50% for the earnings over £150,000). Right or wrong, these tax rates start off easy, but soon get complex. So Mr Livingstone will pay tax on his income, via PAYE (pay as you earn) and NI (National Insurance – which is an additional tax of about (12% of your income) which actually ends up being higher than corporation tax, which his company will also pay provided it makes a profit, which one would hope would be the case.

Anyway, this whole tax issue is definitely going somewhere. The politicians know that grassroots feeling towards ‘tax avoidance’, ‘tax management’ and ‘tax evasion’ (that’s the illegal one) is starting to boil over and organisations like 38 Degrees and UK Uncut have been on this issue for over a year now. The Treasury believes that the whole tax system needs a major overhaul, with the goal being ‘simplification’ and there is a mood at the margins to make the UK a tax haven for businesses and individuals, which is something that would encourage inward investment from foreign based companies, principally American, and would only mimic what happens in Ireland, Luxembourg, Switzerland and the Netherlands all of whom have a more company and therefore individually friendly tax regime.

Charities are up in arms because the Chancellor is talking about capping the amount donors can make to charities and write it off against their tax. The media and some MPs are calling for personal tax returns of MPs to be made public. UK Uncut have called for the tax affairs of large corporations such as Vodaphone to be investigated and potential Mayors of London are accusing each other of tax evasion. This whole issue is set to run and run and it will be interested to see where it ends up. As a PAYE person, I don’t have a lot of choice about how much tax I pay. I do like the fact that a charity can claim back some of the tax I have paid on anything I have earned via GiftAid. That really is a nice tax rebate scheme and it does do some good!

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February 7, 2012 · 12:13 am

#oneaday 62: Please release me, let me go

I got a text today from one of my mates who was asking what day I was actually  leaving for the Ukraine to watch England contest the European Championships in June. My answer was simple, this time I am not bothering. England FC have become toxic, much like most football and certainly anything  to do with the Premier League. Yes the quality is there, but the loyalty and committment from many of the players just follows the money.

Two things have happened though that give me some hope and neither would I normally applaud or agree with the outcomes.

First, it looks like John Terry’s time as an England captain is finally over, for a second time. He may even have played his last competitive tournament game for England. I admire John Terry on some levels, there is no doubt that he is a true legend at Chelsea giving any team he plays for 100% of everything he has, and Chelsea rarely lose when he plays. But the FA have decided to sack him as skipper and have shown some leadership, even if it is a tad misguided. Terry is innocent until proven guilty, but the authorities should have brought the trial forward and got it out of the way before May. It is clear that some if not all of the other England players have had enough of their captain. His last outburst in South Africa was damaging beyond repair and he is guilty of hubris on occasion.

In sacking Terry, the FA have now pricked Mr Capello into action and he is not a happy bunny. Fabio has appeared on Italian TV and said that he is effectively unhappy with the decision and with the fact that he was not consulted. David Davies a journalist who used to be an executive director at the FA, has stated that some of his contacts are convinced Capello will quit. Personally I agree with him. Mr Capello has only got 5 months of his contract to run and forefit if he resigns. It will appeal to his Italian sense of ‘justice’ to resign. He knows he can only lose in the summer, he is working for money and no longer cares about what his employers think. If he walks away, in his mind he walks with his dignity intact, it was his decision. I believe Capello has lost the dressing room anyway, so this move would be the only chance of a win he would have this year.

Meanwhile the king in waiting is Poplar’s very own crown prince, Harry Redknapp who is currently on trial for tax evasion. Harry was by all accounts, banged to rights, but given the lead accusor and witness for the prosecution is a News of the World journalist, Harry may just find that his luck is in and he walks free. I hope he is innocent and proved so.  If he is, he will carrying on walking north all the way to Wembley and take control of the England team as soon as the season is over, although the FA will cut a deal with Spurs to borrow him for the friendlies planned between now and June. He will make Scott Parker his captain and try and forge an English birth certifcate  for Luca Modric and Gareth Bale. Harry has plenty of friends who can fix these things.

If Harry falls foul of the law and is detained at Her Majesty’s pleasure, then the FA may turn to the hardest number 3 on the planet. Mr Stuart ‘Psycho’ Pearce who has been managing the U21s for some time. That would be confusing to many, but the players would love the motivation of messrs Redknapp and/or Pearce and there may just be a modicum more effort shown this summer. Failing that Alan Pardew would do a fine job.

If Capello stays, and worse still Terry is picked for the squad, expect England to repeat their performance in the Euro ’88 tournament P3 W0 D0 L3. Wayne Rooney may not get a game!

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February 4, 2012 · 10:52 am

#oneaday 61: There is always a first time….

Today is a special day. Today, West Ham play Millwall and it is special to me because it is the first time I have not bothered to watch the Hammers play their traditional dockland rivals  at Upton Park in my lifetime. I forego the opportunity to visit the New Den, which like New Labour has faded somewhat in recent years, again for the first time when West Ham have played there (which includes visiting The Den) . In years gone by, it would have been a dot on the card for both games, and essential day out and one which would fill me with excitement and trepidation. Not anymore.

I have been pretty quiet about West Ham’s fortunes for sometime. I have seen them twice in the flesh this season , both one nil games. At home to Ipswich we lost 0-1 in a dreadful game and away to Brighton we won 0-1 on a cold dark night at the brand new Brighton stadium. We are currently top and playing a brand of football which will ‘get us out of the division ‘ according to Mr Allardyce who manages the club’s players nowadays. It’s a great division to play in as everyone can beat everyone else on any given match day. Literally anyone can get promoted to the promised land of the Premier League.

But my disinterest in all things West Ham has been building for a few years. Not least last season, when our new owners Messrs Sullivan and Gold ably assisted by Karren Brady appointed Avram Grant and the rest was history. Their bungled attempt to replace the hapless Israeli after three months with Martin O’Neill failed. This was exacerbated by Ms Brady’s briefing of the press that West Ham had got O’Neill over a fateful weekend in January. Martin O’Neill probably thought to himself ‘I really don’t fancy working with this lot’ and politely declined the opportunity. Look at him go now at Sunderland.

Aside from the football judgement, I have a problem with the owners of West Ham on another level. I was lucky enough to have dinner with some friends and Sir Geoff Hurstin October 2010 and we had a long chat about the club which is so dear to both of our hearts. He was simply brilliant and was with us for 5 hours. At the time we spoke about the ownership, leadership and future of the club and he agreed with me that the jury was very much out. But the one thing that did resonate was when he asked me to ask the club where they had put his World Cup medal he had sold to the club in 2001 (when they were owned by a different set of people). Apparently the medal had been on display in the West Ham museum, but rumour had it that the museum had been closed, due to the imminent move to the new stadium once the Olympics had finished.

Remember this was 2010 and the stadium move, if it actually happened, would be a full three years away so I really did not understand the closure. Sir Geoff and I wondered if the medal was safe, after all it was one of only eleven awarded and they way the current England team play, it is unlikely that there will be any new additions anytime soon.

Exactly where were these medals? I wrote to the owners of the club in October 2010 and then followed up in November. I gave them a break for Christmas, but then chased again in January 2011. I never ever got a written reply to my three letters. I am sure the owners were very busy and have bigger fish to fry, but you do wonder where is Sir Geoff’s medal and for that matter are Bobby Moore and Martin Peters’s 1966 World Cup winners medals also bought by the club some years back? They were supposed to be on display in the museum, but there is no mention of that on the official West Ham website. I wonder where they are and why they are not on show?

David Gold is a regular user of  Twitter and is always re-Tweeting complimentary comments from fans, however every time I ask him about the whereabouts of Sir Geoff’s medals, he stays silent. Maybe he just gets too many mentions to deal with?

I hope The Hammers win today, I really do, and for my mates who still go. I bet there will be some real anticipation. I remember  the old days fondly- when football meant something to all of us, friendship, rivalry, pride, joy and tons of disappointment. When money was not the be all and end all. It clearly means a lot to Sir Geoff Hurst and that does give me hope that our great game can be saved.

Interestingly, today sees our old ‘friends’ the Gooners organising a day of ‘protest’ by placing a black bin liner over each and every empty seat in their oil state sponsored stadium. Even Arsenal know the game is up. Loads of seats are just not taken up as the rich season ticket holders simply can’t be bothered to show up for all the games nowadays. Gone are the days when you could simply turn up and buy entrance to the ground on the day. That all went back in 1990 (the same year as the game above), post Hillsborough. Watch this space though. When the seats remain unoccupied more and more at the top level, clubs will have to act and encourage supporters to come back, by hook or by crook or lose the atmosphere that was so special up until recent times. Too much money in the hands of too few will never inspire passion I am afraid.

Good luck to all of you who still love the game, I for one will be praying that the tide turns and we get back to football being a game for the people at prices people can afford. I also look forward to West Ham putting the 1966 World Cup winners medals back on show.  Then I will return to Upton Park full time.

 

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January 22, 2012 · 6:49 pm

#oneaday60: Living in the past?

As usual we (I) am up against a time deadline. Although we have no formal agreed ‘rules’ amingst us Five Hombres, and we said we would each do a blog a week, we have kind of hit a rhythm which has seen us write a blog each day since the 1st of January. So, I am honour bound to write something. At least I think I am. There has been so much going on this week. Cloud gaming, SOPA, PIPA, the launch of Games Britannia and much action over at AppyNation all point to suitable subjects, but sadly they all warrant some proper thought, reflection and time. Something I don’t have right now.

I always seem to be living my life in the future. I am always looking forward to the next ‘event’ and planning the next ‘experience’. As a result I can get a little sidetracked on matters a little closer to home. The ‘here and now’ becomes the ‘what if’?

It was therefore somewhat refreshing to have sat down tonight, switched the iPad and iPhone off and watched a wonderful film called Midnight in Paris. I knew nothing about this film, following my new code of conduct which is not to read any reviews at all nowadays, instead trusting in my own judgement and being completely surprised with what comes up.

It was a real surprise to discover this is Woody Allen’s latest work. Never my favourite film director, I looked forward to the experience given it would not be my first choice all things being equal. But it was a lovely film, rich dialogue, great acting and a wonderful plot. Intriguing and entertaining in equal measure. Beautifully shot, full of beguiling charm with a wonderful pace Midnight in Paris just delivered me pure pleasure on a plate.

I am not going to tell you anything else about it, for risk of breaking my own rules about reviews, suffice to say if you do get a spare hour and a half, then give it a go. It really did make me think about living in the moment, rather than in the past, or indeed in my case, always looking to the future.

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