LEE PAYNE

Tag: 2008

  • I Write Wednesday #1 – Mary Earps, Gavin and Stacey, Blossoms and more

    What is ‘I Write Wednesday’?

    A short round up of things on my mind. Things I’ve seen, read, heard etc. From my point of view, it will help me keep my eye in with my writing. As the name suggests, it will be semi-regular and published on Thursdays.

    Thursdays!?

    Only kidding.

    Photo by Andrea Piacquadio on Pexels.com

    So what do you want to tell us this week?

    A bit of news: That Mary Earps won the BBC Sports Personality of the Year award last night and I couldn’t be happier for her. I’m not trying to be right-on or anything like that when I say I love watching the Lionesses. They seem to be more of a team than their male counterparts – and more successful. Earps is a brilliant example of the virtue of never giving up. Four years ago, she felt like her football career was going nowhere and was preparing to try something else. Last night, she received the prestigious SPotY award as a Euros winner, World Cup finalist and comfortably the best goalkeeper in the women’s game. Apparently oxygen thief Piers “Morgan” Moron has been whining (for a change) about it. I find a good rule for life is that whatever he doesn’t like is probably a good thing. Well done Mary.

    A song I’ve been listening to: Blossoms will be releasing their fifth album next year and the first single from it, To Do List (After The Breakup) is a banger. It’s a collaboration with fellow Stockport musician Findlay and, in true Ronseal style, tells you what you need to do after a break up. I’m a big fan. Watch the video below.

    A podcast I’ve been listening to: one I’ve been really getting into recently is The Rest Is Entertainment. It’s a weekly dissection of all things pop culture hosted by Richard Osman (of Pointless, House of Games and Thursday Murder Club fame) and The Guardian journalist Marina Hyde. A recent highlight has been Osman’s insight into this year’s race for the Christmas number one, in which he dropped the bombshell fact that 2004’s Band Aid 20 remains Radiohead frontman Thom Yorke’s only UK number one single. It’s interesting, it’s funny, and it’s been making my journeys to and from work fly by.

    Something you should watch this Christmas: it’s not exactly a hidden gem, but nothing gets me into the Christmas spirit quite like the 2008 festive special of Gavin and Stacey. It’s brilliantly observed, and truly captures that sense of anticipation that the big day holds. It makes me miss those big family Christmasses I remember as a child. You can watch it on BBC iPlayer here.

    Is that it?

    That will do you for this week. Have a very happy Christmas, a great new year and I’ll be back soon.

    Just before you go – why are you asking yourself questions?

    Leave me alone.

  • It’s time to start talking about Wes in the same breath as the Norwich City greats

    Sitting in the Barclay on Saturday, watching Norwich City’s excellent 3-1 win over Bournemouth, it began to dawn on me that I was watching a player who had the ability to bring back all the excitement and giddiness for me that I used to get from watching football as a child.

    I feel that Wes Hoolahan is a player we need to cherish while he is still around. Sometimes nicknamed Wessi, Hoolahan did exactly the same job for Norwich at the weekend as the Lionel the name alludes to does for Barcelona – he pulled the strings. He made things happen. He was the playmaker every team craves – creative, quick, making the right decisions.

    Hoolahan is City’s longest serving player, joining in June 2008. Yes, he appeared to be angling for a move to Aston Villa two seasons ago – refusing to celebrate after scoring against the side then managed by Paul Lambert, and reportedly making some derogatory comments about the club to a journalist – but he stayed with us, as he has done throughout some very good times and some very bad times in the recent history of the Canaries.

    The Irishman cost Norwich £250,000. His career with the club started slowly, stalled as many things were by the awful reign of Glenn Roeder, but few would argue now that for what Hoolahan has brought to City the transfer fee was a bargain.

    Part of the ‘holy trinity’ during the League One campaign alongside Grant Holt and Chris Martin, Hoolahan is like most creative players in that he can delight and infuriate in equal measure. Some days he will give the ball away cheaply, try one mazy dribble too many or simply get eased off the ball, but when he’s on form he is an absolute joy to watch.

    Wes Hoolahan belts the ball into the Bournemouth net on Saturday.

    On Saturday, Wes Hoolahan was most definitely on form. He’s 33 years old now, but he seems to have found even more pace from somewhere and Bournemouth couldn’t handle him. Skinning a defender and cutting back for Cameron Jerome to put Norwich ahead – all whilst carrying his shin pad in his hands – and then scoring one of his own, brilliantly finishing past goalkeeper Artur Boruc when he could have passed left or right, punctuated an excellent display from a man who is now a regular in the Republic of Ireland team and was earlier this year named in the Football League Team of the Decade.

    I think it’s time to start talking about him in the same way we do the likes of Darren Huckerby, Iwan Roberts and Grant Holt – because in my eyes Wes Hoolahan is already a Norwich City legend.