Missing the Match

One of the most misquoted statements about football came from Bill Shankly: –

‘Some people believe football is a matter of life and death, I am very disappointed with that attitude. I can assure you it is much, much more important than that.’

I’ve seen it trotted out a lot by fans who can’t wait for the season to start again. The notion that football is more important than anyone’s life is beyond ridiculous, yet this Saturday, the German league is to restart behind closed doors. This is despite protests from fan groups that football without the fans is nothing (correct) and legitimate concerns about the health of the players. For what it’s worth, my opinion is that this is all too much, too soon.

Shankly is often misquoted because his words were a poignant reflection of a career in the game that was coming to an end, as well as a meditation on time missed with his family as a result of chasing glory. It is not a rallying call for people to push players and their families into a situation where they can be exposed to the virus for nothing more than preserving a contract with Rupert Murdoch.

I’ve done a lot of soul-searching about football since play has been suspended. Of all the trivial things that can be missed, it is top of my list. Nothing makes me feel more privileged and guilty than missing trivial things when I’m safe working from home and others are putting themselves at risk every day to save the lives of others.

But guilt is just one emotion. To yearn and to grieve is to display another side of the human condition. Within reason, it is OK to do these things, as long as we don’t lose perspective on the bigger matters in hand.

Football shouldn’t return until the safety of everyone involved can be assured. Not just players but team officials, those who work behind the scenes and on match days, those that work in the media, as well as the heart and soul of the game – the fans.

But, that day will come. We have to believe that or what else is there?

One day we will all be able to walk towards the ground together, with our friends and families or on our own. We’ll get that buzz of seeing the floodlights or the stands from a distance. We’ll ask our friends for score predictions and team selections. We’ll smell frying food from burger vans and chippies on the way. We’ll hear music pumping through the PA as the players warm up.

We’ll take our seats in the stands and rise to our feet as the teams come out to start the match. We’ll scream at the referee and the opposition. We’ll dance and cheer and howl at the moon when our team scores.

But for now, we will have to sit at home and relive memories through YouTube clips and nostalgia shows. And that’s enough for now. It has to be.

This too shall pass.

Dan

A Compendium of Good Things

Times are tough for everyone. We’re stuck indoors. There’s allegedly nothing to do. With that in mind, I thought I’d share a few things that I’ve enjoyed recently in the hope that they can bring a bit of cheer to others.

Books

Nothing Important Happened Today by Will Carver

This book absolutely blew me away. In a way that no other book has done before. Writers like Richard Thomas mention that when they first read Fight Club, it opened up what could be possible for them in terms of writing. This book is the same for me.

Partly written in the collective first person, this book is brutal, funny and sharp as hell. It’s experimental, without ever becoming too obtuse. It opens with nine people simultaneously hanging themselves on a London bridge and descends into hell and beyond from there.

Six Stories Series by Matt Wesolowski

I’ve raved about Matt Wesolowski on this site before. The opening book in the series, Six Stories captured my attention as I’m a sucker for an epistolary novel. But as the series expands, so does the scope and the quality of these books. Four books into this series and I’m already desperate for another.

Written in the style of a true crime podcast, the Six Stories series manages to expertly mimic the podcast format on the page (no mean feat) whilst marrying both crime and horror references. Highly recommmended.

David Peace’s Work

Come for the football, stay for the murder. I was hooked by The Damned Utd. The film is one of my all-time favourites and the book is even better. But if swearing and alcoholic football managers aren’t your bag, then savage murders and sadistic coppers might be.

Whilst the Red Riding Quartet isn’t exactly new, I’m yet to meet anyone who has read even one of them. They are missing out in a big way. NOTE – I have since been corrected by James Everington that he is the one person I know that has read these books. Be sure to check out James’ work too!

Peace’s prose isn’t for everyone. It’s a fever dream and a panic attack on the page. You beg for the end of the story for some solace and some peace of mind, yet when it comes you’re bereft that it’s over.

Belinda Bauer

I read Blacklands so quickly, the pages blurred before my eyes. I gobbled this book down inside a couple of days at the start of this year. It’s up there as one of my favourite reads of the last few years. Touching and brutal, subtle and blunt. It covers a range of emotions.

The main character, Stephen is only 12 and is so believably written that he draws you in from the first sentence. The story has the feel of an inevitable car crash. Something you can see coming yet are powerless to stop. Violence rushes towards you and all you can do is hang on and hope everything will be alright.

Ruth Ware

I’ve been really enjoying In A Dark, Dark Wood. It’s my current read and like all good thrillers, there’s layers upon layers of intrigue and detail. I always enjoy the thrill of the chase in books like this and so far, this has been a very engaging chase.

Lucy Foley

I’ve listened to both of Lucy Foley’s thrillers on Audible. They’re multi-perspective stories with a a variety of narrators. Not only have both books been well read but they’re really well written. Each character has their own unique perspective and motives, which makes for great reading (listening). I think I preferred The Hunting Party over The Guest List, just slightly, because of the setting, but both are worth a download.

Will Dean

Will Dean came to my attention because there aren’t a lot of English writers who can pull off Scandi-Noir. We’ve had some great pseudo versions of this set in Shetland and other places but Will Dean breaks the mold because he lives in Sweden and writes so convincingly about Swedish culture and people. His protagonist, Tuva Moodyson, is a brilliant character and the whole Twin Peaks vibe of where she lives is utterly compelling. Three books into the series, I really want more.

Jonathan Wilson

I’ve read a lot of books about football and most of the best ones have been written by Jonathan Wilson. His books Inverting the Pyramid, Behind the Iron Curtain and The Barcelona Legacy are at the pinnacle of football writing. Knowledgeable without being smug, Wilson gets to the nub of so much football history it’s hard to see him as anything other than an oracle.

Podcasts

Writer’s Routine

I love this show. It’s one of the few podcasts that I have alerts set up for. The host Dan Simpson, is genial and knowledgeable. He keeps the writers pumped up and on track really well.

And he’s landed some wonderful guests. Ian Rankin. Ann Cleeves. CL Taylor. To name just a few. The guest list of this show is absolutely premium and every episode has a lesson for other writers. Highly recommended.

The Other Stories

This podcast is all about dark stories. Horror, crime, Sci-fi. As long as there is a dark theme, these guys are putting it out there. Not only are the stories produced really well written, but the production of them is also top notch, with some brilliant narrators on board. Each episode clocks in at about twenty minutes, so you can get through a decent number a day. With new themes open for submissions all the time, it’s a great place for writers to get involved too.

This Is Horror Podcast

A podcast for writers, readers and creators featuring the best in the horror genre and beyond. I co-hosted this podcast with Michael Wilson over the first couple of years it was running. We had an absolute blast and I’m proud to have been able to help it get off the ground, but in the last few years, these guys have really upped their game. The quality of both the guests and the interviews are brilliant. It’s a must-listen for writers, regardless of whether you read or write horror.

Outside Write

There isn’t a lot of football being played at the moment and holy crap do I miss it. That said, the Outside Write podcast and its back-catalogue has been helping me through my withdrawal. Really well put together, the podcast covers football stories and themes from across the world. From the former Yugoslavia to South America, they’ve got it covered.

TV

Ozark

This is the best show I’ve found in recent times. I’m halfway through the second series and I’m loving it. Violent and tense, this show has great characters that you invest in immediately. Well written and really well acted, this is one I’m on until the final scene. I adore it.

Better Call Saul

What can be said about this show that you haven’t already read? I was skeptical at first. Breaking Bad ended so well, there couldn’t be a need for this show, or so I thought. But after 5 series, I love it at least as much, if not more than the original. The dynamic between Saul and Kim makes them one of the great onscreen duos in TV history. There I said it. What a show.

Sunderland ‘Til I Die

I’m not a Sunderland fan and apart from a much loved game managing them on Football Manager 09, I’ve never cared about their results, but this show has hooked me big time. A look behind the scenes at a club that routinely shoots for the stars and lands on its face in the gutter. It’s as compelling as the dramas listed above. Wonderful.

That’s it for now. I’ll check in with new books, podcasts and TV recommendations periodically throughout the lockdown to try and share a few things that are keeping my brain ticking over.

Stay safe. Stay well. Stay home.

Dan