A strange thing happened to-day. I relaxed without guilt until the evening when an announcement resurrected feelings of being helpless again the power of nature and men of power and wealth
I did not have much to write about until then. I played lots of games on the computer stopping at a run of 55 games of level one chess, 37 percent wins of Hearts and 83% at Spider Solitaire.
I am puzzled by the number of good chefs there are creating sophisticated dishes which presumably some people eat at great expense. I must find one, save up and go and have a gourmet meal sometime. I thought this after watching the semi final where two of four young men battled for the opportunity to work in one of the great kitchens with a ember of the Roux family.
The previous night I had watched Get Carter for the umpteenth time and with every viewing I see something I did not see before or did but no longer remember. I thought if was a fitting film to remind of what had been old Newcastle. A grim colourless city with twice the national average level of unemployment and areas of major social deprivation and an under belly of criminal gangs with wafts of corruption in high places.
I found myself counting the number of people Michael Caine kills during his revenge mission for the murder of his brother covered up a suicide. The girlfriend of his brother was instrumental in his daughter become involved with the local crime gang with pornographic films as one money making venture; He kills her and then arranged for her to be found on the estate of the many behind the film making; the second woman participated in the filmmaking with the young girl although technically Caine does not kill her directly as she also is placed in the car boot, but the vehicle tipped into the Tyne my gangsters employed by his London boss; the man who seduced the girl I saved until towards the end of the film and is tipped into the North sea along with other coal waste; the man who participated in the film runs gaming machine along the coast and is dropped from the iconic car park in the centre of Gateshead onto the bonnet of a passing cars, then there are the two men sent by his boss in London to take him back, having found out that he was planning to run off with the bosses girl friend to South America and they are shot on a Tyne ferry across the river, and finally his brother's friend who was instrumental in covering up the murder of the brother by his silence.
Caine is also the cause of the bosses girl friend suffering severe facial injury. Although he plans to run off with this young woman during his stay of a few days on Tyneside he sleeps with his landlady and the woman who stars in the film which led to the murder of his brother. Moreover during the film he does not deny that he slept with his brother's wife and is the more likely father of the daughter. He does expose the gangster to the police who funded the porn film business and who uses his home for drug and sex orgies but this another action of revenge and social concern. So why do we feel disappointment when Caine is killed by another criminal assassin in the final scene of the film? Because it is Caine? And why does the film have a continuing appeal beyond Tynesiders, who enjoying working out where all the scenes were shot? One aspect is the haunting and unique musical sound track.
Newcastle has risen from this background with significant new landmarks and cultural developments although the process is ongoing an integral element has been the rise of Newcastle United Football stadium over the past twenty years from when it reflected the cultural isolation. The ground has been developed into one of the biggest and modern stadiums in Britain and for a few golden years in the early nineteen there was a magic mix of class football played with flair and a title chasing team who also played in Europe. There was Peter Beardsley one of the most skilful players in Britain There was great centre forwards Andy Cole, Les Ferdinand and then Alan Shearer. Above all there was Kevin Keegan although Sir Bobby Robson also achieved success in getting to club into positions where they were able to play in European competition for season upon season.
It is almost two weeks since the most dramatic of weekends in British Football, with Manchester City taken over by an Arab business, quickly followed by buying a real Madrid player for over £30 million with another £30 million plus paid Man United for Berbatov. Then the bombshell that Keegan had left, had been sacked, then he had not been sacked, Then the information that the issue had been his control over players recruited to the club or put on the market and sold. There was reports of meetings between Keegan and the Newcastle Board involving the football manager's association but these came to nothing. Almost every known Newcastle Football player of the past two decades was interviewed and supporters by their thousands telephoned text and e mailed.
The Owner, the Chairman and the Director of Football all London based were declared enemies of the people. A number of protests were said to have been planned with controversy over whether people should stay away from the next home match or attend and voice their dissent.
Peter Beardsley, a Tyneside legend who it was my privilege to see play then appeared on television on Friday evening, appealing for the fans to attend the game and not stay away, but also appeared to be defending the owner and board.
Then later in the evening there was film of the owner attending an annual meeting of his main company and refusing to talk about any aspect of the situation at Newcastle United.
Then there was the news that Keegan had returned from his home in Majorca for a meeting with the Owner in London and an official statement was that various matters were discussed without resolution and no further meetings were planned.
On BBC Sports news on the internet there was reference to the likelihood of five organised protests in and outside the ground and of some supporters not entering the ground for the match.
I went to bed very late after watching TV and a film debating whether I would visit to Newcastle to assess the situation, whether I would participate in any protest, or if I would stay home and watch the lunch time televised game between Manchester United and Liverpool and the early evening game between Manchester City and Chelsea, listening to radio broadcast commentaries of the Newcastle game and of Sunderland away to Wigan.
I did not have much to write about until then. I played lots of games on the computer stopping at a run of 55 games of level one chess, 37 percent wins of Hearts and 83% at Spider Solitaire.
I am puzzled by the number of good chefs there are creating sophisticated dishes which presumably some people eat at great expense. I must find one, save up and go and have a gourmet meal sometime. I thought this after watching the semi final where two of four young men battled for the opportunity to work in one of the great kitchens with a ember of the Roux family.
The previous night I had watched Get Carter for the umpteenth time and with every viewing I see something I did not see before or did but no longer remember. I thought if was a fitting film to remind of what had been old Newcastle. A grim colourless city with twice the national average level of unemployment and areas of major social deprivation and an under belly of criminal gangs with wafts of corruption in high places.
I found myself counting the number of people Michael Caine kills during his revenge mission for the murder of his brother covered up a suicide. The girlfriend of his brother was instrumental in his daughter become involved with the local crime gang with pornographic films as one money making venture; He kills her and then arranged for her to be found on the estate of the many behind the film making; the second woman participated in the filmmaking with the young girl although technically Caine does not kill her directly as she also is placed in the car boot, but the vehicle tipped into the Tyne my gangsters employed by his London boss; the man who seduced the girl I saved until towards the end of the film and is tipped into the North sea along with other coal waste; the man who participated in the film runs gaming machine along the coast and is dropped from the iconic car park in the centre of Gateshead onto the bonnet of a passing cars, then there are the two men sent by his boss in London to take him back, having found out that he was planning to run off with the bosses girl friend to South America and they are shot on a Tyne ferry across the river, and finally his brother's friend who was instrumental in covering up the murder of the brother by his silence.
Caine is also the cause of the bosses girl friend suffering severe facial injury. Although he plans to run off with this young woman during his stay of a few days on Tyneside he sleeps with his landlady and the woman who stars in the film which led to the murder of his brother. Moreover during the film he does not deny that he slept with his brother's wife and is the more likely father of the daughter. He does expose the gangster to the police who funded the porn film business and who uses his home for drug and sex orgies but this another action of revenge and social concern. So why do we feel disappointment when Caine is killed by another criminal assassin in the final scene of the film? Because it is Caine? And why does the film have a continuing appeal beyond Tynesiders, who enjoying working out where all the scenes were shot? One aspect is the haunting and unique musical sound track.
Newcastle has risen from this background with significant new landmarks and cultural developments although the process is ongoing an integral element has been the rise of Newcastle United Football stadium over the past twenty years from when it reflected the cultural isolation. The ground has been developed into one of the biggest and modern stadiums in Britain and for a few golden years in the early nineteen there was a magic mix of class football played with flair and a title chasing team who also played in Europe. There was Peter Beardsley one of the most skilful players in Britain There was great centre forwards Andy Cole, Les Ferdinand and then Alan Shearer. Above all there was Kevin Keegan although Sir Bobby Robson also achieved success in getting to club into positions where they were able to play in European competition for season upon season.
It is almost two weeks since the most dramatic of weekends in British Football, with Manchester City taken over by an Arab business, quickly followed by buying a real Madrid player for over £30 million with another £30 million plus paid Man United for Berbatov. Then the bombshell that Keegan had left, had been sacked, then he had not been sacked, Then the information that the issue had been his control over players recruited to the club or put on the market and sold. There was reports of meetings between Keegan and the Newcastle Board involving the football manager's association but these came to nothing. Almost every known Newcastle Football player of the past two decades was interviewed and supporters by their thousands telephoned text and e mailed.
The Owner, the Chairman and the Director of Football all London based were declared enemies of the people. A number of protests were said to have been planned with controversy over whether people should stay away from the next home match or attend and voice their dissent.
Peter Beardsley, a Tyneside legend who it was my privilege to see play then appeared on television on Friday evening, appealing for the fans to attend the game and not stay away, but also appeared to be defending the owner and board.
Then later in the evening there was film of the owner attending an annual meeting of his main company and refusing to talk about any aspect of the situation at Newcastle United.
Then there was the news that Keegan had returned from his home in Majorca for a meeting with the Owner in London and an official statement was that various matters were discussed without resolution and no further meetings were planned.
On BBC Sports news on the internet there was reference to the likelihood of five organised protests in and outside the ground and of some supporters not entering the ground for the match.
I went to bed very late after watching TV and a film debating whether I would visit to Newcastle to assess the situation, whether I would participate in any protest, or if I would stay home and watch the lunch time televised game between Manchester United and Liverpool and the early evening game between Manchester City and Chelsea, listening to radio broadcast commentaries of the Newcastle game and of Sunderland away to Wigan.
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