From the Orient

BBC SPORT | Football | Football mourns George Best death

I’ve been particularly annoyed by the media reporting of this event, for example, the “News Flash: George Best nearly dead.” and “I’m standing outside the hospital now, like a vulture waiting to feed on the rotten, broken carcass,” said reporter. Examples of how the “news” has turned into “entertainment”?

Anyway, I know people look at George Best and see self-destroying waster who stole that liver, but my dad was at Wembley 68 to see George help United win the European Cup, and I know he was the best player ever (okay one of two best players including Pele, and Maradona. One of three … repeat Monty Python to fade).

Bobby Charlton said today “We at Manchester United have learned from our experience with Eric Cantona, we had to treat him differently, make allowances. If, instead of being hostile to George, which I was, we had leaned a bit his way and tried to help him, who knows?”, so did he do it to himself, or was it the situation he was in?

I sometimes think Ryan Giggs was tamed and never turned into the player he could have been, but then Ryan is still playing at 32 and Best stopped at the top level at 24.

Here marks the passing of a football genius.

Paul Football

England 26-16 Australia

In other news, England are edged the first day against Pakistan in the cricket, and I watched a very remarkable friendly involving England and Argentina. Apart from the fact it was a great game of football, Erikson used substitutes in a meaningful way and Rooney didn’t get booked.

Saw Wallace and Gromit today. It was cracking.

I really must work out what I want to do with my life, let alone this weblog. I post about random unconnected events which sort of sums up my life these days.

Paul General