PHILINFRANCE

A comment in the BBC commentary that Everton can take one positive from their current position; Frank Lampard has experience of managing in the Championship ?. Personally, however, I think I would prefer Burnley to escape at Leeds’ expense - I think Everton will be safe anyway, given their games in hand.

Best Wishes for your wife, obviously, and I remember your account of your elderly parents in Australia when you were unable to visit due to the COVID travel restrictions so I hope all turns out as well as it can. It is at moments like your wife’s current predicament that one appreciates the French health system - an urgent medical intervention just one week after a specialist appointment. Good Luck

Phew. Daily Quordle #42 quordle.com ? ? ?? ??? ?? ? ????? ??? ??? ????? ?? ? ??? ? ????? ? ? ? ?? ???? ?????

I'm not really sure why I made such a choice on my fourth line. Wordle 261 5/6 ??? ??? ???? ?????

A relief of sorts. When I read that he had ordered two Thai masseuses earlier that afternoon, I feared some quite awful revelations were going to materialise.

Unfortunate, but from what I read on here, it seems likely the cubicles that might have enabled you to relieve yourself were occupied by some with other needs.

I didn’t know that, but, in a way, I am quite relieved. My first thoughts were that it was quite poorly written, but I was shocked when he referred to Trent Bridge as being the venue for his ‘ball of the Century’.

An interesting read, especially when he refers to lying on his bed before his Trent Bridge debut, before strolling out the next day to bowl Mike Gatting with his first ball in International Cricket. He writes that he knew greatness was in the offing, and he deserves praise indeed for travelling so rapidly from Trent Bridge to Old Trafford, for it was in that Lancashire heartland that he bowled what is often referred to as the 'Ball of the Century'.

Obviously, I had to look it up and now understand we are skint. Every day’s a school day.

Wordle 260 4/6 ? ?? ?? ????? Now off to try Quordle, but I think I shall give Octordle a miss. Ah, it looks like the Quordle I did last night/early this morning was today's edition. I shall have to wait.

Sort of my point when I was questioning whether Shane Warne should be considered as 'the best', for it is perhaps difficult to define 'Best'. With more than 100 First Class Centuries to his name, including 22 in Tests, Sir Geoffrey Boycott must rank as one of, if not the best, England batsmen over the last 50 years, idem Sir Alastair Cook, although, apart from the cricketing purists, neither were likely to attract the crowds or were particularly exciting to watch. As you say, Murali has better statistics than Warne, ergo was a better bowler (local bowling conditions notwithstanding), although I know who I would prefer to watch. As for a combination of cricketing skill, excitement and charisma, Shane Warne was certainly up there with the best of them.

Daily Quordle #41 quordle.com ?? ??? ????? ? ? ???? ????? ?? ?? ?? ? ?? ??? ? ????? ?? ? ??? ????? Off to bed.

Wordle 260 3/6 ? ??? ????? A fortunate second line.

So, you’re calling me an old fogey ?. Whilst, Sobers aside, I could probably propose quite a few candidates for ‘greatest player’, even our own Sir Ian Botham, but their achievements were based on a general period of time, Botham’s Headingley Test aside. When I think of magical moments, however, the first examples that come to mind would be SW’s ball that dismissed Mike Gatting, but also the snorter that bowled Andrew Strauss; moments that made me say ‘Wow’. A massive six is great, but quickly forgotten, whereas I can still picture those two balls years later.

Crazy, but who were the two boxers?

I am not sure he was the greatest player of the last few generations, putting aside local and National bias, my choice (during my time of watching) would probably be Sir Garfield Sobers, but he was certainly one of the most charismatic.

But, apparently, the games were shown in Russia. I can imagine that went down very well, with stadiums bedecked in blue and yellow, players wearing blue and yellow armbands etc. I don’t foresee that continuing for much longer.

You may also recall their vile racist chants and behaviour when they came over here to play PSG in a Champions League match. They prevented a black man from entering a carriage on the Métro and sang about how proud they were to be racist. You might imagine how proud I felt the following day when discussing the incident with my French friends and colleagues. I watch quite a lot of German football (on German TV) and was never impressed by Tuchel, quite the opposite in fact. I even used to wonder how Jürgen Klopp thought about his protégé’s antics, both on and off the pitch. Since he has arrived at Chelsea, however, his whole persona seems to have changed (for the better). He is still very animated on the pitch - nothing wrong with that - but appears very warm and thoughtful when interviewed. I felt extremely sorry for him earlier in the week when he was facing quite ludicrous media questions on his thoughts about RA, sanctions and Russia/Ukraine, and thought he handled himself very well indeed.

I know you did, it was just a cheap ‘humorous’ retort.

I am not sure why you are knocking Matty Taylor, he scored again today ?.

Daily Quordle #40 ? quordle.com ??? ? ??? ? ??? ????? ?? ? ? ?? ????? ? ?? ? ? ?? ? ? ? ?? ???? ? ????? ??? I tried to rush it in time for the football.

Wordle 259 4/6 ?? ??? ??? ????? Got there eventually. Now for Quordle.

And that was the whole point about the way we (England) treated the legendary Shane Warne, the archetypal pantomime villain. I remember his dismissal of Mike Gatting very well: I had just come home and sat down with my father to watch a bit of cricket and have a casual sort of father/son chat. Neither of us was paying particular attention to the cricket, but then there was that bowl, and Wow. We were both speechless, and in awe of this new, unknown bowler - I was later to find out that I had seen him some years previously playing at Downend Cricket Club, although I really can’t remember him.

I suppose I should also add that, though he was a good and long serving player, I still resent that he became recognised as our player with most appearances (due to some dubious sub appearances - can you feel my bitterness?) over the player who, in my opinion, should have never lost that accolade.

Unfortunate that you felt it necessary to make that comment, but I thought the same and agree with you entirely.