Category Archives: Sport

Sport and Money – Is it like oil and water?

I am starting to wonder if money in sport is like oil and water; they just don’t mix.

I am a sports nut, but lately I’ve found myself losing some of that enthusiasm.

Over the last couple of weeks, I haven’t been checking the overnight EPL scores before getting out of bed. That might not sound significant, but for someone who’s followed Arsenal for years, it says something. One of the joys of retirement has been being able to watch a game at any time.

The Premier League trophy on display at the Emirates 😍🏆 🔴 @Arsenal

Source: Instagram

I’ve lost my enthusiasm for the EPL

In recent weeks, I haven’t had those disturbed nights watching Arsenal play in the early hours. It’s not because they are the Premier League Champions; it’s because I’ve lost some interest in the competition, largely because of the Manchester City situation.

For years, the 115 charges against City have been in the back of my mind, and sometimes front and centre. I like many have questioned their ownership and, more broadly, whether football clubs should have ownership closely aligned with nation states. I’ve even joked about Arsenal being owned by a plucky billionaire, as though that somehow makes things a little more acceptable.

But since the independent commission reached its judgement in the Manchester City case, I’ve felt deflated. I’ve still watched Arsenal’s games live when the timing has suited, given I live in Australia, or caught up on the replays. I haven’t bothered to watch other teams. Continue reading →

The Bathurst 1000: You can’t take the Blue Oval out of me

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Badge "Ford" Oval

Source- rarespares.net.au

As the laps ticked away toward 161 in yesterday’s Bathurst 1000, I felt confident Anton De Pasquale would claim his first Bathurst crown in a Chevrolet Camaro. There were some rumblings about fuel that the commentators picked up on, but the team engineer played it cool, and the radio comms broadcast on TV were initially quite low-key about fuel saving, though they ramped up as the laps ticked by. A safety car late in the race seemed to alleviate the concerns, or so it seemed. Then, with victory all but guaranteed, disaster struck. De Pasquale’s car ran out of fuel on the final lap, and Brodie Kostecki swept past in his Dick Johnson Ford Mustang to take one of Bathurst’s most unlikely wins.

I was euphoric.

It reminded me of something the late Geoff Polites, a previous head of Ford Australia, said many years ago. Those of us of a certain age were born with either a Blue Oval for Ford or a Lion for General Motors Holden metaphorically tattooed on our backsides.

For me, it was always the Blue Oval. Continue reading →

Our renovation – My home gym

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Updating my home gym at our beach house was an important aspect of our renovation. In recent years fitness has become in my life. It wasn’t something I originally set out to make a major part of my routine. I’ve always done some form of excercise, but I don’t think it was truly part of my life, I just fitted it in.

That all changed  with a rather unflattering realisation while changing a car tyre. I went to get up from the footpath and struggled to keep my balance.

Something  wasn’t right. I was too young for this and something needed to change. I’d ridden bikes for years and, as I said earlier, I always considered myself reasonably active, but I wasn’t actually getting any fitter. In fact, my weight was gradually going up. This was even after I retired and I was no longer entertaining a few times a week. I was however not really watching my diet and I was having a glass of wine most nights. I was also struggling to keep up with my riding group.

Eventually my doctor made the fairly obvious observation that I could probably afford to shed a few kilos.

It was time to do something about it.

Continue reading →

The Long Wait Is Over: Reflections on Arsenal’s Title-Winning Season

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Source- Yahoo Sports

For an Arsenal supporter living in Australia, late nights and early mornings come with the territory. Yet without doubt, this has been the most stressful season I can remember following any team. That includes my lifelong support of Sturt in the SANFL and the Adelaide Crows in the AFL.

As I’ve written before, I can’t remember exactly why I became an Arsenal supporter. What I do know is that my support stretches back to my high school years in the early 1970s. Back then, following English football from Australia required patience.

Source – Retrosepcto.co.uK

The only way to keep up with results was through the classified sports results on the radio early on Sunday mornings or by reading The Advertiser a day or two later. The only live football we saw was the FA Cup Final and the European Cup Final. There was also a weekly highlights package from either the BBC or ITV—I honestly can’t remember which. Every week I eagerly waited for Shoot magazine to arrive. By the time it reached Australia by boat, the news was already weeks old, but it still provided that vital  connection to the club.

Towards the end of the 1980s, the occasional First Division match began appearing on Australian television, including the incredible final game of the 1988-89 season. Gradually, coverage improved until there was usually one match on television each week. Then came Pay TV, bringing regular access to the Premier League, along with other European leagues and competitions.

With improved coverage and a career spent working for an international professional services firm, my interest grew into what can only be described as a passion. Sometimes I wonder whether Arsenal has become my true favourite team, even ahead of the Adelaide Crows.

Years of watching matches in the middle of the night have helped me perfect what I call the “silent roar” — that moment when Arsenal score at three o’clock in the morning and celebrating too loudly would wake the entire household. Continue reading →

A footy fan -it’s better being there

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Early in The Showdown – 26 July 2025

Over the last 2 weeks I’ve had 2 quite contrasting football experiences. The first was last Saturday night, at what was one of the worst possible Adelaide nights. Very cold, windy and very wet, still The Showdown was on. Of course I went. Then last night when we were in Queensland to get away from the cold  where I watched the game on TV.

The Adelaide Crows have been ordinary at best for a number of years of years, but this year they are in very good form and are legitimate contenders for the AFL Premiership.

AFL Premiership table (Top 8)  – Adelaide are top – it’s mid round, so they could finish the weekend in second place.

For those not familiar with the AFL, The Showdown is the local derby between the 2 Adelaide teams, The Adelaide Crows and Port Adelaide Power. It’s an intense rivalry, that across the 58 meetings sees Adelaide on 30 wins and Port 28. Form has traditionally not necessarily dictated the winner, with the games always hard fought and often very close.

Continue reading →