'He nothing common did or mean'

 ‘He nothing common did or mean, upon that memorable scene’.

These words of Marvell came to mind, oddly enough whilst watching ‘Match of the Day’ when the news that Arsenal were celebrating their 125^th Anniversay with unveiling of statues of three famous former Arsenal servants, the latest of which turns out to be Thierry Henry.  Now I don’t deny that Henry was a magnificent subtle genius of a player to watch, but on reflection, there is just one action of his which overshadows his whole career:  the flagrant handball in the World Cup qualifier against Ireland.  It would have been so easy for Thierry to have gone to the referee and said, ‘Pardonnez-moi monsieur, mais j’ai touché le ballon avec ma main’ (or something slightly more idiomatic perhaps).  He would have been a hero of fair play throughout the world.  But he didn’t.  So – a statue – don’t be surprised if a little bit of IRA Semtex goes missing in Northeast London – seems inappropriate for the wider world of football on those grounds, outside London N5 at least.  Time lends enchantment to the view, but I would doubt if anybody could recall a similar event in the career of Bobby Moore.

A nice little quiz question came along this week, courtesy of the Daily Telegraph, and if you are with me so far, you might not have that much difficulty answering it:  Name the odd one out: a) Alex Ferguson, b) Michael Jackson, c) Billy Bremner, d) Stanley Matthews, e) Dennis Law.  For the answer read on.  It will appear sooner or later.

While on the topic, I will post below my Christmas Quiz.  Quite a lot of the questions are not mine – they are taken directly from the BBC’s Round Britain Quiz, but they are certainly clever and in some cases abstruse:

Christmas Quiz 2011

1)      Why are these a cosy little group?

a)      Definitely not a self publicist

b)      A U.S. National Cemetery

c)       A royal palace

d)      A much disliked Football club owner

e)      An American fort

2)       Can you connect Bunyan’s hero with a foul mouthed Hollywood outburst and the Mutiny on the Bounty?

3)       What stature is shared by the following?

a)      One half of a 1970s comedy duo

b)      A French international who played for Arsenal and Chelsea

c)       A famous psychiatrist

d)      An England fast bowler

4)      What or rather who is the link between:

a)      A vigilant group of GIs

b)      The phone number of a hotel in New York

c)       A small earthenware receptacle

d)      A streetcar interchange with the name of a dinner jacket

5)      An encounter that leads nowhere; a creature of limited versatility; a settlement without much excitement; the only movie Brando directed; and a machine that will almost certainly rob you.  What do they add up to?

6)      Who might your travelling companion be on a journey via a Russian river, an island in Florida, an historical Devon sporting venue, and another river, this time in Scotland; all ending up in Spain.

7)      Can you link a Badge of Courage, a tropical fever, and one half of a Rock band, and why would they give you a winning sporting combination?

8)       Why would a chemical additive, a choice of aperture on a camera, and an item of underwear form a sequence?

9)       Which is the odd one out and why?

a)      Sir Stanley Matthews

b)      Sir Alex Ferguson

c)       Billy Bremner

d)      Dennis Law

e)      Michael Jackson

10)   What do these people have in common?

a)      John Lennon

b)      Louis Armstrong

c)       Frederic Chopin

d)      George Best

e)      John Wayne

11)   Which of these women was in trouble in 2011?

a)      Jessica Palmer

b)      Annabel Newton

c)       Rebecca Loos

d)      Nafissatou Diallo

e)      Ekaterina Zatuliveter

And who was the other party or parties involved?

12)   a)    A vengeful catholic monarch

a)      A liberated glossy magazine

b)      A first rate bore

c)       A world beater

d)      A dam-busting pilot

Why could all of them leave you feeling a little light-headed?

My original intention when starting this blog was to write about my recent visit to Egypt – a country which every English child must feel they know all about, starting with the Seven Wonders of the World, then moving on to Geography and the Nile, and finally history and the study of the ancient Egyptians.  But I had never been there.  Now I have, and when in more reflective mood it deserves a post of its own.  So before posting some pictures illustrating our year and a few images of Egypt I will close and wish all a Happy Christmas.

And the answer to the football quiz is: Sir Alex Ferguson, but I will post answers at another time...