Zagreb from the Old Town
Zagreb is quite a quiet place, as far as capital cities go. But it is a lovely place, especially the uphill Old Town. This view of the more modern city centre was taken from the top of the city’s funicular.
Like this:
Marakana in January
I somewhat foolishly (from a football fan’s perspective) elected to visit the Balkans during their winter break, so was unable to go to any matches in either Belgrade or Zagreb. I did, however, visit the Crvena Zvezda museum, which was fantastic. The Marakana is a brilliant-looking stadium, inside and out. I definitely plan to return when its atmosphere is a little hotter.
Review: Iceage (Corsica Studios, London, 06/12/2011)
Punk rock has become utterly boring – a race to the bottom between hyper-clinical easy-bake musical mannequins who think that the word “tattoo” is Maori for “personality” and (shudder) over-whimsical ADHD kids who probably eat their own all-the-colours-of-the-rainbow Skittle vomit.
Copenhagen’s Iceage are, I believe, recently-anointed Pitchfork darlings. The only thing more boring than modern punk rock is a Pitchfork darling.
Some thoughts on the summer transfer window
Arsenal are weaker
Arsenal went into the summer needing an injection of experience, leadership and physical power. They wake up on September 1st with some of those things, but shorn of two of their three vital creative players.
Firstly, the signings. Gervinho had a very good season at Lille, helping them to win the French Championship. His arrival in England has been something of a rude awakening, but he’ll add goals from out wide and direct running with more of an end product than Theo Walcott is likely to provide (not to mention a terrible haircut to rival Bacary Sagna’s). Per Mertesacker adds experience and a physical presence to the side. There is the chance that he could be found out for pace, and Werder Bremen have not been known for defensive solidarity in recent years, but he should make a good foil for the excellent Thomas Vermaelen.
New Music by Region 1–6: Manchester
Until very recently I wrote for the very enjoyable music website The 405. As a part of that I worked as the Manchester correspondent for the New Music by Region series (despite not having lived in Manchester since last year). Here are my six contributions:
Name: Well Wisher – ‘Babe Issues’
Website: Bandcamp
Coming across as the bastard offspring of emo legends Braid, early Minus The Bear and Brit darlings Dananananaykroyd (albeit with a singer who sounds like “Robert Smith with a bit of a sniffle”), Well Wisher are the current darlings of Manchester’s DIY indie-punk scene. They’ve just self-released a split 7″ with Canadians Polina, but the band’s true selling point is their live show. Expect human pyramids, lots of twitching, gyrating limbs, and impenetrable in-jokes told in impossibly northern accents.
Like this:
New Balance: What to expect from Liverpool FC in 2011-12
If Liverpool’s 2010-11 season could have been described as bi-polar, then the team managed a similar feat within a single game against Sunderland on Saturday. In the first half at Anfield the team – boosted by the unexpected early return of Luis Suarez – were purposeful and dynamic; Andy Carroll had arguably his best half of football in a red shirt, Stewart Downing looked direct and menacing, and Suarez was, well, Suarez. New boys Jose Enrique, Jordan Henderson and Charlie Adam all went about their jobs with a quiet effectiveness.
But for a combination of poor refereeing and Suarez’s missed penalty, Liverpool would have been home and hosed at half-time and the club’s fans would be discussing a strong early season statement of intent. As things would turn out though, all discussion after the match focused on a second half performance as slack and fatigued as the first half had been sharp and purposeful.
Marcelo Bielsa: The New Raynald Denoueix?
Originally published by In Bed With Maradona.
The arrival of a certain Argentine in the Basque country has millions drooling in anticipation. Chris McDonald is here to tell you why.
One of my favourite sides of the 21st century so far have been French coach Raynald Denoueix’s Real Sociedad team of 2002-03, who pushed Real Madrid to the last weekend of the season in the race for the La Liga title. That season the Basque club surprised all of Spain – not only with their league performance, having previously been relegation fodder, but with their brave attacking football. And though they ultimately fell short of the last great side of the original Galáctico era, the team of Kovačević, Nihat, De Pedro, Karpin and Xabi Alonso is fondly remembered, having remained unbeaten at the Anoeta all season (seeing off Madrid and Barcelona 4-2 and 2-1 respectively).
Review: Bon Iver – Bon Iver
Man gets girl. Man loses girl. Man cries off to a cabin in the woods and writes songs about girl. Songs make man famous. Man follows songs up with… Oh, it would have been so easy to do – feign the agony despite a life now sans heartbreak (one presumes). And why wouldn’t you? Misery can be a default mode for many people. Misery loves company. More than anything, misery sells – just ask that dude from Staind.
Justin Vernon, aka man in the cabin, aka Bon Iver, has decided to do something different. He famously wrote and recorded For Emma, Forever Ago as a kind of deep-winter Wisconsin therapy session, only to emerge blinking into the outside world to discover that everyone wanted a piece of his melancholy torpor. For Emma was an unforeseen success, propelled by the single ‘Skinny Love’. The record’s plaintive acoustic songs of sorrow hitting home with just about anyone who had ever loved and lost (so, basically, everyone).
Like this:
Liverpool FC: End of Season Assessment
Originally published by the North Wales Daily Post.
The tactical challenges facing Liverpool FC and how Kenny Dalglish can overcome them
THE sporting commentariat are often fond of cliché, and in football there is no phrase more well-worn than the one about it being a game of two halves.
But in Liverpool’s case, the 2010-11 season truly was bi-polar. The club’s renaissance under Kenny Dalglish, following a grim six months with Roy Hodgson at the helm, has seen the side tighten up defensively while at times playing some wonderfully free-flowing passing football.
Tactically the key has been the team’s rediscovery of the art of pressing off the ball, while instilling the confidence into players to keep the ball in all areas of the pitch, rather than just looking for longer forward passes.
Review: Thor
Director: Kenneth Branagh
Release Date: 27/04/2011
Link: IMDB
Here are some things I have been known to enjoy:
- Marvel Comics (and film adaptations of)
- Natalie Portman
- Stringer Bell
- Norse mythology (not that I know much about it, but it seems bloody and cool)
So naturally, I’m thinking that Kenneth Branagh graduating from directing kid’s stuff like Shakespeare’s Hamlet to Marvel’s Thor – essentially a more grown-up version of the former, starring Natalie Portman and Stringer Bell (aka British actor and post-Wire taste-averter Idris Elba) – is going to be a good time for one and all.
