TT BLOG

Clive Hayward – @Byehorse

Are You Enjoying the Euros?

It’s that time of year again. A big, summer soccer tournament and three games a day in the group stages. UEFA, in their wisdom, have again decreed that it will take a fortnight of wall to wall games to whittle 24 teams down to 16. With games kicking off at 2pm, 5pm and 8pm most days there’s no shortage of action. It’s been entertaining so far, with few shocks. I think you’ll need to beat France to win it. Barring an earthquake, England’s 1-0 win over Serbia on Sunday night will get them through to the knockouts. I think we look much better with the ball than without it and I fear for us defensively, but who knows? Maybe this is the year when the hard luck stories end and Lewis Dunk finally gets his knighthood!

I’ve enjoyed most of it so far, but some matches are passing me by a bit. This isn’t because of dull tactics or football fatigue. I’m actually spending too much time on my phone and too little watching the game. WhatsApp and Twitter are great for connecting people, but sometimes it’s like standing on the Popside for 90 minutes chatting nonsense to friends rather than experiencing the game properly. So I’m going to try to put the Samsung away.

One exception to this will definitely be when Christina the AI Robot Ref makes her appearances on ITV. Without exception so far I have found her explanations of the ever more weird and wonderful interpretations of the laws of the game to be patronising, perverse and impenetrable. It’s a shame, because VAR seems generally to have been used well so far, with decisions being made quickly enough to keep games flowing.

I’m pleased to say that I am sitting pretty in third place in the family predictions league. We use the BBC Sport format beloved of Mark Lawrenson and his even grumpier successor Chris Sutton. 40 points for a correct score-line, 10 for a correct result. Predictably, given my wealth of experience and half-decent record over the last few years I am lagging behind my son and my wife. There are no other competitors, so it’s going to be a podium finish come what may!

Hey Jude!

Predictably perhaps for a recent Champions League winner, Jude Bellingham ran the show for England on Sunday. At 20 he looks utterly at home on the international stage. He can run, pass, surge, tackle, organise and he scores goals. We’re very lucky to have him.

How Torquay would have loved to get Arkell Jude-Boyd back on board for the new campaign, but we discovered this week it’s not to be. It was always a pipe dream of course. He has signed for Gary Johnson at Cheltenham Town. He will be an asset to them and although many of us are- let’s be honest- hoping the Johnson and Downes Show doesn’t recapture past glories I hope he progresses well in a career which shows great promise.

What’s New Pussycat?

Tom Jones graced Plymouth Hoe in the rain last Friday night. The old boy is still going strong. This Tuesday a few of us- also no spring chickens- continued our spirited attempts to get Steps back to their former glories. Tonight’s squad was Dave, Phil, Christine, Nick and I. We scraped and brushed ourselves to a standstill, all the while marvelling at how fast the green, green grass of home has grown over the last 10 days. From resembling the Sahara when the sand was spread, there are now green shoots of recovery all over the Plainmoor pitch.

The annual miracle is happening- It’s Not Unusual- and by the time our new heroes run out for the first preseason friendly the playing surface looks set to be immaculate. Tonight we finished scraping the Bristow’s steps and did most of the Babbacombe End, and it’s going to be a very odd feeling listening to the “stay off the yellow steps” announcements next season knowing we’ve played a part in renovating them!

The work continues.