Life on Mars

Events this weekend have reminded me of the capacity of history to repeat itself. The sacking of Nigel Clough as manager of Derby County came nigh on 40 years to the day after his late father Brian suffered the same fate at the same club. Brian was a one off. He never received the recognition he fully deserved mainly due to his unparalleled ability to speak his mind irrespective of what his audience thought or felt. After losing a European Cup semi final against Juventus, he declined to give an interview to the waiting Italian reporters in a manner which only he could have achieved. "No cheating bastards do I talk to". He went on to question the courage of the Italians in the Second World War. We certainly have some characters in modern day football management but not a patch on the dear departed Brian. That season, Manchester United achieved the impossible and had their first taste of relegation in 28 years. Their side had aged and players such as George Best were a mere shadow of their former selves. Then as now, a long serving Scottish manager had been replaced by a new Scottish manager with disappointing results. The fan base and financial income could not save them and their time in the wilderness would last until the 1990s. As the saying goes, "the bigger they are, the harder they fall". It was 30 years ago that the "dream ticket" of Neil Kinnock and Roy Hattersley was elected to revive the fortunes of the Labour party. Another false dawn ensued in which the elections of 1987 and 1992 were taken by the Tories. For all his oratorial bluster, Kinnock failed where it mattered. He never connected with the electorate and never quite achieved the political change needed to take the Labour party forwards. That job fell to Blair and he will best be remembered as the man who took us in to Iraq under false pretences. We have just spent a lovely day in weather which would not have disgraced any of our summer months. This has been one of the most memorable summers and it leaves me wondering how long it will be before we get another to match it? The climate debate persuades me that it shouldn't be too long but that a cost will have to be paid. Interesting times but the winter will be no less cold and so the coal bunker and wood shed are at the ready for when reality chooses to revisit out days of summer. Even the bad times are good...