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Film Review : ‘The Great Escaper’.

Some films are guaranteed to take us on a bit of an emotional rollercoaster. They can sometimes be a tough watch, but still we put ourselves through it. While I wouldn’t describe ‘The Great Escaper’ quite this kind of film, I would say that it will make you smile, laugh and cry…possibly all at the same time!

Michael Caine and Glenda Jackson star as Bernie and Rene, war time sweethearts who made it through Bernie’s service during World War II before getting married and living their happily ever after. But the ravages of time catch up with all of us and now Rene is in a nursing home with Bernie still living with her after refusing to leave her side.

Based on a true story, the film is a love story with a twist. So yes, you’ll be heartened by Bernie and Rene’s devotion to each, before ‘The Great Escaper’ lives up to its name as ex-Royal Navy man Bernie sets off on one last mission to bury the ghosts of the past.

Bernie is determined to attend the celebrations for the 70th anniversary of D Day. So, when he can’t get a ticket for an organised tour, he sets off to France alone, with only Rene aware of his whereabouts. On his way there he’s befriended by Arthur, another veteran. Both have unfinished business in France and both are still haunted by their military past.

Touching on issues such as ageing and mental health, ‘The Great Escaper’ is a fantastically refreshing watch. Caine and Jackson are superb as Bernie and Rene and the film reveals a lot about the trauma, despair and heartache that veterans go through as well as the harsh realities of ageing. But there’s a light hearted side to the film too, as we will Bernie to make it out to France and then sit back, smile and enjoy his new found celebrity status upon his return.

If you enjoy a heart warming love story with a bit of a difference, then you’ll enjoy ‘The Great Escaper’ and if you have an interest in anything to do with World War II then it will also appeal. Overall, it’s a fascinating tale with a hearty serving of laughs thrown in too.

I give ‘The Great Escaper’

Gallowgate Cult Heroes number 24 – Scott Sellars.

In a time when we seem to value pace and athleticism ahead of ability at times, it’s nice to think back to footballers who didn’t rely on speed, strength or the odd trick here and there. It’s nice to remember a player who had a bit of craft on the ball and could always be relied on to find a team mate, however difficult the pass might look. Scott Sellars was one such player.

Sellars was well established as a player when he signed for Newcastle. He’d made close to 300 appearances for Leeds and Blackburn when he joined us for £600,000 in 1993, making him available for the final 13 games of the season as we pushed for promotion to the Premiership.

In a way Sellars, a left sided midfielder, was a typical Kevin Keegan signing. KK could see that this was a player who could undoubtedly land the ball on a sixpence, but also that he was perhaps a little under appreciated too. Those famous man management skills might just work wonders. With a wand of a left foot, Sellars struck a sweet dead ball, something we would find out in the most glorious of circumstances not long after he signed.

Sellars only scored 8 goals for Newcastle in 75 appearances across just over 2 seasons. However, one of them would go down in the folklore of the club. Not only did this goal pretty much tie up promotion, but it was the winner in the derby of 1993.

The conditions made the goal all the more beautiful. It was ‘hoying it doon’ that day and conditions made it difficult to keep your feet on a heavily waterlogged pitch. Newcastle had won a free kick just to the left of centre outside the D of the box. Sellars, Rob Lee, Paul Bracewell and Barry Venison were in discussion about what would happen before Venners moved away. Rob Lee made the dummy run over the ball and Bracewell – who’d been shielding the ball – moved before Sellars strode forward and curled a beauty over the right hand side of the wall and in at the far post, completely wrong-footing the mackem keeper, Tony Norman. I was there that day, soaked to the skin like everybody else, but the joy was unfounded on the terraces. What a goal!

Sellars would go on to help settle Keegan’s young side as they went into the Premier League. His experience was a help, but his quality was invaluable as we not only settled in, but climbed the table and challenged the best that the league had to offer. Newly promoted Newcastle would finish 3rd that season with Scott making 35 appearances in all, scoring 4 goals and contributing a fantastic 11 assists for the likes of Andy Cole and Peter Beardsley.

Injury would hamper Scott’s progress in the following season and he only made 19 appearances, scoring just the one goal. And it was a terrible cartilage injury that would help signal the end for him, coupled with the signing of David Ginola in July 1995. By December of that year Sellars was on his way to Bolton Wanderers for a fee of £750,000.

Scott established himself as one of Bolton’s stars, making 106 appearances over 4 seasons and contributing 15 goals and numerous assists. After Bolton he joined Huddersfield for a couple of years before winding down his playing career at Danish club AGF Aarhus and then Mansfield Town.

After retiring from playing, Scott carved out a successful career in coaching with the likes of Chesterfield and Manchester City before moving on to become the Head of Academy coaching and then Technical Director at Wolves. Nowadays he can be found as the Sporting Director at Al-Jazira in the UAE.

Middle Age Gigging – Flaming Lips at The Piece Hall, Halifax.

A gorgeous summer night in Calderdale sees the realisation of a bit of a musical dream of mine. I’ve wanted to see The Flaming Lips for ages, but circumstances have always gotten in the way until now. Suffice to say, as we park up and wander to the venue I’m more than a little bit excited for what’s about to happen.

The whole thing is almost a non starter though as we go through security. Regular readers will know that I’m fitted with a pacemaker, which also means no scanning at security. It’s usually no issue; just a word with the person in charge followed by a pat down. Tonight though, despite giving the usual pacemaker spiel and despite the security guys nods of understanding, when I put my arms up for a pat down, he starts to scan me instead! It briefly loiters over my pacemaker before I have to shout to make myself clear and am patted down! No damage done, but a definite numbness down my left arm and hand through the support act though! The perils of middle age gigging, eh?

I’m not too familiar with tonight’s support, The Beta Band and only have a vague awareness of their sound. However, their set tonight is a wonderful surprise. A multi instrumental, infectious pyschedelic groove for the whole time and a performance that will stay with me as well as giving me a kick up the arse into exploring that back catalogue. Stuart Murdoch is a brilliant frontman and the band are obviously enjoying themselves tonight. But to the casual observer like me, it’s the music that does the job with ‘Dry The Rain’ and ‘She’s The One’ really standing out. All in all, if I wasn’t sure at the start, I’m a total convert by the end of the set.

While the stage is being prepped for The Flaming Lips, there’s plenty of intrigue. I know that this will be a visual feast of a show, so spotting the giant balloons being stored behind the screen makes me smile. But then, there are a number of items being dragged onstage that pique my interest, several appearing to be huge pink tarpaulins which will delight everyone watching a short while later. There’s even a glimpse of singer Wayne Coyne waving from the side of the stage at one point, which helps to whet the appetite just a little bit more.

And then, there they are; no great fuss, but a visual treat alongside some truly excellent tunes – finally, The Flaming Lips!

Opener ‘The Stars Are So Big…I Am So Small…Do I Stand a Chance?’ eases us into tonight’s feast for the senses before fan favourite ‘Yoshimi Battles The Pink Robots Pt1 and Pt2’ hits and it feels like the whole place has been lifted off its feet by this bunch of blokes from Oklahoma. Before we know it there are four enormous inflatable pink robots dwarfing everything in sight while a giant singalong party ensues. If anyone needed a pick me up, the Lips seem intent on delivering.

In the trio of songs that follow, ‘The Spark That Bled’ stands out while the visuals continue at pace, making this already a memorable evening. Coyne is in good form, thankful for the sunshine, the venue and the crowd who he encourages to keep screaming their support throughout.

‘The Golden Path’ recorded in 2003 with the Chemical Brothers really picks up the pace before something quite remarkable happens. Introducing new song ‘Every Teardrop Cried’ Coyne breaks down in tears revealing that his older brother died a week ago and that he hasn’t been able to get home. What follows is a beautiful tearjerker of a song and I swear every member of the audience is just willing Coyne to get through it.

Then, shaking off the grief, the band rip through crowd favourite ‘She Don’t Use Jelly’ and the whole place is just a riot of colour, dancing and at the risk of sounding like a raging hippy…love. I’m not sure I’ve ever felt so relaxed at a gig.

A brilliant ‘Five Stop Mother Superior Rain’ is up next followed by a brilliantly timed ‘It’s Summertime’, the line ‘look outside, I know that you’ll recognise it’s summertime‘ really resonating just as the blue of the Halifax sky darkens and the lights and lasers shift up a gear. Wonderful stuff.

Coyne gives us the chance at some audience participation with a brilliant version of ‘The Yeah Yeah Yeah Song’ complete with giant balloons being flung into the crowd to add to the euphoria, before it’s left to the stunning ‘Do You Realise??’ to close the show. As the remaining balloons continue to be pinged left, right and centre we also have an inflatable rainbow onstage because, as you’d expect, the band always bring their own rainbow.

After a brief interlude the band come back onstage to a fabulous reception and fly through a brilliant version of Black Sabbath’s ‘War Pigs’ before closing the night with a truly rapturous ‘Race For The Prize’.

Tonight, with my son at my side for his first ever gig, I’ve fulfilled that musical dream sure enough, but The Flaming Lips have given us much, much more. Some superb music and an evening’s entertainment that will live long in the memory. I mean who else plays such euphoric tunes under their own rainbow? Who else could prompt a riotously friendly game of musical volleyball among a few thousand people in a Grade 1 listed Georgian Cloth Hall? And who else lends you a treasure like Wayne Coyne for an hour and a half, just so you can have a bit of a dance with a load of strangers and people on stage dressed as the sun?

At a time when almost everything seems to cause anger and disappointment, the world doesn’t know just how much it needs The Flaming Lips.

Always look on the bright side – 5 things that made me smile in June.

First thing’s first; that ‘5 things’ bit is a lie this month. It’s been a bumper month for reasons to smile, so with plenty to pack in, let’s get to it.

Year 11 left school. Christmas in school is great, as are the last days leading up to summer and Easter, but without doubt my favourite time of the year is when Year 11 leave! From a teaching standpoint my hard work is at its peak and I’ve done everything I can to get them ready for their exams, including before and after school sessions and two hour long pre exam classes, everything that happens in regular lessons and literally throwing more and more revision resources their way. So while they’re asking ‘Will you miss us, sir?’, I’m very vocal in telling them that I’ll be too busy enjoying some extra free time to get things done to actually give them any thought! Believe me, having no Year 11 form for half an hour each morning is bliss. And that’s before we get to lesson time! So, although there’s lots of assessment marking to fill my time, I’m still getting what would have been Year 11 lesson time to do it in.

The Leeds 10k. I’ve already written a piece on this (link below), but the fact that training went really well, I felt so relaxed running it and ran one of my fastest times of the year so far – slightly over 55 minutes – made me smile quite a bit!

The Leeds 10k 2026

Scotland fans fly 22 hours to get to the World Cup. This was a story from the BBC website about two Scotland fans who flew to Boston in their small propeller plane to get to see their nation play in the World Cup. It took them 22 hours, stopping in Iceland, Greenland and Canada along the way, to get there. They said, “It was the trip of a lifetime” and “It probably doesn’t get any better than that.” And then about a week later Scotland got knocked out. The dedication of football fans, eh? 😂

Mr. Swallow. Nick Mohammed’s character Mr. Swallow is probably one of my favourite fictional ‘people’. He’s hard to describe, but the words manic, chaotic and hilarious spring immediately to mind. Anyway, we went to see him on his ‘Show Pony’ tour in Leeds at the start of the month and it was easily one of the funniest things I’ve ever watched. And there’s nothing quite like laughter to make you feel positive. The link for my review is below, if you fancy it.

Comedy Review: Mr Swallow: ‘Show Pony’.

World Cup! The World Cup started and while I struggled to get into it too much due to the overnight kick off times in many matches, it didn’t take me too long to find myself sat in front of the telly avidly watching football as much as I could. As a lifelong football fan – and veteran of 11 World Cups now – I just love it. The stress and tension of a season watching my club side is vastly reduced and for the majority of the time I can just sit back and enjoy the games. Bliss!

Ducks! This was the story of two ducks and their ducklings that apparently have a favourite pub. The story goes that the two ducks – Donald and Daisy – had been heading to the pub to get fed, even resorting to pecking on the windows when nobody came out – for a couple of months. Now this is more than enough to make anyone smile. However, recently Daisy brought along her six newly born ducklings too! The pub is is South Shields, a coastal town in the North East and landlady Sinia Jawzi says that the ducks are “a huge part of the pub now”. I mean, if ducks going to the pub doesn’t make you smile I’m afraid we cannot possibly be friends!

Embrace…twice! This year marks 30 years of the band Embrace, a favourite of myself and my wife. And in May we were able to go and see them play twice in 5 days. The first gig was at a small venue in Barnsley as an album launch show for their new album Avalanche and it was superb. Afterwards the band manned the merch stall and we were lucky enough to get a few photos with them, as well as some signed merch. Then, on the Saturday, they headlined a huge show at the Piece Hall in Halifax. Once again, it was a truly memorable gig. Both gigs certainly gave me lots to smile about.

Sidecar riding dog. The final smile comes courtesy of a sidecar riding St. Bernard dog. Now you might be thinking, ‘that must be one helluva sidecar’ and you’d be right. The dog’s owner, Alan Valkeith, adapted the sidecar for his Honda Goldwing so that his St. Bernard, Louis, could ride around town with him. Apparently this extraordinary sight has been making people smile wherever they go. And you can see why when you look at the picture!

Now by my reckoning that’s a ‘five reasons’ episode with 8 reasons for a bit of a smile. Bargain! I really hope you enjoyed reading all about the things that made me smile in June!

Auf Wiedersehen, Kev.

I was already in love with Newcastle United when Kevin Keegan shocked the world and signed for us. And still as a 12-year-old I couldn’t comprehend why he was coming to St. James’ Park. I’d loved watching the likes of Micky Burns and Alan Shoulder play and now the England captain and former two time European Footballer of the Year had decided that he too was going to pull on the black and white striped shirt. My world – and that of an entire city – turned upside down.

It’s difficult to find the words to do Kevin justice. Difficult to focus through the tears and the memories too. But here goes.

I learned of the signing from the back page of someone else’s newspaper on a beach in Spain. I scrambled my way back up the beach to tell my dad who went across and asked to borrow said newspaper. It was like reading some kind of otherworldly fairytale. Things like this didn’t happen to my club. Needless to say, I couldn’t wait to get home.

Kevin Keegan changed Newcastle United in ways that none of us could ever have dreamed of. In fact, he revolutionised it. And in doing so he dragged the whole city with him. He was a force of nature and would continue to be so for the rest of his life as far as our football club and city was concerned. Countless people have said that Keegan just ‘got’ us, so it’s not original but, boy is it true. Kevin loved us and we loved him right back. He forged a lifelong connection that was felt by each and every one of us.

As a player he carried the club on his shoulders, dragging us back into the top division at a time when we’d been in what felt like a permanent state of flatlining. When he scored that goal on his debut and ended up practically throwing himself into the Gallowgate, even the most hard hearted couldn’t help but fall in love, even the most cynical began to believe again. Only when he returned as manager would we truly feel like that again.

Improbably, his first stint as manager was even better than his two years as a player. He saved the club from a fate that might have killed us off and then set about on a mission to make us the talking point of English football for the first time in a long, long time. While we won nothing, everyone of us will cherish the memories of that period for a lifetime. Once again Kevin gave us hope and pride and allowed us just to believe that our club and our city really mattered.

Even the second time around in the hotseat was exciting. Yes, he was hamstrung by those not fit to breath the same air, but it was simply incredible to have him back, if only for a brief period of time.

Kevin spent a long time defending us and giving the underdog a voice. From the early 80s all the way through to the modern day, he’s had our back. It’s a debt that could never be paid back, but one that he wouldn’t have expected even an ounce of thanks for.

The news of his passing will have shook every last one of us. It’s just incredibly sad. As others have said, Keegan was the best of us. So if you can, through the tears and the sadness, try and find just a little bit of time to celebrate that once upon a time he chose our club. He chose us. And how lucky were we?

Rest in Peace, KK, but most of all, thank you.

Middle Aged adventures in new music

Some of the fondest memories of my teenage years would have been spent hunting out music. A large proportion of that time would have been spent in record shops – shout out to Music Box in Blaydon who took much of my pocket money and wages in those formative years- and also perusing the music section of our local library, a source of many a gem that could be borrowed for a small sum.

Nowadays things are different for teenagers. A lot of the time there’s no need to set foot outside of the house to find music; music comes to them. Whether it’s via a video on social media or an algorithm on a streaming service that whispers in their ear, ‘I’ve heard what you like, have you heard this though?‘ it feels like things are a bit easier these days.

That’s not to say that I resent today’s youth. As I said, rifling through the shelves in record shops was something I found immensely enjoyable in my teenage years. There was something about the whole immersive experience that just dragged me back for more week in, week out. I’m sure lots of us would say the same.

While record shops and the local library were where I discovered the majority of the music that shaped me, my parents and older sister were another valuable source. My parent’s love of the likes of Elvis, The Beatles, Chuck Berry and Dionne Warwick is still with me to this day and it was my sister who awakened me to people like Luther Vandross and Alexander O’Neill. I learnt that it was ok to like things that my friends might not have deemed ‘cool’.

These days, as a father, the pattern is beginning to repeat itself as my son gets more and more into music. He’s been immersed in a lot of what we like and so has a healthy attachment to bands like Oasis, Embrace, Take That (we can blame Mrs C for that one) and The Bluetones as well as loads of what we now might refer to as old classics.

Recently though, he’s been telling me more about the music that he’s discovering. It’s great that he’s finding himself on the same kind of journey into music as I did at his age. At first, much to my delight, he’d mention bands like The Smiths and artists like Jeff Buckley, favourites of mine but not stuff that he’d been exposed to that much by me. But now, he’s begun to tell me more about new music, bands and artists that I’ve literally never heard of and I must admit that it’s made me curious. It’s great to see that he’s discovering new stuff and finding his own way. His headphones seem to have been surgically attached without my knowledge after all, so they may as well help him discover new music.

One night recently, after another music discussion, I got him to write a few recommendations down so that I could give them a go. And then I thought I’d tell you, dear reader, about what I found. I mean, any excuse for content, right?

He was very keen for me to listen to someone called Alex G. The name alone being a reminder of Kenny G, I wasn’t quite as enthusiastic. However, I clicked away until I found myself listening to the aforementioned Mr G. What I heard instantly reminded me of Elliot Smith, so a very high bar was set. Sadly though, young Alex failed to live up to Elliot’s standard. My notes included ‘sounds like he’s singing through a sock’ and ‘could he not work out how to end this?’ and after a few songs I just gave up. Not the start I’d wanted and not the result that my son wanted. He was genuinely disappointed to hear that I hadn’t enjoyed it.

I moved on to Dead Butterflies and their track ‘Embers’ which had been recommended as a starting point. I found it a bit dull, so moved on to a live version to try and find a spark of some kind. Here are my notes. ‘What’s the girl doing? Why is he crouching on the floor? They’re standing up again. She’s playing a trombone?! Ooh, he’s screaming. Really screaming. Has he fallen over? What’s with the weird handsy thing?’

I was beginning to think that my enlightenment may turn into more of just a plain mistake but I didn’t want to just sit there mocking people’s music. So I tried ‘Embers’ again and then another few tracks. There’s more screaming in ‘Ramona, the hurt’ and in the end it felt like while they might be trying too hard, they were a band to come back to. There was something in the obvious devotion of their fanbase on live tracks that suggested there’d be more than meets the eye – or ear – here.

The next suggestion was King Krule and as I typed that into the YouTube search bar I had no idea if the king was a band or an individual. What I did know is that someone involved can’t spell, which upset me a little as an English teacher. But I was here to focus on the music and the track I’d been told to listen to was ‘Baby Blue’. My instant response to what followed was simply, Babyshambles. The singer – who may or may not be King Krule – reminded me a lot of Pete Doherty. I could hear the influence of Jamie T in there too. The song seemed quite disparate; my notes mentioned timing and rhythm as well as the words ‘jazz interpretation’, but I felt that I wasn’t getting the best of his highness so I moved on. Thankfully, it got better. I discovered King Krule at Glastonbury and on Letterman and while I kept getting Pavement vibes, the song Easy Easy reminded me a little bit of The Jam, which could only ever be a good thing.

Next up was MF Angel and I must admit, I expected much more. In the end my notes just read, ‘quite melodic, but could you speak up a bit?’ Safe to say I’m not going to be a devotee.

My new music quest was coming to an end. I’d been asked to have a listen to Modern Baseball and already there was a positive with the name. They’re what I’d call a traditional American indie band and there were definitely hints of The Pixies and Pavement to be heard. Ben Kweller sprung to mind too. I listened to ‘Re-do’, ‘Tears Over Beers’ and then ‘The Weekend’ and I have to admit that I liked what I heard. It all seemed tuneful and there was an enthusiasm that was quite engaging too. A lyric from ‘The Weekend’ stuck in my head and there hadn’t been many of those in the experiment.

“You got a smile that could light this town and we might need it, cause it gets dark around here, real dark around here”.

Proof that while I might not enjoy so much of the modern music I get to hear, the art of song writing definitely didn’t die out just yet.

So what conclusions can I form about new music? Well, essentially not many, really. I mean I was fishing in a small pool, after all. But there have been glimmers of hope in what I’d listened to, most notably with Modern Baseball. And there were others I’d revisit. And I think that was the point here. Things need a chance. It took me ages to get the point of bands like The White Stripes and there are many bands and artists that I rejected in my teens and early twenties that I’d happily listen to now. Furthermore, is it just that I’m the problem here? Is being a middle aged man an actual impediment when it comes to listening to music that is being aimed at people 30 something years younger.

I’ll head back to artists like Modern Baseball and King Krule. Others have made me curious too. There’s a band called Mom Jeans and I just love the name so will definitely have to give them a try. And so, armed with more suggestions from my new music guru – my son – I’ll be heading back into the unknown sometime soon. And I’ll be sure to update you on episode 2.

Bruno: Say it ain’t so!

After a certain Swedish drama queen left you feared it wouldn’t end there. And it didn’t. After a particularly poor season ended without European qualification, the fear deepened. Sure enough, Anthony Gordon took a seat on our bench and some weeks later reappeared as a Barcelona player. Next came Sandro Tonali, who fell for the bright lights of London that came with a frankly ludicrous salary from a club who seem to have doubled down on 17th place finishes. But when rumours about Bruno Guimaraes began to bubble up you just felt they couldn’t be true. Those others, of course. But not Bruno. Never Bruno.

I write this in search of balance, for myself as much as the rest of us. Of course everyone will have an opinion and you can’t deny them that. Some will feel betrayed and wish terrible fortune on Bruno. Others will understand and thank him for what he achieved here. All will feel at least a little bit hurt.

For what it’s worth, I desperately don’t want Bruno to leave. Not only is he our captain and most important player, he’s the talisman for the whole club. However, I think I at least understand his reasoning for feeling like he needs the move. The chance to move on and play at the very top level must be tempting and if you’ve any kind of ambition in life, it’s what you want. If you fancy yourself as a top player then I imagine you want to win more than a Carabao Cup. At the moment, and for the foreseeable future, we’re not dining at the top table with even European qualification evading us.

On the other hand, Bruno was well and truly a part of last season’s 12th place finish. He was the captain of the team that failed to gain even a Europa Conference League spot. And while it would be churlish to deny that he was easily our best player last season, he was still a major influence over the team and their underwhelming performance. They failed together; no one really came out with a great deal of credit. So, to now suddenly be pining for Arsenal feels wrong.

So would we be more comfortable if Bruno was to join another club that have been credited with an interest, like Real Madrid? Me personally, yes. I wouldn’t like it any more, but I’d understand. Certain Premier League clubs cherry picking the best talent at other Premier League clubs doesn’t sit well with me and if ambition is behind Bruno wanting to move then there’s not much more ambition than heading to a club like Madrid. To come out and say that he wants to move to Arsenal – if he’s said that – feels like nothing short of a betrayal.

These days loyalty seems to come in bite sized chunks. One club men are hard to find. Bruno has apparently said that he doesn’t want to tarnish his legacy at the club. Well, that’s easily done. Stay. Be loyal. Stay and build on that legacy. With the team in transition and seemingly bedding in new young, hungry talent, stay and guide them through. Furthermore, stay because the fans, the city and the region have put you – and your family – on a pedestal for the last 4 years. Acknowledging that and staying; that’s the stuff of legacy and legend at a club like ours.

It’s clear that the club need to react to this news. If we’re serious about not selling Bruno and we really want him to stay, then a new contract will be offered and offered quickly. Surely that’s what a proper football club does? Surely that’s what a football club who see themselves as “being in the debate about being the top club in the world” by 2030 does? Over to you David Hopkinson.

Personally, I’d be devastated if Bruno Guimaraes leaves. Like many other Newcastle fans, he’s a player that I love watching in the black and white stripes. I’m certainly not the first to say that he’s one of those rarities who just ‘gets it’. And that’s what makes this news all the more devastating. It’s felt like Bruno has embraced us as much as we’ve embraced him. His words after the Carabao Cup win embodied that. “The fans deserve everything…people have died, people have grown up and they’ve not seen Newcastle as champions.” Maybe we deserve for him to stay, whoever that’s down to.

As a fan I’ve watched any number of heroes leave. Waddle, then Beardsley, then Gascoigne hurt. Keegan leaving hurt. Andy Cole, Les Ferdinand and plenty of others too. But we survived. If ever there was a ‘trust the process moment’, it’s now. But does the process battle to keep hold of its captain, leader and legend or does the process bow to the inevitable, hold out for the best price possible and attempt to replace one of modern day Newcastle United’s most influential and popular players? I know which I’d choose.

Big Dan Burn – from Asda to the Azteca!

I’d had an afternoon nap and tried to squeeze some sleep in beforehand, but despite my efforts, I still must have dropped off very briefly while watching the England game earlier this morning. And I missed a real moment as a result.

Newcastle United’s Dan Burn was subbed on in the 75th minute with England leading 2-3, down to 10 men and firmly under the cosh. Imagine my surprise to only learn of this in about the 78th minute when my eyes snapped back open and I heard his name. Blinking my way into some sort of consciousness I stared at the screen and there he was making a clearance. Dan Burn had finally and firmly arrived at the World Cup.

My immediate thoughts were just the hopes that he didn’t do anything silly and be responsible for conceding an equaliser. But, despite a slight early error when he kind of hung a heel at a cross and missed, he grew into the game. In fact, he adapted really quickly given the conditions and the situation he’d found himself thrown into.

Mexico threw everything they had at England in the last 15 minutes of the 90 and then threw a fair bit more in the 11 added on. At times it felt like every cross was met by Big Dan and every shot blocked by him too. The boy from Blyth was an absolute colossus. In fact, in only 26 minutes on the pitch he made 6 clearances; the joint most on the field. This was also the most clearances made by a player subbed on as late as he was in any World Cup since 1966. Given the fact that these were his first minutes of the whole World Cup, his contributions were absolutely crucial.

There was a header followed by an outstanding block on the left side of our box very late on when I thought we were about to concede an equaliser, but Big Dan was there, throwing his body on the line. Many have mocked his inclusion in the squad, but I bet they were glad of him in those last 26 minutes.

For the lad who once collected trollies in Asda and played for Darlington, Yeovil and Wigan earlier on in his career this was another incredible high in an incredible journey. Next up, it’s Haaland and Norway in Miami on Saturday. Might we see more of Big Dan? I hope so.

As England leave Mexico City, the locals have learnt a crucial lesson. ‘Es de Blyth. Nunca, jamás, superarás a Dan Burn.’

Always look on the bright side: Five things that made me smile in May.

Another month and another attempt at finding the odd little things that bring an unexpected sliver of happiness into my life. And of course happiness is always a good thing to keep topped up! So here’s what I found last month. I hope it makes you smile too!

Welsh nans befriend wrestler. No, you read that right. This is the story of a group of Welsh grandmas who ended up becoming friends with a wrestler after sharing a flight with him. The group were heading to Las Vegas to scatter the ashes of one of their husbands and were initially fuming with the wrestler who was sat in what they believed to be one of their seats on the plane. But after discovering that this was their mistake one of the nans struck up a conversation with the wrestler, DeReiss Gordon. This in turn led to an invite to his bout at Wrestlemania in Vegas and a continuation of the friendship once they returned to Wales as DeReiss has now invited the group to a show in London. In a month where I was approaching the end of another gruelling half term, the unlikely nature of this friendship just really stood out for me!

Mani’s Mural. For anyone who doesn’t know, Mani – Gary Mountfield – was the bass player in The Stone Roses, a band who changed my life. Mani died last November and it was a real shock. Another one of my musical heroes gone, but this one being someone who it felt like I grew up with. However, when news of the completion of a mural for him broke last month, it just really made me smile. I’m a big fan of this kind of thing anyway, but seeing Mani’s beaming smile on the side of one of his favourite Manchester pubs just felt really fitting and a really happy thing to happen.

Year 7 and Year 10 speeches. I’ve always felt lucky to be a teacher. And not just for the holidays. I work with a lot of vulnerable children and sometimes just to help them through a tough day is enough to raise a smile eventually. However, in May two of my groups had to do speeches in class, which I think is a tough gig for anyone, really. My Year 10 group are the nurture group so the name might give a hint about their vulnerability. And my Year 7 group has some really quiet kids in there too. So, I was concerned for them having to perform speeches. Year 7 were defending Shakespearean villains, while Year 10 had to speak about something issue based, like whether AI is a good thing for instance. Across both groups some shook, some stuttered, some giggled, some were barely audible, some looked on the verge of tears, while others appeared full of confidence and performed really well. Two particularly shy boys in my Year 7s made me smile; one got up and spoke eloquently for over 3 minutes about Richard III, belying his fear, while the other struggled to read his own writing and needed me to stand up at the front with him just to get through. But their pride and relief was palpable and a joy to see. Meanwhile in Year 10, where their efforts were filmed for the exam board, it was a similar story, but at the same time an absolute triumph. Some of them only managed 30 odd seconds, but others gave it a real go and having taught them for two years now, I was just really, really proud of them.

Unofficial Landmarks. This was the story about stuff in certain cities that had become almost unofficial landmarks because the residents had just fallen in love with them over the years. So there were purple wheelie bins in Liverpool, a cone on the head of the Duke of Wellington’s statue in Glasgow, the Headington Shark in Oxford, a vampire rabbit gargoyle in my home city of Newcastle, a Big Fish in Belfast and the Big Apple (kiosk) near Mumbles Pier in Swansea. I loved them. You can judge for yourself below.

The sun! In one of the most unpredictable turn of events ever, the sun came out just as we were breaking up for half term! This meant that we had 7 days of lovely warm weather. A veritable heat wave and in a half term where all I really wanted to do was rest and relax, that’s what we did. Sometimes, you simply can’t beat lazing about in the garden, reading in the heat!

So, another month with another few reasons to crack a smile. Those little moments of joy are always there; you just have to look!

The Leeds 10k 2026

I’m experiencing a rare feeling of quiet optimism as I get to the start line of this year’s Leeds 10k. For once, training has gone surprisingly well and I’ve not been plagued with colds or illness of any kind. No aches or pains of any consequence and no injuries. I am however still fully aware of my age, my heart and my body, so while I’m relaxed as we wait to get going, I’m not kidding myself about my capabilities!

Once we get going, having practically crawled our way through the start, it doesn’t take me long to realise that I feel really relaxed. I’m keeping an eye on my pace and fully aware that I’m probably caught up in the atmosphere and running a little bit too quick, but it doesn’t feel bad at all. Sure enough, my first mile is done in a decent time. I’m not quite in James Brown form at this stage, but I feel good!

Our next stage is a little more uphill and I know I’ve slowed down, but it’s not significantly so. I still feel relaxed and continue to do so for the next couple of miles too.

Up to this point there has been plenty of support out on the course, which is always the case. Leeds is a big, friendly run and people make an effort to come out and offer lots of encouragement. So while for miles 2-3 there’s someone running with a speaker playing Maroon 5 amongst other abominations, there are plenty of spectators out calling out names, offering us high fives and just generally being lovely.

There’s also a bloke running near me at this point who seems to think it’s his job to motivate us – shouting stuff like ‘Get your breathing back, NOW!’ and warning us when there’s a photographer near for some reason. I stay relaxed but can genuinely say that I find this kind of thing really off-putting. Mate, my breathing’s ok, cheers and I genuinely don’t care if someone takes my photo and I look like I’m putting a bit of effort into running. Stop shouting!

Before you turn for ‘home’, so to speak, there’s a big hill to run up. Living where I live, I’m used to hills but usually still find them hard in a race. Today feels different though and while I don’t charge up it, it’s only in the last 20 yards or so where I’m really slowing down. And the bonus is, we get to run back down it on the other side of the road.

At this point I notice that the 55 minute pacers are climbing the hill while I’m descending, but for the first time in the run I’m aware of them and know that I have to keep going to stay ahead of them.

The last three miles or so are spent mainly on Meanwood Road, which is largely just a straight run. It’s pretty much a steady downhill as well; something I didn’t really realise until afterwards when I saw the elevation of the route on a map! I’m content just to keep going at the same pace while keeping an eye on my watch knowing that I there are two hills to come on the way into Leeds and that these would definitely slow me down. I still feel fairly relaxed and strong though.

It’s the final hill that gets me though! It comes more or less straight after the first one on the approach to Leeds and by that point my legs are struggling. Having got to the top I then get a little confused as to exactly what’s left, thinking that the finish is round one corner when in fact it’s the next one. At this point someone shouts out, ‘Don’t let those pacers catch you’ and I know that those 55 minute pacers can’t be far behind. It’s definitely time to kick on!

My kids are waiting just above the finish and it’s fantastic to see them, but by this point I’m fighting, knowing that the seconds are ticking down and that it would be touch and go to get in under 55 minutes. And in the end, despite as much of a sprint finish as I could muster, I missed out by 15 seconds, finishing in 55 minutes and 14 seconds. Damn those last couple of hills!

As will happen at the end of a race, I cramp up quite quickly in my calves and hamstrings so it’s just a case of finding some space for a bit of a stretch before keeping moving in order to collect a well earned goody bag, medal and t-shirt. Whatever age I get to and however many runs I manage to complete, I’ll never tire of a medal and a t-shirt!

After that it’s just a case of heading up to Millennium Square to meet my kids where, despite now being 19, my daughter charges across the square screaming and gives me a huge hug, followed by more muted congratulations from my son. Both knock the medal and t-shirt down into 2nd and 3rd place respectively in my list of rewards.

A few days later and I still can’t get those rogue 15 seconds out of my head. Don’t get me wrong, I’m pleased with my time. But the competitive side of me still wants to be running faster! Luckily, there’s always a next time. So for now it’s a case of keeping on training until my next race in October.