NOT ALL SUPERHEROES wear capes. Some are dressed in a smelly dressing gown, a pair of odd socks and a string vest that wouldn’t look out of place in Rab C Nesbitt’s wardrobe.
Way back in the distant past – otherwise known as February 2020, someone in this sort of attire may have been considered a slob as they scrolled through their phone for an afternoon or two, disappearing every now and then to help themselves to a packet of crisps from their secret stash next to the washing powder.
Well not anymore. By staying at home and being a couch potato, your actions – or rather, your inactions – are saving lives. Be proud of that, as you apologise to the kids for not playing yet another game of Connect Four because you have (cough) work to do.
This is a scary time for all of us. It’s over two weeks now since you last watched some decent sport and there are only so many unfunny Liveblogs of 20-year-old matches any human can endure.
Fear not. The42 has given serious thought to the crisis you are going through and have a short-term prescription to relieve the withdrawal symptoms.
Something to watch
Busby, Stein and Shankly, the football men – falls into the oldie-but-a-goodie category. You’ll need patience, because the quality of the stream isn’t the best but the quality of the story, telling the journey of Manchester United, Celtic and Liverpool’s rise from the shadows to the podium, is incredible. Anyone who has a passing interest either in football or sport should be compelled to watch how three extraordinary football men overcame ordinary starts in life to shape the foundations of the modern game.
Something to read
Okay, click onto Amazon and type in From There to Here by Brendan Fanning, the story of how Irish rugby evolved from basket-case status to respectability over the course of a decade. Buy it, it’s the best rugby book ever written.
Something to answer
1: How many grand slams have Scotland won?
2: Who has won the most All-Ireland SFC titles, Tipperary, Mayo or Tyrone?
3: Which club was top of English football’s roll of honour in 1960, having won – at that stage – more league championships than anyone else?
(answers at the bottom of the article)
Something to annoy you
Name your best Republic of Ireland X1 from the last 20 years on the basis of what they achieved in the Premier League. More importantly, please feel free to be outrageously irritated by the team selected below. That’s what being a sports fan is all about.
Formation (4-4-1-1)
GK: Shay Given
RB: Seamus Coleman
CB: Richard Dunne
CB: Andy O’Brien
LB: John O’Shea
RM: Steven Reid
CM: Roy Keane
CM: Steve Ireland
LM: Damien Duff
No10: Wes Hoolahan
CF: Robbie Keane
Quiz answers
1: Scotland have won the grand slam three times
2: Tipperary have won the All-Ireland SFC four times, one more than either Mayo or Tyrone
3: In 1960, Arsenal had won the title seven times. Manchester United and Liverpool had won it five times at that stage. Sunderland and Aston Villa had six titles to their name.
