Index 2023

INDEX 2023

So, good riddance 2023, you utter shitfest of a year. Whether or not life actually does begin at 40, as the cliché would suggest, it has certainly changed a lot for me in the last 12 months. RIP Dad, I miss you every day and I will always love you.

Nevertheless, it would be churlish not to admit that there have still been some highlights. My lovely niece Maya is growing up fast, always makes me smile and usually makes me laugh like a gargling drain with her antics.

I also loved my trip to Greece (except for the bit when my phone got stolen), my latest Glastonbury Festival renewal (where the Foo Fighters especially were truly epic), yet another visit to Prague (where me and my friends got to have a go at being Pilsner Urquell tapsters), a raucous weekend in Ibiza (except for the bit when my phone got stolen), and I also bimbled around a bit of Germany which I had never previously seen.

Of course, that trip to Germany derived from a serious prolonged upturn in form from my beloved Newcastle United who finished last season in the top four for the first time in 20 years.

But, to be quite honest, even Newcastle United let me down this year in the biggest games of the calendar year at Wembley in February in the Carabao Cup Final - even if the crowd in Trafalgar Square on the night before was epic - and then again against AC Milan at St James Park this month.

There have been various other weekends away in the UK which have captured the imagination: the snooker in Sheffield in April, Nottingham in May to see Team GB regain their place at the top table in international ice hockey, York for Hallowe'en, and another visit to Lindisfarne Festival in September.

Unfortunately, though, I finished the year still partly recovering from a hairline fracture to my ankle sustained at Lindisfarne after the injury suffered several setbacks, although some of them were admittedly self-inflicted.

Additionally, I have spent much of the run-up to Christmas battling an acute bout of the lurgy which has hung around for the last seven weeks and, at times, made me sound like a 40-a-day smoker.

It basically made an already exhausting year just that little bit more difficult to get through - and, despite numerous undoubted highlights, I am afraid this is a year which, for quite some time, I have been desperate to consign to the archives.

For what it's worth, this blog still gets updated with the occasional updates - and, hopefully, 2024 will provide opportunities for some write-ups on a brighter note.

An index of the posts made in 2023 can be found below:

CRICKET
Ashes 2023
16.06  Baz-ball faces its biggest Test of all in Ashes
11.07  Ashes alive after England win Headingley nail-biter
01.08  Broad signs off in style as Ashes series ends drawn
World Cup
05.10  Preview: Confident India hold all the cards
14.11  Not defending anything
19.11  Australia tear down India's cloak of invincibility

FOOTBALL
Season 2022/23
04.05  Haaland breaks goal record to send Man City back top
13.06  Manchester City complete incredible Treble
Season 2023/24
15.08  Manchester City go for four in a row
04.12  Another chance for England at Euro 2024

RUGBY UNION
World Cup
08.09  Preview: C'est le moment... peut-être
04.11  Back-to-back Boks outlast All Blacks

SNOOKER
World Championships
14.04  Snooker finds itself in a terrible fix
01.05  Belgian Bullet slays maximum man Selby

POLITICS
By elections
24.07  Another messy night

PERSONAL
Glastonbury 2023
30.06  There goes My Hero

So, take me disappearing through the smoke rings of my mind

Down the foggy ruins of time

Far past the frozen leaves

The haunted frightened trees

Out to the windy beach

Far from the twisted reach of crazy sorrow

Yes, to dance beneath the diamond sky

With one hand waving free

Silhouetted by the sea

Circled by the circus sands

With all memory and fate

Driven deep beneath the waves

Let me forget about today until tomorrow

Bob Dylan - Mr. Tambourine Man (1965)

Another chance for England at Euro 2024

🟥 EURO 2024 FINALS 🟥

GROUP A	GROUP B	GROUP C	GROUP D
[A1] GERMANY	[B1] SPAIN	[C1] SLOVENIA	[D1] PLAYOFF [A]
[A2] SCOTLAND	[B2] CROATIA	[C2] DENMARK	[D2] NETHERLANDS
[A3] HUNGARY	[B3] ITALY	[C3] SERBIA	[D3] AUSTRIA
[A4] SWITZERLAND	[B4] ALBANIA	[C4] ENGLAND	[D4] FRANCE
	GROUP E	GROUP F
	[E1] BELGIUM	[F1] TURKEY
	[E2] SLOVAKIA	[F2] PLAYOFF [C]
	[E3] ROMANIA	[F3] PORTUGAL
	[E4] PLAYOFF [B]	[F4] CZECH REP

ENGLAND avoided the non-seeded big-hitters in the Euro 2024 finals draw to provide hope that the Three Lions may yet deliver a long-awaited major trophy next summer.

Gareth Southgate's side will take on Serbia in Gelsenkirchen on Sunday 16 June (8pm), Denmark in Frankfurt on Thursday 20 June (5pm), and Slovenia in Cologne on Tuesday 25 June (8pm) in Group C. 

The Danes sit 19th in the current FIFA World Rankings - while Serbia are 34th and Slovenia are rated at a lowly 54th place.

So, on that basis, it really is a section which should prove pretty facile for a country which can call upon the likes of Bundesliga top goalscorer Harry Kane, Declan Rice, Phil Foden, Bukayo Saka and Jude Bellingham. 

In particular, 20-year-old Bellingham has already made a huge impression in his debut season at Real Madrid with 15 goals and four assists in all competitions. 

An unused substitute as a teenager in the Euro 2020+1 Final at Wembley, the youngster genuinely could be the difference-maker this time if his overly-cautious head coach Southgate finally lets his players off the leash. 

Certainly, that tendency of Southgate to keep the handbrake on at vital moments remains the main concern for Three Lions supporters ahead of the tournament. 

Elsewhere, Scotland landed a far tougher-looking draw by being placed in Group A with hosts Germany, experienced tournament campaigners Switzerland, and a fast-improving Hungary side.

Indeed, the Scots will take centre stage in the tournament opener against the Germans in Munich on Friday 14 June (8pm) - before facing the Swiss in Cologne on Wednesday 19 June (8pm) and the Hungarians in Stuttgart on Sunday 23 June (8pm).

Some fine performances in qualifying - in which Scotland won their first five matches and beat Spain in Glasgow - provides hope north of the border that they might make it through the group stages of a major tournament for the first time ever. 

However, the Tartan Army will have definitely wanted a kinder result than that which was delivered at the Elbphilharmonie in Hamburg. 

After all, Steve Clarke's men are - at 36th in the world - the lowest-ranked team in their section, behind Germany who are 16th, Switzerland who are 18th, and Hungary who are 27th. 

In terms of the rest of the draw, outright favourites France must contend again with the latent threat of the Netherlands in Group D. 

The pair actually came through the same qualifying section with Les Bleus completing a comfortable double over the Oranje including a 4-0 thumping of the Dutch in Saint-Denis. 

As such, French coach Didier Deschamps probably will not have sleepless nights about their next meeting in Leipzig on Friday 21 June (8pm) - while the Netherlands will concentrate on finishing above Austria and the winners of Playoff Path [A], which could be Wales. 

Defending champions Italy - a definite bogey to avoid after being placed in Pot Four following recent struggles - face Spain in Group B in Gelsenkirchen on Thursday 20 June (8pm) in a repeat of the Euro 2012 final. 

Croatia - who the Italians have never beaten in eight previous attempts - and surprise package Albania complete that set.

Finally, grossly-overrated Belgium and the Cristiano Ronaldo-led Euro 2016 winners Portugal will be pleased with their own kindly draws.

The Red Devils take on Slovakia, Romania and the winners of Playoff Path [B] in Group E - while the Portuguese have been pitted against Turkey, Czech Republic and the winners of Playoff Path [C] in Group F.

Frankly, both of those seeded sides have ageing teams which are past their peak - but, equally, both should have enough to get past their limited opponents.

The countdown can start to the finals properly now, with an all-important interlude in March to determine the sides to qualify from the three playoff paths.

In Path [A], Poland will expect to progress against minnows Estonia while Wales take on Finland in Cardiff.

Then, with the playoff final also scheduled in the Welsh capital, the draw could not have really worked out much better for Cymru who could only finish third in their qualifying group behind Croatia and Turkey.

Troublesome Path [B] features two countries at war with Israel taking on Iceland and Ukraine facing Bosnia-Herzegovina, leaving the venue unconfirmed for one of the semi finals and indeed for the final if the Ukrainians make it through.

Meanwhile, Euro 2004 winners Greece are by far the biggest name in Path [C] - though their need for this route is a measure really of how far Greek football has fallen recently.

The Greeks take on Kazakhstan in Athens at the same time as Georgia face a vastly-improved Luxembourg outfit in Tblisi, with the final staged by the winners of the latter tie.

The playoff semi finals are scheduled for 21 March, with the playoff finals expected to be held on 26 March, and the three winners of those matches will complete the identity of the 24 competitors at Euro 2024.

Euro 2024 itself will begin on 14 June with Germany v Scotland and will run for exactly a month until the Final at the Olympiastadion in Berlin on 14 July.

GROUP A

14-June	(8pm)	GERMANY v SCOTLAND	Munich
15-June	(2pm)	HUNGARY v SWITZERLAND	Cologne
19-June	(5pm)	GERMANY v HUNGARY	Stuttgart
19-June	(8pm)	SCOTLAND v SWITZERLAND	Cologne
23-June	(8pm)	SWITZERLAND v GERMANY	Frankfurt
23-June	(8pm)	SCOTLAND v HUNGARY	Stuttgart

GROUP B

15-June	(5pm)	SPAIN v CROATIA	Berlin
15-June	(8pm)	ITALY v ALBANIA	Dortmund
19-June	(2pm)	CROATIA v ALBANIA	Hamburg
20-June	(8pm)	SPAIN v ITALY	Gelsenkirchen
24-June	(8pm)	ALBANIA v SPAIN	Dusseldorf
24-June	(8pm)	CROATIA v ITALY	Leipzig

GROUP C

16-June	(5pm)	SLOVENIA v DENMARK	Stuttgart
16-June	(8pm)	SERBIA v ENGLAND	Gelsenkirchen
20-June	(2pm)	SLOVENIA v SERBIA	Munich
20-June	(5pm)	DENMARK v ENGLAND	Frankfurt
25-June	(8pm)	ENGLAND v SLOVENIA	Cologne
25-June	(8pm)	DENMARK v SERBIA	Munich

GROUP D

16-June	(2pm)	PLAYOFF [A] v NETHERLANDS	Hamburg
17-June	(8pm)	AUSTRIA v FRANCE	Dusseldorf
21-June	(5pm)	PLAYOFF [A] v AUSTRIA	Berlin
21-June	(8pm)	NETHERLANDS v FRANCE	Leipzig
25-June	(5pm)	NETHERLANDS v AUSTRIA	Berlin
25-June	(5pm)	FRANCE v PLAYOFF [A]	Dortmund

GROUP E

17-June	(2pm)	ROMANIA v PLAYOFF [B]	Munich
17-June	(5pm)	BELGIUM v SLOVAKIA	Frankfurt
21-June	(2pm)	SLOVAKIA v PLAYOFF [B]	Dusseldorf
22-June	(8pm)	BELGIUM v ROMANIA	Cologne
26-June	(5pm)	SLOVAKIA v ROMANIA	Frankfurt
26-June	(5pm)	PLAYOFF [B] v BELGIUM	Stuttgart

GROUP F

18-June	(5pm)	TURKEY v PLAYOFF [C]	Dortmund
18-June	(8pm)	PORTUGAL v CZECH REPUBLIC	Leipzig
22-June	(2pm)	PLAYOFF [C] v CZECH REPUBLIC	Hamburg
22-June	(5pm)	TURKEY v PORTUGAL	Dortmund
26-June	(8pm)	PLAYOFF [C] v PORTUGAL	Gelsenkirchen
26-June	(8pm)	CZECH REPUBLIC v TURKEY	Hamburg

LAST 16

29-June	(5pm)	[38]  RUNNER-UP A v RUNNER-UP B	Berlin
29-June	(8pm)	[37]  WINNER A v RUNNER-UP C	Dortmund
30-June	(5pm)	[40]  WINNER C v THIRD PLACE D/E/F	Gelsenkirchen
30-June	(8pm)	[39]  WINNER B v THIRD PLACE A/D/E/F	Cologne
01-July	(5pm)	[42]  RUNNER-UP D v RUNNER-UP E	Dusseldorf
01-July	(8pm)	[41]  WINNER F v THIRD PLACE A/B/C	Frankfurt
02-July	(5pm)	[43]  WINNER E v THIRD PLACE A/B/C/D	Munich
02-July	(8pm)	[44]  WINNER D v RUNNER-UP F	Leipzig

QUARTER FINALS

05-July	(5pm)	(45)  WINNER [39] v WINNER [37]	Stuttgart
05-July	(8pm)	(46)  WINNER [41] v WINNER [42]	Hamburg
06-July	(5pm)	(48)  WINNER [40] v WINNER [38]	Dusseldorf
06-July	(8pm)	(47)  WINNER [43] v WINNER [44]	Berlin

SEMI FINALS

09-July	(8pm)	WINNER (45) v WINNER (46)	Munich
10-July	(8pm)	WINNER (47) v WINNER (48)	Dortmund

🟥 EURO 2024 QUALIFYING GROUPS 🟥

Fifty-three teams were drawn into seven groups of five teams (A-G), and three groups of six teams (H-J). The top two teams in each group qualified directly for the finals.

	GROUP A	Pts		GROUP B	Pts		GROUP C	Pts
(Q)	SPAIN	21	(Q)	FRANCE	22	(Q)	ENGLAND	20
(Q)	SCOTLAND	17	(Q)	NETHERLANDS	18	(Q)	ITALY	14
3	Norway	11	[C]	GREECE	13	[B]	UKRAINE	14
[C]	GEORGIA	8	4	Ireland	6	4	North Macedonia	8
5	Cyprus	0	5	Gibraltar	0	5	Malta	0
	GROUP D	Pts		GROUP E	Pts		GROUP F	Pts
(Q)	TURKEY	17	(Q)	ALBANIA	15	(Q)	BELGIUM	20
(Q)	CROATIA	16	(Q)	CZECH REP	15	(Q)	AUSTRIA	19
[A]	WALES	12	[A]	POLAND	11	3	Sweden	10
4	Armenia	8	4	Moldova	10	4	Azerbaijan	7
5	Latvia	3	5	Faroe Islands	2	[A]	ESTONIA	1
	GROUP G	Pts		GROUP H	Pts		GROUP I	Pts
(Q)	HUNGARY	18	(Q)	DENMARK	22	(Q)	ROMANIA	22
(Q)	SERBIA	14	(Q)	SLOVENIA	22	(Q)	SWITZERLAND	17
3	Montenegro	11	[A]	FINLAND	18	[B]	ISRAEL	15
4	Lithuania	6	[C]	KAZAKHSTAN	18	4	Belarus	12
5	Bulgaria	4	5	Northern Ireland	9	5	Kosovo	11
			6	San Marino	0	6	Andorra	2
	GROUP J	Pts
(Q)	PORTUGAL	30
(Q)	SLOVAKIA	22
[C]	LUXEMBOURG	17
[B]	ICELAND	10
[B]	BOSNIA-HERZ	9
6	Liechtenstein	0

🟥 NATIONS LEAGUE 2022-23 RANKINGS 🟥

	LEAGUE A		LEAGUE B		LEAGUE C		LEAGUE D
(Q)	SPAIN	[B]	ISRAEL	[C]	GEORGIA	[A]	ESTONIA
(Q)	CROATIA	[B]	BOSNIA-HERZ	[C]	GREECE	50	Latvia
(Q)	ITALY	(Q)	SERBIA	(Q)	TURKEY	51	Moldova
(Q)	NETHERLANDS	(Q)	SCOTLAND	[C]	KAZAKHSTAN	52	Malta
(Q)	DENMARK	[A]	FINLAND	[C]	LUXEMBOURG	53 54	Andorra San Marino
(Q)	PORTUGAL	[B]	UKRAINE	38	Azerbaijan	55	Liechtenstein
(Q)	BELGIUM	[B]	ICELAND	39	Kosovo
(Q)	HUNGARY	24	Norway	40	Bulgaria
(Q)	SWITZERLAND	(Q)	SLOVENIA	41	Faroe Islands
(Q)	GERMANY	26	Ireland	42	North Macedonia
[A]	POLAND	(Q)	ALBANIA	(Q)	SLOVAKIA
(Q)	FRANCE	28	Montenegro	44	Northern Ireland
(Q)	AUSTRIA	(Q)	ROMANIA	45	Cyprus
(Q)	CZECH REPUBLIC	30	Sweden	46	Belarus
(Q)	ENGLAND	31	Armenia	47	Lithuania
[A]	WALES	32	Russia [banned]	48	Gibraltar

KEY

(Q)   Qualified directly for the Euro 2024 finals

[A]   Path A playoff competition

[B]   Path B playoff competition

[C]   Path C playoff competition

All other teams have been eliminated

SUMMARY
• The top four teams in League A, League B and League C shown above all won their Nations League group
• The Nations League overall rankings determined which of the 12 teams - who did not qualify directly - entered the three playoff path routes to qualify for Euro 2024
• However, almost all teams from League A qualified directly - except for Poland and Wales - leaving a shortage of teams to compete in Path [A] in the playoffs
• This shortage of teams for Path [A] provided a place for a team in League B which did not win their Nations League group - this was determined to be Finland in a random draw. The shortage also provided a place for the best-ranked team in League D, which was Estonia.
• Path [B] was taken up by the top four ranked teams in League B who had not already qualified directly and had not been selected to make up the shortage of teams competing in Path [A]
• Path [C] was taken up by the top four ranked teams in League C who had not qualified directly

🟥 PLAYOFF PATH DRAW 🟥

Each of the playoff path winners will qualify for the Euro 2024 finals

PATH [A]

21 March	POLAND	[SF1]	ESTONIA	Warsaw
21 March	WALES	[SF2]	FINLAND	Cardiff
26 March	WALES/FINLAND	[F]	POLAND/ESTONIA	Cardiff/Helsinki

PATH [B]

21 March	ISRAEL	[SF1]	ICELAND	TBC
21 March	BOSNIA-HERZ	[SF2]	UKRAINE	Zenica
26 March	BOSNIA-HERZ/UKRAINE	[F]	ISRAEL/ICELAND	Zenica/TBC

PATH [C]

21 March	GEORGIA	[SF1]	LUXEMBOURG	Tblisi
21 March	GREECE	[SF2]	KAZAKHSTAN	Athens
26 March	GEORGIA/LUXEMBOURG	[F]	GREECE/KAZAKHSTAN	Tblisi/Luxembourg City