good morning everyone – today is a big day for football, isn’t it?
First things first: The good news.
Tottenham Hotspur will have a World Cup champion in their squad for a third consecutive time. The question is who will it be? Cristian Romero again (probably not, since he’s rumoured to leave)? Marcos Senesi? Pedro Porro? Djed Spence?
Today’s hoddle is caught between the crosscurrents of Taskmaster and the Three Lions. I don’t remember where I first heard it, but two former Taskmaster contestants – Frank Skinner and David Baddiel – penned the song Three Lions.
If you aren’t familiar with the song, this is the whole “Football’s coming home” chant. It’s sometimes said ironically, but how about this year?
Here’s a snippet of David Baddiel talking about how they approached the song, via The Guardian: “Three Lions, really, is a song about magical thinking. About assuming we are going to lose, reasonably, based on experience, but hoping that somehow we won’t.”
It’s such a 1990s music video too!
I didn’t realise David Baddiel had such a strong connection to the English football landscape. I only knew him as the hapless contestant on Taskmaster Series 9. There were a few times where he talked about how he wrote a few number-one songs.
Given his performance in the series, I didn’t believe him at the time.
But this video (55M views on Youtube!) and its enduring legacy with the Three Lions are living proof that he indeed wrote a smash hit with Frank Skinner that stands the test of time.
Fitzie’s track of the day:For Regulars Only, by Dexter Gordon
And now for your links:
The Athletic ($$): “Sandro Tonali and Mateus Fernandes – a game-changing double pivot for Roberto De Zerbi’s Spurs?”
Alasdair Gold: “Tottenham confirm club record deal but must not make it a transfer trend this summer”
BBC: “A special team beats brilliant individuals – how silky Spain flattened France”
The Independent: “How an unlikely Spain player stunned France to clinch World Cup final berth”
The Telegraph: “Kane accuses ITV of trying to create rift in England’s World Cup camp”
