Saturday 31 May 2008

Pale blue fire in a forest of football


In our absence much has happened. Trolls control the world. Frightening scum have vomitted themselves into a state of disarray. INRI has risen. All may be signs of a coming apocalypse. In the face of this it is heartening to hear of Chernobyl and the number of the beast.

(From The Global Game): 'By sunset on 27 Apr 1986, as Chernobyl reactor no. 4 burned, in one soldier’s recollection, like a “beautiful blue fire,” the town was empty.

Left behind in the silence: a newly built football stadium sitting just to the north of a bright yellow Ferris wheel, a gift from Soviet authorities in commemoration of the upcoming May Day holiday.

Read more here.

The secret history of black football in the UK


The excellent Pitch Invasion blog explores the little-known history of Arab and African players in British football. Beginning with Arthur Wharton (right), who played for a slew of clubs including the indomitable Preston North End of the 1880s, the piece profiles a number of other colourful characters who graced the mud-and-thunder pitches of the UK. These include Hassan Hegazi - the Egyptian who made his name at Dulwich Hamlet before turning out for Fulham in 1911 - and Tesilimi "Thunder" Balogun - the Nigerian who signed for Peterborough in 1955 on the condition that the club also find him an apprenticeship in printing. We often think of the 1970s and 1980s as the era when the colour barrier was truly crossed, when the likes of John Barnes overcame the racist stupidity of their own supporters. But spare a thought for the unsung figures of the past, who had to make do in a footballing world that was very much black-and-white.


Friday 30 May 2008

And we're back

ta geeza


Yes, the moment you've all been waiting for... like Lazarus, HumbleFootball has pushed aside that rock of seasonal writer's block and now rises from the dead to breathe life into your summer ennui.

Expect regular updates and musings, transfer anti-speculation, our own brand of North London Euro2008 coverage and much more. Watch this space!