Somewhere within the sprawling narrative of Dostoevsky’s novel The Brothers Karamazov, you’ll come across a literary oddity entitled Parable of the Grand Inquisitor. A short tangent but an intriguing one nonetheless, it tells the story of Jesus’ return to Earth as the fifteenth century gives way to the sixteenth and sees the second coming occur in Seville with no hint of celestial fanfare. Nevertheless, the unannounced stranger causes quite a stir as he goes about restoring a blind man’s eyesight and resurrecting a recently deceased child of seven years.
Tag Archives | England
No More Heroes by Ian Rands
There was a time when you could saunter up to your local stadium and you’d know you’d have a fairly good chance of meeting one of your heroes. You might even have a chat with them. A photo. Definitely an autograph. But as the song goes, “something changed”. Ian Rands knows exactly what happened.
Don’t Believe The Hype
The Media Studies student with a basic knowledge of how audiences consume media texts will tell you all about the famed Hypodermic Needle Model. This was a theory that came into prominence in the 1920s that suggested audiences passively digest information without question. As this era ushered in the use of propaganda by the Soviets and later the Nazis, it was more or less accepted that people could be manipulated into thinking what the ‘powers-that-be’ wanted them to believe.
Our Friends In The North: The Rise And Rise Of Newcastle United
Note: This Dispatch trades in lazy stereotypes. Newcastle fans, read to the end.
On a trip up to Edinburgh on the East Coast Main Line last August, one of the stops en route was Newcastle. As the train approached the city, the Tyne Bridge emerged with industrial majesty from the sunny haze of the train’s window and I inexplicably felt a slight shiver of awe. Almost immediately, as we waited to pull away from the station, we were greeted with the sight of a man in a Newcastle home shirt banging on one of the station platform’s vending machines uttering barely decipherable curses, having lost his money whilst trying to stay steady on his feet.
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Harry Redknapp Killed My Blog by George Ogier
It promised to bring a more varied and original approach to football writing but George Ogier feels the Great Football Blog Boom has gone bust. And he knows just who to blame…
What Would Brian Clough Say?
Last week saw Dispatches lament the demise of the football manager. So this week, the Sofa felt it needed to channel the afterlife to interview a manager whose presence still resonates years after he passed. Frost/Nixon this may not be. But it’ll give Gallagher/Balotelli a run for their money.
Roy Race: The Unauthorised Biography by Roger Domeneghetti
It would seem that Dispatches has slipped into the realms of the parallel universe this week. On Sunday, it was Scott Parker as Biggles whilst this Wednesday’s post tells the true-life tale of a very fictitious character. Are you sitting comfortably? Roger Domeneghetti wants to tell you an amazing story…
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What’s The Point Of Scottish Football?
The ignominy of seeing one of Britain’s biggest and most successful clubs this week finally accepting the grim reality of administration was one thing. Glasgow Rangers’ humiliation however, paled in comparison when the disparity that exists within Scottish football became glaringly apparent when the club had ten points deducted for its failure to balance the books. The upshot of this was in many respects the biggest indictment of football north of the border. Rangers were left trailing archrivals Celtic by fourteen points but nevertheless maintaining a nine point cushion of comfort from third placed Motherwell. The remainder of the season will inevitably be just a dull procession.
Don’t Go Harry: Why Redknapp Should Stay At Spurs
Here I am, emphatically and unequivocally cementing a u-turn. Like most Spurs fans, my plea is clear: don’t go Harry! Alas, it seems that last Wednesday’s tumultuous events have paved the way for the wrongly accused Mr Redknapp to be the next in line to take up that ominous ‘poisoned chalice’ that is the England manager’s job. After all, if all and sundry are telling us it’s an inevitability, then it must be so. And there’s the little matter of Harry’s stating that he is fully “focused on Tottenham”. I’ve heard that kind of talk too many times before. One Sulzah Campbell springs to mind.
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In Defence Of Luis Suarez by Rachael Singh
Like him or not, Luis Suarez has been the most talked about and divisive character of the season. I had my say a few weeks ago, but Dispatches is nothing if not fair. As this week the law is under the microscope on here, Liverpool fan Rachael Singh pleads the case for the defence. Take cover.
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In Defence Of Luis Suarez by Rachael Singh
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What’s The Point Of Scottish Football?
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Captain Caveman: The De-evolution of John Terry
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Alan Davies Is Here All Week
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Liverpool Football Club, 1892 – 2012 – An Obituary
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