Tonight England vs Brazil at Wembley marks the start of the FA’s 150th Anniversary Celebrations. Philosophy Football’s Mark Perryman argues that it is the perfect time to lower our expectations of England’s chances. England vs Brazil, friendly or no friendly, is a tasty international fixture to mark the start of the Football Association’s 150th birthday […]
Why Stalingrad still matters 70 years on
Feb 1st, 2013 by Mark Perryman.Seventy years ago, 2 February 1943 is the date of the Red Army victory at Stalingrad. From the moment of near-certain defeat the previous year the siege of the city, Hitler’s gateway to success on the Eastern Front, had been turned into an encirclement of the German forces and their eventual, and humiliating surrender. Up […]
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Book review for New Year’s revolutions
Jan 18th, 2013 by Mark Perryman.I have an old lefty badge somewhere ‘Books are Weapons’. Of course reading alone is never enough, did someone mention the point however is to change it? But we live in an era of unprecedented austerity, the urgent challenge that the threat of Climate Change should be posing almost all conventional definitions of growth, and […]
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The FA: a century and a half not so sweet
Jan 1st, 2013 by Mark Perryman.Throughout 2013 the Football Association will be celebrating its 150th anniversary. Philosophy Football’s MARK PERRYMAN reflects on the organisation’s failings. 26th October 1863. The great and the good of nineteenth century English Football gathered at the Freemasons’ Arms in Covent Garden to codify their sport. The rest is history, as will be frequently pointed out […]
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A Christmas books gift list for hopeful materialists
Dec 3rd, 2012 by Mark Perryman.Philosophy Football’s Mark Perryman reviews the best left-wing books of 2012 for a hopeful materialist’s seasonal gift list. Christmas time, not much peace in large parts of the world, precious little goodwill for the 99% either. A time for turbo-driven commercialism to drive up retail’s footfall. Bah Humbug? Or if you prefer just put the […]
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A mountain of bike books for Christmas
Nov 27th, 2012 by Mark Perryman.Philosophy Football’s MARK PERRYMAN declares Cycling ‘Sport of the Year’ and chooses his favourite books from 2012 inspired by life on two wheels Never mind the BBC hyped-up hoopla of ‘Sports Personality of the Year’, for most successful British sport of 2012 surely nothing comes close to cycling. An extraordinary first, and second, places for […]
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A formation for the Christmas tree: 2012’s best football books
Nov 16th, 2012 by Mark Perryman.Philosophy Football’s MARK PERRYMAN reveals the football books any fan would welcome as an addition to their bookshelf this Christmas Twenty years on from the 1992 publication of Nick Hornby’s Fever Pitch it might be assumed that there wouldn’t be any subjects football-wise remaining to write a half-decent book about. It is true there’s a […]
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Outside Right
Sep 17th, 2012 by Mark Perryman.Mark Perryman reviews Daniel Trilling’s new book on Britain’s Far Right Daniel Trilling has been for some time one of the few mainstream political journalists to take the British Far Right seriously. While at various moments anti-fascism has been a galvanising force for wide sections of the Left, the centre ground has too often been […]
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Stalingrad 1942 : The hour of courage had struck the clock
Sep 5th, 2012 by Mark Perryman.We know what’s at stake and how great the foe’s power, And what is now coming to pass. The hour of courage has struck on the clock And our courage will hold to the last. The bullets can kill us, but cannot deter; Though our houses will fall, we shall remain. 13 September, 06.45, 1942 […]
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The good, the bad and the orbit
Aug 14th, 2012 by Mark Perryman.Having written a book entitled ‘Why The Olympics Aren’t Good For Us’ I might have been expected to be crying into my energy drink for the past joyful few weeks for having such a woeful lack of judgement. Not a bit of it.
