Sir Geoffrey
Posted by dolly on 16 September 2008 - 8:02am.
Congrats on the interview that John Aizlewood did with Sir Geoffrey Boycott. I've just got to it in this months magazine and its great.
I laughed out loud at the opening pre-amble where Geoffrey is introduced. And again at the closing words. And Sir G spoke good common sense throughout! You have got to love Boycs.
An absolutely brilliant mini-interview. Worth the annual subscription alone.
PS Am not related to John Aizlewood.
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And he's got a better sneer...
than Billy Idol.
And a better right hook...
than Gazza.
Except that he was talking a load of jingoistic
balls. Re. French law and the presumption of guilt. Below is the actual facts:
In France, article 9 of the Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the Citizen, of constitutional value, says "Everyone is supposed innocent until having been declared guilty." and the preliminary article of the code of criminal procedure says "any suspected or prosecuted person is presumed to be innocent until their guilt has been established". The jurors' oath reiterates this assertion.
Never let the truth get in the way of an ignorant legend.
He might be wrong, but he's a bit right
Napoleonic Code was frequently criticised for presuming guilt in practice if not in law, AFAIK. Either way, I think our Geoffrey's interpretation may well be out-of-date.
The French (god bless 'em)
have kept the principal of codes established by the diminutive warmongerer but have updated the principles in line with most countries.
I like a tenacious Yorkshire view more than most, but ignorant bigotry is a bit much.
Is a jingoistic ball
A chinaman that's bowled out of the back of the hand...?
This looks like
typical chippy "leeds" talk just beacuse nobody famous worth bothering with has come from Leeds, they're picking on one of the mighty sons of Town. I think there's an underlying truth to what Sir Geoffry saying ie. never trust anybody whose not a Tyke, if you go to that London keep your money in your sock and never put too much store by what soft types from Leeds or Donny say.
Now if you don't mind I'm off to clean out Dicky Bird's Pigeon loft......
GB was from Wakefield
Unlike true sons of Leeds such as John Craven, Jeremy Paxman, Jimmy Saville and Alan Bennett. And Alan Smith and David Batty.
Craven's worth the price of admission alone
..
Ay Lad
Even worked in the office at Yorkshire Imperial Metals as a lad. Fact.
any claim to fame that starts with
John Craven and ends with Batty is on thin ice. AB doesn't count he lives in Camden , son in conclusion leeds bunch of donkeys.
In the context of this thread
where does that leave Geoffrey 'Bergerac' Boycott?
the same place as
John "cotswolds" Cravens Jeremy "chilterns" paxman Jimmy "cloud cuckooland" saville & David "donkey sancutary" Batty I expect tee hee
and
Alan 'Geordie' Smith.
You seem to have a remarkable knowledge of public figures whereabouts? Your not an estate agent are you?
I took a punt with some of them
safe in the knowledge it's been a while since Paxo hung around Greggs in the Bond street centre and the fact that Batty is a donkey
Not
for much longer...
yes your right
it should have been one of their many other town centres outlets or maybe Ainsley's for an iced finger..
Eh?
I was just making a comment on the likely future scarcity of estate agents given the current financial climate.
a small crumb of comfort
to be drawn from the financial maelstrom we appear to be in.
I thought it was because the bond street centre is
being rebuilt..
Oh, I see!
Wouldn't have a clue about such things, I'm afaid.
I will not have that said
He's from Fitzwilliam, which may be covered by the same council but it's actually nearer to Pontefract (otherwise known as "Ponty" and situated some distance beyond the sign on the edge of Heath Common that says "Beyond this be monsters.")
Touchy touchy
I went to Wakefield once. It were shut!
I have guess
It was all the West Riding when Geoffrey was pulling himself up by his cricket pad straps.
I always said ponty was bridge too far.
and as for Dewsbury.....
Technically its in Hemsworth
Apparently! Within the City of Wakefield. But the Land Registry and Post Office recognise Fitzwilliam as a seperate place.
Bet its not this confusing in France.....
yeah were
bonapartist state can take your land at the drop of guilotine.
a guilotine
will take more than your land
yeah
and no one in Britain was ever hung or sent to Austrailia and their land nicked either....
I always thought....
he was from Ackworth - my grandmother used to keep telling us that lived a couple of doors down when he was a nipper. He certainly played for Ackworth Cricket Club.
I think its a bit simpler than that....
Never trust anyone who isnt Geoffrey Boycott.
Sorry to butt in on all this very un-Yorkie frivolity
but can I just say, as sports books have been on the agenda lately, that Leo McKinstry’s biography of Boycott is really good. As is his book about the Charlton brothers. Miserable buggers the lot of ’em, but they add to the gaiety of the nation.
Is this the right place to mention. . .
that he was the most boring batsman I've ever had the misfortune to pay good money to watch? No? In that case I'd better not point out that you could see the cobwebs forming on the Old Trafford scoreboard as - after a mere twelve days at the crease and having made a useful 55 - he decided his job was done and it was time to play safe. He was Arsenal in pads.
I wasn't too struck on that skewed lower lip of his, either. It made him look like a minor Nazi in an am-dram production of Colditz, I always thought (perhaps unfairly).
Heresy
I appeal to the powers that be to excommunicate the unbeliever!!!
Build fires and bring on the stake!!!
Maybe this should be a different thread....
...but I think it's Boycott's personality - smug, crowing, pompous and bitchy - that makes him so good as a pundit. You have to hear what he has to say. He's not the only one. Peter Alliss does the same thing with golf. That's the authentic sound of the Surrey golf club bore right there. "Give me a tincture would you, kind steward, while I explain what *I* would do about speed cameras." I'm sure there are others. Sid Waddell in darts. Murray Walker in motor racing. All these people are insufferably full of themselves and that's exactly the way I prefer them.
In his mind, Sir Geoffrey is always right. And that's that.
Strange thing is....he usually is right.
Rodney Marsh...
had this quality in spades, which is why it's a shame he got the boot from Sky Sports as he was always great value when gassing on about football.
Dan Maskell: Mr Wimbledon
"Oh, I say!"
I like Mr Boycott
and I think he has an astute perspective of the game of cricket. And I enjoyed the interview for showing his character particularly clearly over 2 pages.
But the original post describes him as speaking common sense which I would only agree with when he's speaking about cricket. This is my recollection I do admit so I will read the interview again when I get home.
First impressions...
I met Geoffrey once, when I was nobbut a lad. My dad used to own a sports shop in Birkenhead - it was hardly JJB, but it got him an invite to some of the trade shows and he'd take the 10 year old me along, replete with autograph book, to harrass the celebrities who were there to promote 'their' products in the (very) early days of product endorsement. None of them were at all unpleasant to me, although some - are you listening, Gordon Banks? - clearly resented the imposition on their personal space.
Of all the people I met that day, Geoffrey was the nicest, most pleasant 'star' I met by a mile - took the time to chat to me, find out my name and address his autograph to me personally rather than just scribbling his name down and barely looking at me.
That would have been around 1970-71. And ever since then I won't hear a bad word about the man. He'll do for me.
Your
not French though are you.
Very true.
But neither am I a Yorkshireman and (in cricket terms at least) I'm as close to a Lancastrian as you'll get without actually being one (born and bred in Cheshire, don't you know) so still probably some way from the top of Mr B's Christmas card list.
"Arsenal in pads"
Archie old son, I never remembered "Boycs" as being the free flowing, attacking, playing the game with panache sort of chap.And by comparing him with "The" Arsenal I think you have surely made shome mistake.In point of fact since the genius like Prof. Wenger has been manager few teams in the world,if any, have consistently played the beautiful game as beautifully as The Arsenal.....now if you had said George Graham era Arsenal that would have been different ;-)but that was 13 years ago,let it go man and move on!
I was scarred for life. . .
by Bertie Mee. For me, that Arsenal will forever be the Arsenal. Subsequent incarnations may cunningly attempt to disguise it, but it's still there.
(Are Ian and Midge Ure related? I think we should be told.)
Aah now you are...
bringing a tear to my eye....the 1970 Fairs Cup Final,FA Cup Final 1971 (I was at both as a 10/11 year old) orchestrated by Bertie, masquerading as Capt.Mannering.
Ian Ure became a Prison Warder after hanging up his boots...in my minds eye I picture a harder version of Mr.McKay from Porridge.
If you ever get the chance to see the Leeds V Chelsea 1970 FA Cup Final on DVD or Sky gold etc then its a hoot...football played by real men but forgetting all about the ball,just trying to maim each other!
Dirty
Chelsea.
Ironic
Leeds United, The Team That invented "The Professional Foul ".
I don't support Chelsea Before you ask.
The 1970 Cup Final had a very muddy pitch, and with Leeds wearing White, It was difficult to follow on Black and White TV.
The FA Cup's finest hour (Well, four actually)
The Chopper versus Bite Yer Legs showdown? "They hope it's all over. But it isn't yet."
You can keep your Robinhos and Ronaldos with their girly stepovers - that was real football that was.
When Boycott was chairman.......
I'm suprised no-one has mentioned Geoff Boycott's finest hour - when he was appointed Chairman of Melchester Rovers.
http://www.royoftherovers.com/backpage/boycott.htm
This was the second most alarming incident in Melchester Rovers history, who can forget the signing of these two musicians...
http://stevenormanmusic1.homestead.com/Royoftherovers.html
Boycott Boycott
Haven't been able to face opening the Word since it was delivered once I knew that a) you were now covering sport ferchrissake and b) the feature was about a reactionary bigot who is about as relevant today as, say, ration cards. It encapsulates the decline of the Word over the last few months, but it's saved me buying two subscriptions in December. Thanks...
Bah humbug!
And whatever you personally think about Sir G, we've also had artcles on politicians, actors, comedians, presenters, writers, directors, cartoonists etc etc as well as the very occassional sports person. Surely you can put up with the odd piece that you are not interested in.
As for the decline of The Word in the last few months. You are entitled to your opinion, of course, but you are wrong!