Almanac Soccer: The 6 minute game

February 10, 2021 by 4 Comments

Back in 2004, Rob Spurr was having the happiest day of his life. Then he decided to go watch a star-studded Real Madrid play, and things took a most unexpected turn.

Maradona and the bird

December 14, 2020 by 3 Comments

Rob Spurr shares a story of Diego Maradona’s extraordinary ability to change the atmosphere of a stadium and influence a grand slam winner in his prime, punctuated by dishing out “the bird” to an Australian fan on a fevered whim. [Stupendous but not entirely surprising – Ed.]

Leading from the front: Neil Thompson’s journey

December 4, 2020 by 17 Comments

Neil ‘Thommo’ Thompson has a remarkable life story, ranging from over 20 footy clubs (12 of them being guided to flags by Neil) and a few harrowing tales of the Bali bombings and UN involvements. Rob Spurr has been lucky enough to know ‘Thommo’, and has produced a wonderful recount of ‘Thommo’s’ many tribulations [a must-read, this is an amazing story – Ed].

Almanac Life: How to establish footy on a continent (in three parts)

October 18, 2020 by 7 Comments

Rob Spurr tells the story of Australian football in Chile and across the South American continent. [Great yarn – JTH]