Author: derekwt1

Best French Footballers

It’s been a bad week for losing football legends. Earlier this week it was Tommy Gemmell and today it is Raymond Kopa. A great of French football. Here’s where he is in the all time list.

  1. Zinedine Zidane – such a classy, skillful player. Two goals in the 1998 World Cup Final and a player of the tournament performance in 2006. Shame about the final. And the best goal in a European Cup Final.
  2. Michel Platini – before he became a murky football politician, Platini was sensational in the 2004 Euros, winning it virtually on his own.
  3. Raymond Kopa – ahead of Garrincha and Pele as player of the tournament in the 1958 World Cup. The first French player to win the Ballon D’Or.
  4. Just Fontaine – he scored 13 goals in the 1958 World Cup. 13!
  5. Thierry Henry – France’s leading goalscorer. Shame about his infamous handball against Ireland.
  6. Jean-Pierre Papin – perhaps a better club player than an international one but a lethal striker at his peak.
  7. Lilian Thuram – the most capped player for France. A key member of the golden generation which won the World Cup and Euros. If you only score two international goals, why not save them for a World Cup semi?
  8. Eric Cantona – an outstanding player for Manchester United, less so for France where his unstable character caused off field problems. Still he had the ability to turn a game with a moment of class.
  9. Patrick Viera – another member of the golden team. He was particularly effective in the 2000 Euros.
  10. Marcel Desailly – over 100 caps. A class defender better than Blanc.

 

Greatest Celtic Players Ever

RIP Tommy Gemmell. A Lisbon Lion and one of the best ever to play for Celtic. Feel free to disagree.

  1. Jimmy Johnstone – “Wee Jinky” was one of the best wingers ever. Only 5’4″ but he was brilliant in the 1967 European Cup Final. Voted by fans as the greatest ever.
  2. Jimmy McGrory – not only Celtic’s highest goal scorer but he holds the British record. 538 goals in 534 games.
  3. Billy McNeill – played 790 times for Celtic. Their greatest captain whose finest hour was lifting the European Cup.
  4. Danny McGrain – over 650 appearances, a quality full back.
  5. Paul McStay – “The Maestro” was a one club midfield general.
  6. Bobby Lennox – Celtic’s second highest goal scorer. Incredibly quick.
  7. Henrik Larsson – the best recent player. If he had stayed longer he would have been higher on the list.
  8. Kenny Dalglish – Scotland’s best ever player started with Celtic. He would be top of the list if he played at Parkhead throughout his career.
  9. Tommy Gemmell – a superb attacking full back. Scored the equalising goal in Lisbon which changed the game.
  10. Charlie Tully – a supremely skillful winger.

Something for Celtic fans to get all misty eyed about here

10 Best Picture Oscar Winning Movies Ever

So La La Land is the favorite to land the best picture award at the Oscars. But whichever film it is, none come close to getting in the top ten. This is the definitive list.

  1. The Godfather: Part II the only time in history where the sequel was better than the original.
  2. The Godfather what are you doing rooting for these criminals?
  3. The Silence of the Lambs yes third of all time. Don’t be a snob. Watch it again. Still brilliant.
  4. The Deer Hunter the Russian Roulette scene is the best in cinematic history.
  5. Unforgiven the best (and funniest) Western ever.
  6. One Flew Over The Cuckoo’s Nest such great performances.
  7. Schindler’s List the most important film about the Holocaust. Speilberg’s finest.
  8. Casablanca the best written and structured film in the list.
  9.  Midnight Cowboy the seedy side of life.
  10. Annie Hall this list needs a comedy and this is the best.

Biggest Mergers & Takeovers

With Kraft Heinz looking to takeover Unilever, here’s a list of the biggest takeovers and mergers in history. The figures are in billions! They vary depending on which article you read. If you know better and disagree, please put me right.

  1. Vodafone & Mannesman – $180
  2. AOL & Time Warner – $164
  3. Verizon Communications & Verizon Wireless – $130
  4. Philip Morris & Altria Group – $108
  5. ABN AMRO & RFS Holdings – $98
  6. AB InBev & SABMiller – $90
  7. Pfizer & Warner – Lambert – $90
  8. AT&T & Bell South – $86
  9. Exxon & Mobil Group – $81
  10. Glaxo Wellcome & SmithKline Beecham – $75

 

Best Quotes About Love

The over-hyped, cliche ridden boost for the flower and greetings card industry is nearly with us. Have some love quotes.

  1. Love is the answer, but while you’re waiting for the answer, sex raises some pretty interesting questions. Woody Allen
  2. All you need is love. But a little chocolate now and then doesn’t hurt. Charles Schulz
  3. I love being married. It’s so great to find one special person you want to annoy for the rest of your life. Rita Rudner
  4. I was married by a judge. I should have asked for a jury. Groucho Marx
  5. Honesty is the key to a relationship. If you can fake that you’re in. Richard Jeni
  6. Love thy neighbor – and if he happens to be tall, debonair and devastating, it will be that much easier. Mae West
  7. A pair of powerful spectacles has sometimes sufficed to cure a person in love. Friedrich Nietzche
  8. You can’t put a price tag on love. But if you could, I’d wait for it to go on sale. Hussein Nishah
  9. If loving someone is putting them in a straitjacket and kicking them down a flight of stairs, then yes, I’ve loved a few people. Jarod Kintz
  10. Love is like war, easy to begin but hard to end. Leo Buscaglia

England’s Greatest Cricket Captain

With Alastair Cook saying that he will be stepping down as England cricket captain this week, here’s a list of who the most successful captains are based on their win/loss ratio and doing the job for a minimum of 30 tests.

  1. Mike Brearley – 31 matches – 4.50
  2. Ray Illingworth – 31 matches – 2.40
  3. Michael Vaughan – 51 matches – 2.36
  4. Andrew Strauss – 50 matches – 2.18
  5. Peter May – 41 matches – 2.00
  6. Ted Dexter – 30 matches – 1.28
  7. Nasser Hussain – 45 matches – 1.13
  8. Alastair Cook – 59 matches – 1.09
  9. Graham Gooch – 34 matches – 0.83
  10. Michael Atherton – 54 matches – 0.61

Hans Rosling’s Best TED Talks

Hans Rosling died on 7 February 2017. He called himself an “edutainer”. His TED talks presented statistics on health, population growth and economics in a hugely entertaining way. Have a look.Inspiring.

  1. New Insights on Poverty
  2. The Magic Washing Machine
  3. Global Population Growth, Box by Box
  4. The Best Stats You’ve Ever Seen
  5. Religions and Babies
  6. Let My Dataset Change Your Mind
  7. Asia’s Rise:How and When
  8. How Not To Be Ignorant About The World
  9. Insights on HIV
  10. The Good News of the Decade

Best Aretha Franklin Songs

Aretha Franklin is retiring this year. This list reminds us of what we will be missing.

Happy retirement.

  1. Respect – her greatest anthem.
  2. I Never Loved a Man (The Way I Love You) – a great soul performance
  3. Think  – another empowering feminist anthem
  4. I Say A Little Prayer – better than the Dionne Warwick version
  5. Do Right Woman, Do Right Man – another great song with a tough, don’t mess with me, message
  6. (You Make Me Feel) Like a Natural Woman – a more loving Carole King song
  7. Chain Of Fools – although this is a break up song, Aretha still seems strong
  8. Dr. Feelgood (Love Is A Serious Business) – proper sexy vocals
  9. Share Your Love With Me – another Grammy winner
  10. Baby I Love You – this bizarrely appears in Goodfellas’

Get the Greatest Hits

The Best of Marc Spitz

The novelist, playwright and rock journalist died on 4 February 2017. Here’s his best stuff:

  1. We Got The Neutron Bomb: The Untold Story of L.A. Punk – the definitive book on this subject. Buy Now.
  2. Nobody Likes You: Inside the Turbulent Life, Times and Music of Green Day – a really good biography. Buy Now.
  3. How Soon is Never? – his best novel about trying to get the Smiths to reform. Buy Now.
  4. Bowie: A Biography – not the best on the subject. Buy Now
  5. Poseur: A Memoir of Downtown New York City in the ’90s. An autobiography with lots of drugs. Buy Now
  6. Too Much, Too Late. Another novel, not as good as How Soon is Never? Buy Now
  7. Retail Sluts. His first and best play. Buy Now.
  8. Twee: The Gentle Revolution in Music, Books, Television, Fashion and Film. His most recent book. Buy Now
  9. Jagger: Rebel Rock Star, Rambler, Rogue. Not his best biography. Buy Now
  10. Shyness is Nice. Check out this play, a bit wierd, but I liked it. Buy Now

Check out his interview with Marc Maron

Greatest Scrum Half

In memory of the late Joost van der Westhuizen, here’s the list of the best number 9’s.

  1. Gareth Edwards – without doubt the best scrum half ever and possibly the greatest player of all time. The man had everything.
  2. Joost van der Westhuizen – So brave. A ninth forward. Remember him taking down Jonah Lomu in the 1995 World Cup Final?
  3. George Gregan – a mouthy, abrasive character who had the ability to back up his talk.
  4. Nick Farr-Jones – a great leader and tactician.
  5. Justin Marshall – a physical player at the base of the scrum and a good reader of the game.
  6. Agustin Pinochet – an under-rated player who had excellent skills.
  7. Matt Dawson – The king of the sniping run.
  8. Rob Howley – an excellent player behind a poor pack.
  9. David Kirk – a feature of his game was his quick service to the backs. Another great captain.
  10. Gary Armstrong – a key member of the 1990 Scotland Grand Slam winning team. A tough competitor.

Here’s some Joost highlights