Before the Geopolitics World Cup circus gets under way, Real Madrid would like you to know there’s always another show in town. Los Blancos have an odd, difficult relationship with the tournament. Spain’s 2010 triumph involved Sergio Ramos, Xabi Alonso and Iker Casillas being bolted on to a raft of Barcelona players, somewhat demeaning to any aristocratic pretensions. Back in 2018, Madrid upended the Spain national team by snaffling away Julen Lopetegui to be their coach, such that he was sent back from Russia before a ball was kicked. After Fernando Hierro, a Madrileno final boss, took the reins, the tournament was a bust for Spain, and relations have been strained ever since.Yesterday Ray Anselmo questioned why Andoni Iraola would join Liverpool, who won something last year and then weren’t satisfied with fifth place and the quarter-finals of Bigger Cup this year. Is it safe to assume that Ray is a Spurs fan?” – Neale Redington.Jon Millard is stout in his defence of AOR musos but I disagree with his comment that Tapestry (Carole King) has no links with ‘Antipodean Journeymen’. Surely So Far Away and Home Again allude to travels of the two Australasian teams – the latter probably applying a short time after the teams land in North America. And Where you Lead could apply should one of these teams snatch the first goal in a match? Beautiful is a normal epithet of the game of association football, OK not always bandied about when discussing Kiwi or Aussie football, but y’know. Will You Love Me Tomorrow: of course we will, even when faint hopes are dashed in the group stage. Lastly, I feel the Earth Move is mainly a song about a daily occurrence here in the shaky isles of New Zealand, but should we win a match …” – Rod de Lisle.A simple request on behalf of the rest of us friendless virtual barflies – please publish every single response to Jon Millard’s broadside. The fact that Toto, Boston, Journey, and the entire AOR genre all caught strays in one almighty righteous take makes this tea-timely email worth reading, and I for one am here for it” – Daniel Stauss.To quote the inimitable Half Man Half Biscuit, ‘Everything’s AOR’ (football Daily letters passim). Now can we please move on?” – David Bell. Continue reading...