Frans Timmermans: A Love Letter to Britain
Frans Timmermans, the Dutch vice-president of the European Commission has wrote a “love letter” to the UK and told the British people that they will always be welcome in Europe if they decide to come back to the EU one day. That’s exactly what I think: the decision to leave has been a big mistake, but the door should always remain open for this great country. My love for Britain will not cease after Brexit. And there will always remain family ties between the British and us, because they are and forever will be close relatives of the countries on the so-called “continent“.
That’s what Frans Timmermans wrote in the Guardian:
I recently read a delightful book of love letters to Europe. And it made me contemplate my love for Britain. It has just occurred to me that when you joined the European Economic Community I was in one of your schools. Not on your soil, mind you, but in Italy. Saint George’s British International School in Rome, to be precise. I was 12 years old and still learning English. That year I also dressed up in a kimono, as one of the “gentlemen from Japan” in the Mikado, the school play. Mrs Alcock encouraged me not to sing too loudly, so that my false notes would be less audible. But she kept me on stage. I loved it. Like I loved being part of the chorus in My Fair Lady the next year and the Mock Turtle in Alice in Wonderland the year after.
More than 40 years have passed since then. So much has happened. My family went back to the Netherlands, I studied there and in France. I got married and became a father, did my military service, worked as a diplomat, divorced and married again, got elected to parliament, served in government and am now in the European commission. Britain was always there. As part of me. Being in one of your schools made me more Dutch than before. Because there is no better way to be made aware of your own culture than by being immersed in another. And at the same time, that immersion leaves traces. What you inhale and absorb remains: as an extra layer, a sediment that partly merged with what was already there and partly remains distinguishable and unique.
I know you now. And I love you. For who you are and what you gave me. I’m like an old lover. I know your strengths and weaknesses. I know you can be generous but also miserly. I know you believe yourself to be unique and different. And of course you are in many ways, but perhaps less than you think. You will never stop referring to the rest of us as “the continent”. It helps you to create the distance you think you need. But it also prevents you from seeing that we all need a bit of distance between us. All European nations are unique. Our differences are a source of admiration, surprise, discomfort, misunderstanding, ridicule, caricature and, yes, love.
In the best of times these differences make us the most creative, productive, peaceful and prosperous of families. In the worst of times our differences are manipulated to instil fear, to propagate superiority, to set one family member against the other. Things then quickly get out of hand. We all are also very, very good at that. That is our legacy. That too is who we are. And as a family we have a duty to promote the best of times and keep the worst of times at bay. So far, for all its faults, the EU has been the most successful tool to achieve that goal.
You have decided to leave. It breaks my heart, but I respect that decision. You were in two minds about it, like you have always been in two minds about the EU. I wish you had stuck to that attitude, it served you well and it kept all of us in better shape. Was it necessary to force the issue? Not at all. But you did. And the sad thing is, I see it is hurting you. Because the two minds will still be there, even after you have left. In the process so much unnecessary damage has been done to you, and all of us. And I fear more will follow.
Truth be told, I felt deeply hurt when you decided to leave. Three years later I am just sad that a member of our family wants to sever our ties. But at the same time I find comfort in the thought that family ties can never really be severed. We’re not going away and you will always be welcome to come back.
Frans Timmermans is executive vice-president of the European commission
Bad Boxing Day for West Ham
Die Boxing Day-Konferenz auf Sky bringt sechs Premier League Spiele zur selben Zeit, die meisten davon bei strömendem Regen. Very British statt „white Christmas“. In London ist das Wetter etwas besser ist als im Rest von England, dort spielen Southampton und West Ham beide gegen den Abstieg – beide auswärts, bei Chelsea und Crystal Palace.
West Ham geht in der 57. Minute durch Robert Snodgrass in Führung, aber zehn Minuten später gleicht Ex-Hammer Kouyate für die Eagles 🦅aus, im Strafraum wurde er von West Ham’s Abwehr sträflich alleine gelassen.
Hingegen führt Ralph Hasenhüttl‘s Southampton die längste Zeit 1:0 an der Stamford Bridge beim Chelsea FC. Chelsea mühte sich gegen die Saints, die West Ham zuletzt in einem Abstiegsduell 1:0 geschlagen hatte. Und dann gehen die Saints sogar 2:0 durch Redmond in Führung!
Jetzt sollte auch West Ham noch einmal einnetzen, ebenso wie Southampton einen Auswärtssieg mit nach Hause nehmen, bevor es schon in zwei Tagen gegen den Tabellenzweiten Leicester und am 1. Jänner gegen Bournemouth (jeweils zu Hause im London Stadium) weitergeht!
In Liverpool bestreitet zur gleichen Zeit Manager Carlo Ancelotti sein erstes Spiel mit den von ihm übernommenen Toffees, und erst in der 80. Minute geht Everton, das wie West Ham mit der bisherigen Saison alles andere als zufrieden sein kann, gegen Burnley in Führung. Damit könnten sich die Toffees in der Tabelle wieder nach oben orientieren.
Im Gegensatz zu den Hammers: die geraten gegen Crystal Palace in der 80. Minute nach einem tollen Tor von Jordan Ayew, der die West Ham-Abwehr austanzte und dann ganz cool Keeper Roberto mit einem “chip” überhob, 1:2 in Rückstand. Das bedeutet, dass die Irons dieses Boxing Day fixture in Südlondon verlieren und damit von Southampton überholt werden. West Ham rutscht auf den 17. Platz ab, nur mehr einen Rang über dem Strich und einen Punkt vor dem 18., Aston Villa.
Dabei hatte der Boxing Day für West Ham so gut begonnen mit Snodgrass‘ Führungstor … doch jetzt stellt sich schon wieder die Frage: wie lange bleibt Manuel Pellegrini noch Manager im London Stadium? Und warum tut man sich das immer wieder an, dieses West Ham-Schauen, das schon seit Monaten immer und immer wieder mit einer Enttäuschung endet?!
Und so endet auch David Hautzig’s match report für “West Ham Till I Die” wieder einmal traurig:
“We have dropped 15 points from a winning position this season, the most of any team in the league. We are clearly nowhere close to being the team or club many thought we would become. We are West Ham. And we all know what that truly means.
“There you have it.”
Merry Christmas ! 🎄💫
RapidHammer’s Christmas Story – Coming Home for Christmas: https://rapidhammer.wordpress.com/2019/12/15/coming-home-for-christmas/
Merry Christmas to everybody at West Ham and Rapid Wien, and to all my readers!
RIP Martin Peters
“West Ham beat West Germany”… Now the second of West Ham’s three World Cup heroes is no more. Martin Peters who scored in England’s 4-2 win in the 1966 World Cup final has died aged 76. The West Ham legend played in the Wembley final win over West Germany in a team captained by Hammer Bobby Moore (+1993) alongside West Ham’s hattrick-hero Geoff Hurst.
Peters, who joined West Ham aged 15, spent 11 years with the club until he became Britain’s first £200,000 player in a move to Tottenham in 1970.
West Ham said “the 1966 World Cup winner passed away peacefully” on Saturday after “a long and courageous battle with illness”.
“He is the fifth member of English football’s greatest-ever team now sadly lost – along with Alan Ball, Ray Wilson, Gordon Banks and his fellow West Ham Academy hero and great friend, Bobby Moore,” the club added.
Peters won the European Cup Winners’ Cup with West Ham in 1965 as well as the Uefa Cup and two League Cups with Spurs.
Peters, who was awarded an MBE for services to football in 1978, still regularly attended West Ham games as a club ambassador.
His former England team-mate Sir Geoff Hurst said it was a “very sad day for football and for me personally”.
“A fellow World Cup final goalscorer and my West Ham partner for years along with Bobby Moore. RIP old friend.”
Martin Peter’s goal put England 2-1 in front in the 1966 World Cup Final against Germany and the Three Lions looked set to win at Wembley, only for West Germany to level with seconds remaining before Hurst sealed a 4-2 win and completed his hat-trick in extra time.
Manager Alf Ramsey himself said Peters was “10 years ahead of his time”.
Peters won 67 caps for England and made over 700 appearances for clubs throughout his career.
Martin Peters – an English sporting icon and a lovely man who’ll be sadly missed. A tribute will be carried out prior to kick-off of West Ham’s home game vs. Leicester after Christmas in celebration of the achievements of one of West Ham‘s and England’s finest-ever players.
Coming Home For Christmas
Meine Weihnachtsgeschichte
Weihnachten ist ein Familienfest – von Anfang an! Durch Jesu Geburt wurden Maria und Josef zur Heiligen Familie, Gott ist Mensch geworden und damit ist Er unser Bruder, wir sind seine Geschwister geworden!
Es ist also ganz richtig, dass wir Weihnachten traditionell als Familienfest feiern. Und als Eltern bemühen wir uns natürlich, für unsere Kinder und für die Famile das Fest so schön wie möglich zu gestalten.
Ich erinnere mich gern an den Weihnachtsabend als Kind zurück: daran, wie verzaubert ich war, wenn „das Christkind dagewesen ist”, und ich wünsche mir, dass unsere Kinder, wenn sie an den Heiligen Abend denken, auch diesen Zauber in Erinnerung behalten: das Staunen über den Christbaum mit den vielen leuchtenden Kerzen und den Sternspritzern im dunklen Zimmer, nachdem das Bimmeln eines Glöckchen das lange aufgeregte Warten auf das Christkind endlich, endlich beendet hatte, dann das gemeinsame Singen von Weihnachtsliedern, das Erinnern an die Weihnachtsgeschichte und die Überraschung und die Freude über die Weihnachtsgeschenke unter dem Christbaum.
Aber Weihnachten ist doch mehr. Und nicht nur Gutes, oder?
Zuerst einmal bringt Weihnachten ganz schön viel Arbeit und Stress – nicht nur Staunen und Freude. Vor Weihnachten ist im Büro meistens besonders viel los, weil Vieles noch vor den Feiertagen und dem Jahreswechsel erledigt werden muss und die Vorbereitungen auf Weihnachten kollidieren mit der überbordenden Arbeitslast. Ja, in Großbritannien kam heuer noch Extra-Stress dazu, da mussten die Menschen 12 Tage vor dem Heiligen Abend vor den Wahllokalen anstehen. Und in Wien ist kurz vor Weihnachten tagelang die U-Bahnlinie U1 ausgefallen.
Und während all der Weihnachtsvorbereitungen können einem schon einmal die Nerven durchgehen, wenn zum Beispiel der Christbaum „alle Jahre wieder“ nicht in den Christbaumständer passt und man nicht sicher ist, ob und wann die mittlerweile erwachsenen Kinder kommen, und und und …!
Kirche neu erleben: Weihnachten im ICF Wien
Aber wenn dann der Kerzenschein das Zimmer erhellt und die Familie beim Christbaum zusammensteht, dann ist das alle Jahre wieder eine ganz besondere Zeit, in der Freude, Friede, Hoffnung und Dankbarkeit unser Herz erfüllen. Eine Zeit, in der Belastungen und Sorgen, Uneinigkeiten und Verletzungen, die es in der Familie natürlich gibt, vergessen sind und das Gemeinsame und Gute im Vordergrund stehen.
Wir haben unseren Kindern immer gesagt, dass es das Christkind gibt, dass Jesus Realität ist, aber dass wir Eltern ihm dabei helfen müssen, damit Weihnachten heute auf der Erde gefeiert werden kann.
Und darum geht es für mich auch beim Feiern von Weihnachten: dass wir die Dankbarkeit und Freude darüber, dass Gott uns dieses größte aller Geschenke gemacht hat und Mensch geworden ist – sich uns geschenkt hat – einander weitergeben. Dass wir Ihm dabei helfen, dass Seine Freude, Sein Geist das Weihnachtsfest erfüllen!
Von jemandem, der uns liebt und uns Gutes will, etwas geschenkt zu bekommen, verbindet. Aber worauf es wirklich ankommt, ist schlussendlich die persönliche lebendige Beziehung dahinter. Möge uns dieses Weihnachten ermutigen, uns zu öffnen – für einander in der Familie und gegenüber unseren Mitmenschen, und uns vor allem auch ermutigen, uns auf eine wirklich persönliche Beziehung mit Jesus einzulassen.
„Siehe, ich stehe vor deiner Tür und klopfe an. Wer jetzt auf meine Stimme hört und mir die Tür öffnet, zu dem werde ich hineingehen und Gemeinschaft mit ihm haben.“ Offenbarung 3:20
Frohe, besinnliche, jubelnde und gesegnete Weihnachten!
WHU 1-3 Arsenal
Third defeat at home in a row with West Han conceding three goals!
It’s beginning to reach that stage – if it hasn’t already – where you really don’t want to watch because this is a team with nothing to offer under a manager who – let’s be honest – seems clueless to know what to do about it.
This was the third home game running in which the Irons had conceded three goals.
The Hammers were not particularly convincing when they were in front until the hour mark though it was one of the worst Arsenal sides that I’ve seen for many, many years. And once West Ham lost the advantage, the lack of confidence so clear in Arsenal’s play transferred to theirs.
It’s almost impossible to believe that the lead and the obvious weakness of this Arsenal team did not help West Ham grow in confidence. Instead of scoring a second goal they let Arsenal from the hook. It’s almost unbelievable: it was 8 years since Arsenal won a Premier League away game from a losing position at half-time. The previous time was October 2011 (5-3 v Chelsea), and now West Ham have allowed the Gunners to take all three points from a losing position.
Record signing Sebastien Haller was left on the bench and even when he was introduced 20 minutes from time, he made no noticeable impact. He looks a forlorn figure in every game, and his inability to make an impact shows that Pellegrini does not have a clue how to play this squad under the given circumstances.
I went home from the pub where I had watched the game before the ref blew the final whistle. It was all but sure that West Ham wouldn’t score when they had conceded 3 goals within only 9 minutes. This team is bereft of confidence and in Pellegrini we don’t trust anymore. Things have to change quickly. I fear we’ll be in the relegation zone before Christmas …
Only one loss away from relegation
With Everton winning against Chelsea on Saturday afternoon, the Toffees have moved up the table and leapfrogged West Ham.
On Sunday evening the Hammers could well find themselves in a relegation spot if Aston Villa get a win or a draw in their game against Leicester at home, and if Ralph Hasenhuttl’s Saints manage to win at Newcastle’s St. James Park.
West Ham enjoy Monday night football in this 16th round of the season: they host Arsenal tomorrow night. A crucial game for Manuel Pellegrini and his men. Come on you Irons!
Berger & Grant: too little too late?
Die ehemalige Labour-Abgeordnete Luciana Berger, die jetzt für Lib Dem kandidiert und von Hugh Grant unterstützt wird, ist gegen den Brexit.
Ich auch. Aber ich glaube, der Zug ist abgefahren und eine zweite Volksabstimmung (mehr als drei Jahre nach der überraschend ausgegangenen ersten) wird es wahrscheinlich … nein: sicher! nicht! geben!
Bye-bye Britain … am 12. Dezember werden die Tories wohl die Unterhaus-Wahlen gewinnen und dann kommt der Brexit doch noch, denn Parteichef und Premier Boris Johnson hat nur solche Kandidaten aufgestellt, die seinen Austrittskurs unterstützen.
Das Thema Brexit geht wohl jedem schon sehr auf die Nerven. Aber auch wenn nach dem Wahlen der Austritt wirklich erfolgt und die Übergangsfrist bis Ende 2020 beginnt, dann muss das UK innerhalb eines Jahres einen neuen Freihandels-Vertrag mit der EU aushandeln. Und ob das gelingt, nämlich in dieser Zeit! – das ist sehr fraglich!
Der “hard brexit” kommt dann zwar nicht jetzt, droht aber für 31.12.2020. Hugh Grant persönlich kann’s wohl eher egal sein, aber für die britische Wirtschaft und die Menschen im Land, aber auch für die EU, wär das wirklich schlimm!
The Difficulty of Playing Football in London
In a lengthy interview in The Times (Saturday) former West Ham manager Slaven Bilic (now coaching current Championship leaders West Bromwich Albion) had to say the following about West Ham United and their players living in London, about Declan Rice (who was handed his debut under the tenure of Slaven Bilic) and the current crop of young and fearless English players.
“For clubs like West Ham and Crystal Palace, you have a feeling they are only performing when they are struggling, when they have to [win]. When they are eighth or ninth, suddenly they lose a few games. It’s very easy to lose the focus. You don’t notice it. It’s not that you get fatter or you put on 5 kilograms, but you are not thinking about the game five days before the game. You are not sweating before the game and that makes a difference.”
“The players at West Ham are good,” Bilic explained to Times football writer Henry Winter. But the Irons were “a very difficult club to manage. You have always that thing about London, you know. For younger generations of players it is much easier to stay focused if they play in Burnley or here [at WestBrom near Birmingham].” Because of distractions in London? “Exactly. Their friends are always coming in, that simply doesn’t help,” he says. “Here this is for me an ideal training ground. You have everything but it is not a five-star hotel. It smells of football.”
Declan Rice, a future leader
Bilic talks fondly about giving Declan Rice his debut at West Ham. “The question mark is whether he’s a centre back or a midfielder, but he had the brain of a 26 or 27-year-old and he looked like a leader straight away,” Bilic says. “He was so mature, so fearless. He’s going to become a regular in the national team. He’s a leader.”
A fearless generation?
Bilic likes watching this generation of England players, enjoying their fearlessness. He remembers Wembley in the rain, Steve McClaren’s side folding in 2007, sensing England’s fear. “Yes, definitely. OK, they came back to 2-2, which would have been enough [for England to qualify for Euro 2008], but then they had fear – fear of losing – and that blocks you. For me, that [Rooney] generation from 2004 was very strong. In Portugal 2004, you played the best football. I was watching at home thinking, ‘Wow! This is it.’ ”
Bilic talks about the perceived pressure of the World Cup glory, and accidentally refers to ’66 as “666”. “It’s not because of 666 that you are still waiting. When you are going to a big tournament, fear of the media is still a big problem – the media here is scary. If we are talking about the generation from 2002, 2004, 2006, 2008, there was a big difference between them and English media and I think a few of them have admitted that.
“You were monitoring where the wives were, are the players going to have a couple of beers? For me that is the only logical reason they didn’t win 2004 though they played great football. But 1966 [a burden]? Maybe for their generation, [John] Terry, [Steven] Gerrard, [Frank] Lampard, Rio [Ferdinand]. But do you really think young players like [Jadon] Sancho have ’66 on their mind?”
Gareth Southgate played a part in dispelling the fear. “He’s very open, he’s very calm,” Bilic says. “He’s changed the perspective of the national team in basically no time. He’s giving a lot of young players a chance – they are begging to play for England, they want to impress him and the fear has gone.
“The expectations are also lower. Last year at the World Cup in Russia, it was the first time where you were almost happy just to be there. Let’s be honest, you were celebrating the win against Colombia like this (waves arms). The papers were not full of ‘This is our time’ or ‘It’s now or never’. You can see the players are enjoying it, ‘We want to be there’. It’s not a case of ‘Oh my God, I have to report to the national team.’ They can’t wait to play for England. They want to be there because they are not afraid.”
How it works in Croatia
That is always the way with Croatia. They’re fearless. “It is unbelievable how good we are for such a small country,” Bilic reflects of the 4 million population. Bilic’s home-town of Split, population 250,000, has itself produced tennis players such as Goran Ivanisevic and Mario Ancic and basketball players of the quality of Toni Kukoc, of the Chicago Bulls, and Dino Radja, of Boston Celtics. “We are talented, we are tall, strong. We are good for collective sports,” he says.
“In Croatia, when you are a kid, things aren’t put on a plate for you. You have to think. When you want to cross the road, you have to watch out [for] the cars coming. No matter that you have a pedestrian crossing. In Western Europe, you don’t care, you walk!
“I was good in school, but I had to help somebody who wasn’t good in my class. I had to spend time with her, teach her how to write if she was struggling. Everything is about clicking together and feeling for each other and that’s right for team sports.”
“In that part of Europe, people also had to stand up for themselves throughout history. “You had to stick together,” Bilic concludes. With that, he was up and out, back to training, back to his footballing fix, back to coaching current Championship leaders West Bromwich Albion.
Slaven Bilic, “a good person”
There he is managing West Ham hopeful Grady Diangana who got introduced to senior football at West Ham by Bilic and was now brought to West Brom on loan by his former manager.
In the summer Diangana initially was set to join Championship rivals Derby on a temporary basis, but Bilic made a last minute call to his former employers in a bid to hijack the deal.
And Diangana has since gone on to shine for the Baggies with the winger having scored four goals and registered five assists in 15 outings.
Asked if he feels he ever gets preferential treatment from Bilic, Diangana said: “No – I think he treats everyone the same and gives everyone respect.
“He doesn’t pick one out more than any other.
“He’s a good person.”
And that seems a perfect quote to end this article.
No talking about West Ham v Tottenham then …
Tie-break heartbreak for Domi
Dominic Thiem played so brilliantly during the ATP final week in London, and he also fought very brave and strong in Sunday’s final, but in the end Stefanos Tsitsipas proved too strong for the Austrian that night, won the tie-break of the third set and the ATP final 2019.
Dominic Thiem 🇦🇹 played very well in the final that he had reached by beating legends Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic, as well as last year’s ATP final winner Alexander Zverev.
He won the tie-break of the first set against a very well serving and returning Stefanos Tsitsipas (Greece). Then Tsitsipas got stronger and stronger, and although Thiem came back several times when having fallen behind, in the end Tsitsipas proved too strong for Domi that night!
Nevertheless: Dominic Thiem, you can be so proud of 2019!
#ATPFinals2019 #London #sometimeswinsometimeslearn
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