This black and white photo is one of my favorite images of all time. I love black and white photographs. They simply seem more interesting than color.  Perhaps it’s a nostalgia thing? This photo below captures both the beauty of a black and white image and my love of football. I was probably about 8-years-old when I saw this pic in my Dad’s newspaper. I was big into scrapbooks at the time and I cut this photo out and pasted it into my football scrapbook. My Dad wasn’t amused as he hadn’t finished reading the paper 🙂 He was a well-known footballer of that era. See the Secret Content box below to find out his name and the club he played for. This pic below… Read More
Expat In Bacolod
Stephen Bentley - Writer
Tag: football (page 1 of 2)
‘Grass Roots Football’ is a joy to watch. You can see kids playing the game as it was intended. With joy, passion and in the right spirit (mainly). You can also witness the skills of the ‘beautiful game.’ Grass Roots Football Coaches One of the many pleasing aspects of life here in Bacolod is a thriving football community. I have had the pleasure of meeting local coaches like Robel Ramos of Bacolod and Coach Eleazar of Cebu. They have a passion for the game that is passed on to the youngsters. Thanks to the two of you and all the other coaches throughout the world that give up their own time to provide this service. The shot above is a study in concentration. Note the… Read More
Red and Blue – Only Colors Right? Red or Blue? What does it mean to you? Those two colors mean a lot to me. I got to thinking about the color blue earlier today, and it set my train of thought rushing along the tracks, whistle-a-blowing, steam wildly escaping and pistons clanging. The confession is nothing to do with the “blues” or depression. I have suffered bouts of that affliction in my life and believe I have finally vanquished the black dog. The “fessing” up is to do with my football team, Liverpool Football Club.  They play in red. Bill Shankly made them play in an all red strip in the belief it made the players look bigger and stronger. Our city neighbors, Everton, play in blue. Royal… Read More
I never thought I would use the words  demise and Liverpool Football Club in the same sentence. Perhaps I am a little too gloomy in talking about the demise of a once great football club. Gloomy is par for the course this season (with notable exceptions Chelsea, Manchester City and Southampton – all away) as the results are grim. Some of the performances have been grimmer. Liverpool Football Club One of the Big Four To use a cliche – no team has a God-given right to win anything but the way Liverpool FC have slumped into mid-table mediocrity is alarming.  We used to be one of the “Big Four”. Now we are being undone by the likes of West Ham, Crystal Palace, Newcastle and Watford. We… Read More
Customer Service in the Philippines SKYserves is the customer service department of the Philippines SKYcable digital TV company. Customer Service in the Philippines operates on a different level to that typically encountered in America or Europe. It takes some getting used to, Â but then again … I subscribe to one of SKYcable’s digital TV packages here where I live in Bacolod. When I first subscribed back in June of 2015 I was attracted by the Philippines wide advertising that promoted the fact that SKYcable held the franchise for Bein Sports. Bein Sports in turn hold the broadcast rights for Barclays Premier League football (the EPL). Disappointingly, after I had signed up, I learned that the Bein Sports channels were only available in Manila. I was… Read More
More Filipino Football but a bit Flat … You will all know I watched the first day’s play in the Philippines  Football Federation Regional Under 22 Play-Offs. I thoroughly enjoyed it. Today I returned for the third and final day anticipating quite a ding-dong match between the two best, and physically strongest, teams Cebu and NOFA (Bacolod). It was disappointing. I don’t blame the young men who were playing. It was their third match in the space of three days. That was far too much to ask especially in temperatures of about 30C. In fact, it’s ridiculous to ask players to perform like that in three consecutive days. They had to cope with a hard, bobbly pitch, high temperatures and an even stronger wind than on… Read More
If you are caught on a golf course during a storm and are afraid of lightning, hold up a 1-iron. Not even God can hit a 1-iron. Lee Trevino The quote above encapsulates the degree of difficulty involved involved in hitting a golf ball with a 1-iron or for that matter a 2 or 3-iron. I love sport. Love watching it but above all loved playing various sports from being a kid right through to my early sixties. Â However, the only sport I found I could still play in my late fifties and early sixties was golf. I first played golf as a teenager then didn’t hold a club again until I was about forty. At that time I was visiting my brother in Canada… Read More
I was going to write that Sean Connery’s spoken version of this beautiful and poignant song was in my humble opinion a better rendition than the Beatles (sacrilege!).  Then I found this on  You Tube but promise me you will watch and listen  before you read the lyrics of this Beatles song. The clip cleverly uses a juxtaposition of Sean Connery’s perfect narration with the Beatles original release of the track. It was used as the final closing moments to Sky Sports coverage of one of the most memorable football matches that has ever taken place. It was an emotional roller coaster of an evening that 2005 night in Istanbul when Liverpool won the European Cup for the fifth time setting a British record and one that… Read More
Following Liverpool Football Club has been an important part of my life since I was a kid. Even before I set foot in the old Boys Pen at the Kop end I was mad about the Reds. I don’t know why, as we were so frustrating in the old pre-Shankly Division 2 days. Note to younger LFC fans – there was no Premier League then just Divisions 1 and 2 plus Division 3 North and South. The ‘Pool were frustrating because we always seemed to fade away at the end of a season when earlier in the season  we were so well placed to gain promotion to Division 1. We had Billy Liddell a Liverpool legend and he deserved to play with the best for LFC in… Read More
Basketball versus Football in the Philippines: No Contest? The American influence is omnipresent in the Philippines. Not surprising given the archipelago’s history. My brief today is to chat about sport. In particular my love of football – the kind you play with a round ball – you know the one Americans call soccer (sawwker) – only teasing. Basketball is the king here in the Philippines. Everyone has their favorite team and often wear basketball shirts and shorts. I love basketball too. In fact I played a lot when I was in college. I loved the silky feel to the uniform and the fact all the girls used to turn out to watch us play! But hey I’m 6’3” so a natural fit for the game…. Read More
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