Fifty centimetres of snow in the Pyrenées, four metre waves on the Côte d'Azur that destroyed several beach restaurants and all the installations for the Cannes film festival: midwinter weather in May...
And it was perishing cold at Gerland stadium last night. Only the fact that it was still light at the 7pm kickoff told you it was really early spring. Just as well that the action on the pitch, for a change, was rather warming. Against Auxerre, second in the league and a rival for Champions League places, OL started disastrously by giving away a goal with a dreadful back pass. Fortunately, les gones equalised from a penalty on the stroke of half time and spent the entire second half on the offensive. The woodwork was struck three times before the winner finally arrived five minutes from the end, which left plenty of time to survive a couple of scares at the other end. The win handed the title to Marseille, but Lyon will finish second if they win their last 3 games. On verra…
A much more dispiriting evening occurred in the pub on Monday, as I watched the latest capitulation of the decimated red and white army in Lancashire, battered and bombed into submission by the Fat Walrus and his football for neanderthals while the referee allowed open season on fouling the keeper. The Gooner heroes remain so, albeit much tarnished in recent days…
