Pangratiou, Lewis (13 June 2021). "Beasant, Berkovic, Crouch - the 53 players who have represented Southampton and Portsmouth". Hampshire Live . Retrieved 12 June 2023. When I came in I was a footballer entering the big horrible world of horse racing, but we thought if we bought some sharp two-year-olds we would have a chance of making it. Youmzain (#1) finishing second to Zarkava in the 2008 Arc While this is not something to be read from cover to cover, there is plenty of entertainment to be had from the numerous illustrations and the variety of Derby-related essays spread throughout. Tony Morris's comment in the 1997 foreword continues to apply: "This book is one to delight all present-day racing enthusiasts and all who relish the heritage of the turf." The book is also, one imagines, a sort of therapy for Channon. He clearly adores his old man, and as in a lot of father-son relationships, their love for each other is implicit. What is more, while he may have embraced failure, it would appear that, in penning How’s Your Dad? he has stumbled upon something he might be exceptional at – writing. Channon jnr has completed his paperwork and the switch will be made official when the licence is processed. He will continue to train out of West Ilsley with the same horses, owners and stable staff.

In the mid-1980s I was besotted by Everton. Although they beat Southampton in the 1984 semi-final at Highbury (I was there and I still hate Adrian Heath), they seemed to be in every Cup final that took place at that time, apart that is, from the Milk Cup final of 1985. Even now people still refer to it. I've even occasionally been known to do it after I've trained a winner but not often because you get funny looks in the racing game.’ The list below is a personal one of course – and will be missing lots of good titles. But these are books that I have enjoyed and will read again. He was my dad, and that certainly helped elevate him in my estimations, but he was also a brilliant footballer. He made things happen and he made people enjoy the game. He was an inspiration to teammates and fans alike. He’s also a very abrupt and dismissive individual, which is not a particularly endearing feature, but very few successful people are ‘nice’. Frank Archer: A must read! The Tin Man, a semi-fictional story based around the amazing Fred Archer, his life and times! Excellent.a b c Penn, Brian (13 February 2020). "How a talented England failed to qualify for the 1974 World Cup". These Football Times . Retrieved 13 June 2023.

He played in a series of post-season friendlies for England, scoring in three of them and was kept in the side the following October as England began their campaign to qualify for the 1976 European Championships. Channon scored in the game against Czechoslovakia as England won 3–0. [17] Channon's next goal for England was a while coming — in September 1975 — as England beat Switzerland in a friendly. England had two qualifying games left at the end of the year for the 1976 European Championships and Channon scored in both, but England lost 2–1 to Czechoslovakia in Bratislava and then only drew 1–1 with Portugal in Lisbon. [18] [19] England failed to qualify and Czechoslovakia went on to win the tournament. [20] McGrath has a fine grasp of the facts and figures, but so much more besides. He takes evident delight in the many noble and nefarious individuals who populate his story, from kings to brothel-keepers, business magnates to convicts, and brings them colourfully to life. By the end, we can be in no doubt that some of the greatest horses in racing history belonged to shady characters, whether high-born or ill-bred.His weekly columns in Racing Post were a must read at the time and so is this very frank account of his riding career, alongside battles with the bottle and his weight. How many former England football internationals can you name who are still scoring against international opposition thirty four years after retiring?

I was fortunate that everything fell right, I had great people around me and we found some nice horses. You need the breaks to go your way, whether that's playing football or training racehorses.He couldn’t run like he had as an England regular, but he’d adapted his game to bring younger players into play, and he extended his career far beyond the limits of others. Most of his best mates in football were washed up by the age of 32, yet here was me asking him about what we’d get if he scored the winner in a Cup final at Wembley. Channon lasted barely a month at Newcastle before joining Bristol Rovers. [7] His impressive career seemingly on the decline, he failed to score in nine games for Bristol Rovers before a sudden departure again, this time to Norwich City where, at the age of 34, he found some of his old touch. [8] He played 88 games over three seasons, scoring 16 goals, and suffered a mixed end to his Norwich career in 1985 when the club won the League Cup — Channon's second and final domestic honour — with a 1–0 win over Sunderland at Wembley, but were then relegated (with Sunderland) at the end of the same season. [9] [10] Channon joined Portsmouth and Finn Harps (where he played in one League of Ireland Cup game), [11] before retiring from the game in 1986. [12] [13] International career [ edit ]

The undoubted highlight of this year's Cheltenham Festival, and probably many more before it, was the confirmation of the renaissance of Sprinter Sacre, now ridden by Nico de Boinville, and the emotional response of the Prestbury Park crowd. Even by Cheltenham's standards this outpouring was something else, and Lee Mottershead and Alastair Down captured the mood beautifully. I do remember my dad swearing at half-time, going for another wee and Steve Bruce ruffling my crash helmet haircut when we went out for the second half. He said: "It's exciting and daunting all at the same time, but me and Dad have been preparing for this for quite a while and I'm looking forward to getting started.

He doesn’t want to reminisce and he doesn’t see the point in hindsight or nostalgia. He’ll warm to it given the right circumstances, but I don’t think he has a mind that can shift too far from the present or the future. For him, there’s today and tomorrow or, more accurately, the day after tomorrow. Because that’s when runners on the Flat are declared to run.