Michael Clarke

Now on Blue Sky as macnovel.bsky.social

@RogerProtzBeer @TheRiserBerko Fantastic pub. I wrote a Pint to Pint column on it.

"If even 1 neighbour is inconvenienced we have to take notice" @TheRiserBerko orderly indie canalside pub serving neighbourhood & Long Village under threat from outside space restrictions tradition'y used& noise complaints from new neighbour #SaveTheRiser crowdfunder.co.uk/p/therisingsun…

Very honoured to have won an award at the British Guild of Beer Writers annual awards - Highly Commended in the Beer and Travel writing category. #BGBW24

Honoured to be nominated for two categories for the 2024 British Guild of Beer Writers awards. I'm in very esteemed company. #bgbw24

Many thanks to all at @nagbw and @goodbeerhunting for this amazing recognition. I’m currently in a very happy valley indeed.

@totalcurtis Congratulations. Well deserved. I was similarly bowled over to get second in the travel writing category.

@henrywinter Did you really expect him to say anything else before the match?

Luke Shaw on #NEDENG ref Felix Zwayer once banned for match-fixing. "We have to respect UEFA on whoever they decide to pick as ref. We just focus on the game and not on the refs we're given." LS doesn't feel refs might have it in for them. "Not really, in the heat of the moment you get angry and might think that but whoever's been picked has been picked." #ENG #EURO2024

What’s the literary reference?

@mazymixer @Pieandapint Not sure the stadium experience is worth the money. Unless you’re standing (which has its drawbacks) you’re miles away from the stage and the acoustics are often designed to amplify crowd noise (I.e terrible for music). Festivals are better as you can pick your spot and no walls.

@Pieandapint @macnovel @axs @TicketmasterUK It's certainly a lottery, and it's the whole resale market that makes me angry. I sold one of my 4 Green Day tickets for tonight's gig back through Ticketmaster (at face value), but I don't know if whoever bought them paid a premium which was gobbled up by Ticketmaster.

@IsabelHardman He showed how utterly unsuitable he is to be a politician - rather than empathise with voters and persuade them he’s on their side (as even Farage tries to do with his base), Sunak acts entitled and arrogant, antagonising the public asking the questions, like they’re not worthy.

The key moments in tonight’s Question Time spectator.co.uk/article/all-th…

@NicholasPegg Impartial!

@GazWeetman I thought it was fake but am coming to the conclusion they’ve set up in some grand columned building.

Current debate with family: how much of the BBC Sport “Brandenburg Gate” studio is real? #BBCEUROS

@rwjc22 @henrywinter @UEFA @Cj_covblaze The German trains were so bad the weekend I was there that I had to abandon my plan to visit the football museum in Dortmund for the day as I didn’t think I’d get back to Düsdeldorf airport for an evening flight.

@macnovel @henrywinter @UEFA @Cj_covblaze And that's the question. It looks all set up for mass transportation, but it just didn't work. Trams just don't have the same capacity that trains do. Maybe locals head in different directions, where on Sunday nearly all were going to the Hauptbahnhof

What should @UEFA do to tackle #EURo2024 transport shambles for fans? “Take the whole thing off the Germans and do it all themselves. Ground footprint (Uefa’s bit) is bang on. Everywhere else is atrocious. Transport is dreadful," says #ENG fan & tournament veteran @Cj_covblaze.

@rwjc22 @henrywinter @UEFA @Cj_covblaze I visited the Schalke site last autumn on a trip to Düsseldorf and Cologne (when there wasn’t a game on) and visited the gift shop and noted that it was an out of town ground. I drove there as I imagined a lot of fans would do due to the car parks and close autobahns.

@henrywinter The tactical genius of playing three right backs in one team?

#SER 0 #ENG 1. Whistle report from Gelsenkirchen. If England play like they did in the first half, they have a chance of winning the European Championship. If they play like they did in the second, full of uncertainty, sitting deep, they have little chance. So thank heavens for Jude Bellingham, who has put England in control of Group C. Serbia tried to stop Bellingham but just couldn’t. They queued up to foul England’s imperious No 10 here at the Arena AufSchalke but he just would not be quelled. First, Nemanja Gudelj brought him down, then Sasa Lukic, then Andrija Zivkovic and Dusan Vlahovic. Gudelj was eventually booked before the break for a foul too many on Bellingham but the 20-year-old had made his mark by then. Bellingham’s just too good. He went off to a standing ovation and a chant of “Jude”. England needed his touch of class on a night when they showed that infuriating habit of taking the lead and then dropping off. Their tens of thousands of supporters backed them passionately but England remained nervous and there was relief as well as cheers at the final whistle. Bellingham was duly named player of the match. His contribution was immense in and out of possession. One moment he was in the Serbian box scoring, the next he was launching a move from left-back. He was everywhere, his heatmap burning the opposition. He dovetailed promisingly with Phil Foden, who drifted in off the left. So many qualities define Bellingham, not least the ability to elicit the best from others. He does it at Real Madrid, working with Vinicius Junior. He did it here with Foden certainly in the first half. Bellingham demonstrated why he is already revered by England fans, who shook the stadium with cries of “Juuuuude”. They love his skill, eluding Serbs with a Cruyff turn. They adore his total belief. His goal after 13 minutes was a gem, not simply for his flying finish and utter determination to reach the ball first but for the whole move. England had to break Serbia down, who immediately dropped back into 5-4-1 out of possession, which was frequent in the first period. Bellingham calmly unlocked the door. The initial build-up was patient, involving John Stones, Declan Rice and Kyle Walker. England then accelerated, Bellingham transferring the ball right to Walker, Bukayo Saka belted forward on the overlap and Strahinja Pavlovic was duly left in a heap. Saka’s cross was angled back to the area Bellingham was racing into, beating Zivkovic and powering his header in. Bellingham’s such an intelligent player, timing his run cleverly. He has such positional awareness. Spotting Trent Alexander-Arnold pushed high up in the inside-left channel, hoping a Walker cross would reach him, Bellingham dropped back alongside Declan Rice, again keeping the shape. He was quick to close Serbs down, even dropping back to dispossess Vlahovic, and clearing a corner as the half closed. “Juuuuude,” came the percussive chant. Of other points, Alexander-Arnold had some promising moments, including a 50-yard switch for Trippier, but didn’t completely seize the opportunity and Conor Gallagher came on to try to help England regain control of midfield. Marc Guehi impressed at the back with his composure and reading of the game. Rice was an alert sentry in front of the back-four. But this was all about Bellingham, his driven pass to Saka on the right in the second half, relieving some of the pressure as Serbia threatened. England were also indebted to Jordan Pickford for a tip-over save from Vlahovic. England will improve on the road to Berlin. They have Bellingham as their guiding light. #euro2024 #SERENG

@SmallJo @NHSEngland Third world country.

Wycombe General hospital @NHSEngland absolutely disgusting - no toilets for visitors on ward floor, toilets on ground floor closed and only available toilets no hand washing facilities. Absolutely incredible.

@edbrown_82 The German low alcohol beers are usually very good, especially wheat beers. I think the home market is larger. Erdinger and Schneider Weisse have very good low alcohol versions.