Month: August 2019

A 100 anni dalla prima salita, Alberto Sciamplicotti ripercorre la storia e la via Chiaraviglio-Berthelet, aperta il 9 settembre 1918 negli ultimi giorni della prima guerra mondiale da Curio Chiaraviglio e Ettore Berthelet sul Corno Piccolo del Gran Sasso d’Italia.

Cento Anni. Ieri (ndr testo scritto il 10/09/18) erano cento anni della prima salita al Corno Piccolo al Gran Sasso lungo l’itinerario aperto da Curio Chiaraviglio e Ettore Berthelet.

Cento anni. Non sono certo pochi. Era 9 il settembre del 1918 e l’avanzata del Piave solo pochi mesi prima aveva messo le basi per la disfatta, sul fronte italo-austriaco, dell’impero dell’aquila bicipite nera. La gioventù italiana tutta aveva partecipato a quell’olocausto, fino al richiamo in armi dei nati nell’ultimo anno del secolo precedente, ragazzini di 18 anni mandati al fronte nelle ultime fasi della guerra.

Curio Chiaraviglio ed Ettore Berthelet nel settembre del diciotto avevano 22 e 24 anni e verrebbe da chiedersi il senso della loro presenza fra le guglie del Corno Piccolo. Non sarebbero dovuti invece stare al fronte come i loro coetanei? Le notizie su Ettore Berthelet che si riescono a rintracciare sono veramente poche. Probabilmente era un appassionato di fotografia, una sua immagina di Bologna appare su un volume fotografico, e probabilmente ha lavorato in ufficio presso il Servizio Centrale di Roma delle ferrovie Italiane. Di Chiaraviglio si sa invece un poco di più, in quanto era era il nipote dello statista Giovanni Giolitti, fatto che subito indurrebbe a pensare a un allontanamento dal fronte dovuto all’intercessione del nonno.
Un imboscato insomma.

In realtà, Curio Chiaraviglio donò alla patria tre anni della sua vita nei combattimenti contro gli austriaci. Gravemente malato passò solo gli ultimi mesi di guerra in convalescenza presso la residenza del nonno. Tutt’altro che un imboscato insomma. Eppure, questo non risolve il mistero. Cosa facevano quei due ragazzi, in quegli ultimi giorni di guerra, di dolore, di sangue sulle cime del Gran Sasso? Perché erano lì? Cosa li aveva condotti su quelle rocce?

Come nato nella seconda metà del ventesimo secolo, la mia esperienza su quel periodo è limitata a quanto appreso sui libri di storia ma, soprattutto, ai racconti dei nonni che direttamente avevano, ognuno a modo proprio, partecipato al primo conflitto mondiale. Così, mi sono arrivate le narrazioni della vita di trincea, dei topi che venivano a mordere calze e piedi dei soldati addormentati nelle brande, dei commilitoni messi di guardia alle postazioni di montagna nelle notti d’inverno e ritrovati la mattina congelati e addormentati per sempre, dell’avanzata del Piave con l’attraversamento del fiume su ponti di barche con sotto l’acqua che scorreva color del sangue, che di sangue dei cadaveri che galleggiavano oramai era per lo più composta.
Ricordo poi le lacrime di mio nonno Giovanni il giorno della parata militare del due giugno, quando il dolore e la sofferenza di quei giorni di guerra, di quello che aveva dovuto subire e ancor più di quello che si era dovuto fare, tornavano prepotenti alla mente.

L’itinerario che sale lungo la cresta del Corno piccolo aperto da Chiaraviglio e Berthelet non è un itinerario difficile. PD+ dice la guida, passaggi di secondo e terzo, forse uno o due passaggi di quarto meno, molti tiri di corda che si possono percorrere in conserva. Eppure, nonostante la bassa difficoltà, è un percorso stupendo, che giunge in vetta accarezzando i diversi versanti del Corno Piccolo con la stessa passione e poesia con cui un amante accarezza l’oggetto del suo amore.

Così, probabilmente, la risposta a quella domanda iniziale è qui che va ricercata. Curio Chiaraviglio e Ettore Berthelet sulle rocce del Gran Sasso di quel giorno di cento anni fa stavano cercando qualcosa che in quel momento in Italia non c’era. Cercavano qualcosa che potesse aiutare a superare la costante presenza dell’orrore, del dolore, della sofferenza che ogni guerra porta con sé. Cercavano la chiave per ricominciare a vivere. Cercavano la poesia e la bellezza.

Ieri, quando siamo arrivati in vetta, chi per l’itinerario di Curio ed Ettore, chi per la ferrata Danesi, chi per uno dei tanti percorsi di arrampicata delle Spalle del Corno Piccolo, una densa nebbia avvolgeva il punto più alto della montagna e tutto era sfumato, soffuso, indefinito. Poteva essere il 2018 come anche 100 anni prima, perché la ricerca che ci aveva portato lì era la stessa di quei due ragazzi in fuga dall’orrore. In questi giorni non c’è una guerra dichiarata, è vero, eppure l’orrore in cui siamo immersi, pur se più strisciante e subdolo, non è per questo meno efferato. E’ qualcosa che racconta ugualmente di disperazione, di morte, di nazioni sull’orlo di qualcosa di indefinito ma che si intuisce ripugnante e di interessi, economici e di potere, che spingono ogni verso un baratro sempre più vicino.

Per questo, sulla vetta del Corno Piccolo, come un cerchio che unisce gli animi più lontani, superando persino i limiti temporali, ci siamo sentiti vicini a quei due ragazzi, uniti a loro da quella stessa tensione che li condusse: la ricerca della poesia e della Bellezza, l’unica salvezza possibile all’orrore del mondo.

Alberto Sciamplicotti, 10 settembre 2018

SCHEDA: Chiaraviglio-Berthelet, Corno Piccolo al Gran Sasso

Intervista alla guida alpina XMountain Luca Montanari dopo il successo della spedizione alpinistica in cima al Peak Lenin (7134 m).

Un’altra spedizione conclusa, un’altra cima raggiunta, un sogno diventato realtà per Laura e Danilo, i due alpinisti che, guidati dalla guida alpina della scuola veronese XMountain Luca Montanari, hanno raggiunto la vetta del Peak Lenin (7134 m). Il gruppo è partito il 29 luglio alla volta delle montagne dell’Ak-Sai, in Kirghizistan. La montagna fa parte di uno dei 5 settemila della catena del Pamir. Tecnicamente non difficile, il Peak Lenin rimane tuttavia una montagna molto impegnativa per chi si trova ad affrontare per la prima volta un settemila, pur essendo abituato alle nostre Alpi.

Una spedizione è un grande sogno che si realizza. Come comincia tutto questo?
Le persone che mi contattano hanno già esperienza di montagna. Alcuni conoscono le Alpi, altri sono particolarmente allenati, altri ancora sono alle prime armi e mi contattano perché vogliono cominciare un percorso graduale, per arrivare ad obiettivi sempre più grandi. Ognuno ha una propria storia, un proprio punto di partenza. Per questo è importante conoscersi, fare delle salite insieme, verificare la preparazione. In questo caso, prima di partire sono state realizzate 2 salite al Monte Rosa e al Monte Bianco, con l’obiettivo di conoscersi e di testare i materiali (tende, scarponi, abbigliamento tecnico…), fare delle simulazioni della vita ai campi alti e dormire in tenda. In particolare, l’uscita sul Bianco è stata effettuata una settimana prima della partenza, in modo da arrivare acclimatati meglio alla quota del campo base (3600 m).

Una volta giunti al campo base, com’è stato l’impatto da parte del gruppo?
Il campo base si trova all’imbocco della morena che porta alla base del peak Lenin, su un altopiano di prati verdi circondati da montagne di circa 5000 metri. Uno scenario decisamente diverso dai ghiacciai dei campi base himalayani! Sia il campo base che il campo 1 (4400 m) sono ben attrezzati per offrire il massimo comfort agli alpinisti: docce, wifi, tenda-mensa con i cuochi, tende spaziose per dormire, assistenza medica h24. Insomma, una situazione molto confortevole, che ci è tornata molto utile in più occasioni: infatti, alcuni alpinisti hanno avuto difficoltà legate all’acclimamento e a virus intestinali. Situazioni prevedibili, ma tenute sotto controllo.

Quali sono le difficoltà che hanno messo alla prova il gruppo?
Al di là delle difficoltà fisiche, legate ad una permanenza prolungata alle alte quote, bisogna fare i conti con la resistenza, la motivazione, la concentrazione e la pazienza: insomma, la preparazione mentale conta tanto quanto quella fisica. Come expedition leader, conosco molto bene queste dinamiche e devo saperle gestire, insieme ad una serie di imprevisti che, puntualmente, si manifestano. Diventa fondamentale gestire il ritmo di salita, controllare l’alimentazione e l’idratazione, assicurarsi del riposo e dei giusti tempi di recupero, controllare lo stato di salute e l’acclimamento dai 4000 in su con il pulsossimetro. E’ importante, nei giorni più duri (brutto tempo o condizioni di salute precarie) tenere alto il morale del gruppo e non far perdere mai di vista l’obiettivo.

Si sono mostrati all’altezza della situazione?
Sì. Pur non essendo degli alpinisti esperti, hanno saputo gestire bene le diverse situazioni ed imprevisti. A queste quote, infatti, semplici mansioni – come scaldare la neve per preparare da mangiare ai campi alti, un lavoro a cui li avevo istruiti sulle Alpi – si sono rivelate estremamente gravose. Così come portare i carichi: uno zaino di 10 kg, portato senza grandi sforzi a 4000 metri, alle altissime quote diventa un peso notevole. In questi casi, la motivazione è determinante, ma bisogna essere anche ben allenati ed abituati a stare in ambiente per un lungo periodo.

Li hai preparati a questo tipo di fatica?
Aver scelto con cura il cibo personale per campi alti ha permesso a noi tutti di rimanere in forze fino alla fine, grazie al giusto apporto proteico. Prima della partenza ho consigliato loro quali cibi portare per garantire in quota il giusto apporto energetico e favorire l’appetito. Oltre a vari tipi di barrette energetiche, hanno portato cibi nutrienti e gustosi come formaggio grana, speck, nutella. Dettagli non da poco, considerando che alle altissime quote viene meno l’appetito.

Alla fine, avete raggiunto la cima
E’ stato un percorso ben calibrato dall’inizio alla fine. Tutto ha funzionato alla perfezione: dall’acclimatamento, alla logistica, all’efficienza del team kirghiso. Alla fine, la finestra di bel tempo ci ha permesso di raggiungere la vetta, la mattina del 16 agosto. Siamo partiti alle 4 di mattina dal campo 3. Dopo circa 10 ore di salita per 1100 metri di dislivello, con Danilo e Laura abbiamo raggiunto la vetta del Peak Lenin. Per loro tantissima fatica, ma una soddisfazione ancora più grande, per aver tenuto duro fino in fondo.

Un altro successo per te, come guida. E per XTravels, che ha all’attivo l’organizzazione di numerose spedizioni extraeuropee.
Per me, dal punto di vista professionale è una grande soddisfazione. Dal punto di vista umano, mi riempie di orgoglio il fatto di essere, per queste persone, una possibilità che loro hanno per provare esperienze di altissime quote in spedizioni extraeuropee, andando ben oltre le quote a cui siamo abituati sulle Alpi. Per XTravels è un altro importante traguardo messo a segno grazie alle professionalità di un team preparato e di grande esperienza perché, intorno ad ogni spedizione, ruota una complessa organizzazione burocratica e legata alla logistica che richiede impegno, tempo e preparazione. Oltre a tutte le persone con cui collaboro da tempo, ringrazio Kayland, Montura, Camp Cassin, Erzia Telecomunicazioni e Ferrino, sponsor tecnici che in ogni mia spedizione giocano un ruolo determinante grazie alla qualità dei loro materiali.

Info:www.xtravels.it

The government plans to appoint Koji Tomita, the former head of the Foreign Ministry’s North American Affairs Bureau, as its new ambassador to South Korea, diplomatic sources said Wednesday, amid heightened tensions between the neighboring countries over wartime history and trade policy.

Tomita, 61, is set to replace Yasumasa Nagamine. Tokyo has already notified Seoul of his appointment and is awaiting approval, according to the sources.

A career diplomat, Tomita worked at the Japanese Embassy in South Korea starting in 2004. He was ambassador to Israel from 2015 to 2018 and served as Prime Minister Shinzo Abe’s sherpa for the Group of 20 summit in Osaka this year.

According to officials at the Foreign Ministry, he is the son-in-law of the late author Yukio Mishima.

Nagamine, 65, will leave the post in Seoul after a three-year stint that spanned the historic impeachment of President Park Geun-hye and the rise to power of her successor, Moon Jae-in.

In 2017, Nagamine was called back to Japan for several months to protest the placement of a statue representing South Korean ‘comfort women’ who provided sex, including those who did so against their will, for Japanese troops before and during World War II. The statue was placed in front of the consulate-general in the southeastern city of Busan.

The comfort women issue and a disagreement over compensation for South Koreans forced to work in Japanese factories during Japan’s colonial rule of the Korean Peninsula from 1910 to 1945 have continued to weigh on bilateral ties.

In recent months the two countries have tightened export controls against one another, raising concerns that diplomatic tensions are spilling over into the economic realm.

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Over 60 percent of the some 15,200 tons of spent nuclear fuel in Japan could be stored in metal casks in the future, as the cooling pools that currently hold them are filling up, Kyodo News research showed Wednesday.

The survey of utility companies’ plans revealed the potential volume at a time when each firm is looking at dry casks to boost storage capacity for the ever-increasing, highly radioactive byproduct of nuclear power generation.

They believe the leak-tight canisters will be safer than storing the spent fuel in pools. But keeping them in dry cask storage facilities, which do not need water or electricity to keep spent nuclear fuel cooled, will only be a temporary solution.

Analysts say it remains uncertain whether the waste will be taken out for reprocessing and recycling as planned amid technical difficulties and lingering safety concerns following the 2011 Fukushima nuclear crisis.

Residents near the spent nuclear fuel storage sites are worried that the use of dry casks would lead to prolonged storage of the radioactive material.

Currently, the fuel storage capacity of 10 utilities that own commercial nuclear reactors totals 25,500 tons, with 60 percent already filled up. If unspent fuel is included, 69 percent will be occupied.

The 10 utilities’ plans for future storage of spent fuel using dry casks showed that their combined capacity could increase by up to 10,000 tons in the future.

Among them, Tokyo Electric Power Company Holdings Inc., whose Fukushima No. 2 complex holds 1,650 tons of spent nuclear fuel, has decided to build a new storage facility within its premises, while Kansai Electric Power Co., which owns 11 reactors in Fukui Prefecture, plans to find a site to store some 2,000 tons by around 2030.

The Nuclear Regulation Authority has also encouraged utilities to shift storage of nuclear waste from cooling pools to dry casks due to safety considerations.

In the 2011 Fukushima nuclear disaster, which was triggered by a powerful earthquake and tsunami, reactors temporarily lost cooling functions in their spent fuel pools, putting a massive amount of fuel at risk of overheating and exposure.

Meanwhile, a dry cask storage facility, located within the premises of the Fukushima No. 1 plant remained safe, including the containers and the nuclear fuel inside, even though it was flooded by the tsunami.

In the run-up to the Tokyo Olympics next year, the sponsors are speeding up preparations to counter cyberattacks.

Hackers hampered the two previous Olympics, taking down a state government website at the Rio Games in 2016 and triggering system failures just before the opening ceremony for the 2018 Pyeongchang Winter Games in South Korea, making it impossible for spectators to print tickets.

At a meeting of senior officials from the Tokyo Metropolitan Government and Metropolitan Police Department in May, Akira Saka, chief information security officer for the Tokyo organizing committee, said it is likely that hackers are preparing “infrastructure” to mount more attacks.

“It is possible that they will first take over systems of related companies and groups and then attack their main targets. The scope of cyberattacks has expanded,” Saka warned.

In June, officials for risk management and information technology affairs from 57 corporate sponsors gathered at an MPD office in Tokyo’s Minato Ward for a cyberattack drill.

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Measures were discussed to respond to a hypothetical situation in which a firm’s website is hacked via an email messsage designed to look like it came from a client.

In this scenario, the virus locks up smartphone users’ devices and leaves a demand for a ransom to unlock them.

“We frequently work with other companies, including client companies,” an official at seasoning maker Ajinomoto Co. said. “I’ve found it necessary to raise awareness of the risks in cyberspace.”

Fujitsu Ltd., which designed the exercise, introduced palm vein authentication at its offices to prevent third parties from invading its computers. It monitors the status of all of workers’ computers and immediately cuts those highly likely to be under cyberattack from its network.

“It’s crucial to build a system that allows us to detect viruses, on the assumption computers are easily infected,” said Taishu Ota, a Fujitsu official with cybersecurity expertise.

Borussia Dortmund turned down an offer from a “super club” for Jadon Sancho, according to CEO Hans-Joachim Watzke.

The 19-year-old England international joined the Bundesliga side from Man City for £7million in August 2017 and contributed 12 goals and 17 assists in his debut season.

He was named in the Bundesliga Team of the Year and his form drew interest from a host of top clubs across Europe, including Real Madrid and Manchester United.

It was reported that Sancho was keen on a move to Old Trafford but changed his mind as he wanted to play Champions League football.

Watzke told Ruhr Nachrichten: “A chief of one of the super clubs asked me back in spring if there was a chance [to sign Sancho] but I told him straight away he should forget about it and he never contacted me again.

“He knew I meant what I said.”

Despite consistently rejecting speculation that Sancho will leave Dortmund, Watzke has now conceded that Sancho won’t be at the club forever.

“There aren’t many 19-year-olds with such a potential,” Watzke. “He is also not a player from the region or one who would have any connection to it.

“When you have a player like Jadon Sancho, you must reassess the situation every single year. Everything else would not be honest. If a foreign player is not convinced that the club is right for him at the exact time, it just does not make any sense.”

 

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Send your thoughts [email protected]…

 

Decisions, decisions
I’m not necessarily disagreeing with your 16 conclusions, but given one directly referenced the female officiating team, I did just want to ask the mailbox a question.

I thought the judgement of Stephanie Frappart was strong; she stopped play when needed and played advantage too in good situations. I thought she also did a good job managing the egos of the players. Both sides debated the 50 50s so that must mean both sides were equally treated.

But….

And this is where, regardless of what you say, you’re out of step with everyone and so a $%#@ffg

But….

What I saw was repeated incredulous shouts from players on who won throws and corners. From managers too, especially on the latter. The inference I took was that the match officials couldn’t keep up. Where judgement was required, they nailed it. Where observation and keeping up with play was required, I thought they were guessing.

Almost as reffing the pace of a european cup final was a step harder than what they’d done to date. And that giving them a cup final was a political statement.

I know I’ll be lambasted for this.

I’m just uncomfortable with the disparity between the ‘this is fantastic’ headlines and an objective view on the performance.

This isn’t saying women cant do it. If anything its saying these particular individuals have earned the right to keep doing it and so get used to the pace of things.

Unless equality means now opportunity without feedback.

But if you tell a sexist neanderthal in a pub that it is currently the same level, and they can demonstrably show areas in which it is not, winning the argument is actually harder.

And so cue me being called a neanderthal. But I thought a conversation about it might be a good thing. It just seems really polarized at the moment, probably for obvious reasons.

Obviously there should be the opportunity, and not just in the Europa League group stages. But where that opportunity is granted can there be a safe environment for comment?
Tom G.

 

…I have been a long time believer that VAR would ultimately be good for the game. I was convinced that they would finesse it, realise that most things shouldn’t be checked and the game would flow well but it would eradicate the incentive to cheat. And you would get upfront justice, not retrospective bans which don’t benefit the team upon whom the cheating was inflicted.

All that goes out the window tonight though. Unfortunately the issue is that if the guy behind the box lacks the ability to see something as clear as the Abraham dive then it’s entirely pointless.

Who wasn’t happy that justice was served up so beautifully though? Perhaps Chelsea fans but otherwise it’s lovely to see a cheater get his comeuppance so swiftly.
Minty, LFC
P.S we were sh*t. Wish we were playing on Sunday not Saturday. Extra time was not the one.

 

…In before the inevitable protestations from the Chelsea fans – Yes Adrian was off his line, but Abraham dived for his so let’s call it even?

Real point of email was to commend the performance by the officials, fantastic officiating throughout the game, not only from the ref but her linos as well. Also refreshing not to see any players screaming in their faces

Anyway, we are the champions, CHAMPIONS OF EUROPE!
Unbearable Pali J, LDN

 

Why Liverpool won
I’m not going to comment on the main part of the game because I’m sure it will get plenty of analysis anyway. However I think the reason Liverpool won the penalty shootout is down to the order of penalty takers. Milner wasn’t on the pitch so Salah was our first choice penalty taker available – and he took his last. Whereas for Chelsea, they had Abraham last, who is younger and less experienced. My dad said as he prepared to take it “he looks too nervous, he won’t score” (and he’s an Everton fan, so he was desperately hoping Abraham would score). There was clearly a lot of pressure in that situation as he had to score, and perhaps a more experienced player could’ve handled it better. I know Adrian appeared to be off his line but that aside, it still wasn’t a great penalty.
Lucy, LFC

 

Meh
At half time I didn’t fancy the Super Cup anyway.

After Adrian’s penalty save, for a second it felt like the most important competition of all time.

On reflection, I think it was a good result but both teams must be knackered and penalties after 90 is a much better idea.
Aidan, Lfc (lacking interesting things to say since the 70s)

 

Chelsea optimism
What a performance from Chelsea last night in the Super Cup, at this moment in time Liverpool are superior and have an incredible side, there were 4-0, 5-0 and even 6-0 predictions before the game, Liverpool would walk it etc, yet Chelsea played their hearts out and were arguably the better team over 120 minutes, Kante returning certainly shows what a world class talent he truly is, looking forward to our first home game this weekend.
Mikey, CFC (Kepa made some top saves throughout)

 

Zouma’s tragic, Mason’s magic
What a great performance from chelsea, just what was needed after the poor start last weekend, I have two main conclusions about the team from that game. Firstly Zouma plays like he’s terrified of the ball standing off his man until he’s left with no choice but to lash out in an attempt to rescue the situation. I think we can all agree we will look much more assured when Rudiger returns to the team, he is more of a natural leader to go with Christensen for as good as Christensen can be he needs a solid leader beside him (like Lindelof needed at united). Secondly Mason Mount what a tidy little baller he is, great performance great goal even though it was ruled out and then that penalty to top it off. England’s future is looking very bright indeed.
Aaron. CFC. Ireland.

 

No. Next
Did Frank Lampard throw a League game against Man United to rest his best players (barring Kante, injury) for the final against Liverpool?
Tyla Roxburgh, Liverpool

 

City’s escape
Well, there’s still 30 minutes of Extra Time to go, but this has been much better than Sunday. Incisive passing, much better positioning, and generally much tighter than Sunday. We may still lose, but Kante makes such a difference to this team – his innate ability to be in the right place at the right time while covering miles and miles of ground will only help the transition from the rigidly structured Sarri-ball to the more dynamic and incisive new style. What’s more, Jorginho already looks much more forward thinking as well, pinging a couple of delicious balls over the top. Still not entirely convinced by Mr Sideways Pass (Kovacic) but one step at a time.

However, I was very surprised that no one has mentioned the FIFA ruling on Man City breaching the underage signings rules. However which way you cut it this stinks. Basically, both City and Chelsea have been found guilty of breaching the same rules however because City admitted their wrong-doing they do not face a ban and receive a smaller fine. I’m sorry, what? City surely will only have admitted their wrong-doing once FIFA have charged them with breaching the rules – therefore, there has obviously been some negotiations where a deal has been made (admit you were wrong and you’ll just get a fine). How is this a punishment or a deterrent to City or another big club? £300,000 for City is no more than a fiver to me and you – only a ban would act as a deterrent (as it is to Chelsea at the moment).

This is not a criminal court where sentences can be commuted based on acceptance of guilt – this is the richest club in the world breaking the rules and only admitting breaking the rules after the fact to get a lesser punishment. Again, all this does is highlight the utter weakness of FIFA and the skullduggery of City. What’s next – City admit breaking FFP rule but only get a £4.50 fine because they admit they’ve broken the rules?! Anyone would think there is a connection between the owners of City and people high up in FIFA…
JC (CFC)

 

Mental health
Just finished reading Daniel Storey’s latest piece and I think there are a few points that need picking up.

Firstly, Daniel refers to a need for society as a whole to have more sympathy for footballers. This glosses over an important point; mental health issues are a society wide problem and do not only affect the wealthiest in society. The biggest killer of men under 40 in this country is suicide. Some of the problems in Daniel’s piece are prevalent in all parts of society and I would argue they are more prevalent in the poorer parts of our country. The conclusion that professional footballers need more sympathy is an odd one to draw from a society wide failure to address mental health seriously.

Secondly, Daniel argues that the effects of poor mental health are particularly cruel in elite sport due to the exponential impacts it can have on your life/performance. I would totally flip this; the effects are far crueler to the poorest in our society. The most desperate of us cannot afford to escape the jobs they loathe and which bring them misery because they don’t have the options provided by extreme wealth. Aaron Lennon’s case is certainly a sad one but let’s be frank, if he hated being a footballer he could very easily do something else. I want to stress here that this is in no way a plea for him to “toughen up” (a poisonous, hyper-masculine attitude that has done a serious amount of harm in this country), but merely an appreciation that only an individual can right their mental health. Support and advice is needed, but ultimately the individual pulls themself out of that hole, and Aaron’s profession allows him more time to deal with his issues and more access to support than most suffering what he suffered.

The point I’m really getting at is this: we live in a society which values money and your ability to earn and generate it higher than anything else. A society in which class mobility is a distant memory, the gap between the rich and the rest is ever widening, in which the average person is more isolated and less represented than ever before. A society so hardened by these realities as to accept the use of food banks while large corporations pay no tax.

In such a society, sympathy (or, perhaps more pertinently, the will to challenge an issue on someone else’s behalf) is limited. Most of us are struggling with the 60 hour week, or the non-secure contract, or the stress of financial pressure, or the weight of debt, or all of the above. Does the average elite footballer who is currently sidelined spare a thought for those people? I reckon not, so it’s hardly surprising society is sparing little thought for them.

Money is not a cure for mental health issues, nor does it buy happiness. But I bet it would remove the biggest stresses in the majority of people’s lives, which gives them a path to find the happiness they don’t currently have. I can appreciate why seeing a young man with that option continuing to struggle with mental health issues would piss people off, and I dont think it’s to do with the individual footballer.
Dave, MUFC, Leeds

 

…Yet again I doff my proverbial hat to Daniel Storey you fine people at f365. People often remark on footballers wealth as a reason as to why they shouldn’t be depressed. If only it was a straight forward as that. Well done, gang.

Props to Storey for bribing the science as well. There is very little separation between the psychological and the physiological. Genuinely impressed.
Jon (CBT therapist) Lincoln

 

Toon talk
On the Newcastle “Omerta” mentioned in Seb’s piece,

I think its more thn just a silence, you get people in the media actively cheering what’s happening or offering defences that – as mentioned by Seb – simply don’t’ bear up to scrutiny. The most common of which is “look how much he’s spent” with no mention of look how much he’s received.

There are a number of likely ingredients. Journalists willing to do unquestioning interviews because they believe that’s better than no interview (is it?), simply wanting to be present two sides of an argument but not having the time to point out that one side is clearly correct due to broadcast pressures, or fear of taking on a powerful subject that might bite back.

While it easy to throw stones from afar, I do think there is a good argument for presenters and journalists to remember that while there is pressure to produce “content” constantly. Sometimes less is more. Too many half-baked stories erodes credibility, which erodes the audience. In a day and age when there is always someone else on your reporting turf, the audience is going to go to the one who’s doing it best.

I do want to draw attention to another growing trend – fans being looked on in contempt.

Its not just with Newcastle, but football in general. A lot of talking heads, and some formerly well respected podcast voices have quite noteably become very critical and patronising toward fans. A lot of football media has turned nasty on its audience, sometimes with justification, often because they simply don’t like that fact the audience talks back now. I think some commentators simply think if a fan group is making some noise, then they must be idiots. Because football fans are idiots is the default position of many a pundit these days.

I’m not going to name names but there are people making a lot of money, who’s job description is to provide commentary, insight and analysis but instead spend the time mocking their audience. For a Newcastle fan this comes in the form of “They don’t know how good they’ve got it?”, “They swallow anything Benitez says” or “Ashley just bought a record signing and yet somehow he’s the bad guy”. As if we are a collective herd of “They” rather than individuals. As if fans aren’t capable of what’s actually happening at the club. As if fans who obsess over their club, aren’t better informed than a pundit who spends 95% of their time talking about Liverpool and City, and 4% about Gareth Bale’s non-transfer.

I’m sure fans of other clubs have noticed it too, especially fans outside of the big six. I don’t think its too much to ask that when discussing a club, the pundits either do their research or (if they don’t have the time/and or work ethic) at least have the humility to admit the fans might be well informed.
Hugo (NUFC) Adelaide

 

Pep talk
So Rosie Poppins thinks that Guardiola manages his squad better than the other top managers? I would say it’s impossible to tell, as she conveniently ignores the massive advantage he has in squad quality in doing so.

First off, the comparison between Aguero being rotated and Kane being guaranteed a starting place and thus meaning other players know they aren’t in contention is both misleading and wrong. Misleading because Kane is clearly Tottenham’s most important player whereas Aguero is not City’s. Wrong because a) being able to rotate isn’t the same thing as not knowing your best players. If city played a CL final tomorrow with a fully fit squad, is there a person on earth who doesn’t think KDB would be in it, or Raheem Sterling and b) her contention on Kane isn’t even true. There isn’t a single attacking player in the Tottenham squad who couldn’t nail down a first team place if they played well enough (Son was bought as a reserve and became a first choice for instance). Even Llorente got a start away to Real in the CL and if he’d played well enough Poch would have found a way to play him and Kane more regularly together.

Finally she extols Guardiola’s brilliance for being brave enough to play Foden against Spurs or Mahrez against Brighton. Seriously? How does she think Kane became a spurs regular in the first place, or Alli or Winks? And how much praise should you really get for playing a 60m former player of the year against Brighton for Gods sake??? If Poch has the luxury of picking a player who cost more than spurs’ record signing from amongst his reserves to play Brighton I’m sure he would too on occasion.

The truth with Pep is he is very hard to compare to other managers because he hasn’t been put in the same situations. Would he have done better or worse than Poch at Spurs or vice versa? I don’t know and neither do you, because Pep has never had a job where he hasn’t had enormous inbuilt advantages in squad and budget. All we can say is he is great at making great players purr in his system
Phil, London

 

…Rosie Poppins, I respectfully disagree. Guardiola hasn’t perfected the art of squad management, he is at a club that can pay squad players £150k p/w without flinching. Being able to out-spend everyone allows him to build a squad so strong that he can swap out half the team with minimal impact. The players aren’t there because they know they’ll play 30 games. They are there because they’ll get paid bucketloads so are happier with their lot.

Aaron, CFC (I thought those were banned?); last season, Toby A played approximately 50 games, his second-highest total for us since he joined. Vertonghen has missed one game. But if they both find themselves out of the team this season, it will be because neither is signing a new deal and therefore have no intention of staying beyond the end of this season. In which case, probably a good idea to get one of our recent record signings to play quite a bit more. It is certainly true that they are an exceptional pair of defenders – I rather adore Vertonghen – but Poch has made it clear that he will not pick players who do not want to play for the club. And the reports that Vertonghen’s fitness was not acceptable explain his omission.

I would’ve thought a Chelsea supporter had bigger concerns than our defence, but apparently not.

thayden

 

Consistent Poch
Aaron misses the point when he questions Poch and his treatment of Alderweireld and Vertonghen. Firstly, he didn’t spend last year constantly benching Toby, that was the year before (he started 34 PL games last year) and he was reintegrated without issue. Secondly, Poch is consistent that you need to be committed to the club and you need to be fit. Kyle Walker was dropped once it was clear he wanted out, and Jan by all accounts wasn’t fit enough on his return so got the same message that Toby and Trippier got for the opener last year. The problem would come when he stopped treating players the same
Phil, London

 

…Aaron wonders why Pochettino seems to be eternally dropping his two best centre halves – noting that Alderweireld wasn’t selected for a period last season and now Vertonghen appears to be suffering the same fate.

The simple answer is that for Poch, fitness is king!!! Spurs do a whole range of fitness tests at various stages of the week and quite simply, if you don’t meet the standard, you don’t make the 18 for Saturday’s game.

It’s clearly not personal, because Alderweireld was brought back into the side and started 34 matches in the PL last year in total. He just missed a few early ones because he was still shattered from the WC and wasn’t recovering quickly enough.

I’m confident Jan, if he shows the same level of application (and there’s no indication he won’t since Sat) will return to the starting XI in no time and will equally go on to play over 75% of league games for Spurs this year. He just took his summer break a little too easy for Poch’s liking it seems!!
Paul (Spurs) T.Wells

 

Blades, Mills and Seb
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Just wanted to say a belated thank you for bringing Danny Mills’ assessment of Sheffield United to a wider audience. It really was quite something. I can’t think of any other line of work where someone could get away with such a blatant lack of effort and preparation. (I’m imagining a film reviewer giving “The Godfather Part III” five stars or a music critic describing “Kid A” as “textbook indie” – maybe there’s a hastag in there somewhere?)

On a related note, given that the only feedback one could ever derive from the cesspit that is the comments section is negative, I thought I’d counter that by adding that Seb Stafford-Bloor is a very good writer and welcome addition to the team. For some reason, his name also reminds me of Baddiel and Skinner’s piece on Forbes Phillipson-Masters (poshest man in football) on Fantasy Football back in the day and that can only be a good thing.

Regards
PhilT

Manchester United flop Kleberson thinks Harry Maguire will have a few “tough moments” at the club as “his pace is not the best”.

Maguire became the world’s most expensive defender when he joined United from Leicester earlier this month for £85million before making an assured debut against Chelsea on Sunday.

It has been a long road to the top for Maguire, who started at Sheffield United before joining Hull on the way to Leicester.

However, some critics have questioned whether he is worth the money, and Kleberson – who only managed 30 appearances at United – is concerned he could have issues with his pace this season.

“Harry Maguire is a big name for any English club,” Kleberson told Your-promotional-code.

“In the World Cup he did a good job, but he’s going to have a few tough moments in one on one’s and his pace is not the best.

“United need to ensure he’s helped by a strong midfield, to help cover him and defend as a unit.

“I don’t know if he will manage to cover on his own like at times against Chelsea.”

Kleberson added: “Maguire has moved for a lot of money but I think the defenders aren’t as good in the league as they were a few years ago, therefore teams need to pay more.

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“With Maguire and [Victor] Lindelof, I don’t know if [Chris] Smalling and [Phil] Jones need to leave but of course their opportunities to play will be a bit less.

“Especially as the new defenders have played very well in their first opportunity.”

 

Jurgen Klopp went into Rocky Balboa mode after his new goalkeeper Adrian became the hero of Liverpool’s Super Cup triumph against Chelsea.

Istanbul is already a special place for the Reds following their stunning Champions League triumph against AC Milan in 2005, and once again the Turkish city played host to a continental success for the Anfield giants.

Olivier Giroud put Chelsea ahead in the first half, only for Sadio Mane to level as the match went to extra-time. Mane scored again before Adrian brought Tammy Abraham down in the box, allowing Jorginho to make it 2-2.

Just as against Milan 14 years ago, it took penalties to split the sides as Adrian wrote his name into folklore at a club he only joined at the start of last week.

“What a story – Adrian!!!!!!!!! Like Rocky!” Klopp told BT Sport, referencing the film released in 1977 when the underdog fighter cries out to his girlfriend Adrian after going 15 rounds with heavyweight champion Apollo Creed.

The former West Ham goalkeeper was handed his first Liverpool start in the Super Cup due to Alisson Becker’s calf injury and the Spaniard denied Abraham to secure a 5-4 spot-kick success.

“I don’t know where he was two weeks ago when we were playing Manchester City,” Klopp said at the post-match press conference, referring to the Reds’ Community Shield shoot-out loss.

“When I spoke to him the first time, it was clear he would take time to get fit. But he has to be fit now and he is.

“He had an incredible game and both goalkeepers made sensational saves, but with Adrian it’s a bit more surprising because it was without pretty much any preparation.

“I don’t know when he played his last game for West Ham, being ready like he was was incredible.

“He has already shown me he is a proper personality in the dressing room as well – he was maybe even louder than I was at half-time. He was really on his toes, and that helps us.

“Making the save from the penalty is the icing on the cake. I saw he even had time to grab his towel before celebrating, so he’s obviously quick in mind! He has helped us a lot and can be really proud what he did tonight.”

 

Il 27 luglio 2018 l’alpinista svizzero Dani Arnold ha salito la via Cassin alle Grandes Jorasses nel massiccio del Monte Bianco in sole 2 ore e 4 minuti.

Riportiamo la notizia della velocissima salita della via Cassin sulle Grandes Jorasses da parte dell’alpinista svizzero Dani Arnold che ha salito i 1200 metri di via in solte 2 ore e 4 minuti. Il 34enne svizzero, che già in passato aveva registrato dei tempi velocissimi sulla nord dell’Eiger e sul Cervino, ha ripetuto la storica e classicissima via aperta dal 4 al 6 agosto 1938 da Riccardo Cassin, Luigi ‘Gino’ Esposito e Ugo Tizzoni sullo Sperone Walker il 27 luglio 2018, dopo averla salita tre volte in precedenza come preparazione per la salita in velocità.

Riportiamo integralmente il testo pubblicato sul sito di Arnold. Va de sé che queste salite, praticamente senza attrezzatura e dove non esiste nemmeno il minimo margine d’errore, richiedono un’estrema consapevolezza dei rischi e sono riservate a pochi.

GRANDES JORASSES in 2:04 di Dani Arnold

Ho coronato il mio grande sogno di salire da solo ed in velocità le tre grandi pareti nord delle Alpi. L’obiettivo mi frullava nella testa da anni. Ogni alpinista è affascinato da quelle tre grandi pareti e le conosce come gli “ultimi grandi problemi delle Alpi”.

Tutto è iniziato con la parete nord dell’Eiger ed ora il cerchio si è chiuso con la realizzazione del progetto sulle Grandes Jorasses. Ad essere onesto i preparativi, l’allenamento e la sfida mentale non erano troppo grandi per l’Eiger e il Cervino. Certo, non è stato facile, ma in qualche modo l’ho fatto, semplicemente così.

Per le Grandes Jorasses invece è stato un po’ diverso. Certamente anche perché il punto di partenza è Chamonix in Francia, e quindi un po‘ più lontano. È più difficile valutare le condizioni. Inoltre, si scala bene la parete soltanto in piena estate. Ci sono anche anni in cui le condizioni giuste non si hanno mai. L’anno scorso ero andato molto vicino a tentare la via, ma qualcosa non era giusto e non sono partito. Il mio desiderio di riprovarci nell’estate del 2018 era quindi ancora più grande. Devo anche dire che ci è voluto tutto questo tempo. La mia tecnica e tattica sono migliorate significativamente nel corso degli anni.

Il fatto che abbia funzionato mi rende, ovviamente, profondamente soddisfatto e felice. Soprattutto il fatto che abbia funzionato esattamente come immaginavo e desideravo, mi rende ora particolarmente orgoglioso. Ciò significa: ridurre tutto al minimo. Mentre sull’Eiger usavo una corda da 50 metri, sul Cervino era soltanto di circa 5 metri. E ora? Nessuna corda, nessun imbrago e nemmeno un singolo moschettone su questa parete di 1200 metri!

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È chiaro, questo è associato a pericoli molto grandi, non voglio minimizzarli e ne ero consapevole al 100%. Mi sono preparato in modo assolutamente serio e con la massima cautela per la salita. Soltanto così è stato possibile stabilire questo nuovo record. Il tempo record è ovviamente molto importante adesso. Ma per me è secondario. Mi è piaciuto salire la via e nemmeno per un secondo mi sentivo insicuro. Giorni così non capitano spesso, lo so bene. Ecco perché la mia gioia per questo progetto è così grande. Vale sempre la pena lottare per i propri sogni, non mollare mai e rimanere sempre sul pezzo.

Vorrei ringraziare tutti coloro che mi hanno supportato.
Buona montagna e tanti saluti
Dani

, Victorinox