Today's the day: Euro 2024 is here
Meet Ludwig: The Dachshund Oracle
Happy Friday!
How’s your week been?
Mine has mostly been looking at the clock, counting down the minutes until this summer’s European Championships finally begin - and now the big day has arrived at last.
You can tell we’re finally here as we’ve now been introduced to our canine friend that will predict results over the coming month.
Meet Ludwig: The Dachshund Oracle
Ludwig follows in the illustrious footsteps (paw steps?) of previous sporting seers such as Nelly the Elephant, Fedor the Tiger, Nanook the polar bear, not to mention walking in the trotter-steps of Funtik the pig, and, er, the tentacles of Paul the Octopus - arguably the greatest soft-bodied, eight-limbed mollusc football predictor of all time.
Who can forget Paul the Octopus, who, quite rightly, attracted international acclaim when the bilaterally symmetric cephalopod picked the winning team in four of Germany’s six Euro 2008 games.
Talented tipster Paul - who came through Weymouth’s Sea Life Centre academy prior to making a big move to Germany, where he starred for the Sea Life Centre in Oberhausen - also netted all seven of Die Mannschaft’s games during the 2010 World Cup. While also forecasting that Spain would win that summer’s footballing jamboree in South Africa.
Quite clearly, Ludwig ‘The Dachshund Oracle’ has got big boots (arms? limbs? eight appendages?) to fill after Paul’s heroic performances 14 years ago.
We’ll see how our cute canine fares over the next 30 days. Along with Gareth Southgate’s England.
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DAILY LIST
Weekend ahead: Defected Records’ Glitterbox Saturday rave down in Brighton with my wonderful partner Faye and her mad pals. Then a Father’s Day BBQ with my daughters on Sunday while watching England vs Serbia on the telly - before setting off for Germany in the early hours of Monday morning.
Aims: Working to keep the print version of the Gooner Fanzine alive (Subscribe here)
Music I’ve been listening to this week: Kraftwerk.
Podcasts I’ve been listening to this week: Freddy Cardy and Daisy Goodhand’s brilliant Gooner Fanzine Arsenal Women’s pod (listen here)
What I’ve been watching this week: Copa 71, the Lost Lionesses. BBC’s Storyville documentary about an extraordinary football tournament, told via the frank and fearless voices of the incredible women who were there (including fascinating archive footage) is absolutely brilliant. I’ll be revisiting the issues raised from this outstanding documentary later this summer.
What I’m reading this week (see below):
Whatever you’re up to have a great weekend - see you in Germany via Brighton
Cheers
Layth