Listener 4139: An Unsettled Spell by Nutmeg

[AHearer]

I spent a long time staring at a grid with the source filled in and a knowledge of the letters that had slipped before I started cracking the clues. Having basically solved it in the reverse order I feel slightly dissatisfied, but that's my fault rather than Nutmeg's.

[cluelessJoe]

Hmmm, looks like I'm going to do this the AHearer way, having guessed at the quote and source just three clues in. Long way to go still. As for my musical accompaniment, I'll have to try and find a copy of that Freddie Mercury / Monserrat Caballe number ... now what was it called (anybody in Manchester remember?)

[logophile]

...... not 'We Are the Champions' then ?

[bobbycollins]

Still chipping away at this

Blood on the Tracks & Time out of Mind this morning

I hear that Liverpool are looking to sign Mr Nosy and Mr Grumpy, having failed to nab Mr Messi.................

[cluelessJoe]

S-matrix - I think you will find that Barça have only won it 4 times (agreed the competition didn't amount to much) ... and they are a long way south of Birmingham

[IainGrace]

Interesting and unusual idea, but we struggled for ages to solve clues. Getting a few of the first half dozen acrosses yields relatively uncommon letters which make the quote easily identifiable and hence 5 down. No PDM required after that, so agree with AndrewG-S. One feels one has won the match and is then just playing out to the final whistle. Good to know that others are meantime celebrating Mr D's 70th at the same time.

[Clamzy]

I also agree with AndrewGS, and thankfully so, as I'm not great on the lateral thinking, and don't enjoy staring at a full grid for a week.

East of the Pennines? Leeds were robbed once, in Paris I think, when they did to Bayern what Barca did last night to Man.U. The Ref having given a Peter Lorimer goal changed his mind. Ah well!

[cluelessJoe]

Yes, I was there at the Parc des Princes that night Clamzy. It is believed that the ref Kitabdjian had received a substantial backhander from a Munich businessman - don't know if anything was ever proven. What I do know for sure is that I watched other furious Leeds fans depositing half of the stadium (cushions / seats etc.) on the pitch at the death, attacking a coach full of French riot police outside the stadium afterwards, and generally losing it. I was so disgusted, I never went to watch my team again after that day. (As the past 35 years have turned out, I did not really miss much!)

[bobbycollins]

....and the Manager was a certain James Armfield!

How many more Bobcats are out there? I personally know of several. BTW, there is an excellent documentary on BBC 4 I Player.

Finally got the quotation, Kicked myself at taking so long. Must have read it to the children many times.

[teuchter2]

Finished at last. Again, no chance of Friday start as out all evening and out much of Saturday too. I found it quite difficult to get my head round this one at first, but was lucky to get the quotation quickly thanks to solving clues that led to a key word. Then it all became easier. I loved the thematic references in the grid. A nice touch.

[AndrewG-S]

I don't like football, but if the documentary you are referring to is the one I was listening too at lunchtime today on R4 (FIFA: Football, Power and Politics) then I agree it was very interesting and an eye opener, at least for me. If it was not this one then I would recommend listening to this one too. It is repeated tomorrow night at 20.00 or on iPlayer. Of course Roger Waters on Desert Island Discs was even better.

[cluelessJoe]

Apologies to all for this brief diversion.
S-matrix, sorry if I might have accidentally touched a nerve with anything I said earler, but you have absolutely NO idea of 'what kind of person' I am. I can just assure you that I am not the 'kind of person' to make spiteful and totally unfounded personal attacks on other people on this board in the way you have been in the habit of doing to others. Clearly and unfortunately this week it is my turn. Please keep any banter at a non-personal level, I don't think anyone derives enjoyment from the other kind.

[Clamzy]

Hear, hear.

[Ruthrobin]

Limped home on this one, almost in the Monday club but what a spectacular feat of setting with those thematic touches as a bonus.

[AHearer]

Sorry, but the 70th birthday celebrations that seem to have formed a thread of this thread got me imagining jewels and binoculars... yes, I know it's not right but can you imagine the reaction?

[silversolver]

Well, that was a tough one... took me ages to get going but once the quotation eventually emerged it became a lot easier. A bit of a slog, but enjoyable nonetheless.

[cluelessJoe]

S-matrix
(i) no, Clamzy is correct - per Chambers, "hear, hear! an exclamation of approval from the hearers of a speech."
(ii) Shouldn't that read "schadenfreude"
(iii) Putting the record straight re your ridiculous assertion earlier, I think you will find that the chant (certainly in my day) was not 'we are white', but 'we are the whites' and 'we are the mighty whites'. A big difference - and if you think hard enough about it, you might recall that the team coincidentally played in all-white strip. If you think even harder about it, that's maybe why other teams' supporters might have been shouting 'come on the reds' or 'come on the blues'. Gosh!
(iv) 'You got more than you bargained for ...' - blimey, how sad is that - sorry you took things so hard. Like I said, you don't need to make sad and personal attacks on anybody on this (or any other) board, it's childish and distasteful.
(v) Sorry again to everyone else - I hear that the rest is negotiable, so I'm going to take one.

[midazolam]

Shouldn't that read: "schadenfreude" ?