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Hi, people of the Hoddle!
When I was getting today’s Hoddle together, I stumbled upon this image.
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That is Scott Parker and Steven Gerrard joking around on the touchline as opposing coaches. [Insert cliché about the passage of time here and how you remember when they were still players like it was yesterday.] Seeing it did provide a bit of a shock; look at them, all grown up! Wonder if they’re any good at the coaching thing. I suppose time will tell.
Now, for the formal ramble.
Ramble of the Day
I stumbled across another thing, this time right before I did the Hoddle. It was a Twitter thread about the tenth U.S. president, John Tyler. I had to click on it — I did have an obsession with learning about U.S. presidents back in elementary school (or primary school, for those of you that prefer it). I actually have them memorized in order, probably my most impressive party trick. (I’m rather boring, I know.)
Anyway, before this becomes political, what I saw on Twitter was not. It was a pretty interesting and jaw-dropping fun fact, which I will now share with all of you. Prepare to be amazed.
1. John Tyler was 63 when his son Lyon was born (1853).
— Matt Smethurst (@MattSmethurst) January 10, 2018
2. Lyon was 71 when Lyon Jr. was born (1924), and 75 when Harrison was born (1928).
3. Both sons are still alive.
Since I hardly present findings like this without comment, here’s the comment: Lyon is a pretty weird name for a kid. Good for the English version of a city in the south of France with a football team that once had Hugo Lloris as its goalkeeper, but not a kid. Let’s get to the kicker, though.
Another way to think about this: There are people who could look at you today, in 2018, and say: “Yeah, my dad was 8 years old when the war started.”
— Matt Smethurst (@MattSmethurst) January 10, 2018
“World War 2?”
“Ha, nope.”
“Oh wow, World War 1?”
“The Civil War.”
I do not have a comment for this one. Just wide eyes and an open mouth.
Ready for those links?
Links of the Day
Jake Livermore will face no action from the FA after his altercation with a West Ham fan earlier this month.
Eight dog stories from the world of football that are so cool that they should be part of the Air Bud Cinematic Universe I was pitching last week.
It was confirmed at Everton’s Annual General Meeting this week that the city of Liverpool will take a bit of inspiration from American counterparts and lend them £280 million to build their new stadium.