The Question Book: What Makes You Tick? – book review

Dear readers,

I will use this rare update to review the following book:

The Question Book (What Makes You Tick?) by Mikael Krogerus and Roman Tschäppeler

This is simply one of the most useful books I have ever read. It does exactly as it says on the cover, asking thought provoking questions about who you are and your views on life, politics, religion, career, relationships, sex, past, present, future, emotions, death, birth, hopes, regrets…do I need to continue? You will explore yourself and know yourself and like yourself more, or on the other hand it could send you into an existential crisis. For me, it’s the former.

It functions in a similar way to a journal, I suppose, full of insightful prompts that will question who you are, a space to drop your ego or front and be honest with yourself. It’s like a stoic cleansing. And now I’ve finished the book, I feel I may have withdrawal symptoms of a sort.

Some questions will frustrate and others seem monotonous … but my gosh I’ve learned. The best thing about the book is that I found it purely by chance, but then again, I suppose we all find books through this method. It came into my life when I kind of needed it, and I can’t think of a book that has transformed me into a stronger person quite like this. I’m sure there are very similar books out there. But I recommend this, especially if you need to listen to yourself, especially if you can’t afford a psychologist to do it for you. I suppose it’s interactive in that you find answers to your own problems and issues, whereas a psychologist might suggest methods. And as I have learned in the past few months, chasing happiness doesn’t really get you anywhere. You often invertedly find it through solving problems and accepting certain things about yourself, which in a way lies in stoic/Buddhist principles.

It’s not the best written book ever, but I judge books on their importance to me personally and what I take from them. Therefore, like I say above, it’s one of the most useful books I have read, and certainly one of most dynamic self-help books (if you can call it that) I have come across. I feel I have self-helped myself.

Five stars well rewarded.

To conclude, and I take advice from other reviews of this book, keep it (and your answers) in a safe place and show no one. It’s yours and yours only, so you can help write your own book, and re-read to yourself at leisure.

Bye bye, James

Dear readers,

It’s never easy waving goodbye to the abode you grew up in. To say a house doesn’t make a home is an understatement. It was my home from when I was a few months old, and despite all my travels and living on the other side of the world, I guess at the back of my mind I have always considered it my true home. My parents made this a very spirited dwelling, one filled with beautiful memories that’ll live with me to my dying day. It’s strange how we grow so attached to spaces and objects, yet seeing my niece and nephew tear around the house yesterday with such jest and excitement only brought a kind of ghostly but sweet nostalgia my brother, sister and I created some 30 years before.

We used to have a red door, the same shade as James in the Thomas the Tank Engine books, who was my favourite train. My mother built the lovely habit of calling out “Home, James” every time we arrived back home from a day at work or a day trip.

I guess, tomorrow morning, I’ll be saying my final farewells to James when I head back to Honduras, as my mum and dad move on with their lives in a new home.

Yes, it’s terribly clichéd, but home really is where the heart is, and it’s been a wonderful home to me.

Bye bye, James.

Writer’s tip: Overcoming writer’s block

Dear readers,

I’m part of many writer’s groups on Facebook and other social media networks. I no longer really look at them because social media is very much a distraction for me, personally; preventing me from the vocation I enjoy most: writing. I don’t think I’m the only one either, as I have noticed a lot of friends choose to log on and do something constructive with their lives. Kudos. We all know how Facebook and co. are very good at keeping us hooked, controlling our dopamine levels.

Going back to the point of the post, one of the biggest complaints in these groups was about writer’s block. Now, I must be careful not to blow my own trumpet, because I don’t feel I have suffered too much from it. I’m possessed with a mind which is usually away with the fairies anyway, so I can conjure up ideas for stories from very little. My problem is often laziness, persistence and procrastination, which usually prevents me from publishing any of those ideas.

Despite that, whenever I have had writer’s block, I’ve always written about why I have it in a stream of conscious kind of way, that’s if I can’t find a prompt that inspires (it should do; there’s a million or so out there with you Google it). This can often lead to a short story or an interesting piece of work.

So, for argument’s sake, let’s pretend I’m sat in my writer’s chair at my writer’s table with my writer’s pen and my writer’s pad. It’s blank. Here I go:

It’s blank. Why is it blank? Are you a blanker? Are you a blanker wanker? No you’re not. You’re better than that. At least you think you are. What lovely blue horizontal lines across the page. Without them I’d be fucked. My handwriting is crap as it is. My teachers used to tell me. They were right. They said nothing would come of me for having shit handwriting. Thanks for the motivation, Mrs Nealian. You’re teaching wasn’t much better. I heard on the grapevine they fired you a couple of years later because you were shit. I must have been 11 when I heard and I remember how happy I was. Yes, Nealian, you taught me what it meant to be vindictive was from a young age. You stole my innocence. Knobhead. Let’s stay away from negativity. After all, I can’t talk about the qualities of being a teacher. I was barely the best either. At least I care about my student’s feelings. Discipline was my problem. Always has been.

Talking of discipline, the lines on the page. They’re light blue. Kind of like my eyes, people say. Sounds a bit narcissistic but I promise you I’m not. The blue also reminds me of the sea in Cornwall in the UK or in Trujillo in Northern Honduras. Cornish pirates came to Honduras at some point. I’m sure of it. I must have some ancestry here somewhere around the coast. Sounds romantic and contrived, but my soul was destined to be here rather than back in Brum, as much as I’m proud of hailing from Brum. I’ve never lived for long around the sea which angers me because I love water. I love the sea. I love bathtubs but they aren’t common here in Honduras. This is one of Honduras’s worst qualities in my opinion. They don’t like bathtubs. They’re perfect for this climate. Soaking in your own filth, reading a good book and seeing your hands crumple and wrinkle like an old person. Nothing like it.

Cornwall. The sea in Cornwall. The same colour as the lines on this page. Only in summer, mind, around the shallows. Still fucking cold though, no matter how lush it looks. It reminds me of granny, after grandad died. She loved to sit on the cliff tops, missing grandad, but it helped her come to peace with it, I think looking back. She was sad but full of happy memories. Full of mischief. She survived two husbands, both called Arthur. I like the Spanish equilivant of the name, Arturo. Pam doesn’t. She knows someone called Arturo who she doesn’t like. Someone from her past. I ask her what happened but she changes the subject. I don’t push it. She’s got an aggressive little side. Sometimes it’s fun to push her buttons. Sometimes it’s suicide. I guess I’m the same on occasions. Hit a nerve with me, well, one might regret it. Isn’t everyone like that? Human nature? Animal nature? Poking a tiger with a stick? Would you? Why do we piss people off? Why are people arseholes?

But Cornwall, and granny. I’d sit there with her, eating something, whether it scones and cream, pasties, sandwiches, ice-cream or Easter eggs. I was always excited to hear nan’s stories from her childhood. The world was different then. A lot more mysterious. Cornwall generally is. The names and ghost stories and people lost at sea. On sunset horizons, you can imagine seeing beautiful mermaids or hearing the bells of Atlantis ringing from the depths. Pam’s grandparents are great at telling stories. I should see them more. Life’s too short, after all. I’ll be back in Cornwall soon. Can’t wait. For the Easter eggs et al.

There we go. Finished. If you feel that writer’s block affects you, try the above technique. See how much ground I covered. I few outlets for potential stories. Let your mind roam. It won’t be perfect, but it’s fun to see what arrives on the page.

Try it.

First Days

Dear readers,

This poem is inspired by those uplifting first chords in the song Age of Consent by New Order. The tune has a feel good factor, delivered by the rough riffs and buzzing melody. The lyrics aren’t about those first days in relationships as such, but it does skirt around the topic of love and sex and loss. It’s a beautiful song, but sad.

It’s the rhythm. It’s full of optimism. It evokes memories of the first days when we fall in love for the first time, walking in a glow of brilliance, an invincible but insecure at the same time. It’s a respite from adolescent gloom, wondering who are, what you’re doing and what you’re going to be and why you have so many zits on your face. You feel loved despite your flaws and you feel your heart will explode with joy. You’ve not learned the wisdom of being cautious.

You look back and laugh at yourself now, you’re first conquests into love, trying to figure out answers to that all important question, what is love? , as well as, when will she let me feel her tits?

You remember the details. Everything. It sticks with you. Not in chronological order. But that doesn’t matter. And this poem is about that.

Being in love for the first time,

Drunk in each others arms, asking “Wanna be mine?”

Songs on the airwaves and first movies watched together,

Thinking of her all the time: you gleam in any weather.

Kissing with squirming tongues and petting with fumbling hands,

Walking in sunshine parks and lazing in golden sands.

When do I say I love her and when will we reach third base?

Ruffled hair and a naughty look on her face.

Letters and poems and arguing about “our song”,

Buying her a teddy bear and a cheesy red thong.

First fights and love bites,

Promising the world, texting all night.

But little did you know, Cupid’s arrow would fire elsewhere,

And that first sever takes ten thousand nights to repair.

But you realise it was better to feel love than never,

And it’s those first days you remember forever.

A dog’s (Vicente’s) life

Dear readers,

A short blog post. I came home hungry tonight. I decided to treat myself to burgers. Whatever I have, Vicente usually pinches a quarter of it, so tonight I gave him a burger all to himself.

As dull as it is, here’s the story of his meal.

“Fat bastard. Give me one.”

“Seriously…there is no reason to carve that s–t up.”

“Put it on the ground and watch somethin’ special…”

“Seriously…if you want to keep your hand, get the camera out my face an’ f–k off.”

“Ahh. Like the bitch next door – easy!”

“Gimme another, gimme another, gimme another…”

“Boring. Bye.”

HMT Lancastria: part four (Lancastria Survivors Association)

Dear readers,

The origin of much of the content in the previous Lancastria articles derive from secondary sources, either from the internet, my parents or memories of what my grandmother told me. However, I also called upon the Lancastria Survivors Association, and received considerable assistance from one of its founders Alan Davis.

Instead of recounting bits and pieces, I’ll include the email word for word as he sent it, regarding the HMT Lancastria tragedy, as well as my questions original questions.

Why did the British government cover up the disaster?

The reason Churchill placed a D notice on the Lancastria disaster was a matter of morale. This was both for the armed forces and the general population as the withdrawal from Dunkirk was such a low point. Churchill was concerned that this news would have been devastating to the UK. My father wrote to his mother to let her know he was safe in the UK and would be home on leave shortly. He could not tell her what had happened nor where he was or that he was receiving medical attention with the rest of the survivors. Then as things picked up the D notice was forgoten and I beleive has never been lifted. However, this did not prevent the American press reporting the disaster in their papers and radio. Then the British papers reported on the tragedy. Because now so much time has elapsed it does look more like a cover up. But it is generally beleived that Churchill intended to lift the D Notice but as the allies were making more positive progress in the war it was forgotten.

Why was there such a delay to building a monument to recognize the tragedy?

I think it was two years ago that the chancellor of the exchequer  made a statement in the commons recognising the disaster but the only monuments in recognition of the disaster is a Lancastria Memorial Window, St Katherine Cree Church, London. There is a memorial at the National Arboretum and another in Glasgow where the Lancastria was built. But nothing official from the British government.

What inspired you to set up a group about the Lancastria? Did you have any family relations who died in the disaster?

My father did a lot to try and get some recognition for survivors but to no avail. He was in the Buffs East Kent Regiment and was lucky to be saved along with two of his mates. So my intention was at least to have my own memorial even though it is just on facebook. I have also had a badge made based on the Lancastria Survivors Association blazer badge. The intention was to provide those family members who had missed out on the medal provided by the Scottish parliament, to have something they could wear in memory.

Image: BBC

How was the tragedy viewed in France at the time and how about now?

The French have always been proactive in remembering the Lancastria they have a large memorial at St. Nazaire and each year they hold services in remembrance. It was because the people of St Nazaire helped rescue survivors and collected and buried the dead washed up on the beaches.

How was the tragedy reported in Germany?

I really have no idea if Germany recogises the sinking in any way, sorry.

If you would like more information about the disaster, visit the Lancastria Survivors Association website. There are also numerous books about what happened. Unfortunately I’ve not read any of them to give you my thoughts on them. However, one that seems to have received a few good reviews seems to be “The Sinking of the Lancastria” by Jonathan Fenby.

 

 

Barra Brava Catracha – Part 2 – Alberto Pérez

Dear readers,

Another member of the Barra Brava Catracha supporter’s group I have met is Higinio Alberto Pérez Aguirre – also known as Roberto “El Pintor” – who demonstrates his love for the Honduran  team, as you’ve guessed it, through painting the players and coaching staff. 

“I am a Honduran who wants to excel, and hand in hand do what I like doing most, by mixing art with my passion of football. I’ve painted 35 footballers so far. I started with Bryan Beckeles [Honduran right back], one of my favourite players. Then I painted Alberth Elis, another of my favourites. I also paint players from Rayados, from FC Monterrey, and some from the Necaxa, in Mexico,” says Alberto.

Nuevo Leon, Mexico, is currently home for Alberto Pérez. He moved there 15 months ago, although he originally hails from Roatán in Honduras’s paradise Bay Islands, as well as taught Plastic Arts at Honduras’s Escuela Nacional de Bellas Artes (National School of Fine Arts).

“I have sold all my paintings so far, which pleases me, as it means my work is of value to people,” he adds. “It takes approximately two days to paint one.”

People can contact Alberto on Facebook if they wish to buy one. He has painted the boss, El Profe Jorge Pinto, Honduran strikers Romell Quioto and Antony Lozano and midfielder Mario Martinez, amongst many others.

Jorge Luis Pinto

Romell Quioto

Bryan Beckeles – the first of many paintings, and one of Alberto’s favourite players

In terms of the pending games against Australia, Alberto remains nervous yet confident.  “I’m very nervous and I’m waiting very anxiously for the game to begin – and beat Australia!” he says, “3-0 to Honduras. I’m sure of it!”

He says Honduras’s strength is their hunger to succeed, that despite some poor results during qualifying, they know they can bring a lot joy to the Honduran people if they win this match.

Maynor Figueroa

However, he thinks his team’s weakness is its lack of concentration. Alberto concludes with a kind message to Australians, and encourages Socceroos to ignore a lot of the negative press about his country.

“Australia is a country of the first world and I know that they are good people. I would like to tell them not to be afraid to come to Honduras. Please Do not believe all the bad things that are said about our country.”

 

La Barra Brava Catracha – Part One – El Catracho

Dear readers,

One group that has particularly helped me with the articles that I have been writing for Fox Sports Australia, as well as helping clear my name after a spot of bother with a misinterpretation of an article (a story I’ll tell another day), is the Barra Brava Catracha; for both I feel eternally grateful, and certainly make me feel part of the supporters group. I have mentioned them in my articles, both on my blog and Fox Sports Australia, but I yet so much to tell you about them.

For those of you who don’t follow the beautiful game, Honduras are due to play Australia in the playoffs to go to Russia. Having written previous articles about the Honduran team on my blog and for ESPN, Fox Sports Australia contacted me to commission some work. I have also loved watching the dramatics of the Honduran team, as you might have noticed, and as the country hots up for the games (and a presidential election), Honduran patriotism is coming to the boil.

 

Honduran patriotism, to put it mildly, is intense. But it is family-like, friendly, less about xenophobia and more about curiosity, and it’s something I’ve come to admire. We often speak of the Dunkirk spirit in the UK, about being brave and carrying on regardless. Well this is how Hondurans feel everyday, whether it be having the international media printing imbalanced views about the country, or the politicians making a mockery of the hard working people who keep the country’s motor running.

 

BARRA BRAVA CATRACHA

I got in contact with the group to give my articles some feeling, to let Australian readers understand what football means to Hondurans. And like I mentioned above, they have been very helpful. Fox in the end decided not to publish all the views of the supporters that I have received. However, I feel they are still worth more than their salt and deserved to be read – especially to make the Australians know what they’re letting themselves in for.

They go by the acronym BBC, which of course during most my lifetime as a Briton I’ve associated with the British Broadcasting Corporation, but it now has a whole new ring to it. Before I go on, I must explain that the group isn’t at all connected to the club supporters groups, such as Las Ultras of Olimpia or Los Revos from Motagua, known as las barras. No. Far from it. They consist of family folk, ex footballers, from many walks of life.

“No somos mudos” – meaning “We’re not mute.” says Alex Panta Orellana, one of the leaders to group, from the Familia Orellana, who have done a fantastic job of promoting my articles and helping to clear my name (Le debo varias Salva Vidas!! En el estadio tal vez). He’s not wrong. They sing, chant and bellow out their every minute during every game. I’ve had various conversations with members of BBC, which account for over 1,000 men, women or children, living far and wide both in Honduras and around the world, one of which is a painter living in Mexico, to a segment in Copan, both of who will feature in coming posts.

One of the founders and administrator of the group is Aldo Santos, who often goes by the name El Catracho, resides in Brooklyn, New York, working as a chef at Chef Catracho. He’s had quite a life. He says, “I was born in La Lima, Honduras, the same town as Carlos Pavon [famous Honduran striker in 90s/00s] in the northern Honduras. When I was 15, I was selected by Mario Griffin, the under 15 soccer coach at the time. I went with a friend from my hometown, and trained at the Estadio Nacional in Tegucigalpa for three weeks, then three weeks back in Lima. My guardian parents didn’t want me to travel to the capital, because my mom was organizing to take me to New York at that time, around 1986. It was hard to let go of my dream and start again in a new place. Full of ups and downs.

“My senior year in High School was the best time of my life. I was in the school soccer team and had teammates from England, Poland, Yugoslavia, Jamaica, Costa Rica, Colombia and North America. We made it to the New York final, the only time for the Staten Island high school to do so still to this day. I was the All Star Player of the year and won various other awards to help pay my first year in college, dreaming of being a soccer coach. But life got very difficult and I had to stop going to college.”

Although the dream as a player or coach didn’t work out the way he wanted, but he has brought joy to thousands of Honduran supporters, setting up events and pages throughout social media.

“The group was created during the final Concacaf qualifying round to the 2010 World Cup in South Africa, which was Honduras’s first qualification for the tournament since 1982. It began in the US with Honduran expatriates, but it has grown to Honduras and other countries, for people who love La H. We now have 1,000 members,” he adds. “When I left Honduras in 1986, I left with a tear in my eye. I vowed never to turn my back on my country, which is why I set up the Barra Brava Catracha.”

BBC founder and administrator Aldo Santos with Honduran striker Alberth Elis

Don’t estimate the size of support for Honduras. While more than 8 million Catrachos live in Honduras itself, there are an estimated 7 to 10 million living outside the country.

The larger than life character has met quite a few of the players, and knows the Honduran striker, Alberth Elis, as well as the Captain, ex Wigan Athletic striker, Maynor Figuroa. He also follows Real Madrid and Marathón, one of San Pedro Sula’s sides. Since the moment Honduras entered the play off, he has been counting the days for the whistle to blow against Australia, posting messages like the following.

“I can’t stop thinking about La H,” he says, “Even when I close my eyes I see them.”

“We’re of course happy to be there, in the play offs. Operación Canguro! We’re confident we can make it. We have the team for it. We’re ready.”

It’s true. Hondurans are more than ready. One way to gauge the mood of the fans, is ask the average taxi driver – in any city! One taxi driver named Rudolfo García in Tegucigalpa told me that he wasn’t impressed with Australia’s track record in playoffs, nor with the qualifying round, coming second to Iran and struggling about Syria, and only Cahill and Mooy as players of note. “3-0 in San Pedro. In Sydney, we’ll have Maynor and Elis. Vamos a mundial! 

“We have a better team and conditions on our side. They have more time to prepare. Nada más – nothing more.”

Supporters with Maynor Figueroa

 

This view was shared with the Dallas segment of BBC, who also said they were confident, predicting a 3-0 win in Honduras and a 1-1 draw in Australia.

“We have height, speed and force. They’re our strengths. Maynor Figueroa is our favourite. He shows passion and wears his shirt with pride,” they say. They also encouraged supporters to get behind the team, act as the twelfth man in Honduras

And what words do they have for the Australian team?

“Our players don’t know the meaning of fear!”

TO BE CONTINUED……

 

Honduran national team, the weather and derbies

Dear readers,

Some of you might already know, but I’ve been doing some reporting for Fox Sports Australia in the run up to World Cup playoffs between Honduras and the Soccerroos. Going by the name of my blog, there’s no guessing in who I’m following.

I’m enjoyed it and so far, pretty much so good. My first story was a big miss due to a mis intepretation of various nuances from some sections of the media. However, a third story seemed to be a massive hit, which has landed me interviews on television and radio, which I will go into in a future post. I feel quite overwhelmed by the positivity I’ve received, and I’ve learned an awful lot about patriotism and the power of words, as well as how sensitive Hondurans feel about how they are portrayed globally. I already knew about it, but this has been a great reminder and a very good learning experience. I’ve gained a lot of friends so far, such as the Barra Brava Catracha group, who I will write about more in a post coming up soon.

I wrote this post yesterday for Fox, but they decided not to run with it. I have therefore adapted it and publishing it here.

Enjoy.

---

HONDURAN NATIONAL TEAM

With Eddie Hernandez out the playoffs, Jorge Pinto was left sweating after his first choice goalkeeper Donis Escober and Choco Lozano were taken off during their respective teams, Olimpia and Barcelona B. was taken off with a muscular injury in Olimpia’s derby game with Motagua. However, it seems they will be fit for Honduras’s crunch games against Australia.

In the meantime, Jorge Pinto has left fans and media guessing about his select 11, adding that he has a plan for Australia.

The press and social media were surprised by the omission of Ronny Martinez and Rubilio Castillo, and the call up of some lesser known players from Honduras’s provincial teams like Juticalpa. Los Catrachos will be buoyed by the return of Carlo Costly and Mario Martinez, but how the latter fits into a team already boasting a range of talent in defensive midfield remains to be seen. The one surprise omission which has brought little news is Roger Espinoza, also known as El Chino, a utility midfield man with Sporting Kansas City in the MLS, who won the English FA Cup with Wigan Athletic in 2013. The Honduran born, US citizen has been a fans favourite over the years, scoring a few golazos along the way. Pinto obviously sees enough talent in the squad to leave him out.

DERBY GAMES

What did my home city Birmingham and my adopted city Tegucigalpa have in common this weekend? Derby games! Both cities boast fiery rivalies in the city, with Birmingjam and Aston Villa and Olimpia and Motagua respectively. Yet this weekend, both derbies ended in 0-0 draws. Yes, the bragging rights mean everything to the fans in both cities, and both clubs want to claim the throne of el papá de ciudad. That’s where the similarities end though. Both Tegucigalpa’s teams are fighting to take top spot in the league, while Birmingham are locked in a relegation dog fight in the 2nd tier in the English leagues, while Villa, which now stars ex-England man John Terry, are in a rat race to return to the Premier League.

Back to the Tegucigalpa derby, both Olimpia and Motagua represent two of the country’s most powerful clubs, in which anything is possible.

Drama surrounds this fixture, and this weekend will be no different, giving supporters some reprieve of thinking about the play off with the Soccerroos. Just last season an Olimpia supporter invaded the pitch, collected the ball, dazzled two or three Motagua defenders before putting it away, while at the same time, Olimpia team took advantage of Motagua’s confusion and also scored, all of it taking place in injury time. Surprisingly, the goal stood and game finished 2-2. Click here to see the video.

While Olimpia could be labelled the Manchester United of Honduras, playing in very similar colours and being by far the most successful club, yet Motagua have won the previous two titles and currently sit four points clear at the top of the league, while Olimpia are 3rd.

The club’s supporters were mocking each other on the sport’s radio show La Potra Hn on Friday night, who called me while on air to talk about an article I’d written, about Olimpia beating Santos of Costa Rica penalties to claim  the Torneo Liga Concacaf the night before, with Motagua supporters were raining on their counterpart’s parade, claiming the victory was only region’s 2nd tier cup, the Europa League of Central America.

WEATHER

Talking of rain, Tropical Storm Selma entered Honduran territory on the Pacific Coast on Saturday evening, bringing torrential rain to the south side of the country. Honduras has already experienced heavy rainfall throughout the country, with has brought flash floods, landslides, overflowing rivers and reservoirs, one of which left a dam on high alert. It’s brought considerable damage to some poorer neighbourhoods in and around the northern towns and cities, claiming a number of lives.

That being said, emergency services have been quick to react and civilians have been helping one another. Australian fans coming over will be kept well away from the more precarious areas and the game shouldn’t be affected; just remember to bring your waterproofs.

 

 

 

Honduras make it to the play-offs – part two

Dear readers,

Continued from previous post…

On Saturday, Honduras went to Costa Rica needing all three points to keep any hope of qualifying alive, while Costa Rica only needed a point to qualify. The omens were not good. The optimism I spoke of in the previous post had deserted me and I was preparing for the worst. I sat through most of the game playing with Vicente or reading Dr No. I grew into the game after a while, seeing that Honduras had changed their style somewhat, frustrating the Ticos with short quick passes, being more compact and defensive, hitting the opposition on the counter with more clinical and cunning attacks; in short, Honduras playing to their strengths. It was more Italian or Mourinho than the mediocre caos we’d seen before. Pinto had changed the formation, at last, from 4-4-2 to 4-2-3-1. I didn’t know of many of the players, but Maynor Figueroa, the former Wigan Athletic and Hull City defender, lead by example from the back. The whole back line looked more organised, and Emilio Izaguirre, who in my opinion has always saved his better performances for Celtic, who for once looked interested on the left. Johnny Palacios was cracking skulls and intercepting crosses, and Beckeles, who is usually unfairly made the scapegoat when things go dire, was solid on the right.

Pinto seemed done with certain midfielders. Mario Martinez, the hot-headed little oik who has never fulfilled his potential, is lost in the depths of a team in San Pedro Sula; the former Wigan player, Roger Espinoza, who I think was one of Honduras’s better players, hasn’t appeared in an age; Wilson Palacios isn’t anywhere near contention; and Andy Najar seems permanently crocked in Beligum.

Instead, he selected Bryan Acosta, who now plys his trade for Tenerife in Spain, and Alfredo Mejía, who with his beard looks more of a thinker than a footballer; just as well because he plays his club football in Greece. The two did a superb job of keeping the ball and shielding the defence, the providing short, quick passes to the attacking front line that included Romell Quioto on the left, Alex Lopez in the middle and Elis on the right, then the giant Eddie Hernandez, who plays for my Honduran club, Motagua.

The team looked organised. Of course, the keeper Escober was kept busy, but they were convincing, keeping the ball out of their half by passing it out neatly, then running with the ball when they reached the opposition’s half. And the stats speak millions: Honduras’s 11 attacks to Costa Rica’s 6. But Honduras were bossing their opponents, and Costa Rica’s emotions were beginning to spill over.

Mid-way through the second half, Eddie Hernandez pounded a header into the back of the net. Cue many foul mouthed celebrations from my wife. It was game on and Costa Rica looked a bit lost and desperate. Then, in the 90th minute, the Ticos were awarded the golden ticket when the referee summoned a mysterious six minutes of injury time. Apart from a few scruffs and arguments, the game was pretty flowing and six minutes seemed excessive. The Honduran bench thought so too, and vented their rage at the assistant referee, as did my wife, and for a few minutes, I worried for the smart TV’s life. Costa Rica took this as their moment to pounce. And they did, in the 94th minute.

A 1-1 draw and many complaints of being robbed. However, it was the best I’d seen of Honduras for some time.

The Mexico game, to be continued in the next post.