Think what you like about our politicians and their handling of the pandemic but surely they couldn’t have got their handling of the withdrawal of troops in Afghanistan more spectacularly wrong? 

I really don’t know where to start, it’s a total mess. 

The Afghanistan story goes back to firstly to 1919. Although Afghanistan was never part of the British Empire, it gained its independence from Britain after the signing of the Anglo-Afghan Treaty in 1919, a treaty that granted complete neutral relations between Afghanistan and Britain. 

This ushered in a new era of friendly British-Afghan relations.

Fast forward to December 24th 1979, which I remember from school was when the Soviet Union(as it was known then) invaded under the pretext of upholding the Soviet-Afghan Friendship Treaty.

The treaty was signed in 1978 and the two countries agreed to provide economic and military assistance. Afghanistan borders Russia and was always considered important to its national security and a gateway to Asia. Russia had long tried to establish strong ties, holding interests there for centuries.

A 1978 communist revolution in Afghanistan and its subsequent one-party state, run by head of the communist party Nur Mohammed Taraki, was extremely unpopular with the Afghan people and the Soviets attempted to bolster it with the treaty.

However, in September 1979 Taraki was overthrown and killed by members of the Afghan Communist Party who were unhappy with him.

So, in December Russia entered Afghanistan to re-establish a government closer to its desires.

The subsequent 10 year war has been described as ‘Russia’s Vietnam’, with the country sending in thousands of troops, spending millions, and ultimately retreating. The militants who they were fighting were known as the Mujahideen and ironically were backed by the United States, Pakistan, Iran, Saudi Arabia, China, and the United Kingdom.

The war created a breeding ground for terrorism and the rise of Osama Bin Laden. So the West were ultimately to blame for what followed.

Which we all know by now became known as President George W Bush’s “War on Terror” and the invasion of Afghanistan in 2001 was a direct response to the attacks of 9/11 on America. The US and its North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (Nato) allies prepared to invade when the Taliban refused to hand over Osama bin Laden. 

Twenty years later from May 1st the US began to pull out followed closely by NATO and basically that should have been that and they all lived happily ever after. Well not quite because this is Afghanistan and as soon as they started to leave the Taliban moved in to take over with hardly any resistance from Afghan forces. So much so that by this week they pretty much had control back of the whole country including the capital Kabul. 

Recent figures put out by the British government put the total cost of major operations in Afghanistan in the low twenty billions.

But independent analysts think the true operational cost could be around double that figure. And this is without trying to count the additional costs to the health service of caring for wounded veterans over their lifetimes.

The major cost though isn’t money, it’s the human cost.  Over the last 20 years of deployment in Afghanistan there have been 457 deaths of UK armed forces personnel. The question needs to be asked, has their sacrifice been for nothing? Well it would seem so as the position of the country seems to be exactly as it was when they began. Not only are there the deaths of soldiers but of the ones who survived many are suffering Post Traumatic Stress Order(PTSD). Someone with PTSD often relives the traumatic event through nightmares and flashbacks, and may experience feelings of isolation, irritability and guilt. They may also have problems sleeping, such as insomnia and find concentrating difficult.

These symptoms are often severe and persistent enough to have a significant impact on the person’s day-to-day life.

If that isn’t bad enough what about the abandoned people of Afghanistan? Anybody who helped the coalition forces or was part of the Afghan Army must be fearing for their lives. It isn’t a great outlook for Women and children too. The Taliban say they are willing to change but I think the jury will be out on that one. Let’s see if we return to the terror attacks that started all this 20 years ago and in the meantime Governments around the World should be hanging their heads in shame. 

Take care everyone and enjoy your Weekend! 

Richie presents the Radio One Mallorca Breakfast show Monday to Friday 07.30-11.00am on 93.8fm in Mallorca and 102fm in Calvià, online at www.radioonemallorca.com on mobile through their free App for IPhone & Android, The Tunein Radio App, iTunes, the Spanish TDT TV service and all smart speakers. If you can’t hear him on the radio then you’ll find him working at Pirates Adventure the islands number one night out and every now and again he may make an understudy appearance! 

Follow him on Twitter @DadTaxi1 & Instagram @dad.taxi or feel free to email him at rprior@globobalear.com 

Life slowly but surely seems to be getting back to some sort of normality. Here in Mallorca I get the feeling that finally we are now living with the virus, rather than stopping everything to fight it. One of the factors that is helping is the push for vaccinations. Right now 73% of the population has had one jab and 63% have had two jabs. 

Both of my boys have had one jab and have their second jabs next week. We gave them their own choice and both wanted to have it. We still haven’t seen our families since December 2019 and both the boys know that we will need to be double jabbed to travel and they are desperate to see everyone at home. 

I have taken both of them for their jabs at Germans Escalas in Palma and there are lots of young people having their jabs which wasn’t the case when I went for mine. Once you get double jabbed you can pick up a certificate either online or at Son Espases Hospital in Palma. It’s very easy and you just follow the signs once you get there. Since Wednesday this week you can now go to certain centres without an appointment. This applies to the Son Dureta, Inca and Manacor centres only and there are specific times from 4pm to 7pm.

One thing that has gone under the radar in the past week is that the Balearic Government have said that any child over the age of 12 years that wants to compete in any sporting competition from September here on the islands will have to be double jabbed. As you may know my two play football and will be ok but I’m not sure denying kids the opportunity to play competitive sport if they’re not double jabbed is the right way forward? I’m not an anti-Vaxer as I’ve been jabbed twice but putting that pressure on kids? I’m not so sure. I fully understand that the clubs and authorities don’t want an outbreak amongst teams and therefore a possible halt to training and games like before. But I think we are all aware that whilst reducing the risk, the vaccine doesn’t fully stop you getting the virus. It’s a difficult call like it is with vaccine passports but if it’s the only way then I suppose we will have to go with it.

I think most countries around the World are pushing the vaccines as this seems to be the only way back to normality but there are a few that are offering “incentives” to get them done.

In the Uk ride-hailing firm Uber will send reminders to all users in August urging them to get vaccinated and will offer discounted rides and meals on its Uber Eats platform for young people who have the vaccine. Deliveroo will also offer vouchers, while Bolt, another taxi app firm, will offer “free ride credit” to vaccination centres.

In the USA President Joe Biden is urging local governments to offer $100 to the newly vaccinated.

In Hong Kong, which struggles with affordable housing, developers are raffling off apartments. Anyone who is fully vaccinated can enter the draw for one unit, which is 449 square feet and worth about US$1.4 million. Almost half a million people declared eligibility on the first day in June. 

In Moscow, which is battling a surge in coronavirus cases, anyone who received the first of a two-dose vaccine up until July 11th were entered into a draw with five cars worth 1 million roubles being given away every week.

In Germany, stalling vaccinations prompted a search for new incentives. Among the most successful so far appear to be free sausages! At a vaccination center in the eastern state of Thuringia, the combo of Bratwurst and Pfizer, recently prompted a surge in appointments.

Could all this be seen as a jab seekers allowance? Sorry I’ll get my coat!

As I said above we seem to be getting on with our lives, yes of course there are still restrictions like face masks and everything shutting at 01.00 but it’s manageable. We’re now able to do things that we couldn’t 12 months ago. I went to the Kool & The Gang concert in Port Adriano and it was so refreshing to listen to great music in beautiful surroundings again. This weekend Real Mallorca start their La Liga campaign with a maximum crowd of 8,775 people not enough for all the season ticket holders which number 14,500 but another opportunity to watch something that we weren’t able to do this time last year. Probably for me the most enjoyable is watching my boys train and play football again. This time last year we weren’t even allowed in the ground but now things are different and long may it continue. 

Take care everyone and enjoy your Weekend! 

Richie presents the Radio One Mallorca Breakfast show Monday to Friday 07.30-11.00am on 93.8fm in Mallorca and 102fm in Calvià, online at www.radioonemallorca.com on mobile through their free App for IPhone & Android, The Tunein Radio App, iTunes, the Spanish TDT TV service and all smart speakers. If you can’t hear him on the radio then you’ll find him working at Pirates Adventure the islands number one night out and every now and again he may make an understudy appearance! 

Follow him on Twitter @DadTaxi1 & Instagram @dad.taxi or feel free to email him at rprior@globobalear.com 

This is probably one of the most difficult subjects I have covered since I began writing. When it comes to sport I would say I have a pretty good knowledge of most, although the Olympics has introduced me to some new ones. However when it comes to mental health in sport I have to admit I have no idea. But with so many high profile cases in the past couple of months I felt I had to look into it. The sports of tennis, gymnastics and cricket have been rocked by some of their biggest stars coming out saying that they needed to take a break. Naomi Osaka, Simone Biles and Ben Stokes have all cited mental health as an issue in their chosen sports. Now of course anyone can have an opinion on this but I felt that having no knowledge of the subject, I needed an expert to explain it all to me. 

On Monday I was listening to Hawksbee & Jacobs on Talksport and the subject of sports mental health came up and they were interviewing a Sports performance Psychotherapist called Gary Bloom. He spoke so eloquently about the subject that I knew he was the man I needed to speak to. I contacted him and we chatted together on Tuesday.

Two things to explain first, who is Gary Bloom and what is Sports Psychotherapy?

You will probably recognise Gary Bloom from his very distinct voice, as a football commentator he has provided commentary mainly in World Cups and also the Olympics. For many seasons, he was a commentator on the iconic ‘Football Italia’ programme on Channel 4 with James Richardson. He hosts the award-winning show “On the Sporting Couch” on Talksport and is the main commentator of the DLS game series. As a psychotherapist, he works for Oxford United and is the only psychotherapist currently working in first team professional football. His first novel “Keeping your Head in the Game,” is ten stories of sports people in therapy and was published in February 2021 by Penguin Random House. 

Sports psychotherapy focuses on improving sports performance by addressing anxiety, lack of concentration, and other issues that may arise for both amateur and professional athletes. It can include individual sessions with athletes as well as group work incorporating teams and support staff.

Gary says Sports Psychotherapy is a relatively new discipline, compared to sports psychology which has been around for many many years. This looks at performance in sport and how to get those “marginal gains” which helps athletes progress and become more successful. A sports psychotherapist looks at the well being of an athlete, what’s going on in their personal life, what makes them tick and in their psyche that creates an individual and makes them successful. We all have what we call life events such as bereavements, break ups, losing our jobs, illness and his job is to make athletes feel better about themselves. Gary’s mantra is happier athletes perform better and it’s the same in any other walk of life. But nobody so far has gone into sport and said we know you’re not playing well, why? Which is where Gary comes in.

When it comes to high performance sport, athletes do their work under critical spotlight. The examination at the elite level in all sports can be crushing and can be very difficult to deal with. We’re not born with the skills to deal with this so why not use a sports psychotherapist to help? If you pull a hamstring you see the Physio so if something isn’t right psychologically in your head then why not use a sports psychotherapist? The problem is that it’s perceived right now as a weakness and immediately puts doubt into a coaches mind. There’s a fear in sport that this sends out the wrong message but why shouldn’t you ask for help? 

If Simone Biles, Ben Stokes or any of these elite athletes say they need a break then they obviously do. You might say it’s because of playing too much sport, but usually there’s a back story too. It could be relationship issues, a dispute with someone within their club or even the club itself, loss of form or coming back too early from injury. It’s up to Gary to find that issue, deal with it and in the majority of cases performance does improve. 

Social media is either a necessary or unnecessary evil aligned to the problems of these athletes. Because in reality they are biting off the hand that feeds them. More followers & likes bring greater sponsorships for these people, however this can also bring greater criticism. Simone Biles has 6.7m followers on Instagram, Naomi Osaka has 2.8m, Ben Stokes has 1.7m. You can argue they shouldn’t go to together but unfortunately we are in a World where they do and social media companies should be held to account more. 

I was interested to hear Gary’s thoughts on young people trying to enter the higher echelons of sport. His advice was enjoy it and tell your parents to back off. Most young people go through a tunnel from the ages of 12 to 17 years as there are so many influences in their lives, like peer pressures, friends who are less talented who will be teasing them, academic studies and even boyfriends or girlfriends. At this point Gary quotes the Pink Floyd song “leave those kids alone!” and let them enjoy it. Because the minute they stop enjoying it, they will stop playing and all the positive influences they get from amateur sport like socialisation and team building will be lost. When your kids ask you how did they do,(which is the first question I get asked after every game from my kids)tell them to speak to their coaches as this will help them progress. That doesn’t mean ignore them, praise them to the hilt and tell them how proud you are of them. But you’re not the one they need to impress going forward and their coaches are far more qualified than Mum or Dad. Be happy that they are participating in something that improves not only their health but their well being too.

I learnt so much in my 15 minute chat with Gary and I do realise that mental health issues are not just relevant in sport but in all walks of life. Especially after the last 18 months of the pandemic it’s been tough for a lot of people. It’s important to know that there are people out there that can help like Gary but also the support network of your family and friends is important if you’re finding it difficult to reach out to somebody. 

I did mention it earlier but Gary has released a book, which is definitely worth a read. 

He explains, ‘In Keeping Your Head in the Game we peer into this highly confidential world. We follow the journeys of ten athletes in their therapy sessions with me, from a rugby player arrested for a drunken brawl, through a homesick cricketer on tour, to a snooker player struggling with his feelings of inadequacy and low self-esteem.

Structured around the emotions we all experience on a daily basis – shame, anger, fear, jealousy and envy, love – chapter by chapter, the book reveals, explains and attempts to resolve the inner traumas that have an impact on the performance of these sports personalities. Seeing how they overcome their demons is a powerful way of tackling our own and, as I always say, happier players play better – in sport and in life.’

Gary can be contacted via his website https://garybloom.co.uk 

With the advent of Zoom he now talks to people all around the World. I hope like me you found this talk informative and helpful. I will post the whole interview on my Facebook page over the weekend. 

Take care everyone and enjoy your Weekend! 

Richie presents the Radio One Mallorca Breakfast show Monday to Friday 07.30-11.00am on 93.8fm in Mallorca and 102fm in Calvià, online at www.radioonemallorca.com on mobile through their free App for IPhone & Android, The Tunein Radio App, iTunes, the Spanish TDT TV service and all smart speakers. If you can’t hear him on the radio then you’ll find him working at Pirates Adventure the islands number one night out and every now and again he may make an understudy appearance! 

Follow him on Twitter @DadTaxi1 & Instagram @dad.taxi or feel free to email him at rprior@globobalear.com 

My earliest recollection of the Olympics is 1976 in Montreal when I was 10 years old. Team GB won 13 medals in total and probably the most famous was David Wilkie winning gold in the Men’s 200m breaststroke. Moving on on four years to the Soviet Union as it was known then and it was another famous swimmer Duncan Goodhew who took gold in the 100m breaststroke. Five years later I would be lucky enough to meet him on a weekly basis as he used to do a guest appearance at the Butlins I was working at as a Redcoat. We also used to get from the World of Judo, Brian Jacks who won a bronze at the 1972 games in Munich. You may remember him more from the TV show ‘Superstars’. That continued when I joined Pirates, firstly through the artists, we’ve had a few Olympians from around the World with the most recognisable being Francesca Fox who played Captain Scarlett and was part of the GB Rhythmic Gymnastic team at the London Olympics. Then through our Charity Premieres and people who’ve visited us on holiday. These include the swimmer Sharron Davies, the 100m runner Linford Christie, Gymnast Louis Smith and probably the most famous, diver and newly crowned gold medalist Tom Daley. To be honest a more down to earth and nicer guy you would struggle to meet. Tom has been to Pirates on many occasions and despite his fame he would stop for anyone to do a photo. I was so pleased for him that at his fourth Olympics he has finally won a gold medal. Diving is a brutal sport and like all events it takes a lot of hard work and dedication to reach the top. Lots of reality series have been created where celebrities try to master a sport but the one that didn’t really work was, if you can remember it was ‘Splash’. The celebrities performed each week in front of a panel of judges and a live audience in an Olympic-size diving pool with the result each week partly determined by public vote. Gabby Logan and Vernon Kay presented the show, whilst Tom was the expert mentor to the celebrities. The show received generally poor reviews from critics after its premiere, including “utterly awful”, “a new low for television”and “probably the worst programme ever screened in primetime”. There you have it in a nutshell, to become a sports man or woman takes years of practice and cannot be recreated in 5 minutes for a TV programme. 

After watching the diving final in particular, don’t let anybody tell you the Olympics isn’t worth watching. I admit the opening ceremony wasn’t that great and lacked the atmosphere of a crowd. But since then the sports I’ve seen have been thoroughly enjoyable and the excitement for me is definitely there despite the lack of crowds. 

There are some sports I wouldn’t normally watch but when the Olympics are on I’m transfixed. They include rowing, swimming, diving, taekwondo, BMX riding and of course I love the athletics. 

Other sports I wouldn’t have in the Olympics include tennis, football, golf, basketball and baseball. The thing is different sports around the World have different meanings to different countries. As you know I love football but i haven’t watched a game yet but in South America they value it as high as the World Cup. 

New sports this year are surfing, skateboarding, karate and sport climbing. Some you might question but the IOC (International Olympic Committee) are looking to attract a younger audience. At the next Olympics in Paris they’ll be break dancing and this week I spoke with Paul Hamilton the personal trainer who works out of the Shambhala Gym in Santa Ponsa. He told me that Thai Boxing will be at the next Olympics too. As a former Thai boxer and President of the UK Muay Thai Federation, Paul has been negotiating with the IOC and finally his dream has become a reality. 

Lots of Olympians have trained here in Mallorca in recent years as we have great weather and amazing facilities. Unfortunately when I spoke to Matthew 0’Connor at the Best Swim Centre in Colonia San Jordi he said that because of Covid and travel restrictions there hadn’t been as many come as usual. But many of the swimmers had been before Covid and in previous years he’d organised the team GB divers training camps in Palma at Son Hugo. Other sports I’m aware of that have had countries training for the Olympics previously are cycling, sailing, gymnastics, tennis, boxing, Athletics and I’m sure there’s more. It’s always been something I think the authorities should seize on and promote more. Particularly in the low season. 

The message that was pushed at the London 2012 Olympics was to ‘Inspire a generation’ and quite a few of the athletes competing in these games drew their inspiration from London. Don’t let clowns like Piers Morgan tell you that a Gold Medal is all that matters. It takes years of sacrifice, hard work and dedication to even make it to the Olympics, let alone get a medal. You can see what it means to the athletes, their trainers and their families after they’ve competed. Remember that most of them haven’t been able to train in normal circumstances because of the pandemic and after building up to it last year it was cancelled. Which means they’ve had to retrain and be ready for this year. They should be applauded loudly not derided as most of us mere mortals of which I am definitely one couldn’t get anywhere near their achievements. 

Take care everyone and enjoy your Weekend! 

Richie presents the Radio One Mallorca Breakfast show Monday to Friday 07.30-11.00am on 93.8fm in Mallorca and 102fm in Calvià, online at www.radioonemallorca.com on mobile through their free App for IPhone & Android, The Tunein Radio App, iTunes, the Spanish TDT TV service and all smart speakers. If you can’t hear him on the radio then you’ll find him working at Pirates Adventure the islands number one night out and every now and again he may make an understudy appearance! 

Follow him on Twitter @DadTaxi1 & Instagram @dad.taxi or feel free to email him at rprior@globobalear.com 

Sometimes I wonder who puts our promotional campaigns together and the phrases that they come up with. The latest one is ‘You Deserve Spain’ from Turespaña, the public body, attached to the Ministry of Industry, Commerce and Tourism through the Ministry of Tourism, that are responsible for marketing and promotion of Spain as a travel destination in the world. 

This campaign coincided with “Freedom Day” in England, last Monday, July 19th, when all restrictions imposed by the pandemic were over and people with double vaccines could travel to amber countries, such as Spain, without having to comply with quarantine on their return. It is a campaign for the strongest source markets such as the United Kingdom, France, Germany, Italy, Belgium, Sweden, Netherlands and Poland. The €8 million campaign is mostly digital, although in some markets it will be boosted through print and outdoor advertising. From Monday, videos of the campaign could be seen in Piccadilly Circus in London.

It sounds like a lot of money and in all honesty I’m not sure the message is right. You could flip it and say ‘Spain Deserves You!’ But I’m sure there’s better, as for me it has a slightly negative connotation. I do hope someone hasn’t come up with a phrase in another language and used Google translate. In fact I don’t think you need words, pictures alone would sell Spain to me. If I’m in the middle of London, it’s either raining or too hot that you can’t cope and you’re probably stuck in a traffic jam. Words are not going to convince me that Spain deserves me but pictures of beautiful beaches, cuisine, wine, mountains, etc are more likely to. It’s a well known fact that images are far more powerful than words and our brains react far more positively to them. Even if the campaign did portray those images then the words don’t match for me. 

I remember commenting before about a campaign that was launched here in Mallorca using Rafa Nadal, which I think was back in 2009. Whilst it bagged Rafa a few million euros they put him in such obscure photos that you would never have known he was in Mallorca. 

Whilst I’m desperately trying to remain positive about this season the more I’m hearing the less positive I’ve become. I always like to be glass half full but it looks like it’s going the other way and close to running on empty. Apparently 75% of hotels in Magalluf and Palma Nova are open which is good but we need to know the occupancy in these hotels. If I drive from Pirates within 5 minutes I can see 6 hotels closed, Atlantic Park, Don Juan, Guadalupe, Room Mate Olivia(Barracuda in old money) Sol House, and BH (which in reality is a four hotel complex). That’s a lot of beds that are not open which would normally feed into the resort. Of course anything is a boost on last years washout but is it good enough? Everyday there’s speculation of traffic light changes, restriction changes and it’s difficult for anyone to get into a routine. If the truth be known with the number of infections we should be in red as our numbers are worse than countries that are in red. It seems that the Government are trying to limp through to the end of August if they can to at least get some business in. If that comes with harder restrictions in September though I’m not sure how the local population will react. Interesting report out this week is that the current coalition Government would lose an election if it was held right now and be ousted by the opposition PP and the far right party Vox who could govern in a coalition themselves. It seems that the Government’s handling of the pandemic and particularly the tourist industry hasn’t gone down too well with voters. 

We are in a situation right now that rather than just be selfish and protect ourselves and our individual countries we need to get as many people double vaccinated around the World. Plus there needs to be a worldwide Covid airport check system as it seems to be different not just to the country you are travelling to but which airport you are travelling through too. Surely someone can come up with a body Covid detector like they have at airports to detect whether you’re carrying anything you shouldn’t. That can’t be beyond the realms of man or technology? 

I hope I’m wrong with my pessimism but I don’t think I am. 

Let’s not forget though that Mallorca is still offering exactly what it should be right now which is hot days and balmy nights. If you’re having trouble sleeping in this weather then here’s a few tips to keep cool at night.

1. Ensure there is a good airflow through the house. Open windows on both sides to allow the air to pass through.
2. Close blinds and curtains in rooms that are exposed to direct sunlight. The shade will help the room stay cooler.
3. Have a lukewarm bath or shower before bed to encourage your core temperature to drop, or alternatively put lukewarm water in a hot water bottle and place the soles of your feet on it.
4. If using a fan, place a bowl of ice chilled water in front of it to cool the stream of air it’s pushing around the room.
5. If you are using a cotton sheet ensure it is as low a thread count as possible as the higher the thread count, the less breathable it is.
6. Finally don’t worry too much about it. The biggest thing that prevent us sleeping in hot weather is the thought of “I am too hot to sleep”.

Take care everyone and enjoy your Weekend! 

Richie presents the Radio One Mallorca Breakfast show Monday to Friday 07.30-11.00am on 93.8fm in Mallorca and 102fm in Calvià, online at www.radioonemallorca.com on mobile through their free App for IPhone & Android, The Tunein Radio App, iTunes, the Spanish TDT TV service and all smart speakers. If you can’t hear him on the radio then you’ll find him working at Pirates Adventure the islands number one night out and every now and again he may make an understudy appearance! 

Follow him on Twitter @DadTaxi1 & Instagram @dad.taxi or feel free to email him at rprior@globobalear.com 

Were we really surprised that Mallorca and the rest of the Balearic Islands went from the Green watchlist to Amber? There’s definitely a case of double standards right now. After 18 months of no business for the majority of the hospitality industry and lockdowns and curfews for the last year for all of us. Why is nobody taking the can for the Spanish student debacle? Around 5,000 Spanish students allowed to party for a week with no social distancing and now we’re in a mess. I’m not saying they are totally to blame but if the laws were put in for the English and Germans, why not the Spanish? In February 2020 there were new laws for the so called “excessive zones” of Magaluf, Playa de Palma and San Antonio. Now I don’t know many people who were against the rules that were put in. But how can it be that in Magaluf for instance, there are some hotels in the same area as all the bars still offering all inclusive but the bars themselves can’t? Anybody of any age can still book these hotels and get totally plastered on drink included in what they’ve booked. 

Even if they haven’t booked it the hotels will allow them to buy it on arrival. People who are not on an all inclusive package in their hotel can walk into the next resort of Palma Nova and be offered an all inclusive package by any bar as they too aren’t in the Red Zone. So on the one hand you’re trying to curb the Tourism of excess which is very commendable and should be encouraged but you’re then allowing hotels in the same area and surrounding zones to carry on regardless? Am I missing something here? We’re either all in this or not, you can’t get half pregnant! 

I have to say I loved every part of the Euros. The England team put pride and joy back into our country not only there but around the World for all expats like me and the boys. Unfortunately it was ruined by a minority of the “fans” which I’ll come to in a minute.

It’s easy for us on the outside to put blame where it’s not justified particularly at Gareth Southgate. 

But ask yourself a few questions. 

Did we think we’d make to the final? No

Did we score too early in the final? Probably 

Were Italy the best team? Yes

Did we pick the right penalty takers? For me, no doubt they were the ones who stood up. Not only that, something else which actually never really got reported as Southgate took all the blame. Was the fact that he did also mention that they had of course been practicing and that was the order they had come up with. 

Look at the players that missed, some say they were too young to be burdened with such responsibility. Hang on they’re players at the top level, in the team and therefore playing in the final. Remember the old adage, “if you’re old enough, you’re good enough”.

Jadon Sancho, probably one of the most exciting talents for the future and Manchester United have just paid £73 million for him.

Bukayo Saka, as an Arsenal fan I can tell you huge things are expected of him in the future and he was Arsenals player of the season.

Marcus Rashford: A star at Manchester United and I had to listen to some clown in the bar I was saying how rubbish he was. Really? After all he’s done outside of football in the past year? He forced the Prime Minister to commit £120 million for free school meals and he happened to have missed a penalty. His work over the past year has proved there is more to life than football. 

Let’s face it penalties are a lottery, ask France & Spain. Me and my boys were trying to pick the 5 penalty takers and the only one we agreed on was Kane. 

I’m also glad to hear that Facebook and Twitter are finally handing over details of racist trolls who abused the players. I would ban them from attending any football match for life and if need be lock them up. This needs to be stopped and the most severest of punishments handed out. 

After so much flack Southgate got for picking an injured Harry Maguire, I thought he was immense. And who else thought he’d be taking a penalty? Two goalkeepers wouldn’t have got to that one. 

Talking of keepers, one person who didn’t get the credit he deserved was Jordan Pickford, he saved two of the five penalties and the save from the normally reliable Jorginho was world class. He’s come a long way in the last couple of years and I’m surprised none of the so called big six is looking at him as their goalkeeper. 

I also think Southgate has picked a great back room team including his assistants Steve Holland, Graeme Jones and Chris Powell who all undoubtedly have added great knowledge and advice. 

It was a great roller coaster ride and it ended not how we wanted it to.

I’m gutted of course but life goes on and I think we’ll be all the more prepared for Qatar 2022. 

Take care everyone and enjoy your Weekend! 

Richie presents the Radio One Mallorca Breakfast show Monday to Friday 07.30-11.00am on 93.8fm in Mallorca and 102fm in Calvià, online at www.radioonemallorca.com on mobile through their free App for IPhone & Android, The Tunein Radio App, iTunes, the Spanish TDT TV service and all smart speakers. If you can’t hear him on the radio then you’ll find him working at Pirates Adventure the islands number one night out and every now and again he may make an understudy appearance! 

Follow him on Twitter @DadTaxi1 & Instagram @dad.taxi or feel free to email him at rprior@globobalear.com 

July 30th 1966 was the last time that England were in the final of a major football competition. It happened to be the year that I was born, which means I’ve lived every single one of those 55 years of hurt. 

It lead me to think back on what I remember of England down the years. 

My first recollection of any tournament was the 1974 World Cup in West Germany as it was then. England though didn’t qualify, although Scotland did funnily enough. In fact England’s contribution came from referee Jack Taylor who officiated the final between the hosts West Germany and Holland. He awarded two penalties in first 30 minutes, the first of these penalty kicks, awarded after just a minute of play, was the first penalty kick ever awarded in a World Cup final.

Again in 1978 in Argentina, England didn’t qualify. My memories of that World Cup were the ticker tape celebrations inside the stadiums. 

It was Spain in 1982 that I can remember quite clearly. Bryan Robson scored a goal for England in just 27 seconds. England didn’t lose a game but still went out as FIFA applied a very strange system with group stages after the original group stages. Too confusing to write about! Actually the main thing I remember about 1982 was Gerry Armstrong scoring and knocking out the hosts Spain. Gerry has since become a very good friend whose knowledge of football is second to none. 

In 1986 I was working at Butlins and I used to grab any opportunity I could to watch a game. 86 was famous for the infamous ‘Hand of God’ goal from Diego Maradona. Which still irks with most to this day. 

The 1990 World Cup was the one that got away. It was the beginning of Gazza era and the penalty misses of Stuart Pearce and Chris Waddle against Germany in the semi-finals. 

In 1994 England were struggling to qualify. The only hope for England on the last day was for the Netherlands to lose in Poland and for England to score seven goals against San Marino in Bologna. England did manage to score seven (despite conceding one after only eight seconds!), but the Netherlands won 3-1 and took the runners-up spot. The Manager Graham Taylor resigned in the following week.

1996 was the first Euros I really remember. It was a home tournament and the vibe was similar to as it is today. Gazza in his pomp and Terry Venables managing the team very much like Gareth Southgate is now. Of course Gareth was a player in that team and I’m sure that has been really helpful for him at this tournament. Unfortunately Gareth missed the all important penalty in the semi-final against Germany. But did send himself up on the Pizza Hut ads after which was good to see. 

The 1998 World Cup in France was memorable for that amazing goal from Michael Owen against Argentina only to be surpassed by David Beckham getting sent off for kicking out at Diego Simeone. England again lost on penalties.

The 2002 qualifying campaign gave David Beckham the chance to redeem himself and he did with a last minute wonder free kick against Greece to qualify. He also got revenge on Argentina with a penalty goal to defeat them 1-0 in their group game. But it was heartache again in the quarter finals when Ronaldinho managed to lob David Seaman from near the halfway line and Brazil ran out 2-1 winners. 

Germany 2006 was famous for the Ronaldo wink after Wayne Rooney was sent-off for England in the quarter finals. Again we went on to lose on penalties. 

2010 in South Africa was famous for the Frank Lampard ‘goal’ that never was. His shot landed at least 2 metres over the line and yet as there was no goal line technology the game unbelievably continued and England lost 4-1.

2016 was famous for us losing to Iceland, which was probably one of the worst defeats that I can remember. 

2018 in Russia was the first tournament in Gareth Southgate’s reign and one of the most successful. We made it to the semi finals but ran out of steam to lose 2-1 to Croatia.

So onto this tournament and what an amazing Feel good factor it has brought to the country. Well not just the country, I can tell you all the expats I know are loving the journey. 

So What have Italy got that is better than us? Or to quote a famous line from Monty Python ‘What have the Romans ever done for us?’ 

Well their National Anthem is one of the best in the World and certainly rouses their supporters. 

As my Wife and many other ladies have mentioned their players are better looking than ours! 

But to quote the band New Order,

You’ve got to hold and give

But do it at the right time

You can be slow or fast

But you must get to the line

They’ll always hit you and hurt you

Defend and attack

There’s only one way to beat them

Get ’round the back

Catch me if you can

‘Cause I’m the England man

And what you’re looking at

Is the master plan

We ain’t no hooligans

This ain’t a football song

Three lions on my chest

I know we can’t go wrong!

Dare I say it, keep the faith, it’s coming home!

Take care everyone and enjoy your Weekend! 

Richie presents the Radio One Mallorca Breakfast show Monday to Friday 07.30-11.00am on 93.8fm in Mallorca and 102fm in Calvià, online at www.radioonemallorca.com on mobile through their free App for IPhone & Android, The Tunein Radio App, iTunes, the Spanish TDT TV service and all smart speakers. If you can’t hear him on the radio then you’ll find him working at Pirates Adventure the islands number one night out and every now and again he may make an understudy appearance! 

Follow him on Twitter @DadTaxi1 & Instagram @dad.taxi or feel free to email him at rprior@globobalear.com 

There’s only one place to start this week. England beating Germany for the first time in the knockout stages of any football tournament in 55 years. Yes forget your 30 years of hurt, it’s 55 years to be exact. It’s also the first time England haven’t conceded a goal in their opening 4 matches since 1966. So is it coming home?

On June the 19th after the Scotland game I wrote this. “More negativity about England. Tournament football is firstly getting out of the group., the competition starts in the knockout stages. We’re second with 4 points & not lost. Everyone said our attacking options are second to none but we’ve only scored 1. Also we can’t defend, we’ve conceded 0. We’ve played 2 teams who have played not to lose & let’s face it that was a Cup Final for the Jocks last night. Let them bang on about, should have, could have but you didn’t. The fact is you’ve played 2 games & scored 0 & if you don’t beat Croatia it’s Cheerio! The Czechs won’t be easy but barring a disaster we’re through. Then we’ll have teams who will want to play football and that will help us. Those forwards will click & when they do we’re a match for anyone. Keep the faith!” 

I don’t like to say I told you so, but I did! Ukraine will be a different proposition on Saturday evening and it will be a tough game. Play like we can and we have every chance of getting through. 

It’s good to see the island re-opening properly. With the arrival of the Brits this week we should see a big change in the resorts. Terminal A opened yesterday which will handle the majority of the UK flights. I do hope they get it right as it won’t be a good reflection on the island if there are queues of people waiting to get through passport control. The cases are unsurprisingly rising here with the arrival of more people, so we need to be careful. In the UK they are too, however the hospitalisations and death rates seem to be low both there and here. It seems the vaccination programmes and how it is now treated is helping with this. The UK Government also looks like it’s changing its view and is starting to favour the fact we need to now try and live with the virus. Something I’ve banged on about for months and hopefully that is the way forward. What we can’t have is the constant changes in policy and in particular in travel, which has happened in other destinations. The traffic light system has been flawed, for me it should be Red or Green and nothing else. Our Government here a few weeks ago relaxed it’s rules on letting Brits arrive without quarantining. Then the UK put us onto the new green watch list(another change). So no longer amber and not fully green. It gives them the opportunity to change travel advice pretty much overnight like they did with Portugal. As soon as the green watch list happened, Brits were then told they had to arrive here either double jabbed, with a negative PCR or antigen test. This week it changed again and an antigen test is now not sufficient to enter. There seems to be too much chopping and changing from both Governments, which doesn’t breathe confidence into the travel market. 

Without doubt the UK are desperate for some summer sun. We are without doubt one of the best European destinations for holidays for UK travellers, so let’s look forward to a busy couple of months. But we must not forget all the sacrifices it took to get here and provide a safe destination for all that are travelling. 

I am also really pleased to announce that after 618 days since we last opened the doors, Pirates is re-opening next week. Our last show was Halloween on October 31st 2019 and like most businesses here we haven’t had the opportunity to open since. Having worked for the company since 1994 it has been without doubt the most difficult time I can remember. The islands most popular shows are returning bigger and better than before. Between Pirates Adventure, Reloaded and Gringos there’s something for everyone and we look forward to you all coming back to see us. I’ll give you a further update next week.

Take care everyone and enjoy your Weekend! 

Richie presents the Radio One Mallorca Breakfast show Monday to Friday 07.30-11.00am on 93.8fm in Mallorca and 102fm in Calvià, online at www.radioonemallorca.com on mobile through their free App for IPhone & Android, The Tunein Radio App, iTunes, the Spanish TDT TV service and all smart speakers. If you can’t hear him on the radio then you’ll find him working at Pirates Adventure the islands number one night out and every now and again he may make an understudy appearance! 

Follow him on Twitter @DadTaxi1 & Instagram @dad.taxi or feel free to email him at rprior@globobalear.com 

Last week I did an interview on the radio that to me was truly inspiring. 

I had already heard the story off air and I knew it was something I had to bring to air for all the listeners and into print for all you readers. 

Mark Harry Redknap may not be a name familiar to many of you out there. Any relation to Harry himself? You may ask, well firstly it was a nickname he was given in the forces and apparently there is some sort of a distant family link. But secondly and more importantly, if I then said Lance Corporal Mark “Harry” Redknap 24540592 (a number that he can still reel off by heart) of the Royal Hussars (Prince of Wales Own) then hopefully your interest in the name should start. He was part of a recce troop which dealt in reconnaissance. Basically as the name indicates, a Recce Troop’s role is to carry out reconnaisance for its parent Commando. This task may involve operating behind enemy lines in order to gather intelligence on enemy forces and preparing the way for the main force.

Mark spent 10 very happy years in the army from 1980 to 1990 and travelled to many different locations around the World. However a posting to Belize in 1990 would have meant him spending 12 months apart from his then 6 month old son, so he left for that reason.

Mark carried on doing various bouts of security for the army and he first arrived in Mallorca in 1995 to work for Sunseeker but only stayed for 6 months. After that more years of security for the army ensued, when in 2007 he decided to return to Mallorca. 

He then started a business called Marine Shine Polishing which he still has to this day. 

From the age of 10 Mark discovered he had a liking for art and everything he’s done since has been self taught. He used to watch a Neighbour of his who was a painter and he was fascinated by him. 

Art in fact was his only O level in school where he got a B which he says should have been an A! 

In January this year he took a call from a friend in the Ministry of Defence who asked him did he still paint and would he be interested in doing a painting of a fallen SAS soldier for his family? He said of course he would and there would be no charge. Since then he started a Facebook page called “Who Paints Wins”, which has significantly raised the profile of the work he is doing. 

All the portraits he does of course are special, particularly to the families but there are two that standout in particular. Two weeks ago Mark was asked by Lyn Rigby to paint a portrait of her Son Lee Rigby. 

For those of you not familiar with this story. On the afternoon of 22nd May 2013, Fusilier Lee Rigby of the Royal Regiment of Fusiliers, was attacked and killed by Michael Adebolajo and Michael Adebowale near the Royal Artillery Barracks in Woolwich, southeast London. Rigby was off duty and walking along Wellington Street when he was attacked and killed. It was an act of terrorism that shocked the Nation. 

The Prime Minister of the time, David Cameron said, ‘We must redouble our efforts to confront the poisonous narrative of extremism that lay behind the murder of Fusilier Lee Rigby.’ 

Mark is honoured to be asked to paint his portrait and he hopes to be able to present it at the Remembrance Sunday Service in London in November. 

Lance Corporal Liam Tasker was deployed to Afghanistan on the 8th  September 2010 as part of the 1st Military Working Dog Regiment. Having trained as an Arms and Explosives Search dog handler, he was attached to the 1st Battalion Irish Guards on 19th February 2011.

On 1st March 2011, Lance Corporal Tasker was taking part in a patrol with his dog, Theo, when they were engaged by small arms fire, during which Lance Corporal Tasker was struck and died from the injuries he sustained. Sadly, on returning to Camp Bastion, his dog Theo suffered a seizure and died.

Lieutenant Colonel David Thorpe, Commanding Officer, 1st Military Working Dog Regiment, said:

‘It is a challenge to put into words what Lance Corporal Liam Tasker meant to those he worked with. To his friends he was a mate who could put a smile on your face; he was that man who you wanted around and who you wanted to spend time with.

To the 1st Military Working Dog Regiment he was a strong, reliable soldier and an expert ‘Dog Man’. He genuinely loved the dogs he worked with and was always able to get the best out of them. He was one of the highly qualified dog trainers in Afghanistan and had spent time at our training establishment making sure that the new soldiers coming out of training had the best possible skills and experience imparted into them.

Epitomising the hardworking, determined and ambitious nature of our very best soldiers, he wanted to go to Afghanistan. He wanted to ply his trade in the harshest of environments, to be outside of his comfort zone, and he wanted to be successful. He was. The work he did in his five months in Afghanistan saved countless lives, of that I have no doubt. He flew the Royal Army Veterinary Corps’ flag high; he led from the front and made us proud.

Lance Corporal Tasker wanted to go far in the Army and he had all of the attributes needed to be a career soldier, with capacity to spare. His ability to command whilst maintaining his sense of humour had already marked him out as one to watch. His loss has hurt every single one of us today. He will be missed. He will not be forgotten.

My thoughts and condolences and those of the whole regiment go out to his family and friends.’

It is a heartbreaking story and Mark has been asked to paint a portrait of Lance Corporal Liam Tasker and his beloved dog Theo. 

Many years on from when these troubles in Iraq and Afghanistan first started soldiers are still being killed which means a hobby that Mark started as a child could now be turned into a full time job. His paintings are offering huge comfort to the families of these fallen soldiers. Each portrait is lovingly painted free of charge and he includes postage and packing. To date he has completed 7 of which 6 have been delivered. He is currently working on 5 more with another 14 requested. He only gets time to paint in his spare time when he’s not working on his Marine Polishing Business, which means each portrait takes a lot longer than it normally would. Moving forward Mark would love to spend more time on painting and now he’s looking at different ways of being able to do that. 

He is looking for sponsorships or donations to help him give up his business to concentrate fully on his painting. Straight after our radio Interview, one of the listeners pledged 500€.

You too can make a donation via his website which is  https://www.patreon.com/WHOPAINTSWINS_2021 

I have asked the British Consul General to see if there are any possibilities of Government help moving forward. If any of you out there have any further ideas of help for Mark, they would be gratefully received. You can send them to me or directly to Mark on (0034) 666 610 014.

I’m sure like me you agree this is an inspiring story and one that needs to continue to offer comfort to families of people that have fought and given their lives for our right to freedom. 

Take care everyone and enjoy your Weekend! 

Richie presents the Radio One Mallorca Breakfast show Monday to Friday 07.30-11.00am on 93.8fm in Mallorca and 102fm in Calvià, online at www.radioonemallorca.com on mobile through their free App for IPhone & Android, The Tunein Radio App, iTunes, the Spanish TDT TV service and all smart speakers. If you can’t hear him on the radio then you’ll find him working at Pirates Adventure the islands number one night out and every now and again he may make an understudy appearance! 

Follow him on Twitter @DadTaxi1 & Instagram @dad.taxi or feel free to email him at rprior@globobalear.com 

Every year when we embark on organising the Radiothon we always have in mind, can we beat last years total? It is always our intention to of course, but that doesn’t make it any easier. Especially since last year was a record amount and although it was during the pandemic it was at the early stages meaning that people still did have money. So how was it going to go this year with some having been furloughed or out of work for over 18 months?

I’ve been lucky enough to be involved in fundraising here on the island for most of the time I’ve been here. Including big events like the Pirates Charity Premiere or the Pinmar Golf Tournament to small local charity events too. The one thing i know about this island and the people that live here is that they always dig deep when Charity calls. With the Radiothon it’s not just the people that live here it takes in people from all around the World who are also just as generous. Last years total of 30,948.32€ was a record since we started the Radiothon and we thought we had maybe reached a peak. Well as I’ve said before the generosity of people holds no bounds and this years figure of 33,217.02€ is utterly amazing. We can’t thank everybody that helped us enough. That means that each of our Charities will receive 6,643.40€ each and when I contacted them this week this was the reaction. 

Dino Zamora Jaume is one of the volunteers for SOS Calvia said. 

“On behalf of SOS Calviá, we can not thank you enough .

We are all volunteers formed around our founder Manuel Mas. SOS Calviá started with just a few volunteers , Up to last month we were 35/40 volunteers and have helping Up to 135 families ( aprox. 400 people ) distributing and delivering food and clothes parcels over two days EVERY WEEK !!. Thankfully with the season starting ( albeit slow ) a lot of people have been able to return to work, all that said we do still look after 70/80 families on a weekly basis so we obviously still need to do our food collections at Eroski Supermarket all over the Calviá region. Unfortunately the “fight” is not over and the huge amount raised by you at Radio One Mallorca Will boost our “Kitty” that we have with Highland Gold Who supply us endlessly with non – perishable goods and Frutas Vilchez Who supply us with fresh veg and eggs on a weekly basis.

Unfortunately we believe this awful situation we have all been through is not over and although the Summer season has just started ( for SOME of US ) we have to be realistic and realise there is going to be another long winter ahead of us.

Once AGAIN…thank you Radio One Mallorca, its listeners and all those that donated.”

Loretta Oddi from the Santa Ponsa Food Bank said. 

“The Santa Ponsa Foodbank is grateful for the incredible support Radio One Mallorca continues to offer and has done since the beginning!

We plan on continuing to help our community in the Santa Ponsa area by providing food, both dry goods and fresh produce, on a weekly basis, as well as assistance in accessing all the help and resources to which families in need are entitled.

We plan to do so for as long as it takes to ensure we’re over the devastating effects of the pandemic.

We are also open to other opportunities to be involved in the well being of people around us, and we will see how things develop. Thank you!”

Nick Entwistle from Yachting Gives back said. 

“Just wanted to say congratulations to you all on another monumental effort and huge thanks for so kindly including us again as one of the beneficiaries of the magnificent sum you raised. All of us at Yachting Gives Back are absolutely delighted with the outcome.

Although the partial reopening of the tourism sector means that some people are beginning to get back to work, and therefore need less help from the food banks, there are still far too many people who are struggling. Thanks to the kindness of all your listeners and sponsors we will be able to keep helping those most in need by continuing to spend your funds on filling in the gaps where needed as we did with your great Christmas donation.”

Many thanks and best wishes from us all,

Nick, Paddy, Louise, Anna, Aila and David.

I had a meeting on Wednesday at Son Espases with Maria Hernandez-Coronado the Sub Director of Medical Services and Margarita Company Bauzá the Supervisor of Pediatric Physiotherapy. We are helping them redevelop their rehabilitation rooms on the pediatric ward. When I mentioned the total they were blown away and said “What great news, Thank you very much for all the hard work you did!” 

Laura Savory, Deputy Director of Community Fundraising at Great Ormond Street Hospital Children’s Charity said,.

“We are incredibly grateful to Richie and all the team at Radio Mallorca involved in the Radiothon. What an amazing achievement to broadcast for such a long time, all whilst raising money for Great Ormond Street Hospital Children’s Charity. On behalf of the charity, I would like to thank everybody who already has and to those who will donate. Your support will make a huge difference to seriously ill children who are treated at Great Ormond Street Hospital, including funding pioneering research into finding kinder, more effective treatments for the rarest and most complex conditions that affect children in the UK and across the world.”

Thanks again Richie, I’m still in awe!

Laura

Can I just add my own thanks firstly to the team at Radio One Mallorca who were amazing and secondly to everyone out there, we can’t do these things without your help and with the comments you’ve seen above the charities are blown away. 

Take care everyone and enjoy your Weekend! 

Richie presents the Radio One Mallorca Breakfast show Monday to Friday 07.30-11.00am on 93.8fm in Mallorca and 102fm in Calvià, online at www.radioonemallorca.com on mobile through their free App for IPhone & Android, The Tunein Radio App, iTunes, the Spanish TDT TV service and all smart speakers. If you can’t hear him on the radio then you’ll find him working at Pirates Adventure the islands number one night out and every now and again he may make an understudy appearance! 

Follow him on Twitter @DadTaxi1 & Instagram @dad.taxi or feel free to email him at rprior@globobalear.com