Showing Our Colours

'Subbuteo Footballer #2'

oil on canvas/40cm x 30cm/May 2018

Another in the current series of the still life paintings of miniature model football players, in this instance the object of active contemplation being a later-generation so-called 'lightweight' Subbuteo figure, dating from the late 1980s, recently acquired as a member of one of the two teams contained within a boxed edition of the game, discovered in a local antiques emporium at what was considered to be an affordable price.
As differing from the previous painting - that being a direct transcript of the observed subject - this one takes a certain artistic licence in that the colours sported by the figure have been invented in the hand-painted 'customised' manner of one's youth, and in fact are intended to represent those of Atlético Madrid, one of TOoT's favourite European clubs. As it so happened, the painted was resolved early on Wednesday evening, soon before the kick-off of that night's UEFA Europa League Final, subsequently won by Atlético by a 3 - 0 margin over Olympique Marseille, thus serving as something of a personal tribute to the victorious team.

World Cup '74 Portrait #175 (Ramon Heredia: Argentina)

graphite & putty eraser, with watercolour pencil/30x21cm

Today’s subject is an image of Ramon Heredia, ‘re-mediated’ from the original source sticker as featured in the FKS ‘Wonderful World of Soccer Stars World Cup 1974’ album, & who was selected as a member of the official Argentina squad for the Finals, where he played in each of his country’s six matches, scoring a goal in the first, a 2 – 3 defeat to Poland.

By another of those curious, random coincidences, shortly prior to the World Cup, Heredia had played in the European Cup Final of 1974, & its unique replay, for his club, Atlético Madrid, as had our immediately previous subject, Conny Torstensson, for their opponents.

A drawing processed from the same source image-object featured in an earlier incarnation of the 1974 World Cup project, here.

Alles Les Verts, etc.

Palpable excitement building through this afternoon & into the evening at TOoT Towers as the group stages of the Europa League kick-off, with section F featuring three of the more romantic & our very favourite continental names in the form of Saint-Etienne, Internazionale & the former Dnepr Dnepropetrovsk (preferring to remain true to the Soviet Russian styling, of course), who, in any sane world, would constitute three of any season’s Champions’ League semi-finalists (with Atlético Madrid completing the line-up), let alone this particular tournament’s, impossible now though the latter is  – what a shame that, through the vagaries of the draw, one of these fine clubs must be eliminated from European competition even before the end of the year: may the best teams win & the deserving pair subsequently prevail.

(mention should also be made, perhaps, of the other rather interesting name completing Group F, Qarabag of Azerbaijan)

World Cup '74 Portrait #153 (Carlos Caszely: Chile)

graphite & putty eraser, with watercolour pencil/30x21cm

Today we represent the generously-moustachioed Carlos Caszély, a photo sticker of whom was featured in both the FKS & Panini World Cup 1974 collectors’ albums (the former providing the original source image for our subsequent ‘re-mediation’ in this instance) & who was selected as a member of the Chile squad for the tournament, at which he played twice, in the first match against the hosts West Germany, during which he was sent off (becoming the first player to be physically shown a red card in the process), & what proved to be the Chileans’ last, the goalless draw with Australia that resulted in both teams being eliminated at the conclusion of the First Round.

Research reveals that Caszély had further interesting history with the World Cup, featuring when Chile qualified for the Finals again in 1982 in Spain, missing a crucial penalty in a 0 – 1 defeat to Austria, again being absent from the Chileans’ second match (coincidentally against his earlier nemesis West Germany) & then being substituted whilst Chile were 0 – 3 in arrears to Algeria in their final fixture with his replacement scoring the second of Chile's comeback goals in an eventual 2 – 3 defeat.

At the time of the ’74 World Cup, & although he played the majority of his career for Colo Colo, in two spells, in Chile, Caszely had spent the preceding season in Spain, playing for Levante, going on afterwards to Espanyol for a further four years, & tonight our thoughts turn to Spain & indisputably the most delightful result of the weekend (even considering Wrexham’s late comeback triumph over Welling), Atlético’s wonderful 2- 1 victory in the Madrid derby – happy days indeed.

World Cup '74 Portrait #56 (Mario Leandré: Haiti)

 

 

 

graphite & putty eraser, with watercolour pencil/30x21cm

 

The latest subject to emerge from the  drawing project (a double meaning here, referring to both the randomly-choosing from a tin of images as well as the obvious evidence of the subsequent physical activity) proved to be & indeed is ‘Mario’ Leandré, as the FKS ‘Wonderful World of Soccer Stars World Cup 1974’ collectors’ stamp album features him, although official records state his full forename(s) as being Joseph-Marion, who was among those selected for the official Haiti squad for the tournament &, coincidentally along with his brother Fritz, appeared as a substitute in the Haitians’ third & final match, a 1 – 4 defeat to Argentina that, at least in terms of scoreline, was a marginal improvement on the preceding 0 – 7 loss to Poland.

However, today of any is a day to never mind the drawing – the mighty Atlético Madrid have this evening become the champions of La Liga, their typically hard-earned 1 – 1 draw in the effective play-off at Barcelona finally, gloriously, having enabled them to do so. Congratulations & celebrations are well in order: we’re wearing our shirt (the short-sleeved ‘centenary’ one) in honour.



Shirt(s) of the Day #3 & 4 (Atlético Madrid)

Today presenting two versions of the famous red & white striped shirt of Atlético Madrid, the first a 1960s-vintage number acquired from TOFFS, & the second from more recent times, celebrating the club's 2011 centenary, with a little added blue piping to the stripes.

Badge of the Day #73 (Vojvodina Novi Sad)

Today’s example represents the fine & exotic name of Vojvodina Novi Sad (in the glory of its native Serbian Cyrillic) in the form of what appears to be a desirable object of Yugoslav-era vintage, during which time the name would have come to attention & lingered romantically since as amongst those to be regarded with affection from that (former) part of Europe – not necessarily in quite the same league as perennial favourites Red Star Belgrade & Hajduk Split, perhaps, but still ‘The Vodge’ (& being aware that it really is pronounced ‘Voy-’) are one of those teams we hope to see at the business end of their league/cup, hopefully successfully enough to qualify to make a foray into the continental competitions, resplendent in the red & white halved shirts that only add to their allure.

On the subject of which, if history were able to be rewritten, Vojvodina might well have contested the 1967 European Cup Final, in an attractively-named & -kitted match-up with Internazionale, had they not lost, alas, to a very late Glasgow Celtic goal at the quarter final stage, although, then again, in an ideal world, it’s perhaps doubtful they would have overcome Atlético Madrid after a replay in the previous round: whatever, Vojvodina’s is a name that surely should have graced a European club final or two.

This Vojvodina badge is in fact but one of a batch of eight newly-acquired from Kruševac in Serbia, arriving as they did in some style, as might be appreciated from this photograph of the beautiful envelope containing the objects: look at those wonderful stamps, for instance.

Badge of the Day #52 (Stalybridge Celtic)

Today’s badge from the collection features another ornate crest in the form of that representing Stalybridge Celtic, very near neighbours of recently-featured Mossley (matches between whom constitute the great ‘Manchester’ derby) & another of the truly wonderful, romantic, ‘redolent’ names of non-League football, which they have been throughout almost their entire history although they did choose to grace the Football League for two seasons in the early 1920s before taking the massively mistaken decision to resign their place.
Whatever, & at whichever level of the pyramid the club might be playing, the name Stalybridge Celtic resonates & bestrides the football globe, at least as considered from the vantage point of TOoT, as this neat little piece of physical contextualization juxtaposes their badge beside those of Ferencváros & Atlético Madrid, comfortably existing on the same plane & within the same orbit of favoured teams.

In terms of current fortunes, this season the ‘Bridge are bobbing along in the lower half of the Conference North table, which could be better, & today saw the team go down, disappointingly, to a 2 – 3 defeat at home to Colwyn Bay, although that might be considered something of an improvement on Boxing Day’s archetypal ‘too much Christmas pudding’ 0 – 5 tonking at Altrincham: let’s hope for a happier new year…

Badge of the Day #21 (Atlético Madrid)

Today’s exhibit from the football club badge collection features that object displaying the crest of Atlético Madrid, the original attraction to whom probably had a great deal to do with their kit of red & white striped shirts with blue shorts constituting one of THE great footy colour combinations: if it hadn’t registered before, perhaps pictured in Shoot!, the sight of this strip being sported by the team on a Panini Euro Football 1976-77 sticker must surely have clinched the deal & inspired a devotion to the cause of underdogs to the traditional Big Two of Spanish soccer that has endured to this day.

Following the club’s fortunes since has been the very epitome of a roller-coaster ride, the occasional peak of success being balanced by plenty of troughs & chaos, but recent years have seen a something of a golden period, with Atléti winning the Europa League in both 2010 & 2012, beating Internazionale in the European Super Cup play-off in 2010 (a classic win-win situation in terms of favourite continental teams) & triumphing in the Spanish Cup last season, gloriously overcoming their Madrid rivals in the final.
This season to date has continued in similar vein, with an unbeaten run in the Champions’ League & a storming start to the La Liga campaign (including another win the Madrid derby), with Saturday’s 2 – 0 victory at Elche allowing the team to draw level with Barcelona at the top of the table courtesy of the latter’s subsequent defeat to Bilbao, which is all rather exciting.