Of Burnley’s friendly and Obama’s wandering eye

  • Post

  • 11 July 2009

  • Posted by Alastair Campbell

  • 9

I know some of you think I am overly obsessed with football, and Burnley in particular. But I normally draw the line at travelling north for pre-season friendlies. I am only going to our first of the season, at Bradford City this afternoon, to get some final shots and interviews for the BBC programme I am making about our promotion and what it means to the town. One of the people I will be interviewing is David Burnley (name changed by deed poll) who has missed one game in almost forty years, and once so impressed the squad in turning up for a pre-season friendly in Majorca that they let him play. So be fair, I am not as obsessed as that. It'll be good to get a proper look at our new players, and to get a feel from the fans for their expectations of the season ahead. We will have the smallest squad by a long way, and the lowest wage bill, even if it has rocketed from Championship levels. I reckon the club with the next smallest wage bill will be spending double what Burnley do. I had a long chat with manager Owen Coyle yesterday, who seemed very confident we would do better than the bookies and the pundits are predicting. And the buzz around the town is still there, getting stronger as the season proper nears. I was also pleased to see a few Asian fans wearing the club colours. I interviewed one young man, Joni, who said he felt his generation felt a greater sense of belonging to the club as part of their lives than maybe his parents' generation. A brief word on the Barack Obama 'ass man' picture. If you've read my diaries, you'll know there were times when both TB and I would find ourselves challenged by feminine beauty in the kind of way that have women rolling their eyes and telling you to grow up. I also recall a Nato summit in Madrid when Bill Clinton joined us in being distracted by a host of spectacularly pretty and well-dressed hostesses. So Obama would appear to be following a well-worn Presidential path. But hold on -- I think he was looking at something on the floor beyond the young woman's posterior. Sarkozy's eyes are the ones to watch.

9 responses to “Of Burnley’s friendly and Obama’s wandering eye”

  1. I don’t think he was looking at her a$$ either and I’m not one to go easy on lecherous politicians.

    I liked the line on one news website “Barack has been spending too much time with Silvio”. Tee hee.

  2. If I remember rightly you seemed close to fainting in Madrid, and when you met Diana for dinner. Women may as you say like to say you are being pathetic, but they know there is nothing wrong in a man being attracted to a lovely looking woman. it works both ways — which is why I come on here!! Darling

  3. Is the football season getting longer and longer? It seems yesterday you were going on about promotion and you’re already at a match. We’ve not even finished the first Test in the Ashes yet. Whatever happened to cricket in summer, football in winter?

  4. Obama and Sarko both ended up with very good looking women, so why should we think they do not appreciate good looking women?

  5. I agree with Em on Obama’s so called a$$ gaze. He just doesn’t seem to be the type.

    Re David Burnley, perhaps Mark Bennett should repost that video when David was arguing over his record with another Burnley fan. It is hilarious!!

  6. Did you spot the irony in the team you were playing being in the same position as Burnley exactly a decade ago? Although I am pleased that my team, the Bantams, were able to win, I honestly wish Burnley every success in the coming campaign. I certainly hope they stay in the top flight for a number of seasons. Who knows, in another decade today’s match could be a local derby, in the Premier League itself.

  7. If Obama and Sarkozy were not aware of beauty in all her asspects, that would be the time to be worried…

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

542. Starmer Loses His Defence Secretary: What Next?

What does John Healey's shock resignation mean for Keir Starmer, whose position is already on the line ahead of Andy Burnham's crunch by-election in Makerfield? Who might replace Healey in one of the ... Continue

11 June 2026

541. Trump’s World Cup Mess and Kushner’s Albania Deal

As the Trump administration blocks a referee from entering the US, is this the most political world cup of all time, and just how messy will it get? Can the Democrats flip the Senate, and would it act... Continue

11 June 2026

540. The Untold Iran Crisis, Henry Nowak, and Farage’s Politics of Rage

As Trump’s Iran disaster continues, are we facing a full-blown energy and economic crisis in the UK and beyond? Why are politicians refusing to be honest about the real cost of the Iran crisis? What... Continue

10 June 2026

Alastair Campbell’s diary: My journey to see what makes the Finns so happy

The Nordic nation has been named the ‘happiest country in the world’ for the last eight years. Why?... Continue

10 June 2026

192. Are We On The Brink Of World War III? (Odd Arne Westad)

How similar is today's world to the months before the outbreak of World War I? Could Taiwan, India-China tensions, or an unforeseen crisis be the spark that sets the world ablaze? Are our leaders too ... Continue

8 June 2026

539. Embezzlement, the Mandelson Texts, and Hasan Piker’s UK Ban

What does the SNP embezzlement case reveal about how scandal-ridden British politics is? Is the banning of prominent left-wing American commentators Hasan Piker and Cenk Uygur a sensible decision or a... Continue

4 June 2026

538. The Pope’s AI Warning and Alastair Reacts to Blair’s Attack

Is Pope Leo’s encyclical the most important contribution to the AI debate so far, and is he doing more to hold Silicon Valley to account than any Western government? What did Alastair say to Tony Bl... Continue

3 June 2026

Alastair Campbell’s diary: My airport row with a Trump supporter

It started badly – and when he said the UK was unreliable, I lost it... Continue

3 June 2026