Only one place to be tonight

  • Post

  • 26 January 2010

  • Posted by Alastair Campbell

  • 9

Forgive me if I have only one thing on my mind today - no not that, nor even plugging Maya (out soon by the way and may I say the man from the Mirror, who gave my first novel a great write up, says he likes this one even more) so what with Time Out's Book of the Week, and 'steamy and intriguing' from the Mail on Scumday and that nice write up in Saturday's Times, Maya is shaping up nicely. I LOVE the cover. But no, not even the excitement of a novel about to be published, nor any political event, nor even the fact that Leukaemia Research yesterday rebranded and became, enfin, Leukaemia and Lymphoma Research (makes sense all round), nor even a family event, no, nothing can get away from the fact that Bolton v Burnley matters more than anything else in the world today. It's a big game anyway, two North West rivals in need of points to climb away from the relegation zone. But the departure of Owen Coyle from the manager's job at Burnley to the same berth at so-called 'bigger club' Bolton has added considerable spice to this fixture. Unlike Bolton, on whom I spied at Arsenal last week, Burnley always have a pretty good away support. And Bolton having generously allocated us 4,700 tickets, all went quickly and plenty of Burnley fans are still looking. Of course Coyle will always be remembered in part because he led us to the Premier League but his departure and the manner of it left a bitter taste in a lot of Burnley mouths, and he knows he will be on the receiving end of a lot of noise tonight. Hopefully the players will be up for it every bit as much as the fans and it promises to be a great night. So apologies in advance to the people I have meetings with this morning. I won't be concentrating. I just want to get on the road again and hope it is a better journey than the one I made at the weekend. I had been hoping to make a little vlog about the magic of the FA Cup. Didn't quite work out like that, as you can see.  

9 responses to “Only one place to be tonight”

  1. Good luck from a Charlton fan. Coyle had it all going for him at Burnley. The move has made a lot of football fans think a lot less of him. I worry for your club if you get nothing tonight

  2. Nice to see you driving so slowly. Never seen anyone get overtaken so often in one video clip. As for your hat!

  3. I always followed the Clarets but never thought I was a passionate fan, but when Coyle left and the manner of his leaving left me feeling betrayed. I found it very odd that actually I do care so much. We must perform well tonight to prove that the club can progress despite Coyle.

  4. I think football is very very boring.

    The Labour party should start a group for people like me.

    Might have more quite a lot of members.

  5. AC can’t believe you didn’t comment on Cameron’s meeting with the Unionists, unbelieveable, it shows what a lightweight he is.

  6. “She grabbed at my belt, helped me open my trousers…I raised my self up so that I could keep my mouth on hers but also touch her nipples once more, than I moved down to kiss them, and as I kissed and nippped and bit…I thought the walls were going to fall down as we stroked and screamed our way through hours of pleasure to the union for which my whole life had been a preparation”.

    This stuff is comedy gold. Congrats on finishing it, Al.

  7. Alastair, I’ve just read an excerpt from Maya on Guido Fawkes blog. I’m very impressed! If you practice hard, you may get a publishing deal with Mills & Boon!

  8. Nothing to do with the Clarets/Notlob or Maya but excellent news on the BBC local news last night. The shipyards at Cammell Lairds in Scouseland have received a £50M order to build the flight deck for HMS Queen Elizabeth.
    A great result for the workforce who’ve campaigned hard to keep shipbuilding on the Mersey and hopefully more manufacturing jobs in the real economy.

  9. Hi Alastair,

    Glad your books are doing well. I can’t get my new book (Road of Bones, Simon and Schuster) any review space at all. Would you help me and say something about it (I’ll send you a copy), even if you hate it ? Of course there’s no reason on earth that you should, except to help out a fellow (but struggling in my case) writer…..
    Anyway, all good wishes for show,

    Jeremy Poolman

Leave a Reply

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

201. How Westminster Breaks Politicians and Why Britain Isn’t Ready for War

Is Britain's military being left behind as drones and AI rewrite the rules of modern warfare? Is British politics broken beyond repair, and does Johnny Mercer's ruthless fight for veterans reveal what... Continue

10 August 2026

The Truth About Climate Migration – It’s More Complicated Than You Think

To hear the whole episode and catch up on the rest of the series, which includes a deep dive into food security, water scarcity and the suppressed national security report, sign up at therestispolitic... Continue

6 August 2026

560. Trump’s Hamas Disarmament ‘Deal’ and Europe’s FIFA Boycott

As Trump's Board of Peace unveils a plan to disarm Hamas, will the group now give up its weapons and what would this mean for Gaza's future? Amid an escalation of violence on the West Bank and with se... Continue

6 August 2026

559. Who Really Benefits from the Ceuta Migration Crisis?

Why did 50,000 people risk their lives in an attempt to cross the Morocco-Spain border? What do the pictures emerging from the enclave of Ceuta reveal about the bigger migration story? Why did right-w... Continue

5 August 2026

Alastair Campbell’s diary: Farage won’t appear on The Rest Is Politics.. it’s one of many signs he’s floundering

The old Farage would have jumped at being our guest. The new one is less confident... Continue

5 August 2026

200. Count Binface: Nigel Farage’s Biggest Threat?

Is Count Binface really Nigel Farage's biggest threat in Clacton, and has Farage already lost by turning "me against the establishment" into a battle against a bin? Does Binface's manifesto hide serio... Continue

3 August 2026

Data Centres vs. Drinking Water: What Matters To Us Most?

To hear the full episode, which includes an interview with global water expert, Sandra Postel, sign up at the therestispolitics.com With the government quietly categorising data centres as ‘critica... Continue

30 July 2026

558. The ‘Cockroach’ Uprising and Should We Stop Data Centres?

Is Modi's power finally cracking as the Cockroach Janta Party's mass protests force a minister to resign for the first time in over a decade? Does the new US-Saudi uranium deal risk triggering a fresh... Continue

30 July 2026