"All little sisters like to try on big sisters' clothes" opined Elvis Costello on his much-unappreciated Imperial Bedroom album. Well, sometimes it's brothers who do the same and I have to live with the fact that Stanley (named after the family team's greatest son, Sir Stanley Matthews) is wearing his brother's old shirt, making our family look decidedly biased towards a certain North London local side.
He likes the shirt. So, what's a Stoke fan supposed to do? Down's bro decided long ago never to walk in anyone's shadow, especially his entire family's football team. And I'm proud that he's stuck to his guns (geddit) under tremendous pressure. It could have been a lot worse; if it had been Man United he'd be living in the shed.
The same goes for Stan though. Imagine; putting a little disabled boy in the shed. Luckily, I didn't have to.
I've spoken before about how football has bound us as a family. I recently was lucky enough to take Down's bro to the cup final. It was fantastic to give him the chance to see his team win. And I've spoken about how that goal by James O'Connor played its part in saving Stan's life. And how Stoke's losing appearance at the Cup Final in 2011 was a good day for our family.
I usually hope to blog with a decisive message; something we can all learn from. This entry, however, is really just an excuse to say that we're very excited about the World Cup. That includes Stan, when we persuade him; I wonder if he'll fit in that old England shirt?.....
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