Will’s World: Football, farming and the footsteps of Flindt
© Richard Stanton As an avid sports fan, I often wonder what David Moyes thought when he got the call offering him the Manchester United manager’s job when Sir Alex Ferguson retired.
On the one hand, he must have felt that taking over from one of the most celebrated and famous managers in history was far too good an opportunity to turn down.
On the other, he surely worried that it was a poisoned chalice, and that his predecessors shadow would loom over him no matter how successful he eventually became.
See also: Flindt on Friday: Duncombinin – the new name game at Manor Farm
About the author
You can see where I’m going with this. Following such a hugely popular figure as Charlie Flindt was always going to be difficult, given his phenomenal contribution over the past five years, and I had to think very carefully if I wanted to step into his Hampshire clay-encrusted size 12s.
It isn’t just that he’s a highly talented and prolific writer who never seemed to run short of interesting things to say, it was the highly relatable way in which he said those things that resonated with so many readers.
I admit that I sometimes disagreed with his opinions, but he always made me laugh with his razor-sharp wit and wry observational humour.
That’s an important and much-needed thing for an industry and community that has its fair share of difficult times.
Dad jokes
Putting smiles on people’s faces is something that Charlie did naturally and easily. I know several FW readers who started at the back page first, and (slightly irritatingly) that includes my own family members.
I remember a Friday morning when I hadn’t been one of the opinion piece writers for long when my dad came striding across the yard with a beaming smile on his face and clutching a copy of FW.
“Blimey”, I thought, “the old man must have enjoyed my piece, maybe he’s going to say something complimentary!”
“Have you read Charlie Flindt’s page yet?”, he said, “it’s absolutely brilliant!”
That’s dads for you isn’t it? But it does illustrate the point – people looked forward to reading his musings all week, and they were never disappointed.
Like other FW readers, I was shocked when I read Charlie’s column explaining his reasons for stepping back, and it’s left me feeling both sad for him and his family, and unsettled for us all as farmers.
We’ve always been susceptible to the vagaries of policy, but it does feel like huge changes are coming that will affect our way of life in a way that perhaps we haven’t fully grasped yet.
Tree-wise zen
I know we need to urgently plant more trees in the UK for important reasons, and if all parties concerned agree, that can be a good thing.
But large landowners preferring “nature recovery” over tenanted farmland just doesn’t feel right.
Despite this, and happily for us all, Charlie isn’t finished yet and will be appearing in the Opinion pages from which I’ve recently been promoted.
Much like Sir Alex Ferguson, who can still be seen high in the stands at Old Trafford during every match, I’m sure he’ll be keeping an eye on me to see that I keep things moving in the right direction over here.
And who knows? If I can keep the players and fans on-side and gain a few wins along the way, then maybe I’ll last longer in the job than the 10 months that poor old David Moyes managed before he was unceremoniously sacked.
Though he did leave with a multimillion pound payout. Just saying FW, just saying..