542. Starmer Loses His Defence Secretary: What Next?
11 June 2026
Fight with Tom from The Wanted not quite as dramatic as it might seem
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Post
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5 June 2011
You can be fairly sure that if The Mail put me as a lead story online, it won't be because they want me to appear all warm and cuddly.
As my daughter has just told me, a 54-year-old former spin doctor getting into a bit of a scrap with a boy band singer, especially one from a band as popular as The Wanted, is not exactly the most grown-up behaviour.
However, first of all let us not overstate the nature of the scrap. Tom was playing for The Wanted, and I was playing for Burnley fans, in a Soccer Six tournament at Turf Moor, Burnley. We were one nil up. It was a competitive match. Tom had tackled me hard a couple of times, and I had tackled him a couple of times, including one that was a bit clumsy and mistimed.
The actual skirmish, which the Mail is gleefully covering if twitter is anything to go by, was not as bad as it looks, and in the pictures where I appear to be angriest I am actually shouting at my son, who had stormed in amid the pushing and shoving between me and Tom. It was the kind of thing people see on football pitches all the time, resolved by team-mates without the referee even having to resort to giving a free kick. The Wanted team were perfectly friendly at the end, though they had lost.
What The Mail has managed to do in that lovely way it has is link this skirmish with a later incident when Tom was carried off on a stretcher. I would just like to point out that this happened in a subsequent match, in which I was not involved.
So to those fans of The Wanted protesting on twitter that I broke his leg - I didn't, and I was also pleased to learn as we left the stadium that the injury was not as serious as first thought, so nobody did.
We finally went out in the quarter finals to a team from Hollyoaks, though I was given a Star Player award - so I can't have been that bad, or that dirty. free kicks conceded - nil.
Thanks to Soccer Six for organising it, thanks to Burnley for asking me to play, and don't believe everything you read in the Mail.
That article had about six errors in 15 sentences. Is the Mail now so pisspoor that even the subs won’t read it?
Michael Taggart
http://michael-taggart.com
Er “…don’t believe everything you read in the Mail”… surely “don’t believe *anything* you read in the Mail”?
The Mail.Truth.Lies.Football boots on.
“don’t believe everything you read in the Mail”? Shouldn’t that be “don’t believe anything you read in the Mail” or, better still “don’t read the Mail”?
Grin! i think even the spin master may have been out spun for once this time! A different hacking headline for once! Still, good to see you have not lost that competitive edge AC
Forgive me for pointing out an error in your last sentence, which should have read “don’t believe *anything* you read in the Mail”.
‘An sáol le líosta dubh’
Tom isn’t really helping with “A fight with Alastair Campbell(yes the MP) and a twisted knee..again! Paiiin!”.
Ignoring the MP part, he makes it sound like you directly caused his twisted knee. Also, “fight”.
*Don’t believe anything/everything Alistair Campbell says either if his history is anything to go by….
You should have decked the little shit.
Don’t worry about it AC! It’s good to know you are still fiery.
All this pc ever so polite behaviour is no good for anyone in the long term.
As for the Daily (Liar) Mail not many people that visit this blog site give a toss
what that newspaper says about anything.
It reminds me of when John Prescott hit that guy that threw an egg at him.
The media tried to portray JP as the one in the wrong. But the large majority
of ordinary people were hugely supportive of JP’s action, saying they would
have shown the same reaction themselves.
I was just about to post exactly the same comment.
But I am sure that next week we will find out from the Daily Fail that reading Alastair’s blog regularly will give you cancer, that millions of welfare claimants are on here instead of working, and that he caused the global financial crash.
I am doing everything I can to avoid my planning for the start of term, thus have just amused myself by checking the pictures on the Mail website.
Now either I am getting old, or “Tom FromThe Wanted” is about 12. He clearly needs to man up.
The real thing you should be worried about more than the headline Alastair is the size of your gut! I’m surprised you can run around at all with that slowing you down!
You been on too many free lunches by the look of it….
It’s quite funny really, especially like the comment ‘looking somehwat past his athletic best’. I wonder how many journalists could play in a competetitive five a side tournament at 54.
Talking about misdirected arguments, today’s Guardian story telling us how badly the LD’s will do when the boundaries change and how many Tory MP’s will be upset too is completely missing the point.
The big and utterly unfair change is hidden by the clouds of smoke about MP’s self interest.
The Tory proposal to link seat size to the numbers of electors and not the numbers of people living in the constituency (per the census) will lead to under-representation of the areas with many who for one reason or another are not on the electoral roll – those with transient populations and those with higher levels of social deprivation.
The first step back to before 1832.
Oh dear, conduct unbecoming ….
As you seem to slag off Paul Dacre all the time, I suspect things like this will continue.
Your contribution on the Nicky Campbell “Big Questions” debate yesterday was excellent.
My only question is why the PPC was not reformed under a Labour Government? Was it because the Press spent 10 years + scratching your collective backs?
Three points AC, cant you make your publishers get your diaries in format that is easy to read on the bus! Hardback but not so cumbersome to carry on public transport! As to your football at least your not spinning for Ed Miliband, yes lets recall your post on AV. What is more tragic, read in the Times you gave ten grand to Labour, what are you thinking, good political diaries can be a great pension, not to benefit “ Red ” Ed “ Brutus” Miliband. Third point, Ed Balls what is he thinking, so now IMF is wrong, TB was right about him. He has gone like his ex master, who was that, yes Gordon Brown, he reading his own press statements and think they are real.
Some wendyballers should try playing some proppah rugger.
Jeez, handbags at dawn or what! Grow some Alastair et al!
I used to play footie as a gentleman, bit like the great John Charles – he was never booked you know.
Link, (5 days left to watch, as of now!)
http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/b00yf4s8/Welsh_Greats_Series_4_John_Charles/
I think you have to accept that there are some that need the Wail and swallow it whole, my grandparents used to (lovely people despite that).
You shouldn’t be so defensive i.r.o. them imhoo.
I was touched by the pic of your son coming over all protective, that speaks more volumes about you.
I’m so tender-hearted 😉 I can even manage a smidegen of sympathy for the Wail hack, what a life?
Leeds United have always appealed to me as a team different in England – anyone remember Albert Johahansen from South Africa in the sixties? Black as the ace of spades he was. That is Leeds United for you, and not forgetting Paul Reaney the great, who had a bit of a sun tan, and a bit of tight curly hair too.
Leeds then were quite romatic in their foibles then, and attracted supporters like me. But Swans back at the top table for a second time will do for the time being for me.
Oops, forgot the link of appreciation for Albert Johansen,
http://leedssc.myfreeforum.org/viewcardtopic.php?t=154
Oops, forgot the link of appreciation for Albert Johansen,
http://leedssc.myfreeforum.org/viewcardtopic.php?t=154
this is a load of shit, you’ve obviously spun the story to make it look like you’re the good guy, but i guess that’s the only thing you people are good at. lying.
I’ve read, from The Wanted themselves, that you, Mr Campbell, after yours and Tom’s first argument was over you began hissing mocking insults into his ear to provoke a reaction from Tom. you also got someone from your team to fight with Tom for you because you don’t have the balls to do it yourself.to all you people who have commented on this blog licking Alistair’s arse, no he shouldn’t have decked Tom, he was the one who antagonised Tom so Alistair should have been fucking decked. Tom is actually 22 not 12 and is a damn site more talented and successful than your beloved Mr Campbell will ever be and how the fuck does Tom need to man up? he twisted his knee and is on crutches, it’s hardly a fucking cut is it?
and to finish this rant, i find it despicable that YOU being a politician behaved that way, seeing as it was a CHARITY EVENT and all you were doing was trying to start a fight with someone. grow the fuck up.
enjoy your boring life as an arrogant old man.
Finally,someone that posts here that actually talks sense.Hallelujah!
I have no respect for the comments of anyone who hides behind the
“Guest” label! That is cowardly conduct. You should be ashamed of yourself.
I now realise that talking sense means writing dreadfully and being generally dirty-mouthed and insulting. One problem – it persuades no-one of anything other than that the writer is in dire need of help.
Too right Dave. Pathetic or what?
Is this comment meant at me?.If it is I believe that I have never used any sort of any foul language.If you’re referring to the comment by ‘Guest’,if you take out the swear words I agree with the general point.You have to understand people are allowed to have a different point of view.I found a few weeks ago you’re statement that Michael Collins was a ‘hero’ to many deeply misinformed,but I did not berate you’re lack of grasp of Irish History.You should not say that someone is ‘in dire need of help’ whom you do not know.
How is using the moinker of ‘Guest’ cowardly.Is Gilliebc your real name?The person is more than likely a teenager and a fan of the boyband.
You are very much in need of a good dose of cop-on.