Dial M for Merthyr

Wales first World Cup since 1958 was not to be missed, well not for 4 of us intrepid travellers.  Sods law that the competition we did qualify for was probably the most controversial World Cup ever.  The Human rights situation in Qatar is well documented, and the hosts mount an immediate defence of their country and culture whenever it is raised. In my own mind I did think about it, but I took the easy way out.  My attitude was it was not my fault that corrupt FIFA officials chose Qatar.  And that’s not me being slanderous or provocative.   A number of FIFA officials who voted at the time have since been suspended, and 2 officials on the morning of the vote had to pull out due to concerns around their integrity.     So off we went with Wonky Dai.  4 of us had an apartment with a shared pool, which worked out a treat for us.  We were warned beforehand that Qatarians have a very laid-back attitude and are never rushed, and we saw that i...

This week we got involved in The Disturbed District's first Merthyr Town based podcast. If you want to hear the episode, hit the link below. https://open.spotify.com/episode/55d3Q7CYCkbIZxGB0PI3mG?si=6eDp0arLRSCDCJXTRf4z3g&fbclid=PAAaanSNNZuN2t2ORLlh0gtzdelhMdUTkLFo4A-rL7H_pg2SiI9RjYzzkXuGM&nd=1&utm_medium=organic&product=open&%24full_url=https%3A%2F%2Fopen.spotify.com%2Fepisode%2F55d3Q7CYCkbIZxGB0PI3mG%3Fsi%3D6eDp0arLRSCDCJXTRf4z3g%26fbclid%3DPAAaanSNNZuN2t2ORLlh0gtzdelhMdUTkLFo4A-rL7H_pg2SiI9RjYzzkXuGM&feature=organic&_branch_match_id=1217201714678451964&_branch_referrer=H4sIAAAAAAAAA9VO22qDMAD9mvRt6hLbsoEUp%2Bgc1nXaQtuXEk3ULKkJMYHNr58O9hGD83A4N05vjBqfXXdU0rD228FKOYIN3N0pLYltTCAVHVYA%2Bq0V4ma1CPqlAlAIYDJjsZ2%2FdiPvs0QVGyWhM1uvCfrYRpeI19n1K33xDhm6pwAlIwMo3tBYeVjnZRXF0dv5WLb%2BhDoAN23dCEbmxCEMMR6qorjaAhr4Xuai9zozESr6PTkdeZ5IP3zQ%2Bfb1pjpYseyp%2FLxMEz%2FbdP97GgtR44b%2Fq%2BPz0LCMPK5aio3VNJC6wwNrfgDw%2FQOzrQEAAA%3D%3D

“Badges, we don’t need no stinking badges!” is one of the best lines in the classic Mel Brooks movie Blazing Saddles but we all need badges, don’t we? Something personal that shows both who or what we support and what our values are to the outside world. I wore this Merthyr Tydfil AFC badge on the lapel of my Vaynor & Penderyn school blazer every day I was in that fine establishment of learning. I probably wore it firstly because the chance of getting any MTFC merchandise in that era was virtually nil. The club shop operated out of the tea hut at the end of the grandstand and it was never open in the seventies and when those wooden boards were ever open then every kid in the ground would flock there to buy anything available but it was always the same stuff – key-rings, rosettes and badges. So even a badge was a rarity and such a rare item could never be allowed to rest somewhere in a drawer to be lost in some clear out years later. It had to be shown off, it was a family heirloom ...