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| SUPPORTER SPOTLIGHT Simon Betterton  Our next Supporter Spotlight falls upon El Simon ’Brico’ Betterton, who tells us about writing film scripts, being messy but calm and having to ask directions to find the girly bars in Wan Chai! Tell us more about your background? I arrived in HK last August after living and working for 20 years in Madrid, Spain, but I’m English and have supported Liverpool since I was 5. I cried when we lost the 1971 Cup Final to Arsenal, and apparently asked my mum: “Why didn’t God let Liverpool win?” How did you come across the Official Liverpool Supporter’s Club? Well, arriving here knowing nobody I searched on Google and found the Hong Kong Reds within a minute! So I emailed Dave and headed down to Amici for my first game here. (LFC 1 West Brom 0) Where do you work? I teach English at a primary school in Chai Wan, HKUGA. Got any nicknames? ”Brico” which is, more or less, Spanish for DIY man. (I bought an old flat in Madrid and did it up myself.) Any Hobbies? I write. Short stories, film scripts, novels. Hoping someday to be the next Stephen King. Hiking, scuba-diving, skiing (when in Spain.) Anyone else in your family a red? My mum, because of me. Do you play for any football teams? And what position? I do play, though I’m more messy than Messi, on Sunday evenings with guys who work at the British Council, in Causeway Bay. I’d say supporting striker might be my best position. Your own strengths as a player? And weaknesses? Strengths: I’m (still) fairly quick off the mark and I think my positional play and anticipation is all right. I play a good one-two. Weaknesses: I’m not a great tackler and my heading is more Peter Crouch than Andy Carroll. If you were to pick a Liverpool player (past or present) who plays like you, who would that be? Raul Meireles (with 1% of the talent) Liverpool FC Favourite Liverpool goal? Xabi Alonso v Newcastle. Not only did he rob the ball, he then had to get past the ref, and stick it in from well inside his own half. But a good shout also for Peter Crouch’s bicycle kick against (I think) Galatasaray. Fondest football memory? Going to see LFC in the 2nd leg of the (then) League Cup away against Fulham in about 1987. We’d won the first leg 10-0, and within 15 minutes were 3-0 up. Great atmosphere from both sets of fans. Also meeting Rafa Benitez – a really, really good guy. What did you think of Roy’s Hodgson reign? I was apprehensive at the start but prepared to give him a go. But pretty soon it was so obvious he was completely wrong for the club. How the xenophobic British Press defended him was terrible. Best Liverpool XI? The team that beat Nottingham Forest (2nd in the league at the time) 5-0, in the late eighties. Such a shame they didn’t get to play in Europe. Who should buy this summer in the transfer market? 2 players that can regularly put in a decent cross, from left and right. Also get Insua and especially Aquilani back. And should the owners make Dalglish permanent manager? Yes, but keep Steve Clarke as well. The Important Stuff What’s the last CD you bought? Radiohead – The King of Limbs. What’s your favourite TV show? 24 What’s your poison? Mainly beer, but I used to drink quite a bit of Venezuelan rum (Cacique, Brugal) and coke in Spain. Favourite Asian destination? Only been to Thailand and Philippines, plus here, and they’re all great! Fenwick’s or Laguna? Why? I had to ask what they were! No idea. Jessica Alba or Beyonce? Music, neither. Looks, Beyonce. What are you listening to on your iPod/ipad/iphone? Radiohead (as usual) and Rufus Wainwright. If you were stranded on a desert island with one person, who would you choose? Aquilani’s wife. Three words that describe you. Calm, but active, but lazy. Tell us something we don’t know about you. Two of my novels have come very close to being published by Harper Collins after both reaching the top of an international competition for unpublished novelists. But not yet… my writing website is www.simonbetterton.weebly.com if you want to have a look. |
| Features and Submissions Original writing by Club members Peter Thompson - On a Wing and a Slayer 50,000 and Counting! A Greek Odyssey! We welcome submissions from our members. Send your contribution to: info@hongkongreds.com The Big Red Quiz All the questions and answers from our previous quizzes Chelsea v Liverpool - 17.09.06 Everton v Liverpool - 09.09.06 Sheff Utd v Liverpool - 19.08.06 Supporter Spotlight Find out more about our members Roger Shuttleworth Jon Wharton Ken Abela Meko Oh Lily Lam Chin Ian Agass Jason Li Rob Kelly Simon Betterton David Thomas Legend Spotlight Interviews with LFC heroes Mark Walters Alan Kennedy John Barnes Steve McMahon Referee Spotlight Focusing on the men in the middle Mike Riley Hong Kong Reds Around the World Our members in glorious technicolour Kiki Hon |
