David Parkin on being a gossip guy

“DON’T put it in your blog.”

Those are words I hear regularly.

And as a writer of many years standing, I am pledged to the unwritten journalistic code of conduct.

I believe it is called the Hypocritical Oath.

I came up with that myself.

Do you like it?

Please yourselves.

Anyway, the problem I’ve got is that when people tell me something and then caveat their story with: “Don’t put it in your blog”, they often don’t mean it.

I’m developing a sixth sense of working out whether those who say it mean it or actually do want me to put it in my blog.

So far I reckon it is about 50:50.

The challenge is that a lot of the stories I’m told aren’t worth repeating in the blog.

I’m as gossipy and bitchy as the next person, as long as the next person is Hedda Hopper (Google it).

I love a bit of tittle tattle.

Particularly if it involves a famous person.

When I have been able to share some soup?ons of tittle-tattle about celebrities it has earned me an undeserved reputation as a gossip monger and someone who knows the answer to every juicy question.

Only the other day I got a Whatsapp from a friend who asked, on behalf of a friend, about the identity of an unnamed TV sports presenter who is at the centre of claims of sexual misconduct.

I’m sorry but I haven’t got a clue.

Given that the friend of the friend has the opportunity to give me work next year, that’s a big fail on my part.

So what did I do?

Did I honestly admit I don’t know the identity of the unnamed sports presenter?

Or did I make something up?

Well I said I couldn’t be sure, but I had it on good authority that it was more than likely to be either Dickie Davies or Kenneth Wolstenholme.

Desperation to impress makes you do silly things.

:::

To subscribe to this blog on email, click this link.

:::

ON the subject of snippets for my blog, larger than life Leeds business personality Michael Michaelson approached me at a UK Israel Business Breakfast last week.

Considering that the last time I met him he bowed almost to the floor in faux homage to me, I was quite appreciative that this time he only gave me a bear hug.

I asked him whether he was going to Wembley to see Leeds in the Championship Play-off Final.

Given he is a huge Leeds United fan, that seems like a silly question.

But whenever I meet Michael he is either over the moon about his football team or sick as a parrot and down in the dumps.

He seemed pretty confident and told me that he thought that whichever team scored first was likely to win the match.

He then said: “You can put that in your blog.”

But then he quickly followed it up with the comment: “No, don’t, give someone else a chance for a mention in the blog.”

A man who is generous of spirit.

Well I’m sure he was up until 5pm last Sunday.

Given Southampton scored first and the match ended 1-0, ending Leeds United’s Premier League promotion ambitions this season, it was probably best I didn’t mention Michael’s prediction last week.

I’m not a Leeds fan, but I live in Leeds and I have many friends who are Leeds United fans and I was desperately hoping the club would be promoted back to the Premier League after a season in the Championship.

I watched the match on television and jumped out of my seat with a whoop when Dan James’s dipping shot late on looked destined for the top corner - but unfortunately it bounced back off the crossbar.

They always say the best place to be promoted is at Wembley in a play-off final.

Sadly, the worst place to lose is at Wembley in a play-off final.

I’ve been there twice with Derby County and lost and, bloody hell, it is a long journey home.

Particularly when you lose to local rivals like Leicester City and their fans were draping banners over bridges on the M1 all the way back home.

But good luck to Leeds next season.

The club’s American owners appear to be sensible people and not prone to knee-jerk decisions like other US custodians of English football clubs such as Chelsea and Birmingham City.

We’ll see what happens.

:::

IF you feel this blog is a little bit more free and easy than the usual buttoned-up, frustrated scribbles it is perhaps because while I’ve been writing it?I’ve been listening to an album by one of the great easy listening artists.

Yes, Engelbert.

What’s that you ask?

Humperdinck?

Well, no, not since I got a touch of arthritis in my knee.

Have a great weekend.

To subscribe to receive this blog on email please click this link.