Good to see Tyrus again and on a blogging Saturday too. Happy Blaydon Races day to all. I regard today as the Geordie National Day.
And with the World cup on the horizon, one with an underlying football management theme. With several references in the clues themselves (11ac, 13ac, 23ac, 25ac, 10dn) and several answers which are managers. Also nice to see Gateshead getting a mention.
My expectations are always high with Tyrus and there is no disappointment here. Impeccably smooth surface readings and some novel constructions. 26/27 ac took me a while to parse. My favourite was probably 22dn – short and original.
Being a Newcastle fan, I admit I am slightly in the minority, but would dispute the wording of 10dn. Most people here would agree with the sentiment in the clue, but I’m too much of a purist when it comes to football and prefer to win as the best team not by deploying entertainment depriving tactics.
Thanks Tyrus and may the best footballing team win the World cup, which ever country that is. That may be highly unusual, but it would be a refreshing change.
Key;
Rev. Reverse; * Anagram; Underline definition; DD Double definition
Across
7/8 Doctor screened patient Irish leader (6,6)
Martin (Doctor screened as in the TV series) + one ill (patient) = MARTIN O’NEILL
11 Referring to space on one side of Madrid (5)
A (one) + Real (side of Madrid as in Real Madrid) = AREAL
12 Fancy top is fine for all (2,5,2)
(top is fine)* = IN SPITE OF
13 City big shot on track with no small encouragement (3,4)
Pep (as in Guardiola – City big shot) + stalk (track) – s (small) = PEP TALK
14 Flat race without a horse (7)
Even (flat) + tear (race) – a = EVENTER
16 Oxford principal taught Greats – he could be boss (6,9)
(O + taught greats he)* = GARETH SOUTHGATE
20 Lie scattered on top – were nearly knocked over (7)
Best (top) + (were – e)* = BESTREW
22 About town, Henry and I are active (2,3,2)
On + t (town?)+ h (henry) + ego (I) = ON THE GO
23 Run away from land – one’s that’s special in your dreams (2,3,4)
Norway (land) – r (run) + Jose (one that’s special as in Jose Mourinho) = NO WAY JOSE
25 He managed to worry (5)
DD HARRY (Harry Redknapp is the manager, i think)
26/27 Long server behind Greens – one’s confused (6,6)
Arse (behind) + (new + (green)*) [Greens] = ARSENE WENGER
Down
1 Are Trump rumours initially denied? Ask Stormy to prepare for battle (4,2,4)
(Are + Trump – r + ask)* = TAKE UP ARMS
2 Begin to grab raised tool …steady! (8)
Start (begin) around Rev. awl (tool) = STALWART
3 In posh jail, prisoner’s beginning to unravel (6)
u (posh) + nick (jail) around p (prisoner’s beginning) = UNPICK
4 Sartre’s way very sound for philosopher (8)
Homonym of Rue (Sartre’s way) + So (very) = ROUSSEAU
5 Polish official in East (6)
Ref (official) + in + E (East) = REFINE
6 Quick, there’s no time – run! (4)
fleet (quick) – t (time) = FLEE
9 Path to war? Say, put a lid on it! (6)
(Path)* + eg (say) = HAT-PEG
10 Raised north-east favourite some way from here (4)
Rev. Rafa (as in Benitez) = AFAR
15 Ground bare – resite plants (10)
(bare resite)* = TEABERRIES
17 Home counties toff was all over doctor (8)
Rev. (Se (home counties + nob (toff) + was) = SAWBONES
18 Trying to travel free from Hertfordshire town to Gateshead (8)
Hitchin (Hertfordshire town) + G (Gateshead) = HITCHING
19 Extremely naughty poem about Don Juan, perhaps (6)
(ny + poem)* = EPONYM
20 Attempt to keep new tie (4)
Bid (attempt) around n (new) = BIND
21 Recited Frost’s poetry (6)
Homonym of Rime’s (frost’s) = RHYMES
22 Punches to face ultimately won’t hurt (3-3)
((o + e) [to face ultimately] + (won’t))* = ONE-TWO
24 Was in a bit of bother, owning up (4)
Rev. hidden bothER OWning = WORE
Great stuff and great blog. I have no prob with RAFA but I’ll be saying NO WAY JOSE pronounced with a J from now on.
This brought a huge smile to my face, once the head-scratching was over, as usual with Tyrus puzzles.
many thanks to S&B
Cottoned on to theme but still took ages looking for a political O’Neill. No qualms about ‘t’ for town in 22ac – standard football parlance. Not sure that the French homophone in 4dn passes muster. Sartre’s ginger maybe, but we get the gist. Thanks to the 2 Ts.
No, this didn’t float our boat – too many football references which, though vaguely known to us, didn’t come readily to mind. The sole redeeming feature was 1dn – brilliant!
Thanks, Twencelas and – yes – Tyrus.
Thanks to twencelas for his excellent blog and to others for their comments.
Excellent crossword from Tyrus whose puzzles I didn’t even try some years ago.
Once I saw the Arsene Wengers of the world appear in front of me, it wasn’t that difficult any more.
To me, the homophone in ROUSSEAU (4d) doesn’t sound like one at all. So I am with Paul A @3. When I asked my solving partner she was less sure. Perhaps, it’s due to the Brits wanting to anglify everything that doesn’t sound British.
I liked the crossword a lot but perhaps the ‘one ill’ part 0f 7/8 (a real find) most.
Quite a shame that there’s only a handful of solvers commenting to this puzzle from one of the best setters in the business.
I’ve been out most of the day and did some of this on the train. Spotted the theme and, although I’m not a football fan, I recognised most of the names. I had to google the Ireland manager when I got home as I couldn’t get that from the wordplay, and I needed an anagram to get 15dn even with all the crossing letters.
Two I still don’t get the parsing of from the explanations. Where does the “new” come from in 26/27. I got the answer from realising behind = arse, but I couldn’t see the rest.
Why is Jose Mourinho one that’s special?
Because he thinks he is.
In 2004 (joining Chelsea from Porto) he called himself ‘a special one’. From that moment on it became his, sort of, nickname.
OK, so I appear to have got that answer despite the wordplay. I knew the phrase, and I got the reference to Norway, but I was trying to work out if JOSE was s(pecial) inside someone called Joe.
Too difficult to finish, although I still follow UK soccer, if not with the fanaticism required for some of this crossword. Special for Jose??. Still don’t get parsing of 26/27 – what is “new” doing in the parsing? Got it thanks to arse, gave up trying to parse it.
Also couldn’t see BESTREW as being the right part of speech. Nevertheless solved most of it and appreciate the more difficult puzzles, due to high satisfaction level when nailing the hard ones.
Thanks to Tyrus and twencelas.
The new comes from a synonym of green. Greens gives new and green, with one confused i.e. the green.
That’s a bit convoluted. Just as well I’d heard of Mr Wenger. The only other Arsene I know of is Arsene Lupin, and that didn’t fit. Thanks all.
Incidentally. @7 I meant I needed to use an anagram search program to find TEABERRIES.