Issue 14
URI ENCOUNTERS TERRY AND GEORGE
As players, I always thought Terry Venables and George Graham were like two peas in a pod. But then they've always been inexorably linked. Did you know that Terry was best man at George's wedding in September 1967 and in the same afternoon they were on opposite sides in the north London derby? George is godfather to Terry's daughter. In October 1987, Terry became manager of Spurs, his good friend already being at Highbury. But more than this, I sense a genuine aura of benevolence and graciousness surrounding the two men. How magnanimous Terry was after his withdrawal from national hero back to his controversial business life. And quiet and dignified was how George spent his enforced year in exile. Whatever the circumstances of the 'bung' scandal, you have to admit he took his punishment like a man. Now he's trying to restore Leeds United's fortunes - no doubt with the odd phone call to Terry. I believe that they are spiritually linked. Maybe in past lives they were great friends. Who knows, even brothers.
Uri Geller is consultant editor to Uri Geller's Encounters magazine.
Issue 15
URI ENCOUNTERS URI'S EURO 96
Euro 96 proved to be a success for the England team but I believe the turning point of the competition for them was not provided by Paul Gascoigne or Alan Shearer. Rather, I think it was down to the brain power of every England supporter, whether at Wembley or watching the game at home. Television clearly shows that as Gary McAllister ran up to take Scotland's penalty against England, the ball moved slightly from the spot. There is no logical reason for this and it has not been known to happen before. Seaman saved the kick and the rest is history. I believe it is an example of just how powerful the human mind can be and that it was the wishes of the millions of fans that made the ball move. As if that wasn't enough, Scotland striker Ally McCoist had a premonition that McAllister would miss.
Uri Geller is consultant editor to Uri Geller's Encounters magazine.
*******
Issue 16
Fans often me if I can communicate with the dead. Well
anyone at non-league Congleton's game with Rossendale a
couple of years ago could have done it for themselves. You
see, poor Fred Cope - Congleton 's oldest supporter was
astounded to read an obituary in his honour in the club
programme. Then he looked up and saw a flag at half-mast.
Before the kick-off the players and referee lined up to mark
a minute 's silence. That was enough for Fred. He
immediately went to tell club officials that he was alive and
kicking. Apparently, another fan had innocently misheard
that Fred was dead and Congleton took him at his word.
Just for good measure Fred was helped in his efforts to
recover from the shock by winning a bottle of whisky in
the half time raffle. Back to the original question: I don't
drink but I do worship the power of positive thought.
|However, I've yet to talk to anyone from beyond the
grave.
*******
Issue 17
Boozy back-page headlines seem commonplace these days.
I wonder if footballers who enjoy staring at the bottom of a
glass ever peer deeply into their own psyche to touch a
positive force that can warn them off drink? Remember the
famous banner at the World-Cup in 1982? It was Scotland
V USSR and one wag had scrawled: Alcoholism V
Communism. It seems the Scots fly the booze flag more
than most. Sadly Andy Goram has become the third
Rangers' man this year to suffer a drink/drive rap. And in
his latest Channel 4 documentary, Gazza expounded the
virtues of beer-happy players in Britain as opposed to the
restrictions on the continent. This sort of publicity is
inexcusable. It affects the reputation of Rangers, while
what sort of role models do Goram and Gazza
become. Back in 1881 the venerable Sir Watkin Wynne,
writing in Athletic-News, claimed "young men, after a good
game of football, would be more glad-to go to bed than
visit the public house". With the best will in the world,
sadly I think he got it wrong.
*******
Issue 18
It's not always the high-profile professional game that
provides the strangest encounters in football. A Doc
Marten's Cup match played between Clevedon and
Whitney this year saw both teams ordered back on to the
pitch half-an-hour after the full-time whistle. The two-
legged affair concluded in 1-1 draws in each match - 2-2
on aggregate - and so extra-time was required. Each team
scored a goal in the extended period and referee Martin
Perry blew for the final whistle with everybody thinking
Whitney had a game that thanks to the away-goals rule.
Yet Perry, for some reason, felt an inexplicable nagging
doubt, checked his rule book, and discovered away goals
only counted after 90 minutes and by rights there should
have been a penalty shoot out. Unbelievably he made the
players, by this time showered and in the club bar, get
changed again and commence the shoot out. But it didn't
affect the result because Whitney won 4-2.
*******
Issue 19
There is no doubt that superstitions have always played a
major part in football folklore and quite obviously for good
reason. Jeff Hall was representing an FA team against the
West Indies in 1955 and when he arrived at the ground a
cobbler he had given his boots to for some repairs had not
done the work. Fortunately, the job was not too
complicated, so the cobbler got to work immediately. Hall
always insisted on putting his right boot on first but the
cobbler had begun work on the left. Hall stubbornly
refused to start putting on the boots until the right one was
finished, despite the fact that the crowd and players were
waiting. Eventually Hall gave in to the pressure and put his
left boot on first and the game finally got under way when
the right boot was finished. Within in two minutes. Hall
went to head a ball but got head butted himself and
required stitches.
Superstitions should be respected. Hall might agree.
*******
Issue 20
In a recent game between Barbados and Grenada there
was the slightly implausible sight of both sides attacking
their own goal. The confusion resulted from the fact that
Barbados needed to win the game by two clear goals in
order to qualify for the next round of the cup. They were
2-1 up with five minutes to go and destined to go crashing
out of the tournament. A bizarre rule in the competition
stated that, in the event of a penalty shoot-out at the end of
the game, the winning team would be credited with a 2-0
win. Realising this Barbados players immediately turned
round and scored their own goal to take them into a
penalty shoot out which would give them a better chance
of qualifying. Grenada realised what was happening and
immediately tried to do the same at the other end but
Barbados defended their opponents' goal. Confusing stuff.
The game went to penalties and guess what happened.
Naturally, Barbados won.
*******
Issue 21
Controversy hit a recent Brentford game when a fan's
whistle was wrongly interpreted as the referee's. The
goalkeeper dropped the ball and an opponent nipped in to
score a legal if dubious goal. This was not the first time the
crowd has turned a game, however. Playing a decisive
1950 World Cup qualifying match against Sweden, the Eire
players heard a whistle and stopped. Sadly it had been
blown by a fan and Swiss player Kalle Palmer ran through
to score the second goal of his hat-trick. Eire didn't quality
for the finals until 1990. At least they had the excuse of
hearing a whistle. When Willington played Bishop
Auckland in the 1939 Amateur Cup final the score stood at
0-0 in extra time. A Willington player, expecting the ref to
blow for a foul, picked the ball up. The ref gave a free.
kick for hand ball and Auckland scored the only goal of the
game. Suffice to say my advice for all footballers is - play
to the whistle, the referee's one that is.
*******
Issue 22
I like the cut of Gary Mabbutt's jib - out for a year with a
broken leg but always talking about making it back to the
first team. He's got two more central defenders to worry
about now but still he says, "If we play with two centre
halves, I want to be one of them, I'm not finished." Positive
thought can drive you through any circumstances. Gary is
35 but he's turned down offers to become a player-manager
so he can stay in the Premier League. Anyone who saw the
incident with Graham Fenton at the start of the season will
wish him well and I wouldn't bet against him being a Spurs
regular next year. He'll focus on mending his leg, then
returning to full fitness and finally regaining his No6 shirt.
You can help too. Think of a Mabbutt incident and spend a
moment focusing on a positive outcome for a pro who has
long won his war against diabetes. Send Gary the vibes that
can help him pull the famous white shirt on again.
*******
Issue 23
Gary Crosby scored an infamous goal several years ago. As
the goalkeeper ran up to take a goal kick, Crosby headed the
ball out of his hand before slotting the ball into the empty net.
There was some uproar as he was accused of being unsporting but,
as the goalkeeper only had the ball in one hand at the time, he
did not break the rules of the game. A similar incident occurred
in a more recent game involving Brighton. The opposition goalkeeper
claimed the ball from a corner and, as usual, all the players ran
out of the box to await the goal-kick ~ except for one Brighton
player who stood on the post. He only moved when the keeper took a
hand off the ball and he too dispossessed the unfortunate shotstopper
to score another of football's more bizarre goals. It could be
said that these efforts were no more than sheer opportunism; but
players don't try it every time. Perhaps they can just sense when
the timing is right.
*******
Issue 24
I'm always keen to advocate different ways of spurring a team to
victory and firmly believe that extrasensory measures are as important
as plain psychological lifts. Torquay may not agree with me. They
painted the visitor's dressing room pink to lull their opponents into
a state of tranquility through the peaceful pastel shade. Unfortunately
they lost four matches on the trot. I'm ready to accept that was as much
down to coincidence as redecorating plans, but there is no doubt a change
of tack can have a huge effect. I welcome Reading players to visit me at
home, sit on my crystal chair and gain the benefit of my positive vibes.
My paranormal research shows that orange is the most assertive colour.
Wear something orange under your shirt when you go to a match and focus
from time to time on the colour, carefully transmitting your positive
thoughts about winning on to the pitch.
Believe me, it can work wonders.
*******
Issue 25
A conversation I had with a journalist recently on the subject of powerful
thought and guiding lights led him to tell me how Chris Woods, then with
Rangers, had established a British goalkeeping record. Woods went 13
matches (1196 minutes) without conceding a goal. Astonishingly, later that
day, when we turned on the radio for the football scores, the illusion was
lost: Southampton had let in seven at Everton, and who was in goal? Yes,
Chris Woods. During that record run, I'm told Chris dwelt on nothing but
the 90 minutes to come. Concentration of the highest order can will a team
to success. Look how hard the nation concentrated with me last summer when
we willed England to victory over Spain and Holland as I placed my special
orange dot on the television screen and invited the watching millions to
touch it and urge, "England win, England win!" It can be done.
I know it. You may have your own ideas about positive thought, but this
weekend, before your favourite team plays, why not wear the club colours
in bed and focus on a glorious victory as you drift off to sleep. By morning
you will have transferred a mighty load of positive energy to your side.
Then watch and see the game unfold. Every little bit helps.
*******
May/June 1977 Issue
Uri Geller Encounters Wembley Sabotage
It sounds amazing to accuse a country of sporting espionage, but
that's exactly what I think Italy were guilty of in their World
Cup triumph over England You see, while I indulged in a little
undercover work at Wembley, the Italian spies nobbled my plan
and, I believe, England's hopes of a decent result.
As you know, I have occasionally planted my special crystals in
the stadium, crystals which act as antennae for my positive thoughts,
which I, in turn, transmit to players. It worked for Euro 96 wins
over Holland, Scotland and Spain, so I sneaked into Wembley on
the morning of the Italy game and buried a crystal under the ramp
used by the players.
No one saw me, as I made to tie my shoelaces. But soon into the
match, as I tried to make contact, there was absolutely no power,
no vibration, no connection. I was puzzled - and when Zola scored
I knew England had lost my special element of surprise and encouragement.
The next day I received a call that stopped me cold. I was shocked
to hear that someone with a long broom had been digging by the
ramp 50 minutes before the kick-off. Now that was just half-an-hour
or so after London News had shown a secret clip of me burying
the crystal. Someone saw the film clip, certainly someone in the
Italian camp, and made a clean sweep of Wembley.
England lost the game, but maybe everything's not lost for me.
I'd love to know who the Italian sweeper was and I think Wembley
can help. There is sure to be security footage available, for
cameras also sweep the stadium. Come on, let's find out who cost
England the most powerful support they'll ever know.
Uri Geller is consultant editor to Uri Geller's Encounters
magazine
*******
July/August 1977 Issue
Reds use their heads
Of all the games last season, one sticks out. It was a
jolting deja vu, but I'm never surprised when
lightning strikes twice. No one believed Liverpool and
Newcastle could possibly match the passion and thrills
of last year's intense top-of-the-table battle when they
met again at Anfield in March.
Well, almost no one. Remember the players would
have been affected more than anyone by that first
wonderful 4-3 showdown - and that's why their repeat
performance, again under lights, was not as bizarre as
it seemed initially.
The facts speak for themselves. In 1996, Stan
Collymore drove home a last-gasp winner. A year
later it was Robbie Fowler's majestic header that stole
the show for the Reds.
Everyone watching may have felt drained after
such stunning games; not so the players. Deep in their
inner self, the effect of last year's epic confrontation
lived on. In experiencing first hand the match of the
season, both teams stored the startling events of that
glorious night in their psyche.
From there on in their adrenaline took over and
they were driven by what was, essentially, a
paranormal experience into duplicating scenes from
the previous year's encounter.
In other words, it was meant to be.
I, too, picked up a phenomenal surge of energy
from the positive vibes of a home crowd willing their
heroes on to victory.
Never underestimate the power of positive thinking.
Make a connection with your team simply by
concentrating your thoughts on a vibrant, winning
issue, and it can work wonders.
Believe me, I know. Give it a go.
Uri Geller is consultant editor to Uri Geller's
Encounters magazine visit Uri's Web Site
on http://www.urigeller.com
*******
October 1977 Issue
ORANGES AND BANANAS
Don't ask me why, but Coventry have never won an away league fixture at
Aston Villa - and they have been trying since 1938. People say the law of
averages must prevail but, in football as in life, you must sometimes make
your own luck. So I have a few suggestions for Gordon Strachan to help
Coventry improve their results - and not just at Villa.
For a start the Sky Blues should wear some orange somewhere on or under
their kit. Orange is a positive and inspirational colour which I believe
in implicitly and they will soon discover how remedial one simple change
can be. I'm sure Gordon is a strong believer in positive thought, but to
reinforce the issue, the entire Coventry team is welcome to visit me so that
I might inspire the lads individually. My aim, especially before the trip to
Villa Park, would be to restore lost confidence and willpower, which can get
locked in when faced with such a poor record.
Visualization is the key tool. In the coach on the way to the game and in the
dressing room before the kick-off Coventry should fantasize about winning to
trigger off latent thought processes. Each squad member should concentrate on
the finest moment in his career and divert that energy into the performance
he would like to give against Villa.
No one should ever underestimate the revitalising effect of positive thought.
It works wonders the world over and the Premier Leaguue is no different.
Gordon is famous for eating bananas - he swears the habit extended his
brilliant playing career. Now I suggest he adds a dash of orange to the menu
and also gives me a call. I am convinced it will be to the Sky Blues'
advantage.
Uri Geller is consultant editor to Uri Geller's
Encounters magazine visit Uri's Web Site
on http://www.urigeller.com
*******
November 1977 Issue
PSYCHE UP FOR SUCCESS
Every day is busy for me but Saturday mornings am proving busier than ever. Years ago when I
started talking to athletes and footballers about performance, I found out just how great my
influence could be and how I could help them channel their powers for success.
Now the phone never stops as the weekend's sporting action gets under way. All of sporting
life is here - F1 Clients looking for that lost 1,000th of a second at the Hungarian Grand Prix. A
tennis player in the States facing a 140-mph service, a marathon runner with a calf strain or a
keeper with the prospect of a goal-hungry Ian Wright bearing down on you. They're all looking
for an answer -and it's within them.
I combine my natural powers - and those of the athlete - with accepted thinking and
conventional psychology to squeeze every ounce of performance from them, and it's great to see
them succeed. Like taking the last after-dinner mint from the box and slipping the wrapper
back, seeing the people I help getting themselves into winning situations is a delicious secret.
They know, I know and the rest of the world is to wonder... did he?
The whole sports psychology area is breaking wide open. Last month research showed that
players had to adopt the right psyche to take penalties. I've been saying this about key
performance areas for decades it makes you wonder whether a sports psychologist would have
appointed Gareth Southgate as a penalty taker.
Perhaps I should get my summer bug packed, book a hotel in France and wait for a national
coach to call if it looks like they're heading for a sudden death shoot-out.
Uri Geller is consultant editor to Uri Geller's Encounters magazine.
Visit his web site on www.urigeller.com
*******
December 1977 Issue
BORO'S GYPSY CURSE
If you've seen my work you'll realise my biggest interest in life is the human condition, and
what goes on in the greatest supercomputer of all - the mind.
I believe that much of what we perceive as strange or paranormal comes from within. It
fascinates me if a sportsman talks about a 'jinx team' or says their performance suffers because
of a 'bad atmosphere'.
That's how I got caught up with the Boro story. On a charity visit to the area I was told that a
gypsy curse from Ayresome Park had followed the club to their new ground, I was intrigued by
tales of builders consulting charts to determine the positions at which the sun would rise and fall
over the stadium. To me that's a belief in other forces, although judging by the panels in the roof
that allow extra light as the season wanes, there might be a more down-to-earth reason.
Having spoken to fans who have visited both grounds. I gathered that Middlesbrough has a
'feel' they can't explain. A curse? Well, who knows - but don't rule out the power of collective
thought, in both positive and negative ways How many times has the crowd turned an
impossible situation with a goal out of the blue? How many times have teams been two up at
home with 10 minutes to go, the crowd has gone quiet and then the visitors hove a scoring spree
and take three points home with them. It happens, but you just can't put your finger on the
reason, can you?
Ask Gerry Francis about the mysterious Black Cat of Loftus Road. Its appearance always
seemed to prompt victory, and the fans come to rely on a last-minute feline appearance to
salvage problem fixtures. Luck made real? Or a prompt for the faithful to use their collective
thoughts to empower the players?
I'd love to see if we could use the power of positive thought to fire up a team who are down
on their 'luck'. Which brings me back to Boro!
Uri Geller is consultant editor to Uri Geller's Encounters magazine.
Visit his web site on www.urigeller.com
*******
January 1998 Issue
THE NUMBERS GAME
Last month's news changes everything. Sport, politics, science, education - nothing will ever be
the some again. For the First time in history, laboratory tests proved beyond doubt that psychic
powers exist.
Scientists have tested and verified my powers many times, of course, but my psychokinetic
ability is uncommon - probably unique. It's the result of 12 years of tests on more than 100
human subjects.
The result: electronic devices can be influenced by human thought. Thousands of tests on
random number generators showed the subjects could force certain sequences to recur - simply
by concentrating. The chances of this happening are calculated at one in 1,000 billion. Fact: it's
mind over matter.
I predict the sports world, already in tune with Mindpower and mental preparation, will absorb
this new law of physics first. Footballers will be trained to use extra-sensory perception and
telepathy on the pitch to gauge unseen threats such as opponents outside their field of vision
while goalkeepers will learn to read the mind of penalty takers.
What we once called 'intuition' will become a major focus for psychokinetic training and
work-outs. In some cases, this power is already at work in the game. Remember Roberto Carlos'
free-kick against France last summer? Maybe it was really bent by the power of his mind. And
remember the ball rolling from the spot an instant before McAllister took his penalty against
Seaman in Euro 96? Well, at that moment I was in a helicopter above Wembley focusing all my
psychokinetic strength, willing him to fail.
Sorry, Scotland.
Uri Geller is consultant editor to Uri Geller's Encounters magazine.
Visit his web site on www.urigeller.com
*******
February 1998 Issue
GOD IN THEIR SQUAD
Does God watch football? And if he does, what does he enjoy best about his
Saturday afternoons? It can't be the thrill of a tightly contested
six-pointer as an omniscient deity is bound to know the final score before
the kick-off Perhaps he relishes the supernatural talent of Asprilla, the
telepathic connection between the Shearers and Sheringhams or maybe even
the holy terrors such as Vinny Jones and Dennis Wise. But latest evidence
suggests that what God likes most is a good, clean game. On the current
showing by Societa Sportiva Sistina (SSS), it is a major advantage to have
God on your side. The SSS are the Vatican national team. Picked from the 14
squads that make up the Vatican football league, its players are required
to exude holy virtues at all times. Assistant trainer Roberto Di Stefano
praised their "distinctive force - discipline" and added, "Sportmanship and
Christian values go hand in hand. Players never let swear words pass their
lips, whether on the pitch or in the dressing room and never perform
malicious fouls." Such is the success of SSS, they are aiming for promotion
in the Rome five-a-side league this year and there is talk in the cloistered
corridors of an assault on international football and maybe even the 2002
World Cup. The Pope takes a keen interest in the tussles between teams and
when the Swiss Guards, who are personally responsible for the Pope's
protection, went down 10-0 to the Secret Archives, he took them to one side
and delivered a blistering dressing-room lecture - warning them to do better
in defence, both on and off the pitch.
Uri Geller is consultant editor to Uri Geller's Encounters magazine. His
novel, Ella, published by Headline, comes out in the spring. Visit his web
site on www.urigeller.com
*******
March 1998 Issue
SICK FLORENTINE PARROTS
Pity the poor footballing parrot. It's always sick. When one side wins,
the parrot on the other team goes into medical trauma. A cure is in sight,
however. In Florence, professors have identified the cause of psitticus
psickness... and it's all in the mind. A theory emerged after Fiorentina
fans began showing a marked increase in stomach problems, complaining of
ulcer-like discomfort. The worsening symptoms seemed to coincide with
Fiorenfina's poor form. But when the team won, complaints about 'ulcers'
melted away. Professor Pier Luigi Cabras, a psychiatrist at the University
of Florence, and Professor Franco Pacini, chief gastroenterologist at the
city's Careggi hospital, believe the malady is more than simply the
grumblings of a bunch of bad losers. They have identified a bacterium
called Elico, which produces ulcer-like growths when stimulated by anger.
The greater the pent-up fury, the bigger grows the infection. Florentines
are said to be short-tempered (don't get mad at me, Florentines - its bad
for your Elico bacteria) and the city is plagued by traffic pollution and
dirty air. A heavy defeat for Fiorentina is enough to raise tension levels
to danger pitch, provoking an epidemic of Elico infections. The solution is
clear. Fans must perform relaxation exercises and control emotions when
games are thrown away. It would be wonderful to see a stadium of Italian
fans watching calmly and meditatively as their team strives for victory.
It could help send Fiorentina to the top of the table. And then the sickly
parrots would be squawking over the moon.
Uri Geller has a weekly show on Talk Radio and his novel, Ella, published
by Headline, comes out in the spring. Visit his web site on www.urigeller.com
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