Nick McLoughlin

The switch zero 😳 ⛷️
Mac Forehand! #olympics

A shocker 🤣

Not sure what match you were watching.

Not even about the ‘your’ ‘you’re’ thing?

Beautifully put.

I’d never thought of this before. Many films I felt were too long (rarely too short), but you’re completely right. It’s not the length that’s off, it’s the pace. And this should apply to all narrative art I reckon. I’ll be looking for it everywhere now, thank you.

Train Dreams the same. No pretense early on about what the film was going to be. Sit back, take it in, reflect on your
own path through life.

Absolutely spot on.

Highest possession in the league - going backwards and sideways.

Agreed.

Slot too passive. Need more attackers on the pitch against second bottom - 4-3-3.

Slot too passive. 1 attacker on the pitch (And a half if you count Gakpo) against 2nd bottom. Should play 4-3-3.

Slot just not brave enough. 2nd bottom of the table and 1 (and a half if you count Gakpo) striker on the pitch. Too many midfielders. Should play 4-3-3, at least against the lower teams.

Same. Sending solidarity.

Jake Thackray: The Unsung Writer by Paul Thompson Podcast Episode · Backlisted · 13/01/2026 · 1h 4m

Hi Mike, this is where I listen, but if the link doesn’t work you should be able to find it on BBC Sounds. Happy listening.

podcasts.apple.com/fr/podcast/b...

Paul Whitehouse and Bob Mortimer from the TV show ‘Gone Fishing’.

Hi Mike, you got a nice little mention in the wonderful @backlisted.bsky.social episode on Jake Thackray which came out on Tuesday.

"Slings and Arrows" by Nick McLoughlin A pub darts team enters a national competition and starts winning. How far can they go? And how will the private lives of the members affec...

@nickmacwrites.bsky.social Just finished 'Slings and Arrows' which I read in just two days. Very enjoyable. It perfectly captures the period. Here's my full review:

bit.ly/49SlmJK

#Booksky 💙📚
#Books 📚
#Literaturesky

Thank you so much for this Dave. It is difficult to exaggerate just how important reviews like yours are to less well-known writers like me. Not just for getting the word out but also for confidence. 🙏

Love that book. I’ve gone back to it many times over the course of the last 30 years.

I’m even more pessimistic than that. Institutions will take that long, but the culture of lies, non-shame, reputational impunity, boorishness, racism, transactionalism, grift, scorn for the common man, scorn for anything or anyone vaguely intellectual, aesthetic etc will endure much longer I fear

Oh my, that can’t be right can it? It’s a decade surely! 🤦‍♂️

I enjoyed it hugely, but I thought it could have been 100 pages or more shorter, and I just wasn’t convinced that Ladislaw was the right man for Dorothea.

25 books laid out on my dining table in 5 rows of 5.

The 25 books I read in ‘25.
Top 3 fiction:
Kudos
Intermezzo
Greengates

English Journey by JB Priestley was the best nf book I’ve read for years.

Thoughts? 📚💙 #books

My black cat Jem almost invisible inside a cardboard box in front of the fire. A 2 foot model Father Christmas stands either side of the fire.

Spot the cat 🐈‍⬛

Loved this, thank you. And it has persuaded me to seek publication for my stories. 😊

Hi Mark, you might like my novel, Slings and Arrows. It’s available in paperback or ebook on Amazon 🎯.

Does anything overwhelm coriander?

Not sure about two of these.

👏