Give them their due

You may remember I wasn't best pleased when I was informed the delivery men couldn't put up the wardrobe we'd ordered from M & S, because there wasn't room, and I threatened to write to Sir Stuart Rose, the executive chairman. Well, I did do that. I wrote about the inadequacy of their delivery conditions for a disabled person. A day later we had a phone call from the delivery department wanting to arrange a new date. Could we manage 25th April? We could and we checked that they'd gathered we had altered the order. A day later we had another call from a young man in Sir Stuart's troubleshooting department. He was very sorry about the problem we'd had. In future if we had any further difficulties, would we phone him on his personal line? Another call followed from the delivery team. So yesterday we got a phone call saying the van was on its way. This time the two guys were very helpful. And Jane has at last been able to empty the next lot of packing cases. I believe the young man will be ringing us tomorrow to check that we're happy. I'm not suggesting deluging Sir Stuart with letters, but it did show, to me at least, what a difference a good manager can make.

I suppose, sadly, that's what we saw yesterday with the remarkable turn-around in Manchester United's fortunes against Spurs aided with a dubious penalty after half-time. Give Sir Alex his due - I imagine his half-time talk was a joy to hear! And then there's Guus Hiddink, Chelsea's new boss, who's turned them round since he's arrived. And though Jensen Button is clearly a talented driver, I suspect Ross Brawn is the significant factor in their F1 team.

Thinking of Chelsea I was sad to see that Frank Lampard, a footballer I much admire, has split up with his partner, Elen Rives. I saw a link on the BBC website to him ringing in to London Broadcasting Co's DJ, James O'Brien, who had described him as 'scum' for leaving Elen and their two kids. It wasn't a 'rant' as the Times on line terms it (http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/sport/football/premier_league/chelsea/article6161967.ece), but it was a thoroughly articulate (and angry) denunciation of gutter journalism's treatment of people in the public gaze. It is so easy to assume the worst, and to forget that such people have the same human feelings (and failings) as the rest of us. 'If you prick us, do we not bleed?' said the offended Shylock. Lampard accused O'Brien of being an idiot for not understanding that and for imagining him immune to the pain of the separation. I think Jesus would have simply said, 'Let him who is without sin throw the first stone.'