Why I’ve not updated HEGS for ages, and how that should change soon

Regular and long-term readers of HEGS will have noticed, I hope, that this blog hasn’t been updated for a month and a half, and that it’s been a long time before that since I last really wrote anything on it, rather than just posting goal videos. I want to explain why that is (beyond the fact that as my Twitter followers will be aware, I’ve been on holiday for the last seven weeks), and propose how I plan to bring HEGS slowly back to life in 2013, and make it a better source of news rather than just collections of goal videos (though those will still be here, don’t worry!). If you have any thoughts, I’d love to hear your comments.

Football blogging is a lot of fun, and there are plenty of people who do it for love and to fill spare time. Since I first started HEGS nearly six years ago, I’ve been quite clear with myself that that wasn’t my plan. I began writing this site when I was living in England with my parents, to save money up and always with the plan of moving to Buenos Aires to cover football not as What I Do In My Spare Time, but as What I Do. Full stop. Those who read me elsewhere will be aware that that’s what I’ve been lucky enough to make happen.

When I’m writing things for ESPNFC, or When Saturday Comes, or Howler, I’m contributing to publications I like and read anyway, but I’m also doing my job. And so the dilemma arises; if there’s something I want to write and can’t sell it to a publication, do I write it anyway and put it up here, making no money for it? More often than not, the answer ends up being no, which is why you’ll see occasional ‘unsellable’ things by me on sites such as In Bed With Maradona; if I’m going to write something for free, I want to at least make sure it gets the widest possible audience.

That has lead, however, to HEGS being neglected. I realise this. Another reason I’ve written less on here has been the enormous enjoyment and (relative) success of Hand Of Pod. It turns out that getting slightly pissed with a couple of friends and talking about the week’s footballing goings-on is a bit more enjoyable than writing soberly about the same. And more people listen to every episode of HOP than ever paid attention to anything I’ve put on HEGS, with the exception of the minute-by-minutes I used to do for superclásicos.

HEGS is still my first baby, though, even if HOP has grown up to be the better-looking, more intelligent one that I’m happier to have around in polite company (that’ll be Joel Richards’ influence).

So what I plan to do during 2013 is start posting on the site again. Not opinion pieces – nothing I can get paid for or that will find a wider audience elsewhere, in other words – but at least major news stories and perhaps a couple of talking points each day. Hopefully I can make this complement the whitterings you’ll find on my Twitter profile and on HOP (we’re recording the first episode of HOP for the new year on Tuesday evening, by the way, so listen out). And I’ll also try and be more disciplined about posting HOP episodes here on HEGS as well, along with links to the articles I write elsewhere.

Argentines Abroad has died a death this season, the complications of collating, editing and putting it all together simply proving too time-consuming for me to be arsed with it. I’ll replace it with videos during the weekend as soon as possible after an Argentine does something really notable in Europe or elsewhere – you, the reader, can help me here! If you see one you think I might have missed, feel free to email a link of a video to sam@hastaelgolsiempre.com.

Likewise, for domestic matches I’m going to stop writing out all the scores and goalscorers/red-carded players for every match in a long list. It takes ages and I’ve never had a single piece of feedback to suggest anyone actually pays attention to it. Instead, I’ll list the goalscorers and red-carded parties directly above the goal video for each match, during the weekend.

I hope you’re going to like HEGS once it has some content again. Feedback is always welcome and my door is always open to communication – especially if you’re on Twitter. And remember, hits mean motivation, a lot of the time, so if you do like what you find here in the near future, please feel free to tell your friends, families, loved ones, and maybe even people who’ll actually care, such as fellow posters of football forums and so on. HEGS turns six in two weeks and a bit – thanks hugely for all your support so far, and here’s to the future. Happy (belated) new year.