Thanks for the letter. I thought that I’d clarify the origin of ‘Vidic’ with this week's report.
Shakespeare invented a lot of words that we use in the English language. He apparently invented words such as eyeball, assassin, elbow, addiction and dislocate (there’s hundreds of examples). God help you if you went to the doctor with a dislocated elbow and tried to explain to him what’s wrong. Mark Stone, our midfield coach, uses words in midfield meetings that have so many syllables in them that I’m not sure if I just don’t know what they mean, or if he is in fact a modern day Shakespeare making up words willy-nilly.
In the English language we don’t have a word for a look-a-like, or a double of someone. Since Shakespeare nor Mark Stone hasn’t come up with one yet, then we have to borrow the word ‘doppelganger’ from the Germans. My nickname ‘Vidic’ (pronounced Vid-itch) is the surname of my doppelganger, Manchester United defender Nemanja Vidic. Apparently we look alike.
I’m not the only player whose nickname is derived from their doppelganger. Chris ‘Tomic’ McKaigue, our young Irish recruit, has the Australian tennis player Bernard Tomic. Shane Mumford's doppelganger is Tigger from Winnie the Pooh, and Gary Rohan's doppelganger is Lindsay Lohan.
This got me thinking, I should introduce myself to my doppelganger. So this week I wrote a letter to Nemanja Vidic and sent it off to Old Trafford at Manchester. This is it… This is word for word what I wrote. Hopefully I get a reply, but like waiting for Kieren Jack to pay you back money you lent him, I’m not holding my breath.
Dear Nemanja,
Hope all is well. Please allow me to introduce myself, My name is Ted Richards, and I’m your doppelganger. Enclosed is a football card of mine. Cherish it as it’s highly valuable. Like you, I’m also a defender, except I play a different form of football, (Australian Rules Football with the Sydney Swans).
Question: Since my football mates call me Vidic, I was just wondering if your Manchester teammates call you Ted, Teddy, Richards or Richo?
Just like Wayne Rooney, I also have a team mate who doesn’t have much hair on his head, he’s called Jarrad McVeigh. We also have our own version of John O’Shea - an Irish import called Tadhg Kennelly. Is O’Shea a pest around the locker rooms too?
All the best with the final few weeks of the premier league. Say hi to Sir Alex for me, and all the best with the ladies, (but with your looks you don’t need it).
Ted ‘Vidic’ Richards
