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The Guardian - UK
The Guardian - UK
Sport
Daniel Harris

The Joy of Six: football ‘houses, ‘housing and ‘housery

From left: Nigel Winterburn, Dennis Wise and José Mourinho.
From left: Nigel Winterburn, Dennis Wise and José Mourinho. Composite: Tom Jenkins/The Guardian; Allsport/Getty Images; Reuters

Dennis Wise

In traditional parlance, a shithouse is a toilet, but fear not, this is not a piece on Wembley’s … rustic bogs and nor – though the word has since evolved to mean “a filthy or disgusting place” – is this a piece on the conscience of certain politicians. Rather, given the extension of the term’s scope to characterise “an obnoxious or despicable person”, and though we already enjoy an ancient four-lettered one which satisfies that definition, it would be remiss – with all due respect to Steve McMahon – for us to begin with anyone other than Dennis Wise.

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