This weather is both a gift and a curse. As a country and a nation we are obsessed by the weather, and the weather, for us, never gets it right! In the winter the weather is too cold, or too wet and now, in the summer it is too hot.

However it has got me to thinking a bit more firmer about any possible holiday plans. I am still very excited about going on a holiday/possible road trip to Ireland by car rental Dublin. Not sure of the exact date, maybe this year in September, but with the weather like this in June and Ireland usually cooler and breezier I may try and go either earlier this year or a similar time next. However, it also depends on the calendar of events happening at the time, friend availability and various other factors. There is Rally Ireland to consider as well, so I may be planning a little while longer, sheltered under damp towel, drinking ice cold water while my computer struggles with its poor fan to cope with the heat-my desktop weather centre reporting 26 degrees C! Apparently that is not the peak for the week though!

I have been reading about Adam Carroll’s A1GP success and I am fervently hoping that he will be one of the beneficiaries of the increase in teams on the F1 grid for next year. The inclusion of Manor for example raises intriguing possibilities for the Irish ace, as a new team may be more inclined to take on his undoubted talent. On the other hand, if Nico Rosberg’s proposed move to BMW goes ahead Williams would seem an ideal match for the 26 year old from Portadown. The news and possibilities have also reminded me of getting back to planning my trip to Ireland with its plan to visit a variety of towns and sites along the way, making a road trip style itinerary by car rental, Ireland. Still unsure when to go as yet, as a motorsport fan other considerations are also on the horizon……

Fever Pitch

(With apologies to Nick Hornby)

Football is boiling over; the frenetic stories of the last few weeks threaten to drown the few lights of decency in football. Men like Sir Trevor Brooking, Ryan Giggs (a true one club player and a legend with it). Men of their word, like Gianfranco Zola who famously turned down Roman Abramovich to honour a promise with his hometown club of Cagliari. Men such as Guus Hiddink, who despite considerable pressure, both in the bitter aftermath of the Champions League semi-final second leg and in the face of widespread chanting to stay, kept his dignity and his word.

Then there is the other side of modern football, well, top-flight football. The side of football particularly evidenced at this time of year, in the money sloshed around in transfer fees and player wages. The long running Tevez saga, for example, which to my mind should have been resolved by FIFA and very simply too by stating all players can only be registered to clubs and not individuals or agencies.

The ‘supposed’ bidding war, denied by all parties, between Chelsea and Real Madrid for the services of AC Milan’s Kaka. A war that inflated his price to around £70m. This following the January nonsense involving the same player and Manchester City with a figure in the £100m bracket. On that occasion Kaka said he could not leave AC Milan, particularly because of the fans. Really? Or, having heard some of the ludicrous and surely made up demands of his advisory team (led by his father, Bosco Leite), including a whopping 10m plus euro commission for his father, was it a case that certain elements felt they would not get enough slice in their cake?

The side of football that means players like Cristiano Ronaldo, however great he is with a football, state with no sense of humility, remorse or irony that as a special player he would be worthy of being in any such £100m plus transfer bracket. At a time when the average football attending Premier League fan is being credit crunched, finding it increasingly hard to keep going to matches at home, let alone away.

Astonishingly look at the figures again and read something else. Newcastle, recently relegated, owned by Mike Ashley who is looking to sell the club, supported by over 50,000 passionate fans at St James’ Park every other week, for between £100m-£150m. Or one and a half Cristiano Ronaldos in other words.

Is this still making any sense to people out there? We have had the scandals of Westminster, of the banking system, but the way football is going, we have already surpassed the sums of MP’s expenses and are supercharging our way to bank loss proportions.

Compare this to Formula One. A sport that is usually derided by non fans for being a playboy's playground, a rich man's paradise, an expensive hobby past its sell by date. A sport actively trying to work out a way to move forward in the current economic climate and reduce spending. The teams spat out their dummies, baulking at the prospect of an immediate budget cap of around £40m. £40m!!!! Bear in mind that although engine costs, driver pay, marketing and hospitality, as well as any fines and penalties meted out by the FIA were not included, this figure was still to run a two-car team operation for an entire year. That is almost half a Kaka in current football transfer market conditions. No wonder the teams wanted it raised or introduced incrementally among other issues.

I could go on with the way money is making football turn ugly, about the nightclubs, the punch-ups, the hangers on and the imbecilic behaviour of players in their teens and early twenties given riches, beyond even some millionaires’ (who worked a lifetime to earn it) dreams, in an instant. I won’t though. I am too bewildered and bothered but through the deluge of banknotes I can see a way out. I have set myself my own get out clause in my love of football.

It will pain me, because I love the game so, but like a relationship gone wrong the game is turning into something I don’t like. The game on the pitch is arguably better than ever at seducing me, but off the pitch football is committing behaviour akin to abuse, battering me over the head with ugly stories. UEFA were concerned about Didier Drogba’s behaviour after the Champions League semi-final second leg and rightly so, but if they really wanted to repair football’s fraying image, they need to coordinate with FIFA and set a transfer cap and a budget cap for all teams as well as an overall salary cap for teams.

My get out clause? The first £100m player and or £200,000 a week player. That will be my straw, on my arthritic camel's back.

(Images courtesy of Fabbio and Shareski, flickr users)

My Dilemma……

……was whether to vote at all and if so which way to cast my vote. At every local and general election that I have been able to, I have voted yet this time I did not know whether to use it. Usually I have exercised the right to vote, partly because it is a right that took a lot of blood and tears to be won. Partly because it is as Rousseau alluded the one time when we are truly free: “The people of England thinks itself free; but it is free only during the parliamentary elections. As soon as they are over, slavery overtakes them, and they are nothing. The use they make of the brief moments of liberty shows indeed that it deserves to lose it.”

How else are we to explain the fact that one of the most rotten governments and indeed parliaments still sits while the public was raging at the scandal of expenses?

A scandal which, this needs reiterating, engulfs all parties. One which seeing everyone scrambling to show how ‘honest’ they are. Labour and Gordon Brown are keen to argue that as they are in Government they can best put a system in place to prevent this happening again. Fixing the system. Lets leave aside for a minute the system, as worded, is actually fine and rather it is the individual MP’s own sense of moral propriety. Sadly it seems a fairly large number seem to have a very low sense of propriety.

To add to the mix, Hazel Blears one of the major examples of playing the system lottery, resigned in a move calculated to cause maximum damage to her mortal enemy Gordon Brown. There are yet more cabinet resignations with James Purnell’s departure this evening. The results of the elections will surely finish Gordon Brown.

However, I give a warning to Blears, Purnell et al in the Labour Party. Be careful what you wish for. In my mind, while I acknowledge we have a PARTY system and not a PRESIDENTIAL system and thus it is parties, which ultimately choose the Prime Minister (the leader of the winning party), not the public, two changes of PM without a general election is unthinkable. An election now is the worst thing for the country and will be a disaster for Labour. Seen as self-serving, torn by division, the only thing Labour will get is a hammering in the polls. A rampant Conservative government would be installed with a large majority and the whole swing from one elective dictatorship to another will begin anew. Not what the country needs; over emboldened governments faced by feeble oppositions.

,Labour should be trying to get to the set election date. By then, they might have some good news on which to fight a rearguard action. They will lose the next election. That is certain. However, an election fought with some economic recovery, due towards the end of the election cycle could enable Labour to rally to a stronger opposition hand than if they go now. Blears and Purnell are just committing acts of reckless treachery, acts that I hope will be rectified at the next general election. As for my vote? I exercised my right and looking at the carnage of this evening I am glad I did.

Investigating my possible future trip to Ireland I have been looking at other items to add to the itinerary, particularly if I do decide to use car hire Ireland to take in more than one city at a time. Interestingly, there is an exhibition in Dublin at the Irish Museum of Modern Art, Kilmainham, Dublin from the 6^th June to September showcasing the work of British artist Lucian Freud. I think it is probably too short notice to go this month though, would be nice to go with a large group of friends, but also this month is a festival celebrating James Joyce and his classis Ulysses, on 16^th June at Sandycove, Dublin.

I have been thinking of the Emerald Isle for a few weeks now, having last visited quite a few years ago. Last time I visited I took in the eclectic mix that Dublin has to offer. I paid the usual tourist dues of visiting Temple Bar but also took the chance to have a look at the grandeur of Dublin University, particularly Trinity College. Mind you, I had a great local tour guide, a Cork lass who had moved to Dublin. This has influenced my thoughts on planning a trip, seeing that quite a few Irish greats hail from Cork, Roy Keane and Cillian Murphy among them. The idea is to fly to Dublin, revisiting Temple Bar in particular, get a car from Car Hire Dublin and drive down to Cork to see the sights the city has to offer including The English Market

The Battle of Stamford Bridge,....


.....oh dear oh dear, where to begin with this nonsense. The end maybe, Drogba.

What on earth was Drogba thinking?

His behaviour has shocked and appalled pretty much everyone without a Chelsea blue tint in their eye. All I can suggest is Drogba is not known for being a great man at the best of times, petulance and his low pain threshold are well documented. Thus, faced with a situation that would test a saint's patience or indeed say, Gianfranco Zola's, perhaps there can be little wonder the more combustible Drogba, well, exploded.

I am not defending his actions, just more of how he got to them. I cannot think of a comparable situation, other than say an instance where you know the truth of what you are saying but no-one else will believe or listen to you. It can be very hard to maintain a cool outward persona in such circumstances. As far as Drogba was concerned there had been at least four penalty shouts all dismissed by the referee, a situation highly rare, particularly in the modern game.

This is not to say he, or Ballack, were, as professional footballers, correct in their actions.

Drogba though is culpable of more than just his antics at the end. To be honest, his rolling around and petulant behaviour on the pitch probably meant the referee felt his penalty claim was an attempt at cheating and that may have tainted his view on the others. Drogba also failed to score on at least two occasions were he may have done better, if he wants to label anyone disgraceful he could start by looking closer to home.

Abidal card was harsh.

The sending off of Abidal was not only harsh but wrong, utterly incompetent. Abidal may have warranted at least a yellow on one or two other occasions for which he received nothing but on this occasion even a yellow would have been harsh. He barely, emphasis on the barely, clipped Anelka who then, possibly, was nudged into clipping his own feet and falling over. Freekick debatable but not a sending off.

The problem was that the referee Tom Henning Ovrebo had by this point completely lost the thread of the game he probably felt he had to do something to assuage a team and crowd that had, however wrongly, turned ugly towards him.

This, to be honest, thinking about it is not his fault. The fact he is reportedly receiving death threats is the biggest disgrace of the whole sorry affair. More scandalous than his performance. Somewhere in between though is UEFA's refereeing selection decision.

UEFA referee call baffles.

Why on earth pick a referee from the footballing giant of Norway for such a huge semi-final? Were the German referees on strike? Perhaps the Portugese referees were on holiday and a Dutch referee would not do as he would favour Hiddink surely? Yet these are all nations whose teams have won the European cup within the last 15 years. Yes the bigger nations referees have made mistakes in games, just like the Italian Roberto Rosetti in the preceding Semi-Final but not to this extent of incompetence.

There were in total six possible penalty claims, two were puffs of nonsense but the four were: Malouda being baulked inside the area. Possibly as Malouda was to the far side of the goal not a clear goal scoring opportunity, but a foul was committed, inside the box and the defender made no attempt to turn and play the ball. Make of it what you will.

Drogba being tugged back by his shirt. Seen them given but frankly he probably had time before and during the pull to attempt to unleash a shot and well, Drogba has gone into negative equity where benefit of the doubt is concerned.

Handball Pique. As far as I am concerned stonewall.

Handball Eto'o, desperate and would have been harsh on the man but after the previous claims and so forth, I have seen these given as well, particularly in certain other arenas.

Best two teams in the final?

But enough. The great myth being passed around now by Chelsea detractors is two attacking teams are in the final and Chelsea are defensive. Well lets look at the stats:

Chelsea Team Statistics Barcelona

1 Goals 1

1 1st Half Goals 0

4 Shots on Target 1

5 Shots off Target 8

4 Blocked Shots 5

6 Corners 6

16 Fouls 17

5 Offsides 0

4 Yellow Cards 3

0 Red Cards 1

69.7 Passing Success 87.7

23 Tackles 18

69.6 Tackles Success 77.8

29.1 Possession 70.9

42.1 Territorial Advantage 57.9

Chelsea may have had less possession but matched them almost apart from 1 (13 shots in total to Barca's 14) for chances and Chelsea's were the more potent (4 on target to Barca's 1). As for defensive, I think it is naive to leave a team so overly biased to attacking room and anybody who suggests it is clever to do so is frankly an idiot. Football involves defending and attacking, otherwise we might as well have a system of team attack, miss, then opposition team attack miss and so forth until a team scores than the opposition starts the cycle off again. Not football. You change tactics accordingly and when faced with such a forward line of Eto'o, Messi etc, of course you will be more cautious.

My question instead is, for all that possession and attacking force, how come Barcelona did not have at least TWICE the chance ration as Chelsea? The answer is to me they look good attacking but a lot of it is powder puff possession that damages no-one in the middle of the park, waiting for the opposition to fall into disorganisation. A lot of the teams, apart from Real Madrid, that Barcelona have carved up in La Liga would allow the likes of Middlesbrough and Newcastle to breathe easy freed from relegation fears if they were in the Premier League.

Chelsea gave, up until the equalizer and final whistle, a mature performance. Barca cannot cope with strong organised defences. Thus to me the final is probably going to be a whitewash. I think if Manchester United keep their heads, though as a Chelsea fan I loathe to say it, at some stage they could be 3-0 up. Barca might get one back but I think Manchester United are going to make yet more history. Chelsea would have given a better game in terms of keeping the final alive throughout 90 minutes. Barca will turn up, look pretty but get battered on last nights performance.

Have had a bit of a hectic month and a half with one thing and another.

Been following the Blues as usual and have added an article on Bleacher Report on the upcoming quarter final clash against Liverpool.

In addition I have visited the Science Museum to see what the fuss was about their lates and I must say very impressive. Punk Science certainly deserve to be turning away 250 people from the too small theatre at the museum, full of energy and fun. The ability to walk around the museum and play with various exhibits brings back that thrill of being a kid and learning about things in a playground environment-I may sound positively easily amused but I was chuffed at smacking three bits of wood and just from the noise working out the rotten one!

The Listening Post was exactly as the description says, a symphony, more a work of art than science. To explain if you are still here and in my own words, the creators Mark Hansen and Ben Rubin have made several movements made out of random internet messages on forums which appear as scrolling text, either in full paragraphs or 'old style' cinema scrollers, or are conveyed by electronic voice. The pitching and selection of pieces for the voices to read almost harmonise and convey rhythm, if there is a sound of the internet this is it.

Oh No......

.....not again!

Well here we go again. Sitting at my computer flicking around the sports pages on the internet, feeling angry for Tony Adams even though I don't support Pompey, whatever happened to giving guys a chance I thought when I came across the latest managerial casualty. Scolari sacked as Chelsea manager was the headline. Whatever happened to he was the outstanding choice?

Look, I was at the Hull game, I heard the chants, the mood was ugly and one or two fans were muttering about whetting their knives for Scolari. What did not help Big Phil was the inexplicable decision to take off Quaresma, the new signing, who had been one of the better players, especially for Drogba. Nothing against the Ivory Coast hitman in fact but on the previous Thursday, I attended an event with Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink who pointed out Drogba played better with wingers and here he was, taking off a winger. Strange, to say the least.

However, having said all that, I am not a fan of removing managers midway through a season or this, as Sir Alex Ferguson has said, lack of patience. I did not like Grant for example, but given time he was improving and showing his worth. Again, I felt his dismissal was far too early. As was Claudio Ranieri's.

Roman Abramovich is turning into quite the managerial hitman. Four in six years is quite a rate. I do not think there are enough quality managers to keep that rate up! Unbelievable. What makes it worse is the air of inevitability about it. Scolari started off so brightly and I was hoping that the start would continue so that I would be shown up for my naivety. Unfortunately, my prediction came true, and now there is indeed egg on some very big faces. Not least of all Chelsea football club and their sugar daddy owner.

Roman Abramovich, for all his business acumen and millions, which he is clutching on to ever tighter these days, in the current economic climate where only oil money seems to grow in fields, has failed to understand football.

New managers always want an overhaul of squads, one of Scolari's gripes, the failure to bag him Robinho has been costly. The Brazilian has been every bit as brilliant as I hoped. Gallingly, it is in the blue of Man City and not Chelsea. However Abramovich's biggest mistake is not seing the need for stability, or past Mourinho's outbursts in the press for what they are-part of the brinkmanship of modern football. The state Chelsea are in returns us to another prophetic warning I laid out in a university newspaper article I wrote in 2007 reproduced here in full:

Mourtal Mistake

Jose Mourinho has his critics and much as he aims to be he is not perfect. However the events of recent weeks have served to make one thing clear. Mourinho is important to Chelsea and possibly the Premiership as a whole. If Chelsea sack or allow Mourinho to leave they would be making a catastrophic error. The events have made this clear as the rumours of unhappiness in the squad and the rumours of Mourinho’s departure have forced a re-examination of his achievements. Mourinho won the Premiership in his first season in charge and in a country that was not his own. This is a mark of a special manager. He has also changed the level of achievement in the Premiership. In his first season in charge Chelsea got a record points haul. The second season they also reached a ninety plus target. This in turn forced Sir Alex Ferguson, one of the best managers in the world to concede Man Utd’s historic approach of charging in the second half of seasons was no longer enough. To win the Premiership now a team must, much like Arsenal in their unbeaten year, have a consistent run, start to finish with few mistakes. Mourinho has helped accelerate that process. Mourinho has also helped bring on English players. For all the talk of big transfers, money and one or two mistakes-Shaun Wright-Phillips for example- who have not worked out, look at the squad again. When he came he was determined to keep the English spine to the squad declaring himself happy with the “best defender in the world” John Terry and the “best midfielder in the world” Frank Lampard. Sven Goran Erikksson criticised Joe Cole for not being more than a creative flair player but failed to galvanise the midfielder into a more rounded player. Mourinho however did. At the World Cup Joe Cole was arguably one of England’s better performers and made a fair fist of the troublesome left midfield position. Mourinho may be under pressure but it is pressure of his own making and there is no problem in that. Despite missing some key players through injury-both main goalkeepers, John Terry, Joe Cole even, Chelsea remain six points behind United. Chelsea are in both domestic competitions and the Champions League. As the latter competition returns Cech is ready to play, albeit with protective headwear, and Terry is not far behind. Thus any rifts, any desires by backroom forces would be ridiculous. The rumours smack of non-football related fears. That some expensive players, contractually and transfer fee, and the cost may not be returned immediately. If Chelsea fails to win this season, projects such as Peter Kenyon’s China trip in recent weeks would be less successful. Nobody but die-hard fans support an unsuccessful team. However, with Mourinho in charge, without interference, trophies will be won. He is a winner. He has won four leagues in a row. If money has been overspent than Chelsea should have been firmer from the beginning,. a player’s value should be similar regardless of who is calling. Again, regardless of whom Mourinho asked for, the club should be run as a business and some of Chelsea’s decisions have been poor business. That’s not up to Mourinho so those errors lay elsewhere. Than there are the alternatives: Mourinho is one of the youngest managers to employ. Guss Hiddink may be a great manager but he will for at least one season be following his PSV patterns and also managing a national side. Much as his management has worked wonders, the Premiership may test that juggling act. In addition he does not like the kind of press scrutiny the English game generates. Marcello Lippi has also been named as a contender but he is fifteen years senior than Mourinho and would have to learn English. Therefore it is evident that for his age and his abilities Mourinho would be a big loss to Chelsea and any decent board would try everything in their power to retain him.

The fact as we all know, is they didn't. I just hope, irony of ironies, Mourinho does not achieve what Inter hired him for, the Champions League. It would be his greatest and most satisfying victory. The biggest reply to the events that saw him ousted from what could have been a throne as long lasting as Sir Alex Ferguson's.