Ireland Update.

Over Christmas I have, unfortunately, not had much time to look up many more events to add to the provisional calendar for my proposed road trip by car hire Ireland.

Catching up with a friend of mine who has good local knowledge did enable me to add some more places to add to the provisional itinerary. I had mentioned Cork, Dublin, Galway and Kilkenny.

Now to add to that list is Kerry! For the purposes of the road trip there is the famous Ring of Kerry (or Iveragh Peninsula to give it its correct name) which is full of beautiful, unspoilt scenery and numerous little villages.

So that shall be my new year research-to add the delights of Kerry to the itinerary. More soon.

Ireland Update.

Last time I wrote about a calendar of events in Cork and said that I would amalgamate events by month and plan the road trip by Car Hire Dublin, around the one with the most events.

It has been another hectic month, including taking in various football matches and even filing a report for one. However among my research I did find out that the Carlsberg Cat Laughs Comedy Festival takes place in Kilkenny from June the 3rd to June the 7th.

That is another notch in June's column. In Cork five days later the Cork Midsummer Festival takes place and on the 19th Pink plays Dublin. Alternatively Frankie Boyle plays Dublin on the 25th May so this does look like a good month.

However I may also check to see who else may be around Ireland and when they are going. More on that possibly in the next update!

Ireland Update:

Last time I noted on the calendar several events taking place in Dublin. However, as the plan is to do a road trip by Car Hire, Ireland I have had a look at some of the other places I want to visit such as Cork. From April onwards Cork is certainly living up to its cultural billing:

April 2010

21/04/2010 - 25/04/2010 Cork World Book Fest

A celebration of literary works with

exhibitions, author readings and

events in the cities libraries.

As a book lover that does sound right up my street but there is more

June 2010

12/06/2010 - 27/06/2010 Cork Midsummer Festival

The highlight of the Cork Summer

Calendar, includes theatrical

productions, street performances,

and Live at the Marquee.

Again, love theatre etc so sounds like that could be a blast but that's not all Cork has on offer:

July 2010

July 2010

10/07/2010 - 16/07/2010 Cork Week

One of Ireland biggest sailing

events, with entertainment and

events all week.

So where to begin? Well next I think I will keep collating all the other events then tally them off, the cluster of the most wins....probably!

Ireland Road Trip Update.

I have had more time this week to do some more research on possible events and dates for the proposed car hire Dublin road trip round Ireland. Here is a provisional calendar to be mixed, matched and whittled down:

Dublin

MARCH 2010

20^th Rhod Gilbert-already discussed

MAY 2010

9^th Jamie Cullum

25^th Frankie Boyle-another comedian I'd like to see live even if he can be a bit close, if not over the knuckle!

JUNE

19^th Pink-The singer, like some of her tracks so would love to see her Carnival show.

SEPTEMBER

2-4^th Dara O'Briain-Yes, another comedian but abslutely great, love how he can take even the most mundane and turn it into an adventure.

Only thing is that's a big spread of months so something in there will have to give.

More news soon with other cities/towns as so far this is very Dublin centric!

Ireland Update.

Talking of Gordon Strachan in my last post seemed like another one of those strange coincidences that sail by on the maelstrom of life. Within ten days the master of the quick word, “Velocity”, returns to management at the expense of Gareth Southgate.

My personal view on the firing of managers before all the leaves have fallen from the trees can be found elsewhere on this blog but it is of interest in this case because Strachan reveals his round the world plans were shortened to just California and Galway.

The new Middlesbrough gives me the following travel advice for my forthcoming road trip round the Emerald Isle by Car Hire, Ireland.

"I drove round the west coast of Ireland in the summer. It rained every day but it was stunning."

So that will be a camera and some waterproofs to add to the packing list then!

Another week or so that seems to have just whirled by in a maelstrom of events. Been setting up my new machine as the old workhorse, dependable as it is, has been left behind in the techno arms race.

Frankly 512mb RAM is like Gordon Strachan's proverbial water pistol against the bunker busting missiles of 4Gb Ram.

Also on the to do list was revisiting one of my former universities for a series of career seminars as well as various writing tasks. I am also aiming to write a few sports related blogs in the next few weeks for various outside blogs as well as some political/non-sports related ones for Old Wistful here. Travel plan blogging is ticking over nicely and the trip will be great I am sure but some long form writing would be nice also.

All of which has left the road trip around Ireland, via Car Hire, Dublin on the waiting list. So far to recap, I have a general idea of route and places to visit but only one event to 'peg' the skeleton but unfortunately that is in March. A little early for my liking but when the event is Mr Rhod Gilbert well.....


Need I say more?

As a former student of history I decided that another factor to consider in my road trip around Ireland could be to look at Irish history. Places mentioned in history could then be added to the itinerary. During my preliminary reading in the last week, I have decided that Kilkenny would make an excellent candidate. Kilkenny would also help with the trip, by car hire, Ireland as it ‘evens’ up the route. Currently I have Dublin as the start finish and Galway, Limerick and Cork but these would leave a bit of a hole between Dublin and Cork. Kilkenny would help plug this gap. More soon.

I have been fairly busy with one thing or another; caught up with some friends and trying to work on a few creative writing projects some of which require some background research. I also got given another assignment by an online website-unfortunately it is an unpaid piece but keeps the hand in. All of which means, however, I have not had a chance to look at events for the possible car hire Ireland road trip. I did however find a 1p whilst sifting through my paperwork. What is the significance? Well, you may simply dismiss this as new age phooey or whatever but it turns out this was not just any penny, this was a penny from Eire. Sure, a coincidence, but still one of those strange coincidences that get you musing on whether there really is more out ‘there’. I want to believe. I want to believe this road trip is meant to be so, hopefully more next week when my schedule looks a little less hectic writing and event wise.

Currently been busy with helping sort out some old paperwork, which was long overdue as well as some other business to attend to. One such piece was an article for the Bleacher Report on football as well as a few applications for a few things. With the weather promised to turn nasty, indeed as I write this the threat of rain looms lurch in the form of a perma-gloom, some garden tending also called.

All of which means I have had few moments to have a look at possible events to add to the Ireland road trip, although the brief looks I have managed to have have not presented any opportunities. So far Rhod Gilbert in Dublin is it! However, just looking at the route, the idea is to kick of and end in Dublin, car hire Dublin, and visit at least Galway, Limerick and Cork. The meat that needs to be added to the plans bones is events, that way the direction-clockwise or other-will become clear. Ah well, hopefully next week can have a more in depth event hunt!

Hmm...


Been extremely busy over the last few weeks so have not had much time to think or research an itinerary for the provisional 2010 car hire Ireland road trip. Some of you, admittedly small in number, have indeed begun to ask about what I am thinking about. This is particularly in light of the fact that some of my circumstances are not ideal but yes, I am hoping to do it, I think it will be fun. The current idea now is to hunt around for events like a scattergun that sound interesting and where they are then whittle them down. Like a sculptor or carpenter creating his masterpiece from the block of rock and wood. This idea has presented itself because I was hoping for a summer extravaganza when my preliminary research stumbled upon a problem. March to be precise. Or Dublin. Or most pertinently, Rhod Gilbert, the Welsh wizard of comedy, is meant to performing there. If the words tog, ratings and system mean nothing to you, or indeed if they do but in a horrible nightmare way, go and look for his skit about it on Youtube. Pure genius.

More ideas soon, plus, to help me out, fire some my way if you find an event.

I have had a mixed week this week. Started out fairly relaxed, chilling with a friend of mine who was back in the area. As the week has worn on though it has got increasingly hectic. Case in point was the mad Tuesday scramble for jobs after which I then had a serous Xbox session with my mate. Wednesday he went to pick up his car and sitting in his dad’s car I noticed an Ireland road map. Still have not got a ‘mapped’ out itinerary yet for the road trip using Car Hire Dublin but that looked like a sign. Or a reminder depending of your viewpoint seeing as I also saw the new Satnav application for the iPhone, so I’d probably be using that! Just a case of getting a job to get the funds together but while I wait I’m going to check for any events next summer. Anybody find any let me know.

I have been a bit busy the last few weeks, with various interviews, job searches, meeting up with a few pals and getting enthralled in the fantastic cricket. I am certainly hoping England can pull off another summer 2005 and win but still expect the Australians to come back strong with at least one victory. Edgbaston could well be it with the ‘injury swing’ going in the Aussies favour, the probable return of Brett Lee and the sidelined Kevin Pietersen for England. All this means is that the planning of the Ireland road trip itinerary, where the idea is to car hire, Dublin has not got much further but is definitely something I am thinking of but probably for 2010, keep you posted!

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.

Snow madness!


I have posted this to throw my two cents into the snow storm that was whipped up this morning after the chaos that has left commuters stranded this evening and struggling to get to work if at all today.

Firstly the chaos actually started last night and I was caught up in it. I went to the Liverpool v Chelsea game at Anfield. That should have been enough misery for one night but oh no! Last night was going for last tube around midnight to Wimbledon from Fulham after getting back on the coach!. Gates closed, I was turned away tubes finished cos of weather so go to bus stop, first one that stops driver gets out-no buses we are going straight for depot no pickups.

Absolutely stark raving annoying, a bit of snow and the country goes to pot, Boris Johnson now blaming the quantities-erm, well, gritting may have ended up being overwhelmed but it might have helped it from starting to settle thereby mitigating some of the worst of it. I saw no evidence of gritting already done or in progress.

Taxis wouldn't go anywhere really outside London, I live outside London. Besides, did not have the money for a taxi and by extension a room for the night. In addition, correctly as it turned out, I surmised holing up for the night still would not solve anything as nothing would move today and so I would still be stuck in London. Only one thing to do WALK! In the snow flurries. I walked along part of the A3 in places and I did not see any gritters till six this morning, so much for doing all they can, ice and snow already taken hold by then.

Eventually I get a train at Surbiton quarter to ten 14 miles away from where I started and get to a station 5 miles from home. That means I walked a total of 19 miles in the snow, much of it overnight in the coldest and most heavy flurries. So, while I sympathise with commuters, they really only caught the middle of it :-) Even on the last four miles one council has gritted but the other one failed to (my walk crosses two boroughs), the road up the hill to Brooklands College was like an ice rink and hardly any grit, some guys had stopped and were helping to marshal traffic and put down sand. Who these guys were god knows, two had Hi-Vis jackets but the other three looked like civvies so no idea if council approved or some good Samaritans doing what the council should have.

Also throughout my walk home saw lots of people in cars skidding under the slowest of speeds. It was a case of being safer walking. Also the usual mix of ace drivers-going slow with hazards on and idiots going too fast, beeping those going cautiously, one woman attempting to overtake a slow lorry up the aforementioned ice rink, I mean, what was she thinking the lorry was going slow for? Not to mention the bottle neck at the top of the hill where two or three cars had slid into each other which meant traffic could only go through on one side. She semi skidded and she went to pull out, saw the carnage further up the road and suddenly saw sense and pulled in. Behind her another car stuck in the traffic was honking his horn, wtf? Why?!!! Where the hell does he think people are going to go?

I was glad to get home and go to sleep.

I have been bad......

.....very bad. I have not uploaded anything for a while so here I am dusting down the cobwebs.

Since my last post I have been doing a lot of travelling, taking in Monza, as part of Bridgestone's five year celebrations.


This year's competition is open for entries.

The circuit itself was awesome, as a Ferrari fan to be at one of Italy's iconic circuits and hear the roar of the F1 machines ...well, it was a day of personal heaven for me! A magical experience despite all the mud, after the deluge that helped highlight the sport's latest German superstar. Sebastian Vettel did not put a foot wrong all weekend and watching him drive away lap after lap, despite Ferrari's poor showing, made the sun shine despite the damp conditions. I would certainly urge anyone who has not been to go. I certainly cannot wait to make another pilgrimage.

As well as Monza, near Milan, I have gone slightly Italian crazy in my travel plans. I have been to Rome before as a youngster and finally the Trevi magic weaved it's spell and once more I took in The Eternal City. Those of you who know me well will know that football was involved, and as a Chelsea fan with a fondness for some of the European teams, Roma being the ones I follow in Serie A, it was a perfect match up. Of course, the result did not go according to plan being a Chelsea fan first, all others second, but the Stadio Olimpico was grander than I expected and the trouble did seem far away. In fact with some good stewarding, a small incident was easily contained from becoming explosive. However, knowing the match was against Roma, I decided to go for a week and revisit some sites I had seen before as well as visit some new ones. The Colosseum never fails to break my neck in its sheer size and as the blueprint for stadiums, what with the match coming up I ended up idly comparing Olimpico and the Colosseum. In their respective eras both heaving with fervent 'fans' roaring on the action in the middle, a visit to the Colosseum would certainly have been a must for any self respecting Roman. Not so much for the early Christians though. Visiting the Catacombs on the Appian way was an eye-opening and educational experience, being taken down by a guide and walked through the catacombs really bought the history and the early fraught beginnings of the religion to live. There was a calm, serene quality to the atmosphere, whether it was simply the thought that this was once sanctuary to so many or something more spiritual is open to one's personal view. I, however, found that it was a beautiful silence and stillness to the air which is very rare in modern life, certainly in contrast to the hustle and bustle of the nearby city. As I had always wanted to visit the catacombs since seeing them in tour books I bought the first time, it was a journey I enjoyed making. This was especially the case as I made the trip on the Thursday. Earlier in the week I had made an early morning dash to the prefecture on the Tuesday for the Pope's open audience address on the Wednesday. The ability to see both the early sites of Christian worship and burial and the modern seat of the leader of Catholicism created a reverential, even spiritual experience.

Apart from the travelling I have also been sprucing up some fiction work and trying to get that side of my writing passion working again as well as taking time out seeing friends and family. Now though I really should get back to this non-fiction blog and some journalistic writing.

I shall start with a few loose ends.

The new F1 machines look a lot nicer in my opinion than the 2008 cars although I still remain unconvinced by the front wings. The other interesting factor I have noticed is the differing nose cone shapes with some going for 'fat and squat' shapes and others smaller more 'beak'shaped noses.

I have also doing a lot of reading and one article on the Times website caught my eye in particular. Well, seems I was musing right but will it actually happen? I hope so, I am a big fan of hard discs and video streaming such as iPlayer and so forth but the infrastrucutre needs to catch up with hardware.

I am currently working on setting up a few work pieces and these should be helping to start the blog counter revving up again. The hardest post I find though is the first one after a long absence so that debt is now served.