Hey Mr Tangerine Man

David Dein wants to become FA chairman, apparently, and Commrade Usmanov has bought a few more shares, raising fears he may actually be planning to attempt a take over at the Arsenal. Quivvers all round, and not just from the snow.

The Joy Of The Interweb

Hey, most cool indeed!

Check out this here site playmates!

Cheers, Drives

Sorry, this one's a tad late.


Good evening with the drives on Saturday. Thank you chaps. Have a great Christmas.

Actually, He Might Be Right This Time

Ashley goes bonkers again? Wouldn't be the first time, so the latest Newcastle shocker might well at first glance look like yet another blunder. But then, maybe not. I for one - on the admittedly none-too-sound assumption that the new manager really is a "good" one - think this may just well be a very shrewd move indeed.

Watch that there space, I reckon.

No Really, You're Too Kind

At the bus stop at 07.50, raring to get into a new week. Still at the bus stop, and now frozen to the pavement, when a bus finally arrives at 08.35. Penguin-like, we the would-be passengers waddle towards the platform. Some of us even manage to get on. To discover the fares have gone up. Apparently, this is to make life easier for us penguins as we no longer need to carry about so much change. Bollocks. This doesn't help me at all. Up to today I carried a £2 coin which I gave to the driver and he gave me 5p back. So I'd still be carrying one coin both before and after the transaction. After today I will be carrying a £2 coin and not giving it to the bus driver because I will be walking to work in future. Thus I will still be carrying one coin.

The new policy does mean the bus drivers won't need to carry so much change, but in my experience they don't carry any anyway, and end up being told "oh never mind" by punters not thinking life to be long enough to wait whilst the driver explains that he hasn't got 5p, but that he could offer 2p now and 3p when you get off, if he's got it - or offer you a change ticket which appears to be some means the bus company uses to screw money out of you for absolutely nothing at all.

Enough already.

Same Old

So no surprises in yesterday's news announcements. England didn't get the 2018 WC, NASA had in fact not discovered alien life but some unusual, though entirely terrestrial, bug in a lake in California. Much angst and dismay at the WC outcome in many places, most of it entirely justified IMHO. Whatever the strengths of the Russian bid the whole vote procedure stank most rank. And then Qatar got the 2022 WC. Right.

A number of people are suggesting England should boycott FIFA. I suspect this wouldn't work, but I think England not entering future WCs makes perfect sense. Concentrate on the European Championships where, let's face it, the majority of the decent teams play anyway. This will at least cut England's contribution to the FIFA cash cow.

As BoJo pointed out yesterday, FIFA can't continue in its present state. It's not even as if it's tainted with the *suspicion* of corruption - the evidence is there for all to see (they've even suspended their own members) and until there is radical change every even vaguely controversial decision will be seen as potentially the outcome of yet more underhand dealings.

I suppose one good thing to come of this is another nail in the coffin of the Bristol City new stadium fiasco. With no potential WC function to get excited about, the council may finally realise that they can't justify wasting more open space (and allowing yet another giant supermarket) just so a team that will quite possibly be in the third division of English football next season can have a WC standard stadium.

I fully agree that Bristol as a city could do with a world-class multi-function stadium but it should be one that potentially benefits the people of Bristol, not just Sainsburys and whoever owns the new ground. Build a really decent stadium/facility up by the M4/M5 junction.

Beer later?

A Day For Improbable News, Perhaps?

So by the end of today (or actually a tad earlier if you must be pedantic) we may discover that England will host the 2018 World Cup Of Soccerball (15.00 GMT/Pedant Time) and that NASA have discovered proof of extra-terrestrial life (19.00 GMT etc). Equally, or perhaps more probably, we'll learn that the WC will be in Iberia - they by all reports having put in the worst bid - and that NASA have discovered something related to all the red dwarfs that have apparently just turned up.

On the improbable (if you thought about it a couple of months back) but now actual news front, Arsenal face Mad Roy's Keane's Ipswich in the semi-finals of the Carling Cup. That Ipswich beat West Brom (not-so-long ago victors at the Emirates) on the back of a twatting from Naaarch in the Old Farm Derby makes you wonder just how good Delia's boys are. Maybe it's the food. She does a good roast in that TV ad atm.

Today's sandwiches weren't frozen. This is an improvement, I feel.

And They're Off...

The Mos, that is. All gone. Well, all bar Rob's. He's a bit taken with his. He'll be a bit more taken when the men in white coats turn up, you mark my words.


£1,122 raised by Team Curtis Banks - pretty good stuff, I'd say, in support of a worthy cause.

Movember

Coming shortly. Men everywhere will be spending November growing moustaches to raise awareness of prostate cancer. There's still time to start your own team or otherwise get involved, so visit Movember and take a look.

Maybe They Didn't Warn Him About The Rain

So Steve Coppell's left the bobbin' lot from the other end of town after a mere 112 days in charge and with a competitive record of played two, lost two. David James must be wishing he'd joined the queue of ancient keepers outside the Emirates hoping for a job rather than ply his trade on a patch of grass which is going to be a supermarket sooner rather than later, I suspect.

Meanwhile the seagulls continue to plan. I don't suppose they care that John and I are on to them, they know their time will come.

Oliver Curd Trust - Queen's Head Update

A quick update on the Oliver Curd Trust fund-raiser at the Queen's Head, Bristol, on Saturday 17th July. Thanks to everyone who made Saturday such a good night, in particular the Fraser Road Race Band who dragged their sorry arses all the way from Shepton.


A good time was had by pretty much everyone I think - even those who ate the cheeseburgers - and over £360 is now winging its way to the Oliver Curd Trust.

Outstanding.

Eduardo Off, Easynet Sold Off, Too

Sad to see E9 off to Shaktar. More than enough's been said about what's happened to the poor guy over the last couple of years so all I'm going to say is thanks, and good luck.

I see that Easynet, or at least part of it, has extricated itself from the Murdoch empire. Quite what's going on here isn't at all clear, certainly not to me at any rate, but it's been organized by David Rowe, a man whose past record speaks for itself, and is therefore likely to be a good move for Easynet.

I wonder what will happen now to the Three Men I Admire Least?

Back Ache

Ouch. And my ankle hurts. Perhaps it's all down to the weird, tomato-killing weather. Mind you, quite why I worry about the tomatoes when I don't actually like them when they're all nice and ripe and far prefer the green tomato chutney we might have to make tons of if the weather b0rks them again is quite beyond me. I'd like the sun back, though, please.

Today's Cesc-botherer: Sergio Busquets.

17 July 2010 - Queen's Head Bristol - Oliver Curd Trust Charity Gig

Come along to the Queen's Head, Bristol (junction of Royate Hill and Fishponds Road) on Saturday 17 July for some groovy Rock 'n' Roll fun, a raffle and a BBQ all in aid of the Oliver Curd Trust.