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Wednesday 31 August 2011

The long goodbye

Well, it's been quite a week and it's only Tuesday.

Arsenal got completely skewered on Sunday by a United team that were
by no means world beaters.


So,depressing enough. Then again, that's only sport. The hits just keep on coming.


Then,on Monday my youngest child, my wilfull, loveable, scatty, intelligent, moody yet funny little girl left home. Just 21, she has gone out into the world to make her own way in it.
Who can blame her I suppose? People need to stand on their own two feet and try and make their own mark.

We fought, like any two headstrong people, but she was still my little girl and it was a huge wrench seeing her off yesterday. She was quite happy to be heading off on her big adventure but she was teary too, I could see it.

For a big mouthed sod I really don't know what to say. I hope this move works out for her and she is happy. I would hate to see her maybe fail and have to come back home disenchanted.

I know this happens to everyone at some stage but it surely is a heartbreaker and both of us were very upset last night and will be for some time to come as well.

What am I even doing putting this major event in with a mention of sport? I don't know.
I honestly don't know what I am doing today. Maybe it's too fresh in my mind to have any sort of rational perspective about it. Perhaps it's the kind of thing that a parent will never have a rational outlook on.

I feel listless, adrift and unable to deal with people today or to suffer fools easily. More than usual I mean.

I am not even sure I will post this entry as it seems to be formless and haphazard. It's more an emotional outpouring than anything reasoned and thought out.

I suppose like any parent you worry about your child's happiness and welfare. It just seems different to me this time. Maybe it's because she is our youngest, maybe it's because she's a girl.
Maybe because there is no one left at home only us now. I don't know. It's a confusing and upsetting time and, like any man, I have trouble expressing my feelings.

It's probably just as well we both have jobs to go to which will perpetuate the illusion of normality for us both and give us some semblance of structure. It's just that empty house when we get home.
What do people do when they become "empty nesters", a term I dislike but which is apt.

Ya know, for two people who got married at a ridiculously early age, we did ok. More than ok. We are still together, still happy. We raised two fine kids somehow by stumbling our way through it. Sure there was tears and hard times along the way but in the overall scheme of things I think we did pretty much ok. The kids seem to be fairly happy and didn't turn out to be serial killers, drug addicts or a danger to society!

Anyway, they know that if needed there is a bed and a home to come back to. That's an important safety net for anyone making their way in the world. I'm proud of those two, wanting to get on with their lives and I hope that they get everything they want and are happy. I think we did ok.
So...now what?

Wednesday 17 August 2011

Fear and loathing in Ashburton Grove

This post is going to consist of a lot of moaning and disillusionment concerning the state of Arsenal football club. Now I imagine that fans of 90-something other league clubs will take me to task and tell me that I'm full of shit and they would be right. Then again, I am not a Torquay fan or a Barnet fan.

Since Arsene Wenger's arrival I have become accustomed to seeing wonderful football and was spoiled just like many other Gooners by trophies arriving regularly. Since the move to the Emirates Stadium though things have gone steadily downhill it seems. Watching that innefectual performance against Udinese last night just nailed that down for me.

Injuries, selling prominent players and a transfer policy that just beggars belief. A manager that seems to be sometimes either losing the plot or is financially shackled to a previously unseen degree. Tug of war fights for shares between two millionaires who seem to be only interested in control. It's a miasma of fuckery
and there seems no solution forthcoming.

Fabregas being sold, Nasri on his way out too. Two of our more creative players. No replacements. We have a bunch of players that are just not good enough but we still can't shift them on somewhere else becuase their wages are far too high for most other clubs. Denilson, Diaby, Bendtner, Rosicky,Squillaci, Almunia. Who would buy these high priced wasters? Chamakh, on last night's performance, looks like
a man who has never played footbal in his life. A complete non-event as a player for most of his time at Arsenal. Honestly, you could pick up almost any striker from a Championship club who would at least give his all and try his heart out for a chance to play with Arsenal. Some of the goons we have don't seem to give a flying fuck and that hurts more than just being crap footballers.

Walcott, this generations Jermaine Pennant. Faster than a speeding bullet and less effective than a rolling "O". Gervinho, maybe too early to comment, but he looks like a stronger Chamakh with Walcott's headless chicken routine built in.

Honestly, of the squad that is there, I would ship them all out if I could. Only RVP, SZCZ, Vermaelen, Wilshere, Ramsey and Sagna are worth their salt. Song is a walking suspension every time he plays. Arshavin could be fantastic but most times seems disinterested. Jenkinson looks like he could be decent but needs time.Koscielny needs a strong partner at CB and needs to concentrate a hell of
a lot more than he does. Gibbs is more injury prone than two Kieran Dyers taped together. Djourou is a fine player but keeping him fit is more than a full time job.

The bench, such as it is, looks painfully short of quality. Frimpong, Lansbury, Myachi et al are all young players with potential but experienced quality is what we need.

Another thing is why do we suffer so many niggling injuries? What are the medical staff at Arsenal doing, or not doing, to combat this? Other clubs don't seem to have as many problems in this area.

We need to spend money on experienced, proven players to bed into the team who will lead from the front and who will help bring along our younger players as well. It doesn't seem to be happening.
Wenger seems reluctant to spend or maybe he just can't and won't admit it. It's very disheartening to the outside viewer. It's hard to see where the end of this particular tunnel is and if the light at the end is just the onrushing Arabian train.

Still, once a Gooner always a Gooner. Someday things will come right for us. I hope.

Like I said at the start, this is just a rambling, half thought out blurt out onto the page. Really,for composed, sane blogging about The Arse then check out @Arseblog, @JamrockRover and others on Twitter.

Finally, Samir Nasri, you are a moneygrabbing cunt and I hope you have fun sitting on Citeh's bench. Also, Adebayor for Spurs? Jesus, didn't Tottenham suffer enough during the riots?

Monday 8 August 2011

The drug of a nation

From time to time here I'll probably just rant a little about all sorts of random shite. Like now. Channel 4 and the American re-make of The Killing.

Now, I haven't yet seen the Danish original, Forbrydelsen to give it it's native title. By all accounts, critics and people in general, it was a huge critical success. So I can't really compare and contrast with the US version. Having said all that, this version is painfully slow to develop and like Prison Break and 24 before it seems like a lengthy series trying to pad itself out to a large episode arc.

I watch it, glassy eyed and mostly disinterested but I'm over halfway in now so I'll persist. The ancillary characters are woefully cardboard cut out and making a second season just goes to show how badly stuck AMC are for something else to hang their hat on apart from Mad Men and the superior in every way, Breaking Bad. In fact, ditch this ginger cop and convert to Walter White and his story. Now there's a series that uses silences and long drawn out sequences to constantly ramp up the tension.

So that's the recommendation. Blow off The Killing and watch Breaking Bad.

Better call Saul...

They're baacck!

So, Friday 5th August 2011 found me and Mrs. Blog at the HMV Forum in Londinium
to see one of my favourite bands return to the live circuit, The Jayhawks.

Having been pretty much a done deal since the release of the Rainy Day Music album the band
had done a few sporadic shows in Chicago, Minneapolis and Spain over the intervening years.
Now, with a new album Mockingbird Time ready to go, the band are re-energised and hitting the road again
with gusto. Comprising of the classic band line up circa Tomorrow The Green Grass album, the band hit the stage looking lively and ready for the fray. Then they proceeded to enthrall a pretty much sold out crowd to a run of songs that any Jayhawks fan would have been delighted and proud to witness being played live.

Among a bunch of classic songs the band dropped in a number of new tracks which fitted into the canon without a hitch.
Close to a 2 hour set with a bunch of encores and a promise from Gary Louris the previous evening
of a return in the new year when the album has been released. Good news in any fan's book.

Mark Olson and his lady Ingunn Ringvold also played a warm up set before the band which was well appreciated by the growing crowd filtering in. Clifton Bridge and Linda Lee being particular highlights for this correspondent.

Met up with a few friends from The Jayhawks Fanpage too for an all too short drink after, something
which we shall have to work out a bit better at the next show!

For anyone with even a casual interest in The Jayhawks, I would highly recommend getting to see them live
and picking up a copy of the new album in September when it's released.

You shouldn't hide your colours...


Wednesday 3 August 2011

London calling..

So this coming Friday, August 5th, I shall be in the HMV Forum, Kentish Town to see one of my very favorite bands. The Jayhawks. A band that's been close to my heart for many years now. Lazy journalists would call them Godfathers of the AltCountry scene. At the beginning of their career I suppose that was a handy label. Over the years though the band has evolved into a fantastic bunch of polished songwriters and performers.

I've travelled to see the band at Azkena Rocks in Vitoria, Spain and saw Gary Louris and Mark Olson as a duo in Dublin. Just listening to those two guys sing makes any travel worthwhile. Even on RyanAir.

New album, Mockingbird Time, is out in September and from what I've heard it completely endorses the band's decision to take up arms and re-enter the musical fray once again.

So, some YouTube links when I get the hang of this blog and photos to follow after the weekend.

Vaya con dios.

As if there's not enough blogging about eh?

So, a blog. A friend of mine, someone whose judgement I usually trust, has urged me to start a blog. Now, believe me I can talk crap with the best of them but blogging?

You see, there's a gazillion blogs out "there" and most of them are probably awfully boring. It takes a special talent to write and interest people. I don't for a minute imagine I can achieve anything remotely decent here but I shall persist for a while.

Entries here will include general rants about life, TV, movies, books and especially music. Music is my touchstone. This blog effort may or may not get read, that's cool. I shall dip in and out of here from time to time and I hope that's cool too.

Be good to each other.