I always look forward to the weekends but I was looking forward to this one more than most. The arrival of the weekend meant the end of a pretty tough week at Chez Esteva/Burns. The highlight of the week was losing two laptops last Saturday night. My work laptop and a personal one. I left them accidentally in the cinema on Saturday night like the true muppet I am, and they were gone when I went back to get them.
Police reports, watching CCTV footage, posting ads on local websites, contacting lost and found, the cinema – you name it, I did the lot last week and whoever has my laptops does not wish to return them. I have reluctantly accepted it now and I am resigned to the fact that they are gone. I genuinely do not care in the slightest about the cost, but the documents and photos are the most valuable loss. Website work, book work, wedding work, real work, photos, personal stuff.....all gone. I am not one to flaunt my emotions too easily, but I have been well and truly gutted with this one.
So to put it mildly, I have been experiencing one major sulk this last week. I am known to sulk every so often, but it doesn’t get me down for too long and I am able to display my bouncebackability. This one however has been one major sulk, an incredible one. The truth is, my emotions have been mixed. From denial, to disbelief to anger. Fortunately for the little hooded punk at the supermarket who pushed in front of me in the queue last Sunday, I was not quite at the anger stage.
To make matters worse, virtually everything else has gone wrong this week. Friday night gone, we arrived in Liverpool after a two hour flight delay only to find I had left my paper part of my driving license in Switzerland. No hire car for you sir. On the other hand, here’s a £150 taxi bill back to Leeds sir, and sleep well.
Bets have gone against me, my team has been going against me, work has been going against me, and the number of times I have found myself caught in torrential rain this week is beyond a joke. I dropped a yogurt at the checkout in the supermarket which splattered everywhere. What can you do other than suck it up and plug on.
I think I am just about over wanting to beat people up now. Having gotten some good exercise over the week and watched some boxing, my pent up anger has been released somewhat. Having spent the weekend with loved ones, and a pretty cool trip coming up this next ten days, this is just what the doctor ordered to remedy the incredible sulk. Reasonable Rob is returning.
Showing posts with label english football. Show all posts
Showing posts with label english football. Show all posts
Monday, November 15, 2010
Wednesday, September 8, 2010
Snipplings
HJ and I were in Nice airport last week and we people-watched for a while. Some sad farewells and some joyous hellos as folks watched their loved ones depart or arrive. Made me think that Airports are actually Churches – full of ups and downs and not too much middle ground. There is either great delight (weddings, christenings – arrivals) or there is sadness (the funerals and farewells). There are even folks who pray in both too!
So, the UFC have decided what better way to celebrate my 31st birthday than to schedule a huge event in the one place I have dreamed about watching a big fight for years now – December 11th, Montreal. I have no alternative but to go, and direct flights from Geneva make it all the more appealing. GSP on the card….what more could I ask for? Who is coming? I'll buy first round!
NFL season starts on Thursday and I am going to go on record with my Superbowl prediction. Ravens v Packers and I think the Ravens win the shootout.
I worked at the Switzerland v England game yesterday. My observations: Jo Hart showed his first signs of the vulnerability this season – it will be interesting to see whether it is a sign of things to come. Jagielka – I love this guy as much as any, but I think some of the praise is over exaggerated….I do not feel completely comfortable with him at this level and want to see the same against top class international strikers before being convinced by him. Some English journalists are pretty horrendous people. I expected the Swiss more than anybody to clamp down on smoking in the stadium but they were very relaxed about it. First half was one of the best halves I have seen from an England team for some while.
Read a whole lot on holiday last week – I have missed reading in recent months. Book to recommend – Andre Agassi’s autobiography. Very interesting read, but very much based on his psychology and what made him the guy he is. Far more emphasis on that than the actual sport – depends on whether that side of it interests you. It did me. One point in the book where he beat his dad at tennis when he was 9-years-old reminded me of when I used to play badminton with some mates after school with our English teacher who was pretty sharp. He used to hammer us every time, took no mercy, but I gradually started winnings points. After weeks and months of training and practicising and plenty of beatings on court, I eventually beat him and the feeling was amazing. Which leads me on to another book recommendation – this one comes via a colleague. Outliers by Malcolm Gladwell – The Story of Success. He discusses the “10,000-Hour Rule", claiming that the key to success in any field is, to a large extent, a matter of practicing a specific task for a total of around 10,000 hours.
Footballers and infidelity – do they genuinely think they can get away with it? I will never understand the logic of some many of them. The irony is, the wives/fiancées/girlfriends are generally prettier than the ones they are cheating on them with. I feel sorry for the intelligent and clever footballers who are honest and loyal but probably stereotyped as being just as thick as so many of their colleagues.
So, the UFC have decided what better way to celebrate my 31st birthday than to schedule a huge event in the one place I have dreamed about watching a big fight for years now – December 11th, Montreal. I have no alternative but to go, and direct flights from Geneva make it all the more appealing. GSP on the card….what more could I ask for? Who is coming? I'll buy first round!
NFL season starts on Thursday and I am going to go on record with my Superbowl prediction. Ravens v Packers and I think the Ravens win the shootout.
I worked at the Switzerland v England game yesterday. My observations: Jo Hart showed his first signs of the vulnerability this season – it will be interesting to see whether it is a sign of things to come. Jagielka – I love this guy as much as any, but I think some of the praise is over exaggerated….I do not feel completely comfortable with him at this level and want to see the same against top class international strikers before being convinced by him. Some English journalists are pretty horrendous people. I expected the Swiss more than anybody to clamp down on smoking in the stadium but they were very relaxed about it. First half was one of the best halves I have seen from an England team for some while.
Read a whole lot on holiday last week – I have missed reading in recent months. Book to recommend – Andre Agassi’s autobiography. Very interesting read, but very much based on his psychology and what made him the guy he is. Far more emphasis on that than the actual sport – depends on whether that side of it interests you. It did me. One point in the book where he beat his dad at tennis when he was 9-years-old reminded me of when I used to play badminton with some mates after school with our English teacher who was pretty sharp. He used to hammer us every time, took no mercy, but I gradually started winnings points. After weeks and months of training and practicising and plenty of beatings on court, I eventually beat him and the feeling was amazing. Which leads me on to another book recommendation – this one comes via a colleague. Outliers by Malcolm Gladwell – The Story of Success. He discusses the “10,000-Hour Rule", claiming that the key to success in any field is, to a large extent, a matter of practicing a specific task for a total of around 10,000 hours.
Footballers and infidelity – do they genuinely think they can get away with it? I will never understand the logic of some many of them. The irony is, the wives/fiancées/girlfriends are generally prettier than the ones they are cheating on them with. I feel sorry for the intelligent and clever footballers who are honest and loyal but probably stereotyped as being just as thick as so many of their colleagues.
Friday, July 9, 2010
It was the best of times, it was the worst of times
Well the World Cup is almost over. 64 games, one month, comes to a close on Sunday with a pretty decent final awaiting us. As anybody having read my pre-tournament analysis will know, I rate Spain as the best team around right now. They started slow with a poor loss to the Swiss, and had some average performances along the way, but they seem to have peaked at just the right time with a truly world class performance against Germany in the semis.
I heard early in the tournament some interesting information about Spain’s preparations at altitude training and how it had all been timed so that they would peak in the knockout phase of the competition. All of which sounds pretty sensible, plausible and logical. I also heard that England had done the same, following a similar regime. Unfortunately, they were unable to get through to the stage when that work would pay off!
I fully expect Spain to win the final. The Dutch have done well and surprised me somewhat, particularly the game against Brazil. They have won all their games in the tournament and are unbeaten in something like 25 games which is pretty impressive. That all said, I do not think they have faced a team like Spain.
There are a number of key elements which strongly favour Spain and how I expect the game to play out. Spain’s midfield is the best in the world bar none. I would go as far to say that there is no other national team that comes close to rivalling them in that area. Having seen Van Bommel exposed frequently against Brazil and Uruguay – I have no idea how he did not receive at least three bookings in those two games combined – they will really struggle to keep hold of the likes of Xavi, Iniesta and co. Even more so than the Germans did. Schweinsteiger has been fantastic the whole tournament, one of the best central midfielders. He was completely nullified in that game, and I expect Wesley Sneijder to face the same difficulties.
The other area is defensively. Holland have been somewhat flattered I think in this area, and I think it is a weakness – particularly against teams and players with excellent movement. I like Heitinga and he is probably the best of the bunch, but he will find it hard to deal with David Villa. Likewise down the flanks, especially Gio’s side, Spain will profit here.
The main factor in Holland’s favour is Arjen Robben. I’ve rambled about this before but I think he would be considered as one of the top five players in the world had he not suffered injuries and changed clubs so often. He could cause Capdevila and Ramos all kinds of problems and he will have to be at his very best if the Dutch are to have a chance of winning this game.
Otherwise it is Spain all the way for me, and rest assured I will have a pound or two on them for this game.
As much as the final entices me, I have been severely disappointed with this World Cup. I have enjoyed many of the games, but the actually quality of the competition has been incredibly low. In fact, I would go as far in saying that it was only the game between Spain and Germany where we saw some of the highest quality football. Otherwise, the competition has been littered with average games, and even the entertaining ones were largely down to refereeing mistakes, or poor defending/goalkeeping. How many absolute moments of brilliance can you remember from this one? There are not many at all. So many of the best players in the world also massively underperformed. Messi, Ronaldo, Rooney, Kaka....I could go on. Once again, just strengthens my belief that the Champions League is the best football competition in the world. I take Spain out of the equation as I rate them as comfortably the best team in the world, but every other team has significant weaknesses in their team. While it has been a success for the first WC held in Africa, I think international football is at a pretty low point right now.
I heard early in the tournament some interesting information about Spain’s preparations at altitude training and how it had all been timed so that they would peak in the knockout phase of the competition. All of which sounds pretty sensible, plausible and logical. I also heard that England had done the same, following a similar regime. Unfortunately, they were unable to get through to the stage when that work would pay off!
I fully expect Spain to win the final. The Dutch have done well and surprised me somewhat, particularly the game against Brazil. They have won all their games in the tournament and are unbeaten in something like 25 games which is pretty impressive. That all said, I do not think they have faced a team like Spain.
There are a number of key elements which strongly favour Spain and how I expect the game to play out. Spain’s midfield is the best in the world bar none. I would go as far to say that there is no other national team that comes close to rivalling them in that area. Having seen Van Bommel exposed frequently against Brazil and Uruguay – I have no idea how he did not receive at least three bookings in those two games combined – they will really struggle to keep hold of the likes of Xavi, Iniesta and co. Even more so than the Germans did. Schweinsteiger has been fantastic the whole tournament, one of the best central midfielders. He was completely nullified in that game, and I expect Wesley Sneijder to face the same difficulties.
The other area is defensively. Holland have been somewhat flattered I think in this area, and I think it is a weakness – particularly against teams and players with excellent movement. I like Heitinga and he is probably the best of the bunch, but he will find it hard to deal with David Villa. Likewise down the flanks, especially Gio’s side, Spain will profit here.
The main factor in Holland’s favour is Arjen Robben. I’ve rambled about this before but I think he would be considered as one of the top five players in the world had he not suffered injuries and changed clubs so often. He could cause Capdevila and Ramos all kinds of problems and he will have to be at his very best if the Dutch are to have a chance of winning this game.
Otherwise it is Spain all the way for me, and rest assured I will have a pound or two on them for this game.
As much as the final entices me, I have been severely disappointed with this World Cup. I have enjoyed many of the games, but the actually quality of the competition has been incredibly low. In fact, I would go as far in saying that it was only the game between Spain and Germany where we saw some of the highest quality football. Otherwise, the competition has been littered with average games, and even the entertaining ones were largely down to refereeing mistakes, or poor defending/goalkeeping. How many absolute moments of brilliance can you remember from this one? There are not many at all. So many of the best players in the world also massively underperformed. Messi, Ronaldo, Rooney, Kaka....I could go on. Once again, just strengthens my belief that the Champions League is the best football competition in the world. I take Spain out of the equation as I rate them as comfortably the best team in the world, but every other team has significant weaknesses in their team. While it has been a success for the first WC held in Africa, I think international football is at a pretty low point right now.
Wednesday, March 31, 2010
For Better or For Worse?
I mentioned to a couple of guys at work last week that I felt that the quality of the Champions League this season was lower than it has been for a while now. I was laughed at. Granted, I based my argument predominantly on the fact that I felt the English teams in particular had lost their way somewhat, and that in turn had led to a decrease in the level of quality. Of course, I realise that European football, and the UCL especially does not revolve around English teams, even if they have been the dominant force in the last few years. That said, I do feel it is a factor as to why the level has been poorer this season than in previous editions.
Perhaps rather than looking specifically at the UCL, it probably makes more sense to look at the domestic leagues. The Premier League this season could be one of the most exciting for several years with a three-way battle at the top, and a four-way battle for fourth place. At the same time, points totals are lower than average, and none of the top three in England convince me at all.
Chelsea seem intent on throwing it away. I have felt all season that if they could overcome losing some key players at the African Cup of Nations – which they did - they would be the team to beat in the league. Yet, John Terry and friends, combined with some injuries, are threatening to derail everything.
Man Utd have impressively managed to overcome the loss of Cristiano Ronaldo, yet if you remove Wayne Rooney from the team (which may now be a reality), then the lack of threat is clear to see. The midfield does not inspire me at all, while the defence has shown plenty of cracks this season for one reason or another.
I wrote about Arsenal and Arsene Wenger last month. I was not convinced then, and I am not convinced now that they will win anything this season. They have been gifted a route back into the title race thanks to Chelsea and Man Utd’s inadequacies rather than their own ability to grind out results. The run-in favours them unquestionably, but I still have clear doubts.
All three have been far from dominant and I think this has, and will be reflected in Europe. The way Man Utd let Bayern back in to the game last night will have concerned Sir Alex significantly. I am fairly sure Utd will go through at Old Trafford, I think Bayern are a class below Utd. But the way they lost possession so frequently, and looked vulnerable at the back, was alarming to say the least. Make no mistake, Bayern could and should have scored more, even if you could argue the same for Utd.
I am at the Arsenal v Barca game tonight, and I am genuinely excited about this game. It has the makings of being a superb game of entertaining football. That being said, I strongly favour Barca to emerge victorious from the two legs. Their form is not great right now, as they have scraped through a couple of league results recently, and have relied on the brilliance of Leo Messi. I think they have lost some edge and quality from last year even – I’m still not convinced that they are as good with Zlatan over Etoo. Overall however, I see them having too much for Arsenal over the two legs, in what should be some great football to watch.
Looking at the Spanish league this year, and over the last 18-20 months, the overall quality of football has declined also. This has been disguised somewhat by Barca’s superb performances, and also those of the national team. But outside of Barca and Real, who can simply outscore opposition in Spain but struggle against more canny European opposition, the quality really has dropped. The likes of Sevilla, Valencia, and Atletico are decent on their day, but are incredibly inconsistent and unable to challenge the top two. This cannot be good for the competitiveness in the league, and when they come to play in European competitions.
Maybe it is not such a bad thing that the English and Spanish teams are losing their way a little, and opening the door for other teams such as Inter and Bayern to push along and have a serious chance of doing well this season. I am however concerned that the general level of football this season has really dropped off. The World Cup could be a factor with the priorities of some players being focused on that rather than with their clubs. I would not say that it has affected the entertainment value of the UCL – it’s been a fascinating season, and is sure to continue that way. But I cannot help but feel that the quality of what I consider to be the best football tournament in the World, is declining.
Perhaps rather than looking specifically at the UCL, it probably makes more sense to look at the domestic leagues. The Premier League this season could be one of the most exciting for several years with a three-way battle at the top, and a four-way battle for fourth place. At the same time, points totals are lower than average, and none of the top three in England convince me at all.
Chelsea seem intent on throwing it away. I have felt all season that if they could overcome losing some key players at the African Cup of Nations – which they did - they would be the team to beat in the league. Yet, John Terry and friends, combined with some injuries, are threatening to derail everything.
Man Utd have impressively managed to overcome the loss of Cristiano Ronaldo, yet if you remove Wayne Rooney from the team (which may now be a reality), then the lack of threat is clear to see. The midfield does not inspire me at all, while the defence has shown plenty of cracks this season for one reason or another.
I wrote about Arsenal and Arsene Wenger last month. I was not convinced then, and I am not convinced now that they will win anything this season. They have been gifted a route back into the title race thanks to Chelsea and Man Utd’s inadequacies rather than their own ability to grind out results. The run-in favours them unquestionably, but I still have clear doubts.
All three have been far from dominant and I think this has, and will be reflected in Europe. The way Man Utd let Bayern back in to the game last night will have concerned Sir Alex significantly. I am fairly sure Utd will go through at Old Trafford, I think Bayern are a class below Utd. But the way they lost possession so frequently, and looked vulnerable at the back, was alarming to say the least. Make no mistake, Bayern could and should have scored more, even if you could argue the same for Utd.
I am at the Arsenal v Barca game tonight, and I am genuinely excited about this game. It has the makings of being a superb game of entertaining football. That being said, I strongly favour Barca to emerge victorious from the two legs. Their form is not great right now, as they have scraped through a couple of league results recently, and have relied on the brilliance of Leo Messi. I think they have lost some edge and quality from last year even – I’m still not convinced that they are as good with Zlatan over Etoo. Overall however, I see them having too much for Arsenal over the two legs, in what should be some great football to watch.
Looking at the Spanish league this year, and over the last 18-20 months, the overall quality of football has declined also. This has been disguised somewhat by Barca’s superb performances, and also those of the national team. But outside of Barca and Real, who can simply outscore opposition in Spain but struggle against more canny European opposition, the quality really has dropped. The likes of Sevilla, Valencia, and Atletico are decent on their day, but are incredibly inconsistent and unable to challenge the top two. This cannot be good for the competitiveness in the league, and when they come to play in European competitions.
Maybe it is not such a bad thing that the English and Spanish teams are losing their way a little, and opening the door for other teams such as Inter and Bayern to push along and have a serious chance of doing well this season. I am however concerned that the general level of football this season has really dropped off. The World Cup could be a factor with the priorities of some players being focused on that rather than with their clubs. I would not say that it has affected the entertainment value of the UCL – it’s been a fascinating season, and is sure to continue that way. But I cannot help but feel that the quality of what I consider to be the best football tournament in the World, is declining.
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