Well hello again blogsite – it’s been quite a while since my last posting. We had a great (if busy) time back in our lovely home in Italy. We left there when the temperature was 38℃. And here we are back in the UK and it’s deep autumn. Sigh.
Ok so what have we missed? Well the end of British summer time clearly (wasn’t this supposed to be the mother of all BBQ summers – ha!). And the Premiership season has already started whilst the transfer window has closed without a single posting from me. Must correct that soon. For now I can say that whilst it was a little disconcerting to realise that my team Man Utd had turned into a selling club, two items of football news have pleased me enormously. There can’t be many football fans who weren’t warmed to see that Chelsea have been found guilty of illegal transfer procedures by FIFA and have been banned from any transfer dealings until January 2011. Oh I know it’ll probably be reduced on appeal (and that Man Utd will probably be unlikely to be blameless when it comes to poaching young players) ….but it will be sooo gratifying to see one of the snakeoil twins, Kenyon or Arnesen, take the rap and say adios to life at the Bridgski. Ho, ho, ho. Secondly, how welcome was the news that one of the Gooner divers par excellence (though nobody beats the King of the Cormorants, Robert Pires) has received a two-match European ban by EUFA for diving to win a penalty. Of course Arsenal and the Professor are enraged at the ‘flawed’ decision but can they really baulk at the ruling? If Arsene didn’t see this one, he really does need to go see Specsavers.
What else? Well it was slightly alarming to return and find that Big Brother was still running. Has anyone really been watching this bunch of misfit wannabees? I checked in once to find some guy who looked like one of the fairground guys who collects fares on the Waltzer and makes the girls with big thighs scream by whizzing the carriage around wildly, walking around in nothing but skimpy shorts. Not a pretty sight. What a total shock to find C4 had cancelled the show eh. The thing is, tonight’s the final night of the current season and I have a horrible feeling I might not be able to resist having a sneaky look to see which of the losers wins. Sad.
Speaking of waste of spaces, I see that the porker Katona has finally been sacked from her role as the face of frozen food giants Iceland, as news of her cocaine taking and erractic and abusive behaviour became public knowledge. Gosh you don’t say. Those folks at Iceland are sooo tuned in. Still it seems that life’s not all bad for that other Princess of Excess Katie Price. Following the unforeseen split from dopey and useless husband Pete (OMG who saw that coming?) the demur Katie has got back on that ‘horse’ and paired up with a sex-addicted cage fighter. Oh I can hear the sound of wedding bells already. The guys at Hello must be dusting down the pink carriage and the dashing white horses even as I write.
And in the wacky world of music it’s reassuring to know that Michael Jackson’s body has at last been buried. Ditto it seems the chances of Liam and Noel ever playing together again in Oasis. Never? Definitely…..maybe. See what I did there? Hey don’t look back in anger fellahs. I’ll stop this now.
It’s good to be back.
pp
Pasta Paulie 
Welcome back!
Hi Paul
Good to see you back. No comment on the Ashes??? What’s going on?
In a nutshell, we won, they’re sick as parrots, Freddie was great, Bopara was shite, but it was a great series..
H
Hi M and Helen,
Hope you guys are well.
How could I forget the Ashes result? Holy kookaburras, throw another roo on the barbie Marlene. Maybe it slipped my mind because it’s getting so predictable…chortle. I wonder when it comes to captaincy if the Australian Cricket Board will still be wanting Ponting? Suspect not cobbers. Double chortle.
pp
Something very strange is going on in football… Players diving (Eduardo), players stamping on other players faces (Adebayor), players running 75 yards to celebrate in front of an away crowd nearing a riot (Adebayor) and a manager being sent to the stands (Wenger). Do you spot the connection? Arsenal are a great side and play a beautiful game. There is though something nasty and cynical about the gooners (and ex gooners) that leaves a bitter taste when watching them. Through the years there’s been a bit of bad blood between the gooners and Man Utd (remember Keown et al surrounding Van Nistelroy like schoolyard bullies?) but they just seem to be getting worse. I blame Wenger a) for having ‘ars’ in part of his name b) by Ars never condemning his players c) by Ars never seeing any foul his players commit d) by relying on 11 players generally not of English extraction e) by signing ‘Ars’havin when we should have bought him instead of hanging on to the other diver Ronaldo.
I suppose it’s not all bad. I hate Liverpool even more.
hi hel
i think you might attract comment from another regular reader and fellow blogger PGOB who’s a big arsenal fan!
i was reading the headlines this morning about AW being incensed at Adebayor’s rough-house actions and his anger that his manager mark hughes hadn’t seen the incident in the same way as everyone else. now this did strike me as a little hypocritical. i seem to recall a number of red cards, spittng incidents and outrageous dives by arsenal players over the years that wenger incredibly never ever managed to spot.
surely hughes is only doing what wenger, ferguson and every other leading manager does; which is not to rebuke one of his players publicly. it might not be morally appropriate but they all do it and to hear wenger complaining about another manager’s myopia is more than a bit rich. not least as it comes so soon after eduardo had his CL suspension rescinded, not because it had been proved that he he hadn’t dived but because EUFA had buggered up their legal legal case and arsenal didn’t. it was a victory for good legal work; not player innocence.
i’d admire wenger more (and I do in all honesty believe he is one of the great managers we have seen in this country) if he were to be the first leading manager to come out and say that his players would now be fined by the club for deliberate simulation, arguing vehemently/remonstrating with refs, deliberate dangerous play and really unseemly behaviour like spitting at other players/the crowd. all the stuff that seems to leave a lasting and imitable impression on young kids.
until then i agree hel – shut up wenger.
finally, i’ve just heard on the radio that the lovable rogue peter kenyon has lost his job at russia fc. football fans around the world will be deeply saddened at the news. i wonder what the chances are of the glazers deciding to let bygones be bygones and invite him back to old trafford? hmmn…probably about the same as gordon brown winning the next election by a landslide.
chortle
pp
I hear Notts County might have a few bob spare to invest in someone of Kenyon’s calibre to help Sven keep his job for a few months until he walks…
ah good shout hel.
the horny swede and the snakeoil salesman together at last. they so deserve each other!
pp