Tuesday 1 May 2007

The weather has been glorious and at the weekend I took the opportunity to get out on my favourite lake in Suffolk after pikey. I caught nine pike and a huge perch in blazing sunshine. The jack pike above was one of the smallest and was returned to water immediatley after the photo was taken, as always. Although the weather has been lovely , as I wrote last year, I am not sure we can really say it is any thing like normal or healthy for the long term prognosis on global warming. Although some people have been saying, correctly, that there has always been fluctuations in warming down the centuries this is another warmest month since records began in the seventeenth century. This ends a long lean spell of not catching fish a bit like Chelsea FC’s European cup hunt.

Tonight I am a happy man. Larry was mistaken. It never looked like a Chelsea Milan European final did it? Well it don’t now - LOL. Well Murinho you can moan and whine now with good cause and your pre match gripes will be remembered every time we taunt you with your lack lustre efforts. Sorry Chelsea you are just not European Championship winning material. Chelsea were ordinary with a few moments where we could see where the money went. Any way it’s down the pan now. I suppose that is the penalty for not being any good at taking them. Murinho's post defeat speech was very funny and deeply revealing. He is yet again convinced the better team lost. He prattled on about how "history will remember the cup winner not that Chelsea played better football than every one else". For once he is right. People will not remember Chelsea or him for playing the best football in Europe. Murinho definitely needs the Shankley Cure. Ten minutes at Anfield in the trophy room. It cures all doubters where ever they hail from. Raffa simply said he just cared about the win. The Kop choir was wonderful. We definitely sang the best as always.

Tony Blair has just circulated a self assessment of his career as Prime Minister to all New Labour MP s. I wonder if he recommends a return to any Old Labour policies. Things are so bad the suggestion wouldn’t be shouted down quite so much as it might have been a few years ago. Tonight he was described, by a colleague, as a good party leader but a poor Prime Minister. I don’t see how he can be the first and the second at the same time. First Supperists seem to have hit the nail on the head re Health Service issues in recent comments and I suggest most of your views are representative of national opinion.

There used to be four bands of care offered by Social Services. They were graded according to need. Now there are two bands. Soon there will be one and only those with the most extreme needs will be eligible for access to a social worker. Reason - cost. There are not enough resources in the service to deliver appropriate care. Social workers come in for a lot of criticism some of which is deserved but I don't hear many plaudits which is unfair. There are some skilled and deeply committed social workers but many of them are disillusioned and leaving the service because their work is not properly resourced.

Well I must not dwell on negatives we have a European Cup Final to go to in Athens four days after the EBB plays it’s first show there. I hope the ‘POOL play as well as we shall.

copyright e d g a r b r o u g h t o n 2007

14 comments:

Anonymous said...

more importantly than Liverpool in European finals, Is will Lincoln City make the play offs again for about the 5th time and will we be so cruely dissapointed again ! oohh dont know if i can take much more.
Rob we'll see you at Herzburg we'll be the ones in the green tent!!
ps have you read Dekes book if so would you like the 2nd volume
cheers
tony

Anonymous said...

Good luck with Lincoln City Tony, but sorry to say, more important is the fact that the Reds this year too will play the CL-final.
What a tremendous team and WHAT fans we have....
Reg the special one, well its maybe better not to comment...when he manages to say that Liverpool "never wanted to attack, but only went for a penalty shoot out", and that "Liverpool stopped cfc from trying to play football"....he's just stupido saying such crap...they'll probably have a new manager next year...
Sorry cfc fans, but we where the better team and deserved the victory, good luck against United in the coming final though.
Hopefully next season at Anfield ; we won it six times....and maybe ; in ancient Greece, we won it six times...? :)

Anonymous said...

Rob, First of all, let me offer congratulations to Liverpool on reaching the Champions league final (after scraping through on penalties) where they play Milan, should be a great game, Liverpool are certainly one of the top sides when it comes to cup competitions but sadly are unable at present to make the step up to challenge for the premiership title(the real prize)having not made a serious challenge for over seventeen years, so the trophy cabinet is not as full as it should be according to some.

I was dissapointed with last nights result, but hey it's only a game and we still look forward to the FA cup final and of course next season. you may not be a fan of Mourinho Rob but we at Chelsea although not always agreeing with his methods, appreciate what he has done for us over the past three years

Tony, good luck to Lincoln if they make the play offs where they could be playing my local side MK dons, maybe we can meet at Wembley?

Rob I hope you get to see the final while you are in Athens, and I WILL be hoping for a Liverpool win.

Larry

edgar broughton said...

Hi Larry
Fair comment my friend - we'll probably win the league as well next year. But we've got the ECF to win first. If we get beat - so be it. I watched Milan last night. They are quite good at football are they not? It would be historically awful if we'd played man U and got beat so here we go , here we go!I won't get to see the final in Athens, we'll be home by then but it would be great! Re the LFC trophy room you have to see to know.
Any way mate - all the best to you - it's only a game - good luck to you Larry

Hi Tony - still enjoying reading the book - he is quite mad isn't he ? Brilliant.

Yo Jarle
Congratulations mate - we did it - what ever will be, will be -

Peace to all

Anonymous said...

Hey, maybe the EBB could sneak into the ground and sing a verse or 2 of 'You'll never walk alone' (wearing Liverpool shirts?
Would make some nice piccies and would probably sanctify the ground in Liddypools favour.

ramblinmad x

Anonymous said...

Hi Rob

Congrats to Liverpool for getting to the CL at our expense yet again. You deserved it.

As much as you may not like Mourinho he is part of the football media circus including the likes of Fergie, Wenger, Rafa etc. Chelsea fans don't always agree with his comments but he has been our best ever manager and I feel the premiership would be a duller place without him. A recent phone in on a national radio station proved that whilst football fans may not always like him, they wouldnt want him to leave the prem.

I must admit to getting pretty tired of all the cliches that are constantly peddled out by the media and by some Liverpool fans themselves, especially the, "the kop was the 12th man", "those great european nights", "we have a history you don't". At the end of the day we all know that Liverpool have been a successful club and have a great record in the European Cup, but please do we have to be constantly reminded.

But hey ho, its a game and we all love it. My local team Maidstone United have recently won the Ryman League One South title. Its great to see a club rise from ashes as we were bankrupt in 1992 and the club have a great following of loyal supporters. Up the non league pyramid we go!

Joke for you Rob:

Gotta feel sorry for Athens though - loads of Liverpool fans running around shouting at the acropolis "CALL THAT HISTORY!"

Good Luck in the final. Enjoy Athens.

All the best

Neil

edgar broughton said...

Thanks Neil. The thing about LFC history is - people only go on about it because it is unique.
Murinho might be your best manager but I don't like his arrogance and like every other football supporter I know I love it when he screws up. Football doesn't hate CFC just Murinho but I'd bet there aint a nuetral in the UK that want's you to win any thing so they'll be rooting for Man U in the cup. How strange is that and an indication of feelings towards the man. Siberian concrete footwear for Jose if you lose me thinks.
I'll bet you when he's gone from CFC, and it must be imminent, he's really gone from the Prem.
Neil the joke is about as good as CFC singing LOL - but you are right it's only a game and well done to Maidstone - amazing!!!

All the best to you mate.

Peace

Anonymous said...

I think people (including the easily wound up Rafa) take what Jose says too seriously. He makes calculated statements which take the media circus to HIS door and not his PLAYERS doors. It takes the pressure off them.
He got a lot of stick for saying Chelsea were the best team on Tuesday, but what should he have said ? 'We were rubbish and the player's self belief must be low so we'll probably lose at Arsenal on Sunday and the title challenge will be all over!' I don't think so, somehow! He knows we played below par but needs to think about the next game until it's mathematically impossible to win the title. Fergie slated his team's performance on Wednesday so it'll be interesting to see their reaction at Man City tomorrow. The mind games are so interesting.
I join Neil and Tony in wishing the lower leaguers good luck. My local side, Brighton have been without a proper ground for 10 years now because some w*nker chairmen sold the ground and walked away with the money. So to all the strugglers and stragglers, I say, 'best of luck' and to Liverpool I say, 'Wait till the Italians get hold of you - Hahaha Hehehe Hohoho ....!'

edgar broughton said...

The easily wound up Rafa? I suggest Rafa is one of the calmest and dignified managers ever. I don't think any one but CFC supporters take The Not So Special One too seriously these days. He is increasingly comedic and a ridiculous bad loser is all. Listening to the endless willingness of CFC supporters to follow the party line regardless of the reality is like listening to the rantings of some cult. Wako FC?
"He got a lot of stick for saying Chelsea were the best team on Tuesday, but what should he have said ?" Sounds like a certain Prime Minister to me who also would have us believe black is white. I feel a slogan coming on. WIN NOT SPIN
It is not so much that you played badly it is just that we have the class to kick your ass time after time when it counts and will continue to do so long after Murinho is gone. Why? Because we can.
But Steve all is not lost yet( well almost ) Jose could get the gig as The Last Electioneer - "Trust in me I am the light" You'd vote for him - wouldn't you? Hahaha Hehehe Hohoho ....!'
Man U for the title - they fully deserve it and they entertain.

Peace

Anonymous said...

LOL, this is one reason that we from abroad love english football !
Seen away from individuals, in UK the football is something special, from the supporters to the clubs and their history to the fact that its the best and toughest league in the world.
We across the sea, has been so lucky to have english football - every saturday - on our tv-screen since -67/68 I think roughly, and from the start we mostly saw matches from Victoria Ground, Molineux and White Hart Lane. The reason for that was that from those areas there where best conditions for transferring live pictures at least to us in Norway and Sweden.
Thats I guess the main reason why english football is so enormous popular in Scandiland.
A friend of mine has been over the sea four times this season (twice with his two children-they never got a chance to choose a fav club themselves :)) to watch Wolves, and last time he came home with THE match ball, (now placed in a glass-box in his living room), proudly smiling from ear to ear.
Another has followed Stoke for 35 years and he has had ONE single wish the last ten-fifteen years.....guess what....?
I have visited Anfield, sucked in and enjoyed the atmosphere, singingalong at Albert and other pubs and cursed my almost always f...empty wallet refusing me to go over more often.
When it comes to football, musicals, other happenings and concerts, you english shall be happy, glad and...proud !

Anonymous said...

Well Rob, what was it Shankly said, Footballs not religion, it's more important than that!!!! This thread I think proves that, it stirs the emotions more than most things in our lives, it's also good that we can argue our points like adults on here, all of us thinking we are right, none so blind eh:-)Jose, while he's at Chelsea we love him, when he goes, then that's another story.

There's also a rumour going round that the losing CL semi finalists will have a play off for third and fourth place, It's being played at Wembley on May 19th:-)


Jarle, you should try and get yourself a copy of the excellent Ripping yarns DVD by Michael Palin, watch the episode Golden Gordon, It's an hilarious send up of the ultimate dedication of a football fan.

Neil and Shoreham_Steve,

Have sympathy with Rob for this one, "Probably win the league next year" Dream on:-)KTBFFH

All the best,

Larry

Anonymous said...

Is it me, or is it just football fans that get so hung up about the 'public personalities' of the teams managers? Most,that I see in either pre or post match interviews, appear to not want to be there, some are obviously uncomfortable, while others plainly resent having to speak with the media. Hardly a way to judge their real personalities (if that's your interest). These people are obviously very good at their job, otherwise their teams wouldn't be in any 'division'. I would also assume, for the most part, that they enjoy positive and professional working relations, with most players and staff, and manage most of the time to communicate reasonably well with the rest of those paid to work in football. The Chelsea manager may or may not be, an irritable bast with no friends, but I would ask this; What's it got to do with football? I dunno, if I came into the Chelsea managers City, hung up on a game, would he give me his assistance? - I dunno. Actually, I think Johann Bruneel is possibly an absolute swine? who?
Wasn't Alex ferguson the last manager everyone was disliking? Now his media persona has certainly gone from miserable to positive shiny chap in just a few years. Maybe if Moreno will just let the stylists and PR people mould him a bit you'd love him.
One last thought. We all voted for Tony because we thought he came across as a nice man, and look how that turned out.
Anyway, surely what matters is - Was it a good match, gig, show and do I really care or necessarily want to know that the keyboard player is a lush, the left back is splitting up with his wife or what the manager (any manager of anything) is doing outside of getting good results?
Anyways, I'm a part-time Liddypool fan (picked them 'cos I love The Beatles and Liverpool had won the Fair Play Shield more than anyone else), I enjoys watching the odd good game of footy, but have always been befuddled by the intensity of football fandom.

Peace and chirps while flying in the ointment

ramblinmad x

Anonymous said...

Nice one Ramblinmad - Lots of good sense there. Rob - I'll never confuse footy with politics because footy is all about a bag of wind where as politics....ahh yeh you might have a point there!!
To continue the analogy, the Reds got the kicking they deserved this week at the polls but it just handed a bit of power to the even more dispicable Blues. Just like the football debate, it goes around and around but at least with football, most of us get our turn at winning from time to time.
When I saw that EBB had a gig in Athens I really thought you'd swung it so that a promoter paid your air fare to the CL Final ! I can't believe you're coming home before it kicks off !

edgar broughton said...

Hi Steve
Yeah weird being out there a few days before and not having a ticket. Seriously though, we all have other stuff to do, things are booked well in advance and boo hoo ! it'aint possible. Of course we didn't know LFC were going to be there.
Any way, there are some insightful and informing comments here which might explain some thing of the football fan thing to others. If nothing else it has been entertaining and fun. Thanks to all.

peace