A rare clean sheet

Spurs 2 Boro 0 (3rd round Carling Cup)

Team line-up: Robinson, Chimbonda, Kaboul, Dawson, Assou-Ekotto, Bale, Huddlestone, Tainio, Lennon, Berbatov, Defoe

I can hardly believe it. A win AND a CLEAN SHEET! Shame they can't do it in the league as well.

With only intermittent bulletins on Gillette Soccer Special, it sounded as if Spurs had heaps of goal chances and again failed to take them.

Defoe was brought back into the team and surprisingly didn't get on the score sheet; Zokora fluffed a chance in added time and I feel he should get extra curricular training on how to shoot'. Hey Zok - it's the netty looking thing between those two posts!! :-D

Both goals came within 3 minutes of each other (72, 75) from midfielders Bale and Huddlestone.
This happened a couple of minutes after Defoe was subbed much to his disappointment. This might have looked a bad decision but it worked out perfectly! We need our strikers to start scoring regularly though - Bale is now top scorer with three.

Well at least we will avoid Man Utd in the next round. They lost at home to Coventry 0-2!! (of course I'm not laughing)

Meh!

Bolton 1 Spurs 1

Team line-up: Robinson, Chimbonda, Dawson, Rocha, Assou-Ekotto, Jenas, Zokora, Malbranque, Tainio, Keane, Berbatov

Subs: Cerny, Lee, Huddlestone, Bent, Lennon

I will start by questioning that team. Why the changes? Why are Bale and Defoe not even in the squad? Bale has been a great signing and has already shown star quality, scoring two goals. JD scored two fantastic goals in the UEFA Cup on Thursday and has surely earned a place at least on the bench. I understand having four top strikers presents a bit of a problem for the manager and having two of them as subs is not really the way to go; Bent's obscene transfer fee is the difference I feel, and therefore, will always be favoured over Jermain.

Suddenly Zokora is back in favour instead of Huddlestone and Tainio is back on the right of midfield, out of position when Lennon is now fit. Okay so Aaron didn't have the best of games against Famagusta but he needs match practice. Don't get me wrong, I am not anti Tainio at all; he is a versatile player to have in the squad but Lennon provides a more attacking force and more width (if played on the right and not out of position on the left)!

As for the match itself, my opinions are only based on extended highlights on Football First.
Berbatov showed some good touches and had chances to score, but other than Keane finally getting his first goal of the season, there's not really much to say. As is customary, Spurs couldn't hold on to the lead and conceded an equaliser just five minutes later.

Dawson was lucky not to give away a penalty in the second half with a push on Nolan, and Keane forced a good save off Jaaskelainen nearing the end of the game. To be honest there wasn't a lot more to comment on; it was a pretty lacklustre performance once again.

It's the lack of ideas and movement that stands out for me. Maybe we need a change of direction, which through gritted teeth, basically means a new manager. I hate to even say it; I have been behind Martin Jol all the way and I respect the guy with a passion but tactically, it's not working. We have a big squad now but don't appear to have the ability. I don't know how many more games we have to endure where we end up frustrated and irritated by the Spurs performance - battling it out in the relegation zone is not my idea of fun especially when we were talking about top four before the season started!

Meh.

Nearly holiday time

John and I have been known to leave the booking of a holiday to the last minute but this is ridiculous. Our annual leave starts 8 October for two weeks and it is now 22 September. Anyway, we've been trying to decide for weeks and weeks where to go - Athens and the Florida Keys were in the frame but due to work being done at the Parthenon, that would be a waste of time. I felt that there wasn't enough for me to do at the Keys and it was a bit far to travel for just a week. So, after looking at a few other places in Europe, we decided on Sicily. Italy has been a bit of an attraction to me since going to Rome and Venice and Sicily has a nice mix of beaches, mountains, volcanos, old towns and historical sites. The climate is ok in October and the average temperature should be around 70 degrees.

As always we booked a flight online and found a very cheap one with Ryanair from Stanstead to Palermo, although once you add on the taxes and baggage check-in fee, it bumped it up a bit but still a hell of a lot cheaper than all the other prices we'd seen. After paying, I nearly had heart failure though. A message popped up in red on the screen saying that we needed to declare our passport details if travelling to Spain, the Canary Islands or the Balearics. John and I looked at each other and gasped, thinking that maybe we'd just booked to fly to a Palermo in Spain! To some people that wouldn't have been a disaster but for us, a beach holiday in Spain is not our idea of fun. We quickly checked and double checked that PMO was Palermo in Sicily and also googled to check there was no Palermo in Spain. Phew! Panic over.

So we will be away from 9th - 17th October and we're now sorting out somewhere to stay for the first two nights and also car hire. The rest we will leave until we get there. We detest package holidays and like to make our own way around. I've already ordered a travel guide from Amazon which is vital, and once received I can roughly plan our itenarary.

This holiday is badly needed as I've had a rough year with my back problems, and I'm really looking forward to meeting the mafia (only kidding)!! lol

Spurs hit six

Spurs 6 Famagusta 1

Team line-up: Cerny, Chimbonda, Dawson, Kaboul, Assou-Ekotto (Bale), Malbranque (Taarabt), Zokora, Huddlestone, Lennon, Keane (Defoe), Bent

Round 1 of the UEFA Cup kicked off tonight. An easy tie on paper which turned out to be an easy one on the pitch. However, a tad annoyed conceding a very cheap goal and again not keeping a clean sheet.

Scorers: Kaboul (5), Dawson (40), Keane (42), Bent (43), Defoe (65, 90)

The most surprising part of the match was how long it took Spurs to score the second goal. But when it came, it was followed by two more in quick succession - three goals in four minutes and game over.

Jermain Defoe came on in the second half to raptuous applause from the fans and within 90 seconds, scored a magnificent goal, floating it in the top left corner beyond the keeper. His second one wasn't bad either - from outside the box he drove it into the top right corner this time, with the goalkeeper static.

An easy win against a poor side is what we needed for a confidence boost, although I think there's still room for plenty of improvement.

For now though, I am smiling :-)

This and that

Saturday was my Mum's 60th birthday. When John and I arrived around her house, it looked more like a florist! And there I stood with three more bunches in my arms and John with a pot of sunflowers. We also gave her £30 and a ticket for Dirty Dancing in London, and she will join John and I at the evening performance on 29 October. She was well chuffed. I've seen plenty of 60 year olds who look like old age pensioners but my parents look and act young for their age. Anyway, Mum ended up with £250 in cash and vouchers which was amazing, and I may go into town at the end of this week to help her spend some of it.

As Dad couldn't get a reservation at our favourite restaurant for the Saturday, we went on Sunday instead. Alvaros in St Helens Road (off Hamlet Court Road) is Portuguese although their menu is extensive, and the staff there are so welcoming and funny. It's a fairly small restaurant but they don't squash you in, and the ambiance is just right. Mind you, it is pretty expensive, but you do get gorgeous food - you can't fault them. Dad has actually known the owner since the 60s; they've been there since 1966. So there was my parents, John and I, and Tina. Unfortunately my brother Dave couldn't make it as he was working. When it came to dessert, the waiters brought out a creme caramel with five candles in it and sang happy birthday to my Mum (Dad had a word earlier). We all had a lovely time, although I was feeling a bit crappy with a headache and sore eyes. John was a naughty boy as when it came to paying the bill which we were all going to split, he whipped out his credit card and went to the counter to pay it before anyone had a chance to argue with him. A good bad habit of his, you could say!

On Monday morning I took my cat Poppy to the vets. Eight months ago she had one of her thyroid glands removed (with some complications) but just lately she's lost weight, eating like a horse, and drinking quite a bit. I suspected almost straight away that the other thyroid was overactive. The vet agreed with me and took samples of blood to assess the thyroid and also to check her kidneys. Together with the consultation, I had to pay £109! I couldn't help gasping when the receptionist told me the amount. As they won't remove the second thyroid, Poppy will have to be on tablets for the rest of her life. However, when she was on those tablets before, they caused her kidneys to start failing, so it's catch 22. I will also have to buy special renal food to combat that problem. I am now awaiting the results from the vet.

This morning, my good friend Alison from work came round for a couple of hours. She has been signed off work with stress - one of three in our team at the moment. Me being off as well makes four! Bless her, she bought me some flowers, and we chatted about all sorts. It was so nice to catch up and see a familiar face.

This afternoon, I had my long-awaited physio appointment at the hospital. I haven't actually experienced any pain for about 10 days now so physio wasn't going to do any good but I still decided to go. I saw Stephanie who was very thorough with her examination, bending me this way and that and asking whether it caused me any pain. Unsurprisingly, she found no problems and could do no more for me. However, she did recommend that I do pilates for exercise. My Mum has a dvd (which she has never used) so I will borrow it off her to give it a try. I was actually going to take up yoga which my Mum has just started going to, but Stephanie said she wasn't a fan of it.

At 4pm I had an opticians appointment. I only rang this morning and managed to get in straight away which is good because I have been feeling really tired, suffering from a continuous headache and my eyes ache as well. One of my oldest friends (Ellie) who I've known since I was eleven, is the receptionist there. As it happens, my eyesight has actually improved slightly, so my eyes may be aching because my current lenses are too strong. How bizarre! Anyway, I chose some new frames which are much more funky than I have now and hopefully I'll be able to collect them next Monday. Of course, my eyes may not be the reason for the way I've been feeling lately, but I hope it is simply that.

The agony and no ecstacy

There are far too many words to describe the way I feel about the match today against the Gooners. I can't even bring myself to type the score. Maybe it's time to give up football; all it does is bring heartache. But I know I can't - it's like a disease.

I'm forcing myself to watch Match of the Day right now, though Lord knows why I torture myself. Gareth Bale's free kick was superb I have to say - at least that's something to be positive about. He's only 18 and looks like a very good signing. However, I soon hang my head when Berbatov fluffs it up with only the goalkeeper to beat. What was he thinking? Just bloody shoot! If it had been 2-0, we may have stood a chance of winning. Robbo didn't deal with a cross (again) and so they equalised. Berba could've scored again which was blocked on the line. Spurs then get hit with a long range shot which of course goes in. Bent spurned a easy chance one on one with the goalie but wasn't composed. And then the Arse get another in the 94th minute. You do the math.

Fans who were, two weeks ago, totally behind Martin Jol, are now calling for him to go. But is it fair to blame him week after week? Surely the players have to take some of the blame? It's not like Spurs have a bad squad. They just can't keep a clean sheet and put the ball in the net...so it's back to basics then!

Maybe fortunes will change when we face an unknown Cypriot side in the UEFA Cup on Thursday, followed by an away tie at Bolton who are second bottom in the table and really struggling.

(originally posted 15/09/07)

Are we now a force to be reckoned with?

England 3 Russia 0 (Owen 2, Ferdinand)

Well well well. Who would have thought it eh? Six points in two games, and when was the last time you could put the words 'England' and 'entertaining' in the same sentence?

McLaren actually got something right by putting out the same side which beat Israel on Saturday. They played as a team, the tempo and movement was good, and the confidence was there for all to see. This performance will make it a difficult decision for the manager in the next game, when more players will be back from injury (namely Rooney), however, I would personally not change a thing.

Michael Owen is definitely back on form scoring two goals and that takes his overall tally to 40 in 85 appearances - a great record! Heskey again had a good game - noticeably winning the majority of headers. This is the area in which he is stronger than Crouch in my opinion, even though Crouch is several inches taller. Gerrard and Barry are proving to be a good partnership in the centre of midfield, the latter I would give 'man of the match' overall this week. He hardly put a foot wrong, and although he is not a player I would have put on the team sheet before last weekend, he has done a great job. It seems like having players unavailable has been our saving grace.

Being 2-0 down at half time, Russia then came out with more clout in the second. They could have easily made the game level when England made a couple of defensive errors. However, this pressure was thankfully short-lived and England again controlled the match.

So are England once again a force to be reckoned with, or would we need to see them beat one of the world's best before we get carried away?

Beep

John is away at the moment (work related) and guaranteed when this happens, something in the middle of the night will start beeping! And it did. I was awoken at approximately 3: 15am by a beep beep noise, which sounded as if it was coming from inside the bedroom. Blurry eyed I wandered around looking for any battery operated device that was keeping me awake. Nothing. It kept going off every 30 seconds or so. I went into the hallway and looked up and the smoke alarm. Noooo please don't let it be that! I had images of the scene in FRIENDS where Phoebe's alarm wouldn't stop bleeping even after she'd taken out the batteries and hit it with a shoe! However, I wasn't sure how I'd even get it down from the ceiling in the first place so maybe a broom handle would cure it. It went off again and fortunately it wasn't coming from the smoke alarm. And then I remembered. The telephone handset that is usually in the loft room was on the stairs leading up to the room as I hadn't been bothered to go and place it on the recharger before I went to bed. So it was all my fault after all. Back to bed then. However, just over three hours later, John's poxy alarm clock starting beeping! ARGH! He always forgets to turn it off when he's not there. I had no idea what button to press so bashed them all and it finally stopped. I went back to sleep for the second time and because of the two interruptions, I didn't get up until 9:45ish. Good job I didn't have to go to work.

Over and out. BEEP!

As we remember 9/11

I found this poem on a 9/11 tribute site and it really moved me, so I thought I'd share it.

A black void, emptiness,
as wings of demons descend,
brittle glass shatters innocence
now, hidden concealed revenge.
An eagle in flight sailing
like a mighty god of the sky
a serpent within its talons
the struggle between dark and light.
A Nation's blood splattered, red
pain slices at every soul,
sorrow transcends our reality
amongst the soot and the smoke.
Brothers and Sisters that traveled
into The Valley of Death
may be physically lost, but
their memories are now etched
from the heart of one
into the hearts of two
into the hearts of everyone,
America, God Bless you.
A flag wavers in the breeze,
yet erect like the Rugged Cross
its stars the eyes of this night
crying for a Nation's loss.
White our stolen purity,
Red our mighty valor,
Blue our vigilant Chief
watching the eagle soar.
Wounded the godlike eagle
attempts to once again fly
struggling to reach the Heavens
through the darkness of this night
towards an everlasting communion
a eulogy in red, white, and blue
a spiritual state of unity
America, God Bless you.

2001 Tammy A. Callahan-Callanan

That's a bit better!

England 3 Israel 0

Team line-up: Robinson, Richards, Ferdinand, Terry, A.Cole, Gerrard, Wright-Phillips, Barry, J.Cole, Heskey, Owen

Firstly I was somewhat surprised Robbo managed to keep his place in goal after his blunder in the Germany friendly, but it seems McLaren still has faith in him saying that everyone makes mistakes from time to time. I had to laugh when I heard Heskey had been recalled three years after his last cap - scraping the bottom of the barrel or what? However, as it turned out, he didn't have a bad game at all and perhaps should have scored.

England were without the likes of Beckham, Lampard, Crouch, and Hargreaves, but we needn't have worried as the team played 100% better than they did against the Germans, with Wright-Phillips easily being man of the match working tirelessly up and down the right flank.
He got the opening goal linking up with Chelsea team-mate Joe Cole to volley it through the arms of the Israeli goalkeeper. The second was a superb shot on the turn by Michael Owen and you could tell he was pleased to get back on the score sheet. The third was a strong header by Micah Richards with Israel contesting that there had been a foul on the goalkeeper - however, it was clear that he had just ran into Owen who was standing still in the area. Thankfully the referee was not fooled.

There were plenty of spurned chances throughout the game but all in all, a far better performance by England. However, Russia are the opponents on Wednesday and they will be far more difficult to beat. The question is, with several players becoming available for selection, will McLaren change a winning format?

It was nice to see England winning in three different sports on the same day - football, rugby and cricket. Mind you, it looked like a bit of a struggle in the rugby against the U.S.A. only beating them 28-10.

Not much to report

I've been a bit out of sorts for the past 10 days actually. Despite having 9+ hours of uninterrupted sleep each night, I am still constantly tired with my eyes feeling dry. I've had these symptoms before and they do go eventually but I just wish I'd wake up tomorrow feeling refreshed instead of knackered.

Last Sunday, John and I met up with friends Suk, Leigh and their daughter Emily and went for lunch at the Tandoori Parlour in Thundersley. It's an all you can eat buffet with a starter, for a mere £7.95. Very nice! We went back to their place afterwards and I ended up watching the Villa v Chelsea game on Sky. Leigh is a Chelsea fan and therefore not a happy bunny when they lost 2-0.

Tuesday I went into work as a representative of Posturite was coming to meet me about providing a new adjustable desk and chair to help my back problem. The appointment was at 3pm but due to train strikes, the bloke was delayed so I had to wander around the town and return at 4pm. I answered the same old questions about the history of my back pain and now Posturite will submit a recommendation to Occupational Health the get the new equipment in place as soon as possible. It was weird being in the office after so much time but nice to see familiar faces. It also gave me the opportunity to say goodbye and good luck to Carole (my former supervisor) who was leaving for London that coming Friday. I brought her in some flowers and a card. She'll be sorely missed as she really was a breath of fresh air when she joined us from Lloyds a couple of years ago. In fact, probably the best supervisor I've had in all my 22 years of service! I'll be back there again next Tuesday when I have a meeting with my manager Gill.

On Thursday, I went around my parents' house for most of the day as they were looking after Ronnie. My nephew is now 22 months old and such a good little boy, and such a character. He's like a sponge at the moment, he copies every word you say and his vocabulary for his age is amazing. I've even got him saying 'Come on you Spurs' much to the dislike of my brother who is a Liverpool fan! We played football in the garden and he can kick and throw really well for a little person. Later on, we all went and collected Kasey from school and then the playing continued once back at the house. I went home about 5pm. I saw Kasey again in the evening when Tina came round the use our gym, which she does twice a week. Kasey wanted to watch 'The Wizard of Oz' and pretty much gave me a running commentary and explained what was going to happen - like I didn't know! However, humouring kids comes easily to me and I enjoyed it as much as her, singing along to the songs and mucking around! We didn't manage to see it all but we'll watch the rest of it next week probably.

Today I spent most of the time in the garden reading. This week's weather has been pretty warm, considering the lack of summer we've had. I'm now watching the new series of 'Hells Kitchen' because I don't have the energy for anything else. No Gordon Ramsey this year but instead one Marco Pierre White. Now that's one scary intimidating dude! When the celebs were first introduced to him, he said to half of them that he'd never heard of them and refused the shake the ladies' hands. He has also been rude to the celeb customer's when they'd complained about the food. However, as the days go on, you can't help but warm to him when you see him interacting and smiling with the celebs. At least he doesn't swear like Gordon.

Another telly highlight of the week for me was 'Dumped' on Channel 4, running from Sunday until Wednesday. Eleven people were selected to take part in an eco challenge but were not told any details. They travelled on a coach with all the windows screened off so they couldn't see where they were going and they ended up on a landfill site in Croydon! For 3 weeks they had to live on a tip next to the landfill site and make a shelter from the rubbish dumped. They were given running water and food because of the health and safety issue, but after a few days they took their portable loos away so they had to build their own. Along the way they had various challenges, all to make them aware of the landfill problem in this country and why we need to recycle more. During their time there, they even managed to build a sauna and a solar powered shower - all from stuff people had thrown away! I already recycle everything and I was aware to a certain extent of the problem, but this programme has certainly opened my eyes even more. I would now like to start a compost heap to cut down my food waste; the only issue is the lack of space in the garden. I could get on my soap-box about the government slacking in the recycling issue but I'm not going there at the moment because I just don't have the energy.

No-one likes us anymore

Just been flicking tv channels and happened to fall upon the Eurovision Dance Contest. I couldn't bring myself to watch the whole sorry affair but I did see the UK entry - ironically represented by Camilla Dallerup from Denmark and Brendon Cole from New Zealand! Of course, they are regulars on 'Strictly Come Dancing' and are fantastic professionals. Anyway, I tuned into the scores at the end and well, quite unbelievably we finished second from bottom on a stingy 18 points. Clearly not based on the performance so why does no-one like us anymore? Surely our government being in everyone's bad books for the war in Iraq can't still be the reason....or was it ever?

I don't suppose anyone's interested who won. Me neither, but it was Finland. Whatever...

There are more questions than answers

Fulham 3 Spurs 3

Had to watch this one on the internet via sopcast. It wasn't a great connection and kept breaking up badly but I will try to piece together what I saw.

Team line-up: Robinson, Chimbonda, Kaboul, Rocha, Lee, Bale, Jenas, Malbranque, Huddlestone, Berbatov, Keane

It only took 10 minutes before new signing Younes Kaboul tapped the ball into the net from close range. Berbatov made it two on 28 minutes when Keane's pass found his head - he nodded it down perfectly into his own path, beat the defender for pace and cooly drove the ball home from the side of the box. Just before half time, Spurs defence (namely Chimbonda) lapsed concentration and they scored with a strong header.

At the start of the second half, Spurs dominated again and managed a third goal courtesy of another new boy Gareth Bale. He took it nicely on the left and could have passed to Berbatov but the shot was on and he converted into the near side of the goal. 3-1 up and cruising. Several other chances came their way through Jenas, Keane and Berbatov but none were taken. Martin Jol then substituted Keano for Defoe, much to his annoyance.

Fulham made Spurs pay and in the last 20 minutes our lads couldn't get the ball. They got another one back and the pressure was really on. The 90 minute mark came and catastophe! A overhead kick by Kamara looped agonisingly over Robbo's outstretched hand and went in the top corner. I honestly couldn't believe what I was watching. AAAAAAAAAAAARRRRGH!

WHY?.......

1)...Did Jol bring off Keano when we were playing well at 3-1 & he was having easily his best game so far? It changed the game & JD hardly touched the ball when he came on.
2)...Is Robbo booting the ball up the field constantly? We always lose it this way.
3)...Was no-one in midfield in the last 20 minutes? Had a lot to do with Keane's substitution I feel. Hudd & JJ were anonymous, Hudd looked knackered.
4)...Was Dawson brought on to add to the defence at 2-3? Surely reinforcing the midfield would have been more appropriate.
5)...Can't Spurs kill off a game when they're cruising?

Robbed of 3 points again - they'll never learn. It's really pissed me off actually - one minute you are happy and singing, the next down in the dumps. Football seriously messes with your head.

Next weekend sees international matches in the Euro qualifiers. England play Israel. So Spurs next game is in two weeks time at Arsenal. Oh goodie!

Basildon boy does good!

As with tradition, me and three mates Al, Ali and Sam, got together last night for the Big Brother finale. Hopeless addicts I know!

Bigger than ever before with 23 housemates and a duration of 95 days, Brian from Basildon emerged the winner (go Essex!). He had been my favourite ever since he said he didn't know who Shakespeare was, and came to the conclusion that he was the director of the film 'Romeo and Juliet'. Very amusing! He may not be great on general knowledge but he was a very sweet, sensitive and genuine guy. He said he honestly didn't know why he'd won it. The twins Sam and Amanda also deserved to win as they were full of fun and didn't have a bad bone in their bodies. They hadn't received one single nomination the whole 13 weeks, which I'm pretty sure hadn't been achieved before. Liam would also have been a deserved winner, a 23 year old Jordie with a lovely personality. Ziggy came 4th, Carole 5th and Jonty 6th.

It may not have been the best one ever but Big Brother 8 was overall very entertaining - the usual rollercoaster with fun and laughter mixed with arguments and tears. Three people walked: Lesley (why the hell did she apply?), Jonathan (whose grandma died), and Chanelle. One person was removed: Emily, as a result of using a racist word. One person was evicted and then walked back in: Charley - the so-called South London it-girl who was just awful. Five halfway housemates, a fake Australian housemate, great tasks and Big Brother messing with their minds.

You either love it or you hate it. I just can't stand it when I'm criticised for watching it, saying it's a load of rubbish. These people are always the ones who have never seen it in their lives.

So, anyway, good luck Bri! Maybe we'll see you on TV advertsing cider in the future!