Category: Football

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FARCE

The farce of Fairford continues. Apparently one of the arrested men dialled 999 well before the farmer did so. No explosives or weapons were found, just a quantity of fuel/. It seems likely that the guys in the 3 vans were up to no good, probably stealing diesel from farms. They must have been well shocked to find that they had attracted global notoriety and had armed officers arresting them at gun point. However the police are still looking for evidence of major espionage, probably at the behest ofthe Americans who were very fast out the blocks to blame Iran. The trash papers also joined in, no doubt there will be a cover up and a spread of false news, whilst a few fuel theives are castigated. They should be congratulated at the revalation of such lax security at a major air base.

Talking of a farce – the Football League has basically admited to gross negigence by admitting that Manchester City and its Abu Dhabi management over spent the rules by a staggering £830.69 million. Der Spiegel first reported on this 8 years ago, but it has taken until now for the figures to be release. Oh how the rich manipulate the probably/possibly innocent adminstrators of sports. Not noticing a sum of that size is, I would suggest, impossible. The fall out will be considerable with clubs already queueing to place compensation claims, yet football will recover, Whether that will be with Manchester City F.C. or not is for the Football League to decide (they are prevaricating as usual), And as it is Abu Dhabi that iss involved it will become a government matter – but at least we have a football fan of true belief in Andy Burnham, an Everton supporter – if ManCity were punished in a commensurate way to that handed out to the Toffees the deduction would be in excess of 200 points).

Burnham has been firing up the Labour Party conference in a way Starmer may have dreamed about. First up – the triple lock on pensions will be replaced – not before time. OK I am a pensioner and appreciate the extra wealth afforded by the triple lock, but I also have a Teachers Pension and an extra I paid into (and lost a chunk on divorce – willingly I might add). But with young people struggling with shite jobs and astronomical student loans – the rise in pensions (20+% above earnings) was needed, but is no longer affordable (the OAP’s who read the Telegraph, Express, Mail and Sun will be apolextic). The problem for pensioners I would surmise, is rents; many pensioners like myself will have paid off the mortgage and therefore the pension money is basically, fuel/energy costs and food/fun money, so it is the rise in rents that is a major problem, and then care home costs – drive out the hedgefund investment in them.

Secondly he suggested a reform of voting to a fairer PR system. Interesting, this would benefit Reform and the Greens and LibDems, but hit Labour and especially the Conservatives – so we can expect lots of bile and rancid comments from the RWPress. Thirdly he mentioned the need to draw closer to the EU – a no brainer for anyone with a few brain cells left, especially with Trump in the White House.

South West Water fined £8million for horrendous sewage discharges -nationalise the bastards, but maybe get the money in fines before! Whilst Aviva states that many new homes could be uninsurable. But now sunny today.

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FOOTBALL FOR THE UNENTHUSED

All the talk is about what happens next, well it has taken a very long time already but League rules state that any appeal, and there will be one, should be done in 14 weeks. Why does it matter to non-football lovers, well two players at ManC paid over £35 million in tax between them, so the squad between them pay at least £100m in income tax, without the taxes paid bybthe club itself. So football lovers of other teams should not be too hasty in wishing the teams demise; livelyhoods of many in Manchester are dependant on the team.

Jonathan Watts, writing in the Guardian today, casts doubts on predictions for the UK. Personally I am not so sure and think that the super El Niño will have an impact, just where is in doubt.

OMG – I just read that it is only 20 months since Trump was elected – how can anyone fuck up so much in so little time and still spend time whacking a golf ball around and writing nonsense on his media outlet. He is getting weirder, he threatened to demolish the Kennedy Centre if not allowed to add his name, threatened Iran with annilataion at the UN (an establishment founded to create peace!). Bring on the mid-terms, especially as his attempts to thwart postal voting (but not by himself) have been stopped by federal courts.

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FOOTBALL

The season is underway. Arsenal step up first with a stunning display and beat newcomers Coventry and Frank Lampard 3-0. Next up Sunderland who have been predicted 18th by the BBC pundits, losing at Ipswich, also newcomers. Everton are wining 2-0 at Crystal Palace. There are 9 teams with new managers so I suspect that it will take a little time to settle down, and probably mid-November before the first sacking! The main issues are will anyone challenge Arsenal this season, will ManC recover from losing Guadiola, will ManU gel, will Liverpool regroup, will AVilla and Newcastle recover from losing their best players and will Spurs justify their £330mill spend this summer? Will Brentford and Brighton retain their impressive form of the last few seasons? Will the 3 up be the 3 down? Who have I missed? Fulham – mid table at best, Everton, Leeds and NForest should make decent attempts to get into Europe whilst Chelsea remain an enigma! The Championship started last week with 5 teams that have never been in the Premiership – can you name them? Preliminary round of the FA Cup – who shall I pick this year to follow – I think Litherland Remyca – Prescot Cables !

Lovely afternoon – garden does not need wtering for a change and no rain until midweek- hopefully my neighbour will leave me alone as the chance of my garden spontaniously combusting is fairly remote! I have started cutting back the bay tree – it would have got too big to decorate with my christmas lights.

Lando Norris on pole in Zandvoort – could we actually see some racing for a change, instead of a procession with commentators talking bollox to try and create an interest – rain helps, but unlikely!

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SPORTS ADMINISTRATORS

Just have not got a clue. The European Athletic Championships is a perfect example – over priced tickets and food at extortionate prices. junior members of athletic clubs should have been admitted free, senior members at half price, food trucks should have prices capped. A half empty stadium for the womens 100m was a disgrace. We surely want to encourage children to take up and enjoy sports, swimming pools are closing,nmunicipal tennis courts have disappeared completely. Other sports are also guilty of moneytising youth before encouraging participation. A season ticket for a premier football club is very pricey and the average age of seson ticket holders is around about the £550+ mark. The Infantino affair reflects the distance between participants and administrators. Bezos investing £1.35billion in Liverpool FC has nothing to do with a love of the game. Cricket is a long game but no county games over a bank holiday weekend is madness. I am sure there are other examples (such as basketball getting no funding).

Planning ahead – I wonder how many councils have looked at the weather and decided to plan for potential floods later this year – they will happen. Planning applications for new housing should be adapted to allow infiltration and reducing runoff. So yes we need to instal aircon in schools, hospitals and care homes, but also in new new housing, planners should take geography lessons and environmental sustainability lessons. Farmers should be offered tax breaks to adapt to climate change by building storage pools, but also reducing livestock density (which reduces infiltration and increases runoff – even on hill sheep farms). It is time to stop moaning and get wise, ‘a stitch in time saves nine’!

Meanwhile at home, greenhouse and bedroom plants watered, tomatoes marinating, washing out, Maz asked for some thyme so I have sent her 7 different varieties. And I have more arriving! I think I will bring most plants into the house this winter or/and the greenhouse. Enjoy the eclipse, and be safe.

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THE OBSCENELY RICH

So Bezos decided to use some of his £197bn , not for a legacy project to help the less fortunate, not to contribute to research for a cure for illness, but to buy a 30% share in Liverpool FC for £1.35billion. Fucking appalling. maybe he could have contributed to funds for repair in Venezuela and Colombia to help them recover from horrendous earthquakes.

Another rich twat – Trump has waded into the Infantino affair stating that it would be a big mistake to get rid of the guy? When he gets upset Trump normally find a war to start, football maybe a more elusive target?

How to make a quarter of a £million? Get a large inflatable and load it to capacity with ‘refugees’ at £1000 a go and transport across the English Channel, and then presumably follow up with demands for more money from their families or by some other extortion? I have every sympathy for the genuine refugees, even the economic ones, but surely a scheduled flight for £100 would enable them to be processed properly (preferably before departure), and then provided with barrack accomodation whilst they look for jobs and their own accommodation. Those who get in illegally can be returned to their country of origin. I am sure there are many problems with this, but the government must be seen to be doing something, rather than let the right wing wank all over the front pages of the press!

Solar eclipse – it could be about 90+% here between 19.00 and 19.30 tomorrow. But note that normal sunglasses are NOT ok, But why look at the sun anyway, just enjoy the dusk and quiet , wildlife seems to recognise the danger of a different situation and shut up!

Meanwhile Thames Water have paid executives £4.5 million in bonus’s – are they thick, nasty or just very stupid? Time to nationalise – without compensation, and with punitive measures to reclaim bonus payments where basic levels of pollution have been exceeded.

Then darling Kemi as she is referred to in the gutter press, has appointed a convicted racist neo-nazi to a senior advisory role in the greedy party, I am all for rehabilitation, but not for dressing wolves in sheeps clothing!

Police tow away, and confinscate £8million worth of cars in Mayfair for having no insurance, tax or the drivers lack of a valid driving licence! One Walworth £3.5 million (a limited edition Ferrari Monza SP2 – for the geeks amongst you!).

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LABOUR

In 2 weeks Andy Burnham has done more to install pride in Britain again than any politican in this century. Education, defence, care homes, energy bills, pubs, even football have benefitted from his attention. I still wait for an announcement about the genocidal government of Israel though. But so far – so good!

Watered everything outside and greenhouse today – inside tomorrow! I might leave some herbs to seed – and then collect it – why? I guess the answer is because I can! Tomatoes – doing well, I should have a kilo tomorrow.

Council tax changes – introduced in 1993 there have been no significant changes to council tax since then. House prices have changed massively – so a need for change is obvious, why should a mansion in Kensington pay the same as a house in Bradford? This is an easier way to implement a wealth tax, the rich can move abroad if they wish, but their obligation to pay the tax is still the same, as is moving assets offshore. Stately homes with more than 250 days access should be allowed a discount if they agree to conditions! I am sure the RWPress would make hay about this – but fuck them>. I might have to pay a litte more, but I am ok with that, and by the way, houses left empty should be charged the same (some allowances made for bereavement!).

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WORLD CUP BOYCOTT

So FIFA want to make more money “to distribute to poorer nations’ – an honourable objective until it becomes apparant that FIFA is sitting on $4 billion at present. It is also offering a $20 million bribe for countries to agree (how is that legal). Further doubt on the ethicacy of the proposal is the insolvent of Trump and his money grabbing family. Football is a game of the people, unlike many others and UEFA have stated that all member nations in Europe will boycott the scheme unless it is withdrawn. The scheme would expand the size and number of FIFA tournaments with no oncern for players, who, whilst well rewarded, can have their careers ended in moments, who already play 70+ intensity matches per year. Do they get a say? And does the UEFA edict also include clubs and their players – if so, the idea is worthless to potential investors, 74% of the World Cup squads play in Europe (the % beccomes much higher if it includes top players). On the players fatigue element, Chelsea won the FIFA “World Club Champions” farce in America – and then ran out of steam in the League, finishing 10th. There was also no mention in the proposal for women’s football at all. So Infantino maybe able to enthuse ‘daddy Trump”, bribe poorer countries (many of whom’s FA’s are riddled with corruption), but without UEFA backing his plans are collapsing like castles in the sand as the tide comes in! (Poetic moi!).

Meanwhile back in the real world the papers – even The Guardian- made a headline of the wild fire in Suffolk being near (12 miles) to a nuclear power plant (Sizewell), no matter that there was no danger to Sizewell itself and the area between the heath that was burning was farmland (probably cereal crops that could be harvested early if necessary), just lazy journalism playing on peoples fears. Apparently disposable bbq manufacturers have got by the ban on disposable, by making them reusable, although very little difference! Maybe a registration system for buying should be introduced – it would not be perfect but could narrow down the culprits whose stupid causes the fire and sometimes deaths. Online purchases would be passed tonthe police too. Why is it that Public Schools and Dulwich College can water their fields of pitches, whilst community gardens can not! Britains class structure persists.

Eco-regions! I read a proposal in France to create eco regions. That makes a lot of sense – until one looks at the complicated geology of Britain, would the South and Noth Down regions combine – and the Weald between? Norfolk and Lincolnshire combine, maybe Essex and Suffolk, the middle of the country I have no idea about – but worth a discussion!. In economic terms most counties are economically eco friendly. County town and surrounding hinterland.

Meanwhile – Internationally Saudi Arabia have said they will strike against Houthi targets in an attempt to make the export of their oil safe. More posturing, it is unlikely that bombing would do more than several years worth would do? Houthis have to only hit 1/20 tankers to make oil prices rise! Oil taken from the ground has a given cost/profit/price – do Iran and the USA have an agreement to take it in turns to elevate the price of oil, and thus oil companies profits.

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MIXTURE

Todays post covers everything and nothing!

First my last comment on the World Cup. Not for the performances on the pitch – Spain could and should of scored a hatfull, it would then have been applauded as a great final, instead the pundits who, in their day, generally underperformed, had to have their critical BS noted. The fnal was a debacle for the half times and hydration breaks. Then we had the Argies living uptown their name in a disgraceful show of petulance after the full time whistle, then the Trump had to be ushered away by Rodri as he tried to get some reflected glory – even Lamine Yamal showed contempt for the POTUS. High points for the series were Cabo Verde and Curacao generally holding their own, generally great stadiums, and the competion for the golden boot. low points – the cost of tickets and transport and hotels (some suckers paid $1million for a pitchside seat at the final!); and the kick off times were unfriendly to the European market who provided 75% of quarter finalists. It is all over now!

Second – my tomatoes are coming in at a rate, I have picked basil and garlic with olive oil as a basis for a salad, new potatoes with a mint dressing – and I am waiting for my Chaya tree to arrive – do I pot it or plant it out? I have bags of herbs drying in the GHouse.

Third – Trump, again! has lost patience with Iran and is bombing their infrastructure – nice man! Petrol is creeping up in price as, again the Straits of Hormuz seem to be blocked, and Iran is asking its proxies to do the same with the Houthis blockading the entrance to the Red Sea. Trump did not think this one through – or for that matter the Gaza plan, which is virtually none existent (despite rich boy Tony Blair’s input)!.

Fourth – Burnham is playing a cagey game with his main appointments to the Cabinet, no left wing revolution but still some hope? Israel will be a key denominator for me, moving the UK away from world gas prices will also be important and nationalising Thames Water and others.

Fifth – the weather, its still getting hot, but lovely at dawn! Record ice melt in the Arctic, Donald is a ‘twat’.

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COVID

An official report states that the Conservative of the time wasted £10 billion on unusable kit, I know it was a panic time but contracts were handed out without even a glipse of common sense – but the papers ignore this and complain about a present government spend of £10 million on advisors. I think it is proper that such sums are scrutinised to avoid waste, especially at times of public hardship. I know people who are complaining about hardship and the rising cost of living whilst driving a new EV, getting various work done on their house and going out regularly for meals – some hardship. Round here the hardship is well hidden – it often has in rural areas, but there is no evidence of poverty. Only a poverty of caring for others. Parents are quick to blame teachers and schools for their offsprings antics and rarely castigate themselves for poor parenting.

An excellentbresult in Dallas last night and the England football team showed what it could have been. Tonight we will see the masacre of the beautiful game by FIFA greed and American commercialism, half-time by the regulations stipulated by FIFA should be 15 minutes, yet the final will have a 30 minute show with advertising and a star line up, on top of the hydration breaks. Half time is when fans go for a slash, get a cuppa and a pie before returning to their seats to moan about the referee!

Ann Widecombe murder – the accused perpitraitor had his arrest extended for 7 days – and we wait for actual news, Farage says the guy hated him, anything to seize back the news and concentrate it in the muppet himself. Trumpy is having an anger fit again against the Iranian people, this time by bombing their bridges and thus making life even more difficult for people, especislly the poor, and ensuring they will support their despicable government.

So tomorrow we start to learn how different the country will be under Burnham rather than Starmer, to whom I offer my hopes for a great retirement and that he shuts up about destroying the Corbyn Labour Party. Burnham has a difficult job to do with the Labour Party, let alone the government – BUT only the racists and fascist knuckle draggers will not hope we can stop talking about broken Britain – and embrace hope and dreams.

Warm again – and how do brambles grow so fast?

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NEW PM

So from Monday we have a new Prime Minister – Andy Burnham. Firstly cut the crap about him not being elected and not having a manifesto, this type of change has been rife in Parliament this century. Hopefully we will see some big decisions immediately; He should put Thames Water into administration, and any other utility that is misusing customers money; Political funding should be met head on – the public will support whatever restrictions are put on; Drilling in the North Sea., Rosebank and Jackdaw should go ahead with all income supporting green energy initiatives, but no new licences should be necessary!; USA – we need a reset, tell the orange child to fuck off, ban foreign governments financing political organisations – Trump has facilitated a $7 gift to Jacob Scum-Dog’s think tank, and also has supported the Argentine teams use of a banner declaring the Malvinas ‘to be theirs’. FIFA have a no politics rule for a very good reason. Football is a global game played by billions, unlike American minority sports, political gestures have long been outlawed, basically Trump is a thick narcistic bully with faltering cognitive ability, oh and also a rapist and child abuser – how the fuck did America elect the slime ball. Back to Burnham – just down the road for me!. He has already encouraged positive thoughts by talking about basic Labour virtues, can he follow through on Gaza, cost of living, green investment.

Meanwhile all has gone quite on the byelection in Clacton between Count Binface and some joke grifter. The latest IPSOS poll suggest a 60% lead for binface, but interestingly 74% said investigation into his finances should continue regardless of byelection result. Farages popularity raating is falling – perhaps people are more discerning as the facts role out – or will they continue with their racist views?

Tonights football? Heart England: Head France – it should have been the final! Will both teams play to win, or will it be another bore? Mbappi, Kane and Bellingham all have a chance to deprive Messi of the golden boot!