(courtesy Getty Images - least I can do - shame others don't credit mine sometimes when they "steal" them)
... but would it have REALLY made any difference ? I believe not ... sooner (hopefully) rather than later we will finally realise that we are JUST NOT GOOD ENOUGH. The Premier League may well be (to some - certainly not me) one of the best in the world - but when you realise that 80% of the stars are actually ineligible to play for England ... it's time for a rethink. In the meantime Sky TV will continue to assist in paying the obscene wages to what have been shown up this tournament to be extremely average footballers - and if people continue to buy their Sky subscriptions and pay stupid prices for Premier League season tickets - and stupid prices for premier League "merchandise", and all branded goods (where many "players" will be taking a tidy 'rake-off') this whole sorry tale will continue.
And I've not even started on words like "effort" or "passion" - look at teams like New Zealand or South Korea - any limitations these players have are more than offset by their passion and their effort. I could name names - someone said to me before the tournament started that Rooney was not 100% fit - case proved I think ... the guy has done absolutely zilch in four games (apart from slagging off the fans after the Algeria game !) - people moaned when Heskey was brought on, but isn't Rooney meant to be a goalscorer ? And are the others really the best we have to offer ?? I could find many many others that would have sweated blood and given 200% effort to have the chance to wear that shirt - unfortunately most - if not all - of them are not in the Premier League
I could say I was fortunate this afternoon - I watched the game in a fairly quiet boozer - just a couple of fairly well-behaved under-18s, and a good number of people watching the game - no hysterics, no stupidity - and in the end a complete and utter sense of realism ... the party is now well and truly over, and England go out with a whimper rather than a bang.
So - with the game over I went out and smashed a few beer glasses, rioted on the streets, and looked for some German cars to scratch ... OK I lied, I went back home and laid a couple more breeze blocks before a very nice chicken tea ...
Yep I do corners as well ...
... and after tea I shovelled a bit of soil and sat outside for a bit admiring the strawberry plants - in fact last Friday night we did have a barbie and afterwards Mrs Smiffy was sat there on "Patio 1" reaching over and helping herself to home-grown pudding ... fortunately with this excellent weather, they just keep on coming ...
Watched a bit of the Argentina/Mexico game - no great surprise there really (wonder how the Mexican fans approached this one ?) - and then a nice hot bath before this (sat in front of "Matrix Revolutions") - all prepared for my first day of work for many moons tomorrow morning - an "Induction Day" in Manchester before heading for Oldham on Tuesday morning - and for those who really really want to know about this great career change ...
(yes there are some "non obscene" versions out there !!!!)
... so now you know - beats all that IT aggro eh ?? .
... well they are at the Britannia in Mossley ... (excuse pic quality - I was drinking beer and watching the Uruguay/SKorea game at the time ...and for those "in the know" - Phil Wagstaff bought me a beer !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!)
Patio anyone ??? Did a bit this morning - will have to sort some more blocks out tomorrow - in order to get the necessary pass-out (I believe they use to call them "ausweis" !!) for the afternoon game ... this now becomes "Patio 3" ...
S'pose bed is an option as well now ... twas Mrs Smiffy's "Come Dine with Me" tonight and following some excellent (vegetarian) snap, we've been out on "Patio 1" till daft o'clock with chimenea and CD player (for the pop-pickers out there ... Yes "The Ladder"; Page & Plant "No Quarter"; and Soundtrack of Our Lives "Origin Part One").
... but not too far !!! Got some foundations in this morning - and in a slight change of plan, another slab (in the bottom left-hand corner if you check out the previous "message") - and then off to Top Mossley to get tonight's tea (which will be Baked White Fish in a Tomato Rarebit Sauce) - nipped into Seel Park on the way round to check out stuff - new sponsor signs are up - but no Evo-Stik hoardings have arrived yet - plenty of painting has occured - mostly down to the "Community Payback" guys - and it's looking well tidy ! Check out
I could have took these piccies yesterday as I was "up there" for the Slovenia game, but I didn't. In fact I left the football club at half-time and watched the second half in a nearby pub. Reasons ?? The Social Club has gone for the "family atmosphere" type thing for the England games. This - to me - means some tidy money for the club - which is great ...... but ...... as someone who wants to actually watch a football game, it roughly equates to - small kids running around in an uncontrolled manner, whilst parents mostly drink with little interest in what's going on football-wise (and even less interest in controlling their "brats" !) - groups of 14/15/16 year olds hoping to "get served" (you know what I mean), again with less than 99.9% interest in the football - people turning up at half-time because someone has told them "free food" - so, while it's a great money-spinner for the football club, it's not the atmosphere in which I/Me wants to watch a football game. Don't get me wrong - I'm not knocking it, but it's just not for me ... Sunday afternoon will probably be a pub job as well (but I must be good as I've got work on Monday morning - huzzah yet aaarrrgh !)
So - today - after the shopping, a quick "nip in" to a handy pub (should I advertise the "Highland Laddie" - why not !!!!!!) to watch Italy go down the same route/toilet pan as France - a truly awful display by the Azzuri which left me thinking "There for the grace of God could have gone Ingerrrlund" - yet a further blow to my Fantasy league team - Zambrotta - grrr !) which has seen me plummet to 4th place in the "League of Nailers" - looking forward to a revamp once this round is over ("au revoir" to Gallas as well !). Unlucky for New Zealand as well today - three games unbeaten, yet "out" - certainly no disgrace there.
Anyway - off to cook tea - and then to watch the "Oranje" boys tonight (and hoping that Dennmark make it as well )... .
So - England (8th) finally win ... against Slovenia (25th), having drawn against USA (14th) and Algeria (30th) - numbers being the FIFA Rankings as at 26th May 2010. It was a job done I suppose - but hardly well done, especially when you think a late Slovenian equaliser, together with the Yanks winning, could have dumped us out - and the limited edition Oxo cube with the St Georges Cross on it would have been on the shelves pretty quickly (you must have heard the "laughing stock" quip over the last seven days - surely !). Still a little too hurried, still too many misplaced passes, still a bit nervy at the back - at least Milner got some decent crosses in - eventually !! A Sunday afternoon showdown with Germany awaits then ...
Got some more slabs down pre-match - now it's time to look at edges, retaining walls, proper pointing etc. Found some nice "garden design software" - a slight upgrade to the 'back of the envelope' version as well ...
Paper ....
Reality ...
Looking to get some footings in today for the first of the required walls ... weather's cooled down a bit - which is nice. Sent back a signed copy of the job contract yesterday as well (I did leave a subtle clue last week if I remember rightly - all WILL be revealed soon, although the "cat is out of the bag" to some peeps already - suffice to say it's quite a career change !!!). .
Whilst watching (suffering ?) the Algeria match last Friday, I spotted this as a possible look-a-like option. In the red corner we have Mossley's own Lee Blackshaw - in the blue corner we have Algeria's Karim Matmour - what do you think (Lee is the one without the Arabic writing on his chest !) ...
Onward to this afternoon - not really much else to say on "that game" that hasn't been said everywhere else ... we wait - we see/suffer/enjoy - and then off to college afterwards ! .
... that Chris Sievey has died aged 54 after a long battle with cancer.
Chris Who ?? I hear from some quarters - you'll probably know him better as Frank Sidebottom, star of Radio Timperley and the Fantastic Shed Show ... there's a Youtube vid of one of his last live appearances which showcases his World Cup anthem "Three Shirts on the Line" - I give you Frank ..
... weekend away (family duties - no pictures - not for web consumption anyway !), and a "quiet" day today (laid SIX patio slabs - think that's a record for one day - and still found time to watch Portugal stuff Korea DPR !). Appear to have had rather a lot of hits today from the Telford area linking back to a game against Mossley back in 2007 - had a nosey on their message board but couldn't spot anything of note !
Tomorrow I get to sign on at dole city ... and tell them that I've got a job starting next Monday - that will be fun ... but apart from that ... aaah, just remembered I need to sort out my photography insurance ... like now (think it runs out either midnight tonight or midnight tomorrow) ... but apart from that ... Spain won (just glad I swapped Torres out for Bendter in my Fantasy League team - at least he can score !!) ... but apart from that ... OK one pic from the weekend - the River Gardens @ Belper with East Mill in the background ...
Obviously I missed the sight of the USA game last week (see below) but I sent a txt to Mrs Smiffy just after half-time today as in, "Tonight 'looks' like last Saturday 'sounded' - awful" - and that just about sums up the shambles that I've just watched up at the Football Club ...
It's only a matter of time before our hysterical tabloids finally put all this bull to bed and finally admit that "We're Not Very Good" - witness tonight - toothless up front - Glen Johnson getting skinned every time down the Algerian left - midfield looking non-existent at times - bring Crouch on, and he crops up on the right wing - great place for a 6 foot 7 inch player. Big up to Algeria - they'd done their homework and they got a result - and made England look ordinary.
Apparently Rooney came off saying to the camera "Nice to hear your own fans booing you, that's loyal supporters." Now - some words to the man who earns £150,000 per week (yes - per week i.e. more money than most people earn in 20 years). Point 1 - You'll find that most of the England fans out there are not "loyal" football fans - they're just rich peeps who can afford it (as in Prince Bill and Prince Hal) or ex-pats who took their money out of this country - why the hell do you think all the trouble/violence has happened elsewhere (as in this country - we'll see what has happened tonight tomorrow no doubt) - if you want to talk to the "loyal supporters" - feel free to pop into Mossley (or any other pub/club in England - where you will find the loyal supporters) sometime - you got a lot more than a mere "booing" tonight - because you deserved it - you and 10 others (plus subs) basically did nowt tonight - all of you - yes ALL of you were an absolute disgrace. I heard Capello talk about "pressure" - maybe you've got the "pressure" of the UK tabloids bulling us up - and what the hell was Beckham doing on the bench (now maybe that's "pressure" ??).
Pathetic - thank God I've no England players in my Fantasy League team - back to realism again I guess ...
That's the early "stream of whatever" out of the way - I'm sure I could have said more, but ... Wednesday afternoon will be VERY interesting ... .
Is everyone confident ?? (I'm never confident when England are one of the teams - the perils of being a realist).
Will Robert Green play ?? (He'll know by 1730hrs - Joe Hart for me, but I bet "Calamity James" gets the nod)
Will there be "trouble" at the big screen showing in Manchester ?? (I reckon everyone will be bunking off work early - it is a Friday - and the "lubrication" will have already started - so I'd assume "yes" - even if the "Manchester Evening News" try to 'manufacture' it - allegedly).
Will the Yanks get anything from this afternoon's game ?? (Slovenia already 1-0 up - which will give them six points, and through - I'm going for a Slovenia win - which would put a little more pressure on England).
Is everyone happy with the Germany result ?? (On the grounds that they're not English - I'd assume "yes" !!).
Will I be up at Mossley Football Club to watch the game (Someone mentioned free food - so I'd assume "yes" !!).
Just got back from B&Q with more "garden supplies" - patio slabs and sand and cement - but there will be nowt happening this weekend - yet another "trip away" ...
(New Job Contract has arrived though - to be perused later !!!) .
... for those who don't know - those unfortunates claiming the dole are "obliged" to fill in a "Job Diary" (i.e. efforts you have made to obtain employment) which has to be presented every time you sign on - one of the usual 'scams' is to write "Read the Manchester Evening News Jobs Supplement on Thursday" ... well it fills a line ! Anyway - to my point.
Today's "Manchester Evening News" as usual advertised on the front page - "Inside: 12 pages of jobs" ... oh really ??
Page 1 - Flashy "front page" advertising jobs website - NO JOBS Page 2 - Index, "Problem Page", List of people who've got 'senior jobs' - NO JOBS Page 3 - A typical heartwarming story about someone - NO JOBS Page 4 - Jobs (less 1/8 of a page advertising job website) Page 5 - Jobs (less 1/32 of a page - advert) Page 6 - 1/2 page of jobs - 1/2 page advertising job website Page 7 - Jobs (less 1/16 of a page - adverts) Page 8 - Jobs (less 1/16 of a page - adverts) Page 9 - Jobs (less 1/16 of a page - adverts) Page 10 - Full Page advertising job website - NO JOBS Page 11 - Jobs (less 1/64 of a page - advert) Page 12 - Full Page travel/holiday advert - just what the unemployed need - NO JOBS
The above figures are a bit rough and ready (I could have done this with a ruler, but that would be taking "geek" toooo far !!), but by my reckoning, that "12 Pages of Jobs" equates to a shade over "6 Pages of Jobs".... and it's pretty much the same every week. Maybe next week, I'll attempt an analysis of the actual jobs on offer - but maybe I won't ...
France were poor tonight as well weren't they ? "11 Players of Football" probably equated to just over "5 Players of Football" in the end - the rest were just adverts for the club game ... .
... a roasting hot day, so it was "easy on the garden" this morning - just filling in the gaps between the slabs with soil - just for "support" before they get properly pointed up - then an afternoon of "admin jobs" involving trips to Ashton and Manchester followed by college tonight.
Going back to the garden this morning - the damselflies returned (I assume same ones - I may be wrong as I failed to fit yesterday's pair with electronic tags) ...
... but then - a big splash, and something else appeared from the murky depths (need to check out whether it should be that murky - job for tomorrow !!!). We have a frog - and I'm sure it can't be one of our "house tadpoles" because it's far too large (but then again, I know bugger all about this wild life stuff) - see what you think ...
I'm gonna miss all this week commencing 28th June ... and I WILL reveal more once the employment contract arrives via Royal Mail ... .
Taking advantage of some half-decent weather today, and with the knowledge that my dole signing-on is now back to fortnightly, I ventured forth into the garden to use up the rest of the available slabs in the "Build a Patio before November" game. I've now got none left - needs a trip out to B&Q for more stuff sometime this week. A day off tomorrow might be good for my back, but I might well dig out some more soil and sort out some footings/foundations for the walls that now need building - still got some concrete left to play with ... here's the state of play at the moment ...
I reckon another 6 slabs should finish that particular level ...
But back to the title - I spotted "some action" in the pond (!!) and thought "Hmmm - red dragonflies getting jiggy with it" - but I was wrong on both counts !!! It's actually a red damselfly ovipositing i.e. laying eggs (with the male still attached) - as usual babycam was close to hand and I offer up a couple of "not too bad efforts" of said damselflies (double-click for big as usual):
Cute eh ???
Finish this one with a thought for NZ Neal - might be a Mossley fan living "over there" - but I bet he was jumping up and down with the rest of them Kiwis when Winston Reid put that equaliser in against Slovakia in the 93rd minute - tonight - we cheer for the Democratic People's Republic of Korea - or North for short !!! .
... to sum it up, camping, walking, talking, drinking and eating - and yes I did manage 90 minutes of football in the "old fashioned way" - with a radio (albeit a wind-up jobbie - at least we were three or four seconds ahead of the people on the nearby pitch with their DAB radio - tee hee !!). Having got home and seen the "lowlights", it looks like I was one of the lucky ones - what the hell was Capo doing playing the third-choice keeper ???
Eight-miler on Saturday and a six-miler today - seemed to have been a lot of bird-life looking at the pictures (all with the cheapo 28-105mm lens - I've stopped bothering with the heavier lenses when out walking !!!)
Anyway - caught up with the football with all the "three minute highlight" options most of the games on the net - now eagerly awaiting the "big one" on Tuesday ... come on North Korea !!!!
Now it's Monday ... and let's see what can go right/wrong this week; the early "bad start" was that the patio slab I laid in the pouring rain last week has "failed" - been down there tonight, looked at it and lifted it - bugger ! ... .
... is a long time in "jobhunt world" ... from those "heady moments" of Wednesday, I now find myself in "Black Friday" mode ... yep yesterday afternoon's IT job interview has gone thumbs down/pear-shaped as well. It looks like the Gods of IT are telling me "Forget it mate - too old and not up-to-date enough with your skills" ...
Looks like we're banking on t'other (non-IT) one for now - not sure what all the "checks" are, but as far as I know I'm not a criminal, I've got two legs and no (apparent) disability ... so ... we wait on. Meanwhile I believe there's some called the "World Cup" starting today - and in true "timing fashion", we're off to the Yorky Dales tonight for a weekend under canvas (well nylony-type stuff really !!) - nearest pub is apparently 5 miles away - so Saturday night, after a good long day walk, might involve a good long night walk (it's either that or a wind-up radio - or a peep through a caravan window !!!!! ... away again next weekend - but Friday night's Ingerrlandd game is a go-er in Mossley - phew !!
This job hunt "sh*t" - you plod along - you apply - you justify yourself at the dole every Tuesday - no loyalty points for being a "trier" - just the same "automaton" reactions that everybody probably gets - even the lazy idle buggers - when it boils down to it, we're all the same I suppose in the eyes of the DWP - and also many of the smug (i.e. employed) people out there in Britworld ...
... but then, just like a London Bus, you wait a while and then several come at once. I've still got an outstanding decision on a second interview (IT job) from a couple of weeks ago - then I'm offered an interview (tomorrow @ 1400 hrs) for a three month contract - IT work) - so I ring the recruiter from the earlier interview - he's still chasing (bank holidays and staff holidays appear to be holding things up) - he says, "Go for the other one anyway - if you get the offer, I can go back to T***T*** and push even harder for a final decision". Then - another phone call this morning - from an even earlier interview (which had resulted in this decision) - I'd given this one up for dead (a bit like "we'll keep your info on our database" which I always assume to mean "thanks but no thanks ...") - basically this looks like it 'could' be a definite job offer - but ... they need to do some "checks" first - it's only 24 hours a week - it's only a six month temporary contract - and it's not IT (and not brilliant money) ... starting to get a bit complicated ...
Other than that (!!) - managed a couple more slabs in the "Get the Patio down before the summer finishes" race (had to stop because the weather turned nasty !) - and during the "Top Mossley Walk", a diversion into Seel Park saw that five of the six stanchions now have lamps on them (the guys have probably done the other one by now as well) - will check out pictures later (again only babycam), but now it's "Get ready for College" time (nearly five o'clock). .
... or at least one-third of the same (and it's got nowt to do with washing a small Italian car either - 'tis Latin for "Let there be Light" !!)
Today's afternoon trundle up to Top Mossley to get the tackle for tonight's exotic meal (I call it "Italian Builder's Breakfast" - pasta with bacon, egg, mushrooms, passata and chicken mixed in) saw me bobbing into Seel Park - to see this ... enjoy (albeit only babycam !) - we now have two out of six stanchions (the middle two) with bits on top (so we can at least see 30 minutes of football).
The lights are coming back to Mossley AFC ...
(Plus for all you patio fans - just been to B&Q for some more slabs and mortar stuff - managed to get two down in the end today before the heavens opened ! Let's see what the rest of the week brings ...) .
... I know you're all gagging to know (suppresses titter !!) ... well it's moving on - slowly - the (too) hot weather of late last week has disappeared (probably something to to with the old weatherman adage "When there's a Test Match at Old Trafford - pack your umbrella !"), but here's a couple from this morning - as you can see in the background the earth moving (for levelling) takes up a lot of time (I feel a "raised bed" coming on - send for some breeze blocks !!) ...
... and yesterday (while it was hammering it down) a trip to the Garden Centre was made (aargh !) in order to upgrade the Bird Table to Bird Table XP - another "globey" thing in an attempt to ensure that all the bloody Rooks/Crows/Corvidae don't nick all the seeds - seems to be working OK in the first 24 hours anyway !
The score so far today - cups of tea 5, online job applications 4, slabs laid 1, Mossley players leaving 1 (Chris McDonagh has signed for Curzon Ashton - probably to replace Michael Norton who's upped sticks for the glory of FC United) - a mixed Monday morning indeed ! .
Been taking some "time out" the last few days - literally ...shovelling tons of earth to level up the garden to lay this bloody patio !! At this moment in time - 11 slabs down - at least 15 to go (and then to sort out edging etc - aargh).
I could have done something in the evening - but I've been too knackered to think straight (so much so, I was watching the 20/20 cricket last night on S4C between Morgannwg and Gaerloyw) so I've been slobbing in front of the box !! After the cricket I headed for ESPN Classic (Mrs Smiffy was out !) and watched the official FIFA film of the 1998 World Cup - I love the official films - none of this digital crap - all 35mm - and the cameramen are not "football cameramen" - they're artists in their own right. I've seen the 1966 one of course - now that WAS a treat because when I saw the "real thing" (I'm old enough to remember it vividly) - it was in black and white, so to see a colour version was marvellous. Watched the "Hand of God" one the other day as well - excellent stuff.
Who needs HD ??
(Might try to drag together some of the more "interesting" football stories into a bumper post sometime soon - but not tonight - it's "Come Dine with Me" night at our Michelle's). .
... Thursday lunchtime - college training course finished yesterday (got a certificate (!) so need to update CV as well), so it's back to the "other" grind - now on a break from the job hunt misery so I wandered down the garden - preparing to lay another patio at the bottom here ...
A quick peek in the pond to see some legs growing out of one of the tadpoles - there appear to be 8 knocking about, but this one seems the most advanced ...
... and so it grows (with apologies to Nick Lowe !!!) ... .
... well, I've not been up to Top Mossley for a few days !!
Here's a belter from Swansea Council - the sign was designed - and then the words were sent out for the required translation for the bi-lingual finished object - reply received - sign manufactured - and "hung up" ...
However ... a slight problem. The Welsh translation comes out as:
"I am not in the office at the moment. Send any work to be translated." A 'n fawr camgymera !!!
(hope I got that right - otherwise, I'm next in line to be crucified !!) .
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