Tag: Man Utd

bookmark_borderMorning World

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Time moves on and these days I tend to watch Saturday Kitchen as opposed to Soccer AM (blame the new Soccer AM bloke, he’s rubbish). So whilst I sup on my coffee, Ken Hom is stirring up some Pork and Pineapple dish and I’m salivating.

Anyway, today I’m doing a little research after an interesting phone call yesterday, I’m updating my iPhone with the new software update (and filling it with a little more music), and then I’ll sit down with lunch and watch the Man Utd vs Liverpool game. Then it’s a few little chores, and deciding what to do for dinner before I head out to lose money playing Poker. OK, not really, I’m still learning so I’m allowed to play for free. Should be fun!

Tomorrow? Well that depends when I get home, when I get up and whether the couch decides that it would like some company or not.

Although I have been toying with resurrecting Scottish Blogs… maybe. Don’t get yer hopes up!

bookmark_borderFootball*

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“At the end of the day, to be honest, I think I can safely say that I take each post as it comes. Although I’ve always got on eye on the next game post, it’s usually end to end stuff.”

Despite watching and (occasionally) playing football I rarely post about it mainly because I’m aware that most my readership doesn’t give a flying galactic toss monkey about it, and also because I’m what I consider a ‘neutral’ fan. This means my views lack the objectivenessless of the diehard, lifelong supporter, lack any real degree of passion or involvement and soon dissolve into an exercise in trying not to offend. The latter is only because I’m a nice guy though.

My Dad was/is a P.E. teacher so sport was always a topic of conversation and knowledge in our household with the possible exception of football, mainly because my Dad prefers other sports. I know a lot about the techniques and tactics behind a large variety of sports, having read a lot of the books my Dad was using/reading on various sporting topics, even if I don’t play them all.

Another reason I rarely post about football is that I don’t really have a team that I support. I truly a neutral fan. At the moment I’m loving Chelsea in the English Premiership, AC Milan and Real Madrid have long been continental favourites of mine, honed through the early years of Champions League and European Cups in the 80s, but I’ll watch pretty much any game if it’s good. Man Utd in the mid 90s were awesome to watch, and Arsenal of a couple of years ago were breath-taking with their pace and passing game.

I do play football, although a lot more of my time is spent on the PlayStation (Pro Evolution Soccer) than on the 5-a-side pitch these days, and I’m waiting for Christmas to get Football Manager 2006 for the PC. I’m currently second in the fantasy football league at work, and as I live in the West of Scotland and hugely aware of what is happening with Rangers and Celtic. As to which of THOSE teams I support, well that depends on who I’m talking to or, more accurately, who I’m trying to wind up. I don’t really support either but it IS fun pretending.

I think video techology can and should be used, I think stiffer fines should be imposed on players who cheat, and I would love to see more discipline on the pitch.

So, there you go. For the three of you that have read this, I hope that answers some questions.

* Soccer, for my American friends.

bookmark_borderFebruary

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New Year has long since passed but it’s only now that I’m going to start focussing on the year ahead. With being away in Spain earlier in the month, and our nephew turning 18 – celebratory dinner/pissup this weekend – we’ve not really been looking any further than the end of this month.

So what will 2005 hold? As ever the battle against the flab will be fought, although this year we are both determined in a way we’ve not been before. We both need to diet and both understand that you really need to have your head in the right place for a diet to work. Sure you can manage a week or three of controlled eating and exercise but all it takes is a minor event and you fall off the wagon (leaving a large dent in the road) and no matter how much you promise yourself you’ll “start again on Monday” you never do. I think, even though we’ve not really discussed it, we are both waiting until this weekend is over to start the diets – although I am tempted to dig out the elliptical trainer (yes yes, “my ellipses need trained” – it’s been done already!) on Wednesday so I can whir away the hours watching Man Utd vs Chelsea. We’ll see.

I guess I could claim to have initiated another aim – I setup my (musical) keyboard at the weekend. It’s been standing on it’s end for the last year, gathering dust and occasionally I was sure I could hear it whimpering (in Cminor). I’ve found a few sites where I can.. er.. acquire sheet music, and received a Jamie Cullum book for Christmas so.. really.. I’ve not got an excuse.

I also expect that I’ll discover even more new music this year and I’ll try and couple that with some more good books (note to self: get that list of ‘to be read’ done and get them stacked up!). We are also trying to get back into the ‘cinema’ habit as our UGC cards just ain’t paying for themselves at the moment.

There is more, of course, but I’ll keep that under my hat for the meantime (no I’m NOT trying to generate interest I just don’t wanna say here, m’kay?). So, roll on February 2005. I think I might just be ready for you.

bookmark_borderWhat? Eh? Ohhh fine…

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Bit blurry today, helped neither by the clocks changing nor the two bottles of wine last night. Still a quiet day planned, helped largely by the fact that our phoneline is dead (engineer out on Monday). So that leaves today free to… bugger.. do some work. Mind you, the wireless connection and the laptop mean I can do it from the comfort of the sofa (where this very post comes to you from) and have, currently, the Woman’s Premier League Cup Final on, although I’ll be switching over in about 30 secs for the Old Firm game, and probably watch Arsenal take apart Man Utd. later on.

Ohh and there are emails to deal with including two (well one was a comment) from friends of my parents, all prompted by my 1000 words entry, not to mention a hazy memory of agreeing to do a 12 mile walk for charity sometime in June. This falls nicely into place as just yesterday Louise and I were talking about doing more, getting fit, losing weight… all that stuff. For me this means exercise. This time last year I was playing football twice a week, the occasional game of basketball and even going to the gym now and again. Since breaking my foot late last year I’ve done precisely nothing to improve my fitness. Embarassingly I find myself out of breath just nipping up a flight of stairs. I’ve never been this unfit in my life and I’ve had enough.

I know all the ‘tricks’, take the stairs, get off the train one stop early, stop eating an entire pack of Jaffa cakes by yourself.. common sense stuff. I’ve considered Yoga (my flexibility is awful), jogging (not until I lose some weight), and will start by doing situps, pressups, and all that stuff you used to do at school. What I need is a cheap (free) home based exercise routine. Suggestions?

(Yes, I know I said I’d stop asking for suggestions but what can I say, I’ve been so impressed with your responses recently I thought I’d try with this – if nothing else it could be fun finding out just how fit us bloggers are… no?)