Loyalty.......

I love my job. Genuinely. Love the company, love the people, love the work, live pretty much everything. I'm very lucky.

But.

If a rival company wanted to pay me more for doing the same job and I had the chance of being more successful right now, I would think very seriously about leaving.

Now if I didn't like my current job and had reservations about the future of the company I work for, that would make that decision to leave even easier.

I'll stop the talking around the subject. I have always struggled to understand the incredulity at footballers changing clubs and the cries of WHERE'S THE LOYALTY???

If someone in regular society betters themselves and gets a better job with a better company, they are congratulated. Not in football.

A huge majority of the Liverpool fans who are moaning about the prospect of Torres leaving would leave their own job for a better paid job with a more successful company. And yet they will not be vilified as being disloyal.

Maybe Liverpool should look at the conditions within the club that made Torres want to leave in the first place rather than simply crying DISLOYALTY....


- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Location:Birmingham,United Kingdom

WBA Transfer Targets

So there is one week left of the transfer window and WBA are yet to conduct any business at all. This post is simply a bit of folly about who may be available and semi-realistic for the Baggies to buy or loan.

I see the Baggies priorities as being a Centre Back, a Right Back, an Attacking Midfielder and a Forward. Get your chequebook out Jeremy Peace, you might need it......

Jonathan Woodgate


Should be a no brainer. He's an upgrade on all of WBA's Centre Backs, he's available for loan in order for him to gain match fitness and he would bring much needed leadership and experience to the team. Would he be able to maintain a level of fitness that would mean being able to play twice a week for five months. Surely worth a look on loan if he's available.

Jeffrey Bruma


Bruma will slip further down the pecking order at Chelsea with the imminent arrival of David Luis. Chelsea do not want to sell Bruma though and a loan deal could suit Chelsea and give Bruma some crucial experience. Strong and quick and decent on the ball, Bruma can play at both Centre Back and Right Back.

Wes Brown


Brown's contract at Utd expires at the end of the season and there is no sign of a new deal. he would bring a wealth of experience at both Right Back and Centre Back and would be available at a knock down price due to his contract situation. Whether Brown would consider WBA as a viable option is unknown!

Michael Johnson


When Sven took over as Man City manager, Michael Johnson lit up the Premier League for a few months, causing city fans to call him the new Colin Bell. A succession of injuries and off the field problems though have curtailed his career and he now cannot get a look in at Man City. A move to WBA could be just what Johnson would need to get his career back on track and it would give WBA the Attacking Midfield presence that James Morrison is not!

Jamie O'Hara


O'Hara was Portsmouth's best player by a mile last season but injuries have meant he has not played one minute for Tottenham this season. He would bring bite, strong workrate and a wand of a left foot to the WBA midfield. He would also bring Danielle Lloyd to the midlands which can only be a positive.

Stephen Ireland


He's proved his Premier League quality at Man City and cannot get a look in at Villa. Surely worth a cheeky loan bid???

Nico Krankjar


Another player with proven Premier League experience not getting a look in at his current club. Harry Redknapp has already said he would be willing to let Krankjar go if the right offer came in. Considering that Spurs almost stole him from Portsmouth initially you would imagine that offer wouldn't have to be very high!

Zoltan Gera


Another ex Baggie whose also not getting a look in at his current club. I think he would be welcomed back far better than Davies would!

Michael Owen


Why not??? The former boy wonder is not the player he used to be but surely he is a trade up on anything the Baggies currently have? No, I can't see it happening either.............



- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Location:Birmingham,United Kingdom

Carlos Vela Signs For WBA on Loan

After a month of frustration for WBA fans due to a lack of action in the transfer window, a flicker of action today was the cause of hope for Baggies fans due to the signing of Arsenal's exciting young Mexican international, Carlos Vela, on loan for the rest of the season.

WBA have been in the market for a front man having been strongly linked with John Carew earlier in the month. While I think Vela is a good signing and will bring much needed quality to WBA, I'm interested in RDM's thinking. Signing Carew would have made an obvious tactical statement. Either the Big Man/Little Man combo with Carew and Odemwingie or Carew as the focal point of a 433 with Odemwingie pushed out wide. Vela will not bring the same physicality that Carew would and it seems unlikely he will play as that focal point and Vela's dribbling ability and creativity might see him take up similar positions to Odemwingie. We shall have to see how RDM plays it.

It is at least something for Baggies fans though and an undoubted quality signing. Friends of mine who are Arsenal fans have questioned whether Vela has the heart and desire to truly make it at the top level. I guess we will see how he handles a relegation battle.


- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Location:Birmingham,United Kingdom

Richard Keys - Did You Smash It???

There is a witch hunt going on at Sky TV. Someone there has something against Andy Gray and Richard Keys and has found
a way and a momentum to get them out.

That is not to say that this is not the fault of Gray and Keys. The views they hold are unsavoury to say the very least, and Gray's behaviour in the video leaked earlier today of him asking a female (blonde, young and attractive) colleague to tuck his microphone pack into his trousers reeks of dirty old man and Gray has quite rightly been removed from that position.

New video has come to light tonight where Richard Keys can be seen discussing an ex girlfriend of Jamie Redknapp. Keys asks Redknapp if he 'smashed it' and then goes on to suggest that Redknapp spent a lot of time 'hanging out the back of her'. Unlike Keys' previous comments about Sian Massey, these comments do not question the professional integrity of this lady, but it's still fairly coarse language to be used when even the smallest possibility of being filmed exists.

My main problem with this whole situation is did Keys and Gray not consider for one moment that these conversations could be recorded. I will happily admit that I have also asked my friends if they 'smashed' someone, or discussed them 'hanging out the back' of a particular girl, but we have not done it in a tv studio with microphones strapped to us.

I cannot see how Keys can stay on. He has done something that millions of men in the UK would do and have done. This does not in any way make it right, but views like this and language such as this are common place in society. Richard Keys was just incredibly naive in thinking that those views that he was more than willing to share with work colleagues would never get broadcast publicly.


- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Location:Birmingham,United Kingdom

WBA - The Day After

It's the day after the game before and yesterdays result and performance has been slept on, but there are still points that need venting!!

1 - Gabriel Tamas is not useless..........



That header alone shows that he is capable of great things.... Tamas though seems to be a Di Matteo favourite, having played pretty much every game where he has been available. Ibanez and Olsson have more regularly been RDM's fall guys but have arguably been better performers, especially on the rare occasions where they have played together (Win at Arsenal, point at Man U).

It cannot be easy on one's confidence being part of the worst defence in the Premier League. And Tamas's lack of confidence is affecting his decision making. Hence him being in two minds when faced with a ball into the box yesterday as to whether to clear his box or go behind for a corner. The result of this lack of decision making, WBA are 1-0 down and up against it. Tamas' indecision can also be held responsible for Blackburn's 2nd goal.

RDM cannot let Tamas' lack of confidence keep costing his side goals and points. With Olsson back fit it must be time for Ibanez to have an extended run in the team, otherwise, what was the point of signing him in the first place??

2 - James Morrison Is Not The Attacking Answer



I like James Morrison. I was really pleased for him when he came back from injury and got the goal against Leicester that all but sealed promotion. But he just seems to be a bit lost in the attacking midfield position this season. His problem is that he will be compared to Graham Dorrans whose place he often occupies and Morrison does not have the same dynamism, range of passing or goal threat as his fellow Scot. Morrison's recent goals against Man U and Blackpool have detracted from his poor performances but I think he is another who needs time away from the first team. He also seems to be another RDM favourite though who gets picked despite of results.

3 - Somen Tchoyi Needs To Play More




The man is a beast. He intimidates people with his size, power and pace but he can also play!!! Every time he plays or comes on he has a positive impact on the game. If that's the case then he needs to play from the start.



- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Location:Birmingham,United Kingdom

Weekend Football Preview

Blackburn Rovers v West Brom

After WBA's superb game (but not performance) against Blackpool last week, they will be looking for a further 3 points away at Ewood Park on Sunday. WBA will be looking to avenge the 3-1 defeat inflicted on them by BRFC only weeks ago but confidence will be high after the win against the seasiders.

While many baggies fans would have hoped to have seen John Carew line up today, it has not worked out and so the team will remain very similar to that of last week.

Boas Myhill will retain his place in goal while a late decision will be made on Jonas Olsson returning from injury and suspension. If it were me I would bring both Olsson and Ibanez in at CB, drop Tamas to the bench who has looked out of sorts over the last few games and push Scharner into CM and Dorrans up just behind Odemwingie.

Whether Odemwingie can handle the power of the likes of Ryan Nelsen and Chris Samba remains to be seen. Blackburn are a strange team, brilliant one week, awful next!

WBA should have their game plan set... Score first. Blackburn are tue only team in the Premier League not to take a point from being in a losing position!

IPWYMTS's Prediction
Blackburn 1 - 1 West Brom

The returning Olsson and Tamas will shore up the defence but the Baggies will concede. I fancy Dorrans to break his season's duck in Sunday!


- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Location:Icknield St,Birmingham,United Kingdom

Stag Do's? Or Don't Bother?

Beware the Blue Midget

So a mate of mine has invited me on his stag do. Well, his best man has invited me. I should probably qualify before I go any further......

• The Stag is a work colleague, but a close mate who I have known for 4 years.
• Stag's best man is a friend from childhood who I have only met once.
• There is not much mixing between the Stag's 'old school friends' and 'work/later life friends' as Stag doesn't like his world colliding.

So, I've been invited on the Stag Do. Now me and Stag Do's don't tend to mix that well, mainly due to not being a drinker and me ending up babysitting or troubleshooting.

When I discussed said Stag Do with Stag, his exact words were 'I don't want to go abroad, I want it to be fairly low key, I'd quite like to go to the Cheltenham Festival'.

So Email comes in from Best Man, and we will be going to a festival, but it's the Munich Beer Festival.

Further conversation with Stag..... 'It's not really what I want to do and I'm not particularly looking forward to it, but it's what the lads want to do'.

This isn't a stag do. It's a lads holiday. It seems that the best men and a lot of Stag's old school friends are married with kids and this is their one opportunity to go away without their wives and families and go insane. To that extent, it doesn't therefore matter what the Stag wants to do, that's irrelevant. As long as those guys can get their hands on strong beer, drugs and hookers (pure speculation) then they're away.

I am going because my friend asked me to and I'm sure we will have a good time, I'm just not really relishing the prospect and it seems to have lost the spirit of what it is supposed to be about.

At least I get to go to Cheltenham though!!!!

Avram Grant & The Despicable Hammers

Avram Grant - Not popular in East London

All of my West Ham supporting friends and correspondents like to point out how they are the bastions of all things traditional honourable. 

"We're the Academy of Football" they tell us.......

"We won the World Cup" they cling too......

The conduct of the West Ham board, fans and players this season has shown them for what they really are.

Avram Grant is not a great manager and he is difficult to warm to, but he has been treated despicably. He has been treated with suspicion since the first day in his job, and like Roy Hodgson and the Liverpool fans who were out to get him from day one, the 'wonderful' West Ham fans have never given Grant a chance.

The West Ham board are still trying to flex their muscles since bowling back into town last year. I'm fairly certain that they had more to do with the signing of 'The Cuckold' Wayne Bridge and his 90,000 friends than Grant and yet the Israeli is the one who takes all the flack.

I hope West Hame make it to Wembley in the Carling Cup and get out of trouble in the league just so Avram can stick two fingers up at EVERYONE. If they sack him I hope they go down and into administration, just to give those 'wonderful' fans something to really moan about.

West Bromwich Albion 3 - 2 Blackpool

The Hawthorns, just before possibly the most open game of the season!

A fantastic game at the Hawthorns, probably the best game I have seen in the Premier League this year, and it could have finished 5-5. WBA will be disappointed that they didn't kill the game off in the second half with all the chances they created but will be pleased with the resilience they showed to go on to win after being pegged back to 2-2.

I spent most of the first half commenting to my associate 'JUNIOR' that I didn't think Odemwingie looked interested or fit and yet he ended the game the hero after scoring twice. I don't think he had a particularly good game and I don't think he provides WBA with the spearhead that they sometimes need, but he took how two chances very well.

Peter Odemwingie - Too quick for the Blackpool defence and too quick for the IPWYMTS camera!!

The real hero today was Youseff Mulumbu. In the first half his drive and desire kept the team together and throughout the game he made sure Charlie Adam could not completely run the game.

WBA still look suspect at the back, something that I hope will be rectified by the return of Jonas Olsson from injury and suspension next week, but you cannot have the worst defence in the league and be successful.

But the positives;

3 points

2 goals and renewed confidence from Odemwingie

Positive performances from Dorrans and Thomas

Jump to 14th in the league!!

IPWYMTS....


- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Location:Birmingham,United Kingdom

Weekend Football Preview - 15th January 2011

West Bromwich Albion v Blackpool

If you look back at WBA's season, it could be argues that it was the return fixture at Bloomfield Road where the rot began to set in. Denied of several key players through injury, WBA were even further hampered by two quick red cards for Pablo Ibanez and Gonzalo Jara and despite a strong performance from the 9 men, WBA came up just short losing 2-1. Since then, WBA's results have taken a sharp downward turn and they have slipped from the European places to just above the relegation zone.

WBA will be without several regulars tomorrow, through a mixture of injury, suspensions and managerial selection, but the team will have a stronger look to that which started last week's cup defeat at Reading. Where WBA really need to improve however is infront of goal. Ismael Miller's performance at Reading last week once again suggestion that he does not have the quality, desire (or robust physique) to perform at the highest level and even though Roman Bednar brought a 1000% in effort and desire, he once again is not going to score the goals that WBA need to stay in the Premier League.

A lot will depend on the fitness of Peter Odemwingie. His goalscoring touch seems to have eluded him of late, but he brings something that other WBA strikers do not. WBA also desperately need Graeme Dorrans to find his scoring boots. Last years top scorer is yet to find the net this season.

Blackpool have been nothing short of brilliant in their first season in the Premier League and have performed better away from home. In Charlie Adam they have one of the most creative and consistent performers of the season. While most people would have had this as a home banker for WBA at the start of the season, Blackburn will provide a really strong test.

IPWYMTS Prediction - WBA 2 - 1 Blackpool


Chelsea v Blackburn Rovers

Was last week's 7-0 win over Ipswich in the FA Cup the return to form of the Champions or was it an easy fixture against a struggling Championship side? There surely can be no better team to play to provide the answer than Blackburn Rovers. 

Chelsea's win last week was achieved with a number of reserves in the side and it is unlikely that they will return against a physical side like Blackburn, so it would seem a return to the line up that has struggled so much for Chelsea over the last 10 games. 

Despite scoring 7 goals in their previous fixture, Chelsea's problems remain putting the ball in the net. Drogba still does not look the same player as he was before he contracted Malaria (hardly surprising) and seems to remain in the team on reputation and promise of something happening. Daniel Sturridge has done everything he can to retain his place in the side with his goals and overall performance against Ipswich, but I cannot see anyone but Drogba playing against a defensive pairing of Samba and Nelsen.

Blackburn have had a couple of good results since sacking Sam Allardyce and will come to Stamford Bridge with confidence.

IPWYMTS Prediction - Chelsea 2 - 1 Blackburn Rovers 

Gabrielle Giffords Shooting and The Right to Bear Arms

A bit different for me, but its something I feel strongly about. The shooting of Democratic Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords is indicative of one of the main problems that modern day USA is facing.

American citizens have the constitutional right to bear arms, a right that is fiercely supported by a huge number of American's and the highly influential NRA.

Surely though, a more important right, and one that should be cherished even more is the right to life, something that has been taken away from numerous people involved in the Giffords incident due to the easy access to guns for individuals in the UK.

It seems madness that these laws remain while huge numbers of people are murdered in the USA every year. If anything good can come of he Giffords situation it is surely that it is time for a change in the law to be considered?

Reading 1 - 0 West Brom

A 6th defeat in a row and the worst performance of this sequence from West Brom. Most worryingly was the lack of penetration and urgency from West Brom who show no sign of turning round their recent form.

A striker must be a priority for RDM during the transfer window as Ismael Miller was completely ineffective and while Roman Bednar was full of endeavour, his lack of quality was obvious against a limited Reading side.

Albion's first choice attacking midfield of Dorrans, Brunt and Morrison looked like 3 strangers as they failed to produce anything of note through 90 minutes.

WBA's plight wasn't helped by Jonas Olsson being set off for two yellow cards only 15 minutes after being introduced as a half time substitute. Olsson will be annoyed with himself, particularly as it was an avoidable situation when he received his 2nd yellow, but mainly as it means he will be suspended for the crucial Blackpool game in midweek.

Not too many positives for Albion today... Maybe the performance of Myhill whose handling and kicking looked comfortable throughout.

Plenty of negatives though... Lack of creativity and thrust in Midfield, toothless upfront, Olsson adding to the list of missing defenders.

The game against Blackpool is becoming enormous.

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Location:Reading,United Kingdom

Roy Hodgson

If you're going down the Social clap our hands........


So Liverpool fans have got what they wanted and Roy Hodgson has left the club by 'mutual consent' (although the statement released by Hodgson does not make it sound particularly mutual).

I think Hodgson has been poorly treated from the minute he arrived. Some Liverpool fans didn't like him because they felt he was beneath their 'wonderful' club, others didn't like him because he was from London. But Hodgson was right, he didn't have the support of the fans and I think he's been badly let down by underperforming players.

So now 'peoples champion' Kenny Dalglish takes charge. That should at least keep the masses happy. It's an obvious appointment but maybe slightly shortsighted. Dalglish has been out of football for a long time and had disappointing times at Newcastle and Celtic. He will also be working with the worst Liverpool squad in my living memory.

And if this doesn't work out, where do Liverpool go next?


- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Location:Birmingham,United Kingdom

The Legend of Kenny Powers

You're F***ing Out!

Eastbound and Down says more about society in it's 30 minute episodes than most news or factual programs do in weeks. The fact that it can do this while making your ribs hurt from laughing is something of an achievement.

Kenny Powers (played by series co-creator Danny McBride) is one of the iconic comedy characters of our time. He is the perfect lead for this series. Cocky, delusional, arrogant, offensive, but with just about enough talent to back it all up.

These two clips sum up Kenny Powers perfectly, and they both involve him utilising the medium of dance;

In the first, Kenny attempts to woo his former childhood sweetheart with the help of his dancing feet (and a copious amount of Ecstacy). The fact that this takes place at a School dance should not go unnoticed.

In the second clip, Kenny is about to make his comeback for The Charros, a struggling Mexican baseball team. Kenny doesn't seem to be bothered about making an impression with the Mexican fans however;

Some people have been put off that this series has been co-created by Will Ferrell. Don't be. It's the best thing Ferrell has ever been involved in.

I hope that this is going to be one of the shows aired on the new 'Sky Atlantic' channel, the UK version of HBO. If it isn't, a visit to HMV to pick up the DVD of Series 1 is highly recommended.

Weekend Football Preview

It's FA Cup 3rd round day tomorrow and probably the day where Jeff Stelling's head is most likely to explode with too much information at the same time. To not suffer the same fate, I will concentrate on a few games, starting with my two teams.......

Chelsea v Ipswich Town

                                          Interesting mix of lower and upper case script................
 
 After Chelsea's awful performance at Wolves on Wednesday night a home tie against a Championship team could be exactly what they need. More than a result, Chelsea need a performance to get some confidence back into the team, to make them believe that they are the same team that were routing teams at the beginning of the season. 9 of the players who played on Wednesday night played in Chelsea's first two games of the season where they routed West Brom and Wigan 6-0 and they somehow need to get the confidence and fluency back that they showed at the beginning of the season when they looked unstoppable. 

Whether that performance will come against Ipswich is anyone's guess. It is likely that Ancelloti will play a number of the squad players (McEacheran, Kakuta, Van Aanholt), but I hope that he chooses to play some senior players as it is the likes of Essien, Drogba, Kalou and Malouda who desperately need to find some form from somewhere. 

Ipswich will have nothing to lose, especially having sacked Roy Keane today and despite being in poor form themselves, will go into the game with confidence, mainly due to Chelsea's recent poor performances.

I don't think it will be pretty, and I cannot see the it being the end of Chelsea's performance slump, but I'm sure (hoping??) they will have enough quality to prevail.


IPWYMTS's Prediction - Chelsea 3 - 1 Ipswich


Reading v West Bromwich Albion

Jonas Olsson - Don't tell him his headband makes him look like a girl.......

West Brom, like Chelsea, are on a terrible run of form and also face a Championship side in the 3rd round of the cup. WBA however travel to Reading, the team that knocked WBA out of this competition last year.


Unlike Chelsea however, West Brom have been playing well in recent games (bar Tuesday's 3-0 defeat at Fulham) and the usual reaction to WBA games of recent weeks seems to have been 'I CANNOT BELIEVE THEY LOST THAT.....'


The reasons that West Brom have lost those games though comes down to two simple facts;


Inability to put the ball in the net - Top scorer Peter Odemwingie has not scored since the beginning of December and his woeful penalty against Man Utd last week shows a lack of confidence the Nigerian international is suffering. It's not just Odemwingie..... Last year's top scorer Graeme Dorrans is yet to score this season.


Inability to defend set pieces - It doesn't halp having your first 4 choice centre backs either injured or suspended, but it seems since the loss of Jonas Olsson to injury back in November, WBA have had a soft centre and have conceded a large number of goals from set pieces and crosses into the box. Hopefully the return of the big Swede to the side tomorrow will see an end to the defensive softness and WBA can get back to winning ways.

IPWYMTS's Prediction - Reading 1 - 2 WBA


There are too many other games for predictions but I think the most likely shocks are to come from Scunthorpe (Everton), Doncaster (Wolves) and Sheffield United (Villa). And I would love Stevenage to beat Newcastle but I just can't see it.


Enjoy 3rd round day!


IPWYMTS

Technorati

Not the most exciting blog post ever, but one that is necessary to get this blog up and running.

DYW4YM27CCKC





- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Best of Order......?

On Monday I had the honour of attending the BDO World Darts Championship at the Lakeside Centre in Frimley Green, Surrey. A mate of mine is related in a distant manner to Steve 'The Bullet' Bunting, a competitor at this years event. Some smooth talking from my mate got us 5 tickets to sit on 'The Bullets' family table and we were away!

I have been to darts events before, but only events hosted by the PDC, the breakaway Darts organisation headed by Barry Hearn and dominated over the years competitively by Phil 'The Power' Taylor. The PDC is all about showbusiness and spectacle. Boozed up fans wave handwritten signs and scream and jeer whenever their favourite or most hated players approach the oche. Glamour girls accompany the players to the stage where cheerleaders perform to the players entry music. Players can earn vast sums of money and get weekly exposure on Sky TV leading to stratospheric popularity. Having lived in the Midlands for a number of years now I can attest to the popularity of 'The Power' and can fully appreciate his recent 2nd place finish in the BBC Sports Personality of the Year poll.

Having spent a day at the BDO World Championship, the original Darts organisation, it is easy to see that it is a world away from its garish cousin the PDC. While the PDC regularly sells out arena sized venues around the country and it's World Championships take place in the historic surroundings of Alexandra Palace, the BDO remains at the Lakeside Centre in Frimley Green. The Lakeside reminds me of Holiday Camp cabaret venues of my youth, and this is essentially what it is. Black and White photographs of Lakeside's previous performers adorn the walls, one of the few places in the UK where the likes of Kenny Lynch, Gary Wilmott, Hale & Pace and Brian Conley receive any publicity. The decor is just as one would imagine and it feels like a relic of the late 70's and early 80's.

I had to keep reminding myself that I was attending the World Championship of a major televised sport. There can be very few other World Championship events where you can park yards from the front door of the venue, or indeed that take place in Surrey!

The 700 or so darts fans inside Lakeside are as rowdy as you may expect, but something amazing happens when the announcer asks for the customary 'Best of Order', the crowd provide him with just that and the players are allowed to throw in what is a relative hush.

Even the TV coverage is comfortably familiar and old fashioned. None of the wailing histrionics of Sky's Sid Waddell to be seen here. The BBC's coverage is dominated by Bobby George, the BDO darts legend and not, as I once tried to
convince my gullible friend Kay, Boy George's brother. Bobby does bring his own entertainment though as this video of him leading the crowd in dancing to 'Rocking All Over The World' will show.

The darts itself is in all honesty, not a patch on the PDC. while it is still far out of reach of mere mortals like myself, most players in the BDO average over 90 with 3 darts where average of 110 are common in the PDC. A telling statistic is that there has not been a 9 dart finish at the Lakeside since 1990, at the PDC they are somewhat commonplace, new world champion Adrian Lewis even managed to throw one in Monday's final.

The BDO players are no less loved for it though and players like current world champion Martin 'Wolfie' Adams and former champion Ted 'The Count' Hankey are greeted like the sporting gladiators that they are.

Despite the surreal venue it was a great experience. The Bullet put on a fantastic display to get through to the second round (and ensured that our table was on the TV a huge number of times!). Despite my preference for the superior quality of the PDC, today showed me that the BDO has it's place and provides a very entertaining alternative for the probably more discerning darts fan.

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Location:Birmingham,United Kingdom

Wolves 1 - 0 Chelsea

It's hard to react in a reasonable manner after a performance like that. Chelsea just lost to a very VERY limited Wolves side and the result was probably justified if only for how Wolves battled.

Chelsea look desperate. They play at the moment like a team on the edge and with no real plan or shape. There seems to be no distinct lines between defence, midfield and Drogba up front. Cole, Bosingwa, Kalou and Malouda all looked weak, not tired, but just not having the power to compete in a game like this. These players were all knocked off the ball so easily and could not seem to strike the ball with any power when passing or crossing.

I don't see what the solution is apart from spending money. Our alternatives (Sturridge, Kakuta & McEacheran) look either not up to it, lightweight or flyweight (in that order).

The worst thing about it are Wolves are a terrible football team who lack basic technique, but Chelsea could not even provide a match for that.

I feel sorry for Ancellotti. I fear for his position though, but I think it's the players and the senior management of the club who should be looking at themselves.




As a footnote, I watched this game from the Wolves section and felt that even though the Wolves fans supported their team well, some of the bile aimed at Chelsea players was particularly nasty. No doubt that John Terry's morals can be openly questioned, but surely it's not justified to chant "WE HOPE YOUR CHILDREN DIE" as a section of wolves fans around me were doing.

Anyway, the FA Cup third round on Saturday (a competition we have won twice in a row for all you climbers to of hope). Surely we can't lose to Ipswich?

Indicate Precisely.......

Location:Northcott Rd,,United Kingdom

A Test

This is my first go at blogging, it's fair to say that I've arrived on the scene late.

I hope for this to be a collection of things I like and therefore hopefully things that other people will like.

Please bear with me as I learn the ropes, especially as I am planning on writing this blog purely via mobile devices. But we shall see.

The blog even has it's own Twitter account; @IPWYMTSBlog

For now......

IP


- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Location:Birmingham,United Kingdom