Mother’s Day

Mother’s Day means little to me since the passing of my beautiful mum. Other than seeing my sons treat their mum royally, the day can pass me by for all I care.

It is not as if mum was ever overexcited about the day. I really do not think she cared much for Mother’s Day. If I phoned her to wish her a happy Mother’s Day the normal reply would be “Don’t be stupid”, she was a funny woman like that.

Growing up it was a box of Cadburys Milk Tray the present of choice for mum. That was mainly due to the TV ad shown at the time. It would feature some James Bond type riding a speedboat, climbing some mountain to deliver a box of Milk Tray. At the end he would open, his briefcase to the catchphrase “All because the Lady loves Milk Tray”.

I wish mum were still with us. I could do with a ‘Don’t be stupid’ right now. The funny thing is, if she were sitting up there, watching over us, she would probably be muttering ……. don’t be stupid.

Another up and down day for Cardiff City

Earlier I sat back to watch the Cardiff game at the Hawthorns on my laptop thanks to an iffy internet stream. Thanks to Premiership football, I have not missed a game this season from my armchair.

While watching the game I had Sky’s Sports Soccer Saturday on the TV to keep an eye on other results. I settled down for a tense afternoon only for Paul Merson who was watching the game on Soccer Saturday to shout GOAL. Under two minutes and Cardiff were 1-0 down but wait a minute I was yet to see the goal. It took a minute or so thanks to the delayed time satellite link. My first thought was Championship football next season

Before I had a chance to calm down. I was again annoyed to hear Merson shout GOAL. With West Brom on the attack on my iffy stream, I just knew it was going to be a goal for the home team. I was spiralling more and more into depression, god 2-0, my afternoon was just getting worse and worse, and we were only about 10 minutes into the game.

The first 20 minutes was an old fashion blitzkrieg with the Bluebirds on the back foot. However, signs of the worm turning were beginning to show, had West Brom blown themselves out with their high tempo start, I truly hope so. Then round 30 minutes into the game Merson was at it again, GOAL, the difference this time Cardiff were on the attack, could they have pulled one back. Yes, and I was soon watching Jordon Mutch score, 2-1. I was starting to believe again as we were now seen a very different Cardiff from earlier in the game.

Going in at half time 2-1 was not great. However, the revival in Cardiff’s fortunes towards the end of the first half was good to see giving some hope for the second half.

The start to the second half was somewhat killed with news that Crystal Palace had scored and if other results were to stay the same Cardiff would be 6 points adrift in the bottom three of the Premier League. That news put even more pressure for a positive result from this game. Cardiff were still piling on the pressure every time they pushed forward I was hoping to here Merson scream goal.

With the pressure building, I decided to kiss Merson goodbye and turn over to BBC’s Final Score show as this high-octane Soccer Saturday show was doing my head in. As I changed channel Cardiff scored and that the same time I lost my iffy internet stream, Steven Caulker made 2-2 making game on. It was now Jason Mohammad and a more sedate panel of pundits for the Hawthorns updates. However, with the time running out it was looking like both teams would share a point, which was better than no point.

With the game in injury time some would be counting there chickens but Jason Mohammed handed over to the Hawthorns, there was a goal. There was a 50/50 chance of a Cardiff goal, but it was not to be, West Brom scored, beating the Cardiff keeper through his legs, 3-2. So began the f-ing and blinding with some screaming at the TV.

I was resign to our predicament of being 6 points from safety with the door to Championship football well and truly open. The pain was increase with news that our opponents next week and fellow relegation threatened rivals Crystal Palace, had picked up three points without scoring a goal against top of the table Chelsea, thanks to an own goal. While the studio were excitedly discussing the Palace game, back over to the Hawthorns there has been another goal.

Raptures of joy it was a Cardiff equaliser, 3-3 thanks to the young Norwegian midfielder Mats Daehli. Joyous scenes in the Ugarte household, except for my son who was still waiting to see the goal on his iffy internet stream.

New player in the pie market come’s to Cardiff

We gave Bristol the Clark’s pie, now the popular Bristol pie-maker Pieminister are opening a shop on St Mary’s Street today. The first opportunity I get I will be popping into the shop to test out their pies. 

They will be selling their full range of pies via their new shop, some with unusual ingredients for the more adventurous. Pies with the name Moo pie, the Matador and Kate and Sidney. They produce a lighter range for the calories-conscious pie lovers.

Their pies have been available from outlets in Cardiff before, normally the odd pub, but never the full range. They can be found on sale in Waitrose and Sainsbury’s supermarkets. The new shop in Cardiff City centre will have seating for up to 85 diners and will offer side dishes with your pie e.g. mash and gravy and the like plus drinks.

The popularity of their pies has spread across the UK and into Europe, with branches opened in Manchester, London, and even Amsterdam.

Pieminister Website

Another must win game

Seven games to go until the end of the season, three points tomorrow will help immensely.

 

West Brom are only three points above the City having their own relegation problems, so a win for Cardiff would see both clubs on 28 points. A defeat is not acceptable! Cardiff cannot depend on other results going our way. The future should be in our hands with others depending on us to slip up.

 

On the team front, Cardiff City manager has virtually a fully fit squad to choose from and Craig Noone should be fit for the game.

 

West Brom have been in the midst of an injury crisis ahead of the clash with the Bluebirds. Although it has rescinded somewhat with reports Gareth McAuley, Morgan Amalfitano and Diego Lugano are fit for visit of Cardiff, but Victor Anichebe is a doubt. They are without the suspended Jonas Olsson and the injured Chris Brunt and Billy Jones who missed the Hull game with hamstring problems.

 

Both clubs have sacked there managers since they last met, a game Cardiff win 1-0 thanks to a Peter Whittingham goal. The defeat proved to be West Brom former manager Steve Clarke’s final game in charge. A few games later the then Cardiff boss Malky Mackay joined Clarke after he received his P45. Now it is down to City boss Ole Gunner Solskjear to forge out a win for the Bluebirds. Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has won just two game of the eleven games since becoming boss. While his counterpart at West Brom Pepe Mal has played nine, lost four and won just once.

 

The Cardiff boss said ahead of this six-pointer, “We can’t carry on like this.

“We need points next week.”

 

The West Brom manager said on the subject of Saturdays clash, "We need the spirit we had against Swansea.

"We've been conceding too many early goals. We need that extra effort against Cardiff.

"This (relegation) is not a situation that comes into my head. I am far more optimistic.

"For us there is only one game. Cardiff is the 'final'. The only thing that will do for us is a victory."

 

The only fixtures that matter this weekend,

• Crystal Palace v Chelsea (The only outcome that will suit Cardiff is a win for Chelsea)
• West Brom v Cardiff City (Goes without saying)
• Swansea v Norwich (A draw or win for Norwich)
• Fulham v Everton (A win for Everton would do nicely)
• Sunderland v West Ham (West Ham victory please)

The Robin Friday film inching closer

The famous Friday two finger flick

The Robin Friday film has taken a jump forward with director and Bafta-nominated Welsh director Philip John directing the project, according to the BBC website.

 

Filming is due to start in August, with casting well underway. However, the role of Friday is yet to be cast, although some names have been rumoured. Names linked with the Friday role are, British comedian Russell Brand, actor Tom Hardy and Welsh born actor Christian Bale, as possible candidates to play the wild man of football.

 

Friday had a reputation in football circles and beyond thanks to the book ‘The Greatest Player You Never Saw’. He made fellow players with reputation the likes of George Best and Roddy Marsh look more like choirboys than hell raisers. He was a hard-drinking drug-taking, hell-raising womaniser, but sometimes on the pitch, he was the master who could hold the breath of any fan.

 

One of my favourite Robin Friday stories came from Phil Dwyer’s autobiography ‘Mr Cardiff City’.

At Shrewsbury (Welsh Cup final 1976) we lost 3-0 and after the game the players, management and directors went to a bar to drown our sorrows. Robin got smashed and was completely off it, even for him. Screaming obscenities at anyone unlucky enough to be near him he jumped up onto the pool table and started hitting people with the cue. Matters were made even worse when he grabbed some of the snooker balls and launched them at the directors.

With both Cardiff’s and Reading's old grounds replaced with newer stadiums, the film makers will have to source new locations, however the plan is for the film to be shot mostly in Wales.

Birthday Chinese

The downgrade

My weight loss programme is going so well, I have made the drastic decision to down size from a special curry dish (it’s big) to a smaller model (see photo). It will also mean the first change in my regular order since time begun.

No chips and a downgrade from egg fried rice to boring plain white rice or maybe pilau rice to accompany my chicken curry.

A treat for the family (living here) tonight everyone gets a take-away, something I do every March 22nd, for my birthday. A night at home with a curry and a film courtesy of Sky Movies, and tonight’s offering is World War Z, my kind of film, and there is Brad Pitt for the wife. The days of going out on the piss have long gone for me. I am a slippers man now, looking for some peace and quiet.

I briefly considered going for an Indian takeaway but these days you need a ruddy gold credit card to pay for one. So in the end I when down the familiar route of a Chinese home delivery.

I am not a birthday person, I never have been. I do not do presents or cards unless there is money in them and in the case of my always-skint youngest son, an IOU.

Facebook reunite

There are many out there in cyberspace who belittle Facebook, though I like it.

Thanks to Facebook, I have reconnected with friends and schoolmates from my past and people I knew with a smile. Countless of whom, I had not seen or heard from in over 30 plus years. I am particularly happy to be back in contact with friend Gillian, the quintessential girl from across the road.

Me at 6 maybe 7

It has been a long time since I have conversed in anyway with many, except for Gillian, who I would run into from time to time with a quick hello, how are you doing chat. I the past I have gone out of my way to dodge people, even hid in a handy shop, or taken a turn into a side street, just to avoid a conversation.

The reason for my lapse in friendship with my old friends and mates is exclusively down to me. I when all doo lally towards the end of my late teens and started cutting people out of my life for no real reason, well no reason I can remember. It did not help when the family moved from my beloved docks area of Cardiff, new friends and a new life was in the offing and I grabbed it with both hands. However, I soon reverted to type and begun discarding them.

Facebook has seen me connect with many old friends via my Facebook group ‘The Docks Remembered’. The group is like therapy to me and others, names are coming back to me, and the old pictures posted in the group help. Would you like to know more?

Other than general family life, I have found out Gillian; likes are gin, horror, and tennis in the main, an interesting mix of likes. Two out of three do not rock my boat; however, I do like a good horror film and even a bad one sometimes. She lives in our old street, the street we grew up in as kids, I was a bit envious, until she told me, I would not like it now. Maybe I am looking through rose tinted glasses at a passed long gone.

I have also concluded that as a youngster, I must have been walking around with my eyes shut and fingers in my ears. Looking through some of the posts in the Docks group it leaves me wondering where was I when all this was happening. I know I was there, but why have I forgotten so much?

A few years ago one Saturday morning, I was looking at an old picture of a fish shop (see photo) long gone now and remembering. On the spare of the moment, I hit the Facebook button to create, and the Docks group was born. With only two people from my childhood on my Facebook friends list, Margarita Felices and Ruth Young, we have created a group of over 1000 members.

The success of this group can really be lain at the door of these two women for making the group successful. It was mainly via their friends list, that the group grew.

Liverpool visit the Cardiff City stadium

Realistically Cardiff need to beat Liverpool today and look to other results for their salvation. That is the territory you are in when scraping for your life and points in the relegation zone.

Home advantage as not helped the Bluebirds much this season. They have only won five games at home not the best of records, and with only four home game left counting today's things are not looking good. Our visitors on the other hand are looking to consolidate their position in the top four, and are still in with a shout of finish top of the league.

It means nothing that some of our rivals have harder run-ins to the end of the season, if Cardiff do not win games it means nothing. Sunderland have three games in hand on Cardiff and a few others have a game in hand. The predicament is not help with the shocking goal difference, which could be a key factor if our relegation battle goes down to the wire.

Team news for the Bluebirds looks positive, meaning the city manager has most of his first time squad to choose from, minus Mark Hudson who is out for the rest of the season. There are also doubts over Ben Turner and Andrew Taylor both of whom have pick-up slight knocks. Has for Liverpool, they only have one player not in contention for the game with Jose Enrique still recovering from a long-term knee injury. The Merseyside’s are likely to be unchanged from the team that beat Manchester United at Old Trafford 3-0 last weekend.

Off the field good luck to the fans, matching to the ground to protest the crazy dictates of chairman Tan. Rumours suggest the event will be will covered by the local and national media. On the back of the march, the Supporters’ Trust conducted a poll showing 85 per cent of Bluebirds fans are opposed to the red re-branding and the possible change of the club crest to a dragon. Again rumour has it this will be the biggest protest, up to 5,000 with add-on has they match to the stadium.

The march will start at 2pm outside the Admiral Napier Pub, Cowbridge Rd. The route is from the Napier along Leckwith Rd, past Ninian Park railway station and turn left down Sloper Rd to the Ninian Park gates. From the march will make its way to the main entrance.

However, Tan and his supporters will say 5,000 outside the ground 20,000 not marching meaning the marches/protesters are in the minority. It does not work like that Mr Tan! Many fans will not protest by marching, but it do not mean they support the re-brand.

There be a protest during the game against Liverpool commences, on 19 minutes and 27 seconds Bluebirds fans asked to hold aloft blue and white scarves whilst singing ‘We are Cardiff City, we will always be blue’.

How I would like to see today games pan-out for the benefit of the Bluebirds

• Everton v Swansea (The best outcome is a home win)
• Hull V West Brom (A 0-0 would help the Bluebirds)
• Man City V Fulham (Without say a Man City home victory would be more than helpful)
• Newcastle V Crystal Palace (We need another home)
• Norwich V Sunderland (Another draw)

Now that's friggin spooky

It is my birthday today, ‘Happy Birthday to me’ at the ripe old age of …. Not saying.

I was watch a programme the other day about reincarnation, and someone was talking about when you born you take the soul of some who died that day. It got my thinking who died on March 22nd. The first name I found was José Antonio Aguirre, who is he I hear you asking.

He was a Basque politician, the first president of the Basque Autonomous Community, from 1936 to 1960 (president of the government in exile). My family hail from the Basque region, although I do not subscribe to the home country palaver, Welsh born I am. I have one football team and I have one country.

Heavy Load on Board

Heavy load on board

Not saying I am fat (yes I am) but I was weighted on these today at the dentist (see photo). My dentist works out of the Health Hospital Dental Clinic  and according to him it is a new rule from on high.

I felt like a lorry on a weighbridge, but was pleasantly surprised with the result and will now have to take the healthy eating regime to the next level.

The first task will be bread. After dumping white bread mostly into the bin and moved to 50/50 stuff the only place to go is brown bread next. I had some last week and unlike the old days I ate it without complain when I could have had white bread.

It does not sound much but it is a start and one I am going to undertake. Other changes will be made in my goal to get below my target weight and once reach I will see where I go from there.

Not a Green Day for me

Not a fan of St Paddy’s Day and why should I, I am Welsh, and St David’s Day is more important in my calendar.

Look what mummy did to me

 

First, let me establish my grandmother on my dad’s side was Irish, but it cuts no ice with me. Born is Wales, I am Welsh. I am one of these who does not harp back to the old country even with my multicultural background. Closest I will get to donning green will be eating some mushy peas with my fish and chips later.

 

All this Celtic brothers and sisters stuff is crap, in this dog eat dog world who would not step over one of our Celtic cousins to get an advance.

 

Paddy Day = a piss-up, not much culture there.

 

It could mean more to the real Irish, but all the plastic paddies see a pint of Guinness. The first pint I ever bought was a pint of Guinness, it was the only drink I knew having seen it on TV. After a few sips I never touched the stuff again.

 

Be prepared for the endless rendition of “Oh Danny Boy” drifting out of some pub, usually sung by some drunken old man, sitting in the corner, surrounded be his equally drunk mates. I do not hate St Patrick Day, I  will pass me by however I do hate the over the top commercialisation of the event typified by the Americans. Big parades are the norm and in Chicago there even dye of the Chicago River green.

 

For true haters look no further than the ‘Westboro Baptist Hate Group’ who hate just about everything under the sun. They have a particular dislike for the Irish national day and are always keen to protest a parade.

Death in the family

Someone very close to me passed away today, no not a family member, or a friend, not even an enemy but my YouTube favourites list. Yes over 500 saved pieces of my past, over 2000 minutes of music, every song/tune that meant something to me gone. I am upset with my predicament.

I can remember the every first tune I listened to and saved, The Specials ‘Do Nothing' and it will be the first I re-add as I start all over again.

The thought of some of the tunes I have lost makes me cry. It well take me years to rediscover them, as many are from a moment in time. Like watching a film that held a snippet of music I liked, sparking my interest and lead my in a search for it, when will that happen again. TV show and adverts that help me build my library of music. Yes, all my favourites like Madness, The Specials and other will be easy to find but that will brings me little joy.

How the death or murder happen I do not know. All I do know is I will scour YouTube in the search for my missing tunes.

I love Sunday Dinner

What is traditional about Sunday dinner/lunch? Beef and Yorkshire pudding?

 

I can a sure you this is not my dinner today

What is tradition for me is Sunday dinner with any meat from Chicken, pork, beef or even a mumble sausage. Pork is my favourite roast, a nice loin of pork from our local butcher, slow cooked.

As a youngest every Sunday I would stand out our small kitchen watching mum cook Sunday dinner and when I final left home the first Sunday dinner I cooked mirrored how I had seen my mother do.

In fact one of the first arguments me and the wife (then girlfriend) had was now the cook the roast potatoes. Her mother like to part boil her potatoes and then put them in the meat fat to roast. While in the Ugarte corner, my mother with put them cold into the fat and cook them at way. I won the argument and ever since its been the Ugarte way, and I have never heard the wife complain.

Our dinners normally consist of … meat, stuffing, boiled potatoes, roasted potatoes, cabbage white/savoy carrots and peas. We add other vegetables’ from time to time and we are not unknown to throw on a Yorkshire pub if we feel like one. Yorkshire pubs are not just for beef in my book.

What can make or break your dinner is the gravy. Mum would mix it up in the meat tray, flour and two Oxo’s, always just two and no browning. I did it the same until the arrival of our electric cooker, so now we pour the fat juices in a saucepan, not the same. I have changed my gravy recipe, modified it to my taste.

I love mint and not just on lamb but every Sunday dinner. We would have it on the side in a cup and spoon it out but it was so frustrating. Then one Sunday I just said screw it and put a few dashes of vinegar into the gravy and a few spoons of mint sauce into it as well, eureka. Even mum gave me a nod to my ingenuity, high praise indeed.

Cardiff visit Liverpool to play the other team

Another weekend and another all-important game for Cardiff City.

How they stand before today's game

 

Cardiff City and its fans hit the road for Liverpool and a must win fixture against Everton. Every game is must win game, if they win them all that the end of the season the club will still be a Premiership club. A point could be helpful if results go the way of Cardiff but it’s really in our hands now or better still, the hands of our manager and players hands.

 

Everton have lost four of their last six matches in all competitions while Cardiff go into the game off the back of the win over Fulham last weekend. Team news from Cardiff suggest central defender Ben Turner is the only doubt for the Cardiff manager. Recent signing Juan Cala has overcome a stomach bug and is likely to replace Turner is the starting line-up.

 

Everton captain Phil Jagielka, who has missed the last two matches with a hamstring strain will be have a late fitness test. Also doubtful is midfielder Steven Pienaar who picked up an injury in the 4-1 FA Cup defeat to Arsenal last weekend.

 

Nymphomaniac (2013) - Film Review

Got to see Lars Von Trier's sex epic Nymphomaniac Part 1 and 2 the other day, missing the dirty mac brigade because of an iffy internet site for a bit of home viewing.

I enjoyed the film and not for the obvious reasons which has been well documented in the press and TV, sex.

I found the most interesting part of the film was interaction between Joe (Charlotte Gainsbourg) and Seligman (Stellan Skarsgård), which was interrupted with some erotica has Joe recants her life of sex.

The first instalment (Part 1) was my favourite, I found the young Joe (Stacy Martin) bewitching.

In the film Joe regards herself as a nymphomaniac on a sex addict a much better definition for a women than the latter. Can a man be a nymphomaniac? It doesn’t sound right. On the erotica side of the film I found the senses involving Joe and K (Jamie Bell) as a nasty little sadist with a liking for pain, a long way from Billy Elliott.

Minus the penises

The film also gave me a laugh in among the darkness and pain, when Joe via a go between, arranges to meet a black African in a seedy hotel.He arrives at the room with his brother, we are lend to believe. They prod and poke Joe treating her like a piece of meat, jestering to take her clothes off all the time arguing in a known African language. After engaging in a brief bout of sexual active with Joe, they lose interest and have a shouting match leaving Joe sitting at the end of the bed. The director then comes up with an interesting camera angle, Joe in the foreground at the end of the bed with two rather large erect penises bouncing around.

Not a film to watch with your kids, no matter how old. In fact not even mum and dad.

The Lost World TV series

Two reason to watch The Lost World

I love the TV series ‘The Lost World’ which is running currently on the Horror Channel.

The story goes at the dawn of the 20th century, a band of adventurers, led by adventurer and scholar Professor Edward Challenger, embark on an expedition to prove the existence of a lost world isolated from the rest of the modern world.

During their expedition, their hot air balloon crashes in the uncharted Amazon jungle, where they end up on the prehistoric 'Plateau'. The group then meets up with Veronica whose parents had disappeared on another expedition ten years before.

The group are later joined by a woman named Finn, as they continue to search for a way off the plateau. Each week there is a different enemy to destroy or monster to kill, even aliens. They fight to survive against fearsome dinosaurs, tribal head-hunters, vicious ape-men, a race of Lizardmen and other all of whom didn’t seem to know each other.

Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's book has seen a number of TV show and film come from its pages, some better than others.

Best party ever

Party on

This was a mistake

Everyone’s nightmare, you organizing a party and invite people and no one turns back. What if you a TV personality come celebrity and no one but a few turn up, how embarrassing.

Jeremy Clarkson and James May from the BBC programme Top Gear face that dilemma when but a hand full of people turn up for a Top Gear wrap party in Sydney. The duo were in Australia special episode of the hit BBC show, and rented a villa for a wrap party before returning to the UK.

TV presenter Clarkson took to twitter posting a series of photos and tweets of the comical situation. Both he and May saw the fun side of the night which it picking up with the arrival of a pretty blonde for the female sex.

Maybe that’s why I have never had a party! I have been to a few in my time lacking guest and it is embarrassing.

Why do vegetarians eat food that looks like meat?

Spot the veggie sausage

Checked off the first item on my bucket list today, the first truly ever vegetarian product ever to enter my mouth.

Linda McCarthy was the world most boring vegetarian who saw a gap in the market for veggie food to mimic real meat products. Why shape a load of crap into a sausage shape and market it has a substitute it for the real stuff full of dead animals.

Would this sausage (which I will be eat momentary) look has appetising if it was made into a square shape, like in the film Fahrenheit 451. I doubt it.

I just don't understand why vegetarian food is in the shape of burgers, bacon, sausages and pretty much every food they don't eat. But, if they don't want to eat that food, why not just eat vegetables that look like vegetables.

On asking a vegetarian the simply reply was “Why not”

Oh well time to taste the sausage. I baked the said sausage in the oven separate from its meaty cousin. They looked ok and cooked like has for the eating I was surprised, it tasted really nice and if I was given one at a friends say, I wouldn’t turn my nose up. However, I still enjoyed my meaty pork sausages more.

Silent Weekend

When my kids played football many moons ago I was a silent parent. I was never one of those parent who spent the game shouting at their little Jimmy to do this and do that, it’s really for the manager/coach to encourage the team remembering not to be to critical of his players.

I would give my boys a pep talk before a game, and prise them after the game win, lose or draw. I have seen parents seriously chastised their kids dragging them to the car without letting them get changed.

So I was happy to read that the Lancashire Football Association's are holding Silent Weekend initiative aims to change attitudes and behaviour in grassroots football.

Lancashire FA's 'Silent Weekend' code of conduct

•All adults to refrain from any shouting or direct communication with players. Discussion between adults only
•Applause for both teams
•Parents to refrain from "advising" coaches
•Parents and coaches to refrain from "advising" or questioning referees
•Adults, referees and players to respond to post-match survey
•Where possible an 'Adult Ambassador' to be present at every game

Gogglebox is back

Gogglebox is back tonight and I for one am looking forward to its return. I took a while for me to appreciate the last time around. It coincided with something I was watching in the same time slot.

After friends gave me earache about it I checked it out and found it enjoyable and interesting. Its basically me, I sit around passing judgement on TV shows, in particular things I don’t like. The mix of couples are good like the posh ones and the old couple. The show after the success of the last season has been moved to the prime time Friday night slot of 9pm for midweek 10pm.

Tonight they will pasting comment The Oscars, The Voice, The Taste and Saturday Night Takeaway which will give me plenty of opportunity to bend the wife’s earholes. My Gogglebox views for tonight

The Oscars

Do really care, and who would stay up all night to watch them. I am not a film goer, I enjoy film but all this back slapping just does my head in.

The Voice

Love the fact it is doing better in the ratings and beating Saturday Night Takeaway. I like the chairs, format and the judges and I see way people knock it. It is much better than Britain got no Talent and the V Factor.

The Taste

I didn’t like it but for nigella. There are just too many cooking shows on TV how many always is there to make a Sausage Roll.

Saturday Night Takeaway

National Treasure my ass, the show is well past its sell-by-date. Ant and Dec are overrated and I don't think they're funny at all.

Big Game v Fulham

If have is anything like a must win game, tomorrow via Fulham is that game. With the worst two defences in the Premier League meeting should their will be goals. However, the Londoner’s have the deadly forward line and that could be why some bookies are giving them the edge to beat Cardiff.

 

The remaining fixtures:

• Saturday 8th March Cardiff vs Fulham
• Saturday15th March Everton vs Cardiff
• Saturday 22nd March Cardiff vs Liverpool
• Saturday 29th March West Brom vs Cardiff
• Saturday 5th April Cardiff vs C Palace
• Saturday 12th April Southampton vs Cardiff
• Saturday 19th April Cardiff vs Stoke City
• Sunday 27th April Sunderland vs Cardiff
• Saturday 3rd May Newcastle vs Cardiff
• Sunday 11th May Cardiff vs Chelsea

 

I have done the figures, even being the most optimistic of Cardiff City fan, I am worried. After the Fulham game there is a double header with Merseyside Everton away and the following Saturday Liverpool visiting the Cardiff City Stadium. Not the easiest of fixtures with Fulham grasping for points and the both Merseyside club looking for a Championship League/European football next season.

 

It must three points tomorrow a point would leave Cardiff depending on other teams to lose, not the best way of survival. A win will still keep Cardiff in the bottom three because of their unimpressive goal average. Fulham manager Felix Magath is insisted Fulham's visit to Cardiff on Saturday is not a "must-win" encounter - and claimed his side will avoid relegation whatever the result. I hope the Cardiff boss is instilling the opposite and shouting from the roof top now important victory and three points are. You can beat the fans see the game as a must win game.

 

Has for team news Cardiff, are managing better than Fulham, with Mark Hudson out for the remainder of the season, but Cardiff will hope Andrew Taylor and Craig Noone are available after knocks. Fulham are reported to have a number of problems, Fernando Amorebieta and Damien Duff are out with record signing Kostas Mitroglou played for Greece in midweek but doubts over his fitness remain.

 

The sporting pundits and former players are lining up to ring the death bell for the Bluebirds offering them little or no chance of playing Premier League football next season.

International football is not for me

Red Card for International Football

I have always been a Cardiff City fans before the Welsh International team.

I have never had the passion for Wales as I have about Cardiff, but done get me wrong, I always want them to win and do well.  However, I’m basically a club man.

I love Wales, I love most everything about this great country, excluding rugby, no comment.

The big selling point about tonight’s international friendly, is see the world’s most expensive player, Gareth Bale, but it still won’t fill the stadium even with the reduced ticket prices, £10 for adults, £5 for oap's and £1 for under 16's.

I have been to some games mostly when the Home Internationals were round and some of the bigger games, but since Romania 1993 I have not attendant a Wales game. I can’t see the point of international friendlies, managers say it’s about getting to players together. Do they need a game? They could have met up for a day, if it was about having a bit of a get together

Wales face Iceland tonight just for a training run-out sometimes these breaks come at the most inconvenient times like if you are have good run of results. However, sometime it can give a poor performing team a breathing space with a two week break. It doesn’t help if you have players away on international duty. Long flights around the world are not good from club training.

Ash Wednesday

Its Ash Wednesday today the start of the traditional 40 day season of Lent, a time where we traditionally quit sacrifice something that we enjoy.

It has been a while since I gave something up and today I have decided it was time to reconnect with by catholic past and give something up. It will be Chocolate, even on my health eating plan I still have some chocolate for time to time but, no from today.

I didn't do church today that would have been a bridge to far, but the future is a long road and one day it could lead that way.

Thank you Mr Postman

Some new light reading dropped through the letterbox this morning. Well I had to answer the door technically it won’t fit through the letterbox. A lot of packaging for such a small book.

 

The new offering for my bookshelf is From the Ashes - The Real Story of Cardiff City Football Club by Christian Saunders. I enjoy a good footy book, but the history of my club Cardiff City or anything about my club floats my boat more than most. I am looking forward to getting stuck into it although I am that the moment only half way through another book on the rise of Cardiff City.

 

Yes a book .... I do prefer books, and like the feel of the paper, turning a page over, just beautiful. The wife is all about her Kindle, a bloody awful creation I don't think I will ever use one.

Hard Cheese Cardiff

I woke up from a bit of a cat nap to see the starting line-up and jump straight into my handy time machine to check out the final score, I came back disappointed and quick put a bet on.The bet was a substantial one, first goal and time, half time score and so on but no one would take my bet on Tottenham winning.

One think about being in the Premier League football you can always find a iffy internet streams. I have been able to watch ever league games so far this season. Today after a few duds, not in English, I hit on a great one.

After game Solskjaer speaking to the press said,

“I’m confident we will stay up because I believe in these lads.

“I see them every day in training and I see them out there on the pitch as well, we had opportunities against Tottenham.

“We’ve just got to keep believing, that’s all you can do when you’re at this end of the table, and with ten games to go, it’ll be an exam for us in these last two months.

“I think we need five wins from our last ten games to stay up, it’ll be a test for us mentally and emotionally, it’ll test our character as a team.

“It’s not about getting just this one win or one result then you’re out of it, we’ve got to stick at it.

“It might be that we come to our last game against Chelsea and need to get a point, or maybe even three points, to stay up.

“It will go all the way to the wire, we won’t be out of it much before then, but there’s enough character to stay in the race [for safety].”

There was a big improvement over the Hull defeat the previous week. How we never looked like scoring which has been a problem all season. A little chant beloved by fans is ‘You couldn’t score in a brothel’ I think the Cardiff City strike force could, unless a ball was involved.

I do like a bit of football comedy, like the goalkeeper coming up for a last minute corner kick. Today City keeper Marshal did just that looking for a last minute equaliser. Hovering like a praying mentis about to strike at its pray he looked for the winner but only to see his opposite number in the Tottenham goal tip the ball over the bar. Another corner came it only for the Tottenham keeper to safely gather the ball hitting the floor with the ball smothered.

With the Cardiff goal wide open I found myself shouting shot!!! Much to the shock of my son and myself. Needless to say the Tottenham keeper stay ground to the floor give the Cardiff keeper to get back on his goal line just in time for the final whistle. The game finished 1-0.

Oscars night, but not for me

Oscars night tonight and I can’t say I am really bother about who wins or loosing.

I have not seen any of the Best Films, with me it is a case of have they been on Sky movies yet. I am in no rush to see them and won't be sitting up all night watching them.

I have not been inside a cinema since 1984, yes over thirty years ago. In fact, I can remember the last film I when to see, Streets of Fire. Loved the sound track and Diane Lane was hot. Both my wife and I are shocked we have never had a cinema date!!! It is something I am ashamed of and will put right soon.

Back to the Oscars now I have embarrass myself I would love one of the goody bag rumoured to be stuffed with £50,000 of freebies. If any A-lister would like to forward there’s to me I would happy to keep anything useful and flog the rest on EBay.

See the Street of Fire Trailer Here

Sunday football … I don’t like it

Cardiff City are playing Tottenham in the English capital this afternoon and I am not expecting much in the way of a result from my team. I just hope they give me a nice surprise, and bragging rights over my Tottenham loving brother-in-law.

Spurs reached the last 16 of the Europa League on Thursday with a dramatic 3-2 aggregate win over Ukrainian side Dnipro. The London club have previous hit a bit of a hiccup after European football, dropped 17 points in the Premier League on the back of their European excursions. Can City pick up a bit of a lifeline today?

I hate Sunday football, one of the prices of Premiership football I would much rather see Cardiff play on Saturday’s. No wonder we don't see Saturday Football papers these days, also known as the pinky after the colour of the paper used.

It should be interesting later, a cup game to watch, and then I need to find an iffy internet stream to watch the City’s game. Shouldn’t be a problem and could also watch or keep an eye on the Aston Villa/Norwich game on Sky Sports and to top it off the Jack scum to the west are playing also. Will we see if these wholesale changes talked about in the week will materialise, I doubt it.

Prime Minister supports Cardiff City – not Cameron

Helle Thorning-Schnidt

Danish Prime Minister, Helle Thorning-Schmidt has revealed on a Danish talk show she is a bit of a Cardiff City fan via family connections.

 

She is married to Stephen Kinnock son of former Labour leader Neil Kinnock and Cardiff City supporter. It is unsure if her love of Cardiff City comes from her husband, whose football loyalties are unknown.

 

It looks like she could be a fair weather fan only after it was reported she said, “I keep with Cardiff City in the Premier League,” She quickly added she was a fan of Danish giants Brondby, to keep the local voters happy.

 

The Danish PM would be known the world at large but for that infamous selfie taken at the Nelson Mandela’s funeral.

Not you Cameron

 

While she cosy up to American President Barrack Obama, British PM David Cameron photo bombed the picture while Michelle Obama looked on disparagingly

What’s happen to St David’s Day?

It’s St David’s Day! March 1st, the national day of Wales. You won’t see much of a celebration around the country its must be said it is a bit of a damp squib.

It’s nothing like I remember has back when I was a kid. Back then the girls dressed in Welsh traditional dress and still today. For the boys back when I was in infants school we would be St David with a sword and shield, but if you were unlucky you would turn up as a miner. More people were out and out wearing a leek or daffodils today you will be luck to see any.

It is St David's Day

There has handy been any kind of a build-up I had noticed leading up today, and I live in the capital of Wales. You would be led to believe it was just another day going by the front pages of my local papers. There is a bit of a march through Cardiff City Centre to Cardiff Bay and the Welsh Assembly building, the crowds will be sparse like most years.

Thinking back, I find it strange we went to school ‘all war’ like when St David or Dave to his mate was a holy man not a knight. So why sword and shield I have no idea, but It was fun. Mum would get us plastic sword and shield for Hopkins on James St, which always was a bit of a disappointment.

The sword would never last, it would always bend at the hilt and go all floppy. I was always envious of my mate Peter Owen, his dad a dab hand with wood, and would make him a wooden sword and shield, he would soon lay waste to the plastic swords brigade. If you were to send your kid to school all tooled up with a sword and shield (Plastic) the armed police and helicopter would descend in seconds. No health and safety back then.

It would be a half day on school days and no lesson, class actives, stories, singing and poems. We would always get a rendition of Matilda…

Matilda told such Dreadful Lies,
It made one Gasp and Stretch one's Eyes;
Her Aunt, who, from her Earliest Youth,
Had kept a Strict Regard for Truth,
Attempted to Believe Matilda:
The effort very nearly killed her,

Read more at http://www.poetry-archive.com/b/matilda.html#RPDCQgUZssrzPWfV.99

To this day it is still one of my favourite poems Today the girls still have the Welsh dress and the boys and some girls don the awful Welsh Rugby shirt which is a disgrace. I made my sons wear Cardiff City tops.