Out with the old in with the new

Bye

Shocked horror and pretty upset to find one of my regular takeaway destination the Canton Chinese Delight has picked up a very low grade Food Hygiene Rating. We only had a delivery from there only a few weeks ago and you never think to ask for their hygiene rating, would they tell you if it was poor.

At least it was not a ‘0 rating’ but it wasn’t the top rating of five either which I would expect. However, the rating of one is just not good enough and until they hit four or five they have lost my business. The rating was given in March of this year and until they get it sorted, I will be

looking elsewhere for my Chinese treat.

The handy Food Hygiene website proved helpful in finding a new takeaway, The New Champagne with a five rating and a home delivery service. From now on if, your business doesn’t have a four and above rating, I just won’t be eating there. It was also nice to find out our pub The Sand Martin also had the top rating.

You can check your favourite takeaway by clicking the link below

Food Hygiene website

Oops ... i didn mean to post that

One click away from a nightmare

Why do porn sites have a "Share to Facebook" button and others?

Who in their right mind are going to watch porn and thinks, "You know who'd really enjoy this? My family and friends."

What if you were to accidentally click the share button with Facebook, how embarrassing would that be and how would you explain that away.

The reason for the interest is it happen to me earlier. No, it wasn’t me hitting the share button but a Facebook acquaintance. When it appeared on his timeline, he got a shipload of shit thrown his way from his friends list. He took it down fifteen minutes later claiming he had no idea how it got there. He blamed being hacked to little avail, as few believed him; he was literally caught with his pants down.

I don’t believe he did it deliberately, but it cost him a number of unfriends, and a ban from Facebook.

Turncoat

Lily Allen breaks down in tears after Atletico Madrid

score the winning goal against her team Fulham FC
in the Europa Cup final

For an old codger like me, I like Lily Allen’s music. Particularly her earlier stuff however today she has lost a bit of her lustre because of her football related announcement.

Known to be a football fan her allegiance was with Fulham until she announced on Chris Evans radio show that she had jump ship for their London neighbours Chelsea.

Her reason for the switch was with her husband a Chelsea fan she didn’t want to bring up her children in a ‘competitive environment’, what a cop-out. If her husband were a fan of lowly Barnet would she be so eager then I somehow don’t thing some.

Fulham fans have taken to tweeter branding her a ‘traitor’ The star, 28, who previously held a season ticket for the Cottagers, admitted: “I’m not a Fulham fan any more. I was, but now I’m married to a Chelsea fan.”

She added: “We don’t want to bring up our children in a competitive environment.”

I believe they can do it

I can believe

What crazy idiot came up with a 12 mid-day kick off all the way to Sunderland? Over a 600 miles journey both ways and over 10 hours plus travelling time. A bit of a longer trip next weekend to Newcastle but with a more respectful kick-off time.

Well not the Premier League but the demands of TV stations. The likes of Sky and BT who have their greasy hands all over the scheduling as they run football these days, the money men. It doesn’t help the travelling fans that Sky Sports are showing three live games this Sunday instead of the normal two.

One advantage in the Bluebirds favour is they are going into the game Sunday knowing exactly what they need to do as their rivals play Saturday.

Three points again is the target for Ole and the players with Sunderland also in a dire need for points. No one wants to be reliant on other team’s results. However tomorrow every point dropped is very much welcomed, as it’s another massive weekend for the bottom seven clubs.

• (19) Fulham v (14) Hull City
• (7) Man Utd v (17) Norwich
• (16)West Brom v (12) West Ham
• (20) Sunderland v (18) Cardiff City
• (13) Swansea v (15) Aston Villa

I hate the fact that I have to give some grudging support to two of my most hated football teams to put in a performance, namely Swansea and Manchester United. Both of whom can do Cardiff a favour by winning.

The media and written press are calling it the £120 million game, the likely income for next season for the team that can beat the drop to the Championship. Sunderland are expecting a near sell-out crowd and even with the early start for Cardiff fans there will be a healthy support for the Welsh club. Has for the team tomorrow Cardiff City boss Ole Gunnar Solskjaer as indicated there are no injury problems going into the game. He also told the press today that Craig Bellamy is 'hugely important' to the fixture at Sunderland and the run-up to the end of the season.

Happy Easter

Oh where to start

The Easter Bunny has come a calling, (namely my dad) leaving me with something a bit special for yours truly.

Not your run of the mill Easter eggs for me because I am going chocolate free today. The Easter bunny has dropped a couple of Clark’s pies with two pasties for company. My Easter treat is not a healthy option and I could have been better off eating chocolate instead Somehow, I don’t think I would have enjoyed it as much. My first since Boxing Day the longest I have gone without a Clarkies and a long wait until the next on August Bank holiday.

I am on a healthy eating regime so it mean’s pies, pasties and sausage rolls have been kicked onto the naughty step, well in the most. I do have a sly pasty, sausage roll and even an odd inferior pie but not in the quantities of my past. To my shame, I have been known to chow down on as many as two pies in one sitting and could do more if the truth were told and the same with other naughty pastries like pasties and sausage rolls.

Clark’s pies are off limits, except for Christmas, Easter, and August Bank holiday. I am trying to put all temptation out of sight and out of mind but it rarely works. I don’t think a day goes by without me thinking about eating or buying a Clark’s pie.

Sorry mister Clark’s pie man but my health is important to me. However, this is not a divorce more like a trial separation.

Another lottery fail

There is something quite depressing when you check your e-mails and low and behold, there is one from the lottery. Its telling you there is news about your ticket.

 

Could it be the £40 million Euro lottery jackpot you gambled £4 on the previous day or more disappointment. It is the latter, always the latter has I opened the message. When I clicked on the link to the lottery web page, I knew. Even as I typed in my password, I was not spending my imaginary winnings. I was just thinking more heartache and why not me.

 

There were no fireworks lighting up my screen or flashing ‘winner’ with a message to phone Lottery HQ but with a glance I could see my account showed £5.70 win. A £1.70 profit can’t be sniffed at surely. There is not much I can do with my winnings other than enjoy it and spend it wisely.

Another game ... must be a win

Anyone know my team for Stoke

Another weekend and an all-important game for Cardiff City and another must win. The Cardiff City Stadium should be packed to the rafters for the visit of Stoke City.

The battle is now heating up to beat the drop back to the Championship with only four games left before the end of the season.

The week has been full of 'spy gate' in the media and little about the game this Saturday. The outcome is unlikely to see a point’s deduction for Crystal Palace, but the club are pursuing it with some vigour with a five-page letter of complaint sent to the Premier League. Ole Gunnar Solskjaer at this morning’s pre-match press conference spent most of his time fending off questions about ‘spy gate’ with a larger than normal press-core in attendance.

He also confirmed they were no injury concerns ahead of the Stoke game other than those with long-term issues. Solskjaer believes 35 points are needed to stay up: "We get two wins and a draw we have 36. It is doable. We’ve got a chance," he told the assembled audience.

Stoke manager Mark Hughes has a few injury problems but that has not stopped them winning five of the last seven games seeing them safe in mid table. Cardiff fans are likely to see former Cardiff City player Peter Odemwingie, who joined the Potters in January in an exchange deal that saw Kenwyne Jones come the other way.

Jones maybe doubtful for the game but Odemwingie can expect a pity rough ride if he plays from a section of Cardiff fans. He failed to impress while with the Bluebirds from last summer for a fee of £2.25 million until January and the swap.

Marijuana vending machine

Weed on tap

It’s a nice sunny day and flicking through the morning papers, you come across some of the strangest and crappiest of stories.

 

One story that would bring joy to my youngest son, and all weed heads is the latest vending machine, ‘drum roll’, the world's first weed dispenser machine, only in America can this happen. The Dutch are famously relaxed when it comes to weed/marijuana, there you sit in one of the special cafes smoking away.

 

Maybe they don’t feel the need for vending machines but in the states a money making opportunity is always too hard to turn ones nose up at. There have been registered medical machines available in the states where the drug is approved for medical use only. However, this one in Colorado is the first Marijuana- push-button vending machine. Both Colorado and Washington State recently legalized the drug for recreational use. Customers purchase marijuana directly, rather than over the counter.

Fish & Chip pie

Marks and Spencer’s food hall is renowned for its food and prices, it’s not cheap as I can vouch for after a wander around yesterday. I told the wife no to a shopping basket has we would need a big lottery win to shop in here.

About the only thing that could open my wallet in there is the Bubble and Squeak Crisp Bakes, which they could have discontinued, well you can’t get them in Cardiff, and I’ve tried. They have come up with a new product soon to be hitting the shelves at £3-45, a fish, and chip pie. I can honestly say I will not be rushing out to buy one, or try it. It is made from chunks of cod, pea puree and tartar sauce held together in short crust pastry with a chip ‘lid’ has you can see from the picture.

Compared with Younger s Award Winning Fish & Chips of Birchgrove, whose fish and chip’s cost (small cod) £3.25, and chips (small) £1.50, so a total cost of £4.75, I know which one I would like to see on my plate.

Three points was all we wanted

Unexpected, you can say that, happy you can bet your life I am.

 

Defeat would have more or less been it for Cardiff, instead they are back in the race to finish on the right side of the relegation line. The game stats show Cardiff were on the back foot for most of the game, however more importantly the record will show Cardiff won the three points and one in the eye for owner Vincent Tan, they won wearing blue.

 

I wrote the other day about heroes and the chance for the Cardiff players to become some bona fided proper heroes, which they did. They have open the door to believeth, a chance from what looked like the impossible. Cardiff manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer hope for a "miracle" and it looks like he has an inside line to god which hopefully extend to the final four games of the season.

Last four games

• Cardiff v Stoke Sat 19 Apr
• Sunderland v Cardiff Sun 27 Apr
• Newcastle v Cardiff Sat 3 May
• Cardiff v Chelsea Sun 11 May

There are points to be one in these fixture

 

 

Cardiff’s win put into context was very important because with defeat could have seen a six-point gap from safety instead of three.

 

Sunderland lost so are rooted at the bottom of the table but with two games in hand and with a fixture pile-up.

 

Fulham did the Bluebirds a big favour. They beat Norwich so keeping them in the relegation mix and are now only three points ahead of Cardiff in the magic 17th place. Norwich have a nightmare run to the end of the season and will be lucky to pick-up a point in their final four games.

 

West Brom and Swansea are only four points ahead of the Welshman. West Brom through away a three goal lead to end up with a point from a 3-3 draw. Swansea play Chelsea tomorrow and a defeat for them would be handy. Aston Villa who are in 14th place in the table and five points above Cardiff are not looking to safe and will be looking over their shoulder.

Your fans need you

It’s Friday and I normally write a piece on my precious Cardiff City, but today I just cannot be asked. Some will think that is a blessing, but my reasons are simple. No matter what I write the only thing we need out of this game is three points.

So no speculation about whose fit or who will play. No speculation or predictions about other teams at the bottom of the pile along with Cardiff just lose or draw whatever is best for the Bluebirds.

We need the eleven players on the pitch at Southampton tomorrow to step-up and be counted. A bit of a cliché but its what is needed. There is hero status to be achieved over the next five games. Keep the Bluebirds up now and see your names written into history doing the business on the pitch and become the heroes. At the moment this squad is heading for obscurity and will be remembered as failures, the players who couldn’t cut it with the big boys.

In twenty, thirty, forty years’ time, you want some young lad to be able to recite the team “April 12th, 2014. 4-0 against Southampton Marshall, Theophile-Catherine, Caulker, Turner, Taylor, Medel, Mutch, Daehli, Zaha, Campbell, Jones, or a mixture of other names. Campbell scored two in the 15th and 43rd minute and Jones scored in the 46th minute with Deahli scoring the forth in the 90th minute …. Well you can dream can’t you?

(Fans license was taken with the prediction of the team for tomorrow’s game. No one within the club supplied me with any inside information)

Over 2,400 fans will be making the trip to the east coast for the game, and the management and players owe them the points all three of them. Fans have paid out a lot of money over the season following the club and a lot of time, it’s time for some payback. I don’t think any Cardiff City fan, at the game, watching on an iffy internet stream, listening on the radio or getting updates via a mobile phone would begrudge a boring 0-0 90-minute game if Cardiff were to score the winning goal in injury time.

My Hillsborough memory

There is a lot of talk about Hillsborough on the TV and in the press with the latest inquiry underway. I have vivid memories of the day of the tragedy myself.

 

The Wife, kids, and I were in Cardiff town centre on the day of the Hillsborough disaster, April 15 1989. It was unusual for us to be in town on a Saturday afternoon but Cardiff City were playing away so I was dragged out shopping.

 

I always had a routine when we when to town. Catch the train to the top of town and walk down through to the central station. It kills off the chances of backtracking from shop to shop. There is nothing worse than going in a shop only to have to wander back on the whim of the wife. Being a Saturday and my team were playing away from home I came up with a plan “As cunning as a fox who's just been appointed Professor of Cunning at Oxford University” to make sure I could see the results. Being the dark ages and with no instant access to information like today if I timed the shopping trip right I would just hit the station in time to catch the results in the Granada shop window not too far from the station.

 

My cunning plan worked with time to spare so I left the wife, kids and shopping on the station concourse while I darted off to catch the results. I have done it before when I was in town stand outside the shop watching the teleprinter churn out the results.

 

A dreadful day for football

There was a bigger crowd than usual outside the shop. What I was viewing just didn’t look right. My first thought being it must be crowd trouble. Then I saw fans running across the pitch with advertising boards and then an ambulance. I knew something serious had happened, this wasn’t crowd trouble. I had to get back for the train but I overheard someone in the crowd saying there were deaths.

 

Soon as I got in, I switched the TV on to be confronted by news reports of scenes of fans being dragged up out of the packed enclosure to the upper tier. It got gradually worse as I watched, scenes of fans crushed against the perimeter fence. There was a helpline number on the screen, which was a bit ominous, you just no, it’s serious when they put up a helpline number. I just sat back and watched the tragic news unfolded, feeling sick to my stomach. I remember standing on that same terrace a number of years earlier to watch my team play there. There was no crush that day although I have been in a few.

 

One in particular that springs to mind was at Portsmouth, although it cannot be compared with the Hillsborough tragedy. The day was poorly organised by the police at Portsmouth. First, they allowed two sets of fans converge on the turnstiles. Fans travelling to the game via coach, met the fans who arrived by train head on at the turnstiles leading to an almighty crush and it didn’t help that too few turnstiles were in operation. With kick-off fast approaching, they (the police) refused to delay the kick-off for this important promotion clash so leading to more panic and crushing. Once inside the crushing was still evident as the police and ground stewards tried to squeeze the fans into the middle away pen, and by time I got in it was more than over flowing. It took a lot of screaming and shouting for them to open the side pens to cope with the overflow of fans.

I often wonder if the fans in this picture survived.
I like to think they did.

 

I felt like a bit of a ghoul feeding upon this human tragedy. I was soaking up the TV coverage and the newspapers the following day, feeling more, and more uneasy. The photos of the fans crushed against the perimeter fence was distressing to view. The ones I have posted with this article I found particularly powerful, more so than all the TV coverage, they will never leave my mind.

 

Hillsborough saw 96 Liverpool fans die and the highest death toll at a British sporting event and justice for the fans has still not been forthcoming.

 

The strange thing was I saw the reports of the Bradford City stadium fire unfold in the same shop window. Luckily, the shop has long gone and so as the need to find a TV for results with today’s technology.

The lid on the cofin nearly shut

Private Frazer's got it right

We may not have been relegated today officially. However, it is Championship football next season for Cardiff City has I cannot see any other outcome. Five games left until the end of the season, six points adrift from safety, and we could be bottom of the league come Monday if Sunderland get anything out of Tottenham.

Besides losing 3-0, home to Crystal Palace. Teams around us picked up much valued points and even if Sunderland were to lose Monday at Tottenham, they still have seven games left, two games in hand over Cardiff. Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, players and the most positive of Cardiff City fans could believe there is still a miracle to be had from somewhere, but who believes in miracles.

Following the match, the Cardiff boss said, “It is going to be difficult to stay up but we have got to be full of fight. It has been a tough season for everyone at the club and I think it showed towards the end. We have got to work hard and we need to produce a miracle to stay up now.”

We do not have the hardest of run-ins, but there is nothing simple about it either. I just cannot see us doing it. There is a little piece of me somewhere with my fingers crossed with hope in my heart, but heartbreak is a coming. Where is the passion we saw went beating Manchester City in the opening game of the season at home? Where has fortress Cardiff City stadium gone?

Even gods blue

It will be interesting to see how Cardiff owner Vincent Tan will respond to relegation. He was at the game in his red top, is lucky red top. In front of him, all around the stadium he would see a sea of blue, but for the away end. The guy needs to wake up; Cardiff City is Blue and always will be. He needs to man-up, say he made a massive mistake, revert to blue, and bring our badge back. The brief stay in top-flight English football will not bring the legions of mythical Far Eastern fans rushing to the call of arms next season. Will he cut his losses and sell up? Will Ole still be at the club? I expect to see a fire sale of players to cut the wage bill and no real investment in the squad for next season. The new stadium extension will be finished for next season but will it turn into a white elephant, remain a testament to a failed season, and rarely full. Lots of question many of which will go unanswered until our future is officially decided.

Up until todays game Palace had scored six goals away from home, its nine today after the generosity of the Cardiff City back line.

Die Palace Die

A bit harsh but its football and we need the three points more than Crystal Palace.

 

There are no reports of any major injury problems for the Cardiff City manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer. Right-back Fabio de Silva who limped off in the 3-3 draw at West Brom last weekend is the only doubt. On the plus side, Craig Noone is fully fit having missed the last two matches and is in contention for the Palace game. His opposite number at Palace Tony Pulis is expecting striker Marouane Chamakh to return with only absentee for the trip to Cardiff being Dwight Gayle.

 

Only five points separate Cardiff City and Crystal Palace ahead of the relegation-threatened battle. A win for Cardiff would draw Palace right back into the relegation dogfight. If the unthinkable were to happen, a Cardiff defeat, the gap would extend to eight, pushing the Londoners closer to survival. It is being reliably reported that 36, 37 points could be the line drawn in the sand for survival and Premier League football next season.

 

Cardiff have six games left mean Cardiff need to win at least three of their remaining games, possible four if results go against them. Squeaky bum time for any Cardiff fan.

 

The ONLY games that matter this weekend,

• Hull v Swansea (a draw would be a good result for the Bluebirds)
• Norwich v West Brom (again, a draw would a suit Cardiff)
• Cardiff City v Crystal Palace (Only one result will do)
• Aston Villa V Fulham (home win)
• Tottenham v Sunderland (home win)

The idea out come from this weekend game

Swansea 33 34
Hull 33 34
Norwich 33 33
C Palace 32 31
West Brom 32 30
Cardiff 33 29
Sunderland 31 25
Fulham 33 24

Some game stats

Just leave it alone

In the past, I have been well known for enjoying a nice plate of sandwiches. Today I was surprised to see Princes had added new flavours to their sandwich spread product line.

I am not sure when they were launched but due to my healthy eating regime I have not notice them before. However, it never ceases to amaze me what food companies will do to make a few pennies. Lots of companies are putting new twists on originals products some more successful than others.

Princes have come up with a new line of sandwich fillers they call ‘British Classics’, the range comes in five varieties: Fish 'n' Chips, Baked Beans, Smoky Bacon, Sausage & Tomato and Chicken Tikka. Now you will not be seeing me rushing out any time soon to buy them unless they do a low calorie variety.

I think I would stick with my original favourites Chicken and Salmon. I wondered what the make-up of the ingredients was. I know from my past the spread was tasty while very high in fat content that is why the product is off my menu.

Bacon (45%) (Pork, Water, Salt, Antioxidant (E301), Preservatives (E252, E251, E250)), Minced Chicken (14%), Minced Beef (12%), Water, Tomato Paste (4%), Rusk (Wheatflour, Water, Salt, Raising Agent (E503)), Beef Fat, Soya Protein Concentrate, Potato Starch, Chicken Fat, Onion Powder, Spices, Garlic Powder, Herbs

Minced chicken gets everywhere, we stop buying tin hot dogs after finding out the sausage was made of recovered chicken in the most part. The ingredients do not look to appetising when you see the ingredients laid out. That is why I never checked them out before buying these days.