Two game to go - Come on Bluebirds - three points

Will the season end tomorrow in Sheffield or will it roll on to next Saturday the last game of the season or will it be, there are possibly three extra games for reaching the play-offs. Cardiff hit the road to play Sheffield Wednesday who occupy the last play-off spot three points above the Bluebirds who if win will be level on points.

Think about it! If the Cardiff City manager is calling the game a cup final, what will he call next Saturday’s fixture home to Birmingham? If the game goes the Bluebirds way tomorrow, that is.

Either way tomorrow’s game is massive for both clubs with Wednesday just needing a draw from their last two games to finish in the play-offs and a chance of promotion to the Premier League. You can’t take anything for granted in football so the Wednesday manager said he wouldn’t play a team to try and source a draw.

Cardiff need a win! I hope that they will go flat out for the right result nothing else will do so they can take the possibility of a play-off spot to the final game of the season. There will be no problem filling the CCS stadium if it goes down to the final game. It’s not worth looking back on the season and asking yourself ‘what if’, the problem is its part of our history now. If the bookies are to be believed and they say they are always right, Cardiff will be playing Championship football next season.

Russell Slade Cardiff City manager,
"The only thing I can be is honest and I can look in the mirror and know I’ve done my best. That might not be good enough for some people.”

Game of Thrones - Long wait over - Jon Snow Dead or Alive, maybe inbetween who knows

I woke up this morning excited as if it was Christmas morning and I was a kid as the new Games of Thornes aired in the States last night and it will be on our screens later today at 9pm. Thing is I don’t have Sky Atlantic in my TV package so back on the illegal screening site for me.

One of the benefits about going illegal I get to see it before the official UK screening so I am happy. If I couldn’t watch it via the internet, I would swap my TV provider in a heartbeat. So you can guess that within seconds of switching on my laptop what I was watching.

The big question I suppose was is Jon Snow dead!

I don’t think it would be right to do a spoiler although it would be hard not to find out about it with social media awash with the answer. It has been a 10 long month wait since the last episode of Season 5 and there were a number of other story lines like will Sansa and Theon continue to evade the Bolton’s. Rumour has it Stannis Baratheon could be alive and was not killed by Brienne of Tarth. Most of the strands at the end of season five were picked up and there were a few surprises

In the first episode, I parked my loyalty under the banner of the House of Stark and watched them one by one be killed off but will the House of Stark rise from the ashes with only three of the children of Ned Stark left, four if his bastard son Jon is still alive.

Was it worth the wait! Of course it was

Tomorrow: When the war began - TV Review - War

Thanks to that iffy streaming site, I use that lets me view TV from around the world, I was able to give a viewing to the new Aussie series ‘Tomorrow When the War Began’ this morning.

Based on the novel written by John Marsden it’s a Aussie take on the American film ‘Red Dawn’ and will consist of six one-hour episodes covering the events of the novel. There was a 2010 film of the same name. It failed to find an impact on the international market but did well in Australia and New Zealand.

If you never saw the film it follows, a group of eight teenage friends who while on a remote camping trip in a place call Hell they find themselves in the middle of an unexpected war. It’s not until they return home they find their homes abandoned and their parents missing so the group head into town looking for answers.

There they see the townsfolk being rounded up into backs of lorries before moving them to the town’s showground. The teens split up with one group going to the showground where one of them spies her mum and friend. During a scuffle, the teens are spotted and the guards give chase and manage to get away and inflict some casualties on the pursuing guards.

The invaders are not named but it must be the Chinese who else in the area could pull off such a feat. I am not sure if it will be shown in this country maybe on a digital channel at a later date. if it does give it a viewing because I am looking forward to the second episode next week.

Doctor Who - New companion - Pearl Mackie

Why the BBC decided to reveal the new companion for Doctor Who during half time of the Everton v Manchester United FA Cup game is beyond me. I would not have thought it was the shows demographic audience and I can see thousands of whovians sitting through 45 minutes of football waiting for the reveal or just switch over at half time at 6pm.

It’s been building for weeks now ‘who will be the new Clara Oswald (Jenna Coleman) the last companion’ and from what I have read fans with like to see Maisie Williams who is more than busy playing Arya Stark in Game of Thrones. She has spent time this week in her busy schedule with the new series of Game of Thrones starting tomorrow night denied she is going into Doctor Who.

I was thinking whom I would like to see in the roll and after dismissing Scarlett Johansson in a bikini from the planet bikini, I got serious. I would have looked to Game of Thrones and Rose Leslie who played Ygritte the love interest of Jon Snow who died in Jon's arms. Having seen her in a few other things and think, she would have made a great companion for the Doctor. The question would be would the BBC have another redheaded scot in the TARDIS after former companion Amy Pond (Karen Gillan).

The BBC dragged out the reveal with football punditry and finally …. Who would have guessed?

I had seen her name link to the part on Twitter Pearl Mackie. She looked a bit annoying I have to say in this identity reveal but how can she not know who the Daleks were. Where was she at the Battle of Canary Wharf when the Daleks and the Cybermen waged a battle across London?

We will have to wait and see how the partnership works to be fair to her and i am looking forward to finding out her history. The Doctor Who franchise moves forward with the viewing figures down last season mainly due to using the show in a ratings war and some negativity surrounding the Doctor Peter Capaldi. Still I can’t wait for the new series to start.

Cardiff City v Bolton - Only a win will do - 3 games to go

I can’t understand all the negativity I was hearing after the Brentford game, yes we lost and Sheffield Wednesday managed a draw but we are only six points behind them with three games to go. With luck, they are still catchable and I won’t give up until it is impossible.

With three games left and nine points to play for Wednesday can reach a maximum of 79 points while Cardiff can reach only 73 and need to win their last three games. Wednesday just have to lose all three games left that would leave Cardiff needing to win two and getting a draw out of the three final games. This weekend can kill any chances of the play offs for the Bluebirds.

Wednesday have a tough trip to Derby who have secured a play-off place but will still be looking to win for position. Ideal for Cardiff would be a defeat and for Derby to help with the goal difference at the same time.

The recent defeats to Fulham and Brentford have hurt Cardiff’s chances of the play-off spot so what can we expect against relegated Bolton. Everyone will be expecting a win but games like this have become a minefield for the Bluebirds in the past. Another bumper crowd is expected at the CCS so the player should feel the atmosphere.

At final score what would be good for Cardiff, a win and the same for Derby that would mean three points would separate Cardiff and Sheffield. The following weekend Sheffield Wednesday v Cardiff City with all the wow factor you need in a football match.

Duran Duran - Girl Panic - Hot Video

When they hit the charts their look and style was just about everything, I hated in the music world but listening to their music over the years, I have come to appreciate some of their music. One of their songs is ‘Girls on Film’ and some of their videos are just jammed pack with the female of the species.

It’s Duran Duran whom I am talking about and one music video in particular Girl Panic and the songs not bad either. Advertised in 2011 as the return of the 'Supers' - Naomi Campbell (as lead singer Simon Le Bon), Helena Christensen (Roger Taylor), Eva Herzigova (Nick Rhodes), Cindy Crawford (John Taylor) and a nine and a half minute video of puff of fluff, sparkles, lipstick, leather and legs. All told enough to get anyone hot under the collar.

In the video, the supers perform and lip sync the song Girl Panic! While the band interview them, it is all a bit baffling but they is plenty on view throughout the video. The band have built a reputation with their music videos you expect high production qualities and they rarely disappoint.

So the plot, such as it is, sees the supers as the band walk up in a fancy hotel surrounded by some real hot chicks, and I mean hot. The ladies then prance around London, pose for a photoshoot, roll in luxury cars, all set to a really good song and partying the music stops for interview-the-band time but it still roll along. A band of skinnier, young anonymous models plays everyone else from the fans, the paparazzi, the groupies.

It is one hell of a video even if it is near ten minutes long.

R.I.P Chyna - Wrestling legend - The "Ninth Wonder of the World"

Sorry to hear the wrestling legend Chyna (Joan Laurer) was found dead at home aged 45 from a 'possible overdose', she was only the greatest female wrestler of all time. She was not one of these bikini wrestlers you find in the WWE today she would have rip their heads off and turned them inside out.

I remember back in the nineties when my boys were wrestling mad and it was all about the Undertaker, British Bulldog, and the Hitman but it was Chyna for me in a truly lusting way. The woman was built like a brick wall but curvier. She was billed as the "Ninth Wonder of the World" and was hired as an enforcer/bodyguard for Triple H. The male wrestlers were hesitant at first to fight her full on in the ring because they didn’t want to be seen over power on screen by a female.

She had victories over several prominent male wrestlers in the then WWF including world champions Triple H, Kurt Angle, Chris Jericho, and Jeff Jarrett. Chyna was the thirtieth entrant in the Royal Rumble, becoming the first woman ever to enter the contest and in her time in the WWF became Intercontinental Champion twice and Women's Champion once.

She left the WWF after a rumoured three way love triangle with her real-life boyfriend Triple H who had an affair with WWF owners Vince McMahon’s daughter Stephanie the major factor in her dismissal it was believed.

Chyna when on to wrestle in Japan and much later with TNA back in America and making a number of appearances on American TV shows along with films and posed for Playboy. She made a sex tape with fellow wrestler Sean Waltman and they both decided to find a distributer their homemade video. Upon the release of the video, she continued with a career in porn. The sex tape was rebranded ‘1 Night in China’, award winning at the AVNs as Best Selling Title of the Year.

Over the years she as battle her demons with alcohol and drugs.

Brentford v Cardiff - Counting down - 4 games to go

This is what our season as come down to a two-horse battle for the last play-off place with Cardiff a distant outsider to source sixth place. With both teams, drawing at the weekend the point’s difference is still five points with only four games left in the regular season.

The management and players have not had long to sit on their backsides as we have a full mid-week fixture list for the Championship.

Tomorrow Sheffield Wednesday face relegated threatened MK Dons and if they lose and Rotherham win but for goal difference they are relegated. Plenty of reasons for them to play out of their skins let us hope they do. Because a win for our play-off rivals could just about kill our season.

Cardiff have a trip along the M4 to Brentford for a must win game if we have any chance of sneaking the last play-off spot. We can only hope for the same result as December when Brentford lost 3-2 at the CCS. I have heard fans saying we have drawn to many games but the Bluebirds have only drawn one more than Sheffield Wednesday. It would have been nice if we could have turned a few of them into wins but that is history. We could have gone into these final games a bit happier.

A win for Cardiff and defeat for Wednesday would see the gap drop down to two points with Cardiff home to already-relegated Bolton Saturday and the following weekend visit Wednesday who have a humdinger of a game against fifth place Derby this weekend. Depending on results, both Derby and Hull could be dragged back into the play-off battle. Both are on 73 points but Hull have a game in hand.

Cardiff City fans ... expects ... that ... every ... player ... will ... do ... his ... duty

Size does matter ... apparently - The hunt beings

More like it

They say size doesn’t matter but I would like a bigger one as the one I have is a few inches too small. Get your mind out of the gutter! I am thinking along the lines of a new toy, a state-of-the-art dream machine – a new big screen TV.

At the moment I have to make do with a mega 32” screen (joke there) I have held off buying a new TV for years and it has no remote control meaning if I need to put the sound up or down I have to do it manually. What is this the dark ages?

The problem is making up my mind as I find it hard. Recently I was of a mind to buy a new fridge freezer (American style) but my indecision saw me miss the one I wanted, on sale, it sold out when I did finally make my mind up.

There is really nothing wrong with the one we have except for the remote control issues. I expect the wife to tell me it probably has another year or two of life. However, I would continue to point out the lack of a remote, which is essential these days.

Shopping on the internet means no brainwashing salesman on your shoulder telling you that you could never find this TV anywhere at this price pointing out all the features on the TV knowing you need a degree when you get the information booklet out at home. What is the difference between LCD and LED TV? Do I care no, and what about a Plasma TV a bit dear on the pocket. No need for a smart TV with the entire amount of devices flowing around my house. My mobile, tablet, and laptop all cater for that option even the champion TV salesman couldn’t sell me a smart TV.

So the search will begin with the internet playing a major part in the exercise as I don’t believe in paying a penny more than I have to.

Cardiff City v QPR - 5 games to go

The end of the season is come too fast for me I only wish there was more than five games left in the bank. Going into the weekend fixtures Cardiff, my beloved Bluebirds are five points off sixth place and a spot in the play-offs and yes, it’s getting to me.

The table don’t lie we look to be in a battle with Sheffield Wednesday for the sixth place unless Hull and Derby slip up big time. Hull play tonight home to Wolves with a win for the visitors the only thing that would help Cardiff. Derby face a trip to an all but relegated Charlton desperate for a win and the three points on offer.

Sheffield Wednesday are at home to eighth place Ipswich who still could snatch possibly a play-off place if they beat Wednesday but I will be rooting for Ipswich. The aforementioned Cardiff also have a home fixture and need a win if they want to keep in touch with the last play-off spot. They must win this all-important game because a defeat and Wednesday win would leave Cardiff seven to eight points from sixth place and any chance of a play-off place dead.

The visitors to the Cardiff City stadium are mid table QPR who are managed by former Bluebirds old boy, Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink, and unless he puts out is full reserve team there will be no help coming from that direction. The club are expecting another bumper crowd over 20,000+ after making free tickets available. Fingers cross the stadium will be bouncing again like the Derby game. Way back in August the two clubs played out a 2-2 draw with Cardiff who scored a late equalizer.

The Huntsman: Winter's War - Movie Review - Movie Date

It was a sunny afternoon and I fancied a trip to the cinema but being a tight wad I needed to take the wife along as my free pass being her carer I get in free. Well that is not exactly true, full price would be £8 for the two of us however with her disability card its £4 meaning it’s a couple of quid each in the end. I didn’t give her pre notice on the film as it was going to be a film more to my taste but I think Glenys was just happy we were going out. Still it was a movie date even if it was in the afternoon.

The movie was The Huntsman: Winter's War, which received a bit of a panning from the critics and I never listen to them anyway. I am big enough to make my own mind up.

We went to the Vue Cinema, it was a nice leisurely walk from our house, we walked along the River Taff, which was busy with water boats, and some inflatable rib boats being thrown around the river with some kids on-board, which looked fun.

It was my first time in the Vue and it felt dead we were the only patrons on the concourse in fact we were the only two in for the Huntsman until a young couple joined us so just the four of us. As I said earlier, ‘The Huntsman Winter’s War was roundly panned so this could be interesting.

First we had ‘Snow White and the Huntsman’ with a sequel planned that was thrown into the bin after Director Rupert Sanders got up to some naughty with Snow White, Kristen Stewart, it got all very messy. The Huntsman: Winter’s War is a kind of prequel where we see how the huntsman became the huntsman and then we jump forward with Snow White now Queen.

Eric the Huntsman (Chris Hemsworth), last seen helping defeat the evil Queen Ravenna (Charlize Theron) in Snow White and the Huntsman. As fans will recall, Eric had a lost love, Sara his wife and due to his loss, he had become a bit of a womaniser and drunk in his sorrow. With a bit of lusting for Snow White sorted is life out for the better.

We get to meet the younger and then older Sara who is played by (Jessica Chastain) and what happened up to her supposed death sorry for the bit of a spoiler. Sara isn’t the only newbie to this fairy-tale franchise with Queen Ravenna having a sister, well I must say I didn’t know that, Freya (Emily Blunt). The story starts with Freya all sweetness and light until her baby’s daddy burns baby alive, which we find out why later in the film. This unleashes her inner anger – and goes all Elsa like in Frozen and retreat to her own ice palace, like Frozen. Freya gathers an army of children (including the younger Eric and Sara) to train them into a deadly army of huntsmen and women.

Freya’s law – “Do not love!” – but Eric and Sara disobey, until their icy Queen discovers their treachery and splits them apart. Still, The Huntsman: Winter’s War isn’t all backstory; flashing forward seven years, we meet Eric again, who runs into the Prince (Sam Claflin), informing him that Snow White is ill and the magic mirror has gone missing. Containing the evil essence of Ravenna, the mirror must be found before Freya gets her hands on it.

Eric, meanwhile, teams up with a quartet of dwarves: Nion (returnee Nick Frost); Gryff (Rob Brydon), Doreena (Alexandra Roach) and Mrs Bromwyn (Sheridan Smith). Brydon is a hoot (“Have you ever seen a female dwarf? Horrifying!”) Smith almost steals the show, making eyes at Eric.

There are some great-looking Goblins in the film while the background details – creatures, fairies, furry snakes and so on – are what you would expect. The balance between past and present, all that axe-flinging, ice-casting action makes a modest impact.

Blunt is credible as Freya, but Hemsworth and Chastain, give an ok performance along with all the other characters. Thankfully, when Ravenna does return (it’s in the trailer, spoiler-haters), Theron kicks serious ass. But even she can’t save a middling third act where the emotional stakes never really pay off.

My verdict as I always say especially when the critics give a movie a kicking was I entertained, and I was. Maybe there was not another action for me but I left the cinema content.

Black Death - Film Review - Early bath for Sean Bean again

As seen on the Horror Channel last night Black Death (2010) is a blunt, gritty film set in 14th century Europe revolving around, as the title suggests the "Black Death" more commonly recognized as the Bubonic Plague. We have a group of Christian warriors with mandate by Church leadership to find and capture a rumoured necromancer, whom they believe to be one of the evils causing the plague killing innumerable people around them, and the troubles that group of men face.

The movie deals with several other issues, however, as sort of sub-plots: predominantly there is a major theme dealing with criticism of the Church, attacking the ideals of some who would act merely on belief, without any real proof. Contrarily, a theme coincides, also arguing for faith. Character development is mainly portrayed through the moral progression of various lead actors in the film, particularly in regards to trials of guilt, killing vs murder, belief in the nature of God and the power of evil.

While I know little of the history of this time, the environment, accurate or not, was at the least very consistent. The violence was as much as I'd hoped for, and no more… no excessive gore, most of the really violent stuff happens off-screen. The language is decent, and the sexual content is very minimal, nothing you wouldn't come across walking down the street.

I loved this movie, and I might even watch it again, someday. I think that the movie really did accomplish what it set out to do: provide an insightful (although perhaps largely fictional) look into the social climate surrounding the Black Death, and causing the audience to consider some moral questions in the process, while maintaining a consistent atmosphere of mystery and suspense from beginning to end.

Sean Bean fails the reach the end of the film.

The Girlfriend Experience - Jolly Hooker - Stateside TV show

After finding Fear the Walking Dead yesterday on my iffy streaming site I noticed there were a number of new show stateside one caught my eye 'The Girlfriend Experience,' I have seen the film of the same name starring my favourite former porn star Sasha Grey so I was intrigued to see what we had here.

What we have was an ambitious law student by day and by night a high-end escort/call girl Christine (Riley Keough), the daughter of Lisa Marie Presley. After the first episode, it doesn’t look as brash and in your face as ‘The Secret Diary of a Call Girl,’ but we will have to wait and see.

Our heroin is in search of an internship and is in and out of interviews until she finally lands the internship of her dreams. She is obvious a sexual being after her pick up from the bar, no money involved. Her friend is interesting she is also a law student Avery (Kate Lyn Sheil) she is on the books of some madam who we will see more of in the next episode.

Unlike most TV dramas, the episodes are just 30 minutes long but it’s not hard to see where the story line will be going. She loves her kinky career and the sex that is understood and there will probably be an office affair with one of the bosses, which she will fit in with her night paid work. Then of course, her secret must be at some point going to be revealed via blackmail or hatred and our jolly hooker will be desperate for the news not reach her family.

I am not sure if it will get a UK airing but is likely to pop up somewhere in your digital package.

Fear the Walking Dead - All at Sea - New Series

The new series of  the 'Fear the Walking Dead’ hit the air over the pond in America and will hit the TV screen here later tonight on AMC channel. My digital provider doesn’t carry the channel so it was an iffy internet stream for me.

The first series was ok but I was more than willing to give this new season a go because I love a bit of TV zombies. At the end of the last series, it ended with them leaving the city after the compound they were living in became compromised and we picked up exactly where it ended in the last episode.

Now we are moving off land to the water, which has always been my plan for a zombie/walker apocalypse and find a deserted island. The benefit of being on water is zombies can’t swim, they can float, and I did see a movie that showed zombies walking on the bottom of a river to get on the other side. They must be working on “water zombies”.

The families scrambled to get on the yacht and we still have no idea where the virus comes from

maybe we will never know. On the yacht, they feel relatively safe although there are still tensions between the characters but what about the owner of the yacht fully stocked with previsions so what’s his agenda. He must have one or want something nothing is free, payment in a future episode maybe?

Life on the ocean waves will not be all jolly deck games they will encounter danger at sea, which could be pirates or people like them. Others could see the boat and ocean as a good option but not prepared supplies wise. “We want your guns, food, water and you also have woman” is the usual demand. Before long, they come across a boat packed with potential survivors screaming for help. While some at first want to help, others open up the moral dilemma of them or us and if they were to help, their supplies would dwindle quickly so they don’t.

Cardiff City - Fulham - Only 6 to go

Tuesday’s mid-week games turned out to be unkind to the Bluebirds although they managed a point at league leaders Burnley. Meanwhile the rivals that matter in the race for play-off places won so they extended the point’s gap.

Reports from the Burnley game suggested Cardiff were by far the better team on the night and should have returned to Wales with all three points. Cardiff are now four points from the magical sixth spot that would give them a possible back door to promotion. Both our closest rivals Sheffield Wednesday and Derby both won Tuesday night so all eyes are now on this weekend’s fixtures.

It kind of looks like there are three of the four play-off places up for grabs.

Hull make the trip to Huddersfield who could still drop into relegation problems and need the points. Huddersfield lost their last two games to Middlesbrough and Sheffield Wednesday respectively. We can only hope our wurzel friends can do us a favour with Sheffield Wednesday who visit Aston Gate and like Huddersfield, they can also be dragged into the relegation mire.

Not to be outdone Derby have a home game with a team all but relegated, bottom of the league Bolton with only pride to play for if they have any left. Cardiff have a trip to London with a large following to face Fulham. Like Huddersfield and Bristol City, the Londoners are on the edge of relegation and a few defeats and other results going against them they could be in trouble.

Three points behind the Bluebirds Ipswich are home to mid-table Brentford but everything can change at the final whistle later.

British Porn Star - Mary Millington - Blue Plaque honour

I can’t see the feminist movement being happy with a porn star receiving a Blue Plaque which must be a first for someone in at profession to receive such a honour. The award is going to 1970s porn star Mary Millington who along with Fiona Richmond with the biggest British porn stars of the seventies.

Growing up without her father in her life, she was often bullied at school and had few friends. Then found that sex made her popular with the boys she married young at 18-years-old and then spent more than ten years nursing her terminally ill mother. Her move into porn began to help fund her mother's care after initially becoming a glamour model in the late 1960s and found herself gradually moving into hard-core porn. She made short 8mm films before returning to glamour modelling for British pornographic magazines.

She met and had an affair with adult magazine publisher David Sullivan (now chairman of West Ham) although she was still married. He rebranded her as Mary Millington and made her a major feature in a number of his top shelf-magazines. Her films were more like British sex comedies, more soft porn than hard-core although the have been rumours of hard-core versions for a continental market. Hard-core films where banned in Britain so it was normal in some cases to do a soft version for the UK market.

Some would be surprised by some of her co-stars like in ‘Keep it up Downstairs’ there your known British stars like Diana Dors star of TV and Film and Jack Wild (Artful Dodger). Others she worked with in other films Roy Kinnear and Christopher Timothy.

Her most famous movie was ‘Come Play with Me’ again with some British TV legends Irene Handl, Alfie Bass, and Ronald Fraser. She only had a small part in the film but she is the one people remember when you mention the film. It must have been her dominance in all the advertising of the film.

The film is in the Guinness Book of Records for its continuously showing at the Moulin Cinema in London's West End from April 1977 to March 1981.

Millington gained notoriety when she was photographed topless outside 10 Downing Street. While posing with a policeman outside Number Ten, she decided to unzip her top, exposing her breasts for the photograph, much to the surprise of those present.

Mary had been working as an escort, and claimed to have had a string of high-profile lovers including the then Prime Minister Harold Wilson.

Despite her incredible success, which saw her named as one of the hottest British sex film stars of the 1970s, she killed herself at her Surrey mansion in 1979 at the age of 33 after battling depression and a drug addiction.

Cardiff City - Burnley tonight - Only 7 to go

It was a great victory over play-off rivals Derby for Cardiff City in front of a record attendance at the Cardiff City Stadium and the Bluebirds have only lost twice now in the last ten games. How many times over the years the club has call for the fans to rally around only to be disappointed but Saturday the club, management, team delivered for the fans.

Derby’s defeat at Cardiff on Saturday saw than drop to sixth in the league table and now just two points ahead. The bogyman in the room is goal difference, which could be telling at the end of the season if it stays tight for a play-off place.

There is a full fixture list tonight with Cardiff making the tough trip to top of the league Burnley not the kind of fixture you want with seven games left and in need of points. Burnley have not lost at home since early December but have drawn a few games so is a draw the best we can expect. Cardiff will make the trip north in a buoyant mood after the win on the weekend and hopefully it will push them on to bring home a win and three points.

Second place Middlesbrough face Huddersfield but they are eleven points ahead of Cardiff and fighting it out for an automatic promotion place. Brighton are also chasing a top two finish and visit the midlands and they could help us out by denting Birmingham’s play-off hopes as they have a game-in-hand.

Hull visit Derby both looking for a maximum three points out of tonight’s game a win for Hull would see them also do us a favour. Sheffield Wednesday are home and face mid table Blackburn still three points ahead of Cardiff after their win at the weekend. Ipswich have a home fixture with relegated Charlton both still with plenty to play for Ipswich for a play-off place while Charlton are looking to beat the drop to Division 2.

On the Dole in the Seventies - Nothing on TV - Maybe next week

Nor were the Conservative party working

On leaving school in the mid-seventies and finding myself jobless there was little else to do other than trips to the careers office. The dole was shit I think it was like £12.50 which could just about help with my hobby, Cardiff City Football Club there was little spare cash so having money for the other six days of the week in my pocket just wasn’t happening.

I would sign on 9’o clock every Thursday see my careers adviser who would flick through the job cards and 9 times out of 10 sign my card and tell me maybe next week. My giro would drop through the letterbox on Saturday match day, which was handy, but not if it was an away game because I couldn’t cash it at the post office until 9am when the post office opened. So that is where most of the dole money would go during football season anyway.

Waiting for the next visit to the careers office there was little else to do but wait for the postman and the possibility of a job interview or switch the TV on and watch schools programming because that was all that was on in the morning. I remember a few ‘How we used to Live’ and one called ‘You and Me’ and the sad thing is after all these years I can still remember the opening title song.

Afternoon TV was no better ‘Pebble Mill’ on the BBC and ‘Crown Court’ on ITV although it wasn’t really that bad. Has your mates started to get jobs life just got more and more boring.

That was how sad TV was back then three channels and barely any TV. Not many jobs either but lots of competition same old faces some job interviews could be like a careers office reunion. I was not the happiest bunny in the shop window waiting for someone to buy me, give me a job, I saw my careers officer so often we could have been friends.

Some of my favourite movie quotes

Every time I do one of these kind of lists, I always list ten or twenty and sometimes five but today I was stumped at seventeen. I have had a lot of fun compiling this list and I am sure I have a few more washing around in my head but these are the crème de la crème.

A few of these quotes contain a bit of vulgar language and some are adult in nature using the word sex so the easily shocked look away. I haven’t picked one over the other so no top quote it was too hard to decide.

• "All those moments will be lost in time… like tears in rain… time to die." Roy Batty/Rutger Hauer in Blade Runner (1982)
• “Gentlemen, you can't fight in here! This is the War Room!” President Merkin Muffley/Peter Sellers in Dr Strangelove (1964)
• "Hey, don't knock masturbation. It's sex with someone I love." Alvy Singer/Woody Allen in Annie Hall (1977)
• "If you are looking for ransom, I can tell you I don't have money. But what I do have are a very particular set of skills, skills I have acquired over a very long career. Skills that make me a nightmare for people like you." Bryan Mills/Liam Neeson in Taken (2008)
• "Infamy, infamy, they've all got it in for me!" Julius Caesar/Kenneth Williams in Carry On Cleo (1964)
• "My name is Maximus Decimus Meridius, commander of the Armies of the North, General of the Felix Legions and loyal servant to the true emperor, Marcus Aurelius, father to a murdered son, husband to a murdered wife. And I will have my vengeance, in this life or the next." Maximus Decimus Meridius/Russell Crowe Gladiator (2000)
• "To call you stupid would be an insult to stupid people!" Wanda/Jamie Lee Curtis in A Fish Called Wanda (1988)
• “You're only supposed to blow the bloody doors off!” Charlie Croker/Michael Caine in The Italian Job (1969)
• “Do you know what "nemesis" means? A righteous infliction of retribution manifested by an appropriate agent. Personified in this case by an 'orrible cunt... me.” Brick Top/Alan Ford in Snatch (2000)
• "You see, in this world there's two kinds of people, my friend: Those with loaded guns and those who dig. You dig." Blondie/Clint Eastwood in The Good, The Bad, and the Ugly (1966)
• "Mrs. Robinson, you're trying to seduce me, aren't you?" Ben Braddock/Dustin Hoffman in The Graduate (1967)
• “Why don't you knock it off with them negative waves? Why don't you dig how beautiful it is out here? Why don't you say something righteous and hopeful for a change?” Oddball/Donald Sutherland in Kelly's Heroes (1970)
• “Stand up wherever you are, go to the nearest window and yell as loud as you can, 'I'm mad as hell, and I'm not going to take it anymore.” Howard Beale/Peter Finch in Network (1976)
• “You don't understand! I coulda had class. I coulda been a contender. I could've been somebody, instead of a bum, which is what I am.” Terry Malloy/Marlon Brando in On the Waterfront (1954)
• “They call me Mister Tibbs!” Virgil Tibbs/Sidney Poitier in the film In the heat of the Night (1967)
• “You've got to ask yourself one question: 'Do I feel lucky?' Well, do ya, punk?” Harry Callahan/Clint Eastwood in Dirty Harry (1971)

Cardiff City - Tip Toe to the Play-Off - Bumper Crowd

Cardiff City will re-open the Ninian Stand extension for the first time this season tomorrow as they face Championship play-off rivals Derby County. 

The upper tier has been closed all season due to poor ticket sales. The club are expecting a bumper crowd with over 25,000+ tickets sold at close of the ticket office Thursday. With eight games left in the season and with Cardiff on the edge of the play-off the season is edging to an exciting finish. There are about six teams vying for two play-off spots.

From the below table you can see how important a win tomorrow is critical a point from a draw would not make much difference. We play Burnley next Tuesday away just for good measure. So who are our competitors playing?

Fourth place Hull have a home fixture against Bristol City the best we can hope for is a draw has I can’t see Bristol winning. While sixth place Sheffield Wednesday have a trip to Huddersfield and I reckon Wednesday could struggle and end up pointless.

Ipswich take on Wolves away another tough game for a rival for a play-off spot and looking into my crystal ball, I can see Wolves winning this game. Birmingham are also away at Charlton who amidst fan protests are in a battle for points every point to stave off relegation.

The club are asking fans to get to the ground early to help with queuing times, traffic and parking.

Jackboots on Whitehall - Film Review - Major Flop

The other day I was not really watching TV but I my ears pricked up for a segment on the BBC One Show about films and TV Shows about the Germans actually invading Britain during World War 2.

A film was mentioned I had never heard of before and after a short clip, I was intrigued to seek it out. The film was call ‘Jackboots on Whitehall’ and had a cast of top British voices because it was a puppet movie along the lines of the Thunderbirds but without the strings. The actual puppets were dolls, they looked mostly like action man, and Sindy dolls that kind of thing. I was checking around the internet looking for a free copy and when YouTube came up light, I soon found it without much trouble.

The evacuation of Dunkirk was a miserable failure and with no army, the door is open for the Germans to invade. Because of the fog in the English Channel, the Germans tunnelled from France erupting from beneath Trafalgar Square. They make their way to Downing Street to capture Winston Churchill where he is hold up with General Montgomery protected by a group of Punjabi soldiers and a crazy American pilot who thinks he was fighting Commies and a horny French resistance fighter. Also coming to the aid of the Prime Minster was farm boy Chris while the rest of his village head to Hadrian’s Wall on the orders of Churchill.

After a short battle in Downing Street Churchill escapes with Chris on a steam engine, the Yank takes to the skies and the Punjabi soldiers catch a bus, sitting on the roof of course all heading for Hadrian’s Wall with the Germans on there tail. According to the map in Churchill’s office Scotland was an empty wilderness. Back in London Adolf and is chums are partying in Buckingham Palace while the King locked up in the Tower of London professing he is three quarters German.

At the wall, they await the Germans hordes Churchill sent Chris into the Scottish hinterland looking for help and with his trusty steam engine sets off. Chris is captured by the Scots, full on Braveheart warriors and has he is about to lose his head someone notices is hands, back in his village he is known as (Chris' big hands). Chris it turns out was Scottish has Scots have big hands and he was led away to meet the head of the Scots with an Aussie accent, yes, Braveheart himself Mel Gibson.

The battle at the wall looks bleak but then on the hill over the battlefield Chris arrives with the Scottish army. After some posturing, the Scottish love to put on a display before a charge re-Braveheart when they I did charge they ripped the Germans apart, literally in some cases. After defeating the Germans and free England and Wales, the scots decide to stay with the British Isles becoming Scotland.

I enjoyed the film, it entertained me, and that is all I want. Some critics gave it the thumbs up but not many and it was a major flop in the cinema grossing only $20,776 worldwide. The movie cost £6million to make. There were quite a few lampoons of other films like Where Eagles Dare, Battle of Britain including Zulu with the strains of Jerusalem as the Germans pushed forward instead of Men of Harlech in Zulu.