Back to blogging

I'm back from Dubai and back to the grind at work. In the end it only rained on one of the days I was out there so it wasn't half as bad as first expected! I was going to do a big post on the trip, but thinking about it I don't actually have that much to say. When the sun was out it was very hot, it's very multicultural, it's very urban and developing (cranes all over the place), and everything was very cheap apart from alcohol (£7 or £8 was normal for a beer).

I'm in the mood to write a big entry. My fingers are itching and ready to bash the keyboard but I'm suffering from a spot of writer's block.

Normally I get by the post-holiday blues when I arrive back from abroad but I feel fine this time so can't write about that. In fact at this moment I feel like I'm in a bit of a vacuum and have nothing to say. Very weird. I feel open to doing something new but I don't know what. I'm just writing the thoughts that are coming into my head, excuse this all being very disjointed....

Alex is back on Friday for a fortnight and I know it will be good.

Amen.

Would you believe it

I was reading a tourist guide to Dubai earlier. When discussing the climate, it couldn't state enough how beautiful the weather was and that the sun was ever-present. Apparently on average it rains in Dubai on only five days per year.

So of course I check the forecast for next week again and this time it looks like it's going to be HEAVY RAIN on THREE DAYS.

I was speaking to the guy I'm going with and we were so close to just cancelling the trip. In the end we thought sod it let's just go, but bloody hell I just cannot believe it.

Dubai

I'm going to Dubai on Monday with a guy from work for a short break; back at the end of the week. I'll be using a staff ticket for the first time which involves going on standby; I'm not too concerned about getting out there but it will be interesting getting back... hopefully my next post will be written from the UK once I've returned, rather than a plea for help from the UAE!

We've chosen Dubai for the sunny weather. I've just looked at the forecast and Tuesday is set for 37 degrees but heavy rain showers. Honestly I think I must have sinned in a previous life.

Bye for now

This one's for Alex

So, tonight was Thursday B, our fond abbreviation for 'Thursday Banter'. Thursday B used to be a gathering of at least six or seven heads on a Thursday night for multiple Kronenborgs at the RE Bar and onto Champers across the road. Over time however, Thursday B has descended into little more than a farcical gathering of whoever can be arsed to turn up. Ok, at the time of writing this I'm a bit merry but on the whole I'll stand by what I write.

During this week I'd been led to believe that there'd be the usual lineup on Thursday, but I found out at the final hour that that wasn't to be. It was left to Chops and I to prop up the bar and cheer on a couple of accumulators on the darts, and thankfully it turned out to be a good night after all.

I just want to give a mention to Alex for setting my night up perfectly. When I arrived at seven I was still fuming from being let down and sat down by the TV in a huff for the first half hour. Chops was due to arrive at 8, so after Jenkins had beaten King I went to the bar to get a drink. This was when I was informed by the barmaid (Hilton) that Alex had phoned ahead and ordered a pint of snakebite for me on him, and to give me a rendition of 'One More Time' by Daft Punk. Needless to say this made my night in one second and all the ill-doing of earlier was rectified. Alex, I owe you one.

Thanks for listening.

J, the Grumpy Old Man

Phil Brown - you're a liar

The picture above is of Phil Brown shaking hands with Arsene Wenger at the Emirates in September after Hull won. There is also a video on YouTube of them shaking hands when Arsenal beat Hull at the KC Stadium.

Of course, Brown stated that "He wouldn't shake my hand when we beat them fairly 2-1 at the Emirates. He wouldn't shake my hand when they beat us, fairly, 3-1 at the KC Stadium". When asked about Wenger's failure to shake his hand after the game, he replied "He never does".

So we've established that Brown is a liar, simple as that. So why should we assume that Cesc Fabregas spat (on the ground!) at Brian Horton? It was only Brown and Horton that witnessed it, even though it apparently took place in a packed tunnel. When asked about this by Radio 5 Live, Brown went all defensive and spluttery and asked if they were questioning his integrity. What an idiot.

FA Cup semi-final booked

I watched the Arsenal v Hull FA Cup Quarter Final last night at the club with Daz and Gary. In the second half it was always likely that Arsenal would score, and it was right that they won even though it came via an offside goal. Of course, the highlight (lowlight) of the night was Phil Brown's furious outburst after the game. He accused Cesc Fabregas of spitting at his assistant, he said that the ref was bent, he said that the crowd and Arsene Wenger influenced the officials, he said that Arsene Wenger never shakes his hand.

However much of the above is true is for anyone to guess, but it doesn't matter. Every football team has games where they get harsh decisions given against them. You just have to live with it. You don't have to like it, but then again you don't go and embarrass yourself by giving ridiculous post-match interviews. I hope the FA throw the book at Phil Brown because he's a smarmy, arrogant tosser who can't take losing.

To anyone who says that Arsene Wenger is also a bad loser, that is true. But he is the manager of one of the best clubs in Europe who constantly go out to attack and beat teams. Phil Brown is the manager of a shitty team who overperformed at the beginning of the season. They scored a freak goal early in the game last night and wasted time for the entire rest of the match. It was pathetic, there is no other word for it. When you put all eleven men in the box after 16 minutes of a game, you are asking to be attacked and losing should come as no shock, especially against Arsenal at the Emirates.

That's all for now.

Arsenal into last eight

What a night. Daz, Bot and I were walking along Regent Street trying to find Cheers and realised that we'd gone too far, but swore that we hadn't walked past it. We then found a boarded-up building where it used to be, so had to change plans accordingly. Thankfully I knew there was a sports bar round the corner on Haymarket so that became our base for the night. There was no mobile signal in there though, so a messy operation began trying to contact Loz and Gary to tell them where we were (having to go outside and phone them, then receiving ten texts all at once, blah blah blah) but we all got there in the end.

The bar became seriously busy but we managed to find a nice little corner just to ourselves right in front of one of the TV sets. However, this was probably the furthest possible location from the bar and from the toilets. Thus we bought all the drink for the entire game before kickoff and had about six pitchers lined up on the table in front of us. Going to the gents was an absolute nightmare and you just had to bite the bullet and go for it, pushing through the crowd, fighting to get to a urinal and then pushing all the way back. Going to the bog was at least a ten minute round trip.

I'll spare you any actual football analysis, but the penalty shootout was brilliant. Just like all England fans I'm so used to bitter disappointments with penalties and it was fantastic to be on the winning end of one for a change. By the way, Roma's second penalty (which was missed).... absolute comedy! I'm trying to find a video of it and when I do I'll post it. I think it was the worst penalty I've ever seen - Almunia saved it without even having to move. It was hit so softly, on the ground and straight down the middle.

Ok, I'm back to work today after six days off and I can't tell you how much I'm looking forward to it. Bye for now.

Drunk

Cheers has gone bust and so we went to the Sports Cafe at the bottom of Haymarket. Quality night. This is going to be a short one as I've just got in and I'm pretty wasted.

UP THE ARSE!!!!

Nervous / eager anticipation...

I will shortly be leaving for town; when I get home Arsenal will either be in the quarters of the Champions League or will have lost in Rome. The form all suggests that they should be ok. However, I was a little surprised to see that the price on Arsenal qualifying for the next round was as low as 1.5 on Betfair. I was close to putting in a pretty sizable lay A) because I thought that was a bit low and B) to slightly offset the agony of not qualifying if that should happen. However, I'm going to brass it out and trust in the team to do the job tonight without me betting.

At this same stage last year we had a great night watching Arsenal beat AC Milan 2-0 in the San Siro in Cheers near Piccadilly Circus, so we're heading back there tonight hopefully for a repeat. The night will be a huge anticlimax if Arsenal don't go through so please, PLEASE let them qualify! Myself, Daz, Gary, Loz and Bot are the heads and they're all heading down straight after work so we should get a good table.

What else. Oh yeah. I was bored earlier and needed a shave, and ended up sculpting a goatee which I will be sporting tonight. It definitely looks weird if not completely stupid. It took me ages trying to get it symmetrical and straight, and I think it is neither. It should be quite funny just for laughs though.

Ok, hopefully the next blog post will be a joyous one.

Extremely unhealthy week

Here ends a week that was filled with great banter but my God did we drink too much. Wednesday was the only night I stayed in and the other nights were all pretty heavy and getting in very late. I think we gave Alex a good send-off last night after landing up at a random house party near the Pinner Arms and I'm sure it will get messy again when he's back next month. Now that that's all over though, I have to say that I'm immensely grateful that today has been alcohol-free.

Saying that, I'm not back to work until Thursday after I booked off my remaining leave. Monday night is always important, Tuesday I'm out with the family to do the whole sister's birthday thing, and Wednesday we're all heading into town to watch Roma v Arsenal. We're going to Cheers, the same bar we watched the Gooners stuff AC Milan in last year, so that will hopefully be another great evening.

Speaking of Arsenal. Great game today with three fantastic goals. It's great to see that we're back on track and things should only get better now that we have our big players coming back. Hull in the Quarter Final at the Emirates and then Chelsea at Wembley. Hopefully a few more Champions League games too. The season isn't over just yet.

Come on Man City

As the football season comes to the crunch, this blog is probably going to become increasingly focused on Arsenal's battle to reach the Champions League next season.

Aston Villa are under proper pressure now and hopefully they will bottle it against City tonight. They haven't won in five league games and are away at Eastlands later where anything could happen. Arsenal managed a win last night so Villa are now only three points ahead in fourth spot.

COME ON CITY!

Top 4 update

I might as well blog again about Arsenal's struggle to finish in the top four. A week ago I wrote that Arsenal have to overtake Villa within the next six league games otherwise that's it. Yesterday the Gunners drew again 0-0 at the Emirates to Fulham and I thought it was over there and then. HOWEVER... a miracle could have just happened. Villa have just drawn 2-2 at home to Stoke, having been 2-0 up with two minutes to go. This has 'turning point' written all over it (at least that's what I'm telling myself for time being anyway).

Villa don't have another 'easy' game like that for quite some time. The gap remains six points. If Arsenal can somehow muster a few goals from somewhere, will Villa start to buckle under the pressure?

Villa:

1 March v Stoke (h) DREW 2-2
4 March v Man City (a)
15 March v Spurs (h)
22 March v Liverpool (a)
5 April v Man Utd (a)
12 April v Everton (h)

Arsenal:

28 Feb v Fulham (h) DREW 0-0
3 March v West Brom (a)
14 March v Blackburn (h)
21 March v Newcastle (a)
4 April v Man City (h)
11 April v Wigan (a)