Go for it Benjamin

Where are your Superman underpants now, you little shit?

Lovely to hear the talk of Stephen Ireland's demise at Manchester City and of Roberto Mancini's plans to offload him during the summer. We all have to hope that Mancini stays long enough to deliver on this intention.

I can only assume that Ireland will return to his grandmothers for counselling and tender loving care, now that they have both got over their recent life-threatening illnesses. God bless the old dears.

Let me guess - in the next couple of years Ireland will make himself available for the national team again because - he will realise that he needs them more than they actually need him. It's an awful pity that we have a habit of letting these people away with that kind of behaviour in our country, in many, many walks of life.

Stay away Stephen you bald, ignorant, condescending little prick.

Poetry - Wounds by Michael Longley

Here are two pictures from my father's head--
I have kept them like secrets until now:
First, the Ulster Division at the Somme
Going over the top with 'Fuck the Pope!'
'No Surrender!': a boy about to die,
Screaming 'Give 'em one for the Shankill!'
Wilder than Gurkhas' were my father's words
Of admiration and bewilderment.
Next comes the London-Scottish padre
Resettling kilts with his swagger-stick,
With a stylish backhand and a prayer.
Over a landscape of dead buttocks
My father followed him for fifty years.
At last, a belated casualty,
He said--lead traces flaring till they hurt--
'I am dying for King and Country, slowly.'
I touched his hand, his thin head I touched.


Now, with military honours of a kind,
With his badges, his medals like rainbows,
His spinning compass, I bury beside him
Three teenage soldiers, bellies full of
Bullets and Irish beer, their flies undone.
A packet of Woodbines I throw in,
A lucifer, the Sacred Heart of Jesus
Paralysed as heavy guns put out
The night-light in a nursery for ever:
Also a bus-conductor's uniform--
He collapsed beside his carpet-slippers
Without a murmur, shot through the head
By a shivering boy who wandered in
Before they could turn the television down
Or tidy away the supper dishes.
To the children, to a bewildered wife,
I think 'Sorry Missus' was what he said.

Why did Mark Cusick call himself Olga?

Was this guy a Russian spy or did he just love a gymnast called Korbut?

Our thoughts now turn to Leeds

A bit of controversy arising from the allocation of referees this weekend and the assignment of Ray Tinkler to the Leeds v Bristol Rovers game.

Ray has a bit of "previous" with Leeds as evidenced in the attached clip and additionally has been brought back out of retirement after 35 years with his feet up in Market Sidbury, Shropshire. Rumour has it that this decision by the FA is motivated purely by hatred against Revie on their part, as a result of his decision to walk out of the England job in 1977 and go for the Arab loot, managing my own dearly beloved UAE.

Let's hope Leeds can overcome the Tinkler man and earn their rightful place in the Championship.

They left him standing alone

"Say you don't need no diamond ring and I'll be satisfied,
Tell me that you want the kind of thing that money just can't buy,
I don't care too much for money, money can't buy me love,

Can't buy me love......."

Mayday 2009

Getting very interesting now:

• Well deserved but narrow victory for Spurs pushes the race for 4th spot to Eastlands on Wednesday and as Gerry has pointed out another Blue Moon - without a dream in my heart?
• Leeds slip again but the generosity of others leaves them as favourites for automatic promotion - could Bristol Rovers (who?) spoil the party next week at Elland Road? Unlikely, surely.
• Everton fizzling out ...............roll on next season.
• The Liverpool Chelsea see-saw continues tomorrow and one has to assume Liverpool will fold as a result of their demoralised state after midweek.

Other events to acknowledge or look forward to:

• Fulham's achievement in reaching the Europa Cup final - great spirit, showing a lot of the big boys how it's done.
• Rochdale limp home in 3rd position having led for so long. Well done to them.
• Twente Enschede one game away from the Dutch League after a wait of 84 years. They play NAC Breda on Sunday - a win will mean they cannot be caught by 2nd place Ajax.
• Most fouls committed by individual Premiership players this year - 1. Davies (Bolton) 112 2. Cahill (Everton) 86; 3. Cole (West Ham) 69; 4, Fellaini (Everton) 67. Two for Everton - combative or niggly and negative?

Roll on the final week!