Welcome Home
I am such a sucker for the football season. Every year I feel that familiar tingle, the ridiculous hopes (Europe, The Premiership, FA Cup etc) and, most years, the subsequent disappointments. Recent years have seen me organising a Fantasy Football league. Cajoling, collecting monies, checking application forms and sending the lot off to the Daily Telegraph. Not that any of us are fans of that bastion of the outraged right. It's just that it has the best Fantasy Football League going. Out of twenty teams in our league only one of us buys a copy of the rag each Wednesday and then emails the rest with the weekly transfer password.
Right now, as I type, I'm listening to 5Live over the net. It's the first round of the Carling Cup (previously known as the Worthington Cup, Coca Cola Cup, Milk Cup and League Cup. Among others). I just love it. The "minnows" harbouring visions of "giant-killing". The promise of future ties against the big boys. The possibilty of filling the club's coffers. Hardly daring to think of a Cup Final !
This season had Manchester City fans like me looking forward to the opening of the club's new stadium, and we weren't disappointed with a fabulous win against a strong Barcelona side. The game was played under sweltering, humid conditions. The sweat ran freely down our brows and backs (and important little places) as we enjoyed some quality football. Thursday night sees the the first foray into Europe for about 24 years as we take on the might of TNS from a little Welsh Town I have no intention of attempting to spell.
That's another thing I like about the season to come - the changing weather that the game is played in. From the blue skies of August, through the rain-swept Novembers and on to the ice and snow of mid-winter before emerging once again into the promise of Easter and the end of season run in. Cracking!
I've acquired a brilliant new DVD player from WH Smiths of all places. A mere £49.99 and it plays DVD, MP3, MPEG, AVI and JPEGs. Absolutely superb value. Order one off the web site and have it delivered, free of charge, to your local Branch of WH Smiths. I've watched AVIs of the second series of Phoenix Nights and the quality is brilliant. Buy one (or two - one for the bedroom or wherever. Or even as presents for relatives, friends and significant others).
I've also had to bolster my DVD collection with some classics. "Lawrence of Arabia 2 disk edition" for Lean at his best, Leone's Masterful "Once Upon a Time in America" (with an achingly beautiful score from Ennio Morricone) and Scorsese's "The Last Waltz" to travel back in (musical) time with. The Band's last concert in 1976 supported by Bob Dylan, Eric Clapton, Joni Mitchell, Neil Young, Muddy Waters and many others. Treble cracking!!!
No comments:
Post a Comment