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I started writing this post when Paul Hart was appointed and by now he’s moved on! I don’t blame the club for this one actually. You could see after 2 games that he wanted ‘effective football’ and the fans didn’t like what they saw – I’ve never seen the R’s booed off the pitch after a victory before but a combination of bizarre substitutions and tactical suicide meat Paul Hart was fighting an uphill battle.

Magilton had us playing some fantasic football but lost the dressing room. Once it’s gone, you can’t get it back.  So, who next? Would any respectable manager take the ‘challenge’? I would personally like to see a proven manager, with a reputation for passing football. Alan Curbishly fits that bill but I can’t see him working with our owners – afterall, that’s what saw him leave West Ham. My money would be on a return for Gigi Di Canio in the summer.

The drama continues…

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That’s why I think Spurs have got it right.  Shops, apartments, corporate hospitality, merchandise are lower priorities (publically anyway). Atmosphere is the no.1 priority and so it should be!   The best feature is a 9,000 seater single-tier stand, like the Kop at Anfield, and allow fans to be nearer the action than at other modern stadiums like Wembley.

Daniel Levy, the Spurs Chairman says “the inclusion of a new single-tier stand, combined with a fantastic stadium design demonstrates our absolute commitment to create the most atmospheric stadium for our supporters. Every fan will have an exceptional view of the action and will find themselves closer to the pitch than at any other comparable stadium.”

Spurs intend to move into the new stadium for the start of the 2012-13 season, with the final capacity standing at 56,250.  I think they missed a trick there. Why not make the capacity 60,356 – one more seat than there arch rivals in the Emirates.

Only thing I’m not sure about is the stadiums name “Naming Rights”. Has an odd ring to it.

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Now, I used to be a MASSIVE Pro Evo fan (from 1999 – 2008) but then Konami got a bit complacent and FIFA stole the march. I was origianlly (way back in the day) a FIFA fan but peer pressure – and superior gameplay  – converted me to Pro Evo. As a student I used to play Pro Evo regularly with mates – including weekly tournaments round my mate Byrnie’s flat. Those were the days. I remember we once had a a tournament where we had 4 x 14″ TV’s, back to back, 5 x PS2′s and one hooked up to the big 42″ screen in the front room. Alongside that, we had a PC running with updated results, tables and standings. It was the ultimate football gaming tournament – and I loved it.

Theo Walcott is rapid in FIFA 10

Years have gone since then and times have changed. So has the game.  FIFA 09 re-introduced me to the EA title and I loved it. The gameplay in FIFA is amazing. It allows me to play the game like I would play football in real life – something that gives me an edge over ‘gamers’ who try to play football games.  My online record is pretty good. I have a 60% win ratio. My regular teams tend to be Villa, Manchester City and Arsenal (teams with power and pace).  The best feeling is when I choose Villa and then my oppenent (some German probably) picks Real Madrid/Barca – and I beat them. It doesn’t get better than that.

I own a PS3 copy of the game so give me a shout if you ever fancy a fixture:

QPR_Dan.

Add me.

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Spare a thought for the visitors to Miejski Klub Sportowy Znicz Pruszków in Poland. Amazing.

Personally, I’d make this the mandatory away end for all Chelsea fans (at every game). Probably doesn’t meet the Taylor Report requirements – but one can dream…

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Over the last few weeks I’ve seen a vast imporvement in the way we play.  The squad is settling nicely and Magilton is finding out his strongest eleven – using a 4-4-2 system (gone are the days of 4-5-1 under Paulo Sousa).  The introduction of Ben Watson (on loan from Wigan) has balanced the side brilliantly. He’s a talented player who can score goals, tackle, has a full range of passing and compliments the excellent Martin Rowlands brilliantly.  Buzsaky, Watson, Rowlands and Routledge is the preferred choice and I totally agree.  There’s a great balance of pace (Routledge), passing (Watson and Rowlands) and finising/delivery (Buzsaky).

Borrowdale has done brilliantly at left back and fair play to him – Paulo Sousa didn’t give him a sniff when he was here. Initially, I was sceptical but he’s proved me wrong by being solid all season so far.  I love Matt Connolly. He’d be in my starting eleven, that’s for sure – but at the expense of who? That’s a tough one.  Both Stewart and Gorkss have done nothing wrong but I can’t help thinking that our defence would be all the stronger with Connolly’s inclusion.  Liegertwood has been playing right back recently – a position first explored for him under Gareth Ainsworth.  I think it’s his best position. Full backs are massively underrated in football. They’re the ones who start the move, have more time than any other player on the pitch and provide additional ‘poke’ with great overlapping.  I know he probably doesn’t want to play there all the time…but tough Mikele!

So, Magilton’s steering things in the right direction – well done sir. Long may it continue. Off to Newcastle tonight. Lets keep our run going. I have a sneaky feeling about tonight y’know…

C’mon you R’s!

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Awesome.

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This has been a great source of debate recently.  I’ve heard some pretty interesting accounts and the overall story fascinates me. So, she dominated the South African junior championships 3/4 weeks prior to the World Championships and this alerted the international authorities – who then decided to keep a close eye her/him. Then this happened…

The wife and I didn’t know about the prior ‘debate’ and both remarked that she/he was very ‘manly’.  John Inverdale then confirmed our suspicion during the post race analysis on the BBC. She smashed the final and was quickly whisked away for further ‘tests’. Someone in the office did say “how hard can it be? whip down her strides and check whether she has meat and 2 veg!”. Many are probably thinking the same but I heard a really interesting account of the ‘process’ following a BBC interview after the race.  The process is delicate.  Caster has been bought up a girl, she believes she’s a girl – why wouldn’t she?  The interviewee (an IAAF governer) remarked that this case is unlike a drug cheat – where you can single out the individual for cheating and disqualify them, taking away their medal.  The Caster situation is delicate in that DNA tests may prove she was/is a man.  The difficult task is managing the athlete during what must be the hardest time in their life. Dealing with the consequences and coming to terms with such a life changing discovery cannot be easy.

So, after a hero’s welcome when she arrived back in South Africa (where she displayed even more manly characteristics) they decided whisk her away, whack on a bit of slap and make her more ‘feminine’ for the cover of ‘YOU’ magazine. Amazing.

I’m amazed by the whole story. What are your thoughts? Man? Woman?  Either way, ‘it’s’ a bloody good runner!

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Here’s the site

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