Birmingham Bum

2006-04-10T11:50:00.000Z

HA! I am still here and I am watching you all. In the words of Morrissey, 'Ask me why and I'll spit in your eye'.

Well I won't actually. As for the reason for this post...there isn't one. And I did try to think of one. But aside from the usual 'this is what i did at the weekend' or 'spurs are good/rubbish' themes, I could think of little to write. And I'm not about to tell you all what I'm really thinking. You would be shocked, disturbed and saddened. And probably amused too at the occasional dysfunctional moments of yet another Casey boy.

So anyway, this can be a post where I say hello to anyone who hasn't quite given up on this blog yet.

And I have a renewed enthusiasm for my new site as well. I will look into it again this week. Possibly.

Good afternoon and hello to all.

G

2005-09-21T15:56:00.000Z

W-What!

No! Nooooooooooooo!

2005-08-31T23:51:00.000Z

Peter Beardsley signs for Spurs

2005-08-24T22:08:00.000Z

F*ck me I'm bored

2005-07-18T15:22:00.000Z

Feeling generous?

Buy me this t-shirt.

2005-06-10T16:55:00.000Z

Legend

Love it.

2005-06-04T18:13:00.000Z

Frankie says 'I'm off'

So Frank Arnesen, Spurs' Sporting Director, is being lured away by Chelscum. Like most Spurs fans, I'm gutted to hear the news, but unlike most, I'm not at all surprised. Chelsea naturally are looking to be the best club in the world. This of course involves signing the best staff. Theres no doubting Arnesen is the best in the world at his job, which is why Chelsea want him. The fact that the approach was illegal doesn't surprise me either; look at the recent scandal with Ashley Cole. Chelsea unfortunately have the money to do what they want, and the FA don't have the power to do much to stop them. There will be another slap on the wrists, at the most 3 points deducted. Whereas for Spurs there is the possibility that next season has already been ruined, and certainly the club's structure has.

I learnt to my cost when C*mpbell left Spurs for Ars*nal that loyalty had gone out of football. All this episode has done is just reinforce that belief. Since C*mpbell left and I discovered this, my love for football has diminished from what it was; with the way things are going with the game, I can't see that changing. Something which saddens me.

2005-05-16T16:27:00.000Z

Amusant

It's been a few weeks, but this, courtesy of my friend Seb, is worth the wait. Very amusing! Does contain a bit of nudity though, so those at work, be careful!

2005-04-30T12:27:00.000Z

Your challenge for the day

See if you can complete this maze. There's quite a cool surprise at the end. Oh, you need sound for it, put the volume up as loud as you can get away with. Trust me, its worth it!

2005-04-30T09:06:00.000Z

AAAAARRRRRGGGGGHHHHH

The last thing I need after a week at work is to be denied a lie-in on Saturday morning by Robbie Williams.

2005-04-25T21:12:00.000Z

I f*****g hate Ars*nal. I really do hate them. Bunch of bastards. With all my heart I despise them. I hate that gypsy s**t Reyes. I hate that diving c**t Cole. Viera, Edu, Bergkamp, Toure, all tossers. Don't get me started on that p***o Wenger. As for Judas, he is the worst kind of scum in the world. I hope Highbury burns.

2005-04-18T20:48:00.000Z

Inevitable...

...Good weekend always equals crap monday. And it was a pretty crap monday to be honest. Worth it though for such an amusing weekend. Highlights? Well, The Jam House was very good, as was a certain person's hair after I had put half a container of salt in it. And I can't quite remember whether it was a lettuce or a cabbage I threw at the same person in Tesco Express, after an amusing taxi ride home. A fry up both days of the weekend is always welcome of course. And beating people from work at numerous N64 games on friday night was amusing (for me anyway). The end result is me sitting at my computer finishing off a beer despite my detox vow, wishing the weekend was longer!

2005-04-01T11:24:00.000Z

April Fool!

Of all the April Fools jokes doing the rounds today, this is by far the best I've seen.

2005-03-24T10:06:00.000Z

Crap songs that go round in my head #1

This morning, I have mostly been pissed off by Right Said Fred's 'Deeply Dippy'

2005-03-20T14:33:00.000Z

England's # 1

I love this guy. Without a doubt my favourite Spurs player, he is the one player who always gives 100% for every game and his reaction when Spurs score is just as crazy as the most hardcore Spurs fans. Plus, in true keeper style, he's crazy. He apparently likes nothing more than hitting the ball as far as he can (and he's got a huge kick) at training, He's taken throw-ins for us, has done kick ups during the match. He acted like a captain yesterday, shouting to our players and being the first guy to try and split up a fight between our player and one from Man City.

With seconds to go, when the ball went into the crowd for a goal kick, he motioned to us fans behind the goal to throw the ball onto the pitch away from him to waste time! Plus, just before kick off, he started belting balls as high into the crowd as possible, even runnng to get one ball chucked back near the corner flag, before belting it back into the crowd. The other 21 players and the ref were waiting for him to finish! He claps along with our chants and is always the player who applauds the fans the most after the game. Legend.

2005-03-19T09:59:00.000Z

Gertcha!

For some reason, one of the rituals on a spurs home match day for me involves listening to Chas 'n' Dave before leaving the house!

2005-03-14T12:41:00.000Z

Chuckles the Clown!

A man walks into a butchers shop. He says to the butcher, 'I bet you 50 pounds that you can't reach the meat off the top shelf behind you.'

The butcher looks up behind him for a second, then replies 'Nah, the steaks are too high!'

2005-03-14T02:11:00.000Z

Geordie bastards

2005-03-08T18:50:00.000Z

TIP OF THE DAY #1

So someone next to you in the office, at home or down the pub is reading something. They make that chuckling noise or some kind of exclamation that means they've seen something interesting in what they're reading. And guess what that means: they're about to share it with you. If you've lived with someone who does this every day, you soon learn what to do...

(Housemate and our hero are sitting down. Our hero is watching TV. The housemate is reading a magazine)

(Housemate looks at magazine and sees something interesting he wants to point out to our hero)

Housemate: Haha

(Gerald walks out of the room)

End of Scene. Problem Solved.

2005-03-02T13:19:00.000Z

BING BANG BOOM...

...And I'm back! Inspired by the almighty Andrew's rather amusing photos of the poker night, I decided to pull my finger outta my arse and update this page. Now I just gotta think of something worthwhile to say...

Quite often on this site, when I've actually posted, I've described how my life is going. I can't be bothered doing that any more. One thing you come to realise is that life is full of ups and downs. Things are never going to be 100% fantastic. Or 100% shit. Essentially 99% of the stuff you worry about doesn't really matter long-term.

The last few months have been difficult in terms of being active; money has been a bit of a problem for a while now, and although that's starting to improve, I know that essentially, I'm not gonna be happy with work every day, then a few beers of an evening. There's more to life than that. Work is quite often a lot of fun, and as most of you know, I enjoy the booze, but I reckon I'm gonna have to think of something else to do when I finish in Brum in the summer. Don't know if I'm up for the whole job scene yet. Uni taught me a lot about myself, and I'd like to learn more in another new atmosphere. Might have one last youthful adventure somewhere for a while.

That aside, I reckon I need to spice this blog up a bit. I'm asking for any suggestions; it can be in the form of, say, weekly challenges, a regular column (I quite like the idea of a weekly rant about someone or something that has particularly irked me), or perhaps some amusing sketches (the amusement being that I'm crap on MS Paint); anything really. Just something that will keep me and the readers interested. Much obliged!

Ho hum, that will do for now. Ciao.

2004-10-30T10:34:00.000Z

Original hellraiser Ozzy, 55, is preparing for the release of a four-disc box set package, called The Bible Of Oz.

It includes a disc of duets, two of classic and live material and one of covers.

He has been filming the video for a cover version of The Beatles classic In My Life.

In the promo he sits on a park bench with his bulldog, which ends up weeing on a businessman's shoes.

Ozzy says: "I love The Beatles and it's one of the only songs that hasn't been done to death.

"Basically I've done a whole bunch of covers of songs that I love. I do Mott The Hoople's All The Young Dudes, Arthur Brown's Fire and the Rolling Stones' Sympathy For The Devil."
Why is he gonna ruin two of my favourite songs by those two bands? After his effort with Kelly 'I have absolutely no talent. None at all.' Osbourne, 'Changes', I'm not overly optimistic he'll improve on them. And how can you improve on the two greatest bands in history anyway? Plus he's releasing 'In my life' as a single. So its not just pure tribute. Not amused. And as for Ozzy's assessment of 'In my life' as a rare Beatles song not covered over and over, why is he adding it to the list of those that are?????

2004-10-17T23:33:00.000Z

You know what: Life ain't bad. Not a bad couple of weeks, mostly sober but quite an enjoyable session on friday. Happy birthday to my sister Claire today by the way.

One last thing. Try downing several double vdkas through a straw. Ain't as easy as you might think.

2004-09-29T09:36:00.000Z

Slightly different post than what I had intended a couple of days ago, but never mind. Basically, I spent last week in Aylesbury as I had a week's paid holiday which had to be taken before the end of this month. Now the last few times I've been back in Aylesbury, its been a little mundane and samey. But this week was actually really good, with some really fun nights spent in the company of my friends. Coming back to Birmingham after that was always gonna be a little negative. Especially coming back to my data entry job.

Monday and Tuesday were the sort of days at work I really dread, where I spend the whole day asking myself what I'm doing at this boring job. Any job where I can just switch my mind off for 7 hours and still perform my job to a good level can't be good. I spent almost all of yesterday looking for job possibilities online as a result, and contemplating quitting. Today I started in quite a positive mood until I discovered that my best friend at work (who kept me sane through several in depth footy conversations and pints at lunch) has quit, making work even more dull and my mood today pretty pissed off. I really am considering quitting.

There are problems, however. I've got rent to pay, a Spurs season ticket to pay back, a possible holiday in December to budget for. And the problem of what job I could get.

Any data entry job will be dull. No change in the long term if I get another one. What I really want to do is get a job in the charity sector. There are graduate schemes for Cancer Reasearch and Oxfam which I intend to apply for, but don't start until well into next year. Doubt I could last that long. Most other charity jobs that take my fancy are based in London, which is a bit inconvenient when living in Brum. All this leads me of course to question the wisdom of my decision to stay in Brum for this year. It's good to spend a year with uni friends who I might not see much of after this year, but going into work every day knowing its gonna be dull and I'm gonna come home uninspired is not exactly ideal.

It's gonna be a long day...

2004-08-22T14:35:00.000Z

No doubt the weekend and the Spurs result contributed to this, but I have been in a realy upbeat mood since friday, and there doesnt seem to be a particular reason for it. Not that I'm complaining, tis always a great feeling being happy and positive. I did give up alcohol for a week, which did me the power of good, and perhaps that has contributed to the feeling. Though I must admit I'm currently contentedly sipping a nice glass of Glenmorangie.

2004-08-12T20:38:00.000Z

It's been a while.

The main reason i haven't posted in a while is I've not wanted to post until I could show people one of the few interesting things I've done in a while, the trip to Berlin in June with my friends. Photos can now be found here. Apart from that, I've graduated, which was admittedly very cool, and had the grad ball, which was frankly a little poor.

And of course my 21st bday on Monday, which was cool. I had two great nights on Friday and on my birthday, and thanks to those involved in making them so good.

Otherwise, life has been ok, usual pattern of work, Tv, possibly a beer or two then sleep. Thats gonna change now though, as I start to organise myself a bit better.

Thats all for now.

2004-06-25T11:19:00.000Z

YOU MAKE YOUR OWN LUCK IN FOOTBALL

The general consensus today is that England were robbed last night of a victory. Have to disagree. England last night, and for most of the tournament, have been terribly unconvincing, and tactically naive. For some reason, Eriksson believes that the way to beat the big attacking teams is to snatch an early goal and then defend in our own penalty box for the rest of the game. England paid for it against France and yesterday against Portugal. Yes, England were unlucky with the timing of the French goals, and the supposed 'legit' goal that C*mpbell-end scored last night, but you make your own luck in this game. As I've said before, the best premiership teams are often described as lucky, having decisions go their way, whereas teams like Leicester last season supposedly had crucial decisions go against them. The best teams create enough chances that eventually they will ge the rub of the green. If England had had 3 chances similar to the disallowed goal, the likelihood is that one at least would have been given. But they had one disputable goal - 50-50 chance of being given.

England were one of the best sides on paper, but just didnt maximise our players. This has to come down to the manager. Our midfield was poor for almost all the tournament, except possibly Lampard. Scholes should have been dropped ages ago (yes he got a goal, but that proves nothing). The fact that Rooney grabbed all the headlines shows how bad the rest of the team were, if an 18 year-old was dragging England through the group. And our tactics after Rooney came off. Appalling. Why bring Vassell on alongside Owen if all England are gonna do is punt the ball in the air to them?

Finally, the penalty. The ref had a shocker, but I think he got this one right. Yes yes I hate Judas C*mpbell (although I'm big enough to say that the two gooner defenders were Englands best players), but from a totally unbiased pov, Terry was obstructing the goalkeeper with his arm. It was unintentional. And Campbell probably would have scored without the obstruction. But the rules are such today that any such infringement on a keeper is against the rules.

2004-06-24T12:08:00.000Z

Haven't moved house yet, now happening tomorrow after work. Talking of work, I overslept a teensy bit and ended up an hour late. Still, gave my supervisors a dose of the old Casey charm and they didnt kick up a stink.

I think I need a hobby. My life for the last two weeks has revolved around work and drinking while watching the football. Now the drinking at the moment is training for my holiday to Berlin at the start of July, so thats acceptable. But I've decided that when I get back, I need to start a new hobby which doesnt involve drinking. Any suggestions welcome.

2004-06-20T13:16:00.000Z

Looks like I should be moving into my new house on Tuesday, touch wood. Can't wait, mainly due to two reasons: Sky sports and broadband. Life in my current house is a bit strange as I'm the only one left, but it has its advantages, such as waking up in the morning and walking downstairs to the toilet butt naked (without my housemates complaining). Other current benefits include singing along to songs as loudly as I want (again without my housemates objecting), not having to queue for the kitchen/bathroom and finally getting intelligent conversation.

2004-06-16T16:59:00.000Z

Got my degree result yesterday, and I got a 2:1. Chuffed. Plus I got 76 on my dissertation too. Even more chuffed.

2004-06-16T16:54:00.000Z

Ok, so England lost to France. Wasn't too upset, to be honest. I was delighted to see that Ledley King had a great game, and showed what he can do alongside an experienced defender (even if it was Judas C*mpbell). The thing that annoyed me was the England fans watching the game. I was watching on centenary square on Broad Street in Birmingham, and there were 100s of people watching too (big screen set up). Quite near me were some kids, cant have been older than 10. Family atmosphere? My arse. Some idiots in the crowd thought it would be really fun to chuck glass bottles into the air in random directions. One landed and smashed not far from me, and not far from the kids. Disgraceful. Obviously the rioting on Broad Street was equally disgraceful. What really got me though was that there were no police in sight until 5 minutes after the game had finished.

2004-06-10T16:38:00.000Z

Not much has happened since my last post. Just work, which has turned out to be fun on a few occasions. Bizarre.

My main reason for posting is an important one. I noted the other day while seeing a gig down the pub that although the band playing(trumpet, drummer and piano in a jazzy sort of style) did not contain a singer, this didn't stop the drummer from constantly swaying his head and mouthing lyrics to God knows what.

This isn't the first time I've seen this. Drummers seem to think they have the right to sing along to songs, and I can live with that. But to sing along to a song with no lyrics? I feel this is bringing down music to a new low. Something must be done. Answers on a postcard, please.

2004-05-23T14:09:00.000Z

Urrrrrrrrghhhhh. Thats the noise I like to make when I'm bored, I have practically no cash, and I start a new job tomorrow. Which is guaranteed to be dull. And which I might well be doing for the next year. Life currently sucks.

2004-05-19T11:22:00.000Z

YEEEEEEEEEES! Pleat is gone!!!!!! And been replaced by the person responsible for spotting Ronaldo and Van Nistelrooy! Ave it!

2004-05-14T10:56:00.000Z

Yesterday I finished my last ever exam at uni. It's all over. And it's a very weird feeling. Though that could be the hangover.

2004-04-01T00:33:00.000Z

This is similar to EmotionEric. If you like that, you'll like this.

2004-03-25T14:26:00.000Z

A time of lasts. Went to my last ever university lecture yesterday, which, as if to sum up the rest of them (the few I went to, that is), was of absolutely no use to me and a waste of an hour of my life. I'm currently writing my last essay at university (not including my exams). Obviously this is the last 'normal term' for me at uni - next term just revision and exams. So I thought I'd reflect a little (mainly cos I've got nowt better to do.)

Part of me will really miss uni. The first year was a fantastic experience, the time where I think I've learnt the most about myself (good and bad), and a period where there were dozens of memories I won't forget in a while. I was luckier than most in that a good friend of mine who'd already finished uni had made me realise that the first year of my course is pretty much meaningless (no assessed work), so I made sure I had as much fun as possible and didn't work particularly hard.

The second year was totally different. Work began to count. I matured as a person a lot more. My good mates from 1st year became very good mates, and those I was ok mates with (mainly because I was on the same floor as them in my halls) I mainly drifted apart from. I still had a good time, not as often, but still enjoyed myself whenever I could.

Third year has been the weirdest year of all. The longer I've got through this year, the closer I've got to mates from back home. Most of the time when I've been getting drunk, it's been in Aylesbury, not Birmingham. I've also worked hard this year, especially on my dissertation. Another strange thing is that I've grandually drifted apart from my housemates; what I used to like about them in the first year is now what is starting to irritate me about them. Overall, I think things have timed themselves pretty well. I'll have had my fill of uni by the end of exams. I'll be living in Brum next year with my best mates from uni, and I'll be financially secure enough to make sure it's a year I enjoy.

2004-03-25T11:01:00.000Z

This is one for Jimas, just got sent this by an American friend.

2004-03-24T18:48:00.000Z

Dunno how old it is, but this is priceless.

2004-03-22T10:34:00.000Z

Fantasy league scores to go up later today. On a lighter note, I rediscovered one of my top pleasures in life today; sitting next to a complete stranger and farting silently. The best bit is when you hear them sniff the air and see the quizzical look on their face. Done it twice in the last hour, gonna go for a hat-trick.

2004-03-18T11:08:00.000Z

No drink for two weeks+St. Patrick's day+8 pints of Guinness= f****** bad headache. Why, why, why, do I do it?

2004-03-17T10:23:00.000Z

Happy St. Pat's, people.

2004-03-16T10:14:00.000Z

Also worthy of note was the game I played with 2 mates a few weeks back - Monopoly Shots. Basically, it's Monopoly with the added twist that every time you have to pay rent, you also have to down a certain amount of spirit (For the Brown-Light Blue side, it's half a shot. For the Pink-Orange and Red-Yellow sides, it's one shot. For the final side, it's two shots). What a game. Obviously the objective of the game is to be the last one able to stand up. Not sure if anyone's thought of it before. If not, then I invented it.

2004-03-12T11:10:00.000Z

Ok, so it's been a little while since I last posted. This is partly down to work and the usual can't be arsed syndrome from which I often suffer. Quite a bit has happened in the last month, so I'm gonna try and condense it all into one post. Here goes...

Spurs 4-3 lucky. Spurs 4-2 worrying. London, brothers and cousin. Bell. Hangover. Football St Edwards knackered. Spurs 4-4 ridiculous. Bell, friend's 21st. Americans. Tequila slammers. Hangover. Oxford, clubbing. Americans. Taxi, Rolling Stones. Hangover. Chicago's karaoke. Sinatra. Americans. Aylesbury Grammar School. Hangover. Brum. No money. Work. Dissertation over. Friends visit. Guild. Hangover. Broad Street. Mr & Mrs Johns. Lasers. Cut finger. Hangover. Work. Work. Work. Spurs 0-1 predictable. Season over. No drink for week. Whisky = Horse with rabies = bad idea. Work. Work. Graduation ball ticket. Snow.

I thank you.

2004-02-05T11:56:00.000Z

............*speechless*

2004-02-03T12:35:00.000Z

Well, the transfer window has drawn to a close and it's been quite productive for Spurs. The obvious downside was the failure to bring in a quality DM. It looks like Butt didn't really want to leave Manure at this stage, with certainly no desire to live in the south. So a DM will have to wait until the summer. Michael Brown is a bargain at £500,000. Hopefully he will prove a good squad player. The Paul Robinson deal, although failing to go through at this stage due to Premier League rules, looks likely to go through in the summer, which will solve another key problem. And finally, Jermain Defoe. The boy undoubtedly has a great deal of talent, and is a good goalscorer. I feel sorry for Zamora, who never really had a run of games, but he would have had little chance with Defoe also added. Good luck to him at Upton Park. Defoe will be an England squad regular, and should prove a long-term bargain. All in all, good business.

Saturday saw me take part in a spot of go-karting, courtesy of Mr. Johns. I enjoyed myself immensely and it definitely won't be the last time I do it. It was good to see a lot of friends and family over the last few days; a very enjoyable weekend.

2004-02-03T12:25:00.000Z

Update on the fantasy league:

1: Hmmboys of the world unite
29 points

2: Casey's Crew
21 points

3: Johnsey United
14 points

4: Thribblit
7 points

5: Wibbles United
3 points

6: Jimas Athletic
2 points

So an 8 point gap between 1st and 2nd. By no means insurmountable at this stage. Looking like only the top three will fight it out for the month.

2004-01-29T18:23:00.000Z

This is pretty addictive. My best is 47.48 seconds. Beat it or lose it!

2004-01-28T11:11:00.000Z

Looking like I may be on the bbc 1:00 news today!

2004-01-27T16:59:00.000Z

Just finished a meeting with my dissertation tutor, who seemed really really pleased about the draft copy he read. No major changes are going to be needed, with the only real work needed on tarting the thing up a bit and making sure the grammar is spot on. Big fat result! I've worked my butt off for this thing; the subject really interests me and I'm proud of what I've done; it's original and my tutor went as far as to say he might nick some for his website and a book he is writing.

Sorry, just felt like giving myself a nice big gee there!

2004-01-20T12:01:00.000Z

New scores for Month 5:

1: Casey's Crew
12 points

2: Hmmboys of the world unite
9 points

3: Johnsey United
3 points

4: Jimas Athletic
3 points

5: Wibbles United
0 points

6: Thribblit
-2 points

Pretty poor first week for everyone really.

2004-01-20T11:33:00.000Z

Here, then, are the overall standings so far after the 4th month:

1: Casey's Crew
173 points

2: Hmmboys of the world unite
170 points

3: Johnsey United
150 points

4: Thribblit
144 points

5: Jimas Athletic
129 points

6: Wibbles United
126 points

Casey's Crew still on top, but the Hmmboys have replaced Johnsey United in 2nd, and are only a few points off 1st. Wibbles United and Jimas Athletic could really do with a good 5th month...

2004-01-20T11:13:00.000Z

Apologies for the delay, here are the final scores for Month 4:

1 Hmmboys of the world unite
54 points

2 Thribblit
44 points

3 Casey's Crew
41 points

4 Johnsey United
30 points

5 Jimas Athletic
27 points

6 Wibbles United
7 points

Quite a high decent scoring month, some lucky points and dodgy decisions have given the Hmmboys a contraversial victory. Wibbles United, in contrast to last month, were rubbish.
Month 4 Winner: HMMBOYS OF THE WORLD UNITE

2004-01-02T18:49:00.000Z

New scores for the month:

1: Hmmboys of the world unite
35 points

2: Casey's Crew
21 points

3: Thribblit
20 points

4: Johnsey United
12 points

5: Jimas Athletic
10 points

6: Wibbles United
2 points

So the Hmmboys take a surprise lengthy lead at the start of the month. Not insurmountable, but they are firmly in the driving seat at this stage. Wibbles United, however, aren't even in the car.

2003-12-18T21:31:00.000Z

Quite a difficult one, this. Pretty good fun though.

2003-12-15T18:59:00.000Z

So, after 3 months, here are the standings so far...

1: Casey's Crew
132 points

2: Johnsey United
120 points

3: Wibbles United
119 points

4: Hmmboys of the world unite
116 points

5: Jimas Athletic
102 points

6: Thribblit
100 points

So Casey's Crew retake the lead from Johnsey United, who lead a close-knit bunch of 3 teams. At current, Jimas and Thribblit are fighting it out for 5th. Unlimited transfers until the new month kicks off. Get busy.

2003-12-15T18:51:00.000Z

Well, well. What an end to the month. Final standings for Month 3:

1: Wibbles United
Week: 8 Month: 39

2: Casey's Crew
Week: 4 Month: 37

3: Thribblit
Week: 12 Month: 34

4: Jimas Athletic
Week: 8 Month: 30

5: Hmmboys of the world unite
Week: 2 Month: 26

6: Johnsey United
Week: -2 Month: 12

A low-scoring month, but possibly the best in terms of action. And what a result for Wibbles United (he says through gritted teeth...). A late surge gave JD the victory. Special mention for the month must go to Johnsey and his magical team of world-beaters.
Month 3 Winner: WIBBLES UNITED

2003-12-15T00:30:00.000Z

Not content with beng famours on the Birmingham club scene, I've expanded my fame to Berlin. See if you can spot me in 2 of the photos. And for bonus points, if you know Paul Gardner, David McGovern, Tom Weisner, Steve Thomas and Richard Foster, see if you can spot them too.

2003-12-14T17:45:00.000Z

You most identify with...

Ian Botham
Fiery and unpredictable. You'll need the memory of an elephant to list all your good deeds for charity.

Which Sports Personality are you?

2003-12-12T16:45:00.000Z

So Daniel Levy has said he knows who he wants as manager, and is confident of getting him at the end of the season. What can be deduced from this? Firstly, it's not Curbishley or Souness. They could be got now. Secondly, it's not Houllier. Or O'Neill. Levy said that they havent approached anyone, and the person he has in mind approached them. So who does that leave? Mourinho, the Porto manager. His contract expires in the summer. He has expressed interest in coming to the Prem at some point. He managed Postiga. Speaks Portuguese (as does transfer target Diego). Has a proven record. He's my bet for the job. And he will do me nicely. Likes to play the ball on the ground, the spurs way (except under George Graham). And knows the best young portuguese players (similar to Wenger and Houllier with French players, although in a different way to Houllier ;-)

Newcastle away at the weekend, hopefully we can snatch a point. We've got ManUre at WHL next so an easy 3 points in the bag there.

2003-12-11T10:51:00.000Z

Here's one for all you bored footy fans. A free kick game. Scroll down to the bottom of the screen. Only downfall is that you have to register, but the game is pretty cool.

2003-12-11T09:45:00.000Z

*Drool* Could be a load of old cobblers, with Spurs' AGM tonight, but if it's true.....

2003-12-09T13:22:00.000Z

Last night was most definitely not what I needed. After four hardcore days of drink, a whole day of travelling and still nursing a hangover, I (with three others) hosted a house party last night. Schoolboy error. It didn't take much to get me drunk, which was a sign of the amount consumed abroard. The turnout, however, was fantastic. Maybe around 40-50 people were there, and not everyone could fit into the house. We had a keg of home-made punch, many a spirit was on offer, and of course, beer a plenty.

I think it's time for a few days off the booze.

2003-12-08T12:36:00.000Z

Another pretty bad week:

1 Casey's Crew
Week: 10 Month: 33

2 Wibbles United
Week: 15 Month: 31

3 Hmmboys of the world unite
Week: 6 Month: 24

4 Jimas Athletic
Week: 2 Month: 22

5 Thribblit
Week: 7 Month: 22

6 Johnsey United
Week: 8 Month: 14

Still Boon on top then. Well, I must say it looks right...anyway, Wibbles United have had the best week, jumping up 2 places and just 2 points behind the top spot. I'm pretty sure there is 1 week left for the month, so no-one has won it yet. A big congratulations go to Johnsey United, who managed a big score of 8 this week. This week's whipping boys are Jimas Athletic!

2003-12-08T12:29:00.000Z

I'm back. Class time. Knackered.

2003-12-02T11:11:00.000Z

New fantasy league scores in what was a crappy week:

1 Casey's Crew
Week: 8 Month: 23

2 Jimas Athletic
Week: 6 Month: 20

3 Hmmboys of the world unite
Week: 5 Month: 18

4 Wibbles United
Week: 9 Month: 16

5 Thribblit
Week: 11 Month: 15

6 Johnsey United
Week: 1 Month: 6

Well what a cracking week was had had by all. The most points (Thribblit) was only 11. Johnsey United continue their downward spiral, picking up a paltry 1 point. Still topping the table are Casey's Crew, coached by that genius Boon, with Jimas Athletic still close behind. This month could be very close.

2003-11-30T11:30:00.000Z

I'm going to Berlin on Wednesday, then Prague on Friday! Woohoo!!!!!

2003-11-30T11:29:00.000Z

I've had to put up with it for years now. Different people saying the same thing - we were unlucky. I'm talking about my beloved Spurs. It's seems that if we were a lucky team, according to our managers, we would be the best team in the world and would win all our matches, if only the ref hadn't robbed us, or we hadn't hit the bar, or their goal had been ruled offside. I've said it before and I'll say it again, the best teams have the most luck. Look at Man U. They get called lucky quite often, and that's because they create enough chances that it will go their way eventually. Sure, we've lost our last two games directly as a result of deflected goals, but the fact that we hadn't done anything to put the game out of reach beforehand is the real reason for losing. I know we are unlikely to beat Ars*nal. And now we are in such a position that, although it pains me to say it, a draw at Ewood Park is a good result for us. But the constant excuses are pathetic. We were poor under Hoddle. We are worse under Pleat. Hoddle had no Robbie Keane this season, and no defenders fit last season (plus no Kanoute then). Pleat has Keane and a settled defence. Yet we suck to new levels. We are boring under Pleat, with little results. I think we are a lucky team. Our performances under Pleat merit a place in the relegation zone. We beat Leicester with 2 shots on goal to their 20. A point at Maine road, with no shots on goal and a miraculous clean sheet. An away performance at White Hart Lane saw us draw with dire Boro (no offense Kirsty). Bolton destroyed us at White Hart Lane, hitting the bar over 5 times and having about 25 shots on goal to our handful. We fluked a win against Villa, who are even worse than us.

We are a lucky and unlucky team. Lucky, because we should be in the relegation zone. Unlucky, because we have a crap team and a crap manager, a situation that I can't see changing for a long time.

2003-11-25T13:25:00.000Z

First week of the new month...

1: Casey's Crew
15 points

2: Jimas Athletic
14 points

3: Hmmboys of the world unite
13 points

4: Wibbles United
7 points

5: Johnsey United
5 points

6: Thribblit
4 points

So I take a slim lead, closely followed by the two other Casey brothers, with a slight gap between 3rd and 4th. Nothing decided yet.

2003-11-22T13:35:00.000Z

Back to jail, back to jail back to jail,
Back to jail back to jail back to jaiiiiil,
Back to jail, back to jail back to jail,
Back to jail, BACK TO JAIL
(Repeat)

Not as satisfying as an Irish victory would've been, but it sure shut those convicts up.

2003-11-12T09:53:00.000Z

Standings so far...

1: Johnsey United
108 points

2: Casey's Crew
95 points

3: Hmmboys of the world unite
90 points

4: Wibbles United
80 points

5: Jimas Athletic
72 points

6: Thribblit
66 points

So Johnsey is leading overall at this early stage. People now have unlimited transfers for a period. I intend on giving my team a grade A beating on the training ground, especially that gibbon Van Nistelrooy!

2003-11-12T09:43:00.000Z

Overall standings for the month:

1 Johnsey United 0 60
60 points

2 Wibbles United 0 40
40 points

3 Hmmboys of the world unite 0 34
34 points

4 Casey's Crew 1 33
33 points

5 Jimas Athletic 0 21
21 points

6 Thribblit 0 19
19 points

There was only ever 1 winner this month. a good month for Johnsey, with everyone else a big distance behind. Judging by last month, this was not a great month for most people.
Month 2 Winner: JOHNSEY UNITED

2003-11-11T10:07:00.000Z

Just found an amusing photo of myself on Vodbull.com website. For those who don't know what Vodbull is, it involves consuming double vodka redbull at £1 each. Judging by the photo, I'd supped a few by that point!

Vodbull.com

2003-11-06T20:01:00.000Z

I'm gonna go out on a limb here and say that Spurs are gonna get a result at Highbury on Saturday. Yep, I've said it, I've possibly jinxed it, but that is how Spurs work. When you least expect it, Spurs perform well. when they should walk it, they get creamed. Come on you Spurs!!!

2003-11-04T18:40:00.000Z

Latest scores:

1: Johnsey United
Month: 48

2: Casey's Crew
Month: 26

3: Hmmboys of the world unite
Month: 25

4: Wibbles United
Month: 24

5: Thribblit
Month: 20

6: Jimas Athletic
Month: 9

At this stage it looks like Johnsey has secured the month, but with a couple of bad weeks, anything is possible.

The rest of the pack is pretty close to each other, with the exception of Jimas, who surely is playing for pride at this stage in the proceedings.

2003-11-01T14:10:00.000Z

I watched Ireland lose narrowly to the convicts today. It's weird, I'm not really a big fan of rugby, but when competition takes over, I tend to enjoy watching (like watching England in the cricket world cup). However, saying that, I watched England's first game and the one against South Africa, and I must admit, though wanting England to win, I didn't find myself shouting at the TV, like I do watching footy. Or as I did during the Ireland match today.

Generally these days, I take more pleasure in watching Ireland win (be it at footy or rugby) than I do seeing England triumph. the main reason why I get so excited over England is the collective hype. I don't feel English. Or Irish for that matter. I feel British, certainly. I am generally quite loyal to things, such as Tottenham (which takes all my loyalty), and so I think it is a case of being loyal to my blood. I remember at the 2002 World Cup when Ireland got knocked out, I was really gutted, much more than when England were knocked out.

So, my full support goes to Ireland. Let's kick some French butt.

2003-10-28T22:50:00.000Z

New week:

1: Johnsey United
Week: 14 Month: 31

2: Hmmboys of the world unite
Week: 11 Month: 14

3: Casey's Crew
Week: 6 Month: 14

4: Thribblit
Week: 4 Month: 10

5: Wibbles United
Week: 1 Month: 3

6: Jimas Athletic
Week: 3 Month: 1

Well, well, Johnsey has increased the gap, and looks a good bet for the month even at this early stage. It's tied for me and the Hmmboys in 2nd/3rd, with a mini-gap to 4th and Thribblit. Wibbles and Jimas are still lagging, and have some serious work to do.

Still, I have the consolation that my other fantasy league team has a point more than Johnsey's ;)

2003-10-23T09:17:00.000Z

Sorry for the delay.

1 Johnsey United
Week: 2 Month: 19

2 Casey's Crew
Week: -1 Month: 7

3 Thribblit
Week: 0 Month: 6

4 Hmmboys of the world unite
Week: 2 Month: 5

5 Wibbles United
Week: 0 Month: 2

6 Jimas Athletic
Week: 0 Month: -2

So Johnsey takes a shock lead at the start of the game month, with a big gap between himself and 2nd. Meanwhile, Jimas is propping up the table, with negative points. Remember Jimas, you can still win it...

2003-10-21T15:01:00.000Z

Sorry, was gonna put the first week's fantasy league details up, but just can't be arsed, having sat through an extremely boring 2 hour seminar, my priorities lie instead towards a nice pint of Guinness. Will put scores up tomorrow.

2003-10-15T09:55:00.000Z

Dramatic last minute changes! Chelsea played Birmingham last night (0-0), unknown to me until then, and so we have some last minute changes in the final table!
THESE are the final monthly scores...

1: Casey's Crew
62 Points

2: Hmmboys of the world unite
56 Points

3: Jimas Athletic
51 Points

4: Johnsey United
48 Points

5: Thribblit
47 Points

6: Wibbles United
40 Points

Winner of 1st Month = Still BOON!
Wow! So 2nd and 3rd change places, as do 4th and 5th. But me and JD stay at the poles of the table.

Unlimited transfers can now be made for a period.

2003-10-14T12:20:00.000Z

Scores Below are the final scores for the month.
1: Casey's Crew
56 Points

2: Jimas Athletic
51 Points

3: Hmmboys of the world unite
50 Points

4: Thribblit
47 Points

5: Johnsey United
45 Points

6: Wibbles United
40 Points

Winner of 1st Month = BOON!!!!
So it's a Casey 123, wouldn't have thought that likely (no offence meant Jimas). Quite a close month though, and on Thursday the new one starts.

2003-10-07T09:40:00.000Z

Latest scores:

Casey's Crew
Week: 6 Month: 56

Jimas Athletic
Week: 12 Month: 51

Hmmboys of the world unite
Week: 6 Month: 50

Thribblit
Week: 16 Month: 47

Johnsey United
Week: 15 Month: 45

Wibbles United
Week: 5 Month: 40

Pretty sure next week is the last of the month, and it's very tight, with even JD having a chance of victory...

2003-09-29T10:34:00.000Z

1 Gez Casey Casey's Crew 23 50
2 Andrew Casey Hmmboys of the world unite 8 44
3 James Casey Jimas Athletic 10 39
4 James Dane Wibbles United 14 35
5 Kirsty Johns Thribblit 3 31
6 Steve Johns Johnsey United 9 30

Well, what can I say. What a week. The two 'losers' at the start of the season on minus points have great weeks. JD storms into contention, hot on the heels of Jimas. And the Casey Crew also have a cracking week, leapfrogging the Hmmboys and Jimas into 1st. Proper bo!

2003-09-23T07:10:00.000Z

1 Andrew Casey Hmmboys of the world unite 18 36
2 James Casey Jimas Athletic 6 29
3 Kirsty Johns Thribblit 11 28
4 Gez Casey Casey's Crew 14 27
5 James Dane Wibbles United 17 21
6 Steve Johns Johnsey United 9 21

As you can see, Andrew this week makes a surge past Jimas' boys, who have a poor weekend. Kirsty stays consistent, while my boys continue to make up for a poor first week.

However, the story of the week belongs to JD's lads. Following a poor early start, JD's boys looked destined for the drop, with the boss himself odds-on favourite for the drop. However, 17 points sees him move past Johnsey on name difference.

One week left for the month; can Jimas regain top spot form the Hmmboys? Or can a late surge from Thribblit or Casey's Crew take the first month? Tune in same time next week, punks.

2003-09-23T07:07:00.000Z

Well, he hasn't been given the chance. ENIC's wisdom in giving Hoddle 12 million to spend and then 6 games in the Premiership makes no sense. I am gutted.

The next managerial appointment is the most important at Spurs since Venables. The crowd are restless. Here's hoping the Spurs board at least get that right.

'There used to be a football club in there'
- Keith Burkinshaw

2003-09-21T11:42:00.000Z

I decided to end the long period without posting by throwing my support behind Glenn Hoddle at Spurs. Now I was at the game yesterday, where frankly Spurs didn't turn up till Southampton scored their third. We were dreadful, and have been for a great deal of this season. (Fulham at home and all but the first 35 mins against Chelski spring to mind). However, we got a clean sheet at Anfield, no easy feat. Plus the best performance of the team all year against Leeds. Then the Birmingham match, where the referee was the reason behind not getting anything out of the game.

In the modern game, as I found to my cost with Judas C*mpbell, loyalty is scarce. But Hoddle's post match interview yesterday showed how much he was hurting, because his beloved club had been let down by the players, and the staff. The team didn't perform for the badge, and that hurt Glenn. A manager who feels like that for the club is priceless. And I'm gonna stick my neck out and say that I believe he can still do it at Spurs.

Robbie Keane is essential. We looked like a different team when he came on as sub today. If fit, he will provide the spark we have so desperately needed. We will beat Coventry on Wednesday. Hoddle will keep his job.

Otherwise, unless a masterstroke of a managerial signing is made by ENIC, Spurs are in danger.

2003-09-03T15:20:00.000Z

So David Beckham, in his new autobiography (which I'm sure will be a reeeeally interesting read, I think not) has decided to slag off Hoddle. What for? Well, pretty much everything. Firstly, he criticises GHod for leaving him out of the France '98 game against Tunisia "I played in every game of the qualifying campaign. So when my name wasn't in the 11 for the Tunisia game I felt sick, like someone had kicked me in the stomach." Now it is well documented that Hoddle at the time preferred Anderton on the right, believing him to be more balanced and less unstable. Beckham's explanation? Apparently Hoddle left him out because he didn't take part in a game of golf. Riiiiiiiiight. That's not the ridiculous bit though. Ready for it?

Beckham blames Hoddle for his sending off against the Argies!!!!!!!!

Yep, that's right! Apparently, it was Hod's fault, because, in the words of the gormless wonder, "Maybe Simeone, too, was aware that Glenn Hoddle said before the tournament he was worried about my temperament in pressure situations." Firstly, let's all congratulate Real Madrid's new star on being able to string a sentance together longer than 5 words. Secondly, I believe Fergie had said similar things about Beckham's disciplinary problem back then. Thirdly, everyone knows the Argies always give a little shove or kick when they think they can get away with it.

Unfortunately, my opinion of Beckham has reached new lows. Not only has he released an autobiography when only 28 and still with much of his career to go (purely money making motivation), but he has also criticised the manager of the club he claims to love (thus putting pressure on the manager, and possibly influencing the performance of the team. And finally, he has tried to claim that it wasn't his fault that he kicked out at a player petulantly, getting rightly sent off and costing England the chance of winning the world cup.

Piss off, Beckham.

2003-09-02T11:38:00.000Z

Here's the first fantasy league update, and it's not looking good for me and JD in the first week. However, it is early days...
1 Thribblit 11pts
2 Jimas Athletic 7pts
3 Hmmboys of the world unite 6pts
4 Johnsey United 5pts
5 Wibbles United -1pts
6 Casey's Crew -2pts

The league now takes a break for internationals.

Now please excuse me, I've got to have a word to my squad........

2003-08-29T07:55:00.000Z

Last day at JDs work today, and I must say that I've quite enjoyed myself at times. Usually, me and jobs don't tend to mix, but this one has gone rather well.

2003-08-28T11:14:00.000Z

In case anyone was wondering, BBC Fantasy Football begins on 30th August. Good luck to all...

2003-08-28T09:24:00.000Z

Spurs Update. 2 good results, both of which concided with having our first choice 3 centre backs playing back to back games for the first time ever. Unlucky not to get a clean sheet against leeds, but two class goals more than made up for it. Ricketts still playing and looking good. Yesterday, we kept a clean sheet at anfield, our first clean sheet since january i believe, and our first point at anfield for a long time. And we deserved it. We battled hard, and created some good chances on the break. Redknapp looked good, and even survived a crunch challenge with Stevie G (with gerrard needing treatment). The game could have gone either way. Our character in the last 15 minutes showed an improvement in discipline and a previously lacking unwillingness to fall on our arses and concede a late goal.

Unfortunately, the Diego saga appears to be at an end, with Santos being a bunch of tossers. Wouldn't have happened anyway for the simple reason that we were told he could get an Italian passport in a few days, whereas those few days were about 365, to be precise.

2003-08-22T07:54:00.000Z

If only this were true...

2003-08-20T08:08:00.000Z

Whooop-eeeeeeeee-do. This has made my day, I think not.

2003-08-19T07:54:00.000Z

Three people so far including myself have joined the helm fantasy league(Andrew and JD). Any one else who fancies the challenge (it's free)? Once registered, send me your ID, and, as league chairman, I will enter your team into our little league.

2003-08-18T08:16:00.000Z

How did they know I was fed up with my degree???

2003-08-18T07:53:00.000Z

This can only be the work of 'our Graeme'...

2003-08-18T07:40:00.000Z

Sitting in JD's office, just started 'work'!

2003-08-16T14:07:00.000Z

Ok, so 1-0 to the Brum scum. My prediction SHOULD have turned out spot on at the very least, but, despite 11 million less in the bank, we still have strikers missing chances. Keane with a straightforward one on one chance which he should have buried, and Zamora with a couple of decent chances, one of which he maybe should have taken. Conclusions from the game? Firstly, we showed, when the opposition is dominating, just how badly we need our top six defensive midfielder. Secondly, Bunjevcevic is total wank. Thirdly, so is Doherty. Keane cannot score easy goals 90% of the time, and disappointed me with his attitude 1st half when things weren’t going well (moaning when passes didn’t reach him). Early on in the season, that sort of behaviour is disgraceful. Davies was barely mentioned. When Taricco becomes our creative outlet second half, something is wrong.

Anything useful taken out of the game? Most importantly, we injured Robbie Savage. Also, second half we pissed on the opposition, doing everything except score (sounds familiar…). Postiga showed some promise, though hardly got a chance. Zamora looked sharp and eager to prove himself. Redknapp got through 90 minutes for the first time in 8 years (though I think he broke his wrist when shaking the ref’s hand at the end of the game). Ricketts looked very promising, and will hopefully be given further chances. Marney, when he came on, also looked good and could have scored.

2003-08-15T18:31:00.000Z

Rumour is, apart from the two players Spurs are currently waiting for work permits for (Convey and Mabizela), we could be signing a couple of players (prob both midfielders) by monday/tuesday. Have to wait and see. This is from the same source who predicted the Postiga signing. Prediction for tomorrow V Brum......1-1. Robbie Keane for spurs.

2003-08-12T18:37:00.000Z

Thought it was about time I posted as I've finally got something to put aside from work. At the weekend, I finished with all that teenager nonsense and entered the 20s. The whole weekend was a good laugh, with Friday evening spent down the Duck with my brothers among others. the evening of my birthday was spent in many places, in one of which a fight took place right next to me, involving bottles and several people. I remember none of it, which is alarming. Sunday and Monday evening saw me again in the Duck, with several pals. Thnak you to everyone who helped make the last few evenings so entertaining ;)

2003-07-25T18:17:00.000Z

Been a while since my last post, I see. To be honest, not much has happened to me. I've been doing some work at home for my dad's school, which, although not exactly thrilling, is pretty straightforward. That's been the main thing I've been doing for the past week.

I did manage to sneak a couple of pints down the pub on Wednesday and yesterday, which was fun. Especially because I met up with someone I hadn't properly seen for years and who used to be one of my best mates at primary school.

The one thing that is currently irking me is that almost all my mates are either on or are going on holiday in the next couple of days, to various destinations. I'm not. Nuff said.