A Little to the Left ...... Hold ...... PERFECT!!!

Tuesday afternoon is never ending…. Macca had it right, at least as far as today is concerned. Too many projects and too many people wanting to meet. It is rain or shine for your favorite blogger, but I’m sure I’ll find a beer somewhere soon.

The Arsenal have a mid-week Champions League match tomorrow at the Grove against CSKA Moscow. I’m sure you’re thinking, “Didn’t the Arsenal just play those guys?” You are correct fine person, but this is the home leg of the group stage and the Gunners need a win to make sure they not only go through to the knock-out stages, but can go through on top of the table. Arsenal are currently in the second slot of Group G on 6 points, just behind the Russians who have 7 points. Going through top of the group can mean you could get a bit easier of an opponent in the next round. Of course, that doesn’t always happen as this competition is made up of some of the best clubs in Europe.

Anyway, on to the match. Wenger feels that the players are a bit too cocky right now after their performance in the CL last season. This lackadaisical attitude lost them some points on the recent trip to Moscow. The players really didn’t seem too interested in playing until they were a goal down, and by then it was too late as CSKA locked up the 18-yard box. AW is urging the Gunners to go out and fight for the win. Lets hope they can pull through.

Plymouth Argyle, at the time of this posting, are at half time against Ipswich and are level at 1-1. Ipswich went up in the first minute, but Wotton brought the Argyle level in the 22nd minute. You, dear reader, will have to follow the rest of the match yourselves (I’m sure you are logging on to bbc.com as we speak) as I see an avalanche of work coming my way and I’ll be out of town for the rest of the week.

I have decided recently my friends that I have a new dream job. The top photographer at Playboy position will have to wait as I yen to be the next England manager. I don’t really have much experience, but I doubt I could have been much worse than Sven over the last few years. The best part of the job is that even when I got fired (and we all know it would happen) I'd still get to collect millions of £’s while I scoured the land for a new job. The Sun is now reporting that the Svenenator is whispering sweet nothings in the ear of Freddy Shepherd while current gaffer Glenn Roeder is steering the Toon towards the relegation zone. Freddy and Sven may be chumming it up, but the Toon Army supporters would not be too happy with the deal. About the only thing that could make the frothing Geordies happy right now is free beer and Alan Shearer at the helm, neither of which is likely to happen.

And finally, for those Hammer supporters who are fans of Pardew, who seemed to be saved from a sacking with a win over Blackburn over the weekend, the gaffer may still be on his way as club Chairman Terry Brown is reported to be in final negotiations with Iranian businessman Kia Joorabchian over sale of the club. It is thought that the new owner will be looking to make some changes, especially since his potential new investment is hovering in the relegation zone. Maybe Sven will weasel his way in there. You never know. Old Sven seems to have a lot of irons in the fire!

Well friends, it is Halloween so I hope you all get loads of candy, or like me, hope your daughter gets loads of candy that you can pilfer. Enjoy the evening and I’ll try post again on Friday with the results of the Arsenal match.

Adios.

All Roads Lead to Romo...

Monday, oh how I loathe thee. Actually, it isn’t too bad of a day here in the beautiful Coastal Bend of Texas. The sun is shining, the sky is clear, and I’m leading my Premiership “I Know the Score” League. I know it won’t last, but it is good to be on top. Also, there is early voting here in my office building today, so I performed my civic duty and cast my ballot. If you know of an early voting station near you, I highly suggest going before election day. Otherwise, make sure you get to the polls. It is important to get out and be heard. OK, enough of the soapbox, lets get down to brass tacks.

The Arsenal played at home against Everton on Saturday and drew 1-1. Everton went ahead early off a corner kick that saw an unmarked Cahill put it in the net. After this Everton dropped back, put 10 men in the penalty area, and greatly limited the Gunners ability to get inside and take a shot. Even GK TIMMAY Howard got in on the act and wasted as much time as possible on every goal kick. You can’t really blame them, but some gamesmanship would have been nice. Anyway, the Gunners got a free kick just outside the area in the 70th minute and Robin van Persie blasted one past the Everton wall and TIMMAY. Wenger brought on Flamini, Walcott, and Aliadiere to try and get a winner but it just wasn’t their day. Too bad Baptista was injured because it would have been fun to watch him bully his way through the 18-yard box. Hopefully he’ll be fit for Carling Cup match against Everton.

Plymouth Argyle traveled to south London on Saturday and beat Palace 1-0. The Argyle have been doing well on the road lately and it has put them in 5th place in the Championship. Plymouth hosts Ipswich tomorrow on Halloween. A Home Park win would round the month out nicely.

Traveling to Spain really quick, our good pal Becks is now saying he doesn’t want to leave and will stick out the season in Madrid. I could really care less what he does, but I wanted to bring it up as a good intro to a classic Holloway quote:

"He's going to be what?! Oh for God's sake. Sir David Beckham? You're having a laugh. He's just a good footballer with a famous bird" - Ian Holloway isn't impressed by talk of a knighthood for David Beckham.

You can always count on Holloway to put things straight.

In the England camp, Second Choice Steve McClaren is serious about making some changes to their tactics after their miserable performances in the recent Euro 2008 qualifiers against Macedonia and Croatia (draw and a loss). He plans on going around to all the players and asking them what went wrong. You would think that as the manager he might have a bit of a clue himself, but he feels it is necessary to ask the overpaid prima donnas what they think. I say that coming up with a system better than the 3-5-2 might be a start and maybe a bit of the old “Oi! Start performing or you’re going home lads” could help as well. Also, another striker to accompany Wayne “Stomp em in the Nuts” Rooney might be nice. Crouch, though he has his moments, doesn’t really instill a lot of confidence in me. Of course nobody on the squad does, but that’s another story.



In the States, my Cowboys rallied last night to overcome the Carolina Panthers and win 35-14. Last week veteran QB Bledsoe was benched during the game and youngster Romo came on. Romo made his first start last night and looked pretty good. He made a rookie mistake early in the game when instead of taking the sack he tried to dish the ball off and it ended up as an interception. The Panthers went on to score and I thought it would be a short honeymoon for the new QB. But the kid persevered and saw his team to victory. I hope he keeps it up and the ‘boys can turn the season around.

I think that is about all I can handle today. I planted a tree in the front lawn yesterday and painted the guest room. Fat people can’t handle that much work so I’m a bit tired.

Adios.

Wave to a Red Guinness!

Being that I’m a mover and shaker in the world, I was out traveling yesterday. Hence no post. Had some business in Houston, then I flew back for an awards banquet and I got my few free drinks then ducked out with a colleague to have some more beers at a bar across the street. Needless to say I’m a bit fuzzy today, but oh well. So without further delay, lets get crackin’.

Not much has been going on in the world of Arsenal football, though the young Gunners won the Carling Cup match against West Brom 2-0 (Aliadiere 34' (pen) and 49'). Also, it was recently reported that rightback Lauren (voted 2003 Premiership Player I Would Not Like to Meet in a Dark Alley), who has been injured since January has had some setbacks and probably won’t be back in the squad until the end of the year. Replacement Eboue, who is actually out right now to injury, has been playing well and gets forward more than Lauren ever did so he’ll make it tough for Lauren to get his spot back. However, I think Lauren will work hard and Wenger will give him some chances. He is a good player and one look from him can make you bend to his will.

In order to annoy my buddy Dave who is a Hammers supporter (only God knows why) I wanted to comment on the latest rumors that Sven Goran Eriksson has been linked to a move to West Ham! The lackadaisical Swede was seen talking to an Israeli company that is rumored to be part of a potential takeover of the club. Now, current gaffer Pardew may be a bit of a knob at times, but I don’t know how any Hammers supporter would be happy with Sven at the helm. However, Maybe Sven can convince Argies Torres and Maschereno to stay longer than January. Riiiiiigghhhttt.

Over in Espana, pretty boy Becks finally got a start this week, but it was in a Copa del Rey match against lowly 3rd division Ecija. Real boss Capello seems to be happy with the recent squad that beat Barcelona and Steaua Bucharest, so Golden Balls is likely to remain on the bench this weekend for the next league match. As much as Becks is “sad about it” it seems that old Fabio is getting things back in order at the Bernabeu as RM is only 2 points back of League leaders Barca. Becks and Posh may be scouting townhouses or Malibu mansions during the winter break.

Today, my friends, is an historic anniversary as we mark the 25th anniversary of “The Wave.” If you are unfamiliar with this stadium phenomenon, then you have likely been chewing roots with the tribesmen of the Sepahua region of the Amazon. The wave was first initiated by nutter, I mean professional cheerleader, Krazy George Henderson at an Oakland A’s playoff game against the Yankees in 1981. Soon after, the bastards at the University of Washington tried to steal the wave and claim it was their brilliant idea. Krazy George was having none of that and has spent the last 25 years ‘educating’ the public.

Finally, for those of you who love the dark goodness known as Guinness, the makers of the brew (Diageo) plan on introducing a new Red Guinness. This beer will use lightly roasted barley, which will give the stout a reddish color. It will still need to be poured correctly in a two stage process though. Some trial runs in Britain are scheduled, so any British friends, let us know how it is, what it looks like, etc. This is a very serious issue. Iraq schmaq. Give us the info!!!

Adios.

Young Guns

Well friends, we are only into the second day of the “work week” and there is another Arsenal match today to help us through. The Gunners travel to the Hawthorns to take on West Brom in the Carling Cup. Even though this is a tournament that doesn’t carry the weight it once did as the League Cup, Wenger still says he would like to win the trophy as it is one of the few he hasn’t gotten. Of course, this is more rhetoric than actual desire as he is following his usual formula of putting in the reserve players in the early rounds of the tournament. This tournament gives the younger players a chance to experience being a part of the First XI and what it is like against a non-reserve side. West Brom are a recently relelgated side, so they still have players of Prem quality and will be looking to move back up. But that desire to move up may be an advantage for the young Gunners as the Baggies will probably put in their reserves as well so they can save their starters for the League. Hot off the Arsenal.com press is the list of the Carling Cup squad.

Manuel Almunia
Mart Poom
Philippe Senderos
Johan Djourou
Joe O’Cearuill
Matthew Connolly
Gael Clichy
Armand Traore
Mathieu Flamini
Alexandre Song
Denilson
Mark Randall
Jay Simpson
Theo Walcott
Emmanuel Adebayor
Jeremie Aliadiere

I’m looking forward to seeing Big Phil back in action and hope to see some of the younger leaders like Connolly for the first time. I’d imagine that Walcott will get the nod to start and hope he gets to play in a striker role. It may be Ade and Aliadiere up front, though Jeremie is as fragile as a snowflake so he might not make it through the whole match. Let’s hope I’m wrong and the kid can stay healthy for more than a few weeks.

In other football arenas, big-ego Becks is stating he might actually like to come back to Manchester United and doesn’t think Fergie is a big meanie like he used to. Beckham has been relegated to the bench lately by gaffer Fabio Capello and as a result, Real Madrid are actually winning some matches! They just beat Barcelona over the weekend 2-0. I’m not saying the Becks was the downfall of RM recently, but it seems the new manager is more interested in putting out a squad that can win matches rather than one that showcases the “galaticos” as was done by previous managers. The lack of playing time has put a wrinkle in David’s sarong and he hasn’t signed a new contract offered to him by the club. He does say that he is working hard to get back into the starting XI. We’ll see. It seems to me that he has been touted as a star for so long he doesn’t realize he isn’t world class like he thinks he is. Now, he isn’t a bad player, but neither is he one of the best in the world. Beckham is at the end of his contract and can leave on a free at the end of the season. Some think he’ll be going back to England but I seriously doubt United will have him nor would any of the top clubs, and his ego couldn’t take playing for a Bolton or Pompey. My opinion is that he’ll start talking to some American clubs (either Red Bull New York or the L.A. Galaxy) in January and make a move to the States. Over here he would be like a Pele (in name recognition only) to many young soccer fans, could garner a large wage, and would be one of the biggest stars. All of that would serve his need for $’s and attention well. I could be wrong (it has happened once before, though we don’t’ bring it up) but I expect to see him in the US come summer.

Finally, I can’t wait until the election season is over and we can be done with the insanity of political races. They really seem to be heating up all across the country and some of the mud slinging is getting crazy. One of the more annoying themes here in Texas is that all the Republican candidates use the term “Liberal Democrat” in a highly negative connotation. Some ads say that certain Democrat candidates aren’t conservative enough for Texas. I’m not a huge politico and although I do lean a bit more left, I’m no bleeding heart liberal by any stretch. But there are some conservatives here in the state that scare the crap out of me. Therefore, I think I might vote for every one of the so-called “Liberal Democrats” just out of spite to the crazy negative ads. Not really a sound voting policy, but there aren’t too many good candidates to chose from. Oh well, there is my political rant of the year, or at least until something else annoys the crap out of me.

Adios.

Here's Your Uniform, a Rifle, and Your Hooker

Autumn has finally hit the Coastal Bend of Texas and I can actually walk outside without sweating. I’m sure this isn’t the most important news to many, but it means a lot to me. There was a lot of action for lots of people this weekend, so lets get started.

First and foremost, the Arsenal won decisively on Saturday against Reading at the Madejski Stadium. Henry opened up the scoring with a goal off a great pass from Cesc within the first minute of play. Not a bad way to start the day! Cesc along with the entire team continued to impress the whole match and they put on a show reminiscent of the unbeaten season. Great one touch passes, plays into space, and loads of chances on goal. Hleb got a nice goal, and so did van Persie. Later, Cesc was played into space and drew a penalty when he was brought down by the keeper. Henry slotted the PK home for a brace and to bring the match to 4-nil. Reading, who were recently promoted from the Championship, aren’t a bad club and gave fits to Man U and Chelsea recently. They also had a few good chances and except for some luck and good saves from Lehmann, could have had a goal. But the way Arsenal were playing on Sunday, not many clubs would have stood a chance at beating them. Here are the highlights (though the video is a bit slow to load).

The win this weekend put the Gunners into 4th place on 17 points. ManU and Chavksi are in 1st and 2nd at 22 points and Bolton are 3rd on 20. Arsenal also has a game in hand, so we are looking good and still title contenders. The press hasn’t mentioned this much, which is fine by me though. Let the media focus on the other clubs and leave us to our beautiful football and weekly wins. The Arsenal play again tomorrow in the Carling Cup against West Brom and the veterans will get a few days off as the kids are likely to start. More on that tomorrow.

Plymouth drew 0-0 against Burnley on Saturday. The Danish GK Brian Jensen did wonders to stop a number of Argyle strikes to give Burnley a point in the match. Plymouth can rest this week with no midweek fixtures and travel to south London to play Crystal Palace this coming Saturday. Argyle currently sit in 7th place and a win against Palace could see them move back up the table.


Chelsea won this weekend as well as Man U over Liverpool, but the biggest news, at least to many, was Tottenham’s Jermaine Defoe’s mid-match snack on the arm of West Ham’s Mascherano. Apparently lil Defoe was getting kicked about a bit and was finally brought down from behind by the Argie. Enough was enough and Defoe thought the best way to mouth his displeasure was to gnaw on Javier’s arm. What ever happened to the old kick in the nuts or Zidane style head-butt? Kids these days. Anyway, along with Defoe, his manager Martin Soprano, I mean Jol has tried to downplay it as just a bit of fun:

"It is part of the game. They kicked him three times from behind in 10 minutes and he wanted to show his frustration in a nice, comical way."

If by comical you mean biting like a 2-year old, then yes, that is what he did Martin. And the Sperz wonder why nobody takes them seriously and considers them a big club. Not only are they a crap side, but they are all idiots as well.

Finally, if I ever have to join the military, I think I’m going to emigrate to Holland. No, it’s not because of the fancy wooden shoes, but because some Dutch politicos think their army should send along prostitutes when their soldiers go abroad. Now, I know most people are thinking the same thing I am, the Dutch have an army? But it seems they do and some feel hookers should be part of the rations.

"The army must consider ways its soldiers can let off steam," Annemarie Jorritsma, mayor of the town of Almere in central Netherlands and a member of the ruling VVD liberals, told Dutch television. "There was once the suggestion that a few prostitutes should accompany troops on missions. I think that is something we should talk about," she said, adding that the prostitutes would keep soldiers from turning to local women ( or men, or sheep).

Some members of their army (stop laughing!!) feel it might not be a good idea and that their spouses wouldn’t like it. Members in the sex trade are intrigued though.

That does it for me today.

Adios.

I Been Illin

After a triumphant return to the blog, I caught a nasty bug and have been a bit under the weather for the last few days. I’m still not 100%, but, what are you gonna do? The blog must go on.

The Arsenal nearly froze to death and didn’t gather any points in Moscow (lost 1-0), though it should have been a draw no thanks to the ref’s crap “handball” call on Henry and subsequent booking. Late in the match, Henry played a great long ball and put the ball in to level the match. But the ref, for some unknown reason, declared that Henry handled the ball. After watching the match and the replays, there is no way Henry used his hand. Oh well, that is how it goes in football sometimes. The Gunners didn’t play very well, but deserved the draw.

Now it is time to focus on the trip to Reading on Sunday. There are no new injuries to the squad, plus Big Phil, Flamini, and Clichy are back in the squad. Baptista, Eboue, and Ljungberg are also still out. One of these days Lauren will be back too. But of concern to the Gunners should be Reading’s ability to take the Keepers out of the game. Literally. They sent Cech and Cudicini to the hospital last week and it will be 6 to 12 months before Cech is able to play again. I doubt there were any hostile intentions by the Reading players, but I hope they take it a bit easier on the GK’s in the box this week. Of course, if anyone touches Mad Jens on Sunday, there will be hell to pay!! Jens isn’t one to suffer foolish behavior in his territory as we all know.

In other Gunner news, wonderboy Cesc Fabregas signed an 8 year deal with the club, which I believe is one of the longest contracts in Prem history. It is great that he has committed to the club and he will be a cornerstone to the Arsenal for many years to come.

Plymouth Argyle slipped a bit in the table this week to 6th place as they drew 2-2 with Barnsley on Tuesday. The Argyle are at home tomorrow against Burnley. Doumbe will be back in the lineup for the Pilgrims after serving a 1 match ban. Also, it is hopeful that Nick Chadwick will be available as Barry Hayles (who has scored 5 goals this season) is out. Come on Argyle!!!

I was going to continue the stories from my trip to NYC this week, but in reality, there wasn’t too much to tell. My crazy party days are pretty much over and it was mostly early nights for yours truly. I did have a great time seeing the fellas and got to see some neat sights. Sailed past the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island on the Staten Island Ferry. Went to the top of the Empire State Building (man is that up there!!) and strolled through Rockefeller Plaza on the way to Central Park. All in all I had a good time in the Big Apple and hope to go back soon.

Also, during my trip I read the book “Flags of Our Fathers” which was turned into a movie by Clint Eastwood, and I think opens this weekend. Anyway, the book was a good read and is about the 6 flagraisers who fought on Iwo Jima. The book is written by one of the flagraisers’ son and it gives a good account of who they were and how they lived, both before and after the battle. If you are a history buff like I am, it is a good read. Give it a go, especially if you are on a long trip like I was.

Adios.

Me and the 'Goos

Cam is back and basking in the south Texas heat. After a week of nice cool weather in the northeast, I have returned to 90 degree plus temperatures and very high (>90%) humidity. Yay Fall.

The trip to New York and New Jersey was a success and although I’m a bit worn out, it was all worth it. The trip started out interesting and when I boarded the flight from Dallas to Newark, the guy I was sitting next to looked a bit familiar, but couldn’t place it and didn’t think anything of it. So we take off and I’m reading my book, my neighbor is too. I’m listening to my iPod, and so is he. I’m taking a nap (a bit hungover, imagine that!) and, well, I don’t know what he’s doing as I’m asleep. Anyway, about halfway through the flight, the guy’s daughters (across the aisle) finish watching their cartoons on the portable DVD player, so the dad next to me takes it and starts pulling out all these DVD’s that have soccer players on the cover and Hispanic names across the top. That’s weird I thought after waking up from little siesta, and looked over his shoulder at the DVD’s. But they weren’t matches, they were full of one touches, plays, goals, etc. Looked to me like scouting videos. I wanted to ask if the guy was a scout for a club, but I hate being bugged on airplanes and therefore don’t like to bug others. Plus, he was busy watching his videos and trying to get the DVD player to quit skipping and I was checking out DC, Baltimore, and the country side as we neared Newark. Awhile later we finally land and the family starts getting all their gear together and the two daughters (who are cute as buttons) start getting excited about their trip. As I wait to get off the plane, I notice the dad is holding a car seat and there is a label on it. I read the name and it was Jeff Agoos. NO! It can’t be. I look at the label, then the guy, then the label and then the guy. The fella is looking at me weird and so I ask if that is his name. He looks down, and says that sure enough it is. I had been sitting next to a US Mens National Team member for over 3 hours and never said a word to him. Arghh! Oh well, we said hello and I said it was great to meet him. He was nice and said nice to meet you back. His wife chuckled at my sudden realization of my stupidity and we all got off the plane. I am always hearing stories of people sitting next to stars-celebrities-sports players, and it finally happens to me but I never get a chance to really live it up. Oh well, he was with his family and trying to get some work in. The last thing he needed was me peppering him with questions the entire flight. So in the end, Goos, it was good to meet you!

More on the rest of the trip tomorrow. Now on to football.

The Arsenal packed their parkas this week and have headed to the other great white north to play CSKA Moscow tonight. The match starts early (12:25 EDT) because it is bloody cold up there! The Gunners are coming off a great 3-0 win at home against Watford (I was trying to get over for this match, but couldn’t make it). The first goal was a flick on by Adebayor and it seemed like Toure got the nod in, but it appears it came off a Watford defender. Anyway, it was a goal and the Arsenal were up. Cesc was put through on a nice ball by Walcott (who got his first League start), but the wonderkid put it just wide. Henry later made the Watford defense look like Keystone Cops as he pushed the ball through two defenders who then collided and crumbled to the pitch. Henry then stepped around them and put the shot just wide. That would have been one of the great ones had it gone in. Henry wasn’t done making a mockery of the defense though as he held off Demerit and collected a pass from the middle with his right foot, sent the ball forward, then sprung past everyone and put the ball in the net. A great goal for sure. Tel set up the final goal as he sprung the offside trap, was one on one with the keeper, but graciously pushed the ball into Ade’s path who slotted it home to go up 3-0. Watford, to be fair, did have some chances, but there was no way they were stopping the Gunners that day. Here are some highlights.

Let’s hope the Arsenal can take this momentum into the match today and secure a win. A win against CSKA would pretty much make the next round of the Champions League a sure thing. That would allow some of the younger players to get some experience in the final 3 matches of the group stage and let the veterans get some rest during the middle of the season.

Plymouth won at home against Derby this past weekend as well and were down to 10 men at one point (Doumbe sent off at 49’). Wotton scored on two PK’s, the first coming just before half in injury time. Arturo Lupoli (on loan from Arsenal) immediately equalized for Derby, but in the second half, the second PK by Wotton (63’) and a header by Seip (79’) made it 3-1. The Argyle are now up to 5th spot! Maybe this is their year, but there is still a lot of football to be played.

Whew, that is enough for today. There is much more to talk about, but I’ll save it for the rest of the week so there will be something of vague interest before the next round of League action.

Adios.

I'm Off!!

It is finally Friday and I am ready to begin the weekend. Not much happening in my world today though as club football is on hiatus and the internationals aren’t of much interest to me. My shoulder is a bit sore from shooting shotguns yesterday, but only one bird gave up the ghost as a result. The poor number was due to a lack of birds rather than my horrible aim. I swear!!! We were divided into 3 groups, one group limited out right away, another did OK, and about 8 birds flew past our group. We did get 4 though. Anyway, it wasn’t a great hunt, but we got to shoot some targets, which was fun. Plus we got a big steak dinner and free beer. Much better than an afternoon at the office for sure.

I am heading out of town again next week and as a result (because I don’t have a laptop or care to find a computer) there will be no postings here. Put down the pitchforks and blow out the torches, I’ll be back and ready to go soon. The upcoming trip consists of yet another conference, this time in New Jersey, with the remainder of the week spent in New York City. I’ll be seeing some old friends and meeting up with the Arsenal America crew (Mikey, our fearless leader, and Ryan or Fresh Bread fame). We’ll be at Nevada Smiths for the Watford match if anyone wants to meet up with us…… crickets……

So, to keep you laughing and anticipating my return, here is another gem from our buddy Ian Holloway (which I stole from the Fiver).

"It was a bit cheeky wasn't it? But I don't think it was that bad. It would have been worse if he'd turned around and dropped the front of his shorts instead. I don't think there's anything wrong with a couple of butt cheeks, personally. Maybe they're just jealous that he's got a real nice tight one, with no cellulite or anything. I thought his bum cheeks looked very pert. If anybody's offended by that they ought to go and see the doctor" - Ian Holloway clearly enjoyed the crack provided by Joey Barton last weekend.

Adios.

Sober Irishmen? Right, and I'm not Fat.

The weekend is nearly here and it means we are all even closer to getting through another international break. Many countries in Europe will be playing in qualifiers for the Euro 2008 competition and there are some cracker matches. England v. Macedonia, Cyprus v. Rep. of Ireland to name a few….. Actually, there are a few good ones to watch out for. The Sweden v. Spain match could prove interesting and pits newly appointed captain Freddie Ljungberg against Arsenal chum Cesc Fabregas. Beyond that, I hope the players all come back healthy and injury free. Wenger would like French manager Domenech to rest Gallas because of the hamstring injury, but Domenech will have to ring Miss Cleo to see if it is in the stars before committing to anything. Wenger, in his own witty style had this to say:

“The case of Gallas is still worrying. I do not think he’s cured.

“Gallas has trained but, from what I have seen, I am convinced he has gone back a bit.

“Domenech is like other managers of countries. They don’t contact you.

“It’s like giving your car to a guy and him returning it without any petrol in it.”

Good stuff. Here is the complete schedule for matches on Saturday. Setanta is your best bet on catching any of them.

07/10 Grp D Wales 15:00 Slovakia
07/10 Grp B Faroe Islands 15:00 Lithuania
07/10 Grp B Scotland 17:00 France
07/10 Grp E England 17:00 F.Y.R. Macedonia
07/10 Grp D Czech Republic 17:15 San Marino
07/10 Grp C Moldova 19:00 Bosnia-Herzegovina
07/10 Grp E Russia 19:00 Israel
07/10 Grp D Cyprus 19:30 Republic of Ireland
07/10 Grp C Hungary 19:45 Turkey
07/10 Grp F Sweden 20:00 Spain
07/10 Grp F Denmark 20:00 Northern Ireland
07/10 Grp G Romania 20:15 Belarus
07/10 Grp E Croatia 20:15 Andorra
07/10 Grp A Serbia 20:15 Belgium
07/10 Grp G Slovenia 20:45 Luxembourg
07/10 Grp B Italy 20:50 Ukraine
07/10 Grp A Portugal 21:00 Azerbaijan
07/10 Grp G Bulgaria 21:00 Netherlands
07/10 Grp F Latvia 21:00 Iceland
07/10 Grp A Armenia 21:00 Finland
07/10 Grp A Kazakhstan 21:00 Poland
07/10 Grp C Greece 21:30 Norway
*match times are local, so you'll need a calculator to figure when you can watch them

In another important story (well, it involves beer), it seems the Irish are **gasp, this can’t be true** drinking less? AP reports that some “major research firm” found that drinking cappuccino is becoming more popular in Eire and is threatening beer consumption. The study indicated that the o’people of the Isle are consuming 3 gallons less alcohol than they did in 2000. Also, spending every night in a pub is becoming a frowned upon offense. What’s next? A story about how the French have found soap and manners? The world is falling apart my friends.

That story has really thrown me for a loop. Therefore, I’m going to get my life back in line by heading out to shoot guns at small birds and drink beer. This afternoon I’m going to a company dove hunt to entertain clients and blast some birds. There is nothing more exciting than novice hunters drinking beer in a field! At least Cheney is in Washington (or so they have you believe), so I feel a bit safer.

Adios.

Poliphi - what - I?

10-4 good buddies!!! I’ve been waiting all year for this day so I can say that to people! Yes, I’m a dork, but whatever. Of course, the non-US population won’t get the joke because they aren’t in on trucker CB talk, and they put the day before the month, which would be 4-10, and …………. I have now lost any hope (be it extremely slim) of pulling off the joke.

So anyway, the international break means that the excitement of club football has come to a screeching halt. Well, almost as there was some action yesterday for the Arsenal Reserves side as they beat West Ham Reserves at Upton Park 2-1 (goals from Aliadiere and Joe O'Cearuill). The match also saw the return to action of Phillipe Senderos, the Swiss international center back (CB), and left back Gael Clichy. It is good to see big Phil back in the mix after the crazy shoulder injury he picked up in the World Cup this summer. He was really doing well in the Cup and scored that great header after which he cracked his nose and ran down the pitch all bloody! One of the great moments of the Cup, at least so I thought. Clichy will provide some good cover at left back if he can get back on form and stay healthy. This kid gives Aliadiere a run for his money as far as time in the treatment room is concerned. I doubt either Phil or Gael will be available for the CL match in Moscow or the league match against Watford, but they should be back in the squad soon after.

This last week was Arsene Wenger’s 10th year as manager of Arsenal and there have been tons of tributes and heaps of praise for his achievements (there are loads of articles about this and I don’t need to go into the details). The club has secured 3 Premiership titles, 4 FA Cup wins, a streak of 49 matches unbeaten (including a whole season!) and was never out of the top 2, except for last season when they went to the Champions League Final. Most importantly, he changed the way football was played not only at Arsenal, but across the board in the Premiership. He introduced new player diets, training methods and a way of football not seen at Highbury before. He also did a lot of this on small transfer budgets. Look at the players like Henry and Fabregas and you can see he knows how to spot talent early. Over the years he has been likened to an artist, and called the Professor, but I think he is more like the Hypnerotomachia Poliphili. He speaks many different languages, has hidden plots and schemes, is not well understood by his peers, but is renowned for his artistry and considered a masterpiece. I hope to see another 10 years with Arsene at the helm.

In other news, the anniversary dinner was a complete success and we went to a nice little place that has great seafood, a good wine list, and looks out over Corpus Christi Bay. Afterwards, being the big spender I am, we headed out for a few after-dinner drinks to the Executive Surf Club, where on Tuesday nights its $2 for any pint!!! Yahooooo! Stella pints all around! It was nice though to sit and have a few beers, hang out, and be without the kiddo for a few hours. They (whoever they may be) should profile me for husband of the year. I know I’d win hands down!

With that…..

Adios.

Argyles are Socking it to Em!!!

In all my excitement about the Arsenal and Dynamo wins plus the fact that I am just now sober, I forgot to post the results of the Plymouth match on Saturday. I’m sure everyone has already read the match report, but for those that were under a rock, the Argyle pulled off another away win (1-0) with an 82nd goal by substitute Samba. Some great goaltending by Luke McCormick also helped out a bit. The win moves Plymouth back up the tables into 8th place on 16 points (behind Southampton and WBA on goal difference). The Argyle are only 2 points out of second as there are a load of teams on 18, 17, and 16 points. Cardiff City is at the top with 23 points. So it is looking good for the Pilgrims and hopefully they can continue their winning run. The next match is after the international break, at home against Derby on Sunday, October 15th.



Speaking of the international break, a big number of Arsenal players are off to play for their respective countries. Hopefully nobody picks up any injuries in the Euro 2008 qualifiers. The Gunners are just getting into a good groove and we don’t really need these matches now. Oh well, until I’m asked to head FIFA, nobody really cares what I think.

Since it is a busy day for me and my anniversary (8 years!!), better get back to work so I don’t get in hot water tonight!

Adios

I Don't Know How to Put This, but I'm Kind of a Big Deal.

This past weekend was an exciting one for yours truly as I met up with long lost friends and watched two terrific goals being scored, one on TV and the other live. To start off the weekend, I headed up to Houston to hang out with my younger sister while the wife and kid went to the in-laws (smart move #1). I have my wife drop me off at the Richmond Arms pub (smart move #2) where I could wait for my sister, sip beers, and talk football with the locals. Only downside to the Richmond Arms was that the bartender was a Spurs fan (Tottenham Hotspurs that is, Arsenal’s north London arch rivals, to those not in the English football know), but he was a good enough chap so I let it pass. After spending too long downing pints on an empty stomach (started at 3 pm) the sis and I loaded up the car and headed to one of Houston’s oldest icehouses, the West Alabama Icehouse. Great place with cold beer and a wide variety of patrons from construction workers and Harley riders to lawyers in suits and yuppie kids. Anyway, I go to the bar and the bartender is a girl I went to high school with (in Tulsa) and haven’t seen in 16 years! Crazy stuff and it was fun to catch up a bit. The night continued with picking up a buddy near Rice Village then heading out for some Thai food and a few more pints.

Saturday morning. Woke up not feeling the best I ever have, but how do you get feeling better? Why, you head straight back to the pub, which is what we did. Sis and I went back to Richmond Arms to catch the Arsenal v. Charlton Athletic match. As I waited for the match to start, I noticed a guy walk in wearing a blue away jersey and looking like he just rolled out of bed. I thought to myself that this somehow seemed familiar and realized it was a guy I knew from the Playwright Pub in Miami Beach! So we chatted for awhile and turns out he has been in Houston off and on for nearly a year. Hopefully I’ll see him at the pub again, which is pretty much a sure bet if the Arsenal are on. So after a full English breakfast, a pint to steady the nerves, and a goal by Darren Bent (of Charlton, 21’) our favorite Dutchman Robin van Persie leveled the match in the 32nd minute with a nice score off a wonderful cross from Hleb. The Belarusian winger is really starting to get stuck in, set up nice goals, and even shoot as we saw last week. The second half started out OK but soon Henry (EDIT: and by Henry I mean Eboue. Sorry. Thanks to Judy for calling me out!) was flying up the right flank and sent in a cross to just outside the Charlton penalty box. It looked like the pass was to nobody in particular when all of a sudden you see van Persie come flying into view and off the volley he knocked in a cracker of a goal. This was one of the best strikes I’ve seen in a long time. If you missed it, go here and check it out. You won’t be disappointed.

With an Arsenal win under the belt and a few pints in my belly, it was time to pull up stakes and watch the Texas A&M football match. A&M started OK and ran back a kickoff 91 yards for a touchdown, but in the 2nd quarter Texas Tech really started rolling. To avoid the agony, I took a little nap through half time and when I woke up, the Aggies were starting to come back. They eventually pulled level and were then driving towards goal near the end of the 4th quarter. Now, I personally felt they had momentum on their side and really needed to press it and get a TD. Instead they played conservatively and got only a field goal to go up 3 points with 2 minutes to play. That turned out to be too few points with too much time on the clock as the Red Raiders got fired up and marched down the field. The Aggies had a chance to stop them on a fourth and long, but failed and eventually lost the game to a Tech touchdown with 8 seconds on the board. Oh well, it is a tough loss, but what can you do.

The end of the Aggie match meant it was time to gear up once again and head over to the University of Houston’s Robertson Stadium to catch the Houston Dynamo v. DC United match. After touring the U of H campus because we got off on the wrong exit, my sis and I finally made it in, and with beer in hand we went to look for our seats. Unfortunately we were on the DC United side and not the Texas Army side, but we could see the dancing and the band playing. Looked like the locals were having fun and I’ll just have to walk over next time. Anyway, the match was OK but ended with a spectacular Dynamo goal by Brian Ching who after a cross and flick-on header, pulled off a bicycle kick that went in to the right side of the goal. Another one for the highlight reels. The win put the Dynamo into the playoffs, which is great for their first season in Houston. Freddy Adu didn’t really do much to impress me either. Seemed OK but never really put in any good runs. Another highlight was at halftime a bunch of the Texas Army fans came over with drums and set up camp right in front of the DC United fans. The Barra Brava was silent for the first time all night. To tell you the truth, I wouldn’t have challenged a bunch Mexicans all painted up and dancing around either! A good time though and it was good to see some football in person again.

All in all it was a successful weekend, which made the drive home a bit of a task. But I’m alive and hope to do it again soon. Big props to my sis for setting it all up.

That is enough for me today. I’m still a bit wiped out.

Adios.