That was a good start. 1-0 to Scotland over a decent Czech team. Even though it was 'only' a friendly, a win is a win and given that we have posted only 3 wins in the last 16 games and indeed not won a friendly in Glasgow 14 years, it will certainly do.
Craig Levin's first game in charge was always going to be interesting and promised to be more about containment and being hard to beat. He lived up to that, yet, that was the foundation of the teams of the last few years and was in many respects stripped away by the last manager. I'd rather be hard to be beat than consistently getting stuffed.
It also marked a return of those who had decided not to work with the last manager. If they can do a job and enhance the team, then I don't necessarily see any difficulties with that. We are a small nation with a small pool of players to choose from. We need the best players playing and not sitting at home watching on the TV. Ultimately, we want to qualify for a major tournament.
Thursday, March 04, 2010
Tuesday, March 02, 2010
Invincible
It shouldn't rain here. Certainly not in March. It's the desert for goodness sake. It's 'meant' to ran for about 5 days a year in December or January. And that's it.
But no.
Saturday night saw heavy rain and big, big thunderstorms literally right overhead. It rained solidly for about an hour and a half. Long enough for a giant lake to form at the bottom of the road. Thankfully, I wasn't out and about. Seemingly the rain caused severe traffic jams and indeed a number of major roads that go from Dubai to Sharjah (the next Emirate over) were flooded and therefore impassable.
That wasn't the end of it though.
I walked into work on Tuesday and was in the office a bit earlier that usual. About 5 minutes after arriving, the heavens opened. It wasn't just a bit of a downpour. It was pelting it down and continued for around 5 hours. Without stopping! The guys in the office love it because they never really see rain. I am not a big fan of it. Given that Scotland has 200 days of rain a year, I could quite happily live without seeing anymore. They are like 'It's brilliant' blah blah. No it's not.
The reason it's not brilliant is because Dubai isn't set up sufficiently for rain. And neither is Sharjah. The rain on Saturday was only a 'practice' for the real thing. Lakes formed, cars got stuck, roads were impassable, drains burst, 'soil' washed away, roads closed. It was horrible. When the rain did finally stop, the sun came back out to play. I had no particular issues getting back home at all but I did notice that the roads were significantly quieter than normal. Perhaps everyone had gone home early!
I wonder if I can insert some photos?!
Yes he can!
But no.
Saturday night saw heavy rain and big, big thunderstorms literally right overhead. It rained solidly for about an hour and a half. Long enough for a giant lake to form at the bottom of the road. Thankfully, I wasn't out and about. Seemingly the rain caused severe traffic jams and indeed a number of major roads that go from Dubai to Sharjah (the next Emirate over) were flooded and therefore impassable.
That wasn't the end of it though.
I walked into work on Tuesday and was in the office a bit earlier that usual. About 5 minutes after arriving, the heavens opened. It wasn't just a bit of a downpour. It was pelting it down and continued for around 5 hours. Without stopping! The guys in the office love it because they never really see rain. I am not a big fan of it. Given that Scotland has 200 days of rain a year, I could quite happily live without seeing anymore. They are like 'It's brilliant' blah blah. No it's not.
The reason it's not brilliant is because Dubai isn't set up sufficiently for rain. And neither is Sharjah. The rain on Saturday was only a 'practice' for the real thing. Lakes formed, cars got stuck, roads were impassable, drains burst, 'soil' washed away, roads closed. It was horrible. When the rain did finally stop, the sun came back out to play. I had no particular issues getting back home at all but I did notice that the roads were significantly quieter than normal. Perhaps everyone had gone home early!
I wonder if I can insert some photos?!
Yes he can!
Sunday, February 28, 2010
Frequency.
Currently on my grooveshark playlist:
/In no particular order/
Ash: Goldfinger.
Not because of the obvious James Bond reference but because it is fantastic. They wrote this when they were 17. Seventeen!
Goldfrapp: Slide In (DFA Remix).
It's just an orgy of high hat and drums along with the seductive, spacey tones of Ms Goldfrapp. All about 20 minutes of it all.
Blur: Music is my Radar.
A slow burner. 'Hidden' at the end of the 'Best of' and probably overlooked. I don't imagine it got an airing during last year's 'tour'. The video is very retro, very Kubrick.
Delphic: This Momentary.
This year's new hope by all accounts but found on Kitsune last year. New 'New Order'. Perhaps. Tipped for big things but when has that ever really matter. If it sounds good, then that's enough.
The Drums: Let's Go Surfing.
It shouldn't really work but does it ever. The bassline and a chorus to die for and one that is a bit of a rip off of a certain 'song in Tom Hank's 'Big' but why not? Down down by the rollercoasters...
Snow Patrol ft. Martha Wainwright: Set Fire to the Third Bar.
A controversial choice. Snow Patrol aka bedwetters in the Coldplay vain. Certainly not a fan of them per se. Even more surprising is the fact that this song was first introduced to me, not with the sweet voice of Martha Wainwright but the almost identical tones of Cheryl Cole. I must be selling out but you can't argue with the song. I think Snow Patrol have a 'thing' for 'lying down'. Strange.
Metallica: St Anger.
They got a bit of a slating over this album. It was essentially the 'break up' album and it has that kind of a feel to it. This song however, is brutal. It's an assault in every sense. The crunch of the guitar's are unlike what they have sounded like on previous albums; that, couple with the beating of steel sound of the snare drum makes this something of a 'departure'. Not sure about the 'whoooo' bit though.
Two Door Cinema: Something Good Can Work.
The most 'hopeful' song on the list. It's a ray of sunshine.
Phoenix: Litzomania.
The best song ever about a composer and that includes 'Rock me Amadeus'! I could listen to Phoenix all day. French to!
Any other suggestions?
/In no particular order/
Ash: Goldfinger.
Not because of the obvious James Bond reference but because it is fantastic. They wrote this when they were 17. Seventeen!
Goldfrapp: Slide In (DFA Remix).
It's just an orgy of high hat and drums along with the seductive, spacey tones of Ms Goldfrapp. All about 20 minutes of it all.
Blur: Music is my Radar.
A slow burner. 'Hidden' at the end of the 'Best of' and probably overlooked. I don't imagine it got an airing during last year's 'tour'. The video is very retro, very Kubrick.
Delphic: This Momentary.
This year's new hope by all accounts but found on Kitsune last year. New 'New Order'. Perhaps. Tipped for big things but when has that ever really matter. If it sounds good, then that's enough.
The Drums: Let's Go Surfing.
It shouldn't really work but does it ever. The bassline and a chorus to die for and one that is a bit of a rip off of a certain 'song in Tom Hank's 'Big' but why not? Down down by the rollercoasters...
Snow Patrol ft. Martha Wainwright: Set Fire to the Third Bar.
A controversial choice. Snow Patrol aka bedwetters in the Coldplay vain. Certainly not a fan of them per se. Even more surprising is the fact that this song was first introduced to me, not with the sweet voice of Martha Wainwright but the almost identical tones of Cheryl Cole. I must be selling out but you can't argue with the song. I think Snow Patrol have a 'thing' for 'lying down'. Strange.
Metallica: St Anger.
They got a bit of a slating over this album. It was essentially the 'break up' album and it has that kind of a feel to it. This song however, is brutal. It's an assault in every sense. The crunch of the guitar's are unlike what they have sounded like on previous albums; that, couple with the beating of steel sound of the snare drum makes this something of a 'departure'. Not sure about the 'whoooo' bit though.
Two Door Cinema: Something Good Can Work.
The most 'hopeful' song on the list. It's a ray of sunshine.
Phoenix: Litzomania.
The best song ever about a composer and that includes 'Rock me Amadeus'! I could listen to Phoenix all day. French to!
Any other suggestions?
Saturday, February 27, 2010
Showtime.
Another defeat for Scotland.
Wooden spoon ahoy unless we can beat the English at Murrayfield and hope for a minor miracle against the Irish.
It didn't need to be this way. We should have stuffed the Welsh; my god we should, at the very least, have drawn with them. But no. We just can't do it. Then, the Italians. Home or away we can't beat them. It's embarrassing. Today was case in point. They might be improving but certainly we're not getting any better. Although, we are totally inconsistent. We beat Fiji and the Australians back in November so we have potential. We should have beaten Argentina and Wales. Had we done that, things would be looking very rosy. Instead, they aren't.
That is in contrast to the Magner's League in which the club sides are in the top four. /sigh/. So depressing. Even a win against England might not arrest it.
Wooden spoon ahoy unless we can beat the English at Murrayfield and hope for a minor miracle against the Irish.
It didn't need to be this way. We should have stuffed the Welsh; my god we should, at the very least, have drawn with them. But no. We just can't do it. Then, the Italians. Home or away we can't beat them. It's embarrassing. Today was case in point. They might be improving but certainly we're not getting any better. Although, we are totally inconsistent. We beat Fiji and the Australians back in November so we have potential. We should have beaten Argentina and Wales. Had we done that, things would be looking very rosy. Instead, they aren't.
That is in contrast to the Magner's League in which the club sides are in the top four. /sigh/. So depressing. Even a win against England might not arrest it.
Thursday, February 25, 2010
Stop
Things wrong with Scottish football.
1. Money, or lack of. To me, it's quite a simple thing. The more paying customers coming through the turnstiles, the more money that will come in and with that, more revenue. I mean, who just goes to a game and watches? No, they go to a game buy a pie or a bovril and a programme. Where is the sense in charging £25 for a ticket and only getting 5, 000 people. Surely it would make sense to charge £10 to get in and get 10, 000 people. The atmsphere is improved and there is more chance of add on's. Dad's might take there kids at £5 a ticket. It might not look great in the short term but in the mid to long term, it's better. Get them into the stadium.
2. Weather. Traditionally, football is a winter sport. No argument there whatsoever. Can you expect people to come out or travel across the country to watch their team when it's freezing cold or a midweek night. Or alternatively, when the pitches look like tatty fields. The winter shutdown was a brilliant idea. Ok, January may not be the worst month and indeed February could be worse but the pitches get a chance to grow, people have time to save their money and if games are played in warmer days, surely more people will go.
3. Moving the Season. Scottish teams now have to pre-qualify for Europe in July. Fact. The Scottish League season starts in August. Fact. Is it any wonder that we can't get through the qualifying rounds? No, it isn't. Start the season in July. Have a winter break. Let's face the facts and tackle them.
4. Quit moaning. We were a strong footballing nation. Now we're not. That is a sad fact. Yet we can get 50, 000 people for an international game on a cold and driech Wednesday. How many other nations can claim that? Not many. I'm fed up of the moaning and groaning about money, facilities, referees blah, blah. We're crap. If we're crap, their must be some reasons for it. The SFA and League need to address them. Short termism hasn't worked. Common sense please. Action point, number 1.
5. There are more.
1. Money, or lack of. To me, it's quite a simple thing. The more paying customers coming through the turnstiles, the more money that will come in and with that, more revenue. I mean, who just goes to a game and watches? No, they go to a game buy a pie or a bovril and a programme. Where is the sense in charging £25 for a ticket and only getting 5, 000 people. Surely it would make sense to charge £10 to get in and get 10, 000 people. The atmsphere is improved and there is more chance of add on's. Dad's might take there kids at £5 a ticket. It might not look great in the short term but in the mid to long term, it's better. Get them into the stadium.
2. Weather. Traditionally, football is a winter sport. No argument there whatsoever. Can you expect people to come out or travel across the country to watch their team when it's freezing cold or a midweek night. Or alternatively, when the pitches look like tatty fields. The winter shutdown was a brilliant idea. Ok, January may not be the worst month and indeed February could be worse but the pitches get a chance to grow, people have time to save their money and if games are played in warmer days, surely more people will go.
3. Moving the Season. Scottish teams now have to pre-qualify for Europe in July. Fact. The Scottish League season starts in August. Fact. Is it any wonder that we can't get through the qualifying rounds? No, it isn't. Start the season in July. Have a winter break. Let's face the facts and tackle them.
4. Quit moaning. We were a strong footballing nation. Now we're not. That is a sad fact. Yet we can get 50, 000 people for an international game on a cold and driech Wednesday. How many other nations can claim that? Not many. I'm fed up of the moaning and groaning about money, facilities, referees blah, blah. We're crap. If we're crap, their must be some reasons for it. The SFA and League need to address them. Short termism hasn't worked. Common sense please. Action point, number 1.
5. There are more.
Saturday, February 20, 2010
Pollen
Strange sights:
1. The bloke behind me in the queue at the supermarket unpacked his shopping trolley. Nothing unusual there; the only item he was unpacked was Worcester Sauce. 30 bottles of it. I counted. In my book, that isn't normal. Perhaps his wife was pregnant or something. Even still.
2. A TV camera crew running about said supermarket following a local couple. First, it was a 'piece to camera' at the entrance, then the fruit and veg section, then to the meat counter; then finally, at the checkout. Needless to say, they didn't need to wait in a queue at the checkout as they had one specially opened for them. It could be the UAE equivalent of the Osbourne's? A reality TV show of the perils of going to the supermarket and having to put things in the shopping trolley and pack your own stuff without the aid of either a. your maid or b. the little Indian guy employed by the supermarket doing it.
3. Some random woman asking me to close her passenger side car door. Not strange in itself. The fact that she had wedged it between that very narrow gap between the front and back doors of the neighbouring car made it strange. Is it even possible to do that?
4. Waking yourself up through a. farting and b. snoring.
5. In the same vain as number 4 - kind of - some old bloke going infront of you on the escalator and proceeding to left off a big, loud fart. Thankfully, he was about 5 steps 'above' me otherwise it would have been way worse that it already was. And let me tell you, it wasn't pleasant as it was.
6. A class full of students copying one of the other students by listing their nationality as 'Nepal' when quite clearly they weren't.
7. Yours truly playing pretty well at football.
That's your lot.
1. The bloke behind me in the queue at the supermarket unpacked his shopping trolley. Nothing unusual there; the only item he was unpacked was Worcester Sauce. 30 bottles of it. I counted. In my book, that isn't normal. Perhaps his wife was pregnant or something. Even still.
2. A TV camera crew running about said supermarket following a local couple. First, it was a 'piece to camera' at the entrance, then the fruit and veg section, then to the meat counter; then finally, at the checkout. Needless to say, they didn't need to wait in a queue at the checkout as they had one specially opened for them. It could be the UAE equivalent of the Osbourne's? A reality TV show of the perils of going to the supermarket and having to put things in the shopping trolley and pack your own stuff without the aid of either a. your maid or b. the little Indian guy employed by the supermarket doing it.
3. Some random woman asking me to close her passenger side car door. Not strange in itself. The fact that she had wedged it between that very narrow gap between the front and back doors of the neighbouring car made it strange. Is it even possible to do that?
4. Waking yourself up through a. farting and b. snoring.
5. In the same vain as number 4 - kind of - some old bloke going infront of you on the escalator and proceeding to left off a big, loud fart. Thankfully, he was about 5 steps 'above' me otherwise it would have been way worse that it already was. And let me tell you, it wasn't pleasant as it was.
6. A class full of students copying one of the other students by listing their nationality as 'Nepal' when quite clearly they weren't.
7. Yours truly playing pretty well at football.
That's your lot.
Wednesday, February 17, 2010
Seat J
It's all kicking off over here, isn't it?
Not only do we get stage managed reports of 'love cheat John Terry reconciling with his wife' at the swimming pool of his Dubai hotel: 'We're so in love'. Pass the bucket please. To badly paraphrase Mrs Merton, 'Mrs Terry, what continues to attract you to the multi-millionaire husband of yours?'
But, the breaking news is that some Hamas leader was in Dubai staying at a hotel about 10 minutes walk from me. Nothing exciting about that one could argue. However, he never did make it home alive. Within hours of arriving, he was bumped off in his hotel room. Seemingly it was not the work of some high class lady of the night. It was, it is alleged, by Mossad!
This is a job for a certain Bond...instead, we get the Dubai polices finest on the case. God forbid. But, this time they are '99%' certain that they have a list of 11 people they want in connection with it and have implicated Israel as having a central role in it. The Police have released footage of the people they want for it including CCTV footage of people at the hotel who are totally bald one moment, yet appear with a full head of hair the next. The art of disguise is not dead. Yet.
To make matters more interesting, the majority of those wanted actually came in and out of Dubai on British passports or at the very least, European passports. The passports are reported to be real and not tampered with or fake. I couldn't comment on that but if the police I 'deal' with at the airport are representative of the wider police and immigration officials at the airport, then they could have come in and out of the country with a copy of today's newspaper as proof of nationality. But, I digress. The U.K isn't best pleased and has summoned Israel officials to explain themselves.
Watch this space. It could be interesting. If I disappear for any length of time, you know why.
Not only do we get stage managed reports of 'love cheat John Terry reconciling with his wife' at the swimming pool of his Dubai hotel: 'We're so in love'. Pass the bucket please. To badly paraphrase Mrs Merton, 'Mrs Terry, what continues to attract you to the multi-millionaire husband of yours?'
But, the breaking news is that some Hamas leader was in Dubai staying at a hotel about 10 minutes walk from me. Nothing exciting about that one could argue. However, he never did make it home alive. Within hours of arriving, he was bumped off in his hotel room. Seemingly it was not the work of some high class lady of the night. It was, it is alleged, by Mossad!
This is a job for a certain Bond...instead, we get the Dubai polices finest on the case. God forbid. But, this time they are '99%' certain that they have a list of 11 people they want in connection with it and have implicated Israel as having a central role in it. The Police have released footage of the people they want for it including CCTV footage of people at the hotel who are totally bald one moment, yet appear with a full head of hair the next. The art of disguise is not dead. Yet.
To make matters more interesting, the majority of those wanted actually came in and out of Dubai on British passports or at the very least, European passports. The passports are reported to be real and not tampered with or fake. I couldn't comment on that but if the police I 'deal' with at the airport are representative of the wider police and immigration officials at the airport, then they could have come in and out of the country with a copy of today's newspaper as proof of nationality. But, I digress. The U.K isn't best pleased and has summoned Israel officials to explain themselves.
Watch this space. It could be interesting. If I disappear for any length of time, you know why.
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