Another Non-Video Referee Blunder
The Chelsea Spurs match yesterday was ruined by the fact that football doesn’t have a video referee, who would have not given Chelsea’s second goal. It’s here in the Guardian.
The ghost goal probably didn’t affect the result, but who’s to know.
On the other hand, Harry Redknapp’s handling of his players and team cast further doubt on his being given the England job. But his biggest failing, seems to be that he lacks any smidgen of good luck.
Abbey Mills Is Revealed
Abbey Mills Pumping station sits like a Moorish castle on the Greenway guarding the Olympic Park.
I’m pleased to see that the years of vegetation have been cleared and it now appears as the great Victorian building it was designed to be. Note that the signpost sits on the south-east corner of the pumping station site. You have good views towards Canary Wharf and the Olympic Park.
I carried on to West Ham, where they are building a lift to make it easier to get to the station.
A Chinese View of London’s Transport in the Olympics
This article from China turned up in one of my searches. It’s a good read and very positive in outlook.
The only thing about the article is that the pictures didn’t really go with the text.
Worse To Be Late Than Racist
According to this article in the Guardian, Manchester City have been fined €30,000 by UEFA for returning to the field late for the second half of their match against Sporting Lisbon.
This compares with a fine of just €20,000 for Porto for racially abusing Manchester City’s black players.
The logic of this defies me and I suspect every other person in the UK, be they a football fan or not. To take a simple example.
Does this mean if my bus is on time, I can’t racially abuse the driver, but if it is late, I can? Or is it the other way round? Not that we do this in London or in fact anywhere in the UK, even if the bus driver is a UEFA official doing a job on the side.
Everton’s Cup Odds Have Just Shortened
Liverpool might still win their game tonight against Blackburn, but to have a second goalkeeper sent off in a week or so is careless.
Everton must be looking up for the FA Cup at the weekend.
Has Harry Blown It?
It would appear that Harry Redknapp hasn’t been having the best of luck with getting Spurs into next year’s Champions League.
So perhaps Stuart Pearce will get the job of England manager after all. At present Redknapp is still favourite with the bookies and Pearce is third after Roy Hodgson.
I wouldn’t rule out Roy Hodgson, especially as like me he is a Leo pig. We come with built-in luck.
What’s Going Wrong With Scottish Football?
Reading all of the stories last night about Scottish football, it appears to be digging itself a big hole.
Apparently, the Scottish Premier League is set up that all changes need an 11-1 majority, to protect the interests of Celtic and Rangers. The other clubs want this changed to a 9-3 vote. The manifestations of this are well set out in this reasoned article from the Herald.
The article ends with this statement.
The Old Firm, and the rest of the SPL clubs, have a responsibility to do what is right for the game. Where is the consensus? Who is prepared to act radically, instead of just talking about it?
If Scotland wants to have a viable football competition, the powers that be must act decisively, radically and quick. One solution, that I would not countenance at any price is Rangers and Celtic playing in the English leagues. They must keep their sectarianism north of the border.
To make matter worse for Scottish football, the driver of the Motherwell team coach managed to get it stuck under a bridge, as is reported here.
I do also wonder whether the rise of Scottish rugby teams like Edinburgh are turning fans against football and its never ending troubles. Fanslike nothing better than a winner.
Consequences of the BBC’s Stupid Move to Salford
Obviously we’re going to get a lot more inconsequential phone-ins based on Manchester, because of the BBC’s stupid move to Salford. Today’s was about Manchester City, who aren’t even the best team in Manchester and their rather immature player; Mario Ballotelli.
To be fair too, Manchester is probably not even the third English city after London and Liverpool.
Can you imagine French radio moving its flagship breakfast program to Lyon from Paris?
Let’s get rid of this sillyness and bring Radio 5 back to London!
How To Win a Motor Race
I had to laugh at this article on the BBC web site. It seems that Turkmenistan is one of those countries, where what the President wants, the President gets!
I notice that he got elected last time by 97% of those who voted.
A Discussion About Race and Swimming
I found this article called Why don’t black Americans swim? on the BBC web site and it makes a lot of interesting points and the comments from readers are fascinating.
I can’t criticise anybody, as I don’t swim, but all my children do or did and of course C was a very competent swimmer. But my parents hadn’t got a stroke between them.
I seem to remember reading an article about swimming rates in various nations and there is quite a variation between some countries, where you’d think swimming rates would be similar.
The Anonymous Widower 