Keeping Warm Outside
I have given up on the control system of my central heating and now use the damaged Mark 1 brain of a Control Engineer to switch the system on and off to keep the temperature where I want it. I have a nifty meter from Maplin’s, which gives me exact temperature and humidity.
Outside in the cold, I’ve turned to wearing my classic 1960s Liverpool University Engineering scarf. It’s all wool and I suspect, it’s rarely been cleaned, but it doesn’t smell too bad. Strangely, this morning, the BBC are at Hainsworth in Pudsey. They’re doing fairly well considering the recession, by selling cloth all over the world. They still make the all-wool cloth for university scarves like mine. They’ve also just said, that South Africa is the biggest market for blankets in the world.
I’ve also just ordered myself a cashmere football scarf in Ipswich Town’s colours from a company called Savile Rogue. If that doesn’t fix the weather nothing will.
What Will Abramovitch Do Now?
After the farce at Swansea last night, it’ll be interesting to see what crazy thing happens at Chelski next!
I watched the match and I think the result was fair, as Swansea with a bit of luck could have won this leg of the tie too!
Supporting Aston Villa Is Much More Stressful Than Being Governor Of The Bank Of England
This is a quote from Mervyn King, in an article in the New Statesman.
I think he ducked the match at Villa Park yesterday, as he was making a speech in Belfast.
Pep Guardiola Gives A Two-Fingered Salute to Chelski And Man Sheikhy
Pep Guardiola has decoded to join Bayern Munich. Read about it here in the Guardian.
It just goes to show that you may be as rich as Croesus, but you can’t buy everything. And certainly a man to whom it appears football is more important than money.
Patrick Barclay On Sheikh Mansour
I picked up the Standard tonight as I often do, and this article by Patrick Barclay caught my eye. Here’s the first paragraph.
When Sheikh Mansour took over Manchester City, I suggested that his best route to the top of English football would be to buy and disband Manchester United, acquiring as many of their players as were wanted, then paint Old Trafford blue and use it as a training ground. Fortunately, the Sheikh and his Abu Dhabi associates preferred more constitutional methods.
But something must be done to create a fairer playing field, where rich benefactors can make a farce of fair play. UEFA are trying, but then will Abramovitch and Mansour fall into line? I doubt it!
On the other hand, there are quite a few footballers out there, who contrary to the usual myths are intelligent and have made enough money to go where they please. I think and very much hope that we see a lot more upsets like Swansea at Chelsea in the future.
Supporting Your Team Away
This morning on BBC Radio 5, they are talking about the high cost of watching your team in away matches. Admittedly, they were talking mainly about supporting Premiership teams, but there are various issues. The Football Supporters Federation is probably going to start a campaign about it all.
I didn’t go yesterday to see Ipswich play at Cardiff, as the weather just seemed it might be a bit too much. The cost didn’t deter me, although it would have been about £80 return to the Welsh capital. That is First Class with a Senior Railcard.
If I look at other matches I’ve been to I could make a list. Note that I live in London, so although I’m supporting Ipswich, any prices are from the London station, which of course is free for me to get to.
Barnsley – This is one of my favourite trips, as the ticket is always good value and for some reason you can often get good value on the trains. This year I paid £40.95. The stadium is a short uphill walk from the station and everyone was their usual friendly selves, although the seats aren’t the most comfortable. The view is good though. I’d give the whole experience 8/10. It could be improved by a better train service from Sheffield.
Birmingham – I seem to remember this was an expensive ticket and because I was coming from a dinner in Liverpool, can’t quote a ticket price. But I did do the trip for the Aston Villa cup game for £31. The walk to the ground from the local station is very dangerous, as is the station, but the ground was friendly, even if the seats and the view weren’t the best. I’ll give it 4/10, mainly because of that walk and the dreadful local station.
Bolton – This ticket was good value, I seem to remember, and it was a good trip up by train for £79. Everyone was friendly and the seat and view were excellent. I had got my lunch in Carluccio’s in Piccadilly station. I’ll give it 7/10. The only bad bit was the overcrowded trains from Manchester to and from the Reebok.
Brighton – The ticket was again good value, but I got there by a deliberately roundabout route for virtually nothing. Everything at the stadium was excellent, although I did eat in the city centre. I’d give the experience 9/10 and the weather -5/10. It was not a day for doing anything except swimming.
Charlton – I got to this ground free and the ticket was expensive for a crowded seat and a bad view. I’d just give it 5/10.
Crystal Palace – I bought this ticket at the gate and there was no discount, but as I got there for nothing on my Freedom Pass, I can’t complain. But I can complain about the state of the ground, the seat and the view. I’d give it 5/10 at most.
Hull – This was another good value ticket and I got home from Hull for £42.25. I’d gone up to York to see a friend and have lunch, so as I had an excellent gluten free meal on the train coming down, it was a day when I ate very well. I walked to the excellent stadium and everyone was a clone of those at Brighton. i.e. friendly and helpful. Like Brighton, I’ll give it 9/10.
Leeds – The ticket was one of the more expensive, as Leeds don’t do Seniors and the fare up on East Coast was £78.80. We got a reasonably friendly reception from stewards, a hard seat with a reasonable view and I can’t comment on the food as I ate in Carluccio’s in the City Centre, with my friend and her daughter. I’d rate the experience at 4/10. A bus from the station would help a lot here.
Leicester – This was a disastrous game, but I can’t complain about the ticket, the stadium and the stewarding. The train was expensive and virtually empty at £64.35 and there is no easy way to get to the stadium except a long walk. It’s worth no better than 6/10.
Wolverhampton – I actually forgot the ticket I’d bought for £24, so I bought another at the ground for just £14. The return ticket from Euston was just £30 or so. Everybody was very friendly, including the Police, the seats and the view were excellent and I wrote a post about it. My rating would be 10/10, as I can’t think of anything that could have been better.
I shall be adding to this list with visits for the rest of this season. I shall also probably add a few views of other stadia, I’ve been to since I moved to London.
I can split the clubs into groups.
Clubs to Always Visit
Barnsley, Brighton, Hull, Wolverhampton
Clubs to Possibly Avoid
Birmingham, Charlton, Crystal Palace, Leeds
I think too, if you look at the train prices, you would avoid any train company with East in the name, as they aren’t good value. First Hull trains were the best. It also seems that if you book a few days before Virgin’s Senior Advance First is generally good value at a weekend. But then it should be as it is generally empty.
Ipswich Town Signing Tells It As It Is!
Ipswich Town’s new signing, Aaron Maclean is reported to be critical of the shopping in the town centre.
T’was ever thus! And it’s not just the shopping, but the pubs and restaurants as well!
When I first started drinking in the early1960s, I was living in Felixstowe. At that time pubs in Suffolk closed at eleven, but those in Ipswich closed half-an-hour early. So no-one in their right mind invested in pubs in the town. What made matters worse, was the great rush out to the county to get an extra half-hour of drinking time.
Before, I was a coeliac, when C and I lived north of the town in the 1970s and 1980s, we rarely ate there and if we did it was usually in the Golden Panda, a restaurant where we knew the owner and the establishment gave a name to one of our horses.
Although, we both worked there, except for Boots and Marks and Spencer, I doubt we ever bought anything of substance there.
Now I just go for the football and always arrange any meal before I get to the town, as it is a veritable gluten-free desert. People have tried to open decent restaurants but only a couple have lasted. If you want a good meal, you go a few miles outside the town.
Ipswich suffers too because of rivalry with Bury St. Edmunds. Ipswich has the trains, the football club, the port and perhaps a better hospital, whereas Bury has a cathedral, the beer, much better shops and a pro-business Council. The only other thing better in Ipswich is the street sculpture and the art galleries. Ipswich used to have Suffolk’s only airport, but it shut that, as the Council decided it was just rich men’s indulgences.
I blame the Council of the latter part of the last century. They were so anti-business, that even though we had created a hundred or so jobs in the town, we got no co-operation and help, as they wanted real manufacturing jobs. Their great saviour was Robert Maxwell, who effectively did nothing for Ipswich except shut Ransomes and Rapier.
We’re All QPR Supporters Today!
I’ve been travelling around London today, in my Ipswich Town hat and several have remarked to me, about what a good result Harry got with QPR against Chelsea. It’s here on the BBC.
I think it illustrates how most real football fans have nothing but contempt for clubs like Chelski and are not slow to rub it in when they lose. It was the same when I came back from Bolton a few weeks ago.
A Match Not To Be Missed
After what I’ve been through in real life and also watching Ipswich Town, I think the match of February 9th at Blackburn might be worth a visit.
Unless of course Blackburn get their act together. But they do appear at present to be the team with the worst management off the field in England.
They might appoint a good manager, but even if they could persuade Jose Morinho to join them, I don’t think he’d be able to pull a team together.
Train Ticketing For Football
In the last few months, I’ve been to Barnsley, Birmingham, Bolton, Brighton, Hull, Leeds, Leicester and Wolverhampton to see Ipswich Town play. Although in some cases like Hull and Leicester the football wasn’t the best, I’ve not had much of a problem with the trains. Except of course in getting to Ipswich, where they have chosen match day Saturdays to rebuild the line.
Usually, I travel First Class either one or both ways. On the Wolverhampton trip, where I could be sure of my times, I used Advance tickets that cost just £31 with a Senior Railcard. Some of the supporters, I met at the game, were rather surprised at the price.
But sometimes, I’ll get Off Peak Second Class and pay the upgrade, if it is available, like it is on Virgin. GreaterAnglia and others.
Next Saturday, I’m going to see Ipswich in the FA Cup at Aston Villa. For that game, I’ll book the outrun on a specific train using an Advance First Class ticket on Virgin, as they seem cheaper than Chiltern and stop in New Street, where I can get the train to Witton for Villa Park. but coming back, I’ll get an ordinary Off Peak Standard Class ticket, as that will mean I can get any train. If I want to upgrade to First Class it will cost me £10 on the train.
I’ve just booked the two tickets and they cost me a total of £31.65.
The Anonymous Widower 