This Awful Cold Weather
Yesterday and Wednesday as well, I hardly left the house, as it was so cold. Today, it’s no better with -1 at 06:00 and -3 at 09:00 forecast for tomorrow. And that -3 comes with fog. At least it gets sunny in the afternoonafternoon, but temperatures are just hovering above freezing. Ipswich isn’t any better with temperatures a couple of degrees colder. So I suspect that I’ll stay in bed as long as I can.
I remember a similar day some years ago, when C had plenty of work to do and wanted to get rid of me for the afternoon, so she found two pairs of thick tights and I wore those under my trousers.
I just about survived.
It’s funny how attitudes to practical transvestism have changed. A man would have never done this in the sixties, but now if needs must, men do.
In fact in the 1960s, Bobby Moore tried to sell Man-Tights and I can remember the adverts for them on trains on the London Underground.
I also remember a story from a friend, who was a very keen caver, who told me to keep warm, they generally wear several layers of tights. Once in the 1970s, a friend broke a leg badly. whilst caving in France and they had to carry him out all the way. But the worst bit, was removing his tights, as he didn’t want to go to a French hospital wearing them.
I have no choice today, as I live alone.
So it’s either go and freeze or stay at home and keep warm.
I think I’ll do the latter!
You really do miss your late partner for the smallest and silliest reasons!
Everything Comes To Him Who Waits
In all this fuss about the new England manager, nothing has been heard from Stuart Pearce. Although, Harry Redknapp has almost ruled himself out. As have a few other candidates like Alan Pardew.
So does this leave the field clear for Stuart Pearce to be caretaker manager for the match against the Netherlands. We might find out in a few minutes. I suspect we will hear he’s got the job, as who else knows their way around the FA offices, boardroom and politics? If they pick somone for one match, even if he was of the status of say Arsene Wenger, he would be unable to do anything in a couple of weeks.
So could the reason, Pearce has been quiet, is that he knows more than anybody else and doesn’t want to overturn the pile of unstable bricks? Remember as assistant coach to the England team, he will have detailed dossiers on all the England players and because of his job as Under-21 coach, he’ll know the players coming through.
The pundits all say we won’t win Euro-2012 or the football at the Olympics, so if he performs well in the Netherlands game, his coaching team could be given the responsibility for Euro-2012 in addition to the Olympics. In fact, as the Olympics tournament is not many games, handling two teams might not be much more difficult, especially as he’ll probably have Beckham in the Olympic team, to help and act as a conduit for the media.
The permutations are endless.
They have just announced Stuart Pearce will be manager for the match against the Netherlands.
Do I think they’ll take it away from him for Euro-2012? No! Unless we get beaten seriously by The Netherlands. After all he’d be some elephant to have in the room next door.
The Wisdom of Stuart Pearce
Ask a tabloid journalist and they’ll tell you that Stuart Pearce’s philosophy is summed up by his nickname; Psycho.
But look him up on Brainy Quote and you get a totally different view.
Here’s a couple of examples of quotes from Stuart Pearce.
But to me the bottom line is the more education you can give yourself, and the more preparation you can do, the less chance of failing.
I am one of those people who quite enjoys responsibility.
If my results are not good I will lose my job.
There are no quotes of any sort for Harry Redknapp.
Psycho or Harry?
At present they are the only two candidates for the job of England coach, if you assume that the coach must be English; Stuart Pearce and Harry Redknapp.
For Euro-2012, both would have other duties, with Harry at Tottenham and Pearce involved with Team GB at the Olympics.
So if one of them get the England job part-time, it wouldn’t be good for England in Euro-2012.
In my view, Pearce is better qualified, as the England team for the next few years, will be players he’s brought through the Under-21s. He also knows the various factions in the FA and how they operate. He would have handled the Terry situation very differently to Capello.
Also read, Pearce’s biography in Wikipedia. He’s made the odd mistake, but he’s never been involved in any scandal. And he learns from his mistakes. Does Harry?
But don’t forget that Pearce was playing on the day of the Hillsborough tragedy and I suspect, that deep down he wants to avenge it. He will some way some time, even if he doesn’t get the England job.
Also what happens, if he’s caretaker manager for the Holland match, sends out his team, and wins handsomely. Could he be overlooked for England manager? If he doesn’t win, looking as his record, he would probably put up a good showing at the Olympics.
Ariverderci Fabio
I don’t think anybody in England will miss you, except possibly your favourite restaurant.
Let’s hope the FA take their lead from the RFU, who chose Stuart Lancaster from within.
Step forward Psycho!
More On The Scouser Mouser
There are some good pictures and video of the cat at Liverpool last night, that some of the Press are now calling the Scouser Mouser.
Just type Liverpool Cat into Google. There was this report with a video from the Telegraph. Obviously, cats sell newspapers to those who live in Tunbridge Wells. The Sun also has a nice graphic entitled, Move of the Match, showing where the cat went.
Rumour has it that Millwall fans have rung up the London Zoo to enquire about borrowing a lion.
Liverpool Bring On A Cat Against Spurs
After a few minutes tonight, a cat managed to get on the pitch at Anfield. It’s part in the game is summed up in this text commentary from the Guardian.
16 mins: “Would it be unfair to say that the stray cat has already shown more awareness in the penalty area than Andy Carroll?” asks Michael McCarthy, not alone in comparing the two. It showed a good turn of pace and its movement was decent if unconventional, but it also showed a very limited grasp of the offside law and offered limited aerial ability. I’m giving Carroll the nod here.
13 mins: The cat has now been removed, quite gently, by a burly steward. Carroll celebrates this with a couple of tasty touches.
11 mins: There’s a cat on the pitch. It’s currently settled in Tottenham’s penalty area. Not a fox in the box, but not too far off.
I can’t ever remember seeing a cat on the pitch before, although a fox did sneak into the Oval.
It’s Snowing in Manchester for a Change
Normally, it rains in Manchester, but tonight as I’m watching Manchester City play Fulham, it’s snowing.
Another disappointment for the Arabs, but at least it’s preferable to play in snow, than in forty degree heat, when they play the World Cup in Qatar.
The Correct Term is a Light Engine
When you have just a railway engine travelling by itself, it is called a light engine!
One has caused chaos on the West Coast Main Line by getting itself derailed at Bletchley, as reported here on the BBC. But few reports have called it a light engine, most have called it a freight train, as it is owned by a company called Freightliner, although it is at present leased to Virgin Trains. So at least they can read, even if they don’t know the correct railway term.
The BBC report says this.
A spokesman for Network Rail said the Freightliner locomotive appeared to have approached a set of points at Bletchley south junction too fast.
This caused the tracks to buckle, damaged wooden sleepers and brought down some overhead cables.
There is as yet “no estimate for the completion of repairs and therefore it is not yet known whether services will continue to be affected on Sunday”, according to the National Rail Enquiries website.
As no-one seems to have been seriously hurt, but many have been seriously delayed and inconvenienced, this will turn out to be one of those stories that will run and run all the way to the Supreme Court. After all the engine wasn’t owned by Virgin Trains, but it was being run on their behalf.
So will Virgin Trains be suing themselves for all the compensation, they’ve paid out to passengers?
Incidentally, I usually go to see Ipswich at Coventry, but won’t be going today. I was going to go and get in by buying a ticket on the gate. But because of this light engine crash, I wouldn’t have been able to get to Coventry.
So should I add my case for compensation to the rest?
No! But, if I’d bought a ticket you could be rest ensured, I wouldn’t be a happy bunny, aif I’d been unable to get to Coventry!
What Do Fred Goodwin and Manchester City Have In Common?
They’ve both lost their title in the last couple of weeks.
The Anonymous Widower 