I decided today to support Chelsea in the Cup Final against Liverpool. Ordinarily this isn't something I would have done. I may have mentioned before my love of Liverpool as a place and the legacy it has left our country, particularly in the field of music. Anfield is still one of the football grounds that conjures up a sense of awe. You'll Never Walk Alone and all that.
But there are a couple of reasons for my change of heart (support). Firstly Roberto Di Matteo has done a remarkable job since taking over in charge. He appears to be a charming man who has changed a team of overpaid wannabees into a lean mean footie machine. On the other hand Liverpool manager Kenny Dalglesh gives more than a passing impression of a scruffbag. Whilst Di Matteo looked smart in a tailored suit, Dalglish wore a tracksuit which is being slightly disrespectful to the occasion. Okay it doesn't really make a difference but when Di Matteo is asked a question by the Media he gives a measured and intelligent answer whilst Dalglish shuffles around and mutters to the floor in a kind of "I am Scottish so I can mutter" sort of way.
Another reason for supporting Chelsea is to put owner Roman Abramovich in a quandary. There are suggestions that Abramovich had already lined up a new manager for next season and promised the job. That gives him a dilemma if Di Matteo takes home the European Champions Trophy and the FA Cup in a matter of days. And wouldn't that be funny - not giving the job to somebody who has proved to be Chelsea's hero over the past few months? Di Matteo says he is relaxed about the whole thing. Of course he is. If Chelsea don't employ him he can practically pick his team to manage. Oh and Chelsea won 2-1 in a decent final. Some of them have disappointed greatly in the past. There is now so much live football on television that in many ways the final just seems to be yet another match.
Reflecting today on the visit to Northern Ireland. So many ideas and so many images. Shortly I want to put them all into a poem/prose piece. The essence will be about the memories locked inside the older generations, the innocence of the younger generation and the fact that places we have all heard so much about are now at peace. I have a working title of Names on a Map. When it is written I will publish it on my blog.
Finally tonight I subjected myself to The Voice on TV. Another dreadful talent show featuring a massive number of no-hopers with passable voices and no futures. Good old Tom Jones just went too far by likening one of the artists to a modern day Janis Joplin - oh come on. And how much do you hate it when the presenter keeps saying "it's Jane (or whatever name the person has)" and I just keep thinking "who cares?"
But there are a couple of reasons for my change of heart (support). Firstly Roberto Di Matteo has done a remarkable job since taking over in charge. He appears to be a charming man who has changed a team of overpaid wannabees into a lean mean footie machine. On the other hand Liverpool manager Kenny Dalglesh gives more than a passing impression of a scruffbag. Whilst Di Matteo looked smart in a tailored suit, Dalglish wore a tracksuit which is being slightly disrespectful to the occasion. Okay it doesn't really make a difference but when Di Matteo is asked a question by the Media he gives a measured and intelligent answer whilst Dalglish shuffles around and mutters to the floor in a kind of "I am Scottish so I can mutter" sort of way.
Another reason for supporting Chelsea is to put owner Roman Abramovich in a quandary. There are suggestions that Abramovich had already lined up a new manager for next season and promised the job. That gives him a dilemma if Di Matteo takes home the European Champions Trophy and the FA Cup in a matter of days. And wouldn't that be funny - not giving the job to somebody who has proved to be Chelsea's hero over the past few months? Di Matteo says he is relaxed about the whole thing. Of course he is. If Chelsea don't employ him he can practically pick his team to manage. Oh and Chelsea won 2-1 in a decent final. Some of them have disappointed greatly in the past. There is now so much live football on television that in many ways the final just seems to be yet another match.
Reflecting today on the visit to Northern Ireland. So many ideas and so many images. Shortly I want to put them all into a poem/prose piece. The essence will be about the memories locked inside the older generations, the innocence of the younger generation and the fact that places we have all heard so much about are now at peace. I have a working title of Names on a Map. When it is written I will publish it on my blog.
Finally tonight I subjected myself to The Voice on TV. Another dreadful talent show featuring a massive number of no-hopers with passable voices and no futures. Good old Tom Jones just went too far by likening one of the artists to a modern day Janis Joplin - oh come on. And how much do you hate it when the presenter keeps saying "it's Jane (or whatever name the person has)" and I just keep thinking "who cares?"
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