The Captains Musings

The other night we (AFC Wulfrunians) were at home to Stafford Town in a West Midlands Premier League match,it was a good first half with plenty of end to end football and both goalkeepers especially Danny Tipton for AFC having superb games to keep the forwards out until 2 minutes from half time when Danny was harshly penalised and a penalty given from which Stafford opened the scoring.We had noticed that the ref did not seem to be moving well and at half time he informed us that he had pulled a muscle in his groin and would be unable to continue,there were 3 qualified refs watching the match but as non of us (including me) had blown a whistle for at least 10 years and were old and decrepit were not the answer.
A call was put out to a local ref who promised to get there as soon as possible but as the clock ticked on and the 15 minute half time break became an hour and the rain continued to lash down I decided it was time to go home.

Well was I a pillock because the ref turned up and about an hour later I got a text to say I had missed a stunning second half performance in which we ran out 5-2 winners,oh well that will teach me to have patience in the future.

Mr Warhol's famous quote that everybody will be famous for 15 minutes came to mind when I was unfortunately watch the X factor last night,now its not my usual TV viewing but senior daughter had it on and before I could get to the MP3 player I suffered a few minutes of it.

Well to say that the talent on their is limited is putting it mildly but it did get me thinking and junior and I having a conversation about the whole genre be it X factor,Pop Idol,the short lived fame Academy or American Idol,many of the acts are no doubt after their 15 minutes as is blindingly obvious from the caterwauling that happens in the early stages of the show but what about those who make it all the way to the final,how many minutes do they get.

So I posed this question to my representatives of the younger generation what sort of shelf life do the winners of these shows have,well it appears that with the exception of Leona Lewis and Kelly Clarkson who apparently have so far had successful careers of over 5 years (Still not exactly Lulu,Tom Jones,Stones,David Crosby,Dave Gilmour etc etc) the rest of the winners and finalists do last little more that Andy's 15 minutes and disappear into musicals or the cabaret circuit never to be heard of again. Now that’s not a bad thing in that many do get a career doing what they love even if their time in the charts is fleeting but it does bring me on to the judges and their comments.

Now again I admit to not being a regular watcher of these shows but when I hear Louis Walsh,Kelly Rowland Sinmon Cowell etc etc telling these star struck performers that they are already stars and that they were brilliant and have a huge career ahead of them when history and their lack of real talent makes it blindingly obvious that this will not be the case I feel really sorry for them.

Lets face it these shows are out to make money for the Cowells of this world and the performers are just performers the majority of whom are discarded at the end of their 15 minutes so that some other poor deluded sap can add to the franchises millions.

So if you do watch and are going to vote tonight just think what it is you are voting for because a long and successful career as a major star it sure ain’t

The airwaves and papers have been awash with the goings on in the Premier League and around the England camp in New Zealand over the past few days so for what its worth here's my ten pennyworth.

White Hart Lane
The chants/songs about Emaanuel Adebayor are just about as sick as football has sunk since the terrible days of racist abuse in the 1970's and 80's,how anybody can sink as low as singing abusively about a man's friends and colleagues being shot is unbelievable in a civilised society and the perpetrators if caught should be banned from all FA affiliated football grounds for the rest of their miserable lives.

In a way the comments about Wenger are even worse because it appears that this has been going on for years and anyone who uses the paedophilia tag against an honest decent man is similarly appalling and as above I would ban this filth from any involvement in football for life

Goodison Park

I know that Liverpool/Everton derbies are feisty affairs and that Everton fans were incensed due to an appalling refereeing decision but there is no defence for anyone throwing objects at footballers (or anyone for that matter) on the pitch and again the perpetrators must be banned for life in order to send a message to all Neanderthals out there that this is not acceptable.

Dunedin

Well England may win the world cup but they certainly win any friends or admirers as coaches have cheated, players have lied and then insulted and abused some young lady who country they are guests in,I thought Rugby was a gentleman’s game well it appears not in this professional day and age. Had the RFU any real backbone they would have put the game and our countries reputation before success on the field and sent them all home but I have become used to ineffectual behaviour from most of sports governing bodies.

BUT WHY DOES IT HAPPEN

And this is the $64000 question how in a civilised country in the 21st century can we have allowed such people to believe that any of the above behaviour is acceptable and what do we do about it,well its here I go into "When I Were A Lad" mode because I firmly believe that its a lack of discipline and moral education from Parents Schools and role models to teach that such behaviour is not just frowned upon but totally unacceptable
Sadly therein lies the difficulty,we have a generation or 2 of parents who more and more were allowed to get away with murder and are passing that attitude onto their offspring,Schoolteachers no longer allowed to discipline the vermin that they teach in any way shape or form so that they grow up believing they are bullet proof and can do whatever they want.
And finally role models well what are their role models today
Adulterous and semi literate footballers
Drug taking pop stars who flaunt it all over the celebrity press
Politicians who try to grab every penny they can out of the public purse by foul means or fouler
Reality TV "Stars" whose foul mouthed tirades generate massive viewing figures.

So really should we be surprised at the events of the last few days well no but do we as a nation have the backbone to tackle not just the symptoms but the causes of this appalling malaise that now afflicts us

Now I know the guy has a brain the size of the planet and is loved by the camera but I cannot think of anyone else who could have made a programme on language so interesting,i know that scenic locations help but having highbrow discussions with linguistic experts would normally have most people reaching for the remote. Stephens easy manner and ability,as we know from QI,to take the most complex conundram and put it into laymans terms did however make the whole programme a real joy to watch and I await next weeks episode with great anticipation.

Grabbed this shot during a walk along the canal this morning,strangely I more often that not see the ladies of a boating party heaving the lock gates open whilst the men relax at the tiller,I'd never get away with it with my wife.