Moving On

Dear Blogger,

I'm terribly sorry I had to do this through a letter, it just felt better than talking to you in person because I am a wuss like that. I guess there is no easy way of saying this, but I'm mving on.

Please don't get too upset, we were not a good match. I needed someone more instantaneous, who could respond to my needs rapidly, and I think we both know that isn't you.

You'd be much better off with someone who can deal with the wonderful way you always take an age to open on my phone.  All I will miss  is your highly customisable templates.

I'm glad this is done and we're going separate directions for good. I think you'll find someone special who won't demand so much of you. And hopefully this won't effect my relationship with your extended family, cos christ knows I friggin' love so much of what the Google clan do..

Hope all goes well,

BTFM

PS. Please forward all my mail to Tumblr.

John Carew is an idiot

As I type this, John Carew has cored, and is leading his new club, Stoke, into the quarter finals of THE WORLD'S GREATEST CUP COMPETITION (c). This success on the pitch does not, however, equate itself to success off the pitch.  

As this story demonstrates.

Manchester City with Rooney, Torres, Ribery, Kaka and Ronaldo

Oh internetiwebs, why must you mock the less professional amongst us so?

Where's Wally?

Please also note the use of IstyOsty for the hosting of this link. Web savvy types will be fully aware of link baiting and similar SEO techniques used to bolster the position of a web page within Google. The Daily Mail are particularly adept at this, and it is no coincidence that they are creating ever-more offensive and hate-filled stories with the sole purpose of getting outraged people to share them around, thus boosting traffic to their site. So, should you ever have the urge to share a DM link, just whack the link into IstyOsty first, and play them at their own game.

Gaffer, can I stand next to someone besides Kovasevic in the wall?

Ouch! Hernanes Assaults Benzema

Got to love an international friendly. Lots of players going through the motions, media getting themselves into apoplexy, domestic managers having heart attacks. And nothing much happening at all.

A Goalkeeper's Lot Is Not A Happy One

Normally, there wouldn't be anything to commend you to spend any part of your life watching Ebbsfleet v Farnborough, I know. But of the fourteen minutes of this video, you really do only need the first, ooh, minute? Two, tops.

Ebbsfleet United v. Farnborough (5.2.11) from MyFootballClub on Vimeo.

Takes it well, I think

Dear God In Heaven, Make It Stop

It won't have escaped many readers' notice that I don't have much for the Crawley laugh-a-thon. I'll not bore you with the details.

However, any last vestige of I don't know what, hope? I may have had for the whole sorry fiasco is now dead. Gone. Destroyed. And a smoking gun can be found right here

Cheeky back heal from @robandrobility

Radiolab Presents: The Loneliness of the Goalkeeper - Radiolab

Radiolab Presents: The Loneliness of the Goalkeeper - Radiolab

The Dubious Goals Committee

Oh Wikipedia, how you mock us. Tales of lazy journalists using Wiki as a hard-hitting fact are legion. I just hope and pray someone has taken this on face value:

Click to enlarge

Or view the original here, before they edit it

Now Digg This

So, yeah, Beat The First Man now has a Digg account.

If your immediate reaction to this is a thousand yard stare, don't worry about it. But if you are all Digg-ed up, add the BTFM account, and who knows, something magical might happen.

I should say all of this was inspired by Futfanatico. He explains his logic far more eruditely than I could hope to, but if you're curious, Digg lets you "bookmark" stuff you like and share it with others. I read a lot of blog posts, mainly to make myself feel bad about my own blogging efforts. This way, I can flag all the ones I like, and point you in their direction. And hopefully find some new stuff too.

The Best Worst Decision Yet?

So, we've all seen the Blyth handball right? And then there's the Boston handball. Blunders, yes, but mere entrees to work of Stuart Atwell and chums at Watford. And yet, dear reader, and yet, it gets better. Behold Costa Rica ...

John Aldridge celebrates Meireles goal vs Chelsea

To some Tranmere fans, John Aldridge (@realjohnaldo) is the greatest player to have pulled on the not-really-all-that-famous white shirt. They're wrong, for the record. That title sits with Jason Koumas. But football is all about opinions, wrong or otherwise. Anyways, Aldo's heart has always lain across the River Mersey, in the red quarter. We don't begrudge him that. As demonstrated by this video from yesterday's footballing feast.

Sometime the simplest ideas are the best

Steve Bruce Would Blow His Top.

A couple of weeks ago, Boston got away with a rather obvious handball.

It would seem such infringement-blindness is catching. Exhibit A is Saturday's game between Blyth Spartan (attacking) and Droylsden.



Incidentally, Blyth Spartan spawned the greatest ever football song. By the greatest ever rock and roll band.

The Perils OF A Waterlogged Pitch

In these times of global warming, climate change, hurricanes, seasonal snow and all that jazz, the ageless joy of balls getting bogged down en route to its intended destination is still something we all hold dear. In fact, ont he football pitch, few things can be funnier than a striker turning away in expectant jubilation, only for a muddy goalmouth to cut his celebrations short.

Few things, except ...

Jonathan Téhoué does not fear you

I remember seeing a pic of Alan Shearer lining up in a Southampton wall during his formative years, and leaving his bits unprotected. Shearer is, of course, an idiot. Jonathon Tehoue may well be an idiot also. But I am not going to tell him.Are you?

Newcastle fan struggles with the concept of fire

Following hot on the heels of Liverpool fans displaying their wit and wisdom, Newcastle fans try to get themselves five minutes of fame. And really shouldn't have bothered.