Monday 13 August 2012

London Pride


Anyone out there still think that London shouldn’t have got the Olympics for 2012. Well, bollocks to the lot of you. The only thing this country’s had taken from it during the past two weeks is its cynicism, but thankfully a bewilderingly naff closing ceremony restored sarcasm to the national consciousness.

Of course, the Games weren’t about that. I had one day there, watched some springboard diving semi-final, and loved it. I felt that true sense of Britishness as we cheered plucky Chris Meares as he sneaked into the final, and we sympathised with a fresh-faced yank as he hit the pool like crumbling gargoyle falling a high wall.

We were escorted and encouraged as we trudged from West Ham tube station by a cross-section of selfless Londoners (sadly for the odd right-wing numpty, all cheerful and multicultural). And you have to pray to God that Cameron doesn’t keep banging on about this supposed aspect of the Big Society cos the rash of political opportunism in the last five days is politics at its most cynical.

It was a brilliant day but mostly I watched it on the telly, like the rest of you. And I have never before been bothered about how well some geezer does a pommel horse routine. Or how well a lass waved a foot in the face of another lass; or punched another lass in the ribs; or made a horse walk in time to ‘I Vow To Thee My Country’…

I expected to be thrilled by Jessica Ennis and Gawd help me that’s a beautiful woman; I hoped to be shrieking as Mo Farah held off the Horn of Africa down the home straight; I trusted that Bolt would delight me with the apparent afterthought of his utter genius; but I never expected to find that the moments I’ll remember would be so varied and wondrous.

Peter Wilson, collapsing after his final two shots won him something called a Double Trap Thingammy. Gemma Gibbons hacking out sobs as she flipped some French judoka lass and made it into the final. Kat Copeland screeching naïvely at her mate after they won the rowing “We won the Olympics! They’re going to put us on a stamp!”  (you can take a lass out of Teesside…)  And the subversive grandeur of Danny Boyle’s NHS sequence, mounted before those leaders whose lives may never need to resort to its necessity.

The Beeb’s coverage was really rather brilliant – mind-blowing, compared to the utter shambles of the Diamond Jubilee blathering – and as with the sport, the women were by and large more impressive than the blokes. Balding’s the best sports presenter out there, if you ask me.

Yes, the coverage was shamelessly partisan but the rooting for our guys never spilled into enmity for their guys (but fear not, ye buckets of hate, for the football season has already begun) and hellfire if we can’t get up for our fellow citizens performing on the greatest sporting stage in our own back yard then what’s the flaming point, eh?

I can’t say I loved every minute. Synchronised swimming still comes across as a nightmare sequence from a Baz Luhrmann horror film – is it really necessary to look like a snooty ten-dollar whore in order to compete in a sporting competition? The rhythmic gymnastics is pretty and pointless, the One Direction of the Games. I wouldn’t keep the Horse Dancing, or the thinly disguised wankfest of the Beach Volleyball.

There’s no need to keep men’s football, or start with golf, or continue with tennis now that it’s served its purpose and given Andy Murray the self-belief he needed.

But this all feels a tad churlish. Every sport is preposterous if you choose to see it that way – or heroic and ennobling if it’s your passion. What we’ve seen is that a parade of people trying their utmost, straining their sinews, testing their minds, and in the case of two Arabic women crossing a finishing line just after the next race has commenced but proving that there’s really nowt wrong with being a human being in all its aspects, is as inspiring a sight as life has to offer.

And even if not all of us can even begin to imagine swinging on a bar like Mr Zonderland, or pedalling a bike like a man turned machine like the spark-to-the-flame that was old Wiggo, or float across the land at top speed like the supernaturally graceful Allyson Felix, we can adore the fact that others can, and relish the moments in which we give witness to it.

I knew people who thought that the Diamond Jubilee expressed much of what makes Britain great – whereas I thought it expressed much of what makes Britain cross. Privilege, vapid spectacle, ingrained inherited unending barely unearned wealth… The Olympics expressed far more of what makes this country really rather excellent.

This is a welcoming place, a kindly one. This is a place where the striving is as important as the result. This is a place where taking part is a way of belonging. This is a place where we can get the job done without losing our sense of humour. Hell even the Queen likes a laugh. This is a place where women can do what men can do, because there’s no reason on earth why they shouldn’t.

London 2012, unless the shiftless muppets that populate the political fraternity of that great city manage to turn a legacy into just one more leg-up, will go down as one of the grandest two weeks of my life as a British person.

Of course, there’ll be plenty of fuck-witted economists keen to tell us how much these Games were worth, but theirs is a yardstick that tyrannises every activity in this country. If worth is to be measured exclusively in terms of pennies made then we may as well turn into street trollops tomorrow and take our chances.

I leave it to others to put a price on Mo Farah’s glorious finishing straight. To me, it, and the whole experience (give or take Russell Brand, some banal catwalking coathangers, and the John Lennon face jigsaw puzzle) was pure and golden bliss. 

162 comments:

  1. Top Blog as always Robbo, the regulars must be asleep recovering from their massive post-Olympic hangovers. Watch out some numpty politico might just plagiarise your fourth paragraph from the end

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  2. hear hear! love the fact all of the (nearly?) racist Daily Mail readers are eulogising the dear Muhammed!
    a step in the right direction me thinks!
    well done London 2012 and thank you for the privilige of allowing Usain Bolt to bring swagger, self belief and downright entertainment to the world! looking forward to the F.A.s respect campaign this year!
    Bisq

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  3. Yep it was fucking fantastic in fact close to perfect. Brought people together in a way that makes you wish it was always like this. Give it a week tho and well be at each others throats again.

    Highs...
    The opening ceremony/genius ...then Mo, Ennis, Wiggo, and seeing how pissed off the French were.

    Lows...
    None really, because I switched off the children's party at the end, the football (3 or 4 competitions offer a higher quality, so what's the point?) and Cameron's oily mug every time he popped up trying to take credit.

    BTW I thought Rogge, former world champ yachtsman, international rugby player and orthopaedic surgeon carried himself with a dignity that fat mountebanc at FIFA can only dream of.

    And now for the real world.... Vale still in administration.... foreign billionaires playing god with the prem....fergie moaning....the ball is round...

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  4. Great blog Robbo!!! It sums up the Olympics nicely. India had its own heroes 2 Slivers and 4 Bronze is our highest medal tally although country of our size should do better. But hey we atleast participated so we'll take pride in that ;)

    Highlights for me were Usain Bolt races and Andy Murray's finals because these were the only events I watched.

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  5. The velodrome for me (obviously)

    The French moaning?That was un turn up pour le livre.

    Also seeing Tom Daley get a medal,as he's eldest daughter's favourite sportsman.

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  6. www.premierleague.com

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  7. Top blog as ever.
    So many great moments.
    Highlight for me was Michal (correct spelling?) Hussain giving CaMoron a right kicking on Sunday morning for yet again trying to claim credit for everything.
    Rounded off a really great couple of weeks for the BBC.
    Oh, and up yours Daily Mail - Ennis = mixed race, Farah = Somali refugee & Muslim - How's about sticking that in your right wing pipe and choking on it!
    Roll on Rio!

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  8. Another top blog Robbo. Didn't expect to like the Olympics (I normally couldn't give a flying one about some woman on a horse), but really enjoyed it. Crowd was great, and right wing twats like Aidan Burley (the guy who likes to dress up in Nazi uniforms, and whinged about "multi-cultural crap" at the opening ceremony) just need to watch the video of Somali regugee Muslim Mohammed Farah being cheered all the way down the home straight.

    Worst part? The idiot who cut Boris Johnson down from that wire.

    Bolt is just a superstar (the kind of sportsman who transcends his sport, like Ali or Sobers).

    Wiggins must be nailed on for Sports Personality of the Year?


    Jedi

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  9. Normally when a tory elected official is hanging by a rope he is masturbating with an orange in his mouth. Well done Boris.

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  10. Absolutely brilliant write up Robbo.

    I was one of those who doubted the organizers would try to match the Chinese grandeur and fail miserably but they kept it a british affair and hey presto, it worked.

    Some are bleating on about the costs of it all. I'd rather we dosh out on having the world over for such a bit of song and dance rather than going out there to kill people in any of our pointless wars that only serve to line the pockets of the filthy.

    And there are many a men up and down the country who'd have Mo Farah children if he'd ask them with that smile of his.

    From the opening ceremony to the closing, I loved every minute of it.

    p.s: dont slate the dressage too much, its the only way out for some kids in the ghetto.

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  11. 'London 2012, will go down as one of the grandest two weeks of my life as a British person' - couldn't agree more.

    This generation can look on that with pride and say, the world was watching and for two weeks, we showed them how things should be - a harmonious coming together of nations with no thoughts other than a universally positive outcome.

    As for legacy, well the games have been truly inspirational - I have definitely been inspired to watch more athletics on television.

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  12. I went from Meh (couple of days before the Olympics) to Whoa (couple minutes after the opening ceremony) and stayed that way right till the end. I wondered if it was mostly me given that it was being held in the homeland, but NBC tell me that the coverage of the Olympics was the most watched TV event in US TV history. Always assuming that they are of course lying through their teeth, it goes to show that the appeal was universal and this was indeed one of the best sporting spectacles the world has witnessed. In my lifetime and in my homeland, awesome.

    Now enough of that already. Bring on the painfully divisive, multimillionaire knobs. God knows I'll be cheering for that too.

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    Replies
    1. Talking of painfully divisive millionaire knobs, Kevin Pietersen has been dropped from the England team. There's clearly a lot of bad feeling there, particularly between Pietersen and the bowlers (Swann, Anderson Broad). The ECB have not distinguished themselves either (the top brass leaked supposedly confidential discussions with KP to the media).

      KP is far rrom blameless (and he has Piers Morgan on his side, a man who never lets having no idea what he's talking about prevent him from expressing an opinion), but he's being stitched too.


      Jedi

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    2. KP is just being KP. Thankfully he is also the same way with opposition bowlers when at the crease, so maybe we should just put up with him being the same off the pitch too. I know that's probably not right, but I have believed you pick your best 11 and trust that they can play with each other for the sake of country (and oodles of cash) while on the pitch/field/ground.

      Delete
  13. "Rome is the mob. He will conjure magic for them and they will be distracted. He will take away their freedom, and still they will roar. The beating heart of Rome is not the marble of the Senate, it is the sand of the Colosseum"

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  14. Great blog, as always! I'm a Yank, and I can honestly say I enjoyed the London Olympics more than any I can remember since Lake Placid (and that was mostly about the Miracle on Ice and being a kid). Event after event seemed to have a compelling story, and I was one of those cheering Farah on. I teach in a smaller city over here, and I hope that when our term starts, some of our Somali kids will be talking about Mo Farah with pride.

    It would certainly beat the worship of LeBron James and company winning gold for essentially competing in a schoolyard match where the USA got to pick the first 20-odd players, leaving the rest of the world with, well, everyone else.

    The streaming of every event over here meant I didn't have to endure the pre-packaged pap presented by plastic people nightly. I absolutely loved the live feeds, as there was either no commentary or, usually, the BBC.

    So bask in some well-deserved praise, GB and London! You did it right!

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  15. Possibly the best Olympic summary I've read, Robbo. One of your best posts, even if it was dangerously positive. I do hope Britain doesn't become a happy place because of this...

    I second Scott on the streaming feeds in the US; whoever called the track, men's soccer final, etc. was invariably better far than the American commentators, which was followed closely by ambient crowd noise, while US commentators trailed behind in fifth behind "my own choice of music" and "mute".

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  16. Brilliant blog Robbo
    was a doubter before, but watched all various sports, impossible to pick any best moment, there were so many, so I'll pick an almost non sport moment, Usain talking to the volunteer girl just before the 200m, made her day for life.

    German colleagues also very supportive of the whole event, even Die Welt stated BBC coverage was much better than NDR/RTL,
    and yes take a bow Clare, you were superb

    Only negative, Bond(no not the Queens Bond) that prat of a so-called sports editor, and Crammy and Bren being way over the top

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  17. I'm guessing none of you have read any comments on the daily mail website. I did, just to check it out, and sure enough, first article I scrolled past had more than one person moaning about them bloody foreigners coming over here and winning our medals (Mo Farah, they were talking about you, you absolute hero!).

    Rastafairy

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  18. Good blog Robbo.

    I have to admit to not watching one second of the games. I never watch them and did not feel the need to watch this time just because they were held in London. Judging by everyone's comments they were a great success.

    It is good to see an England manager looking to the future for a change. Hodgson's squad to face Italy, for me, is most refreshing, in fact the only negative is the inclusion of Milner, who will never be an international player as long as his arsehole points south. I can only hope that Terry's omission becomes a permanent one. The selection of Carroll and Defoe show the lack of options up front, both are struggling to get a game in their respective teams.

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    Replies
    1. Defoe is the only striker we have left at Spurs and he still can't get a game.

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  19. 246838-71040

    246838-71040

    246838-71040

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  20. Good stuff Robbo. The Olympics were brilliant and I loved the closing ceremony too, it's that nostalgia again. I'd like to see more underwater shots from the water polo where they beat the shit out of each other and earned a new respect for their efforts from me at least. The television people only pointed this out on the final weekend with some video footage to show what goes on. I think if they played with a heavy rubber egg-shaped brick and called it water rugby it'd be even better.

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  21. Probably the best blog I've ever read of yours, Robbo. Excellent work.

    Like Bo, I didn't watch any of the Olympics, but it's success and the effect it had on Britain seems obvious to all. You can't put a price on those emotions so anyone saying it was too expensive or whatever hasn't really got a leg to stand on.

    Very good quotes from Roy Hodgson over on the Beeb where he's talking about how the athletes and the crowds behaved at the Olympics, and comparing them to how football players and football crowds behave.

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  22. Noel, agree with your points on Woy.

    Robbo, I have to take some issue with your Twitter comments on KP. Sure, he's an egomaniac (but he can walk the walk), but some of his issues are real. He went into what he thought were confidential discussions with the ECB, only to find "spun" versions, designed to make him look bad, leaked to the media. If I go into discussions with my employer, i do not expect a distorted version of those discussions to be leaked to the press (not that the press would give a flying one in my case). That was authorised from the top (Hugh Morris or Giles Clarke). Also Swann didn't get any grief for slagging off KP and Samit Patel in his autobiography.

    Just cos you're paranoid doesn't mean they're not out to get you. Has to be the same rules for everyone.


    Jedi

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  23. If you'd pissed people off, including insulting your line manager, if you had very publically tried to tell your employer how to manage their staff and then publically announced that youd be choosing which roles you'd be fulfilling in future because you'd had a better offer from another employer, they would sack you, noel.

    It's been a power struggle and KP whos not the sharpest pencil in the box, couldn't win. If we lose this game now, hell get the blame.

    England can't be playing test matches during the IPL with a bunch of stars missing. If he's an outsider, its because he's put himself outside. Fine, but that always comes with a price.

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    1. Blog, I think your points on KP were aimed at me, not Noel. And they're pretty fair ones. The England international calendar does need sorting (not just to accommodate Pietersen, most of the bowlers have had matches off), though.

      My point was really that both sides (KP and ECB) come out of this pretty badly (as do most of the England bowlers, who very clearly don't like Pietersen). The only one who comes out well is probably Matt Prior, who apparently phoned Pietersen off his own bat, to see if he could help work through some of the issues, and had a long chat with him.

      The way it will have to go is to get some sort of window to accommodate the IPL (in any case, there is little point in England playing tests in May, when the weather interferes. Most of those series are "warm up" games anyway, and England could equally use them to test out younger players.


      Jedi

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  24. BBC NEWS. A pervert has been sentenced for peeping over the cubicles whilst Chinese swimmers changed.

    In a related story, police are investigating13,000 spectators at the beach volleyball.

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  25. Not sure Woy should be saying he hopes Terry is cleared. Seems a little more than he should've said.

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  26. QPR midfielder Joey Barton says "it's time football got a bit of humility" in the wake of London 2012.
    ------------------------------------
    HAHAHAHAHA!

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  27. Yes sorry jedi

    I agree with you KP is probably not a bad bloke but he tends to act like a celebrity footballer and the blazers will make him pay for his slightly dimwitted arrogance with an equal measure of humiliation.

    He's been trying to get his own way by appealing to public opinion via YouTube etc. so i personally find it hard to have any sympathy. In fact that weasely YouTube mea culpa he issued makes me suspect everything else he says is just PR.

    Fact is take any bunch of blokes and you'll get some who don't get on, rivalries, differences, jealousies, factions and these discords have to be managed or it can go horribly destructively wrong. So KP is getting what he deserved imho.

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  28. Best blog in ages Robbo. Too bad that after all the heroic, honest endeavour we will now resort to the diving, cheating theatrics that is the Premier League.

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    Replies
    1. we won't see any diving and cheating if we don't watch it. I'll be focusing on the Championship this season!

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  29. Afternoon all

    Excellent blog Robbo - have to say i started off a bit lethargic towards the Games but it did get to point that I would watch virtually any of the sports (drawing line at synchronised swimming) It was a huge success and as everyone has been saying shows true dedication and sportsmanship from the athletes, other than the asexual shotputter that is.

    I have spent the last two days virtually solidly trying to get tickets to paralympics but with no joy, they might as well put a message up saying 'Piss off you jump-on-the-band-wagon loser, you should have applied months ago'..

    Does any of regulars mind if I join up to the fantasy football team thing? I know you will all be quaking in your boots with me bringing my expertise to the table - I believe I came second last the other year.

    Finally absolutely nothing to do with this but hand-on heart I saw a poster earlier today outside a funeral directors which said 'We support our local hospices'

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    Replies
    1. Welcome back (again) Bells..the only pre-req for joining the FFL this season is that you also have to be back as a regular on the blog. We missed you.

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    2. yeah Bells, none of this I-only-show-up-when-we-win-a-trophy crap! You have to be here to tell us how great your team is even when they get hammered and proceed with blind faith in all matters, regardless of the evidence against your opinions!

      Delete
    3. Thanks AH - i will try to be as regular as I am after taking ex-lax

      Trotts, fair-do's, it wasnt meant as a turn-up-to- gloat episode, tho it did end up that way. Anyway we was robbed on Sunday - how Mikel did not score 433 goals in the first half is beyond me..

      Delete
  30. Hullloooo

    What`s the codey thingy for Robbo H2H.

    Can´t believe I´ve left it so late. Please help.

    Jacks of Buxom. I am Cav´s representative here on Earth. Can I pass along a message?

    TrotterUSA. I name ye Trott of olde Bolton Towne. Care thee decipher mine own flux?



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    1. Hey Dundee United fan/owner of gangulygoo FC..here you go (re=posted from above 6 posts above) -

      www.premierleague.com

      215538-62238

      215538-62239

      215538-62252

      215538-62260

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    2. A bar in Kleish (small town in Outer Hebrides) serving Shini krab ale?

      Delete
  31. RvP to Man U then...didn't really think he would go to another PL club, just goes to show how much I know. Now only the Modric saga left.

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  32. Wonder how much playtime Welbeck will get behind Rooney, RvP and Chicharito

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    1. He won't care AH, he just signed a new contract with a bumper pay rise (although 'only' 75k a week).

      Delete
  33. If the reported 24 mil quid is correct then Arsenal have done a fantastic business on an injury prone 29y.o. who scored his career goals in his last season.

    Thats his career as a pro footballer.

    Any way, on to a replacement.

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  34. Not afraid to use deadly force.

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  35. Looks like your prayers have been answered, AH. Modric expected in Madrid for his medical today ahead of a 27.5m transfer. Not quite the 40m Levy was after then. Still if he's in Madrid for the transfer then he could do worse than head up the road to Bilbao, deposit a hefty amount in their bank account and come back to White Hart Lane with Fernando Llorente amongst his baggage. He could even stop over in Lyon and get Lloris checked in too.

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    1. He can stop in at Liverpool and pick up Hendo and Adam as well while he's at it. We'll even pay him to make it worth his while.

      On the flip side, he might now be able to afford Adebayor and/or Gaston Ramirez, so for Spurs this could be a blessing in disguise. No point in holding on to someone who doesnt want to stay. I'm not even close to being a Spurs fan and even I couldn't bear to see his mug without getting irritated. For all you know he might be in the right and Levy might be backtracking on a gentleman's agreement, but I never let little things like facts get in my way.

      Delete
    2. I don't think transfer fees are stopping us signing anyone AH, but we have a strict wage structure that Levy won't break. Ramirez has already said (or his agent has) that a fee was agreed with Bolgna, but the wages we offered weren't enough. The wages are also the sticking point with Adebayor, as I believe a fee had been agreed with City too. Personally, I'm happy to not sign someone if wages are of that much of a concern to them. If it means that we can't sign the 'superstars' then we'll unearth someone else.

      Modric is clearly too good for Spurs, and I think he deserves a shot with a huge club like Madrid. We've made a healthy profit on him, so good luck to him. He played well last season after wanting to move but not being allowed to, many players would have sulked or gone on strike. I think Levy had a gentleman's agreement with him but would happily have broken it if it meant more money for the club/business. How he re-invests the money is the important thing. And not on Adam or Henderson either please.

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  36. the gunners have done a good deal there with an injury prone RvP, but be aware, I iknow he didnt cost as much, but LP also has a bit of a soft centre,and he played for a relegated club last season in the BL

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  37. Blog, no probs. My point on KP was that he might be (is) a pillock, who tweets first and thinks second, and has a massive ego, but he's not the only one.

    RvP to Manyoo: no surprise (and a good price), but why do Gooners think he's been sold to a "rival"? Gooners won't challenge for the title this season: it's between them, Spurs and Chelski for 3rd to 5th. Like Spurs, Gooners are now officially a feeder club. Talking of which, it looks like the Modric to Real deal will go through, in plenty of time for AVB to find some replacements.

    England in decent performance last night shock!


    Jedi

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    1. Spurs won't rival 3rd - they have 1 striker and lost their best midfielder. I reckon they'll be 7th/ 8th along with the scousers

      Delete
    2. We'll see. Newcastle may well be up there too.


      Jedi

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  38. I think Chelsea will be clear in 3rd, maybe even contesting 2nd with Taggert's bunch. Arsenal and Spurs battle for 4th. I think AVB will give Europe a decent crack this season. And as Jedi pointed out, plenty of time to add a striker or three yet.

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  39. I don't want to keep banging on about the Sky Sports website, as I realise that it is the Devil's work, but a quality piece on there about Steven Fletcher, and why 14m may not be quite that silly a price. It's quality is increased when you compare it to the BBC's Phil McNulty's view on the same story - '12m for Fletcher? Crazy money.'

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  40. I didn't think it was possible but I now like SAF even less than I did last year. Did he even consider the impact signing RvP would have on my FFL team before he did the deal. Did he hell. Selfish bastard. And now I'm going to have to go and drop Welbeck and find another striker.

    Colch

    P.S. If you ever get the chance to visit Egypt my advice would be to not bother. I'm out here for 5 weeks working and the place is a f**king toilet. Cairo and Alexandria are both dusty and dirty (rubbish dumped in the street and left there to rot) and full of people trying to rip you off.

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  41. On KP: if he has issues with the dressing-room then that should stay in the dressing-room... alll this 'well I'm not sure I'll be playing test cricket after the 3rd Test' and these petty little texts do tend to suggest that he wants out. Then he retracts things or apologise and everyone's gotta put up with the prat because he's a great batsman. Well, his position at the moment is untenable. It's sad cos no one was trying to stop him playing Test cricket and a lot of people think the situation vis a vis the IPL - where to deny him a chance of earning shedloads seems to me to be the ECB at its obstinate, head-in-the-sand worst - deserves a good deal of sympathy.
    Even if KP could be consistent about his responses to his supposed adversity, it would help but he doesn't nseem to know his arse from his elbow half the time.

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  42. This whole RvP to ManU thingy is kinda not such a big deal actually. ManU are not going to change much just because of him, as they weren't really too badly off in the goal scoring department anyway. Vidic and Kagawa coming in are much bigger deals for them. As for Arsenal, they seem to be a better composed team than last year anyway, with some shrewd signings by AW. There's probably going to be a couple more with the RvP money, so they're gonna be just fine. Like I said, this move isnt going to really have a major impact on either team.

    Now, the real big impact moves are Tello and Sahin to Liverpool on loan. Ah well, bring on West Brom.

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  43. I was wrong..an absolute world class signing for Liverpool coming in without warning. We have just signed Oussama Assaidi from Herenveen. Put that in your pipe and smoke it Mancs/Gooners/Chavs. Be afraid, be very afraid.

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    1. Just being funny of course (or trying to). I'm all for making stars rather than buying them, specially after our 100 million flop show last season.

      H2 - have you seen this guy play? Seems good on youtube but so does downing.

      Delete
    2. Nah, Downing doesn't even look good against an Under-7 team.

      Delete
  44. AH - I am indeed very afraid. So much so that when we play Liverpool, I may well be hiding behind the sofa not able to watch ..

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  45. I am ashamed to say that the 'girly' bit in me came out when choosing my tean for FFL yesterday.

    As last time, I overspent on defence and midfield so when it came to forwards I was on a very limited budget, I picked two players then chose the third solely on the fact that would then all have blue & white stripe/hoop tops. In all fairness judging by my 'success' last time, it is as good a reason as any.

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  46. Anyone else read McNumpty's Premier League Predictions?

    So insightful.

    I can see why he makes the big bucks.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/philmcnulty/2012/08/my_premier_league_2012-13_pred.html

      Forgot to post the link. Because you couldn't have imagined what he said on your own. I mean, you just can't write stuff like this without credentials like his.

      Delete
    2. I do wish I HAD imagined what he said now that I have read it ...

      He is incredibily irritating but the person who brings out my pure 'I want to actually punch you' is Mark Lawrenson, smug, sarcastic, unfunny ...

      Maybe that is the criteria for having Blogs etc on BBC Sports website nowadays and that is why they let Robbo go

      Delete
  47. Thanks Anfield Hopeful.

    You are a star.

    Looking forward to recommencing battle with the usual suspects.

    My moniker is President Evil and my team is Dundee Cake.

    Hearty wishes to one and all.

    p.s. TrotterUSA, get thee to a nunnery.

    p.p.s. Jacks of Buxom, I love both Cav and Wiggo. Cycling looks so fucking easy until you get in the saddle and spend the whole fucking day pedalling away for no reward. Hunger and dehydration are killers.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Energy drink and a banana.

      Or alternatively the combustion engine.

      Delete
  48. And before the ToB and Jacks usual day out, we have 250k round Hamburg incl x4 past the apt on Sun, with GT and E-BoHag in the 8 man Sky team,

    Come on you Millers lets light up the New York Stadium for the 1st Lge game

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Rumours abound that Wiggins will ride ToB,which he's done before.I'm sure we'll sneak a view in of them all.

      Delete
  49. Anyone want to watch some overpaid, spoilt, unintelligent mongs chase a football around for the next 9 months?? Me too! Premier League starts today.

    Stephen, I was trying not to read McNulty's predictions, but they're like a bad car crash - you know it's going to be terrible, but you just have to have a look.

    Just entered my FFL team. Many thanks to Jacks for sorting the leagues out.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. The thing with McNulty's columns that I really find annoying is not so much him but MrBlueBurns,formally of this parish.

      What a cock he is.

      Delete
  50. Delighted to discover that Robin Van Persie is an anagram of Penis Over Brain.

    ReplyDelete
  51. Taking on the defending champion Spits and high flier SS in today's H2Hs. Baptism by fire for a new look 5-2-3 style that I'm trying this year. Can't possibly be worse results than the last couple seasons I guess.

    ReplyDelete
  52. Liverpool 60% possession,4 shots at goal, 0-1 down at HT. This tiki taka thing is obviously what we missed last season.

    ReplyDelete
  53. What a great first day to the season. An unexpected point away at Preston, Norwich getting thumped by Fulham and Paul Lambert losing his first game with Villa. Plus the chance to laugh at Liverpool getting stuffed by West Brom (sorry AH). I was going to ask how long it would be before Liverpool fans started saying that Brendan Rogers wasn't the right man for the job but it looks like it's already started over on McNumpty's blog.

    Colch

    ReplyDelete
  54. And today I get to find out if my FFL gamble of picking Torres as my captain pays off. I just hope that in the two games Chelsea have got this week he manages to get enough points to get me off to a winning start in the H2H. And also hope that I don't need Anton Ferdinand to come off the bench for me as I don't suppose conceding 5 goals against Swansea will get me many points.

    Colch

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Apols for that Colch, I did the same jinxing that sonofabitch for everyone else.

      Seem to be getting the better of SS but will probably lose out to Spits (unless Ramires sits out the Reading game and Dyer brings in 12 points from the bench, but knowing my luck Ramires will probably play the last 2 minutes).

      Delete
    2. Don't panic just yet AH, Chelsea still have a home game against Reading in this game week so there's plenty of time for Torres to bang in a hat-trick to boost the points.
      I'm level with Noel in one game but we've both got Torres as captain (I really thought I was the only one stupid enough to do that) so it comes down to Carrick, Cech and Hazard for me versus Jelavic and Ivanovic for him.
      Think I'm screwed against Horror Tacklers as they've got Cleverley, Kagawa, Distin and Fellani to play and are already 4 points ahead of me.
      It all comes down to that Torres goal fest against Reading on Wednesday.

      Colch

      Delete
    3. I have a sub to come on too Colch, seeing as Vertonghen didn't get on the pitch. Still don't think it'll be enough.

      Delete
  55. I think I should just give up the fantasy football now, I seem to have cursed everyone in my team...

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Don't worry MJK..I had aguero leading the lineup, put dyer on the bench and replaced ivanovic with cashley couple hours before the game started.

      Delete
  56. fuck me, a year later and now we're in the bottom three of the Championship.

    ReplyDelete
  57. AH,
    I dont usually start the season well. I took out Hazard and bought in van der Vaart hours before the deadline. And then Aguero's knee twitched up leaving me with paltry 26 points. We'll see how the season goes.

    ReplyDelete
  58. Btw AH - how did you enter Broadcaster's League?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. No Idea SS. I subscribe to Fox Soccer here in the US to watch all the footy action, and that has somehow automatically enrolled me into the league.

      Delete
  59. WTF..what happened to the new blog ?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. No idea - we could always use mine and drive the comments up so it looks better

      Delete
    2. You sneaky sonofabitch..it was you that removed Robbo's blog wasn't it. Alrighty then, it worked, I shall continue my imperious commenting on your blog then.

      Delete
  60. I was on the 'new' blog much earlier and it was there but then tried again later this morning and it had just disappeared, much like Arsenals star players really

    I will go and read your blog now Adam, but if it so mucha s even mentions the PSB, I may feel obliged to write a load of crap puns about shellfish

    ReplyDelete
  61. It was MI5 under orders from "Call me Dave" Cameron that got the blog taken down. We must've been onto something with the whole lack of moustaches causing the recession and he didn't want it made public.

    Colch

    ReplyDelete
  62. I smell a McNulty at work...

    ReplyDelete
  63. hmmmmmm new blog's up... in smoke.

    Get your crack IT team on the case Robbo or Bolton and 'Boro victories will pass unnoticed.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Even if the blog is down for the whole seaon I don't suppose more than half a dozen Bolton and Boro victories will have been missed.

      Colch

      Delete
    2. true enough Colch, if we're clear at the top of the Championship by 19 points, 6 forgotten wins won't matter.

      Delete
  64. Afternoon all.

    Been real busy over the summer period and will be off for a few weeks so I'm just pooping in to say hello.

    Nice piece Robbo, I too enjoyed every bit of the London Games, behalf from the closing ceromony. A tribute to British pop? Meh. Eric Idle put most of those singers to shame.

    AH, I've seen Assaidi play a few times, I remember him playing a blinder once when he had 3 goals and 3 assists (against Twente I think) other then that he's OK for the Ere Divisie but It'll be interesting to see if he can make the step up to the PL, I wouldn't expect to see him in your first XI just quite yet.

    Good luck to all your teams this season everyone, unless they are not Aresnal.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. pooping?

      I sound like the policeman on 'allo 'allo.

      Delete
  65. Hello H2, Listen very carefully I will say this only once ...if you are busy, there is obviously no piss for the wicked

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. that could prove uncomfortable if your bladder fills up too much

      Delete
  66. Well off home shortly to go and watch Chelsea v Reading on the Teletext sports page tonight

    Watch out for men with moustaches called Dave, especially you Colch

    ReplyDelete
  67. This is the work of the Moustachpo and the Mouchtasi.

    ReplyDelete
  68. or that famous whelk relation, the bearded clam.

    ReplyDelete
  69. I wonder if all of Robbo's predictions were the exact predetermined results of the season, thus when the FA became aware of them, they removed the post.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Do you think the FA are that organised?

      Delete
    2. True, but they must be doing something with their time and resources, right?

      Delete
  70. 'Players who have quit Arsenal over the last seven years have amassed 44 winners' medals between them at 11 different clubs, while those who stayed at the Emirates have empty trophy cabinets.'

    Yeah but we are in great shape financially. Who gives a fuck about trophies.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. you're very lucky that they share all the profits with the fans, Bo.

      Delete
    2. I have been waiting for my dividend to arrive in the post Trott. Mail from overseas is fucking slow here though. Yesterday I received a christmas card from my daughter.

      Delete
  71. Money doesn't talk it fucking swears. It has always of course been important but now its the be all and end all of football in England. The top three clubs are in an sewn up and untouchable league of their own. You'd have to be a bit eccentric not to predict a top three of city,..united ... chelsea. No other club will seriously challenge for the title.

    This is a Bad Thing, but the EPL was conceived to focus financial resources at the top. In this, Liverpool (who have never won it and now never will) and more recently Arsenal are the big losers.

    In 20 years of the EPL only Uncle Jacks Blackburn have broken through. The big unknowns, like in motor racing are now purely financial, the injection of individual genius like Cloughie is no longer enough. Why? The top three can afford to cherry pick players in a way which stops others...mainly Arsenal ...ever challenging ever again.

    So the real drama is now....

    1. Will another billionaire from some shit country take over another English club? Likelihood : 1/10. Desirability : 5/10
    2. Will man u suffer a slow collapse under its debt burden? Likelihood : 4/10. Desirability : 10/10
    3. Will the city and Chelski owners tire of their playthings? Likelihood : 5/10. Desirability : 5/10
    4. Will fallen giants Arsenal, Liverpool, Spurs ever win anything ever again? Likelihood : 1/10. Desirability : 10/10
    5. Will Newcastle keep up their momentum by keeping their best players? Likelihood : 2/10. Desirability : 10/10
    6. Will the increasing predictably of the league turn off audiences tired of being ripped off? Likelihood : 7/10. Desirability : 0/10

    And of course the big one.

    7. Will Port Vale survive into next season Likelihood : 8/10.

    ReplyDelete
  72. Paralympic 5-a-side blind football, on the other hand looks a really exciting prospect

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. But not as exciting as the blind 110m hurdles. That'll be funny. Especially if they move the hurdles around so they aren't where they are meant to be.

      Colch

      Delete
    2. I wouldn't want to be in the crowd or an official at the blind javelin throwing either

      Delete
  73. So a win and a loss in the first week of the H2H leagues. After thumping Noel 70 - 69 in one league I was all set to repeat the feat against Horror Taclers in the other league. I was leading 70 - 69 going into the final minute of the game and then bloody Ivanovic scored to give him another 6 points and 2 bonus points meaning a loss 70 - 77. Bastards!!!!!!
    I'm sick as a parrot. But it's a long season. There's no need to panic after one defeat. I've got the full backing of the chairman. And lots of other standard footballing cliches.

    Colch

    ReplyDelete
  74. Does anyone else think that Swansea's new striker Michu sounds like he might be a Pokemon?

    Colch

    ReplyDelete
  75. So what has really happened to the Predictions blog?
    1st ever win in the head to head thanks to fat frankie now for the (impressive looking) Purple Sprouting Broccoli.
    What else could PSB stand for?
    Bisq

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. The blog just vanished without warning yesterday afternoon Bisq. We're waiting for Robbo's highly trained team of I.T. experts to fix it.

      I think PSB stands for Pretty Shit Band.

      Colch

      Delete
    2. Or possibly.....

      Poofs Sing Badly

      Colch

      Delete
    3. Please Stop Buggering

      Delete
    4. Or it could be where their music is now found......

      Pound Shop Bin

      Colch

      Delete
  76. Arent the judges in the bind javeline throw also blind?

    ReplyDelete
  77. btw, in the blind javeline throw, how do they know the javeline is blind?

    ReplyDelete
  78. Please Save Robbo.

    The longer this goes on I'm pondering if it's the IT team on the case or the lawyers. Did Robbo by any chance insult anybody or miss out an "allegedly"?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Maybe we should just go back to last year's Robbo predictions blog instead. Itwon't be that much different. Arsenal will have still sold their best players and Bolton will still be in the Premier League.

      Colch

      Delete
    2. works for me Colch, top ten in fact!

      Delete
  79. because its venetian

    ReplyDelete
  80. Breaking News: Blonde American Paralympians disqualified due to eligibility misunderstanding

    ReplyDelete
  81. And we might as well end the season now. Chelsea on top of the PL with Torres and Ivanovic scoring at a rate of a goal per match. Me on top of all the fantasy leagues. Shame neither of those things are likely to hold out beyond Week 2.

    ReplyDelete
  82. I'm a bit shocked by those pictures of Prince Harry without his Nazi uniform.

    ReplyDelete
  83. I'm even more shocked by those pictures of the queen at the same party producing ping pong balls from her vagina

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. they didn't have ping pong balls back in the 40's Blog, those are whelks.

      Delete
  84. Anonymous23 August 2012 05:43
    So a win and a loss in the first week of the H2H leagues. After thumping Noel 70 - 69 in one league I was all set to repeat the feat against Horror Taclers in the other league. I was leading 70 - 69 going into the final minute of the game and then bloody Ivanovic scored to give him another 6 points and 2 bonus points meaning a loss 70 - 77. Bastards!!!!!!
    I'm sick as a parrot. But it's a long season. There's no need to panic after one defeat. I've got the full backing of the chairman. And lots of other standard footballing cliches.

    Colch
    ---------------------------------
    Indeed colch. If that arsehole Hazard had scored instead of passing it unselfishly to Ivanovic, Torres would've had an assist and I'd have beaten Spits instead of losing 55-57. Consolation was hammering SS 55-35 in the other H2H.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. That just makes it worse AH, as I've got Hazard in my team and Torres as captain. My own players are conspiring to get me sacked. I feel like AVB at Chelsea.

      Colch

      Delete
    2. Well, at least I dont feel so bad about myself now :)

      Delete
    3. I've got the same Torres/Hazard pair (and Mata). But I also have Michu, so assuming that Swansea continue to score five goals per match--and Torres picks up at least one each time, even if offside--my players might let me stick around for a couple more weeks.

      Delete
  85. ridiculous, beaten 1pt by "average" in both leagues, a 6 goal match was the last thing we needed to round off the week.

    ReplyDelete
  86. Robbo ...Im looking at this page everyday since August and Shocked at your inactivity / no comments attitude towards the rocking chair of a transfer market this year !! Hope you alright ?!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Robbo has been called before an FA disciplinary committee to decide his fate for revealing their preordained results. It is my understanding that he has been given a choice to release a racially insensitive tweet likening footballers of African heritage to frozen desserts in order to discredit himself or face spending five minutes with Joey Barton after the red mist descends.

      Delete
    2. Hope He chose the insensitive tweet then.

      Delete
  87. More scandal emerging from the depraved party of royals, with new pictures appearing on gossip website TCP of princess Beatrice performing the Rusty Trombone on Prince Philip

    ReplyDelete
  88. BREAKING: John Terry has inherited Lance Armstrongs 7 TDF titles from 1999-2005, making him the most winning man in history.

    ReplyDelete
  89. My dream was always to win the same number of TdFs as Armstrong, and now I have.

    None.

    ReplyDelete
  90. New pictures printed in the Sun of the Royal garden orgy in las Vegas this time - shocking images of prince Edward twonking and teabagging princess Anne.

    ReplyDelete
  91. Trots...I'm surprised it ever caught on if they used to play table tennis with whelks. The rugby version of pingpong.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. in truth Blog, I think that was just after the war when there was a shortage of ping pong balls.

      Delete
  92. Managed to beat Hearts courtesy of an own goal. Borini showing he is the perfect backup for Suarez and Carroll by cannoning his shot (with no one to beat) right at the post. While our results are crying out for a striker, seems like we have added another central midfielder in Nuri Sahin.

    ReplyDelete
  93. Oh wtf ... new pics out of Princess Eugenie playing topless darts

    ReplyDelete
  94. Robbo's Predictive Text

    The Tees Mouth at Robbo - 4 days ago




    The new football season has rather snuck up on me this year – although not as suddenly as it has on Mark Hughes and Chris Hughton. I’ve seen Jodie Marsh have more cover at the back. Still it was remiss of me not to give you a sound unbiased foretelling of the season to come, so here it is. ARSENAL If Wenger makes you club captain, it means you’ve got one season left. Gooners might say that Arsenal can be good without Van Persie, but then some people will tell you that they buy Nuts magazine for the articles. At least Arsene’s not been arsin’ about with regard to purchases: Cazorla....

    Haha, there it is see, it wasn't a dream. What day is it?

    ReplyDelete
  95. The great ping pong ball shortages of the 40s were caused by the destruction of the vast ping pong ball factories of the Ruhr during the dambusters raids.

    How ironic then that the dambusters manoeuvre was inspired by barnes wallis' inability to get his table tennis serve over the net.

    ReplyDelete
  96. Saw picture of Prince Harry and it reminded me to add a certain type of bisuits to my shopping list .

    Trotts if it wasn't a dream does that mean Bobby Ewing really is dead?

    Blogs you are a wonderful source of fascinating and true facts on ping pong. I very much look forward to learning more from you in the future.

    Have a good weekend everyone. obviously except for Newcastle fans who will be crying into their Newky Brown after we beat them 75-1 (or thereabouts) tomorrow

    ReplyDelete
  97. Ginger nuts or Harryballdi's

    ReplyDelete
  98. Hobknobs?

    Colch

    ReplyDelete
  99. They need to take greater care of Wills now, I don't want no monarch with his cock out on a fiver

    Bells - all is true.

    ReplyDelete
  100. Lance Armstrong, heroic cancer survivor-turned-cheating-cunt

    ReplyDelete
  101. If they award simply no result in those 7 tours, it just about means no one except Brad has ever won the bloody race, as they were all up to it from the start.

    ReplyDelete
  102. New blog back up....again.

    ReplyDelete
  103. Outstanding post however I was wondering if you could write a litte more on this topic?
    I'd be very grateful if you could elaborate a little bit more. Appreciate it!

    Feel free to surf to my blog post: workouts to improve vertical jump

    ReplyDelete

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