at some point i hit my second anniversary here, and my 13k page views.

thanks everyone

update again in a few months probably.

well i came on today expecting to see billions of journals about it...but i haven't.

not sure if that's a good thing or not, but i'll take this opportunity to commemorate those who lost their lives in the attacks on the world trade centre, the soldiers who have lost their lives in the fighting that has followed, and to the disproportionate number of innocent Afgans, Iraqis - Arabs in general, who have lost their lives as a result of the mess we (i'm not going to hedge this one. America predominantly, though not solely) have been largely responsible for creating.

oh and for the record i was never anti-war. the attacks on 9/11 were wrong and the Taliban needed to be removed, and on paper the removal of Saddam should have been a good thing too. the fact that neither of these things have led to improvements in the respective countries (and i'm not being impatient. these things take time, but the ay we're going about things, they'll never happen) is down to the failures in the politics and the planning.

but that's beside the point.

R.I.P innocent victims

hey,

if you haven't already (and why wouldn't you? )please check out the X2XII Myspace at [link]

first two songs have been uploaded there, any feedback would be greatly appreciated

We're the best behaved supporters in the land
We're the best behaved supporters in the land
We're the best behaved supporters
Best behaved supporters
Best behaved supporters in the land (when we win!)

We're a right bunch of b*st*rds when we lose
We're a right bunch of b*st*rds when we lose
We're a right bunch of b*st*rds
Right bunch of b*st*rds
Right bunch of b*st*rds when we lose



this is pretty much the end of the rant, to give the jist of the rest of it to save those with little patience from reading something they're probably not that interested in:

"to conclude this rant - DO NOT DARE COME AND SAY THAT BARCELONA DESERVED TO WIN, DO NOT DARE SAY THEY ARE THE BEST SIDE IN THE WORLD - THAT'S THE BIGGEST LOAD OF BOLLOCKS YOU COULD POSSIBLY SPOUT. BARCELONA SHOULDN'T HAVE EVEN BEEN IN THE FINAL, THEY CHEATED THEIR WAY PAST CHELSEA THANKS TO A FANTASTICALLY SHIT REFEREE. we didn't deserve to win either, however, as we'd have lost to any team that turned up, performing like that. THIS ONE MATCH DOES NOT PROVE BARCELONA ARE THE BEST, IT DOES NOT MAKE MESSI WORLD PLAYER OF THE YEAR - HE DID FUCK ALL APART FROM NOD IT IN THE BACK OF THE NET WHEN HE WAS UNMARKED

FUCK OF FUCKING FUCKERS, IF ANYONE DESERVED TO WIN THAT COMPETITION IT WAS FUCKING CHELSKI, WHO SHOULD HAVE BEEN IN THE FINAL IN THE FIRST PLACE.

barcefuckinglona my fucking arse, arrogant pricks - here's to next year when they don't even make the fucking final"

slightly more balanced argument contained within the rest of the rant, read if you want.

ok.

i've never been famed for taking a loss lightly. i'm often put under that irritating banner of 'sore loser' however i, unsurprisingly, do not agree with this label.

if i lose but have tried my best...then i'll be frustrated, but accept that i'm simply not yet good enough, and be as gracious in defeat as my frustration allows. on the other hand, if i'm more than capable of getting a win...and fail to do so...then, yes, i'll not be happy...not happy at all.

and the same applies to teams i watch and support. as a United fan, i'm somewhat accustomed to watching my team play well and win. but i apply the same rules to my feelings about the team performance as i do a performance i put in myself. if we play as well as i know we can, but lose, then we're just not good enough yet, but we'll improve and strive to be good enough to win the next time. if, on the other hand, we are capable of playing at a level noone else can match...but fail to do so...then i'll be pissed off.

and so, we come to the UEFA Champions League final clash between my team, Manchester United, and the Spanish 'giants' Barcelona.

now, United are rarely labelled as 'over achievers'. this is because, consistently playing at the highest level and showing the necessary attributes to win any trophy presented at us, there is no possibility of over achieving as everyone recognises that it's within the capability of our team, our players, to win anything.
underachieving on the other hand is all too easy to do when you're a top flight team (look at Arsenal - always so much hype, and never anything to show for it at the end) but, thankfully, we've been good enough over the last 2 years at least to avoid falling into the category of underachieving.

we've had a fantastic season. we've won the Carling cup, and the Club World Cup (though they're hardly considered the biggest trophies in football) and we've won, most importantly, the Premier League trophy for the third time in a row.

but then that really makes the second item listed in the title - underperforming - even harder to take.

we had a glimpse of this in one of the first matches of the season. using the UEFA Supercup thing, whatever it's called, to Zenit St. Petersburg. in that match, we badly underperformed.
and then for the first few matches of the season, results were proving hard to come by. scraping through the ones that mattered, but never convincingly. compared to the team we'd become used to the season before, this was underperforming. but then you get used to it once it goes on, and so long as you grind out the results it's not too bad. and gradually we picked up a little, results became slightly more encouraging.

but underperforming has plagues United more than usual this season - the two matches against Liverpool come to mind, and Fulham too.

don't care now, we won the league, we performed where it counted.

BUT THEN WE GET TO THE CHAMPIONS LEAGUE FINAL.

we did it by humiliating Arsenal at the Emirates Stadium - their home ground. Arsenal are, as i like saying, the English (using that loosely)equivalent of Barcelona, but not quite as good.

when we played Barcelona in the final...yesterday evening, since it's now the early hours, Barcelona were probably a little less convincing than your usual Arsenal side. perfect, i thought, for the 5 minutes when we showed what we could do...and then, against the run of play, they get a goal. courtesy of our defense 'underperforming' - and then of course the total absence of a left-back who remembers that's actually where they're supposed to be playing. leave running up the wing to the winger, and whatever else you do, make sure you do your job first. Patrice Evra, i'm looking at you...again...as in many matches this season.

but it wasn't too bad, we've picked up many points from losing positions this season - we're a professional team, the best in Europe, the best in the world. it's nothing we've not dealt with before, and Arsena-i mean barcelona were certainly not throwing anything at us that we don't deal with day in day out in the league.

but, true to the United way, the team managed to pull out a 'surprising' performance. always seems to be the way, in the important matches we're either (and i think it's fair to say usually) absolutely brilliant...or completely the opposite. on this occasion, it was the latter.

you'd expect a team of professional footballers who are being paid ridiculous amounts of money per game, and who have all played so many times at the very top level, to handle going behind by one fluke of a goal. not this time for United, apparently.

FUCKING RIDICULOUS was a phrase much used in my household during the match, and words to a similar effect, as the most assured passers of the ball managed to give it straight to the opposition, or just kick it straight off of the pitch. the fastest and most energetic players looked like they just couldn't be fucked after about 10 minutes. players who rarely shoot off-target couldn't find the goal, let alone the back of the net - all in all, a dreadful performance and one to be forgotten.

to be honest, i'd rather play fantastically but perhaps not win as often as we should, rather than play fantastically on every other day, prove we're the best side in the world, and then not turn up at all when it comes to playing the only other side that could have any claim to that title. maybe i should support Fulham instead.

Barcelona are not the best team in the world, they were decidedly average. United were far worse than average in the final - we were dire. on that performance we'd not have beaten Stoke City, let alone the Spanish champions.

play a full Barcelona squad, on their top form, against a full United squad on their top form and i'm still convinced United would emerge as the winners. might not be pretty, but we'd do it.

a two leg UCL final? i think we'd win that. but no, the one time we need to perform at our best, and the time when we can really prove we're the best in the world...and we fuck it up completely. soft goals, both of them, down to shoddy defending.

the first goal? if Evra stays in his fucking position rather than running higher up the pitch than anyone else on the team, there would not have been that much space. if any one player is to blame, i think it's him - and it's been similar in a lot of games this season. not wholely to blame, Vidic shouldn't have let him come inside - force him to put in the cross and we're fine, there were no other players there. but yeah, it's still Evra for me - though the rest of the team can be blamed for not recovering or playing at even half their ability.

the second goal? Evra again. Vidic drawn out to try and stop the cross - Evra's job, and then leaving Ferdinand to cover the whole of the centre of the box. he should have been closer to Messi but that's just tough luck. he's missed a couple of games, he's not going to be at 100%.




to conclude this rant - DO NOT DARE COME AND SAY THAT BARCELONA DESERVED TO WIN, DO NOT DARE SAY THEY ARE THE BEST SIDE IN THE WORLD - THAT'S THE BIGGEST LOAD OF BOLLOCKS YOU COULD POSSIBLY SPOUT. BARCELONA SHOULDN'T HAVE EVEN BEEN IN THE FINAL, THEY CHEATED THEIR WAY PAST CHELSEA THANKS TO A FANTASTICALLY SHIT REFEREE. we didn't deserve to win either, however, as we'd have lost to any team that turned up, performing like that. THIS ONE MATCH DOES NOT PROVE BARCELONA ARE THE BEST, IT DOES NOT MAKE MESSI WORLD PLAYER OF THE YEAR - HE DID FUCK ALL APART FROM NOD IT IN THE BACK OF THE NET WHEN HE WAS UNMARKED

FUCK OF FUCKING FUCKERS, IF ANYONE DESERVED TO WIN THAT COMPETITION IT WAS FUCKING CHELSKI, WHO SHOULD HAVE BEEN IN THE FINAL IN THE FIRST PLACE.

barcefuckinglona my fucking arse, arrogant pricks - here's to next year when they don't even make the fucking final.

now i'm going to go back to drinking and eating cold pizza, fuming and kicking things - fucking dreadful display.

one positive thing - congratulations Scholsey for a trademark brilliantly illegal tackle as your first contribution - made me smile for the first time that match, so thanks for that i think i'll give you best outfield player on the United team for that

oh, and another observation now i think about it - WE NEED HARGREAVES BACK! bet we'd not have had our defensive issues if hargreaves had been back in our squad - here's to next season then, when hopefully he'll be back and injury free...hopefully.

second and final observation, cos i'm gonna force myself to stop - managerial decisions.

i'm not one to question the undoubted genious that is Fergie - he knows more about football tactics than i could ever dream of knowing but...well...not playing Tevez earlier? when it was clear we were off the pace, personally i'd have taken off Park (who was underperforming, and as brilliant as he's been this season Fergie's justification for including him was that he'd been left out when we won it last year...fair enough, but if he's not gonna perform well take him off, don't wait as long as possible)
brought on Tevez, played him in the centre and shifted Ronny over to the wings again, with license to come inside every now and then.
secondly - Anderson was having a bit of a shocker, but until the 85th minute Giggs hadn't even touched the ball. against a possession side like barcelona we need to have the players with a lo of energy to chase the ball - for all he has, Giggs doesn't have that energy anymore. use him as a substitute later in the game maybe?
Evra? FUCKING IMPROVE! fantastic last season, dire many times this season. seriously think we should question his guaranteed spot in the first team when the (albeit inexperienced) Fabio Da Silva appears to be very solid in defense, and nowhere near as keen to forsake his defensive responsibilities in favour of playing the attacking game, as Evra has been this season. De Laet too, in the one game he made an appearance in, appears very competent - moreso than Evra has been.

but other than that, i don't think there's much the manager can do about the players who turn up. normally fantastic, this time extremely lacking - 66 games is a lot, and more than any other team...and in fairness, people like Park in particular just looked tire after 10 minutes.

errm...well yh a few very vague bits of information are coming my way about remake versions of Gold and Silver?

now, am is this new to everyone, or have i fallen out of touch a bit with the whole pokemon gaming world (which is excusable, in my opinion, as the last 2 generations have been shit)

ARE THEY REMAKING THE BEST OF THE GAMES?!?!

i might just have to dig my DS out of its grave if this is true...


but yeah, any info anyone has that'll give me the full picture would be very much appreciated