Fergie goes on and on and on

I am not complaining, when he does retire we are going to find out just how good he has been i fear. We have got to hope that United manage this transition better than they managed the post Busby era. I can't say i am that confident, especially with the muppets in charge at present, none of whom really understand the club at all. And that's not just the Americans i am alluding to.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/main.jhtml?xml=/sport/2008/03/07/ufnferg107.xml
Maybe he is looking to outlast the Glazers.

Foster returns to the fold as the reserves won 2-1. His knee must be OK he was kicking it an absolute mile, though he did have one hair raising moment when he gave the ball away. He doesn't half have a commanding presence about him, centre forwards will think twice before running into him, that's for sure.
http://www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk/sport/football/manchester_united/s/1039913_fosters_happy_return


James Lawton in the Independent on the premier league's foreign influence
http://www.independent.co.uk/sport/football/news-and-comment/james-lawton-premier-leagues-triumph-a-victory-for-foreign-legion-792653.html

To Russia with tension ( from today's guardian )

Fears are rising that May's Champions League final at Moscow's Luzhniki Stadium will present huge problems for travelling fans, who could fall victim to the post-Litvinenko tensions between Russia and the UK. A three-week wait for visa applications to be processed by Russia's London embassy is normal, but with only 21 days between the second semi-final and the final, logistical issues are bound to arise - especially if two English clubs qualify for the May 21 date and 42,000 fans make simultaneous applications. But it is unclear what measures the UK government has put in place and the Foreign & Commonwealth Office was unable yesterday to say if any discussions have been held with the Russian embassy. The Football Supporters' Federation is also waiting to hear back from Uefa over its request to liaise with the Russian authorities on behalf of the fans who will require visas.

After the one redeeming act of his his career in football, his demolition of the 39th game proposal, Sepp Blatter returns to his usual idiocy.
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/sport/football/article3499478.ece
Look at the Eduardo injury, it was a foul, but did he mean to harm Eduardo, not for me and a host of others, but still some have tried to make out he did. So who has the final decision on something like that if UEFA enacted his proposals, there would be a fair few lawyers licking their lips in anticipation.

It is barbaric and i don't condone it, but what else do the Israeli's expect, when they are killing so many innocent Palestinians in Gaza, that we generally don't see the pictures of.
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/middle-east/massacre-in-the-heart-of-jerusalem-792745.html

Simon Jenkins on Ian Paisley, bigot, christian fanatic and general all round good guy according to Gerry Adams
http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2008/mar/07/northernireland.northernireland

Freedom of information act helped bring about the end for Paisley Jr and eventually the big daddy himself.
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/freedom-of-information-first-major-casualty-of-the-right-to-know-legislation-792725.html

Isobel Hilton on the winners and losers on the dispute between Columbia, Ecuador and Venezuela
http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2008/mar/07/venezuela.colombia

An interview with Elbow's Guy Garvey who have a new album coming out the week after next. One of the best groups around at the moment
http://www.bbc.co.uk/manchester/content/articles/2008/03/07/170308_guy_garvey_feature.shtml

Music
Neu - Neu : Krautrock compatriots of Can, and just as good. I love the groove that can be trance like, their sound apparently influenced loads of groups and even genres like electro. Listening to this it easy to see why.
The Zombies - Odyssey and oracle, not bad for a group on the point of disbanding. It gets better every listen and yet to me despite being supposedly psychedelic somehow manages to sound as English as the Kinks to my ears.
Benga - Diary of an Afro warrior : Back to 2008 and this is a cracking piece of electronica( dubstep apparently ). It reminds me in places of Justin Berkovi, albeit catchier and less robotic.
Barry Adamson - As above so below : I love this, it's a kind of jazz rock with a pounding bass in the background. He is noted for his soundtracks and even soundtracks to films that don't exist, and parts of this album do feel like they could serve that purpose.
The Hives - The black and white album : One of the best rock groups in the world of the last decade deliver again. If you like your music three minutes long, short and catchy and full of aggression they are the band for you. Some of the more experimental tracks even worked for me, which they don't always, T.H.E.H.I.V.E.S. is excellent.
The Specials - More Specials : The second album from the Coventry group, a decent album, though not up to the quality of the first for me. International jet set is the stand out for me.