Thursday, November 12, 2009

Nani not happy

Unfortunately we are not too happy with him. I thought he would go in the summer when his mate went. But i suppose a lack of funds and the need to keep a balanced squad persuaded Fergie to keep him and give him one more chance. I have to admit i thought he started the season reasonably well. But it was yet another false dawn as all his numerous faults have crept back into his game. He may well be right that he needs to play regularly and to have an arm put round him from time to time. But all that proves is besides the fact for all his skill and ability you can add lack of the temperament neded by a Manchester United player to his stunning lack of a football brain.
http://www.independent.co.uk/sport/football/premier-league/nani-reveals-ferguson-fury-1819249.html

Mark Ogden of the Telegraph thinks Nani has got his timing all wrong again. Unless of course it his way of angling for an exit from Manchester.
http://blogs.telegraph.co.uk/sport/markogden/100003404/manchester-uniteds-nani-gets-timing-all-wrong-again/

Hargreaves near to a comeback for the reds
http://www.independent.co.uk/sport/football/premier-league/hargreaves-eyes-manchester-united-comeback-1818551.html
Although i am not his biggest fan, i do recognise his defensive qualities but will he ever be the same player again. It's hard to think he will be.

Kevin McCarra of the Guardian thinks that as well as United played against Chelsea it does show that the old guard are coming to the end of the road and Fergie will have to spend the Ronaldo millions. Ahem and pigs might fly that money is well spoken for.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/sport/blog/2009/nov/10/manchester-united-sir-alex-ferguson-chelsea
Given all the circumstances we are doing pretty well really. He is right that we must be looking to the future but who is the past master of that, if not Fergie. It does look like we are going for the youngsters coming through or being bought route. I am not going to argue with that. You can't win the league every year as much as we would like to. The fact that it seems to me that we will probably be involved at the death and who knows might pull off a fourth title in a row shows all the money in the world couldn't buy a better manager. Look at the club that spent £80 million on ronaldo and millions on the rest of the squad, not doing too great are they. How long before the number 7 grows wary of that club.

Espn say Barca struggling to get the money together to take Robinho from his boo camp nightmare
http://soccernet.espn.go.com/news/story?id=696974&sec=transfers&cc=5739
The most interesting part of that story for me was the last three paragraphs

"Barcelona have been prepared to meet Robinho's £160,000-a-week personal terms, but the club is concerned if the Spanish government rescind the 'Beckham Law' and the liabilities for overseas football stars almost doubles, making the cost of hiring Robinho prohibitive.

Moves are in place to scrap tax breaks for high-earning foreigner footballers, but Robinho can get around new legislation only if he signs a contract before January 1, and clearly time is running out.

Currently, foreigners pay 24 % tax, rising to the 43 % paid by locals after five years in the country. The government wants everyone to pay 43 % from the start of next year."

I couldn't see how a goverment of the left or indeed any government could keep that in place in the current economic climate especially as it has hit Spain as hard as it has hit us.

Newcastle fans to launch official bid to but the club from Ashley

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/football/leagues/championship/newcastleunited/6538700/Newcastle-United-fans-launch-official-attempt-to-buy-club-from-owner-Mike-Ashley.html

Robert Fisk with his thoughts on Armistice day
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/armistice-day-the-great-war-and-the-words-we-mustnt-forget-1818092.html

Oil resources much lower than official estimates according to whistleblower
http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2009/nov/09/peak-oil-international-energy-agency
And you wonder why the neocons were so keen to enter Iraq and Afghanistan.

As Armistice day goes by for another year and the Brown Janes affair dies down it's good to read an article that reminds us the reality of war not the governments and for that matter it seems to me most people's pretence that you can fight wars on the cheap with no casualties.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2009/nov/11/war-soldiers-equipment-afghanistan


Music
Acoustic Ladyland - Living with a tiger: Absolutely love this, though i don't know how to categorise it. It' supposed to be jazz rock but it's far more rock than jazz to me, jazz punk sounds more like it. I can't get enough of it, it's got the punk energy but the jazz playing and the sax sounds great. I would love to see this lot live.


Astra - The weirding: I wasn't too sure of this at first, i liked the style of music and the songs. A kind of a smoother Black Sabbath mixed with Floyd but some of the songs do tend to be on the overlong side. But the more i have listened to it the more i have accepted that. I still feel there is room for editing more songs to the three, four minute mark.


Maxwell - Black summer's night: More US neo soul and good stuff it is too, i saw him on Jools Holland recently and he and his band impressed. It's got a great live sound, that's the only kind of soul i can listen too.


Sonic Youth - The eternal: A classic group come back with another belter. There are some deep down and dirty guitar driven indie rock killers on this.


Tha Mars Volta - Octahedron: Not the usual punk/progressive crossover that i love but a more subtler sound. I still like it, though it took abit of getting used to, i kept expecting it to burst into some kind of whig out which never happened on first listen.


The Rumble Strips - Welcome to the walk alone: This had a mixed reception when it came out, but i would go with positive reviews. The songwriting is good and they don't really sound like anybody else around at the moment on the indie sound. It 's influences seem to me to come primarily from this ound of the pond, the kinks etc.



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