Football. Just a waste of time?

So, as if you didn't know, the bizarre bubble of idiocy that is football has returned.  I say that, but the reality is that it never goes away does it? Not even during those notional fallow years when summer TV schedules are not consumed by either a World Cup or European Championship. 

So what wonderous events have we mere mortals not bestowed the ability to run really fast and kick a football been granted sight of by the footballing gods?

Real Madrid's manager Jose Mourinho poking the coach of an oppsoing team in the eye.  Jose went on to write an apology letter.  Except it was an apology in the very loosest sense of the word.  After all he didn't actually say sorry to the bloke he assaulted, but instead said sorry to the fans of his own team.  Perhaps he meant to blind the other guy and was apologitic he had only managed a little light eye gouging?

Following defeat in the Carling Cup, the QPR manager said he was glad his team had lost.  I expect that the QPR fans that had spent hard cash going to the match in the expectation that their team might acually win a gamebheld at home against lower league opposition, were pretty impressed by the defeat, too.  And whilst we're on this subject, in what other business would you be pleased with failure?

Arsenal have spent the summer dismantling a team that finished 4th in the league (albeit aided in this matter by opposing teamsbwho appear more like asset strippers in the Gordon Gecko mode than actual football clubs.)  The Arsenal manager, Arsene Wenger, in his own personal bubble of denial seems to be countering the loss of his finest players by taking hopeful punts on teenagers from around Europe.

Meanwhile down the road, Tottenham are attempting to resist transfer offers for their best player, Luka Modric.  Modric wasn't chosen to play in a recent game as 'his head wasn't in the right place.'  How would it be if Modric worked out here in the real world and phoned in that excuse?  My guess is that he would be told to get his head from out of his backside and come into work pronto.  Footballers, eh?  Don't you just loathe these muti-millionaires?

The one footballer I can empathise with now in Gary Neville.  And he's not even a footballer anymore.  In his autobiograpghy he claims that playing for England was just a waste of time.  He laments confused and confusing managers, poor coaching, crippling expectations and fear of failure. Well Gary, you've said what I've thought for a while, the England football team is a waste of time.  

The power of adverts?

Been spending a bit of time on YouTube, checking out trailers for upcoming movies - Kill List looks like a nasty little British film; Get Carter mashed with Angel Heart, perhaps? 

Anyway, whilst viewing the trailers, I was beseiged by pop-up ads which obscure a strip of the screen and distract you from its content.  I couldn't hit the close button quick enough - a response I imagine is all too common.  Wonder which marketing genius decided it would be a good idea to annoy its target audience?   Wonder what take-ip rates are?

London burning

As I look out of my bedroom window I can see the plumes of smoke that are still rising from the burned out Sony warehouse in north London. As I watch them pile into the sky I have a few thoughts:

If the looters were genuinely desperate, they would be hunting out staples - bread, milk. If they were, then perhaps I'd feel some sympathy for them. Instead they seem to be targeting shops that sell smart phones, trainers, tvs and games consoles.

Whilst not wishing to denigrate the events of the past 4 days, I do have a problem with the rolling news footage. With its perpetual loops of footage and doom laden scripts it seems like we are on the brink of Armageddon. As ever with the news these days, perspective is a casualty

The police, so keen to 'kettle', threaten and intimidate during the student fee protests have appeared impotent here. Are they acting to different orders, or were they cowed by the mobs of predominately young men who seem more than willing to fight back? Of course, the police may well argue that they were being prudent and patient - gathering evidence before picking off the criminals in separate raids.

In business, key members of staff are never allowed to take holidays at the same time. Why then were so many major members of the government lazing around pools or short changing waitresses?

With the police unable to deal with the gangs (and how chastening was it to watch footage of coppers standing by as looters went about their business?) in some areas groups of local residents have taken matters into their own hands. 

If it is it too simple to say that the looters are just opportunistic thieves, what is the reason behind these explosions of violence? The original riot in Tottenham could be directly associated to the police shooting of a local man. But the following events seem less politically motivated than outpourings of extreme consumerism conducted by people who believe that they will get away with their theft.