Same Old Same Old but a new Scottish problem.

Being a Welsh rugby fan has always been a hard thing you go from phases of great success to times where you think that there are no hope. 

Two weeks ago the Welsh had shown some pride and passion and just some silly mistakes ruined what could have been a memorable victory, not just because it is beating England but beating an unbeaten England machine. It was not meant to be but it was something like a stepping stone in the right way, not because of Howley, because needless to say he was not the reason that we played so well and needless to say he made some silly mistakes when it came to replacements and tactics.

And then we come to this week……I'm a very patriotic Welshman as most of you might already know but today I am an extremely annoyed and less than happy Welshman. Not just because the Welsh rugby team were schooled by an extremely good Scottish and I mean extremely good but also because of how big the difference is in some of the Worlds best referees and some who should just stay in regional rugby. John Lacey…..an Irish ref who was absolutely terrible today, this isn't something I am saying because the Welsh lost….no because we truly deserved to lose, the Scottish were clinical, they looked more dynamic and more like a team willing to sacrifice everything for the win. It is something I have mentioned before. You look at the referees in the Six Nations right now, Nigel Owens and of course Wayne Barnes and then you get the others who just about make it but aren't actually that good and Lacey is one of them. Constantly through the first half he was very inconsistent, rolling away in the ruck being one of them where he penalised Wales most of the time but when Scotland did it he hardly talked to them about it. There were a lot of scuffles during the first half mainly from Rhys Webb, but as we all know he is like a Terrier who wants to be the best of everything but if Lacey penalised Scotland for constantly holding the ball so  the Welsh couldn't' take quick penalties scuffles wouldn't have happened but no he was just sitting back pretending that nothing was happening. If he had nipped things in the butt right away the game would have been better. Other things like him holding the scrum to engage. How long must the lads have to hold that painful position for him, till he lets the fight for the scrum? This is why there are so many penalties in the scrum while he is referring. This is a painful position and constantly all you hear is him trying to tell the players how to do it…..me during the game…."SHUT UP LACEY AND JUST ENGAGE THE SCRUM!!!!". I was constantly screaming at the TV, yes because the welsh were s**t but because so was Lacey he was awful and the touch judges were just as bad!!! From watching the game with anticipation to hating the game due to the whistle blowing happy Irish man. It is another, once again, watch me I am a referee kind of game. 20 penalties in the first hour, some games don't have that in the whole game yet he just couldn't stop blowing that whistle and ruining the viewing of the people who were watching the game.

So enough of rubbish ref's who love ruining games and lets have a look at what I would say is a players ratings. I'm not saying it is everything band it won't be agreed by everyone but something that I think.

Leigh Halfpenny - Halfpenny once again played ok….not great, didn't really bring much to the attack, had a few mistakes but with his kicking kept Wales in the game. A few small breaks but nothing that he used to be like before his injury.

George North - If his name was Cuthbert he would be destroyed by the Welsh media tomorrow.

Jonathan Davies - Made a beautiful break and was okay but like Halfpenny still isn't back to what he was like before his injury and didn't really make the impact that we would have wanted him too.

Scott Williams - Made some brilliant tackles, looked decent in the middle but didn't have enough support in that area to create anything that would spark them into life. There is a faint look at him being in the main Lions team but he will still need to play better in the next few games.

Liam Williams - First name on the team sheet right now. Not only is he a threat in attack but defensive wise he seems to be brilliant at getting over that ball and winning turnovers all over the place. he has been the stand out player in the Welsh team for not just the Six Nations but probably for the past year.

Dan Biggar - Was okay, didn't create much like he did against England and Italy but still made his tackles and kicked. One problem……KEEP YOUR MOUTH SHUT DAN, one day a ref will not like it and he will constantly be penalised.

Rhys Webb - The young Osprey controlled the game completely. Made some brilliant breaks, looked dangerous, balls came out of the rucks with pace and was all round a threat through out the game. Unlike the others who have come back from injury he has thrived from  the chances he has been given and is showing why he should be going to the tour with Lions and why he is Wales' number 1.

Rob Evans - Few penalties in the scrum (which some I didn't agree with), that made him look foolish but he was absolutely fantastic around the park, played to the ground and made himself stand out in the game.

Ken Owens - Absolute fabulous. Tackle upon tackle, line outs, scrums and even being the number one receiver and sending Jonathan Davies onto that break. He is really pushing for Lions spot and it wouldn't surprise me if he makes a surprise inclusion.

Tomos Francis - Was strong in the scrum but didn't really show what he can really do.

Jake Ball - Made one or two strong runs but I think that with Luke Charteris back from injury we could see a real shuffle in the front five.

Alun Wyn Jones - Leading from the front. One of, if not the best Welsh players on the park. He dominated both of the Gray brothers and was like a fourth back rower in the team. It seems that being captain has brought out a new side to him and made him more of an all rounded player. After the performances so far in the Six Nations and with his club he is a shoe in to go on the Lions tour and to be honest being the captain, there are not many others who could are as influential towards a team as he is.

Sam Warburton - Again another who is really putting his hand up for a Lions spot. After giving up the captaincy before the beginning of the Six Nations he has become one of the best players not just for Wales but most definitely in the whole Six Nations. Not having the burden of the captaincy has made him concentrate more on his game and this has shown throughout the campaign so far. Definitely the Man of the Match for Wales in my eyes.

Justin Tipuric - Not the best game that he has had in the Red Jersey but with Sam Warburton he was devastating in defence. From not missing a tackle to winning turnover after turnover he was part of the trio who have caused so many problems throughout this campaign. His name is definitely in the hat for Lions but we don't know if he will be in the starting line up for any of the tests.

Ross Moriarty - A surprise to us all. A player who has been playing well for his club but now has really shown why he has been chosen for this campaign. Against England he was the best player on the park before he was taken off and against the Scots he was again one of the best players on the park.

As I have said before the Welsh were completely played off the park by a very confident and capable Scottish team who for the first time in a very long time have found a formula that they should keep using. The Welsh in the first half looked forceful, looked on the ball and looked like thy were going to out muscle the Scots, but after half time they looked like a completely different team. It was like in one of my favourite movies of all time, Space Jam when all the professional basketball players had their "skills" taken away from them and they can't play to the levels that they did before. This is what the Welsh were like, falling off tackles, dropping the ball and not creating anything at all. With Rob Howley at the helm, as much as I loved him as a player he is most definitely not up to the job of being Head Coach, not right now. Taking players off at wrong points in the game, tactical problems and most of all which has bled down from Gatland the problems with not giving players a chance to play for their country. Throughout the games this year we could have given new players, players on form and players returning to the lime light a chance to play for their country but instead throughout the internationals we have kept to the same team, the same systems and it has not always worked. Apart from the try against England we have not seen any new moves, any new plays and nothing to excite us as a public about. I think players need to be dropped. Big named players to make them think about their position and think how easy it is for them to lose their spot. It would make a player think that even though they have helped us win Grand Slams, got to the Semi's of the World Cup and more they won't always get into that red jersey and be a sure of a spot. Putting youngsters in who are playing more ambitious rugby and have more of a spark in their blood may bring a different type of game to the Welsh public, something that they haven't seen for a few years and something that would excite them. Maybe the last two games of the campaign is time to do this or even in the summer with the Lions away on tour, it would be the perfect time to try young, up and coming players who could do the job for us.

But onto the final two games, what can we see happening? Not much if I'm honest the team will be the same, the tactics will be the same and we may just scrape one out of two victories but then again they may surprise us, may pop a player or two that we weren't expecting butttttttt i don't think so.

China.....the new major soccer power house!!!

From when I was young and growing up we all have seen that the Premier League, the Bundasliga and the La Liga have been the places to go, the places to transfer to and create a legacy at and the place where most want to end up. 

But recently there is somewhere that is starting to tempt players, starting to catch the eyes of big names and somewhere that is no longer in the background. The Chinese Super League has all of a sudden sprung into action and is no becoming the holiday destination for many a superstar in the world of Football. Is it the up and coming kind of football that they are playing or is it, which makes me wonder, the money that they are throwing about for certain players. 

In the Chinese Super League there are 16 teams with a net market value of £345.53 million where as in the Premier League there are 20 teams with a net market value of…………£4.11 billion but even though this is the case the Chinese League is pulling in faces like Carlos Tevez, Oscar, Hulk and more, who would rather turn their back on English clubs to play in this league. Why? Well lets just say a week with some of their wages is the same amount some people make all their lives.

Oscar has become one, if not biggest transfer signings that has hit the Chinese Super League at a mere £54 million and is said to be making somewhere in the region of £300,000 a week in wages. Another, Tevez who has joined SHANGHAI GREENLAND SHENHUA has by far become the highest paid player in the history of football, with him earning a massive £600,000 a week thats an annual take home of nearly £41 million a year. Personally I am looking at this and thinking what the hell would I spend £41 million a year, yes you would buy a house or two, a car or two, a boat or two but what would you do with it? Yes I sound like I'm complaint and yes truth be told if I got that I would be loving life a little more than I do right now lol but still what would you do with all this money? Life would be incredible and you wouldn't have to worry about a single thing but the TAX!!!! I'm joking obviously. 

You look at the Premier league, some of the best players in the World and most are paid silly amounts of money ranging from a quality 18 year old getting £20,000 a week to another quality 27 year old making £55,000+ a week.but we are now seeing that these World players are getting swayed away by these lucrative deals, players Like Dele Ali, Rooney and more have been linked with moves away to China but thank god they haven't actually been taken way from us…….YET should we say, but how long can they carry on turning down £200,000+ a week which these players will get offered and then what does that mean to what people call the greatest league in the World? As we have seen players around the World are turning down moves to the Premier League so that they can get a better more impressive deal in China. Is this the beginning of a new era, a new power league, a new destination for the World Elite or is it just a phase? 

The 16 teams in the league have bought/loaned players but only  couple are really buying at a rate of nots. They aren't pushing too many millions on the purchase of the players but they are on the wages of each and every other player that they buy who is a big name. From what I have said before they do not have the Net Worth that the Premier League has but the biggest thing that is happening is that most of the sponsors come from round that part of the World, so it is easy enough to say that if they throw the cash it will bring in the fans and bring in the money as well. This is the problem there are far too many sponsors who have far too much money to spend and to give players who then moan about how much time they have off or not off, who fall over when they get the slightest of touches on the foot and the ones have no real loyalty to their clubs.

It looks like now football is becoming a money sport, rather than the fun of the game. Yes money is always something that everyone strives to get even myself, I love the thought of being extremely rich but I am more than happy to play for the fun of it and enjoying myself and enjoying the game that I grew up with. 

But sport stars now turning to being either sports stars, agents or trying to be coaches and need the money just incase their career is completely put to ruins thanks to injuries etc and the main reason they trade around certain clubs because they want the security of the money. I have played pretty much every sport that I could, I have also coached a fair few things and there has never been any thought in my head about making more and more money but the passion of the sports, the fun of the game and never did I want to do it for the money, but that may have been different if I had become a professional. Looking at people who are being linked with China, linked with these big money moves and thinking to myself, what would I do? What would I say……yes? No….Let me think about it? I'm loyal to my club……its crazy what do you say to £200,000+ A WEEK? Exactly, I bet a lot of you are thinking right now aren't you? Thinking wow £200,000, cars, houses, endless amounts of clothes, make-up (if you are a lady) and maybe even invest in some businesses that you have always wanted to have. 

Sport is now all about money right now, from sporting sponsorships, to wages, to paying out for divorces it seems. People see sporting stars as role models and people look and scrutinise everything they do, from a family meal out, to a drunken party with friends everything is seen throughout the media and it is kind of clear to see why people worry about what they do and with more money comes more problems, more money means more people use you and more rumours could come out of the woodwork and that is exactly what the problem is. People throwing money about is something that only football really has, yes basketball and baseball and NFL have got that kind of money but when players are in clubs they are in clubs forever, unless there are circumstances, they don't leave for money or leave for silly reasons they make sure that they commit to the clubs and make sure they commit to people who have made them who they are but on the other hand you look at footballers and as much as I know football is the biggest sporting activity in the World but with these role models you see them having tantrums, play acting and more and don't have any loyalty to the clubs that they have. Since people like Giggs, Adams, Scholes, Carragher and others you don't see anyone sticking to their guns and fighting for spots. Most don't have it in them to push through injuries, fight for that position and say to the gaffer….."Oi look at me I'm on my game now put me in". You look at players in the past that would go all out no matter how much it hurt to be that first name on the sheet, that player that everyone wanted and that player that the manager couldn't leave out. Now it just seems if money comes to them and interest is shown they will up and leave….Sterling, a decent season with Liverpool and England, they up and leaves for Man City, loses his performances and spot and after a year of being awful is slowly starting to get his attitude back. Bony, had a great season for Swansea, leaves for City and doesn't play, loses his confidence and becomes 3 or 4th choice and now has left. Benteke, wow what a performer for Aston Villa, leaves for Liverpool, plays hardly any games for the league leaders at the time and now has left to go to Palace who look on the down and look like a Championship team. These three are just a few who have thought more about money than loyalty and show the mentality of footballers these days.

China obviously is becoming the place to go and hopefully it will bring in a new audience to the sport, bring new up and coming players and get a fan base that would normally look to go to England for a Premier League game, buy tickets for a Chinese Super League game and may bring tourists from all around the World to their league and their sport but watch this space for probably the biggest change in the sport.

Ho Ho Ho.......GO AWAY!!!!

Carols, gifts and drunken people, yes it is that time of the year again. It has come round far too quickly this year but it is back and with vengeance. 

CHRISTMAS!!!

I'm such a Scrooge, I hate this time of year i really do, I don't like any of the christmas carols, I don't like any gifts and I don't like any decorations. I'm not saying that everyone has to hate it as much as I do but it would help haha (I am joking). 

When I was a child I used to love it, getting up super early to empty my stocking, getting a Terry's Chocolate Orange at the bottom (Yes that always happened without fail). I used to love running down the stairs and seeing all the presents under the tree, but now I'm not the same. I think since I started working over Christmas' in the hospitality business. 

Working from 9am to 4am Christmas Eve and then getting straight back into it on Boxing day morning it ruins anything and everything that you would want to do and want to be with. I would have to travel back from where ever I was at that time in the morning to then sleeping for an hour, spending the day with the family nd then heading back to wherever it was in the night so I can work in the morning again. It ruined it all for me completely! I hated having to rush everything! How was I supposed to see my friends, see my family, relax or anything like that in around 12 hours? Time to relax?? What is relaxation over Christmas really??

Christmas is just a way of retailers to tell you how much money you can save with them buying this for your child, buying this for their partner and buying this, like myself, for themselves. Telling me that I can buy this toy for this price, that my cousin would love but then again why would I want to buy him/her anything when I can go see them and allow them to spend the money themselves. I am one of those people, I do not have that much time off because I like working and i like money, so the only reason I go out and buy things is for my mum and dad and that is because they have done so so much for me and they deserve something back from me.

Walking round Birmingham right now and the German market has popped up out of no where  and now it is becoming a rammed sacked one way street, where you can't speed walk, you can just about fit in the street but you are willing to wait 20-30 minutes for a 2 pinter of German lager and another for a Bratwerst or steak (They are all pretty amazing to be frank). There seems to be a million people walking in different directions and the stalls seem to be 4 deep in queues which makes everything even harder. 

So yeah this is a start of why I hate, dislike, grrrrrr Christmas!!!  

I know people who absolutely love Christmas, who are in love with everything about Christmas, who will decorate their house up to the max so that they can be seen from outer space but that just isn't me!! I can't complain I'm quite weird about it due to the fact that I love the lights, I could walk through town looking up at the glowing lights like a five year old child (oooohhhh and ahhhhhh) and all that s**t haha! I can walk quite easily through any town and be in owe at them, at everyones intake of breath at the lights, the rush for Christmas gifts and the problems of not being able to afford that amazing Christmas present for the children.

It is the 1st December and the whole thing has started, flat mates playing long tedious songs called Christmas hits…..some which are quite catchy, others…….ummmmmm not so much so I think haha! Some of them are instant classics that without them during christmas it doesn't feel like Christmas, others you sit there and go why the hell has it been created. Christmas for me is for young children to enjoy, to fascinate about a large, elderly man with a white beard, white hair and a craving for mince pies. This I do believe is the fundamentals for a happy christmas. Yes I do love that aspect of it, going to see my cousins who are 8 or under I love getting pictures of them smiling and laughing due to the fact that Santa has come and given them all the presents that they have ever wanted. This is the only thing I like about Christmas, seeing everyone smiling, families being together  and obviously the mulled wine/drink ;)!!!

I must reiterate that I do not like Christmas whatsoever i feel that it is just a way for retailers to grab money from you, an excuse for people to get drunk and sometime act the fool but then I do like having a tipple or two during this time of the year but some people take it to far. I AM A MASSIVE SCROOGE!!!! I DON'T MIND WHAT PEOPLE THINK BUT THERE WILL BE NO DECORATIONS, HARDLY ANY PRESENTS AND DEFINITELY NO SONGS GOING ON IN MY HOUSE! (Yes that was for capitals haha)

Merry Christmas everyone!!!

BA HUMBUG!!!

Welsh Disappointment.

2 out of 3 wins, we should be happy, if we were in a tournament we would possibly be top of the table or even possibly through as the best runners up, but when you play awful throughout the 3 games, you look like an amateur team and you look like you shouldn't have really been named one of the teams to watch at the start of the year.

The Welsh rugby team over the past few years have been on a massive up and down roller coaster from winning the Six Nations, to losing out to France in the semi finals of the World Cup to coming third in the next Six Nations and coming far from top in the next World Cup. It has been one of happiness and hair pulling frustration for us Welsh and then these past three weeks have been even worse.

So after being taught a lesson by the Australians in the first week. The Australians tactics shown how poor our defence really was and how our attacking phases are old and need massive working on. The first half where they completely ran through the defensive line like it wasn't even there! Then when we did finally have the ball to run with we either went 10 metres backwards or gave another aimless kick which allowed Folau to break through the line and set up another try.  Watching the game, when my head was in my hands, I just couldn't see why some players were involved in such a big game when others in the regions were playing better. I was thinking was it all about names? Was it all about who had been reliable over the years, rather than the way they are playing right now? Looking at the team when it came out and when the training team was chosen I was clearly wondering why Alex Cuthbert was in the team? I am a big fan of this player, always have been since I first saw him in a Blues shirt, but this season he has been injured, come back, got injured again and been totally out played by other players including Tom James, Hallam Amos, Eli Walker and more. So why was he in the team to start with and more importantly why was he starting against probably the toughest team we are playing this year. I looked at it and thought this isn't a team of players in form but a team of players who have been names on the team sheet constantly?

I was looking at players who have been playing well and missing out? I am a massive fan of young players coming through, players who have been showing what they can do when others are out and injured. If you have read some of my writing before you would know that I find it hard to believe that Josh Navidi has not been given a chance to show what he is has been showing throughout the season so far.  When will the management realise that given someone a chance be it for one game it could be the changing of the post. Yes the team that we constantly pick have done a lot for us over the years but time is changing, the game is changing and the tactics of the game is completely changing. Players are getting bigger, wingers such as George North are more common than they were when he first came into the game. Wales' attacks are readable, they are easy to defend and they are easy on the eye. Hitting it up in the centre expecting them to break the line and then offload because it is becoming far to easy to defend. The attacking coaches need to think of something different that will open up defences, that will make them retreat and then worry about what was coming next. If you watched the Australians, they didn't just "Bosh" it up they drew in the the men in and offloaded, they brought worry to the defence and they used both inside and outside balls so the Welsh defence had no idea who was getting the ball and when. When watching the games I was screaming for more, screaming for delicate chips, dummy runners and pace all over the park.

As most others were thinking I was wondering why some of these youngsters were brought into the team. Kielan Giles came in and was bigger up that he would get his debut and after the season he was having who wouldn't put it past them. He then played……wait for it……..absolutely no minutes at all against any of the teams. Another player who I thought got looked past was Sam Davies. By far the best Fly Half in the Welsh Regions Davies was pushed to be given time on the pitch to show the next level of 10's that Wales have. Throughout the end of last season and the beginning of this season he has kept the number one 10 in the country out of his regional team with what can not be disagreed, relative ease. This was showing that he should have been on that park playing more at 10 than he got. Getting under 30 minutes playing at 10 for a young lad like this was ridiculous and to grow his confidence, this would not do that. To build a players confidence the management would need to show that they trust him enough to put him on against the best players in the world, to be honest this is something Rob Howley and his management team didn't do. They sat him on the bench until all the games were really over. This for me shows no trust in any of the up and coming players, it makes you think, like  for the past 5+ years that the team is pretty much set before the games are brought out. It has been like this for years, players given the chance to be put into the team but never really given the chance to actually show how well they can play not against regional teams, where the pace is slower but against top flight international teams, teams that will put far more pressure against him, players that will hit harder and where the intensity of the game will be quicker.

What is next for Wales. The team that came close to getting to the final of the 2011 World Cup, the team that hit the heights of the 2015 World cup and the team that nearly shocked New Zealand last year but have now only just beaten Japan and Argentina, got hammered by a new Australian team and the best show was against a very poor and weak South African team. So where are we to go now? The Six Nations….will we decide on bringing in the youngsters, do we carry on selecting out of form players or do we have a mixture? Will we win the Six Nations? Probably not……will we fight for every inch of grass? Probably…but we will fight and we may come up short but thats part of the game and part of the Welsh Nation. We know that we will lose once in a while but we are so passionate about it that any lose, any close games feel like the worst defeat ever and such did the Japan game. We need to look forward to the future bringing in youngsters to not just back up the first team but to fight for the right to be that first team and fight for the right to be the number one in their position. I think it is time for the management to realise that young players are the way forward, bringing them in earlier rather than later, give them confidence, give them something to strive for. The Possibles versus the Probables I think needs to come back. The fact that it pushed people to play better so that they could at least make the Possibles. Players up their game if they know that they will play the best players in their country. The battle between the best players in Wales shows more about the country than just picking the players that we feel comfortable with. If players know that they will have to fight for their position it will create more of a prospect for the countries future rather than knowing for a a fact that they are in the team.

Welsh rugby could be on the up, we could be at the top of the game but right now we seem to be lower than we should be. With the team that we have and the youngsters that are coming through we should be fighting back teams to play us and should be putting more and more points on others to show that we can battle with the best in the world. 

Lets just hope in the next few months that the management and players do all they can to make sure that the Six Nations, yes may not be a huge success but may be a turning point, something that has, which kills me say, has happened with England and Eddie Jones. They have no guaranteed anything for any player, which has meant that they have played much better and they have gelled as a great, forceful team. So why don't Wales do this, why don't they make people fight for their right to put on the red jersey which all youngsters want to wear. It is a time for change, time for reinforcement and a time for the youngsters to battle!! 

Chris Ashton - Hero to Zero in one swift bite.

Chris Ashton was an extremely gifted player. A deathly finisher on the wing, a seeker of the ball when he seems like he's doing nothing and then a code breaker, playing with all his heart for both league and union.

But there is a dark side towards Ashton, from hero to zero he has completely become a disaster in the making. Last season he looked like he was going to be getting back into the English team for the Six Nations and obviously the World Cup but then he became a complete idiot and got himself a beautiful lengthy ban for making contact with Luke Marshall's eyes and now with his sights yet again set on a recovery of his international career he goes and makes an absolute mess of it again by biting Alex Waller.

What are you to do with this lad? It just seems like he sees the light at the end of the tunnel with incredible performances and putting his name out there for a return to the international scene and then the devil jumps on his shoulder to tell him to do bad things and ruin anything he has done. As I said before the start of this season he has been incredible, he's been back to the old player that first came into the code and then with one swift of a wand and like by magic…..*POOF* it is gone again. This is where I have slammed my head into my hand and thought why would he do this??

I have never really been a fan of Ashton, I don't know why, I can't really explain it but he has never really been my favourite player. He is a very arrogant player, a player who thinks he is the World's best when in fact he is just like any average joe. So I have thought this for a long time and with that silly 'Swan Dive' that he bloody does I carried on thinking that but the start of this season I thought, WOW this is a different Chris Ashton that we haven't seen in a while. The man that would come off his wing to make an impact, a player who would always find that little gap to score a magnificent try and yes the defence was a little better and then as per usual he destroys it all in a swoop or a bite as this was. 

I have no doubt that Ashton is a quality finisher, it has been proven but is this always going to be the downfall of Ashton, somewhat cracking under the pressure of up and coming international rugby. He looks the part, plays the part and yes before has been the masterpiece to the concerto in E but now it just seems that his playing is getting shot down by his childish antics. 

So this week the England team was announced and with this you could see that Ashton could have easily made the team. There were players who hadn't played as well as Ashton, hadn't given the match play that Ashton had given but were in possibly because of the exclusion of Ashton. 

With only a year till the Lions tour, Ashton could have been pushing for a spot. With him being 30 there isn't an outside chance that he could have been chosen for the tour. Being the age and attitude that he has he could have been a great asset to the touring party. With his experience from playing and beating the All Blacks it could of been his tour, something he could be proud of but now he could have possibly ruined everything for himself. Although Ashton hasn't played for the Lions this could have been the big moment something to kick start, be it late, kick start another moment in his career. I don't believe with the youngsters coming up he would have started but being a senior member in such a young squad it would help to keep cool and have a big head in there to push the squad to full fill its heights.

This isn't the first and probably won't be the last time that the English players have ruined their opportunities but it is also not the first time that they have had this problem and come back with force. As I said I'm not a huge fan of his but hopefully, and yes I am being hopeful for him, hopefully he will be back bigger and better than he was.

Government Vs Junior Doctors

I'm not really a politics kind of guy, I'm not one who goes on and on about it to my friends and if I'm honest it is not my first choice of conversation with my family but right now I have seen a lot on the internet, in the news and even in my local town.

Yes I think everyone knows about the junior doctors strike, you would have either seen in the news, on the internet or even driven/walked past some of their protests in the streets of the local towns. So what is it all about. As I have said above I'm no expert so I have done some research and found bits and pieces, some are a bit vague but some kind of explain it. The BBC have explained it as "Junior doctors' leaders are objecting to the prospect of a new contract in England". It mentions how Ministers think that current arrangements for the junior doctors are outdated and unfair due to the fact that they were written in the 1990's but does that mean that after 30+ years of working, they now don't. Jeremy Hunt has called for junior doctors to work weekends and that they should be open 7 days a week but reading some pieces it says that junior doctors are overworked and undervalued as well as working harder to pick up the slack of poor training. The BMA wanted a contract that wasn't about money but was there to help safety for not just the actual doctors but the patients themselves. In a piece on NOVARAMEDIA.com it mentions this:
"It wanted no doctor to work more than 72 hours in a week; no more than four nights in a week on-call; a rest day either side of nights before starting back on day shifts; and facilities to sleep-in for those who otherwise make a dangerous long drive home" I'm not a doctor, I care for a disabled student where I live in and help him with his day to day life but I'm not a doctor, clearly, but I'm reading this and seeing some of the things that they want to do to make things safe. I look at this and I think yeah I agree with that, why would I want a doctor who is tired and frustrated looking after me. 72 hours a week is a lot of work where your brain is constantly working and in that profession it is working extremely hard, to think about what might be the problem with the patient, what is the diagnosis, how can you help them, what medicine may be needed, how much of this is needed, how much of that is needed, do they need an X-ray, do they need further medical help, I am just writing this and I am seeing the list grow and grow. The things they have to remember, I have friends who are doctors, who have trained and trained hard to do what they have always wanted to do, to save people's lives and make a difference in the world. 

I am thinking as a patient as well, how would you like it if you had an operation and you r doctor comes in, doesn't mention anything but you can clearly see he/she has been up a LONG time, bags under the eyes, not a smile in sight, dazed look in them, not listening to you, I would worry I would think what is going on here. You don't know how long they have been up and sometimes I would think F@*% I'm pretty scared. You need sleep to work properly to be able to concentrate and make the best decisions and especially in this field of work. Operations, working with peoples bodies and making life and death decisions need rest too, not to be pushed to the brink to make them feel like they can't function.

As well as making they work stupid hours they also want to decrease the pay that they get. These people save lives, they make us better when we think there is nothing for us and to take away money from them including doctors unsociable hours pay saying that from 7am-10pm on Monday to Saturday are sociable hours while the government decrease the hours the "WORK" and increase the amount they are paid is disgusting. These people who force others to work stupid hours should spend a week of FULL work in their shoes, work those hours that you tell them to work and get paid what they get and see the stress you feel and the problems they have but they won't they are happy enough to sit in their paid for mansions, drive the cars they want and eat where they want at the time they want and think that it is okay. Their life is snug and happy, they finish early so they can go chill which their children and family while a Junior Doctor still has about 5-6 hours of work to do and some with children won't get to see them at all.

I'm not just going to go on about how Jeremy Hunt and his minions have put our lives at risk with the junior doctors but I am also going to look at this story that I have read today. Although it was a little while back I still think its a disgrace. A 11 year old child called Ben Baddeley has cerebral palsy and has written a letter to David Cameron asking him a lot of questions about why the NHS wouldn't pay for his life changing operation?
So reading the piece in the Mirror it tells us how his first operation was cancelled because the NHS was not going to pay for it so he and his family would have to pay the £20,000 fee to get the operation. What does that say to me? I'm one of those people who work with disabled people and know how hard it can be to look after them day in and day out. For the NHS to cancel this life changing operation is quite questionable I'm not saying it was a decision that was easy for them but to give the kid a bit of hope and then snatch it from him was a bit of a move on the dark side. After strangers raised money for Baddeley he was able to get the operation but now we look at the different side to the story, yes he has got the operation that will most definitely change his life for the better but the family now, because they are private hospital users, will have to fork out an extra £25,000 for his post operation rehabilitation. OK, right so looking at this for a child who is disabled to get what he needs to increase his life happiness he would have to have at least £45,000 in a bank account. Right, £45,000, let that sink in. Some families are not able to pay that amount of money for an operation, some families don't make that in a year depending how many of them work and if you have a disabled child who needs a lot of looking after you won't work that often because you will have other commitments, yes looking after their child. How are they going to raise this money if they can't get out there and fundraise for it? How are they physically going to get it? This young man has written this letter to the Prime Minister and reading it brings a tear to your eye. This young boy has been given the opportunity to change his life around, when he thought that there wouldn't be a chance for him to do such a thing as walk "properly" if you want to call it that but after the operation he may get the chance to play sports, become more sociable and live fun and fantastic life. What the government are doing here is stopping dreams, telling people if you don't have enough money to pay for things you won't be able to live a dream. Young boys want to play football no matter what their ability, young girls want to dance and skip again no matter their ability but this is telling me that if you can't pay don't think its going to happen. 

The government are crushing dreams, not just for junior doctors, creating a lifestyle which is impossible to live but for children who just want to kick a ball about or run around with their friends. I'm not saying it is easy to do but to crush peoples dreams and ambitions is something that needs to change. I know he won't read this but Jeremy Hunt needs to listen not just to me, not just to Ben Baddeley and not just to the junior doctors, but to everyone in the UK who see this as a disgrace, sees it as a trust broken and sees it as lives put at risk. Open your eyes, look at what you are doing to people and think, yes money can be saved brilliant it means less taxes are paid but I would rather give more taxes for people to be happy and lives being safe rather than people getting close to death and nothing can be done.

Waste of a Champion

Retiring after his next fight…..is this his way of saying that he doesn't think that he is good enough for  to battle anybody anymore? Is this another part of his mind games that he thinks he is good at? 

Tyson Fury, I don't know, I don't know whether he is a great fighter, a great mind player or a terrible fighter with some great mind games. Personally I am not a big fan of him, I think he is a bit of a mess and a bit of a tool but for some reason I do also like him too. Not many people can act like he does but also perform at a top scale. Klitscko one of the best heavy weights in the World was completely out played by Fury but was it the fact that he didn't want to fight or the fact that Fury stopped him from fighting? For 9 long years people have come and gone in the sawdust of big Old Vlad but what was the difference in Fury?

I'm not much of a boxing man but I can see in a way how he beat him. Most of Vlad's fighters came at him saying he was going to beat him in this way and that way etc but what did Tyson do? He went in and went out, he didn't go for a slogger match he went for one or two combo punches and then straight back out, he didn't allow klitscko to get close to him, didn't let those massive punches of his land but what will happen in the next fight?? Due to the fact that he doesn't want to do this anymore why the hell would he try and fight and keep the titles? I'm not too sure that he will do anything in this fight, as we have seen and heard in the interviews before hand he doesn't seem to want to change himself so he is ready for the fight and that he doesn't enjoy boxing anymore. So why are you fighting Fury?? Why are you still thinking about being the champion?? Why would you start a so called Twitter war with Anthony Joshua when we can now clearly see you don't want to fight him?

Anthony Joshua, the up and coming terminator of the Heavy Weight world has now really wasted his time trying to call out Fury. I don't get what this means for the heavy weight champions. It clearly means that there isn't going to be a fight between probably the two best fighters in Britain unless this, as we have seen before it is a mind games that he is playing not just against Joshua but the whole boxing nation. I have been watching videos from his so called "Training Camp" and yet he says that he wants to ENTERTAIN people before he retires. I don't get it, I really don't it just feels like he is stating this so that for other fights he will get more money for it rather than the so many millions he's already getting or is it the fact that he is rather scared to fight people who are young and ready to beat the living hell out of him? I honestly think that Joshua would be too much for Fury I think he would be far to fast for him, far too powerful for him and far too skilful for him but obviously unless a miracle happens we will never ever see this. We are more likely to see David Haye vs Anthony Joshua and although that may be a pretty good fight I also think Haye's far from the best that he used to be.

Fury, who is trying to be this generations Muhammad Ali is making himself look like a right tit. He hasn't got the mouth or the passion to be that type of fighter. He's the one guy who thinks he's better than what he actually is, yes he's a good tactical fighter but if he gets out fought what is he going to do? I know for a fact that Vlad is going to come out with a different strategy and be more of an opponent for Fury than he was the last time. It is going to be all out war and from what it looks and sounds like Fury doesn't care really, even though he said he will knock him out in the first round I really don't see him going for it, I see him more than likely throwing one or two punches keeping out of the way and winning it but points or even drawing the match. 

SO what is next for this fighter?? What is next for the Heavy Weight barrier? Is it going to be a belt up for anyone or will Fury do a massive U turn and come back to fight and "destroy" as he said, Joshua. It is a bit helter-skelter but it does mean that there is going to be nail biting climax to this summer and this year in the Boxing nation.

Money of Success.

It isn't often you get shocked, maybe once in a while you will get that upset but now we can really say that this is probably the biggest upset known in the history of the beautiful game.

You can say Nottingham Forest was a big upset which they then carried on going on for a few years after, there was the Greek National side winning the Euros but this, this is the biggest and craziest  upset that this country has ever had.

From the beginning of the season where they were 5000/1 to win the League it has now come to light as the one of the greatest living victories known to living man. I was one of those people who though that maybe the Foxes were going to suffer the fate that they nearly suffered the year before but to my surprise and probably everyone else's they began to grow and grow as a team which meant that more success was coming their way. 

After watching the match on Monday night which saw Leicester win the league thanks to a draw between Spurs and Chelsea, the Sky Sports team brought up some documents/stats about the Leicester season and what I saw completely shocked me. After losing to Arsenal, which for me could have been the moment the title race could have changed, they went a full 10 games without a loss and only two of them were draws the rest were victories. As well as this they beat a few title contenders and even big hitters and yet we still thought that they might mess up and who would have thought any different, you are looking at a team who's total value was £24 million which consisted of players who were no longer needed by other Premiership clubs or even clubs in other leagues but brought together became a solid wall full of talent and prosperity. Their strike force and yes it was a compete force was under £3 million, where in the World of high class elite football would you find an attacking force that cheap, Real Madrid £200Million, Manchester United £100Million, Bayern Munich £80Million plus and so on. Where can you find something so surreal and crazy. Vardy, a non league player with a small criminal record, Mahrez, an Algerian player who went to France with a tooth brush, tooth paste and his boots so he could pursue his career. What were they thinking most people would have thought at the start of the year and now look at them £1.2Million now probably £30+, £400,000 now probably the same. In the space of one season they have become nobodies, if you can say that to probably the most wanted players not just in the Premier League but probably the World. I don't think there has been any players who have done that during one season and even to break a record of more than 10 years is an incredible feet for one season.

From now on nobody can say anything about "Oh well we didn't have the funds to build a great team" etc because if you look at the players and how much they were bought for you can't deny that it was a crazy step for not just the Premier League but also Football as a whole. This gives all those small teams round the World hope that you don't need a massive bank balance and you don't need World superstars to be extremely successful, you need a team that are a team, that will play for each other and will make everything work. Look at the teams who have won the League for the past so many years, money money money. But what is that to the company as it is, it means that the only way to gain victory? Is that the only way you are going to get success? This is why over the years more and more foreigns players have attracted more and more money from the teams and teams are paying more and more for the best players and that also includes teams from around the World. Now we can say look at the start of something new, something strange and something amazing. This could be the change that the World of football needs, a team full of players who are a team, not full of individuals who are over paid and under perform. Will this start a chain reaction or will it be a one off success that won't be reformed? What about next season, will Leicester start to pay more for new players to keep success coming or will they keep the same players that brought them this years success? It is going to be hard for the team next year people are going to know exactly how they play, how their tactics work and where they will go for the season, also what about playing in the Campions League, how is that going to hurt their team? That is an extra four or more games depending on how far they get in that. So you are looking at Pre Season, Touring, Charity Shield, start of the season and then Champions League and then the rest of the season with the FA Cup and League Cup you are talking around 50+ games depending on how far they get in each competition. That is around 20 more games from the season before, this could mean the team getting worn out and with most of the so called "Bigger" teams are used to this type of season and some, yes only some have been successful throughout the season but how will Leicester fair?  It is something completely new, they have never ever been here and will it be too much for them or will they thrive? Personally I think they will do great until the end of the season where they will probably start to crumble and break. This is not what we need but i think it will happen. There are so many factors that could happen.

So will they stand or will they break? Only the future will tell but for now let the champagne flow and let them celebrate for as long as they can.

The Beautiful game becoming ugly.

I don't like people who moan and I don't like people who bore people with their complaints but it is time I get it out.

I've been a football fan all my life and played it most of my life be it 11 a side or 6 a side I have played and loved the sport. It has been something that if I haven't played, I have coached and if I haven't been coaching I have been watching. I watch everything I can from WSL, English Premier League, International, MLS and more but recently I have got more and more frustrated with the state of some of the footballers that are idols to young children all round the World. You see children running in the park saying that they are this player and that player and wearing all of these players names on the back of their shirts and yes when I was younger I would either have 9 - COLE or 16 - KEANE on the back of all my Manchester United jerseys but now a days I have been more….to put it politely…..getting PISSED off and yes I meant to put it in capitals of how these idols are taking the mic!!! 

I watched a few matches recently watching these highly paid stars and how they behave. Some are amicable if I'm honest, some great players showing off their true colours and playing their hearts out, Ryan Shawcross to name one and Chris Smalling to name another. These central defenders have both been incredible for their respective teams and have been keeping their team in games and playing to the best of their ability but then there are others and these are the mindless few who really get me going. These are the players that children idolise and children want to be their heroes but I just think are ruining the beautiful game for myself and the older generation who love the sport and love the game that it used to be.

There's one player who I have a bit of a thing for within my dislike and thats Diego Costa. The Blues fans sing Diego Diego etc and yes I think he is great striker, great predator instinct but an even worse attitude to go with it. Costa could be one of the World's best players but there a few bits and pieces that really let him down. He has a problem with anger so I can see, he lashes out, kicks out and kicks off if he doesn't get his way. Watching him a few weeks back versus Paris St Gemain he didn't get a free kick after being pulled down but instead of carrying on, getting the ball back and working for the team he thought the best thing to do was to go running half way across the pitch to shout at the linesman and then use the glasses signal towards him suggesting that he gets glasses to see what was happening!! This is disgusting so I think, for a player of his stature to do something like this in front of hundreds of thousands of people, most of which will be children who idolise this man, what does that say about this generations footballers. Football this year, okay not just this year but for the past 5 years has become more of a dramatic art and more about aggressive scenes towards the officials rather than what it has been called over the years as the BEAUTIFUL GAME. He is one of those players, for me who I would rather left the Premier League and went back to Spain where it is acceptable to do it. 

I was one of those players who used to be the hard hitting and so called "nasty" players who would just go for the 50/50 challenges and not pull out, when I got kicked I would get back up and make sure that the other player knew I was there and I was still going to get them back. I dislike players who fane injury to get someone booked or to get a slimy free kick. If I was going to stay down it was because I was seriously injured and not because I got a little scrape against my foot. My idol when I was young was Roy Keane and Vinny Jones. Yes I am sorry that these players were probably some of the nastiest players about but you knew what you were getting with them, you weren't getting silky skills that beat players, you weren't getting that central midfielder who could ping a ball here there and everywhere because there were others who could do it. You were looking at players that others were scared of, players that would put there bodies on the line and players that were loyal and patriotic not just for their club but for their country too. Where are these players now a days?? Where are these idols who would do anything to make sure there was success. For me there is too much money involved now, too much lottery on who will have who in their team and will they have them longer than 1 season? Where has the pride gone in being able to take a hitting and getting up and showing the player that you aren't hurt and that you were going to show them exactly what they are made of. I'm getting bored of the stop and go game that I once loved watching. What doesn't help is the fact that referee's are falling for every dive, every scream and every fakery that the World's "Greatest" players are doing. I'm not one to moan but it is starting to get ridiculous now. O was  brought up in the time where football was a beautiful but an extremely tough game and now the idols have become prancing babies and people who need a rest because they have played this game here and there. I know they are professional and the game is a bit more fast paced but as a professional, being paid silly amounts of money, training every day but yet they get tired even though they get just about the same amount of time off as a school child during their time in education. they complain and complain that they aren't getting paid enough, that they are playing too many games and that they aren't able to cope with the pressure of being a footballer. Okay then mate, work a 9-5 job, earn thousands and thousands of pounds less, don't do what other lads dream to do and just become a bum…….if i'm honest and I had the opportunity to do what these guys do and get paid what they do, I think I know what i would rather do.

I'm not just on about on the pitch now a days either, you look at different officials in the sport. WHAT A DISGRACE!!!!! How can you teach players to be humble and play for the fun of the sport when you have money grabbing idiots who ruin everything about the sport. People who just put the whole game in crisis, people who nearly ruin the game completely and all for a quick buck. I love money, just like everyone else but my life is more about enjoying everything and not just living to make moeny. I live to play football, watch football and write about football be it for money, voluntary or for myself, it's something I love and will always love.

These people are supposed to be idols, supposed to bring in the next generation and supposed to push the sport but with the damage that was done by FIFA officials, poor sportsmanship and the only thing people play for is the money it will be a surprise if in the  next few years there won't be a game, there will be a sport of don't touch me or I will fall and the game that we all loved will be a distant memory.

Rudimental go mental at the O2!!

I've been to a lot of gigs in my life ranging from BeWitched to Meatloaf, but none and I mean none have had the high intensity and high electricity that RUDIMENTAL brought last night at the O2 Academy.

The sell out gig in Birmingham was hit with an early bit of disappointment as Rudimental's front man Locksmith was too ill to perform but that didn't stop the band from throwing down some devastating bass drops and some high energy songs to the excited audience.

From the massive hits of 'Lay it all on me' and 'Not Giving In' to the new hits of 'Rumour Mill' and 'Go Far', the band never stopped bouncing, trouncing and sweating all over the stage. The floor was trembling with the bass line and from the beginning of the gig you knew it was going to be a good one. 

Not many bands can sell out the O2 Academy in Birmingham but from the looks of the queue outside, half hour before the show, the anticipation was incredible. With help from Anne Marie and DJ Max before the actual show began the audience and myself were starting to rustle and get excited for what was about to happen.

The lights went down and with the faint sound of a tuneful RUDIMENTAL, they began to flicker and the anticipation levels began to rise with the music. From a quiet and soulful beginning, the bass began to hit and then *BANG* it was time!!!

Level by level Rudimental increased the show, with the lighting, the dancing, the songs and the horns playing everything just grew, even the participation levels of the sell out crowd. You could hear nothing but the music blaring in your ears and that is exactly what you should with this type of band.

The band blew my mind with how energetic and enthusiastic they were. Forever jumping about, dancing and laughing at each other it was obvious that they were completely in love with the songs, what they were doing and with each other as a band. They never looked like they weren't enjoying themselves and with that it made it was clear to see that everyone in the crowd was enjoying themselves too. From the old to the rather young everyone was dancing along, singing/shouting with every song that was played and nothing was going to stop them for nothing.

I have to admit I didn't think that I would like Rudimental but this was by far one of the best, and I mean best gigs that I have been too.

Rugby without tackling is FOOTBALL

It is now seen that rugby is becoming a sport more about worry and rules rather than playing the game as it should be.

People are becoming more and more scared, more and more worried and the rugby I knew is now becoming something of the past. From the times when scrums lasted a mere few seconds to when dump tackles were seen as something of a spectacle, it has now become something where we become bored watching scrum after scrum, there is no spectacle to the game and now reading on the BBC web page I see that so called "Doctors" are trying in all their power to ban tackling in the school game and ban it from being taught in PE lessons.

So as you might be able to tell I am quite agitated about this. My life has been about rugby since I started when I was 4, I have played from the bottom ranks of touch to tackling when I was 11 to playing against men twice my age when I turned 18. From hardly being able to pass a ball to becoming the main architect when I played 10 through University. Rugby isn't really just a sport for me, it is what some would say, become part of my life no matter what. 

Tackling in rugby is the main part of life. Tackling in rugby is the part that brings people to the game, hard hits, cheap but legal shots, pushing the boundaries but it would always bring spectators to the game. Yes we see dangerous hits which may be high and some tip tackles which make you gasp but that's rugby. I've had my air share of tough challenges forced upon me, I've been close lined but someone who now plays professionally and i have been tipped onto my shoulders but I'm still here, yes a few brain cells lower but still here and willing to play rugby the way I remember it. Why are people trying to stop this?? Trying to stop something that brings more character to a player, of a person? Where would I be in the context of a rugby player if I hadn't started tackling people? I have read some of the comments that have been said by the doctors and also read some of the comments that have been written by people who have read this piece. People saying that "repeat concussions and cognitive impairment and an association with depression, memory loss and diminished verbal abilities" and that "These injuries, which include fractures, ligamentous tears, dislocated shoulders, spinal injuries and head injuries can have short-term, lifelong and life-ending consequences for children." Okay, so I have looked at this, read it over and over again and asked myself what lifelong consequences have happened to some of my injuries that I have had? Let us look at my list shall we:

• Torn quad muscle
• Damaged ligaments in ankles
• Damaged shoulder
• Torn open ear
• Black eyes
• Broken nose
• Broken fingers
• Tight back muscles

So you can look at these and say 'Oh my he's had a bad time playing rugby', yes Ive had a few mishaps a few slip ups and a few problems which gave me the nickname 'GlassMan' in university but nothing that would ever cause me a lot of problems. I get aches and pains but who doesn't when they grow up. People worry that if you get tackled or you tackle someone you are bound to get injured but that is not true, even if you don't learn how to tackle in school you will learn how to tackle elsewhere. If you are serious about rugby you would learn how to tackle in your local clubs and then what? You go into school and go back to the beginning? Playing touch rugby, yes a development of your handling skills but then what? You get bored of not being able to get that physical side out of you? You get bored about running about doing nothing?? Ive played both touch and tackling in the same session, what I used to call Fiji rugby, running rugby with a lot of offloads and fun but then it gets tedious and you want to just…….you know…..get some hard hitting involved. I read this comment:

"Stamp out all violence. It is never acceptable. Stop creating mindless thugs.

We create far far too many people who feel free to resort to violence - we must cease encouraging them"

Right……okay then…..so now this person is calling all rugby players mindless thugs, people who create free style of violent people. So the man mountain that was Jonah Lomu was a thug was he? The little wizard George Gregan was a thug too? You look there has been more violence and thuggery in Football than there has in rugby. I love football but you look at the after math of some of the games, hooligans who fight and cause trouble after matches, on the field, swearing and abuse towards the referee, Eric Cantona's Kung Fu kick towards a fan, Pablo Di Canio pushing over the ref, Lee Bowyer and Kieron Dyer fighting against each other on the pitch,, why are some people saying that rugby is breading thugs when we are taught how to tackle properly on our knees at first with a slow run up, taught where to put our head and how the technique should be done, it isn't anyones fault if they get their head in the wrong position when a guy of 16st is running at a fast rate towards you. It happens, you take tackling away from a child they will only learn when they get into senior rugby and by then it is too late, then they will have bigger men running at them who may have had years of experience doing such. It is more likely that you will get more serious injuries from this than from learning at a young age how to do it properly. If I didn't learn where to put my head, learn how to hit someone low around the waist or how to position myself I think I would have had a lot more serious injuries in my time. Rugby itself is not a violet sport, it is a sport which I think teaches a person teamwork, teaches a person a sense of pride and teaches people that playing rugby can push any bad feeling of life away from any sort of violent spells that you may have. 

Taking away tackling from school games would lead to something that would become seriously boring and take away any entertainment value that the game has. School rugby is controlled by people who are educated to coach this to students, coach how rugby should be played, coach how tackling should be done, coach how scrummaging should be done and how safe rugby can be. Yes there will be injuries, yes there will be hurt but that is life so I think. People will get hurt in anyway and in any forms. Children will climb, fall and break bones, children will bump their heads but that is what life is about? What are people going to do? Ban playing all together so children will never get hurt ever?? Doctors and others will always say rugby is a violent sport, it isn't, it is a sport full of rules full of safety precautions that will keep people happy with entertainment but also keep people away from injury. Of course muscles will tear and of course bones may be broken but that is the same for any sport. People will get injured no matter what sport you may play or what age you play it at. Life, to me is about learning lessons, getting hurt and picking yourself up again and breaking that trend. 

Many former players have been saying that taking away tackling would ruin the game and as I have said before it will, boredom will kick in, players participation will decrease and the game that I have fallen in love with will be become nothing but a game for older men to play and no time for development and increased skill levels.

Great Welsh Progression.

There has never been much confidence in Welsh sport for a long time, with the football team not making any major tournaments in 50+ years and the Welsh rugby team not winning any real significant games aka against the Southern Hemisphere teams for a long time but right now there seems to be a change in the times.

So after the 2011 World Cup where the Welsh Rugby team hit the highs that they haven't been before  reaching the semi final and being what us Welsh people think, were robbed by an Irish/FRENCH referee but this was something that we didn't expect. And in recent years we have carried on that push for excellence, pushing to top the tables, win more prominent games and make the Welsh the power house it was in the days of Gareth Edwards, JPR Williams and more. This has led to more and more success but then also more and more pressure towards the team.

But the Welsh rugby team are not the only team that are starting to succeed in their own sport. After last nights performance against Belgium has finally shown how far the Welsh Football team have come in the past few years. An incredible win, yes WIN against the 2nd best team in the World has shown that we are not the walk overs that we used to be, that we aren't the easy win that teams like Belgium thought they would get. A great tactical and team performance has put the Welsh very close to qualifying for their first major in 58 years. This is an exciting time not just for the Welsh Rugby team but definitely for the Welsh Football team. With the likes of Bale, Ramsey, Williams and Hennessey we are starting to form a young but mature team who don't work as individuals but work as a team, no matter who they are, how much they are worth, where they pile their trade but as a team who together want to concur the world of football. 

So what is with this new grand impression that these Welsh sportsmen are giving us? Where has it come from? What is next for them? Will this be the peak for them? This last statement I don't think it is. The players for their respective sports have been working harder than ever to succeed and now is the time to show! With the World Cup coming in the Rugby nation and he Euro Qualifiers still going on, we can become something that we have never have been before. Can we go that one step further in the Rugby World Cup? Can we qualify and become a force in the Euro's. There are a lot of different questions that can be answered in the next few months. 

Pencoed horror the crowd to joy!!
This piece was recently published within the GLAMORGAN GEM

From the hobos sitting on the side walk to the girls bounding around the steps, as soon as you enter the school the show begins. 

Pencoed Comprehensive School's illustrious school shows have hit an all time high with the introduction of Audrey Two and the Little Shop Of Horrors.

The show, that was a hit movie in the 80's follows Seymour through the hard times living on Skidrow until he purchases this very interesting plant that nobody knows, who, what or where it has come from. When the plant starts to welt and die Seymour realises that the only way to make it grow is to feed it blood and after drip by drip of blood Audrey Two grows and grows until it is as big as the stage, then the fun begins and we find out the true story of Audrey Two.

From the first big bang of the night you find yourself in the crazy, odd, slum of Downtown Skidrow. 

The place 'Where the folks are broke' and the place 'Where your life's a joke' is clearly shown by the superb acting of the young cast which ranged from 11 - 18 year olds, showed that they were not living the lives that they wanted. The strong and powerful chorus number got stronger as they all started coming forward and by the end of the song, the audience were sitting back in their seats as the whole company finish on the edge of the stage.

The duo of leads, Seymour (Jevan Cannon) and Audrey (Ellie Barham) worked incredibly well together, each voice adding to the other and with the group of girls standing "outside" the shop, who's voices were impeccable in every song, increased all the harmonies and strengthened every number that they were in, which was pretty much every number. The acting from both and the comedy timing for Mr Mushnik (Ben Warman) who's dry sense of humour added to the comedy that was coming left, right and centre and not just jokes but through facial expressions from all of the cast and even Audrey Two who we meet later in the scene, adds his comic timing when he seemingly moves about and opens his mouth when there looks like no one was there.

Audrey (Ellie Barham and Liv Bruford), has a beautiful solo song during the first act, 'Somewhere that's Green'. The two female's, who split the part over the four nights, both show off their incredible range with this song, both creating tears and hair standing moments when they hit the soft high notes, with some incredible ballet dancers joining in with the song to add to the sweet but powerful voices of the lead lady.

We are gradually introduced to Audrey's semi-sadist, Dentist boyfriend, Orin Scrivello - D.D.S. (Harry Prior) who stole the first act with his comic timing and crazy antics. The Year 13 student knew exactly when to snort his nitrous oxide, show off his high pitched giggle and change his personality in an instant. The song "Dentist", sung by Orin and the girls both made you laugh and also worry about seeing your Dentist again and I, personally will never be saying "Aaahhhhh" again thanks to Harry Prior and the girls and this song. 

The fully grown Audrey Two (Thomas Pound and Kielan Yates) brings a completely new and somewhat dark dimension to the play turning from eating blood to eating a Dentist at the end of the first act.

The duet "Suddenly Seymour", at the start of the second act was a spin chilling, hair raising, tear jerking song which, although was a serious duet was made comic by Jevan Cannon who knew when to bring it forward and when to leave the limelight to Ellie Barham or Liv Bruford, but the whole song showed the softer side of a play that was slowly becoming dark. 

Thomas Pound and Kielan Yates create a perfect Audrey Two and with the unique voice of Thomas Pound singing with Cannon it created a great duo partnership and led you believe that this plant was actually alive and we all had to be careful that he didn't come to get us in the audience.

A big congratulations must go to Musical Director Rhian Jenkins who's harmonies were impeccable and the force coming from the voices during a chorus song could have been heard at the opposite end of the school. 

The second act became a lot darker and with the technical and lighting team adding lights to create this atmosphere we later see Audrey slowly and comically( I know I shouldn't say it) pass away and what is supposed to be a very sad and touching moment turned into a comical and entertaining death.

The final song of the show 'Mean Green Mother From Outer Space' was once again a powerful performance not just by the chorus but by the voice of Thomas Pound who made you believe that he was a MEAN GREEN MOTHER FROM OUTER SPACE.

This performance, once again shows that Pencoed's incredible productions are still at large and with the directions from director Kay Smith, they will continue to grow and grow. A full round performance from the technical crew, to the backstage staff, to the children on the stage you would have thought you were watching a professional performance and not a group of 11 to 18 year olds finishing exams and studying in school.

TIME FOR CHANGE

So as any Welshman or woman living in England I have had a traumatic week, constant ridicules, told that I was cocky about the easy win that we were going to have (which I may add I was not) and then the whole "You'll never beat us at Twicks" from whoever and whatever comes along.

So waking up today I was hoping that Gatland would grow some balls and spot the weaknesses that occurred in the English defeat but low and behold we are stuck with the defeatists that threw away an eight point lead.
I'm not one of those people who are like the management should be sacked or the management don't know what they are doing but at the present time I am quite disappointed that Gatland hasn't changed the team. I don't mean completely but I mean in the sense of putting a few senior players in their place and making them worry a bit and work a bit harder. 
Watching the game on Friday night in my bar I looked at a few players and thought do they actually deserve to be in this team or is just names on the board is easier for Gats? I'm a massive fan of our back row…..well was until the past few tests, believe me Warburton has been right up there and he shown on Friday that Robshaw still has a lot of catching up to do but Lydiate and Faletau? Dan, yes made a hell of a lot of tackles but gave silly penalties away that inevitably lost us the game, Toby, even though started very well when setting up the try for Rhys Webb, slowly became a shadow to Billy Vunipola. 
WHO WOULD HAVE BEEN BETTER  you ask?? Well looking at the replacements who came on…..oh wait none of the back row really came on. We are looking mainly for the progression of the team towards the World Cup which I shall remind you is only a few months away and right now we look like lost sheep. Tipuric, who at the moment is the stand out Openside Flank Forward, with his hands as good as a centre and as versatile as Carlos Spencer was not even thought about being brought on even though in the 30-3 demolition 2 years ago he came on and was the star player. Even looking at people who weren't even in the team. I know if you read my blogs often mention Josh Navidi but at the present with him being on form I think we really could have used him on Saturday. The Cardiff Blues flank forward would have been one of those people you could have brought on at any position in the back row and know he would have made an impact through stealing the ball or making those few extra yards that Halfpenny would have needed. Further forward we can look at the front row, Gethin, yes didn't have his greatest ams in his career but was still pretty decent, Richard Hibbard was pretty poor in the line and didn't show why he is number one choice and Samson Lee, right I like Samson Lee a lot I think he is a great prop and will be one of the greats in the future but he was completely and utterly taught a lesson on Friday by the English, I have had that thought of, 'Why was Adam Jones not brought into the team?' A player who, when Phil Vickery was being out muscled by the Beast who did they bring on? Adam Jones? So why on Earth did Gatland not think to just put him in the team for experience, a person to help the younger lads, a person that could turn a backing scrum into a striding one. I do agree that his fitness isn't the best but to have him there would calm any nerves.

THE BACK LINE
The back line in all fairness seems to be one of the best in the Northern Hemisphere but on Friday they looked out muscled, out thought and out played completely. We seem quite predictable, what do we normally do? Bump it up or try and use the big wings to pump through. But it was completely out thought. Why doesn't Gatland think of bringing in some new fresh people. I'm looking at people like Jordan Williams. Does he remind you of someone? A legend of Welsh rugby? Shane Williams? The guy can break open teams  with a few steps, something that would be a surprise for teams who think we are just going to bounce through. How about someone in the middle? Yes we have a proven team with Roberts and Davies but it doesn't seem to be working at the moment. How about a person who ail bounce in and have elegant hands? Cory Allen? Tyler Morgan? Try someone young. Try someone who has a point to prove. Try something fun and adventurous! Gatland is so stuck in his ways, in the ways of people already tried and tested, why not push people through for the World Cup which I yet have to remind you is only a few months away!!! People who have a point to prove try new things, play a different more "crazy" game and push forward so that they can get the game they need and want. It is difficult because if it is tried and tested and we have done well then why should we change it right? I think because they need to try and see if things can change, if they do, does that mean that what has been tried and succeeded not good enough or is it that the game has developed so much that what we had needs to change. 

If I am honest with you the Welsh team needs to be developed, developed from the bang bang bosh to the elegance of feet and hands. Why not try it? One or two games if it works it works if it doesn't we know to go back to the team that has worked for all these years.

We are Family!!!

"They are the best years of your life!" 
Okay so even I have said stuff like this to people and some laugh at you, some agree with you and some totally disagree with you. I've been through primary school, comprehensive, University and right now I am living in a some what adult industry. 
I have made mistakes and learnt from them and had problems and grown from them but the years that were the best for me were when I was with family and friends enjoying myself. People say that University was the best years of their life but I don't know. Yes I got my own money, yes I got drunk all the time and yes I have made some of the greatest friends a lad could have but to be honest these weren't the greatest times of my life. University taught me a lot and yes I know people are going to say well duh you were there to learn but it made me into a different person someone who grew up and arose from the depths of me, sometimes not the nicest person in the World but who on this earth is always nice. I grew up and completed my educational life but if it wasn't for Pencoed Comprehensive school I would never have made it that far.

Pencoed is and always will be my home, it was where I grew up and where most of my friends are. The best days I have ever experienced was during the years from 11-18. The 7 years that I was there were definitely the best years of my life. 

I was quite an out going kid from 11 where I was this chubby little boy with a bit of a gob on him to one of the popular guys at the age of 18, still with a bit of a gob on him. I made the most of school joining anything and everything I could from doing rugby and football to playing the trumpet and joining the choir. Yes i know its a bit weird but I made friends who I would never make otherwise. The people that I met in those groups are still my closest friends through life. From this I joined the Drama group and this is where my real love of school came. Every year Pencoed Comp put on a musical ranging from Annie to West Side Story and more but joining the way I did, being backstage wasn't good enough for me, I wanted to be out on that stage, acting like an old school gangster, singing my heart out and obviously dancing with the pretty girls, I didn't think I could have the confidence to do it, to step out in front of loads of people and sing a silly song about a girl that 10 minutes before i probably pushed over for the fun of it, (yes I know really childish but that is me). How was I supposed to come out of my comfort zone playing rugby and go into the unknown of dancing and singing? Well easy, have the best friends in the World go, I will do a duet with you so you can get out there. 
The best years of your life need to include these people, the people who make you the happiest, the people who make you smile and the who make your life easier to bare. 

So through school I grew in confidence from becoming that kid who couldn't and wouldn't sing to the guy who literally couldn't stop singing, from the guy who would walk round school with his held up high and saying hello to everyone he knew and sometimes to people he didn't know but they somehow knew him haha! This is what was becoming of my life, becoming that confident lad who can go on stage in just a pair of boxers, a towel and a shower head and be comfortable to sing a whole song without a worry in the world. But I was with my friends and that is why I was so confident.

Looking back on videos and DVD's I could see why these were the best years of my life, the smile that is on my face and you can clearly see that I am loving every minute of the time I am there!! I've grown up now, not very much to be honest but I have but I will always look back fondly at the last ever show I did in my school where I played Britney in We Will Rock You and think that was one of, if not the best year of my life, being with the people I adore and people I love with all my heart. Even now when I've grown up and gone into Uni and then into work I always seem to think back to those days and think; yeah with whatever I have done in my life and wherever I have travelled the best years of my life were there with my "family" and creating master pieces with our acting skills. Although I haven't gone into the acting business I will always think I don't think I could have made it without them and without their help I would be nowhere! 

Live For The Moment

So if you have read my blog before you would have seen I write a lot about sport but that is me, but here is something rather serious and adult from me :D ENJOY.

It's that old cliche, New Year, New Me. That old saying which every person in Britain, if not the world makes at this time of year. From saying about going to the gym to simply not biting my nails whatever it is people seem to want to change themselves and their characteristics but is this from times past or the society that we live in right now.

Society has changed from past years, people are becoming more interested in their looks and changing how they are compared to just being themselves and being happy in themselves. Yes there are always things that you want to change, for example I want to change my job and the lifestyle, from being bar manager to doing my dream job which is to a journalist of some sort. But is the thought of this just from my prospective or am I the only one who thinks that not being the biggest or most tanned the only thing on my mind.
Yes once in a while I will go for a run, head to the gym etc but I'm not one of these people who craves being there every day, never have but yes I do enjoy keeping fit. No I'm not into getting a tan, I am one of the whitest people ever who just burns like a lobster and peels, so I don't think, if I'm honest, I will look good with a tan haha.

I think this has become the view of the society as a whole, that the better we look, the better we feel but I don't think that is the case, the main thing that makes me instantly happy is to see other people happy. I am a strange person who will just think of other people rather than myself. If I see other people are happy in themselves then that makes me truly happy. I don't care of how I look but that I can make someone smile and laugh makes me feel good about myself, does that make me weird? Yes a little but I don't care because I know that I have made someone else's life a litre better and feel a bit happier. Getting "ripped" doesn't work for me but for others it is a way of life, they will cut everything so that they can get that body that they think everyone will attract everyone and after doing some hardcore gym sessions it's onto the local tanning saloon for a "12 minute holiday". After the year I have had I would say that life is far too short to be lying on your back in a chamber trying to get a sun tan instead of actually going away for it. society looks at people who are tanned and ripped and shakes them by the hand but i think the people who just make people happy and not think of themselves are the people who should be praised. Not people who go out every weekend  with their tops far too tight to show off their "massive" arms but the people who risk their lives to save people, the people who go out of their way to keep people happy and smiling, the people who will drop anything for someone else are the people that society should adore.

I'm not saying I'm perfect or they are and I'm not saying that people who go to the gym etc aren't amazing people but its the fact that people who they adore are idiots on the TV and are people who get paid to make people feel bad about themselves and make them feel insecure about themselves too. People should feel HAPPY about their life no matter what, whether you are a larger person, a tall person, skinny or just unique, that is what makes you you so be happy with it, embrace it  and be happy with it, life is too short to be worrying about fretting about things, it's all about living in the now and living in the moment.

A New Season, A New Start

From the Welsh Premiership to the Pro 12, from the Championship to the Aviva Premiership, from the Currie Cup to the Rugby Championship, it is that time of the year again. 

The best time of the year for me, being a huge rugby fan/player the summer seems a bore and so so long and the wait for some great rugby seems a long way away, but here we are with every campaign pretty much underway what a way to get back on my blogging!

So as a huge Cardiff Blues fan, Cardiff all my life, I have been very interested in the people that they have brought in from people like Tavis Knoyle, who personally Im not too keen on but hoping that he will prove me wrong in that mighty blue shirt and also the surprising addition of the Welsh legend, Adam Jones, which yes shocked not just me but probably the whole of Welsh Rugby.

With their first game hitting on Sunday and with the Welsh teams already hitting high form I am hoping that the Blues can keep it up too and put a better performance in than they did during Pre Season.

To be honest after all that nonsense between the WRU and the regions I am glad to see that our boys who are still in the Welsh regions getting back to business especially OUR captain, Sam Warburton, being able to get back on that pitch and keeping their minds on pushing for Pro 12 wins and then keep their minds on the up and coming, Six Nations and more importantly the WORLD CUP!!!

It's not only the Pro 12 that is starting up but also the Welsh Premiership, although some would think it wasn't the biggest competition in the World to every welsh person who enjoys watching and hearing about rugby it is still one of the biggest competitions for any amateur and semi pro. With Pontypridd dominating for the past few seasons it is now time to see if there are any surprises in this years competition. For example, will Aberavon or Neath become the force that they used to be or will Cardiff  become something of surprise package under the leadership of Simon King. To be honest whatever the way the year goes I seriously cannot wait to see how it plays out.

So at the moment we are concentrating on the start of the season and how the Welsh teams will survive this year but also we have internationals that will be here before we know it, with the new deal that has come through, it will allow more home based players to come through the ranks and finally get the place they do deserve in the Welsh team. For example people like Corey Allen, who has been seriously unlucky due to the fact that he has one of the best centres in the World in front of him but with the new deal it could mean that he will break into that team and be the star that I think he is. It will also mean a lot of youngsters who have been looked over for foreign based players will get that look into the best team in the World ;)!!!

But this year is all about development for me, with 2 games down we can now see the standard of the Welsh Rugby blossom with some great performances from the likes of Rhys Patchell, Eli Walker, Ken Owens and more who are all pushing for that number one Welsh spot in their preferred positions. If the standard carries on the way it has started, Welsh rugby doesn't really have anything to worry about!

But then again we all need to worry, to worry about the pressure we put upon the team and more importantly the players that are playing their hearts out to secure that position, that are only in their early years. We will always do well, maybe not the All Black standard but we are one of the best teams in the Northern Hemisphere and we all need to be proud of that and get behind the boys leading up to and during the World Cup!!!

TOURE, insane or genius?

So I haven't blogged for a little while as I have been working with Read Wave and Don't Kill The Pigeon but when I read this I just had to blog it.
He's just helped Man City win the league on the final day of the season and now a week later he is looking to leave the club that has brought him so much success.
I have recently heard that the player who is on stupid amount of money to kick a leather ball about has said that he would have already won Player of the Year if it wasn't for the colour of his skin is now saying that he is not getting the friendship relationship that he obviously gets from every other club that he has played for.
I agree that he would want a friendship but when he says that "City have treated him with disrespect" because they didn't say Happy Birthday to him, is this something he's just saying it to get a new contract in with even more money and longer years of success or was it a genuine thing that the Ivory Coast International wants.
As a footballer myself, with only playing for one side I have made friends that I will know for most of my life and friendships that will always be there but that is for one team but when you are a professional, as my dad keeps telling me that with injuries can occur and can what he says be justified. If you know you are probably, by far, one of the best midfielders in the World why not push for a new contract that can bring you more money or push for a new contract at a different club where you can win more trophies and have, maybe some more success.
As a professional footballer you can't really expect to create that great of friendships due to the fact that the whole sport is changing and most players don't just play for the fun of the game but for the money that this game brings in why not move clubs to get a bigger amount of money, and with this why would you want friendships due to the fact that by the time you become their friends they might be off to play against you for another club. Is this everything that as a footballer you would want? Yes we all want friendships but other footballers? People who at one moment will be living near you and the next they are half way round the world playing against you? Not saying Happy Birthday to you? REALLY? People forget to say happy birthday to me, I'm not going to kick up a fuss and say I'm not going to do this and do that because of it!!! It's kind of childish, you are a 31 year old man, I presume that a lot of people have said happy birthday to you and then again most might not have said it to you.
I honestly, hand on heart think that this is a media promotion for him to get more money and yet again be noticed and how convenient is it that it's 25days before the World Cup which he is involved in! Crafty little man he is! Very Very Crafty. Lets see if this works for him and lets see!

Breaking Boundaries.

From the pop stylings of Gaga to the Indie style of The Arctic Monkeys, their music quoted as "Their own style of pop", VICTORIA is the next up and coming band that will be gracing our radio's in the next few months, even weeks. With their raw and basic look upon music fame is just round the corner.

The quartet, Joe Housley, Charlie Martin, Harry Linden and Alex Thomas, that have been a hit on their Youtube and also on Facebook are now being seen up and down the country, and in the next few months could be the ones to watch throughout the UK. The youngsters that have recently been creating their first single and album are a new brand of pop and indie all intwined together.

From the up beat and bouncy rhythm of "Light" to the so called ballard of "Free", the group push the separate genres of Pop and Indie together to give their unique style of music that can quite easily be enjoyed by all different audiences, from people who want to chill in a cafe bar, to bopping along at a night gig. The sweet tones of lead singer Joe Housley, who's voice mixes from soft tones of Ed Sheeran to a raspy Paulo Nutini all add to the unique styling of harmonies from the whole band itself.

With the winter and spring being so miserable and wet, listening to their song 'Summertime' gives me hope and pray that this summer will be as warm and gorgeous as last years, the song doesn't just make the words pop out of the song but also creates what could be a hit 'Summertime' song.

The songs may not be to everyone's taste, not something everyone might want to listen to but their style is a refreshing new mix and will be something different from the high flyers of this generations music which include the likes of Justin Bieber, David Guetta, Lady Gaga and Example.

From the styling that will change the look on music itself, Victoria are the newbies of music who will become the newbies to fame.

Below is V I C T O R I A's official Facebook, Twitter, Youtube and Sound Cloud

https://www.facebook.com/VictoriaBandUK

www.twitter.com/VictoriaBandUK

www.youtube.com/VictoriaBandUK

www.soundcloud.com/VictoriaBandUK

VALLEYWOOD!!! To watch or not to watch??
Okay so I broke to some peer pressure and have started watching the MTV show, THE VALLEYS!!!!! Being a pure Welsh man, born and bread in Wales and mainly either Cardiff or Pencoed I have wanted to watch to watch a bit of it to see what all the fuss is about. Looking on Twitter and Facebook it doesn't look like it's living up to the dream of how Welsh life really is like. The show which follows a group of Welsh youngsters is now becoming one of the biggest shows on MTV and the group are becoming the most talked about group of youngsters in Britain at the moment. A group that strip off at any point, get blind drunk and making a nation laugh, there is no doubt why they have become a massive deal and a massive talking point. People have been really going at these people and right now I can kind of see why. These people really don't show the real, Welsh people and how real Welsh people live and go out and party. I have to admit yes, when i was in University I had my crazy times and yes like most University students i had my very drunken nights but these guys take it all over the place. So this is the first episode of the series and I have seen men's balls, bums, girl's boobs and bums too. What have I let myself in for. I don't know whether to keep watching, turn over, keep on it or  what I really don't know what to do. I don't know whether it's the fact that it is something that is made in Wales or the pure stupidity of these people but I seriously can not stop watching it. I know that sounds bad but it's the truth I just can't seem to make myself turn it over. I feel that people will now and for as long as this show is on will keep thinking that all Welsh people love to get that drunk, love to get naked at every opportunity and enjoy really making a fool out of themselves on a regular basis. I know it is something that MTV are doing following the likes of Jersey Shore and Geordie Shore but compared to these other programmes this one has kind of taken it over the top. It shows something that some Welsh people are now embarrassed about. The fact that these people are now giving Welsh people the stereotype that might not have been given to "us" should we say. Yes I've been called a "sheep shagger" and yes I have my own comebacks that I have used once in a while just to have a bit of fun but now I have been getting questions like, "Do you just get your man bits out when you want?" Obviously my answer is no. "Do you get that drunk that you fall over as you walk out of club?" The answer again is no I know my limit I know where I should stop drinking and when I should go home, obviously something that some of these people don't know what to do. Although I have been quite critical about this show I must admit it is quite entertaining, some of the stuff they do, do make me laugh and think yeah I've done that many years ago and you just think did she/he just say or do that, but we shall see what happens in the future of this show. 
So I'm slowly going to have to watch this show and bite my tongue and see where it leads me, be it hating these people or at the end of it loving the show and enjoying the show.

Gay, Straight, Female or Male , it doesn't matter it's all about the sport!!
So American sport has been hit these past few weeks with a few interesting stories popping up in the news. The main one that has clearly thrown thoughts out at every angle is the one about the University of Missouri player, Michael Sam.

Michael Sam is, well should be one of the hot properties in the NFL Draft at the beginning of May but due to his recent announcement he could be one of the least wanted players in the NFL Draft. He was seen as one of the most fearless, and feared players in college football but now that he has officially come out as being openly gay, some have said he has ruined his chances of making his dream come true in playing within the NFL.

It has been said within sectors of the NFL that he shouldn't play in the NFL at all due to the fact that playing American Football is a man's game made for real men and not for the likes of him. The likes of him? It's a man's game for real men? So because he's gay, he's not a real man? Because he's gay he can't reach his dream? This disgusts me. I have friends who are gay. All of which I would say are the closest friends that a man could have, they are loyal, always there for me and always know how to get the best out of me. Isn't this sort of person the exact person who any player would want next to them. Someone who will have your back in any problem, someone who will push you and push you to get the best out of you? If I had someone like this in my team I would be more than happy to welcome him into my team and make sure that he was comfortable with me and the team.

I think it doesn't matter about sexuality. It's not about who's gay, who's straight, who's whatever. Just because he is gay it doesn't mean that he is not a real man. If he didn't come out recently and the Draft wasn't so close to his announcement he would still be the "most feared" players in college football and then in the NFL but because he has come out with this announcement he is now gone from probably top 4 draft to one of last and least likely to get drafted. It's crazy how from one sport to another the views of homosexuality is looked upon. Rugby, seen as one of the most, if you can say the manliest sports in the World, was hit with the announcement that one of the greats of British Rugby, Gareth Thomas said that he was gay, it was taken in, a bit of a shock but because he was so honest about it, because he was seen as a legend in the game no one cared. He carried on playing rugby promoting gay rights and then moved onto Rugby League and promoted it there too without any care in the World. Everyone took it in and then allowed his rugby to do any of the talking that he wanted. But now you move onto NFL, he announces that he is gay, he's told that there is no place in the game for the likes of him, he will probably go from hottest property to absolute nobody and is now completely looked down upon in the game.

There is no room for this type of behaviour by people in and supporting this sport or any other sports as a matter of fact. With this in America and then the  problems that are occurring in the Winter Olympics in Russia where Homosexuality is completely and utterly frowned upon by the whole nation, it seems to me, to show that some parts of the World are going backwards instead of forwards, are staying in their safety hole instead of warming to something new. Some people might not think it's right but this one guy could change the whole look of the sport, he is now becoming one of the biggest role models for the gay community within America, he could make others want to play or support this sport and could make the game even more popular, not just in America but around the World.

Will Wales create HISTORY?

With the 2014 Six Nations kicking off tomorrow afternoon, the whole nation have been going rugby mad. It's not just Wales that are getting excited, I feel every nation in the Six Nations are gearing up for what I feel will be a close tight nit campaign. 
With Wales being the 2 times champions and going for the historic three championships in a row they have all to lose. With the so called WRU Crisis going on within the regional rugby Wales might have a disadvantage because everyone including their steel walk captain, Sam Warburton, there must be a thought with what if's and what might be. With the regions thinking of going to play elsewhere, for example playing in the English Premiership, the arguments could make minds wander away. Although I have said this I think, even though I am a proud Welshman, I think Wales could be a hard team to beat. They don't need to change what they have done, the team is working hard and working well and with the influx of a few of the younger players coming through the team is slowly growing and improving right in time for the next World Cup in England. Even with youngsters like Rhys Patchell, Corey Allen and others being injured it shows that the next few years are always looking up for theWelsh National Team. The Welsh back line has been one of the biggest and most physical back lines in modern history with wingers that are the size of second rows and centres with handling skills as slick as a footballer with a football it is very hard to criticise them. But with Wales now going into their 2/3 year with this back line would now be the time to add a few different moves into the mix. I know people will say if it's not broken don't fix it but I just think adding something different into might help the Welsh men break the line even more than they already do. Things like missing North, hitting Halfpenny behind to draw in two defenders will always lead to more numbers on the outside. If they do this I think people will not just be more worried about North and Cuthbert but also the likes of Halfpenny and even Preistland or Biggar or whoever is chosen in the number 10 jersey. It's not just the back line that are dangerous now, Wales have without a doubt the best pack in the Northern Hemisphere. A pack that will work their guts off until they are pulled or dragged off the pitch. A back row that can offload at any given opportunity, two number 7's who can beat any other back rower to any break down. I think that with our pack has the likes of no other, one that can scrummage, maul, run and off load. There are plenty of other teams that I think can win this championship one being that faithful enemy that all us Welsh love, the English. Like Wales 2 years ago the English are slowly bringing in the youngsters to show the Nation why they should be considered for the next World Cup. People like Nowell, Burrell and more and now being given the chance to prove that they are ready. It has been a long time coming I think and I think it's finally a decision Stuart Lancaster has made to change the view that English rugby have now become boring with nothing that will distress to any other back line, but right now with Burrell an up and coming centre who I think with a healthy Manu could be a centre partnership, dare I say it, as good as the All Black duo of Smith and Nonu. But even with this I don't think that there are anything that the likes of Wales, Ireland and France really need to worry about. Although some people might not agree with me there I just don't see anyone being able to break a line, damage a scrum or hurt a team. I may be wrong and they might be unbeaten all championship but I just don't think it will happen. Well we all know about Scotland and Italy, they might show a surprise but I think the development of the Scottish team is going to happen within the next 2 years with players like Stuart Hogg growing as a player and I think in the next couple of years with the help of Scott Johnson him and the Scots will grow and hopefully will become an even better and more together team, that will actually score a nice bundle of tries. I think with Italy, with their age that they might not be a massive worry to most Nations but I do think that with their pack and 600+caps they could surprise us any be a dark horse of the Six Nations. Also with their brand new "Scottish" 10 (Tommaso Allan) we could see the start of a new generation in Italy. So finally we have the Irish and French. France, could be the France that are in their own way incredible or they could last years France, wooden spoon France. It's been said that after every Lions tour France always win the Six Nations. Is that going to be the same this year?? They have an amazing back line with both speed and power that can only be beaten by the Welsh in my eyes, but will Saint Andre use this to his ability or will it just go to waste and be a kicking for territory this year.  It will be a tough start for the French and all of France are expecting a massive improvement from them. They could be the outsiders but I think that if they use their backs and the power that they have they could be a massive contender for the Championship. With the Irish, it's the same as always, people we know can perform, people who will throw everything down for their nation and people who absolutely hate disappointment. But I imagine this year with one of their greats the BOD retiring from International rugby after the Championship I think they will go all out to make it one of the best for this Legend of the game.With experience and youth all coming through they could be also be title contenders. But they will really have to dig deep but with Schmitt at the helm and the Leinster type of play and attitude this Irish team could be extremely tough to beat especially at home. So overall I think that this tournament could be one of the best and tightest Six Nations we have ever seen with EVERY team having the chance to win the CHAMPIONSHIP.

MOYES AND MANCHESTER UNITED
United, United, United, Manchester Untied. The Worlds greatest team, a mass of history, the origin of some of Worlds greatest players and the most expensive club in modern history. This great team, who for decades have been one of the top 4 teams in EPL  have seen themselves become lack luster and feeble compared to the teams before them. With Sir Alex retiring after 26years in charge there is a new leader at the helm, one who has not become custom to winning, one who has been mid table throughout his career and one who might struggle to get into the winning ways of Manchester United. David Moyes was the first name on most peoples lists to become the next Man United manager but most did not see what has happened this season. Manchester United are 7th this season, 14 points from top of the league and struggling with goal difference. So what has gone wrong with this years squad? What has happened to the squad that won the league so comfortably last year? Or should I ask what has happened to the league this year that has made it more competitive this season? As a whole the United squad hasn't really changed. There hasn't been many players leave the club and there haven't been many who have come into the squad, so why was there such a bad start to the first half of the season? Most people including my dad have said that there will not be much more time till people question why David Moyes is in the job. Yes I agree in a way, you have taken over one of the most successful clubs in the world, you are expected as the manager of this club to push your players to win everything, to succeed in being the greatest players not just in England but the World and to make sure that there are no poor starts to the season. Well messed that up a bit hasn't he. I agree that it hasn't been the greatest starts to the season but as a Manchester United fan myself I'm used to winning mostly every game and not worrying about where we are going to finish in the league but people already asking when are they going to sack Moyes, I personally think that is unfair. Manchester United have always given managers a chance with the lowest time given to someone being Jimmy Murphy back in 1958 who was given 5 months in charge with a win rate of just 23% and this was after a certain Mr Matt Busby. Most of the managers would last 3-9 years but not all had a great success rate. Even the great SIR ALEX FERGUSON only had a 60% win rate which meant that he was not unbeatable himself. Just thinking about sacking a manager after a few months would now a days be the done thing in most teams, but Manchester United aren't most teams, my dad thinks after the poor start to the season the owners of United must be thinking and looking for other people who they think can be very successful but I think why throw away someone who is growing the club, bringing in the youngsters, bring back some sort of friendship and companionship that hasn't been seen in this team since the Class of '92. There hasn't been any sort of friendships and class coming through the academy levels since that year and I think that Moyes is trying to his hardest to bring a young feel to the original team but sometimes this isn't the best strategy, unlike other teams in the Premiership who are buying in World Star players, Moyes is using the facilities and teams that he has to create a growing team rather than one that is bought. Overall I don't think that it has been a great start to Moyes career at United but we all, Manchester United fans think we should win everything but it's the start of a long and inspirational career for the some what young Scot. 

CLASS OF '92
I have recently watched the documentary movie, "The Class of '92" which follows the Manchester United youth which included such iconic players such as David Beckham, Ryan Giggs and Paul Scholes. This group of players were to become some of the greatest players in the modern era of Manchester United signified by the Ferguson attributes of accurate passing, superb free kicks and skills beyond belief which delivered highly successful teams throughout the Premiership days. This movie made me realise how football has completely changed in the 20 years since these superstars first came onto the soccer scene. In today’s game you would not find or see six or seven players in a squad who had grown up together, playing in the youth system together and then playing in the first team in national and European finals and in international teams. I could not name a single side that have actually done that since this group of players left the youth system. In today’s challenging atmosphere which requires success above all else there is a lot of swapping and changing of players and managers which although bring success does not provide a consistent approach to development of squads.

Looking at it in today’s atmosphere would these players still be part of the Manchester United set up if they played now instead of back in 92 era? Would they still have become the main figures in the United team or would they have been shipped away due to poor performances or because the manager or chairman didn't like their attitude? Does this show that this era of football has become all about money and all about signing the biggest and best players instead of bringing them up through the youth system? It is now said that football and the Premier League is becoming a league full of foreign players, which may be the right way, but which restricts the academy development and then that leads onto influencing how the international team play? Immediate success is now the biggest influence on the beautiful game that we know and love. 

I played for Cardiff City academy in the mid 1990’s and watching Cardiff myself and not seeing any of the players that I played with back in those academy day it shows that even the new clubs who come to the Premiership have to use the money that they get by their promotion to become just a little bit successful. How many times do you hear a newly promoted club stating that it will use the money it has secured through promotion to boost the squad so that they retain their premiership position – is promotion to the premiership now restricting the number of academy players achieving success with that team?  

The documentary interviews the different players who become stars in their own right and the experiences that they had during the youth, academy, reserves and then into the first team. It shows the different world that they lived in compared to the life that footballers are living in today. Are today’s players playing for the money that they earn where as Giggs, Neville, Beckam and Scholes played for the love of the game, playing the game and then keeping out of the media light, playing football and then going home to be with family. These players were lovers of the game, lovers of kicking a ball about and as Scholes says at the end of the movie: "It was like kicking the ball about with your mates". Which player these days could easily say that? Probably one, probably none, it seems back when they began no fame or fortune could beat playing a game of footy with your mates.

Many people might disagree with me and many might agree with me but from what I remember being part of the academy it was totally different there was no real friends like the Class of '92, from the time I started to the time I left there were more players that I knew leaving than there were staying in the team. It shows that bringing in new people is better for the team rather than improving the players and friendships that are there and this moves into the first teams, where buying bigger names is better for the side rather than bringing them through the youth system. 

Jonathan Davies and Welsh Rugby

I woke up this morning to another story that yet again another of our main international players is leaving Wales to move abroad to France. Yet another of the shining, up and coming lights of Welsh rugby is moving away to play rugby. Jonathan Davies, the main impact player in the big back line of the Llanelli Scarlets and th Welsh International team. He was also one of the biggest players in the recent Lions tour to Australia. He has just been appointed as the Captain of the Scarlets team and has recently said that he was happy at the Scarlets and wasn't going to leave. What a massive U turn this is now. This is a long list of Welsh 'superstars' that have left their Welsh regions for a move to France or England on big money moves all following the likes of James Hook and Lee Byrne to create successful careers that they hope will get them back into or push to secure their spot in that elusive International Team. But are they moving away for the right reasons? Are they actually going out there for the reasons they say they do? 

I'm not saying that they don't love the game or saying that all of them are doing it for the money but it is probably a factor that is helping push these Welsh stars to move abroad. The Welsh regions are losing some of their most valued and famous players to sides who can offer them more money, better chance of winning big trophies and a different lifestyle. Although as it has shown with these players, the Welsh regions are slowly bringing in new and youthful players, the roles that these players are playing will not help the Welsh regions and their youth system in the future. Players will want to come up through the system having a massive influence on their side and as soon as something better comes along pick up their bags and leave.

The problem could be the threat that Warren Gatland had put out about if you play abroad you don't play for Wales yet he regularly keeps picking players like James Hook, Luke Chateris and others who play abroad which shows that the inconsistency of his threat has meant that others are more willing to  follow suit. I'm not a huge fan of Stuart Lancaster but I have to admit that what he has done with the English team, who I may add all play for ENGLISH teams, shows that with a threat like, "If you don't play in Wales, you don't play for Wales" it could keep the players the Welsh Regions need within the Welsh Regions. 

We know that money is a factor of why Welsh players will leave and we all know that the WRU doesn't, at the moment, have the money to keep all the players in the area but if the threat was kept and Gatland stood by what he put forward, the players , I think wouldn't want to leave but stay so they could play for their National team, which is what ever rugby player in the World wants to get to do. Having them sign contracts like the Southern Hemisphere do creates not dictatorship over the player but creates the wanting of the player but the country and the region which should mean the World to the player.

 Now a week on after that we see players saying this and that about their futures with the Welsh Regions, Ian Evans has said that he will make up his mind on his future with the Osprey's in January, what does that mean, that yet again Wales will lose one of their British and Irish Lions and one of the lead figures in Wales' pursuit of another Six Nations Championship. With 5 of our key players already playing in the French and English leagues  where there are more teams, more chances and more chances to win big league and European trophies. I can understand it, why would you want to stay at a Region where you probably will not win many trophies, if any and if someone who has left for a different Region abroad and is your position is having a great season you may lose your place to them, and that is something that no Welsh player  wants.

So we have both sides here, one reason for going is to make more money, make a better career for themselves but when they do they create problems not just for their Region but for their Nation as well.  There is a predicament for a player who could be known as a Legend for Wales but a World Legend.

Who's Who in Wales

I'm a patriotic Welsh man always have been and always will be no matter where in the world I am I will always be proud that I am Welsh and that my home is in Wales. I'm living in Canada at this present moment but I am constantly thinking about who is going to make the all important Welsh Autumn Internationals. Will there be any shock introductions, will there be some people left out and who will the Captain of the nation be?

With the expectations being seriously high on the Welsh team after some amazing performances during the 2011 World cup in New Zealand and from the win in the 6 Nations trophy this year people will be expecting nothing but big W's after every game no matter who it is against. If they hadn't done so well the past 2/3 years as such a young team there would be no, well not none but a lot less expectations in the young lads.

So who will be in this team that everyone expects to be world beaters?? Will there be people that have shown up this year or will they go back to the names that they know and rely on. I've really had thoughts about the next few internationals and what sort of team that Gatland will choose.

The first thought lets go……the Captain of the Nation. This is a big shout, with two of the Lions test captains in the National team. Two of the strongest player that played in the Lions tour this year with Alun Wyn Jones and Sam Warburton this will be the tough decision that luckily I won't have to make. Both men have been resting/injured for the start of the season and both haven't shown their full potential yet but as we look at it, it's only the start of the season they will definitely need to show more than they already are because there are some very very good up and coming youngsters that are starting to show what they are made of. For example people James King, Macauley Cook, Josh Navidi, Matthew Screech and Josh Turnbull. These youngsters have been showing their worth and with a few of them with a few caps they could be the breath of fresh air that might be needed to create a new groom of Welsh rugby. But the thought for me is would you want them to play against the Wallabies and give them that experience or would you only play them against the not so key games during the week. And would it mean would we not use Sam or Alun and someone new to become the next Captain Fantastic.

 Another problem that might arise is the question of who will wear that famous red number 10. We have a lot of fly halves that are more than capable to sit in that 10 role from young unexperienced players to experienced number 10's that will be able to help with the back line and be able to bring the best out of the massive "giants" that we have in the backs.We have 4 regional fly halfs who are all pushing for that spot and all seemingly in the peak of their careers.
1 - Dan Biggar. The Osprey's number 10 has shown that he has come of age, with the performances which nearly saw him get into the Lions team and the excellent performances he has shown at the start of this season, although I'm not a fan I could see him fitting in perfectly with the attacking rugby I would hope to see in the Autumn internationals.
2 - Rhys Patchell. This kid is a genius. An absolute legend in the making i think. For a man as young as he is to be making the statement he is making while playing for the Cardiff Blues shows the pure talent that this kid has. He has only just come out of the woodwork and is playing man of the match performances game after game making defences look normal and easy. He creates gaps that other people would find difficult to or impossible to find. He has just turned 20 and is dazzling the Rabo Direct. This is someone that I  think could be the next Barry John or Phil Bennett and could be the attacking force that could bring the back line and make it a real force to play against.
3 - Jason Tovey. After a poor move to the Blues he is now back at his original home of the Gwent Dragons where during the pre season he has definitely shown that after a pretty torrid time at the Blues he has turned it right around and become yet again a very decent looking player that could start becoming the player he was 2 or 3 seasons ago. I'm talking back to when he was the next and  up and coming 10 that Wales had. I don't think that he would be our number one choice but he is definitely part of the woodwork that could be in the next few years.
4 - James Hook. Although not in the Rabo Direct league but he has now, after having a couple of years where he hasn't been at his best the fact that he is finally coming round and like the other three fly halves is showing his class that brought him into the Lions team 4 years ago. He is back to the form that made him the star he was for Wales, although it was at 12. Do I think he will be Wales'  number one fly half?? I don't know, it's a hard choice but I do think that with Dan Biggar being on top form and Rhys Patchell snapping at his heals, Warren Gatland has and extremely are choice.

So we have looked at the 10 role what about outside him. The centre partnership this year will be an extremely hard choice for Warren Gatland and his team will have to make. Right now every single Welsh centre is playing his heart out and playing in amazing form. Usual names like Jonathan Davies, Scott Williams and Andrew Bishop are still in form. New names like, Owen Williams, Corey Allen, Ashley Beck are now becoming names to watch. Beck has already shown that without Jamie Roberts Wales isn't in fear. He has come in even if it has been for one or two games but has shown some incredible skills and a calm, experienced head on a very young pair of shoulders. Corey Allen and Owen Williams have only just got their names into the Cardiff Blues team but have been on the scene for the past few years, playing for Cardiff and for Wales U18's and 20's and Wales Sevens, they have slowly become the best up and coming centre partnerships who could take over from Jonathan Davies and Jamie Roberts when they are injured or god forbid they decide to retire.

So who will be picked and who will be the surprise inclusions for this year and who will be the exclusions, we shall soon see.

Welsh 10 in Canada

So just two weeks into my adventure in Canada and I haven't done too much haha. Doing more than 3 months means that I can take my time with doing different things that I would normally do in two weeks. I have everything planned out so that I am ready for it and am slowly getting around saying 'Eh' after pretty much everything I say. I have made some really good friends already mainly from playing rugby but as i was told, 15 instant friends, all you got to do is add beer. I added beer and he was right :). I've seen a Blue Jays game, been to Toronto, haven't really shopped but been there haha, played my first game for the Cru, joined a gym and became a firm favourite at the club and slowly but surely starting to get involved with Rugbytots :).The Crusaders 2nd team faced off against the Aroura Barbarians on Saturday. The team was a make shift Crusaders team which gave a starting debut to me at Fly Half and pushed two or three players into different, unusual positions. The warm up was slow and the Barbarians looked a lot more drilled than that of the Cru. Although this looked the case the start of the game was all Cru. The forwards were hitting it up which was creating holes for the back line. Jonesy who turned up 20 minutes before kick off, yes that's right 20 minutes before kick off, was creating havoc in the centre's not just hitting it up and making breaks but absolutely demolishing the Barbarians back three with some crunching tackles, maybe one or two a little high but he was a dominating inside centre. With his power and Duffin and my handling skills the Cru were opening up some big gaps in the Barbarians back line. Even though this was the case the forwards were slow to react and it led to more and more turnovers during the first ruck encounters. This was the massive downfall that would later hurt the Cru badly. 

The forwards were not up to scratch and with them missing in the rucks it allowed a lot of penalties to be given against the Cru for not releasing and in some cases being turned over completely. It wasn't just in the rucks that the forwards were losing out in, all set pieces in the first half were going in the Barbarians favour and with this in mind they had complete dominance after the first 20 minutes. Number 8 for the Barbarians was a tall, strong 17 year old who knew exactly how to draw a man in and offload, well after the first time that he ran into me and i put him on the floor. But no n all seriousness, the number 8 was their lead, go to guy, with unbelievable upper body strength and a step to go with it he created holes every time that he picked up the ball. This plus the fact that the back row for the Cru meant that the back line were in a no win situation with a forceful number 8 creating gaps and some slick handling skills in the back line meant that the home team went in with  a 10 - 3 lead.
After the break it was back to what seemingly seemed as the first half ended, with the forward pack dominating the ruck and set plays, the Barbarians with most of the possession led to the 2 break away tries that game them the big lead which they kept through the game. Although they took this handsome lead the Crusaders, with some wise words from the their Captain Stuart Riley took some pride into their play to twist the tide where the set piece and the back line became all Crusaders, penalty after penalty that was won by the Cru lead to a more of an attacking thought to the team as they buried kicks into the corner and endless amounts of line outs caught and driven onto the line but each opportunity missed either by a handling error or them being turned over it meant that the Cru were unable to make any headway to the score. Endless groans and moans from both players and supporters showed just how much the Oakville Crusaders wanted to get back into the game and get back into winning ways. But as much as they tried, as much as they drived and as much as they tried to push over there was no way of getting through the Barbarians defence and while they were concentrating on attack the Cru totally forgot about their defence which led to a late break away try for the Man Of the Match, the Barbarian's number 8 with some great dumbies and a brilliant chip he dived under the posts for the winning try.

The match, which I must say was a bit heated at times, ended with some laughs and jokes between all the players. Which in my eyes shows the sporting side of rugby, that even though rugby has some huge hits, some fights and some, lets just say illegal play everyone at the end of the game becomes friends with beer and chips.

SILVERSTONE – EVERYTHING IS EXPERIENCE

The sun was setting as the group of civil engineers from Northampton gathered for this exciting opportunity to go around the world famous motor racing circuit, Silverstone.

The coach we travelled in unfortunately was not able to fly around the track like a Formula 1 car that most of the engineers were hoping but the slow cruise allowed for a lot of different views and questions about the track and the history of the circuit. Not much could be said about the track that wasn’t already known by the group but every corner had its own little story from where Michael Schumacher flew off in his Ferrari at Stowe to the new pit exit where Jenson Button had left with just three wheels, every piece of tarmac old and new exuded different events that have secured the history of Silverstone and will secure its future in the years to come. Would Jenson hit this barrier, would Lewis overtake Sebastian here?

As the coach approached the new start/finish line and the futuristic pit complex the excitement began to pass through the bus, getting closer and closer the tension got higher and higher. As we slowly but surely cut the corner around the last right hand bend we flew up the home straight, the coach stopped and we all got out.

The sun beamed off the complex and the heat off the track hit the faces of each and every person who stood on the fine tarmac of the home straight. Person after person stood on that pole position and took in the view that Mark Webber would have just a few days later and person after person sat or lay down and saw everything a racing driver would see.

Standing in the sunset looking over the empty track with civil engineers wandering up and down it almost felt as if nothing was ever going to happen here and nothing had happened but with every tyre wear and rubber planted on the ground it showed how well the tarmac would hold up in the high speed races that were heading toward Silverstone.

The structures of the stands, which needless to say were not as impressive as the new complex showed how far the circuit had come over the years although, without this new structure, the circuit wouldn’t grow and enhance the reputation of this famous landmark. Although empty you could still feel the roar of screaming fans in the stands as well as the screech of F1 cars flying past the coach, the group of civil engineers slowly finished the race, every bend just reminded each and every person what an amazing circuit this is and how it will grow in the future.

Ending the tour of the circuit we were told about the structure that Red Bull were to bring to the race, with a swimming pool at the top of it, it showed everybody on that coach how far not just the circuit has improved but how far the sport of Formula 1 has progressed.

I am sorry that there is little detail for you techies out there, if you want that please go to the official ICE East Midlands website for the official version of the visit. I am after all a Sports Journalist and with the excitement of being able to stand on this famous circuit with all of its memories I just forgot to ask those technical details.

Many thanks to the Institution of Civil Engineers Northamptonshire Branch for allowing me to attend this site visit

18th June 2012 - ‘Jack the Ripper’, Man or Myth?

So where did the name Jack The Ripper come from? Well the name was not given to the man who did the killing the name came from a letter, which was sent to the police by the so called murderer, which was later found out to be from a journalist at the time.....this really doesn’t give us journalists a good name that we pretend that we are murderers haha. There were something like 100 different letters sent to the police saying that they were Jack the Ripper (lets hope they weren’t all from journalists shall we) but none were taken seriously which is fair enough but what if the actual Jack the Ripper had written a letter to the police they would have never ever known. How do we know that all these murders were done by the same man?  Yes there are some similarities but if you take out the fact that some students were trying to make some money and with organs being sold to the black market this is where the organs could of disappeared and this is why the doctors could see that the organs were cut out with a skilled hand.  

The unsolved mystery of the White Chapel murders in 1888 have been the most contraversial murders that have run through the history of London and crimes in London. I have been interested in the murders and the person who has never been found or identified but not in the amount that led me to go and see, “A night with  Jack the Ripper”. 

Last night was the first time that I seriously got interested in the whole situation of Jack the Ripper and the women that he murdered. Jack the Ripper has always been seen as a smart man in a black top hat, black cape and always walking round with a leather bag. This is how I saw him, this is how I thought everyone saw him but when listening to Trevor Marriott I was instantly knocked back when he described that no person who was dressed like this would be totally out of place and would be either beaten up or even killed. So straight away that strikes the looks of this man out of my mind and firstly it struck to me that everything I could have thought of the person Jack the Ripper could be false and could be totally different than what he actually could have been like.

Trevor Marriott who was the narrator and the retired detective who was trying to solve these mysteries shed some light on the horrible murders. From the start I was completely freaked out about this so called “human being” who could quite happily cut the throat of an innocent woman and then just as happily take out some of their organs. Straight away I thought I am going to be disgusted by everything I hear and also see.Yes Trevor Marriott had a full on slide show with some horrific pictures of what ‘Jack the Ripper’ did. The retired detective surprised me even more when he described that he didn’t think that there was only 5 murders that Ripper did, he thought that in fact there were more that were unsolved that were very very similar to the Ripper murders in different places like the USA and Germany, could the man who was seen as Jack the Ripper be traveling about places doing similar murders or was it just copy cats. Through out the slide show he brought up different and new evidence that could have shown the police of the time that they might not have all been the same Ripper murders or that the new ones that he has looked at could be Ripper murders.From what was said there were a lot of similarities that would show that they were all Ripper murders for example the victims throats were cut near to decapitation.....just as I’m writing this I can remember the pictures that Marriott showed us and believe me I DO NOT  want to see them again, then he said how the Ripper took organs out of the dead women.....Yes he removed organs from the victims and supposidley with a very skilled hand, which made me think that the man could have been a doctor or a butcher. This disgusted me even further....just so people know this isn’t for the faint hearted, going to see this show it will make you feel rather sick.  You wouldn’t want to see it if you had just eaten.

26th May 2012 - The England Team

I’m not an Englishman but I would be shocked with some of the really contreversial selections that Roy has selected. Straight away the one missing name from his team sheet, Rio Ferdinand. Where is his name Roy? Is it footballing reasons that he is leaving out this name or is because he is worried about the problems that are having off the pitch? If it is the later it is the first big big mistake that he has made on his big appointment as one of the biggest International footballing teams in the World. Rio on paper has had an amazing season, probably not his best but by far one of the best defenders in the Premiership, hardly any fouls made, one or two yellow cards this season where as he has picked John Terry, who although is a good defender, his discipline is awful as he showed in the SEMI FINAL....yes the SEMI FINAL of the Champions League. Does this show the talent and composure that is needed by what could be one of the most senior players in the squad. With everything that will be happening after the tournament do you think his mind is going to be on winning the Euro’s or on what might happen to his career after? From what it looks like in the team he has gone on name sake only and not on form, people like Ferdinand and others like Walker should be, probably the first names on the sheet. Walker, who for Spurs has been on key form and has been one of the players who brought Spurs to being in the top 4 which is an achievement in itself 

So it has only been hours since the England team and being a Welsh man and I am still shocked at the team that Roy Hodgeson has chosen. What am I to think of the team?

27th April 2012 - OZ 

I was pleasantly surprised and happy with the start of the second half, the beautiful but haunting song from the wicked witch of the west which used the full condiment of the well drilled and brilliant ensemble whether it be dancing or singing everything seemed to gel and work perfectly. I also have to compliment the technical crew as well due to the fact that the change of the scenery from the dark forest to the castle and the changing of the rooms of the castle every single one was amazingly done perfectly with no glitches. This goes for the full show  

So after writing a few blogs on sport and sporting events I have decided to go onto my second love which is music and musical theatre. From being “forced” into a school show when I was thirteen by my drama teacher and slowly making a fool out of myself dancing half naked in front of 300 people on 4 separate nights, it became something that I loved doing for years upon end.

From being a backing dancer in Grease and Sweet Charity to becoming one of the leading roles in We Will Rock You where I played Britney and wore a kilt.....so wasn’t fully out of making a fool out of myself, I have an undying love in acting and being on the stage and singing my heart out...not always bang on in tune but blasted out in any means. Singing songs from Grease Lightening to rock out with I Want It All.

Last weekend I finally got the chance to see the Wizard of Oz in the London Palladium. After hearing the overture blasting through and the melody of ‘We’re off to see the Wizard’ making most of the audiences head bob, we knew that the show had begun. Sophie Evans who is the new Dorothy was having a well deserved week off back in Wales which meant that another young rising star named Emma Housley got the chance the play the lead role. As well as this another young understudy, Rachel Spurrell, got a chance to play the role of Gelinda which she made her own from the very beginning. The two understudies clearly made the two lead roles their own and you would of thought that they were the principles in their own rights. A nervy start by the whole of the Oz cast was ‘blown away’ pardon the pun, by the rendition of the Wizard of Oz’s famous song, Somewhere over the rainbow, which was sung with brass and confidence. Housley sang the song beautifully and with seeming ease hitting every note inch perfect and showed the Palladium that with this powerful but beautiful voice, they would not have to worry about anything when Housley was the lead.

So Russell Grant is the new Wizard and nothing to the guy, within a few weeks he could be a lot better but today....well lets just say with some tuning issues, it can be worked on but some of the dance moves.....really Russell? Strictly didn’t really help you that much did it? Although funny in some parts it kind of brought the quality of the show down.

The changing of the weather and the death of the Evil Witch, it seemed to flow and it wasn’t long before we stepped foot on the yellowy blue brick road of Oz. After watching the movie hundreds of times......YES I did say hundreds of times, I was wondering how they would do the munchkins of munchkin land but the mix of grown ups and some very very talented youngsters, led me and some others around me softly join in with The Wicked Witch is dead. With the introduction of another powerful and sensational voice in Rachel, it pushed us and Dorothy onto the yellow brick road towards the Wizard.

The three main male characters, the scarecrow, the tin man and the lion, they seemed to be the dark horses of the show all of which showing some brilliant comedy timing, enthusiasm ( a little bit too much from the scarecrow sometimes) and some very surprising singing voices. The tin man surprised me by making himself a lot cooler, trendier and James Bondesk tin man coming up with a lot of gags and cockyness which later continued when he showed off some very impressive Kung Fun moves which any tin man would be proud of. The lion made the whole audience chuckle and snigger with some brilliant one liners and fantastic facial expression which increased the likeliness of the character.

Even the wicked witch of the west made the crowd laugh before the half, when descending from the  roof and pronouncing that she would destroy Emerald City if Dorothy wasn’t given up, if I am being honest with you, I wanted a go but I was told that I wouldn’t suit being the witch......I have no idea why :).

At the end of the first half I was yet again disappointed with the “amazing” singing skills of Mr Russell Grant, as much as I like the guy....I know it doesn’t sound it but I do...., with the quality and strength of the voices of the show, his voice didn’t quite suit this type of show especially when you are trying to be the all powerful and forceful Wizard, he just did not scare me as much as I wanted him to.

Please share your comments in the guestbook.