2083 Present from a wife, Case Histories, Spartacus and Merlin, Sport success and failure and around the World in the World

Back to my daily diary, working on the art work project and participating in activities outside the home. I wrote this on Sunday morning 12th June 2011 but by early evening I had made a major decision to reorganise the four display units at the top of the stairs to the first floor and in the alcove outside the bathroom and toilet. This in turn led to the decision to move completed project Development sets from one of the four units as a prelude to removing more from the first floor display and storage room. I want to clear at least two of the units in the display room in order to return the partially completed sets now in the upstairs work room and also as space for new completed project Development lever arch files and for other work completed lever arch files.

The activity commenced yesterday evening on returning from a rain abandoned game of cricket at the Emirates Riverside Durham as seeing that The World was still moored across from South Shields at the North Tyneside Cruise line mooring. I wanted to take a phone and found that my digi cam had flat batteries and the recharge failed to work. This led to checking out a sort of free camcorder via Staples gifts which needs batteries as does the other Staples free digi camera and this in turn led to sorting out other digi items including MP3 and MP4 players which I am still to get to work and this then led to the decision to check the electronic stuff shelves outside the bathroom on he first floor half landing, and to set in motion the great sort out, clean reorganise and inventory making. WoW.

The private floating home yacht The World is also WoW territory The Ship is 50 year leased owned by those buying one the 165 units -106 apartment, 19 studio apartments and 40 studios and on most journeys there are between 100 and 400 residents and guests plus 250 crew, including a doctor and nurse. The Top suite has a private veranda with space for tables and a party half a dozen ensuite double rooms, a couple of kitchens as well a loungers for $13.5 or so while a more modest residence at $.6m still provides 2 ensuite double bed rooms. In addition there are significant monthly charges to cover the running costs as the vessel is permanently visiting around the world staying in or off ports for 2 to 5 days at a time said to begin at $5000 a week.

Given that the residents have their own kitchens and like to eat out on visits ashore they are also expected to pay for meals at the in house restaurants. There are facilities to keep active including full size tennis court, a gym, golf simulator, putting Green and jogging track, a casino which is rarely used, boutique, small grocery and delicatessen and I assume cinema. However each suite is Internet and Sat TV organised and the suite are sound proofed to enable 23 hour music and TV watching if that way inclined.

The boat is design so that in warm climates it is possible to swim directly into the sea from a deck at the stern.

This year the vessel has been to Antarctica and South America reaching Panama early March before the West Indies and the USA East Coast in April. In May they reach Europe and Portugal and Spain and the briefly in France before two weeks in the UK. Next they go to the Nordic countries reaching Russia late July back along the European Coast to Spain and Portugal late August and September, then Italy and the Adriatic followed by Greece and Turkey October November the Seychelles and South Africa Christmas into New Year there are then two long sea trips first of 3 days to Mauritius before 8 days cruising to reach Australia in February 2012 and New Zealand in March. April sees expeditions to Melanesia and May Polynesia and a host of islands before Honolulu, Mexico and San Francisco late June. It is Canada time in July Russia and Alaska August, Greenland and Canada September through to October before Boston and New York as the month ends, The Bahamas. Miami and New Orleans in November, Mexico, Central America and the Virgin Islands December 2012 and around the world again. Can’t wait to join in but must will the Euro Lottery big prize of over £50 million to indulge!

On Saturday June 11th 2011 was able to acquire a free copy of the Pavarotti commencing with a poor live recording of Nessun Dorma but contained an excellent example of his work ranging from Verdi to Mozart to Massenet and Donizetti, 20 pieces lasting 75 mins. This contrasted with another free disk acquired several years ago titled Women with work from the Three degrees When will I see you again, Aretha Franklin Walk on by and the Bangles Eternal Flame and three of my favourites Bonnie Tyler Total Eclipse of the Heart and two outstanding singers, Nina Simone Everything Must Change and Billie Holliday, The Man I love. I was lucky to acquire several Long Play records of Nina Simone in a Woolworth sale several decades ago for 20 to 30 pence a record and I have several collections of Billie Holiday including an inexpensive 3 CD anthology. Also on the free disk are Deniece Williams Gladys Knight and 8 unknown artists and their songs.

I do not yet know what to make fo the new Camelot series on Channel Four which struck me as a cross between Spartacus Blood and sand with several scenes of nudity love making and sex, and vicious human slaughtering, matched with some of the epic quality of Game of Thrones. The subject is the same as Game of Thrones, the intrigue and battle for power, questions of legitimacy and ancestry added to which supernatural powers.

Because King Arthur, The Round Table, Merlin, Excalibur has little or no historical reference new writers feel able to play fast and loose with the legend. However I suspect this production will fall far short of the BBC1 series on young Merlin.

I liked the portrayal of the lifestyle of the ordinary people and the impressive setting of Camelot as a derelict building partially completed by the Romans on a rocky coast peninsular. The story is that of King Arthur who is brought up by surrogate parents chosen by Merlin unaware of his birthright because Merlin had enabled the Kind to spend a night with the wife of his enemy before marrying her after bearing the enemy King.

He never gets to see his son but signs a document declaring the legitimacy of the young man to the title shortly before he dies of poisoning by his daughter and Arthur’s half sister. She having killed her father and banished her step mother beds the former King’s main enemy as a means of securing her father’s Kingdom. Arthur takes persuading to leave his loving foster parents and half brother Kay but accepts the challenge taking his brother with him. Understandably the half sister, Morgan and her betrothed are not best pleased when they are summoned to Camelot to accept the new King and the old enemy is further enraged when he finds that Arthur has killed the son sent to do likewise. In retaliation the enemy kills the step mother and then turns on the half sister and would be Queen when she starts to give him orders. He tries various ways to subjugate her with the outcome that she warns Arthur of the form of attack her de facto husband will make. In the battle Arthur’s step father gives his life in killing the rival King and Arthur meet Guinevere who he learns is betrothed to one of his new champions. Arthur has also established himself by removing the Excalibur from its placement in a rock at the top of a waterfall.

I am writings separately on this week’s episode of Game of Thrones but Sparta us continued hopefully to the point of his historical famed rebellion. In the meantime his sly, cunning, ambitious and murderous slave school master has recovered the Thracian’s wife sold into slavery but then has her killed on the advice of his more cunning, sly, ambitious and murderous wife. This is designed to get Spartacus into a more single minded mood to continue as the lead Gladiator working to achieve his freedom. Spartacus attempts to make his own way to find the find the killers and is reluctantly persuaded to participate in the re-enactment in the arena when a famed Roman General killed half a dozen Thracian leaders to establish Roman rule over their country. Understandably the proud Thacian Spartacus baulks at representing the Roman general and killing fellow citizens for the gratification of the son of the hero and the Roman masses and as the episode closes it looks as if he has decided to mess up the occasion by letting himself be killed by his fellow countrymen.

Meanwhile the Gladiator Trainer is beginning to doubt the authenticity of the story that one of his star men was able to purchase his freedom from the money previously saved and recently won by betting on Spartacus to defeat the previous undefeated arena champion. What happened is that the school owner had found out who was behind the attempt on his life and sent the Gladiator to kill the man and his family including his son. This had been carried out and the assassin had returned to gain his master’s pleasure, his winnings and to gain freedom for himself and his young male soft hearted companion for whom he had purchased a number of tame doves. He had told the young he had let the child live. Meanwhile the Gladiator bookmaker, anxious not to have to pay out his winnings had arranged for someone to tell the School Master that the boy had survived and been seen. The Slave Master had become so angry that that despite being told the truth he had the assassin killed, having got the young lover to admit he had been told the boy survived. The young man is then taken over by another ruthless gladiator already an enemy and rival of Spartacus who in one moment of rage after the young man commits suicide hurtle the rival off the walls down to his death on the rocks below. Meanwhile the former School Champion Crixus is slowly recovering from his wounds with the administrations of his mistress personal slave who he is having a secret affair. The Mistress in turn has a vested interest in bringing back to full energy her slave lover.

The other ongoing story is the friendship between Spartacus and the free man Roman who voluntary joined the Gladiator school in order to earn sufficiently to clear his debts. Full of guilt at the way his gambling and poor investments had reduced the circumstances of his wife and son he had told her no direct contact, or letters until he had fought successfully or died in the attempt. However the death of the wife of Spartacus’s wife had affected him to the extent that he had written and his wife then pays a personal visit with his son to advise that she has become pregnant after being raped by the man who had offered her financial security during the absence of her husband. Her husband turns away from his wife in the circumstances.

Having discovered that Morrisons and Asda are selling the packs of platters I have been trying out the available selections except the huge selection of sweets, puddings or afters. Each pack costs £5. Over the weekend I enjoyed 15 King Prawns wrapped in filo pastry wrapped in crisp tempura batter; 15 in Breadcrumbs and 15 in Coconut breadcrumb. I can these providing a regular fish experience with providing three portions over two weeks unless mixed with others which is my present inclination. I also finished the first Tex Mex platter and started the second today which has 20 Breaded Onion Rings, 15 Breaded Garlic Mushrooms and 15 Spicy Potato Wedges plus 10 hot and spicy buffalo chicken wings. The Chinese Platter has 20 Chicken Wontons, 20 Prawn Toasts and 20 Vegetable Parcels, The Indian Platter 9 Chicken Tikka Samosas, 17 Bombay potato fritters, 17 onion bhaji and 17 sag aloo bites.

These beat tinned carrots, peas and corn which I grown tired of recently as I did of the simple salads of lettuce, tomatoes, sweet peppers, cucumber and beetroot slice, but not olives or coleslaw which are included in the self select salads. The prawn pasta lettuce and the alternative chicken and bacon also need to purchase now and again. I still enjoy a mixture of baked beans and whole or chopped tomatoes with a chop or fish cooked in batter.

After losing to bottom of the table Derby on Friday in the cricket 20 20 competition, Durham looked for revenge yesterday. It was sunny when I sent off but there was strong evidence of the rain sweeping up and across from the West. I therefore headed for an end of row seat on the Balcony of the Member’s Lounge, had outer coat and inner jacket and a full size umbrella. I was not wrong as the rain commenced midway during the Derby Innings and although Durham‘s bowlers kept going it was evident that the surface water was building up to make bowling and fielding dangerous. I was not surprised when at the interval the wicket was first covered and then the outfield. No other game in the country had started so every match ended in a 1 point each no result tie.

I had to have a large strong coffee to keep going having purchased pastries at Lidl’s who have opened a fresh bakery. I had gone for four packs of the breakfast cereal. Enjoying the second pastry now with my second cup of coffee of the day.

The unexpected sporting event of the weekend was a win for Jenson Button in the Canadian Brand Prix in what many consider the drive of his life in a rain affected event which led to the safety car being used four times and a long delay which meant that all 70 laps of the shortened race from 75 were fitted in with less than a minute to spare. It was only on the last lap that leader from the start, Vettel, made a mistake although there are those who will argue that Button would have taken him in any event use slip stream and the latest technology as he had been lapping as the fastest car in the conditions. He had survived several unexpected pit stops which saw him in last position at least once, after his team mate had attempted to overtake on the inside and they had collided leading to the retirement of Lewis Hamilton who some claim is attempting more and more dangerous manoeuvres to get back on equal terms with Vettel who has stormed into a 60 point lead ahead of Button in the championship.

On Friday I watched what many regard as the most convincing win by Andy Murray in a major round of an important competition when he defeated Andy Roddick in a semi final match at the pre Wimbledon Grass competition at the Queens Club in Hammersmith, West London, a private club recently sold to its Members by the Lawn Tennis Association for £35 million. Fortunately in terms of being able to watch the final live, play was washed out on Sunday and played to day just before 1 pm. The opponent was Jo-Wilfred Tsonga from France known as someone who throws himself fearlessly around the court and with a powerful serve but presently only 20th in the world compared to Murray 4th

First blood went to Tsonga as he broke the Murray serve in game six to go on to win the first set 6.3. The second set went with service to 6.6 but wining the tie break game gave Murray the momentum. He takes the sixth game to go 4.2 up in the third and then in the 8th game and 40 love ahead he does a trick shot through his advancing legs with an angle volley across the net. The crowd erupt, the commentators speculate whether this will wind up his opponent and from this the match ends with each winning their service games. This is the first time a British man has won the champion twice since 1925. Murray was delighted but realistic about the significance. The media will now whip up expectation for Wimbledon.

The Rugby League championship went against expectation with the two leading clubs Warrington and Huddersfield losing, the latter to bottom of table Wakefield. Wigan and St Helens also drew so everyone stayed in the same positions at the top.

And now to the cricket as I should record the scores with Derby 183 for 3 at home with opener Guptill 60 and Madsen not out 53. Breese was the only Durham bowler with good figures of 2 for 27 from his four overs. Durham although they put on 88 for the first wicket did not score quick enough and at the end needed 70 runs from 30 balls. They put up a good fight which omens well for subsequent games reaching 178 for 5. Gordon Muchall did well with 62 and new man Miller was 26 at the close not out Durham losing by 5 runs. Yesterday Guptill continued when he left off and scored 44 and Madsen 54. The team reached 169 runs for 5 at the 20 overs and Collingswood 2 for 24 from 3 was the best with Onions 1 for 18 also doing well. Rushworth was hit for 4 fours in his first over and 17 runs from the 6 balls. Then it rained and rained.

I have been keeping one eye on the Chicago Code which covers the usual range of official corruption and tribalism. This time the corrupt Alderman had bought the unofficial Mayor of Chinatown and allowed him free reign as long as the qualified electors continued to show their appreciation by voting for him and those he nominated for other offices.

As previously explained the head of the division is a woman, more over a let’s clean up our act, woman, who fights a lone battle with the Alderman her number one target. She has one supporter, a senior detective. He cannot forgive the Chinatown Mayor as a few years back a member of the community found his wife and children murdered and the evidence was that the Chinatown Mayor had warned the murderer to leave the country. Now a young member of the black community has his hand chopped off and killed because locals believed he was responsible or part of a gang committing burglaries in the area of the community. In fact he was a devout Christian on a mission to bring the word to others.

The police chief blackmails the Alderman into getting the support of the Chinatown Mayor by threatening to reveal a lack of cooperation to the black community who are significantly more influential that the Chinese. It is revealed that the Mayor had been responsible for ordering the killing, a mistake, after the police capture those responsible. In order to gain a reduction in his sentence the Mayor reveals what happened to the previous murderer to the still grieving widower and father. The man had not been allowed to escape but had been killed and his body dismembered. The Alderman finds someone else to be appointed Mayor of Chinatown on the understanding that this time the man will consult on everything before acting.

As is customary in this type of programme there are sub stories. The police chief finds herself faced with a moral dilemma when she finds her brother in law has been selling access to her for substantial sums. She forces the man to own up what he has done in exchange for promising to keep him out of jail. Her sister finds this unacceptable and deprives of her access to the nephew and niece.

The detectives maintains contact with the young officer who has gone underground with the task of infiltrating a major crime gang and this involves a level of participation; in this instance creating a technical fault resulting in a property burning down so an insurance claim can be made to the benefit of those organising the crime and the property owner. However a dead body is removed from the premises that was alive when the property was set on fire according to the subsequent findings. The young officer wants out and the detective explains he has come up against the realities the job.

I also enjoyed this week’s two episodes of Case Histories which is the 3rd and 4th episode of 6 of what I believe could be the first of several series. Each double episode is self contained with the various separate stories coming together but there are also several ongoing themes. The main one is the relationship between the Detective and his daughter about to go for a year with her mother to New Zealand. His ex wife has acted rashly accepting the job, renting out her home and booking tickets before getting the required parental consent to take his daughter out of the UK. Understandably he is reluctant to sever contact and the daughter is also unhappy at potentially not seeing him for a year. She goes to his home and waits outside while he is dealing with his work but when she goes missing he works out where she is likely to be and she says she is not going because she knows he has become sad. This has the positive effect of helping him to understand he must let her go, as perhaps the only way of re-establishing a relationship with his ex wife if she returns as promised. There does not appear to be anyone else in her life although if the reason for the divorce was given in the first two episodes, I missed it.

He remains fixated, full of guilt over the death of his sister when a child and also the death of someone else, I am not sure who, someone he finds who has committed suicide in what I assume is the family home.

There is also the relationship with the actress from the first double episode. Their relationship was established as a physical one without the expectation that it would last or develop into something more substantial. However she yearns for an all consuming single minded lover so when his work prevents their relationship developing she spends the night with a one man show Comedian appearing at a neighbouring Theatre and who has a more significant role in the main storyline. The Detective and the Actress appear to part company at the end of the two parter, while the relationship with his former colleague and now senior policed contact, divorced mother with young son has several twists and opportunities but his determination to solve the cases he is working on prevents their relationship from developing, for now! In any event I believe he is working out that the way to gain back the love of his ex wife and bring up his daughter directly is not to engage in serial promiscuity.

In order to cope with the stress of the past and the pressures of the present he goes jogging early morning or late at night, possibly both and spots a body floating off the shoreline. He swims out but is unable to bring the body ashore which disappears from view. He was sufficiently close to see a Russian Cross around the girl’s neck and may have seen a similar cross Tattoo on the underside of her arm close to a hand. The senior police officer he calls in unwilling to seek authorization for a team to go immediately in search of the body which is put down as just another suicide rather than a murder which his instincts tell him is the situation. He is determined to try out more about the young woman, especially when he sees someone who looks similar in the distance in the city.
When out on the beach close to where he believes the girl may have entered or been placed in the water he finds a card which with the help a personal assistant appears to be that of a Cleaning company and he locates one of the young women workers who is also Russian and has on her under arm close to a hand a cross Tattoo similar to that he had seen on the girl in the water. This girl is evidently too afraid to speak to him and is found dead after a drug overdose shortly afterwards and while he knows she has been murdered the police remain unconvinced in true stupid copper tradition. He also locates the office used by the company but within a few hours of everyone have left and key appears taken except for a coded book.

It at this point I need to introduce the second storyline. The Detective is about to leave a town centre multi storey car park when he observes a situation where two vehicles collide and one of the men takes a baseball type bat and starts to beat the other man senseless. The scene is observed by two others. A writer of airport and train station bookshop crime novels and the teenage son of the female police chief. The crime novelist throws his lap top at the man using the baseball bat and this drives him away while the boy picks up a wallet and a USB data carrier which contains the latest novel before publication. The boy disappears. The Detective calls in the police but leaves the scene as is wont, telling the crime writer to give the police the car registration of the departing villain writing this on his business card. He tells the man to get himself checked out at hospital as he is evidently in shock. For some reason the crime writer does not give the information immediately to the police.

He has with him a friend of his brother who is an obnoxious sponging bullying type of individual who steals his watch and uses his clothes without asking. He is also the one man show Comedian who hits of the actress lover of the Detective and with whom she has sex when the Detective fails to arrive for a meeting. Meanwhile the crime writer is persuaded by the hospital to accompany the injured and concussed man who insists on discharging himself to his hotel. The hospital is concerned about a delay reaction occurring during the next 24 hours. The victim consents to this because he had been saved by the action of the writer throwing his lap top at the assassin. In the hotel the writer accepts a drink if pure whisky and stays awake while the other man goes to sleep. He had carried the man’s overnight bad from the hospital which was exceptionally heavy. We know he examines the bag and find’s an assassin’s gun in a case. We are not immediately shown that he takes out and keep the gun replacing it with a similar weigh object from the hotel room. He then wakes up the following morning having been drugged and the victim has departed, presumably without checking his overnight bag for the gun.

From the outset he had asked the Detective to protect him until what appeared to be more than road rage or more accurately multi-storey car park rage was sorted. Now after the incident in the hotel room he insists that the detective protects him and our hero agrees on the understanding that he waits in cars or at the office while he investigates further. The crime writer has no actual experience of what he writes about and has gone along with the situation despite his cowardly nature in order to gain first hand experience.

It is now necessary to introduce the third aspect of the main story line. An over sixties corpulent business man type is brought into hospital by an attractive young Russian woman after the man has a heart attack. She encounters what appears to be the nice long suffering wife who finds out that the young Russian is a call girl who has been catering for her husband’s needs to be tired up, gagged and beaten. She insists they did not have sex. She tells the woman that from her experience the man will not survive. This appears to release the wife from her bondage and she burns some of the man’s clothing and their bedding, changes pictures around and gets together a considerable amount of cash. This is the image she projects when the Detective visits her after discovering that the husband owned the cleaning company/ call girl racket as well as being involved in various other companies including dodgy housing development building. At this point the Detective does not know that that the look alike girl he sees in the street to the one in the water worked for the hospitalised owner and had met his wife. Things then develop apace.

The Detective is assaulted in the street and nearly killed by the man with the baseball bat in the multi story car park. The Comedian is found with his face smashed unrecognisable at the home of the crime writer who at first the Detective and the Police think is the crime writer. The man also arrives at the home of the man in hospital and demands to know where her husband is as he is owed money. We earn that the wife knew the man as an employee of her husband. She has been telling everyone that he husband is away on business. To get the man off her back she says her husband will meet him at a club he uses and she then contacts the Detective to ask for his help. He goes to the club but meets up with the Russian girl also on her way there. The Detective, the Crime Writer in tow and the Russia girl go to the home of the wife and join forces with the writer having decoded the dairy book to reveal names of girl passport payments and such like. The girl has also USB data device from taken from the husband after his heart attack and the decision is taken for the girl and the wife to take off having transferred money from his various accounts to a new account which they can both draw on; The girl having, of course, worked in banking at one time and knows how to do this once they have worked out the password entry into the husbands existing accounts. They are nearly thwarted in this with the arrival of the Baseball bat man who nearly gets the better of them until the Crime writer shoots the baseball man dead. He then waits until to two women complete their work and flee and calls the police while the Detective goes off again to say goodbye to his wife and child as they take a taxi to the airport.

Before this the police chief has discovered that her geeky and neglected son had kept and not mentioned to anyone that he found the USB data transfer and the wallet to the writer. She then turns to the Detective to talk about the lack of reaction on the part of the son to witnessing the baseball bat attack. When she returns home after being refused the offer to get drunk etc with the Detective she finds her so surrounded with little lighted floating candle (which she of course had a supply of or had been able to go out and buy several dozen having an emotional breakdown from his recent experience). The Russian girl in water? Her body was found and she turns out to be the kid sister of the other surviving Russian girl. So we have two dead Russian girls killed by the baseball bat man who is himself killed in self defence and a fourth body that of the unfunny and sleazy one man show comedian. There is one further twist in that the victim of the baseball bat man in the multi storey car park was a paid assassin and we see him turning off the life support equipment for the husband in hospital and as he does so he says- “ Present from your wife.

Meanwhile the Detective does more jogging.

2030 A Vietnam war Film, Treme and Boardwalk Empire, the League Cup Final and World Cricket game

This morning it was a black sky and I counted cars. Unusually I saw a car on the hill just after setting off; an event I cannot recall in the six months of early rising. There is sometimes a vehicle in Ocean Road at the bottom of the Hill, one turns into the Housing at Flag Court perhaps on the way to the Health Centres, or centre for Disability. I suspect the first arrivals at the Family centre are later. When I set off later there has sometimes been a an Asian work party assembling with at a small people carrier at the junction with Roman Road and there is also often a car across the way at the Newsagents. This is the only internal light in the street although sometimes there is a light or two in one of the hotels in that part of the road before I turn up the hill along the South Marine Park.

Sometimes I also see a milk, eggs etc, delivery vehicle at the junction between Ocean Road and the park although this is a recent development. This morning returning earlier than usual the same vehicle was delivering on the hill. I am reminded of when I worked for the Middlesex County Council Finance Department and 200 strong Motor Vehicle Licences division where I once made a major mistake of writing the wrong level of information in over 50, maybe 100, PCV’s Pedestrian Controlled Vehicles, for a major dairy delivery business in the county council!

There are usually more vehicles about early on Monday mornings and this time there were nine in total before the road junction roundabout at Marsden. There were also more lights in housing perhaps in a dozen homes compared to the usual half. There were few vehicles in the second part of the journey to Whitburn Village and then along the beachside at Seaburn Sunderland to the hotel. There were three buses in Whitburn village, two travelling towards Sunderland and one away. The were also fewer house lights, one van and two cars.

After yesterdays brilliant dawn, to-day was grey, but there was excitement of a sort at the Hotel because of a large display board within the entrance to the facility and then a further display table and canopy with white balloons announcing the launch fo a new web site with information or targets, weights and special offers, the latter attracting my attention. The fifty lengths remains a challenge, especially when tackled in one stretch as has become my custom. I break down the task in 10 length batches and from the midway point my enthusiasm improves although the last ten where I try to increase my pace usually leaves me shattered for a while. As I wanted to return to watch the recording of the overnight Oscar ceremony, I did not go for a swim and briefly looked at the Daily Newspaper.

There was some excellent sport on television this weekend and for the first time since the commencement of Winter I hankered to attend something live.

I have already mentioned that on Friday evening I enjoyed Warrington‘s win at St Helens, where I was appointed its first Cheshire County Council Area Director of Social Services, but never commenced the appointment having taken the opportunity of a Director’s position at South Tyneside. Warrington won 25 to 18 4 tries to 3 after leading 18.0 after 20 minutes. Warrington had won only 2 of the previous 41 minutes the occasion in 1944. The crowd was 10000. Warrington are now 4th and St Helens 6th.

On Sunday evening Newcastle minus its former stars and Premiership winning management was able to have a convincing win against Leeds Carnegie in the Aviva Rugby Union Championship. The win keeps Newcastle second from bottom with 16 points from games played 229 to 345 points overall and widens the gap with Leeds who only have 9 points and 161 to 345. This was Newcastle’s third only win but with a game in hand on Sale above them with 21 points and 270-357 there is the prospect of overtaking them before the end of the season. Newcastle scored four tries in this match against one late effort from Leeds who looked doomed. The crowd was 5000.

Sandwiched in between these two games was England’s Rugby Union game against France at Twickenham, England had a penalty at 3 mins which they scored. France then achieved a give away penalty by England 3-3. England then appeared to take command with two further penalties at 12 and 17 but sloppy play enabled France to take the initiative themselves with penalties at 19 and 21 minutes so the score became 9-9. French voices quietened the large English crowd as England were guilty of unforced errors and mistakes which could not be explained away by the greasy ball conditions.

Shortly after the half time kick off and a close call on a forward pass provides the opportunity for Foden to achieve the first try of the game to England which Flood did not convert. Within moments another English try looked on but a pass was called forward and with Flood limping it was Johnny Wilkinson hero of that final second world test final drop goal and former Newcastle man who comes on from the bench and makes a 50m spot kick to take the score to 17-9, so that France needs to score twice with 20 minutes to go. The rest was a struggle but the score remained until the final whistle with the consequence that England now has 6 points from three games and the opportunity for the grand slam but with Wales France and Ireland all only 2 points, and one win behind, it is early doors leaving Scotland and Italy with the zeros.

Newcastle United could only manage a draw at Home on Saturday against much improved Everton but this was sufficient for them to come within a point of Sunderland now in 8th while remaining 3 points clear of three clubs and four points clear of three others. Their battle and that of Sunderland who were poor against Bolton who overtook both clubs to reach 7th but also on 37, keeps them clear of immediate relegation worries. Fortunately Liverpool lost badly at West Ham to stay 6th on 39 points, with a gap of six points between them and the Euro spot Chelsea in 5th. It is all getting very tight in the middle of table. Man United and Arsenal now look as the only clubs contesting the Premiership Title and Arsenal had their first opportunity for silverware in six years when they played 16th placed Birmingham City on Sunday at Wembley.

I only watched part of the final as my attention was focussed on an epic contest between England and India in the cricket World Cup. By all accounts Birmingham started the game with tremendous resolve while Arsenal looking at the class difference on paper between the two sides and with the bookmakers odds confirming their anticipated dominance. Arsenal took to the field apparently assuming that all they had to do was turn up and they would win. Birmingham then shocked the red scarf waving supporters by taking the lead through Zigic and could and should have increased the margin before a well worked move enabled Van Persie to strike a spectacular volley into the net just before half time.

This as expected resulted in Arsenal starting the second half determined to demonstrate their on paper superiority but Birmingham had some experienced hands facing their last and in some instances only likely opportunity of a winner’s medal. The team includes three former Newcastle players with full back and captain Stephen Carr, the temperamental and controversial Lee Bowyer and the recently acquired in January centre forward Obafemi Martins whose double back flip when scoring remains amazing if somewhat fool hardy. Fearing England were about to lose the cricket I had switched over for the final 15 minutes of the football and was rewarded.

Martens could not just believed his luck when just before the end of the full time and with only four minutes of extra time to go, the young goal keeper and a full back collided as they went for the ball and Obafemi found the ball at his feet and open goal where he had just to tap the ball in which he did. Birmingham withstood the final onslaught and Obafemi had another opportunity this time created by his skill before the final whistle brought Birmingham to fevered ecstasy and a distraught and stunned Arsenal following. David had slain Goliath yet again. For relatively newly appointed Manager Alex McLeash at Birmingham this might be considered just another notch on his long list of winners medals first as a player and then as manager of both Celtic and Rangers. However he argued that taking one of the great sides in the world was the best of all feelings. The celebrations are going on and on and now Birmingham can concentrate on Premiership survival with confidence while the new Asian owners could be prepared to dig into their pockets for players in the summer to cope with their team playing in Europe. Wow.

In Bangalore in a stadium packed to the rafters with loud excited home supporters England faced India in what was the first truly competitive game of the World Cup 2011. When India won the toss and elected to bat on a friendly wicket and commenced to score freely it looked as if the die had been cast with the flip of a coin. Although India lost a wicket at 46 the great Tendulkar scored yet another one day century and with Singh and Dhoni also getting half centuries the total of 338 in the final over of their innings looked a daunting task for to win England would have to achieve the fourth highest number of runs in the second innings of this 50 over competition.

Although Kevin Petersen was out scoring well for 31 when the total was 68 and Trott for only 16 at 111, captain Straus was in brilliantly form silencing his critics that he is not a one day man and was finally out for 165 with the score at 281. Until that moment, or in farness the moment before England were winning at a cantor as Bell who had survived a review where he should have been given out according to the England experts in the TV studio was on 69 and looked as if he would also get a century as there were 8 wickets left to get the required 59 runs. But with Bell and Strauss out in successive balls and out of form Collingwood and so Prior at the crease Botham and co tried to put on a brave face. When these two were also out at 285 and 289 and all four going to the curse of Batting power play all the Indian supporters who had left early will have been stunned. Their team look favourites to win. However this was not to be as Yardy, Bresnan and Swann began to do what seemed impossible and score at the required rate of 15 runs(29) an over for the last two overs and 14 from the last with only 2 wickets in hand. England needed just 2 from the final ball and scored only 1 thus the match was tied as the less number of wickets did not apply. The crowd had one of the most exciting days of their life with over 650 runs scored in the day. Alas I missed the excitement as well have switched over to the football and then missed the replay in the evening and again this morning. However it will be on the Sky Player later in the week.

I am enjoying the Boardwalk Empire although there is nothing new about the this tale of criminals killing and making money in prohibition USA in Atlantic City, Chicago and New York. As anticipated with the ending of episode three Margaret Schroeder gets her wish and Nucky offers her to become his woman setting her up in a large apartment with her two children and a baby sitter. Before accepting the offer she consults Mrs McGarry of the Temperance association who is a realist and hands her a copy of a booklet on Family Limitation. Nucky advises her of a night out but several hours later she sit by the phone. He has had to arrange dinner with a contact about the new road project to the capital. Afterwards he wants entertainment and Nucky takes him to one of his brothels where there are lots of attractive naked and semi naked women to entertain them both. Margaret has also learnt that she is not his only kept woman and from earlier scenes there are at least three others who he expects to stay with him at his apartment overnight. One of these behaves catlike and scratches his chest drawing blood.

The Federal agent in charge of prohibition investigations in Atlantic City tries to visit Margaret at her old home but is told she has gone away in the Rolls. He has been visited by his bosses and told he must have more evidence to go for Nucky. He obtains a copy of the file on Margaret and learns that she had an abortion soon after arrival in the country when only 16 years of age. For some reason this leads him to ritual flagellation.

In Chicago Al Capone tries to make peace with Jimmy who is upset after the loss of the girl from the brothel. He is not in the mood to take on another girl when she offers and sends a wad of notes to his wife. In New York Rothstein advises Lucky Luciano who he has sent to find the whereabouts of Jimmy that instead of sleeping with the wife he is with her mother. Lucky has admitted to the mother that he has become impotent as she lies fully naked in his bed.

So what with flesh and blood galore it is not surprising that there has to be more violence. Jimmy expresses concern to Chicago boss Torrio that if they do not take on the north side gang over Greek City it will signal weakness. They arrange a meeting at which Torrio, Al Capone and Jimmy meet their competitors at their patch, handing in their weapons and negotiating a percentage of profitable action. As they leave they are handed their coats from a replacement receptionist and which include a new set of weapons. They kill their rival and three of his men including the man who was responsible for cutting the face of Jimmy’s girl friend. Jimmy and Al Capone appear to have made up now after a situation which developed over their respective war records and Capone’s son who is deaf. Back in Atlantic City Nucky suspects Rothstein and his local man Luciano is behind an attack in broad daylight on one of his “tax” collectors. The episode is called Family Limitation.

I also enjoyed the second episode of Treme which again featured some great jazz. There were four main issues in Meet De Boys on the Battle front.

Goodman’s wife continues her efforts to locate the brother of her bar owner friend and believes she has found him on remand in an out city prison but when she foes with the sister and her mother on a visit to get him bail they find that although he has the same name he is a stranger.

Janette who runs the restaurant is struggling to survive having already used up her emergency fund She invites her parents to a meal to die for which they thoroughly enjoy but also know she has an agenda. When she says she needs $25000 to keep going until the insurance money arrives her father says the most he can raise is $6000.

Her casual boyfriend Davis has lost his job as a DJ because of his comments and criticisms and goes to his father for help. The father insists that he takes a job at a hotel on Bourbon street which is full of tourist attracting joints. When a three college kids ask for advice he directs them to a jazz bar in the black seventh district advising them to take a taxi and insist on being taken to the address. At the bar they have a night long great time including meeting with some of the musicians, including Antoine who has come from gig on Bourbon Street which he tries to keep from his authentic jazz playing friends. Because the female college visitors do not return to the hotel their parents are flying out and Davis is fired for leading them astray. He meets them on their way back to hotel full of praise for his reference. Albert meanwhile has got a job while he tries to reassemble his group. However he then finds that his tools have been taken and from his contacts finds out that a local youngster took them and was making money looting. When Albert finds him and that tools have already been sold on, Albert knocks the boy senseless in revenge. Only one of the band then turn up for practice. He is working things out with his son who comes down to play a modern jazz gig but insist that it is traditional jazz that has fashioned his playing and is where his heart is.

On Monday lunchtime while tired after a good meal of turkey breast with Chinese stir fry and a pear, I watch an unexpectedly infertile about the Vietnam war called the Siege of Firebase Gloria. The film has the appearance of a made for TV venture or what in the old days would be described as B movie, despite a large cast and lots of fire power. The interest is the way the film shows up the incompetence of the USA high command at the time of the Tet New Year Holiday.

A USA military patrol, helicopter into an area from base camp finds all the inhabitants of a sympathetic village murdered, the men with their head cut off and staked, the women raped to death and the children massacred in a pit although one boy survives.

They investigate further and come across a small group of young fisherman and their women folk. Noting their ages the patrol is suspicious and arranges cover so that when one of the group opens fire they are able to strike back and kill the enemy finding out that they are regulars and which confirms that there is major movement. They make their way to an outpost on a small hill where the commanding officer is high on drugs and the rest of the men relaxing not expecting trouble. When there is an attack the commanding officer is wounded so the patrol leader takes command. The command base does not believe their report of increasing activity and refuses to send more ammunition, medical supplies or get them out of the area. The patrol find that at the camp there is a small medical unit with several female nurses. The head nurse, a captain, technically outranking the patrol leader, is horrified when a prisoner is tortured to establish what is going on. The torturer explains that there are 2000 of enemy all around them and no one is coming to for them from HQ and they all face the prospect of death with the females being raped to death. She accepts the offer of a an automatic riffle from one of the other troops.

Back at HQ a hippy helicopter pilot goes out to see the position for himself on hearing about the request from the outpost and prevents the camp being overrun with his firepower. He return and refuels and rearms and persuades two other pilots to join him, pretending to outrank someone unwilling to release the helicopters without written orders. They arrive in time to prevent a massacre and are able to drop provide ammunition and medical supplies.

On the third assault the camp is overrun and someone gets into the infirmary killing wounded in retaliation for the patrol and camp killing the wounded closest to the fort. Two of the nurses are killed by he captain used the riffle to kill those who invaded the field hospital. The battle become more fierce and just when it looks as if they will all be killed the maverick helicopter pilot returns again and the remnants of the Viet Com make their retreat, The commander of this group realises that the North Vietnamese army never expected him to succeed but he was part of the New Offensive in which all USA bases were attacked including those in Saigon as a way of signalling that they USA could not win, at a time when back home Congress and the media were told that the war was being won. The survivors are able to return to HQ in a war they cannot win.

1485 Views on God and football past and present

Last night I watched a film called the Peacemaker, an action movie about nuclear terrorism starring George Clooney and Nicole Kidman which turned out to be a chase movie with the usual last second between a big bang and happy ever after. The film centres on a Serb Croat who appears to lose his child and wife in fighting and raises the two hundred million dollars required to have one of the stolen bomb. I am not sure who the Peacemaker was in the film or ever is, any more.

I write this while watching a BBC film God on Trial in which a group of Jews, some due to make their journey to the gas chamber at dawn and others who will live on in the concentration camp together with the new arrivals who have arrived a day early, debate the nature of God and the significance of human life in the universe where in our galaxy there are 1000 million stars with solar systems and planets. The drama comprises a series of moving and thoughtful statements included a factual analysis of the God of the Old testament in which evil was brought upon the Egyptians including the death of their first born innocent children because the Pharaoh the King decided against letting the chosen people go, although he was not punished and only the innocent, including his soldiers who had obeyed their orders were destroyed some in horrific and prolonged ways and concludes and reminds that the God of the Old Testament was not good or just, but just powerful and on the side of the Jews. This speakers concludes that all that has happened is that God has had decided to enter into a new covenant with Hitler.

Another took a different viewpoint reminding that it was irrelevant whether God existed in the form believed by the Jewish prisoners at that moment and the issue was that the only way Hitler who had tried to make himself God could convince his people that what they were doing to the Jews was right was not just to remove their wealth, their normal clothes, their hair, their teeth fillings and their dignity and make them live in filth but make them lose their faith, and therefore they use their faith as their final act of defiance. For although the setting of their deaths was dramatic and horrific it was shared whereas for many that final moment of realization that all the trappings of life were unnecessary and of no value, except how we live and how we face those final moment of physical self awareness.

The play ends with the group of contemporary visitors who are being told the story of Jews who put God on Trial standing among the physical souls of those who died that day as they prayed for forgiveness and eternal salvation, grateful the at they had been given those few moments of awareness to make peace with themselves and each other, and as the visitors to make their way to their coach, one reminds that despite the attempt of one man and his people to eradicate a whole race, we are still here, to which I add as the belief in God, despite the many faces, often held by people in conflict with each other.

Given this film of a play the future of one football manager and one football team has to be put into the perspective of the fundamental issues and choices now and times past. It was a day in which the nice manager of West Ham, the club he played for and loved resigned on principle because he had no control over who can and who left the club, especially the decision to sell two players to Sunderland in the last days and moments of the transfer window. His departure was not greeted with anything resembling the level of protests as built up in relation to the news that Kevin Keegan had effectively been sacked by the Newcastle Chairman and Board early on Tuesday morning following meetings held the previous day for what is believed to have been a similar situation when the club not only failed to recruit the number of players he needed to meet the situation he faced because of injury and developments at other clubs, but because of the attempts to sell players including Michael Owen who would be free to leave the cub in the New Year unless he signed a new long term contract.

For me the issue is no longer whether Keegan is the right person for the present situation, or ever was, of who did what and when or did not do what they should among owner, chairman, chief executive and Director of Football and his recruiting and buying team or whether the club or Keegan initiated the confrontation. For me this issue is that he is there and should stay and be supported in the way he wants to be because the alternative not just spells disaster for the Club, and for the morale of an important community, but would mark the final death of a great public participation sport with principles, confirming my fears that in the medium and long term the arrival of the bottomless millions of an Arab state into the Premiership is a very bad thing indeed. My hope is that not only will a way be found to keep Kevin as the Manager of Newcastle United Football Team but that the vents of the past 48 hours will shock all those involved in the management and promotion of the game to think again about the direction the game has taken and decide on a different course. I think this is unlikely but the hope is there.

I first supported Sunderland Football club when I came to the North East in 1974 as the first Director of Social Services for the new local authority of South Tyneside, and where I subsequently had a short spell as Director of Social Services for Sunderland, and my work included the management of several thousand employees and an annual revenue budget of ten of millions, and although a chief officer and fellow of the British Institute of Management, I was part of a management team headed by a Chief Executive and I was also accountable to an elected Council Committee equivalent to the board of a football club and which in turn was accountable to the board of the company controlling a football club. My main function however was the statutory provision of services to the most vulnerable and needy people in society, and I believed and acted on the basis that my duty to them took priority over everything else, including my personal interests and position.

While there are significant differences between a football club and a social services department and there has been a revolution the scale and organisation of both since I was involved with the latter I suggest that there are important similarities in priorities between both types of organisation then and now with the foremost a duty to serve and protect their best interests of the customers of the respective services.

On coming to the North East, I quickly learnt that the relationship between football clubs and the whole community, as it was between the local councils and the community was very different from that which I had previously experienced having worked in a senior management positions in the field of Social Work in the North West, in Yorkshire, and in London and where during this later period I held a national position which also enabled an understanding of the variations in the provision of social welfare services throughout Britain. The best way of describing this difference between the North East and other parts of Britain where I had lived, worked and studied is to say that the within communities there were great loyalties formed through common work and its hardships, commons faiths and common social livings which were and to some extent remain tribal and were all embracing to a level perhaps only found in the coal valleys of South Wales, the coal fields and industrial areas of Scotland and in Northern Ireland. This was also so because of the extended nature of families still living on one estate or within one town and that there had been had been only limited movement of people from other parts of the UK or outside these Island since World War II and that the overwhelming majority of people lived in council provide accommodation or low cost and standard rented private accommodation also grouped in high density estates.

Football in the North East as it was in the other cities and major towns was working class supported sport where you became part of a crowd loyal to one club and where you could give way to basic emotions, shouting and singing what you felt as and when you wished.

One of my first games was at Arsenal to see Stanley Matthews play for the opposing team, some sixty years ago. I then stood on the terraces at Crystal Palace when I knew all the faces around me as during years that the club required re-election for three consecutive seasons to the former third division south. I learnt to take extra care in the 1950's when the Palace played Mill wall because the reputation of some Millwall young men. I visited other grounds in the area where I was located between leaving home and coming to the North, including Oxford City and Liverpool.

Throughout the past thirty four years I have held season tickets at both Sunderland 1975-1990 and 2007-2008 and at Newcastle 1992-2007 and for this season I had decided attend matches at both clubs selectively and to watch others live on TV, partly because of the way the Premiership had developed and partly for non football reasons. During the eighties in to the nineteen nineties, visiting other grounds on organised supporters trips or through personally arranged transport, I experienced being stoned in a coach for over half an hour by pint sized children after leaving a match at Everton, was twice on an underground train wrecked by organised gangs associated with football in London, once by a Chelsea gang attacking members of the Sunderland London supports club and the second occasion when a West Ham gang broke out of the train to attack a Chelsea gang where both clubs had been playing other teams, this was on the night of cup game between Sunderland and Chelsea when Chelsea supporters within the ground attempted to attack Sunderland supporters, on a night where I was watching with several political leaders of South Tyneside Council from ordinary seats in a stand. There were also occasions within grounds including at Tottenham where I had to run for my life despite police protection and at Arsenal where the problem involved a young policeman who lost his head and where I agreed that the matter should be handled internally by the police.

I mention these things to demonstrate that I know something of reality of being a football fan and what it means to fans and to local communities in general, especially the passion and the rivalries.
I gave up on Sunderland in the early 1990's because I no longer enjoyed going to games, not just because the team lost but because of the lack of quality in performance which I was able to compare with other teams through the increasing showing of games on television. Going to my first match at St James when Newcastle returned to the Premiership was like switching between the Catholic and Protestant religions, but it was also a revelation, and having obtained a season ticket I then had that one period which perhaps only occurs once during any lifetime, of sporting bliss, when I found it difficult to wait until the next game. For me the team winning something was secondary to that rare combination of a team which played exciting and quality football, and which also won games, a manager who was able to communicate with everyone at whatever level of society. Who else could have convinced fans that selling Andy Cole to Manchester United was a good thing? We did not like it but we took it because you said so. We also took the disappointment of not winning the league title after coming close, as we did the disappointment of losing two subsequent visits to Wembley in the FA Cup.

There was also continuing hopes of a revival back to what had been glory days with the appointment of some, but not all of the subsequent managers, but after the departure of Sir Bobby Robson there was a growing discontent and lack of confidence that the situation would improve. The ground had been developed into an all seated super stadium and the core support also changed significantly, as did the atmosphere and the cost of attending games and for several years the stadium was generally filled despite poor play and losing streaks by players who were obscenely overpaid compared to the majority of those supporting.

I say this not just on the basis of my limited contact with other supporters at the ground, but as a regular listener to the Legends

' programme on Century radio and 606 on BBC 5, as a reader of local papers and watcher of regional TV sports news and programmes. In this context I have told Messrs Slaven and Horsewell at the Legends' programme that I will never listen again to the programme following their infantile, inappropriate and offensive approach to the situation during the first hour of the programme on Tuesday evening.

There was a combination of reasons why I did not renew my season ticket for the 2007-2008 seasons at Newcastle and bought one at Sunderland instead. It had become evident since the take over of Chelsea, and the input of Sky money, that without a similar injection of funds no team could hope to play on a regular basis in the Champions League or become a serious contender for the Premiership title on a regular basis. Having the funds was an essential but not the only ingredient for success, which also included the ability to pay the wages which the best contemporary footballers are able to command. The manager/coaching/ and back up staff had to possess the ability to organize and motivate a mixed group of millionaire performers over not one but several seasons, and cope with a continuous movement of some players between clubs, as well as working with the administration of a world wide business enterprise, and satisfying the supporters which included the interests of sponsors and hospitality clients, and achieve success not just now and again, but on a continuous basis. In addition this had to be achieved by providing Sky, and now Satanta and to a lesser extent the BBC and ITV and other TV channels showing and paying for live matches, entertaining spectacles and have a manager who is a larger than life personality who could front the club and handle the wall to wall 365 24 hours media interest for news and gossip.

Only four clubs appeared to possess the funds, management structure, stadiums and supporters to sustain these requirements. Chelsea, Manchester United, Arsenal and Liverpool. I regard this situation as the death knell of the Premiership and the football leagues as they are at present, because the four clubs will become divorced from the rest and become a European and ultimately world wide Championship competition, breaking away altogether from the Premiership if they risk losing their position.

Monday 31st August appeared to confirm this view with the entrance of Abu Dhabi money, and while I was delighted for Man City supporters and the Man City Club which like Sunderland has attempted to remain focused on meeting the aspirations of its core fans, I speculated how long Mark Hughes would last if he fails to deliver. I also feared for the consequences of the development in the rest of British football.

I also used to follow American Football where what impressed me was the system for buying in knew players- the annual draft- which appeared to ensure that the teams performing badly had the first pick of each round of the draft and thus over a period of time every franchise had the opportunity to play and win the Superbowl as well as heading their Division. I suspect there is now no way to achieve more of a fair playing field between teams who make it into in the Premiership and except for the top four or five the rest can only hope of making it into competitions once or twice a decade, and winning one of the two cup competitions as happened this year in the FA Cup with Portsmouth. Only a similar Injection of funds to that promised to Manchester City will enable a club to join the first rank and remain there.

The problem with Newcastle is that it became a top four and world wide brand club under Sir John Hall and Kevin Keegan, doubling its season ticket holders, and one assumes also dramatically increasing its sponsorship and sales as well as administration and support staff as well as the new super stadium, without achieving trophies let alone sustaining a position after the departure of Sir Bobby Robson. It is now entrenched as a middle to lower Premiership position club and Kevin Keegan recently expressed the reality of this to the public.

As the situation went from bad to worse since the departure of Sir Bobby, the frustration and disillusionment of the core support has intensified although everyone also puts on a bold front when in contact of supporters of Sunderland and those of Middlesbrough and at away games. It became a different situation at home games where the atmosphere became increasingly depressing to match the performances. I decided not to renew my season ticket because I did not enjoy matches and I could not see any significant and lasting change despite the arrival of a new owner and his management and administrative appointees.

I turned back to Sunderland, (who I had continued to support through televised games) after going to the new stadium and the establishment of the new ownership and the appointment of Roy Keane, because there appeared to be a significant change with an emphasis on retaining and developing the supporter base and a honest and open manager who tried to ensure that the players never forgot who they were playing for first. The atmosphere in the promotion year was a throw back to times at Newcastle a decade ago and at Sunderland three decades beforehand.

I was thrilled and delighted with the news of the return of Kevin Keegan to Newcastle as the Manager, initially assuming he had accepted the position only in the knowledge that he would have the resources and authority to rapidly move the club forward, bringing in players necessary and moving on those who could not or were unwilling to fit into the new team. The extent of the task was evident at the first match of the return, when I sat next to a father who had brought up his son from Norwich for the day as a special birthday treat and who would be returning home that evening after the game.

I was amazed by the appointment of Denis Wise after the failure to bring Alan Shearer back into the club in some managerial capacity. This is not intended to imply a criticism of Mr. Wise but I did not and do not see how such an obvious Londoner could ever become acceptable to the fans unless he was seen to produce an amazing new player or two, with Berbatov and Robinho being the two current examples. On Sunday when I went for a drink to supporters ' pub in Sunderland before game against Man City, everyone was watching Rangers play Celtic in preference to Chelsea V Tottenham, (and confirms my belief that Newcastle and Sunderland should seek to join the Scottish Premiership, just as Tyne and Wearside would be better served becoming part of an independent Scotland). I have always found the antipathy towards London clubs and Londoners as strong among Newcastle core supporters as it is towards Sunderland and donning a club shirt and supping pints as the new owner has been seen to do.
I also did not see how someone as charismatic and hands on as Kevin Keegan could work with some one devoting themselves to recruitment and transfers unless Kevin had the overall control and not the other way around.
I was also disappointed to learn that it was not the intention of the new owner to do a Chelsea which has to be done if one wants to break through the bar of getting into Europe competitions on a year in and out basis. The Bolton or Portsmouth approach can only ever involve competitive success for one year or two but cannot be sustained for a club intending to fill a 50000 seater stadium.

Part of the Newcastle brand appeal has been the ability to attract world class players able to perform in the Premiership and before the old Gallowgate. While the Gallowgate loved players with big personalities such as Malcolm MacDonald, Ginola and Tino Asprilla, they also worshipped those who score goals regardless of their media appeal such as Alan Shearer, Les Ferdinand and Peter Beardsley. Because of his constant injury problems Michael Owen has been a great disappointment and is yet to prove himself. At present the club has no great scorer or personality players with perhaps one new signing indicating that he might become a new hero, and this situation fuelled the sense of gloom which led one passionate Toon neighbour from not renewing for the first time since reaching adulthood, although unlike me he would never switch to also supporting another club.

I suspect that like many supporters I was thrilled with the performance at Manchester United on the opening day and accepted the defeat at Arsenal in the context of Arsenal having suffered an unexpected setback the previous week. I applied to join the Members club so as to able to buy tickets in advance of the general public after the Arsenal game such was my confidence that Newcastle would have a better season subject to further transfers and the injury position.

Similarly players and supporters were mesmerized by the performance of Man City at Sunderland last Sunday, explained by the news the following day, and which I did not expect will affect the rest of the season given the purchases that have been made and the ability of the manager to motivate and organize. I would be surprised if either set of supporters expected miracles, but continued to hope for good run in a cup competition.

The circumstances which have led to the present situation between Kevin Keegan and the club are only relevant in that they will determine how a resolution can be found, however short term. The departure of Kevin for any reason at the present time could destroy Newcastle United. While this is likely to be reflected in attendances and purchases I was concerned by the depth of feeling, and not just the behaviour of the teenagers, having watched Sky throughout the day and listening to the first hour of the Legend 's programme.

As an outsider it is not easy to see a medium term solution which does not involve Kevin being given the authority and the funds to take the club to the next level.

I cannot see Mr. Ashley and his team becoming acceptable again to Newcastle supporters and the Newcastle Community unless they are willing to make it clear that Kevin has control of all football matters, including the selection of players transferring in or out of the club, subject of course to the interests of the players and their representatives. Mr. Ashley and his team will also need to make funds available enabling Newcastle to compete in the current and changing market. If Mr. Ashley is unwilling or unable to do this then he should arrange to sell his interest to someone who can.

I also wonder if there are not roles for Sir Bobby Robson and Alan Shearer at the present time as both are able to command the attention and patience of supporters

The choice is a simple one between making Newcastle United what is likely to now become a top six club or everyone admitting that this is not going to be possible in the medium term and accepting the consequence in terms of support, wages and club income and expenditure. Newcastle United is still a worldwide brand, but without a top notch product it could quickly become another Leeds.

1793 Woe weather, I am Cuba and Troy CRicket Live and on TV and project work progress

It appears to have rained continuously for 24 hours and the from the look of the skies another 24 hours could follow. It is nasty weather and cold at night, not freezing cold meriting the heating system but uncomfortable. I remembered why I stopped getting a season ticket for the football. I imagine feeling obliged to go out in this. It is the disadvantage of the season ticket for any activity because it means you lose out overall if there are too many instance when you are unwell, something more important arises or the inclination for the activity is just not there.

There has also been little inclination to write during the period. The relationship with the weather condition has been a significant factor, but not the only one. There is also the feeling of the birthday party year having ended and autumn and winter are at hand. It is depressing and disheartening and it has been difficult to rouse myself to anything other than play games I can win against the computer and eat, Even the former has not been successful. Too many drawn games and one defeat at chess is appalling given the extent to which the outcome of every game can be controlled. There has been just as unsatisfactory a performance at the patience games but some enjoyment from the shootem game which involves eliminating triples of the same colour.

There was much slaughtering of soldiers from flights of arrows in Troy, which the critics did not like but I enjoyed again last night before sleep time.

I do not remember Greek legends and have never read the Iliad of Homer or Virgil’s Aeonid and other such works although I promised that I would some day.

Paris(Orlando Bloom) and his older Brother (Hector)go on a good will mission to Sparta where Menelaus rightly complains about accepting hospitality and then stealing one’s wife, Helen, she whose body launched a thousand ships. In this version of the legend she wants out from her parentally arranged husband as well as sexual love with a faithful younger man than her lecherous slave and dancing girl husband. Having run off with lecherous Paris who cannot fight and is a coward at heart, she becomes full of angst realising all the blood, widows and rapes she causes. Priam King of Troy(Peter O’Toole) is presented as a thoughtful and caring ruling and Hector is son as a reluctant warrior who would rather spend his days with his wife and newborn son. However both men were prepared to sacrifice the lives of their people rather than send her pacing, although Priam was right in as much that Menelaus was able to call on his brother Agamemnon who wanted to use the taking of Helen as the excuse to bring Troy into line with the rest of Greece in accepting him as their superlord protection on payment of sending their armies to fight as the superking wanted. Played by Shakespearean actor Brian Cox he promoted the traditional view that history is about the lives of kings rather than individual soldiers. Troy falls because of the beware the Greeks who bear the gifts Trojan horse ploy which the gullible Trojan King took into the city rather than burn. However this epic has a twist in that it features Brad Pitt as a homicidal maniac with a sense of honour about other homicidal maniacs but which does not extend to priests and their assistants, with the exception of the then Vestal Virgin Princess daughter of Priam. He is the ultimate super fighter seeking the glory of historical destiny. Sean Bean plays the wise friend of Achilles Odysseus the King of Ithaca. Achilles has his heel of course and is deaded by Paris who comes good in the end.

The bad weather arrived Wednesday afternoon despite the morning looking promising with large blue patches over the hill when I parked the car outside in the roadway before 8am in readiness to got to the Riverside ground for what I hoped was going to be a decisive day in the County Championship. I made a flask of coffee and prepared half a sweet melon together with the smoked mackerel to go with the salad already in a container in the refrigerator. Then I went to Kentucky Fried Chicken for the two breakfast sandwiches, sliced sausages, egg and bacon for £2.29 which I eat the car with the coffee. It was a good start to the day, and although I had made ready early I arrived at the ground only moments before play commenced.

Given the forecast I made my way to the new stand corner, higher than usual and within a couple of rows of shelter should the weather change. While Durham struggled to overtake the Somerset total of 174 and who produced some of their best bowling of season for accuracy and pace we were all given a batting master class by Shiv Chanderpaul, a man of small build but with brilliant timing and who through a combination of wrist and footwork is able to send the ball to any part of the ground and when he wants to do so with considerable force. He was not out when the innings closed for 117. Durham reached 272. a lead of 98, which I felt was not sufficient to bowl Somerset out again and then gain the necessary runs for victory, given the likely disruption in play over the next two and a half days. That this total was gained was also due to the contribution of Liam Plunket with 30 after Blackwell was out of a duck and Mustard for 2. Chanderpaul had looked invincible and with better partners I am confident the addition 50 to 100 runs necessary would have been achieved.

I returned to the car at the luncheon break for the melon but left the salad as I was still full from breakfast. The wind had been cold and for the first time since April I had worn both the coat and inner jacket and in the warmth went to sleep for half an hour returning to the ground in need of coffee just after 1.30. I could not get going again and continued to feel tired. In the lounge I spoke at some length with one person I knew and said hullo to another and prior to this been joined at the table by several people who knew each other and was included in their conversation. The reason for the influx was a sudden heavy shower but which did not hold up play for long but I stayed until the tea break.

For the second Somerset innings I sat on the first row of the Durham stand still tired from the unusual midday sleep. Somerset survived a good spell from both Harmison and Onions, the latter has been nominated with Captain Strauss on the ICC shortlist for cricketer of the year. Then the skies darkened and with another 90 minutes of play scheduled Somerset accepted the offer of bad light to retreat to their dressing room. I came home along with a third to a half of the spectators. It looked as if only five balls of an over was possible before the day was ended. There has been no play on Thursday and the prospects for Friday are also not good but the rain stopped on Tyneside around 1 pm on Friday so there could be some play if the ground has not become waterlogged. Early afternoon the game was called off as a draw. I have attempted to recalculate the options as Somerset cannot now win the championship even if Durham lose their remaining three matches and Somerset within theirs. The crucial match is now next week’s game between Durham and Nottingham where a draw should be sufficient for although the difference would be thirty points, even if Durham lost their remaining two games and Notts won theirs, Durham would have to get less than ten bonus games, for Notts to be in the running.

The was also not a ball bowled in the second 20 20 game between England and Australia as Manchester lived up to its reputation. On Thursday I enjoyed a day night Pro Forty competition between Essex and Hampshire. Hampshire looked to have a commanding position after their young batsman Vince narrowly missed a century, supported by Dawson not out with 69 and Essex appeared to struggle to keep up with the required run rate. England’s opener Cook then made 104 and young Chopra was not out at 101 saw Essex win with seven balls to spare. Then this evening England needed to score six of the last ball to win the first of the 50 over one day events against Australia. Both sides have recognised that it is the spin bowlers who can contain the number of runs if because of the condition of the pitch they are unlikely to get the batsmen out. There was a great effort by Luke Wright who made a mistake on no ball to be run out and by Rashid, who had bowled exceptionally well in his first proper International one day, supported by Sidebottom. But it proved to be too late. Bopara in particular anxious not to fail in the match as he had done in the Tests with the consequence of being dropped for the last match, failed to keep up with the required run rate. The crowd got their money’s worth as the excitement mounted over the last hour.

I am Cuba is a Russian film about the Cuban revolution. where Che Guevara is not mentioned. The film appeared designed for the uneducated peasantry but was accurate in terms of showing the main components for the corrupt Batista regime supported by the Mafia and USA capitalism. The problem is that each issue was underline with repetition, prolonged camera shots and prolonged musical emphasis. It was interesting,

On Thursday I went early to collect the printer from the Post office as there was an attempt to deliver by parcel post the previous day. It was not at the undelivered post centre but in the main counter where I had to produce evidence of who I was and sign both by name and. It was well packed as a box within a box and I had wisely parked across the road and brought a large carry bag. I had difficulties setting up and this morning decided to uninstall the previous edition and reinstall again from the supplied disk. It has worked well except when I forgot to plug back the USB lead after using the same connection for transferring photos from the memory stick to the desk top. I had a similar moment of self inflicted, oh not again, when I could not get the camera battery charger to work. I then realised that I had only used the second battery briefly and it was fully charged. There was no problem with the second battery which was almost empty and appeared to charge fully more quickly than previously.

The main panic of the day was when the TV screen went black on both the terrestrial and satellite channels. I put off contacting the repair insurance while I worked and listened to the radio commentary, When I had a mind to so I tried again and there was no problem so I was able to watch the England innings and then Rebus. I have worked reasonable well photographing all the completed Creative work files and registering the most recent followed by print out the list of completed works pages 76 to 82 of sets 5000-to 10000 having reached 8550 but still not half way. I will get back into stride once the cricket season ends although I will need a new supply of card where the standard price had reached a level which I find difficult to justify.

1788 Timothy Small's Gunrush, Durham Cricket, the Ashes and Sunderland win at Norwich

This was to have been a different kind of day but early on the desk top computer went peculiar and the rest of the day has been spent setting up the laptop with the desktop display unit, the printer, extension sound speakers and the wireless mouse. Only the keyboard remains unattached. I have approached the potentially work record disaster this way rather than immediately send for help for the desk top because I hope the problem is temporary but if not it may be some time before it can be repaired or replaced and the data not transferred to disk can be saved. This will have implications for the work programme, but I had been planning to concentrate or weight reduction and fitness between now and winter.

The process of setting up the lap top as a desk top has not been without its problems. Surprisingly the mouse was the easiest to organise as has been the a better sound quality. The desktop display proved to be a problem when I discovered the possibilities of different displays on the two screen and for a top achieved a desktop screen on screen two and nothing else until I eventually found the way to get back to showing the same display on both screens. I will leave the optional approach until another day, if ever! I then made the mistake of asking the computer via windows to find software for the printer instead of locating the disk, then found the disk which interrupted the download and eventually reached a stalemate until I removed the disk and let the download take its course.

I also put the rubbish out and retrieved, washed up and washed me, completed the ironing, gave the kitchen surfaces a good clean and the over top and commenced on the bathroom with the washbasin which is still in process. I also started the washing washing and drying but forgot how to open the machine door at the end of the process unintentionally restarted so had to complete the cycle before transferring the load to the dryer. The consequence of all this is that I decided to postpone to outing by bus to Sunderland for the replacement glasses.

My original intention was to write about two subjects which are in stark contrast. It has been a joyous few days of sport with Durham’s win against Warwickshire almost making it impossible for another team to win the champions, England won the last Test against all expectations and all three northeast football clubs won their matches over the weekend with Sunderland also winning well against Norwich away from home in the League Cup competition second round. Neither British driver won the Formula 1 Grand Prix and I missed the Athletics World Championships.

Then when I was just about to watch a film, I happened to change through the channels to find Timothy Small in a drama about which I had no advance information. Timothy Small is one of finest British actors of this day and so I stayed and found a major two hour dramatic event which was painful to watch because of the reality it portrayed. The drama is about what happens to a family when one of their children in gunned down.

Timothy Small plays a driving instructor whose approach is to spread kindness, avoid confrontations and unpleasantness. Over their years of marriage his wife has become the one to react to life in a more aggressive way so when two hooded youths push in before them in the local Mini market against her husbands advice she intervenes and the most insecure and disturbed of the young men pulls out a gun and shoots the daughter intending to silence the mother. She dies and the police are unable to move towards finding the culprits with no one coming forward, no witnesses and no clues except the cartridge which can be matched to the gun if it is found.

It is also drama which attempts to explain rather than justify how two young men became involved in the killing. One is weak with ambitions and wanting respect. He sees the killing as an opportunity to become part of the local drug gang network but quickly messes up and is knife cut as a warning. He retaliates by attempting to shoot the person with the gang network who reported his misbehaviour, having retrieved the gun from the canal when his partner in crime was ordered to dispose the weapon.

His partner comes from a family where the father is trying to put the past behind him. He grew up on one of the estates mentioned in the film which have become over run by drugs and associated criminal activity and where knives and guns are available at a price, The father is now a lawyer/counsellor representing and helping his former community, or at least this is the impression I gained of the situation. The son becomes caught up in the situation by having the wrong kind of friend.

The death and the lack of an arrest separates the couple as the wife punishes herself knowing that her failure to keep quiet and move away precipitated the killing of her eldest daughter with whom she had been having problems just before the incident, while the husband knows it is constant avoidance of issues which helped create what happened. They are unable to cope when the police liaison officer intimates the lack of development and trying to be helpful leaves the father alone to take a personal call on her mobile when showing him the available exhibits. Father has removed the cartridge shell and refuses to return it when the loss is discovered saying he wants to try and find out by what happened by going onto the estates and making his own enquiries. He persuades the liaison officer to put him in touch with someone who can help, the lawyer counsellor who in turn puts him in touch with a crack head whose first act is to arrange a meeting with a local supplier of weapons, one of several we are told.

The climax of the film comes when the young partner is advised by the counsellor to give the gun to Small and persuade his friend to say that the killing was an accident and therefore reduce the time they spend in prison, However the young killer will have none of this and together they kidnap the second daughter after fighting with the wife in an attempt to get the gun back from the home of the driving instructor. The first reaction of Timothy on his way to the police to hand over the gun and cartridges is to advise them of the kidnapping when informed of his wife but she encourages to him to take the law in his own hands as he is in possession of the gun.

It is at this point the title of the film becomes more clear. The counsellor has explained the empowerment which the guns brings to weak and inadequate human beings and the film makes the point that in this respect Small as the victim’s father is no different from the perpetrator of the crime. He is tempted to use the gun on his daughter’s killer when given the opportunity but realises that would make him the same as the young killer. At the very point when he decides to use the weapon just to capture the grovelling young man, an immature child at heart, a member of the drug gang fed up with the trouble he has caused for their enterprise, kills him.
The film should have ended at this point but moves to the funeral and the ability of their second daughter to play the cello once more. She had been unable to touch the instrument because the case was stained with the blood of her sister. It is a signal that the family are able to move on however difficult and permanent wounded as beings. The film therefore highlights that the dividing line between good and bad between hero and coward is a narrow and changing one for most human being, but more so for some more than others. It reinforces the unpalatable view that there are no quick fix solutions. The role of government is to provide the policing, judicial and custodial system to punish offenders when they are caught and limit the harm, at least for a time. The problem is that the custodial system is limited in what it cab achieve in terms of reform and rehabilitation and more likely the individual will become more professional and gain a network of associates through the experience. It is important that governments, specialist voluntary organisations, local government authorities and communities in general devote resources and attention to undermining the situations in which these individuals tend to flourish. The problem is a daunting one made worse by the influx of the criminals scum of Europe into the capital city and other cities and towns in the UK because of opportunities provided by an unfettered capitalist culture and membership of the enlarge Europe. This makes policing and intelligence even more difficult than before. There are however three areas where governments and our society in generalise in danger of throwing baby out with the bath water, although there is need to work new arrangements for the new situation.

The first issue is the alleged breaking down of traditional controls and respect for the authority. It is true that the various changes has created a situation in which the respectable middle class is no longer willing to accept the authority of the politicians, churchmen, self appointed moral guides and others simply because of the position they hold, or their existing wealth and power. The behaviour of members of the Royal Family, the near collapse of capitalism through the greed of bankers and speculators, the acquiescence to this situation by politicians many of whom have been revealed to have exploited their expenses beyond anything which the majority considers reasonable, the knowledge of the criminal abusive behaviour of churchmen and others in positions of authority and the increasing availability of education and information through the interned and 24/7 media, the rapid development of large parts of the UK into a multi cultural and racial society which has swamped previous populations, the rapid increase in unemployment levels and loss of homes, has all contributed to a situation where people question and challenged than just accept. However there has always been a large criminal underclass which congregates and infights for individual supremacy. The removal of some individuals into custodial care means that either other members of the criminal community take over or they maintain activities on behalf of those incarcerated for a time. Once crime becomes embedded in an estate or large community the only way to end it is to break up the estate and control and monitor all the individuals who formed the cancerous components. You have to tackle the problem specifically and it has little to do with general changes in the approach to authority and discipline by the majority of our country.

The second myth is that because these individuals misuse the state welfare system we should severely restrict or change the system for everyone else. By all means bear down on those who persistently use the system and a supplementary income to help further their illegal activities. However one has to be aware that the doing will only result in more traditional crime affecting other people more than before. Having mentioned that the USA government is reported to have paid 100000 people in Iraq a monthly sum to prevent them from becoming enemies of the new state, the provision of similar monies to the criminal classes could be viewed in a similar light as the lesser of two evils.

The third area is the desire to monitor and thereby control by gaining access to all the means by which the criminal class can communicate with each other and pass information on a European and world wide basis. It is understandable that governments like the ability to cast the widest net and then discriminate, especially as they now have the technology to do so. However this only creates the types of society which have been the cause of much blood giving over decades and centuries. The threat of terrorism is a priority for governments but it must be placed in perspective, given the situation which occurred because of the abuse of power by the Protestant unionism in Ireland, until the last decade and that which I experienced as a child between 1939 and 1945. The measures have to be commensurate to the situation.

I therefore wish that I had not seen the film as it quickly destroyed the mood I had been in beforehand, arising from some excellent sporting experiences.

I begin with Durham’s victory over Warwickshire. Victory had appeared to be the outcome as soon as Warwickshire elected to bat after winning the toss and Durham dismissed the visitors for 135. The main cause of the collapse was the improvement in the bowling of Graham Thorp who took 5 for 49 in 20 overs. This will make team selection a difficult task when Harmison and Onions return to play for the County as Durham now have Plunket, Davies and Claydon as well as Thorp as front line pace bowlers together with spinners Blackwell and young Bothwick, Breese and part time Blenkenstein. It was Blenkenstein who came on in an attempt to break a mini stand who was the surprise of the innings and match because he took three wickets and appeared to cause the Warwickshire batsmen great trouble. Durham took their innings slowly with Di Venuto 40 followed by Blenkenstein with 73, Blackwell 63 and Mustard and Plunket also getting runs to bring the total to 273 and a lead of 138. There was a possibility of the game being over in two days similar to what happened at Nottingham. At first it looked as if I was right as three wickets fell for 34 runs but then Troughton son and grandson of two actors with the senior the original Dr Who made his intentions clear and continued with a brilliant 111 given the circumstances, taking the game into the third day. This time is was the turn of Mark Davies who has had a difficult time since returning from injury who was the star performer taking 3 wickets for 19 runs from under 15 overs. He was supported by Claydon and Blackwell who each took three wickets and the last five going cheaply for 37 runs. This left Durham to get 102 runs which were achieved by Di Venuto and Chanderpaul each with 41 and the victory was by eight wickets. The arrival of Chanderpaul for Gordon Muchall strengthens the batting further and only Stoneman is at risk of being replaced as his succession of law scores continues. As predicted the three other division one championship games ended in draws so that the table now has Durham on 186 points and 7 wins, Notts on 149 and Somerset on 146 with three wins as has Lancs on 138 but having played one more game, followed by Sussex or 120 and Warwickshire on 119, Yorks 117 and Hants 116 as the also rans and poor Worcestershire on 57.

For the last two days of the game my attention was divided as the last Test of the Ashes series had commenced. From the outset I thought that an English series victory was unlikely although I hoped they would do better than the humiliating whitewash which occurred in Australia two years ago. What happened then has to be put into perspective in that in 2005 England had been on a roll under Duncan Fletcher and Peterson, Flintoff and Harmison were at their peak. The problems was that while Australia immediately planned their revenge, England celebrated their new celebrity status and went on partying with the outcome disaster. There was a new concentrated purpose in the England camp and the emphasis and ongoing performance. For Graham Onions to break through in the side has been a notable achievement and Steve Harmison has worked hard the departure of Freddie Flintoff from Test Cricket has given him an opportunity to perform at international level for the next two years, assuming the selectors do not go for an immediate team rebuild. This is a possibility given that for the fifth test the decided to bring in Warwickshire’s Graham Trott a South African by birth who elected to play for England like Kevin Peterson.

At Cardiff Australia appeared determined to continue as they had left off and only and outstanding batting performance by Durham‘s Paul Collingwood supported by Monty Panesar and James Anderson over two days prevented defeat. Panesar’s lack of form has meant Graham Swann, who can also bat has taken over, he and Collingwood with Anderson means they are held in special regard and will continues to do so. Then came Lords and the outstanding win against Australia after several decades. Captain Strauss with 165 and opener Cook 95, set the scene with a stand of 196 and England finished with a total of 425. With Anderson 4 wickets and onions 3 Australia were reduced to 215 and then a solid all round second innings batting performance with Collingwood and Prior steadying the middle order with 54 and 41, England were able to declare setting Australia 500 hundred runs to win. They got 400 of them with Clark, Haddin and Johnson outstanding. It was Flintoff with 5, his first in a Test at Lords and Swann with 4 that did the damage and England were 1 up in the series instead of 1.1

Rain affected the chances of a result at Birmingham. Anderson and Onions with 5 and four wickets respectively did the damage as Australia were kept to 263 after winning the toss and electing to bat. England with Strauss Flintoff, Bell and Broad getting runs completed their innings over 100 runs ahead at 376. Given the weather stoppages only a collapse in their second innings gave England any chance of a result but stands involving Hussey, Clark and North, the latter making nearly 200 runs for the fifth wicket left a draw.

Headingley has always been a good hunting ground for England and I was there for Botham’s Ashes victory when he turned the game on its head. This time Australia humiliated England winning by an innings and 80 runs. England won the toss and then were skittled out for 100 runs. Australia then noticed 450 with North and Clark once more and pointing scoring highly. While Broad and Swann each got 60 in England’s second innings, the side was out for 263.

It is therefore understandable that hopes were not high for the fifth test. Flintoff made it, but just about as he prepared for surgery on his knee immediately the match was over. Harmison replaced Onions who was nevertheless invited to stay along with Peterson and Panesar. It is not clear if the invitation was extended to Bopara. England won the toss on a dodgy wicket prepared for a result and found scoring runs difficult. There was a good all round contribution to the score of 332 with Straus once more setting the standards with 55, Bell with 77 and new man Trott with 41 run out. Then an amazing thing happened Australia had a good start with over 70 on the board before the first wicket fell and then they were skittled out for 165 with Broad having a brilliant spell taking five wickets 5 for 37 from 12 and Swann 4 for 38 from 14. Then it looked as the wicket which kept some balls low while others exploded was go to be the victor as three wickets fell for 39. Strauss was there again but the outstanding performance was that of Trott with 119 also supported by Swann once more with 60. England declared when Trott was out for nine wickets setting Australia two and more days to get over 500 runs. This is a total which no side in test history anywhere in their world has achieved, although despite the wicket, there was a general nervousness that the lads from down under might do it.

This got off to an excellent start with Watson and Katich putting on 80 runs before they both fell for 40 and 43. Was this the breakthrough? Pointing 66 and Hussey 121 said not adding another 100 runs in their partnership. Nerves commenced show and Collingwood dropped to difficult and one easy chance. Then it was a combination of Australia taking difficult and dangerous runs which was their down fall coupled with a brilliant throw from Flintoff which uprooted a stump for Pointing to be out when going strongly at 66. Again the wickets fell in pairs. Then five balls later a throw from Strauss broke the stumps and the replays showed that although the back foot was on the line it was not over it as required and the batsman was correctly given out. A few rubs later North was brilliantly out stumped by the wicket keeper and it appeared to be only a matter of time before the match went to England, But in cricket nothing is ever certain and Cardiff has become the benchmark for modern day survival. There was another mini stand of close on 100 and the crowd began to think the match would continue into the fifth day. Petersen decided to make an early start for home but got as far as the Vauxhall Bridge Haddin was caught by Strauss off Swann and the Harmison got a wicket as Collingwood held a catch with the score still 327. Then it was boys own stuff as Harmison had the next man caught by Flintoff and the very next ball had Clark caught by Cook, could the match end with a hat trick. It was nearly and five runs later it was over as Hussey was out for his 121. England and won the match by 197 runs and with it the Ashes series 2009. The crowd went wild and celebrations were long with everyone staying for the presentations of medals and awards and brief speeches from the captains.

All three North East Clubs in their respective matches over the weekend. Sunderland went a goal down to Blackburn where previous matches had ended 0.0.I know I was there. This time it was Kenwyn Jones who scored the goals in a hard fought game. The Boo also won at home 2.0 and Newcastle continued to confound expectations by a 2.0 win at Crystal Palace. On Monday evening I enjoyed watching Sunderland have an impressive match at Norwich shown on Sky. Sunderland were ruthless in their finishing which fortunately was not the case for Norwich who as many chances to score during the match. Sunderland fielded only 2 of the those who ha played in the game on the Saturday, Kenwyn Jones and Nosworthy. Scottish goal keeper, Craig Gordon was excellent as was new signing from Hull Frazer Campbell who nearly scored what would have the goal of the season. While Norwich have been leaking goals, the performance confirmed that Sunderland should avoid a struggle to stay in the Premier ship this year and a mid table placement should be the outcome.