Another cold un...

It started off at -2 celcius and the high was 1 celcius, and it was bloody cold all day yesterday.

A new challenge...

I've just agreed to 'ghost write' the David Wilson blog for my old school mate, Dave 'Snooks' Wilson. The URL is http://thedavidwilson.blogspot.com/ and although I have a free hand in what I report, I have been given strict boundaries including a must inclusion of Aston Villa at least once a week. As we, along with Phil Finney and Richard (1099) Phillips were the only Villa fans in our year at school, then that shouldn't be too hard.

in reference to: Bob De Bilde (view on Google Sidewiki)

Was it my multi-blogged moan?

Was it my multi-blogged moan that un-locked my new blog http://sequels-and-trilogies.blogspot.com/ ?
I know that blogger took the full 20 days to un-lock a blog of a friend of mine. Now his block WAS highly political but there should be no difference.
Perhaps it was my genuine threat to move to wordpress?

Who knows?

Thank You blogger for acting quickly

Bob de Bilde

in reference to: Prequels, Sequels & Trilogies (view on Google Sidewiki)

Bob de Bilde gets his 15 minutes of fame...

on IS A C*NT...

http://isacunt.blogspot.com/2010/01/bob-de-bilde.html

Thanks to GOT & the crew

in reference to: Bob De Bilde (view on Google Sidewiki)

Some of my youth...

My favourite bands when I was growing up were progressive rock band Supertramp and progressive rock/bubblegum pop band 10cc.

I managed to see them both live and my favourite tracks from them are

10cc: Don't hang up.


Supertramp: Even in the quietest moments.


Both were on Youtube and can still be downloaded from their respective websites for a nominal charge. Dont Hang Up seems to have been withdrawn from Youtube...

My Disgust at Blogger

Blogger has marked one of my blogs (Prequels, Sequels & Trilogies) as spam...

It will be deleted within 20 days if I do not lodge a review

WTF Blogger... I am seriously considering moving all my blogs to the more versatile Wordpress !

I am reposting this on ALL my other open blogs using the sidewikibar thingy!!!

in reference to: My Sony Ericsson Sucks: My Disgust at Blogger (view on Google Sidewiki)

'S no more snow

Just rain and drizzle and more rain...

Yesterday...

...was a lie-in fest.

Snoredom and moredom!!

Billed as a...

...Giant-killing waiting to happen, Aston Villa versus Brighton & Hove Albion in the 4th Round of The F.A. Cup took place yesterday.

And it nearly was.

Villa 3 - 2 Brighton

Aston Villa outclassed hard-working League One side Brighton to ease into the fifth round of the FA Cup.

Villa took the lead after five minutes when Marc Albrighton found Nathan Delfouneso who side-footed home.

However, the Seagulls stunned Villa Park when Tommy Elphick equalised with a scruffy finish at the near post.

Ashley Young's header from Stewart Downing's cross put Villa back ahead and Fabian Delph added a third before Nicky Forster made it 3-2 late on.

With 56 places between the two sides on the league ladder, the six thousand Brighton fans who made the trip to Villa Park did so more in hope than expectation.

And those hopes were dented almost immediately by the Premier League side when Marc Albrighton, making only his second start for Villa, danced past the defence and handed Delfouneso a tap in from two yards.

Unfortunately for Albrighton, a knock picked up during that run forced Villa boss Martin O'Neill to replace him with James Milner moments later.

O'Neill had originally looked to rest Milner, making six changes from the side which overcame Blackburn 6-4 in the Carling Cup semi final in midweek.

And although they took the lead, the much-changed Villa side showed they might be susceptible to an upset when Brighton, 21st in League One, missed a fine opportunity to level.

Villa failed to defend a free-kick from Alan Navarro and the ball fell to striker Glenn Murray who volleyed over the bar from eight yards.

Five minutes later the Seagulls did shock the home side when Elphick equalised.

Villa failed to deal with a second corner in quick succession from Elliott Bennett and Elphick squeezed his shot inside the near post.

Immediately after half time Villa, who are seventh in the Premier League, reasserted their superiority when Downing's cross found Young who headed home from close range.

Delph could have increased the lead but his drive was saved at point blank range by Brighton goalkeeper Michel Kuipers.

But the 19-year-old did not have to wait for too long before he had another opportunity to open his Villa account and this time the youngster capitalised.

The midfielder, who has only featured for Villa nine times since signing from Leeds last August, latched on to Milner's through ball and calmly slotted the ball past Kuipers with his left foot.

Delfouneso hit the post with a rasping effort at the end of a fine individual 30-yard run as Villa looked, in vain, to add the fourth.

And it was Brighton who managed to make the final seconds tense when Forster drove his finish low into the bottom corner, but the dream comeback was not to be.

I may have said before...

...Once a week we celebrate 'sperm donor' day when I take my daughter and her husband with their son to visit the poor child's biological father at a contact centre in Solihull.

Not wishing to have a go at him, but this guy is a poor excuse for a human being. An alcoholic, he is also 20 years older than my daughter and therefore nearly as old as me! I don't know how the hell she could have touched him, unless she was incapacitated or drugged at the time**, but due to a court order, we are stuck with this weekly thankless task...

**(I have asked several local Pharmacies to check their Controlled drug register for entries with his name linked to supplies of date rape drug Rohypnol)!!

The rain in Spain...

...Falls mainly on the plane

The rain in Brum...
...smells like its out of someones bum!

After last night's football,,,

My head was buzzing this morning like I'd been standing next to the speakers at a rock concert...

Aston Villa 6 - 4 Blackburn (agg 7 - 4)

Before the game, BBC commentators mentioned Villa's semi-final exit to Allardyce's Bolton 5 years ago, with a score of 5-4 (aggregate) saying if we had a 5-4 tonight it would be good.

Little did they know.

Allardyce mentioned the possible push by Agbonlahor on a Blackburn defender in the run up to Villa's first goal saying it changed the game.

Hang on Sam! Last week you had 2 let offs.
Agbonlahor was fouled when the ref gave him a yellow card for simulation - Penalty!
Chimbonda (not Heskey) handballed in the box just before the half time whistle - Penalty AND Red card!
You say things could even themselves up? Well I think over the 2 legs they did!

A visit to the job centre...

Although I am working, I still visit the job centre to see if there's anything I can turn my hand to...

Tomorrow is the return leg of the Carling Cup Semi final. due to an afternoon commitment, I wont be able to go, but will get home at around half-time. And its on BBC TV

In your face...

Lidl in Kings Heath is one of the filthiest stores that I've ever been shopping in. Lidl in general have always seemed grubby, but the one in Silver Street (opposite International Stock) could well be described as crawling. If they sold take away food, they'd be closed down due to poor hygeine issues with the store AND some of the staff

Premier Inn...

The premier Inn at Rhuddlan was very comfortable and quite cheap, but in modern tradition, you only get what you pay for so anything extra was extra. Bill for the night for 2 adults with a few extras was £89. Not too bad i suppose

A day trip to the seaside...

Well actually a day trip to a family friend in Rhyll meant an early start for us all. We went M6, M56 and A55 and we only need to stop once. Sea was very choppy and the wind was bitingly cold. Decided to stay overnight at a Premier Inn...

Its all gone...

The roads are now all clear and the city is having no problems with further snow-delays

Blackburn 0 - 1 Aston Villa

Villa always carried the greater threat and will now be firm favourites to progress to a Carling Cup final date against either Manchester City or Manchester United, after Wednesday's second leg at Villa Park.

Blackburn's winless sequence now stretches to 12 games, although they did knock Chelsea out of this competition on penalties.

But it is hard to see how they will turn this semi-final around on the evidence of current form.

Aston Villa took a giant stride towards Wembley as James Milner's first-half goal gave them victory in the Carling Cup semi-final first leg at Blackburn Rovers.

Milner rounded off a devastating break after 23 minutes when he turned in Stewart Downing's cross as Villa swept the length of the field.

It gave Martin O'Neill's side a deserved advantage and provided a rich reward for Villa's attacking strategy as they dominated a jaded Blackburn side playing their second game this week.

Blackburn boss Sam Allardyce felt the full force of Ewood Park's fury as his side laboured to make any impression on Villa in the early exchanges, with the half-time whistle being greeted by a chorus of jeering.

But Blackburn improved hugely after the break only to find their luck was out as striker Nikola Kalinic twice hit the woodwork, firstly with a close-range header, then with a shot from 12 yards.

That would leave Allardyce and Blackburn with a fight for Premier League survival as their only goal for the rest of the season, a task to be played out in front of what appears to be an increasingly disenchanted Ewood Park public.

Allardyce employed Kalinic as a lone striker from the start - but he was knocking at a firmly closed door for long periods as he attempted to get the better of Villa's central defensive duo, Richard Dunne and James Collins.

Blackburn's best moment of a frustrating opening half came after just three minutes, when David Dunn's shot on the turn was only inches off target with Villa keeper Brad Guzan - in for the rested Brad Friedel - beaten.

Villa boss O'Neill had demonstrated his attacking intent by supporting Emile Heskey with the pace and width provided by Milner, Downing, Ashley Young and Gabriel Agbonlahor.

And the ploy paid off to perfection after 23 minutes when Milner concluded a sweeping Villa move that caught Blackburn on the break, turning Downing's cross beyond the reach of Paul Robinson at the near post.

Agbonlahor then thought he should have had a penalty when he was tripped by Christopher Samba.

It looked like he had a case but referee Mark Clattenburg not only ignored his appeals, but added insult to injury by booking the Villa striker.

Ewood Park was becoming an increasingly discontented place, with Allardyce the target for chants of "Big Sam Sort It Out" when Morten Gamst Pedersen placed a cross hopelessly into the travelling band of Villa supporters.

Robinson kept Blackburn in contention on the stroke of half-time, when he saved superbly down at his near post from Stiliyan Petrov's shot.

The reaction of Blackburn's fans as the whistle sounded for the interval told the tale of their satisfaction - and underlined the supremacy enjoyed by Villa.

Villa should have added a second in the opening moments of the second half when Young's cross flew right across the face of Blackburn's goal, with Agbonlahor just unable to add the finishing touch.

Blackburn finally broke the shackles when Kalinic rose to beat Dunne to Pedersen's cross, but could only direct his header against an upright from eight yards.

It was a passage of play that at least gave Blackburn's suffering supporters hope and Dunn provided further encouragement when he pulled a presentable chance wide from Pascal Chimbonda's knockdown.

Kalinic's luck was out again after 65 minutes, when the woodwork came to Villa's rescue once more as the striker met Chimbonda's cross with a crisp first-time shot.

Suddenly it was Villa's turn to be forced on to the back foot as Blackburn's effort to draw level gathered momentum.

Blackburn, however, always remained vulnerable to the Villa counter-attack, and Young reminded them of the threat when he burst into the penalty area but shot wide.

Both sides had chances in stoppage time, with Robinson saving well from Agbonlahor and Steven Nzonzi heading over - and the celebrations of the Villa fans at the final whistle suggested that they feel they have completed the most difficult part of their mission to return to Wembley.

Cant wait

We are really looking forward to a drive up the M6 tomorrow to see Blackburn v Villa in the Carling Cup semi final first leg..

Will it ever end?

The snow is really starting to piss me off. Well rather, leaving my Tom Tom plugged in to flatten my battery is really pissing me off. If the battery falls below 10.5 Volts, there's not enough juice to heat the glow plugs...

Shit!!

Back to usual...

All the school kids are back AND everyone else is back at work. With a smattering of snow overnight, the ambient temperature stayed around zero, and so a lot of the compacted slush/ice has softened to the point of gravel breakthrough...

The forecast for the next few days is ice and snow, but with all the cloud cover I don't think that there'll be much left tomorrow.

Setting myself up for a knock down methinks.

Its a tad warmer...

but still if I were a primate made of a copper alloy, you'd still hear "bong bong" as they fell off and hit the floor.

BBC news promise that the thaw will re-freeze overnight making the roads treacherous on Monday...

Despite my comments...

...about the Euromillions raffle/lottery scam, I still paid out £2 to enter the draw. As it was not won last night, next Friday's draw will be a colossal £51,000,000.

£2 becomes £4 for me. and the £10,000,000 extra revenue will also increase, no doubt.

The Euro-millions lottery...

...will be an estimated £36,000,000 tonight. Camelot have managed to extricate more money from the gullible punters by adding 50p to each ticket for the "millionaire raffle" which is basically making an extra £10,000,000 WEEKLY revenue from the average 20,000,000 UK weekly punters with no payouts made since the surcharge was added.

I think a letter to the lottery ombudsman will be forthcoming

With temperatures...

...down to -8 Celsius, I am surprised my diesel Zafira managed to start again this morning after the hiccups yesterday.

We had to...

Venture out as our stock of frozen bread and UHT milk has almost depleted in less than a week.

What will happen when things get really bad methinks?

A poor start by me to the year...

Due to my continued illness, Ive barely blogged this year so far.
Not much to say anyhow as the snow has restricted my movements

A touch of Frost

and a shit-load of snow...
Looks like a bad few weeks in store

more 'flu

still in bed. managed to get some acetaminaphen (paracetamol) from a neighbour for all those aches and pains...

more...

in bed all day with 'flu...

Started off...

..with a massive hangover (at 12.45pm), and carried on doing pretty much nothing all day long. I had to cancel a visit to my fiend Jack Regan's New Years day party this afternoon, as my whole family needed plenty of Loperamide and paracetamol to maintain its own status quo. In the evening we watched Doctor Who with David Tennant's much publicised and overdone exit as the Tenth doctor. We also watched the finale of Gavin and Stacey which we thought may have had a Mrs Robinson/Graduate-type ending.

Looking forward to this weekend's FA cup 3rd round, could see 50% of my 2010 football predictions already in tatters if Aston Villa do badly against Blackburn Rovers...
Seriously, Loperamide, will stop diarrhoea fast, but don't buy the branded "Imodium" instead buy a generic, but shop around. Supermarkets and High Street chemist's prices vary immensely. You can buy a pack of 6 from Wilkos for around 80p, whereas Boots & Lloyds Chemists still charge £1.99 or more. The Pound shops (Poundland and 99p Stores) are always good value too, with Poundland having a combination pack with the capsule AND some re-hydration sachets for just a pound too (re-hydration sachets are good for hangovers!)

Anyhow, may I conclude and wish everyone a happy and prosperous new year for 2010!