Ho ho ho!

Before the computer systems melt down, have a happy, Merry Christmas and a wonderful, great & special 2010 to one and all, love Andria X.

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Here are a couple of landscape pictures for you to enjoy. Whatever you think of Barbados, it's certainly not flat!

Hooray for the hero John Barnes

I’m sad this father of six has declared himself bankrupt but I appreciate his reasons, which should also stand as a warning to today’s premier league stars about overspending on fancy clothes and luxury cars.

The best version of his current dilema can be found on this link by The Telegraph newspaper: www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/football/leagues/premierleague/liverpool/6398439/John-Barnes-declared-bankrupt.html

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A simple fact that all Liverpool fans should know: The Reds last won the league title in 1990, when legend Alan Hansen was in the team!

Looking at the way things are at the current moment; four sucessive defeats and many groin injuries galore, well its about time that Liverpool FC woke up to the realisation they don’t just consist of Fernando Torres and Steven Gerrard.

That’s why selling Keane back to Tottenham Hotspur last season was a big mistake!

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We’ve got the ultimate grudge match this Sunday!

Liverpool vs Manchester United

The Red Devils are so used to winning and with so many injuries at LFC,l I have a strong feeling that I know who will win that match – my brother, who’s a Liverpool fan, won’t be pleased to know I don’t feel it will be his boys!

Anyway, I realise this entry is heavy about Liverpool FC, so I shall bid you bye, while I get ready to watch the Europa match of Fulham Vs AS Roma.

Here’s a good pre-review analysis, thanks to Sky Sports: www.skysports.com/football/match_preview/0,19764,11065_3190709,00.html

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The pictures are for your picking, taken during a trip to Barbados, in the Caribbean.

Say what you want, those Barbadians like to look after their churches, as you can see from the picture in the middle.

Be good!

Light and Peace

Andria

PS, don’t forget to check out my other internet page: www.andriagreaves.com

IT’S OUTRAGIOUS!

That’s the opinion I bemoaned when looking at the recent result of three senior English teams playing in the UEFA Champions Cup.

MANCHESTER UNITED vs WOLFSBURG

The build-up was tremendous.

The England manager Fabio Capello was watching and Old Trafford was buzzing seeing its home team - who haven’t been beaten on their turf in the Champions league for four and a half years.

It was raining but that didn’t affect the pace and skill on display, as 6.7millions viewers watched ITV1, including the pub I was at, The innisfree, on Wednesday 30th September.

When Berbatov came on, replacing Michael Owen, on the 24th minute, many in the pub suspected something was affecting Owen; it now turns out a previous groin injury was affecting this pace.

In the 35th minute, the strike by Berbatov was too high to make a goal – united had started slowly but the pace did pick up - thanks to Wolfsburg.

At first, it seemed that both teams didn’t really care about scoring but when Wolfsburg showed their ambition by scoring first blood, well that seemed to jolt the Premier league champions to show some form.

The strong mid-shot by Edin Dzeko on the 56th minute, with his striking partner Grafite, did get the match moving, particularly since the only talking point until then was Michael Owen coming off after 19 minutes, due to a flare up of an old groin injury.

But I can only imagine the excitement of the Manchurians when United equalised, thanks to Ryan Gigg’s free kick three minutes later – which is when I found out from the room next door that Chelsea had scored, thanks to Nicolas Anelka, although the people in that room admitted the game was rather dull.

Then again, the Blues were without the suspended Didier Drogba, so I wasn’t surprised the game, against APOEL Nicosia, wasn’t charismatic.

Back onto Manchester United, the game was now starting to be worth watching, as Wolfsburg and United kept trying to find a way to win this match; neither team wanted to settle with a draw.

The breakthrough came thanks to Manchester’s Michael Carrick. His strike in the 77th minute was stunning; beautifully hit in the left-hand corner - it maintained the Reds’ record.

United’s Wayne Rooney needs a lot of work – his passion won’t score goals - but overall a good game for both United and Chelsea.

A well deserved congratulations to Ryan Giggs, who’s scored 150 goals for the team who spotted his talent when he was still a teenager.

It’s just a shame that hooliganism has reared its ugly head again, as Old Trafford suffered an unnecessary pitch invasion.

Stewards – yes they do work for the privilege of seeing the match free – had to restrain a lone but grotesquely overweight Manchester fan during the first half of the match.

Although he was ejected from the stadium, UEFA will still investigate the matter and come to a decision at the end of this month.

Here's a link to the innisfree pub.

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Meanwhile the England football manager, who must have been paying close attention to Michael Owen, has decided to ban the wives and girlfriends of his team from the football World Cup of 2012.

South Africa will miss out on what happened in Baden Baden, Germany – extra revenue at nightclubs, boutiques getting their (or their husband and boyfriends) money but respect must be given to Mr Capello.

When a new manager comes in, they usually want to introduce their style of doing things. This is true of any organisation you’re at; whether it’s working for the food department at IKEA or a new editor at a newspaper.

Unfortunately the lax system under the previous England manager, Sven-Goran Eriksson didn’t do the team any favours, especially since the squad didn’t beat the quarter final hoodoo of failing on penalties.

Everybody should have someone to share their lives with, sportspersons are no exception; having someone by our side does enrich our lives.

But the situation in Baden Baden did get out of hand and this time, even the Football Association - which has had its own fair share of controversy, regarding Miss Farah Alam - has refused to pay for the wives and girlfriends to fly to South Africa.

It’s also clear that Fabio is only giving footballers a place on the team by merit; that alone means we should have a squad that wins things and won’t be coming home early.

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I’m so pleased the Daily Mirror newspaper has serialised the story of Michael Shields, a Liverpool football fan wrongly jailed in Bulgaria.

Both he and his family went through four years of hell, as Mr Shields was convicted of attempted murder in 2005 in the European country of Bulgaria - for a crime he didn’t commit.

He was simply in the wrong place at the wrong time.

It just goes to show how difficult it can be for fans to follow their team in another country, so for all of you who have booked their tickets for South Africa in 2012, I truly wish you well and hope you have a great time.

For more on Michael Shields, click here.

Until next time, peace.

Light and Love

Andria

X

PS please don’t hesitate to visit my other internet site: www.andriagreaves.com

SUPPORT THE ENGLISH CRICKET TEAM!

Enjoy the pictures above, they were taken during my holiday in Barbados - the 'flowers' are actually animals. They live off the small animals that float into their cave, in the top parish of Barbados, called St Lucy.

The windmill was built during colonial times but is still used during the crop over season, which starts in July.

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Don’t get me wrong, I’m happy to be of Caribbean descent but I’m also proud to be British and I’m especially pleased by the current success of the England team.

When it came to The Ashes last month, our boys snatched victory from the jaws of defeat – well done England.

So I was extremely pleased when I picked up a bottle of Buxton Natural Mineral Water – which I buy as it tastes good, then realised they are the official mineral water of the English cricket team.

I know this is blatant advertising but these days, you can’t get away from it, such as Coca-cola being displayed on the desk of the judges of Pop Idol America.

Buxton even have a freephone number you can call if you want to speak to anyone about its water, UK only, Monday to Friday, 9am to 5pm, on: 0800 00 00 30.

They also have a postal address: PO Box No 207, York, YO91 1XY.

So here it is, a link to Buxton direct: www.buxtonwater.co.uk

I’m going to watch the Liverpool match on Wednesday 30th September – I can’t wait!

Until then, peace!

Andria

PS please don’t forget to check out my other internet site: www.andriagreaves.com

La la la oh la la la!

Hi to one and all

I’ve seen and heard some of the flak Alesha Dixon has received over her role as a judge in Strictly Come Dancing.

I have to admit I wasn’t happy at the removal of 66 year-old Miss Arlene Phillips for 30 year-old Miss Alesha Dixon as age catches up with all of us.

I also thought it was refreshing to finally see a sexy, older woman with brains showing her experience and knowledge about the dance floor.

Former newsreader Angela Rippon and The Weakest Link presenter Anne Robinson shouldn’t be the only women over 60 on our screens!

But I do feel we should give Alesha a chance – at least until the end of this series.

I know what it’s like to be treated badly at work purely because others don’t like you replacing another person, so I’m glad Miss Dixon’s fellow judges are speaking up for her.

I can say from experience, it’s really awful to be stabbed in the back by your colleagues and so-called friends - sadly this does happen in any competitive industry, particularly now, in this recession.

It can take years to heal as self-doubt does creep in, so I wish the fellow judges and Miss Dixon well and hope she does improve.

I personally think there’s room for Alesha AND Arlene, so there wouldn’t have to be a tie-breaker vote by the senior judge Len Goodman - he's more than likely to support the couple he already voted to stay on.

Remember you're a survivour Alesha - you dealt with the break-up of your marriage to MC Harvey with dignity.

If she can survive that, well what else can't she deal with?

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As for the other film that has helped to change the world, it has to be Close Encounters of the Third Kind, released in 1977.

Until then, although unidentified flying objects and paranormal activity had been recorded in history, it wasn’t until this film was shown that society felt it was okay to publicly talk about it.

Likewise, I hope that everyone, myself included, realise that not everything in this world makes sense, such as suffering, pain and disease but these do exist and to behave as if they don't affect us, is to deny ourselves compassion and understanding.

Furthermore, as the film shows, you can learn something new if you’re willing to open your mind to it - that's what helps us to be human.

Now that I’m going to learn Portuguese, starting at the end of this month, I hope that by this time next year, I can say enough words to visit Angola, Brazil or Portugal and say I can speak the language – ha ha!

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As promised, here are a few more sport-themed books I'm happy to recommend:


SQUASH: Steps to Success, by Philip Yarrow
You'll learn the fundamentals thanks to this book, as Squash is a fast-paced tactical game.
My brother-in-law plays Squash on a regular basis and I'm sure that he too will recommend this book.

My Side by David Beckham
I admit this book was very predictable but did mention some interesting moments, including the love and support he received from his parents when starting out in football while attending primary and high school - so long as you get it from your local library!

Nick Faldo: Life Swings, the Autobiography
This was a man who led a chequered life both on and off the golf field - Mr Faldo is very honest about himself and others around him, including the break-up of his most recent marriage.

Soccer Skills and Tactics, by Tim Edward
Yes another football book but it does give some good illustrations on how to be a better footballer, whether you're a semi-pro or just starting out.

Teach yourself better Chess, by Bill Hartson
I prefer checkers, otherwise known as draughts here in Britain but if you want to impress the ladies/men this book will get you there.

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One issue of importance is the Not Another Drop peace march, starting at Roundwood Park in Harlesden, north-west London, on Saturday 26 September 2009, which begins at 12pm.

When I first wrote about the pain and effect of gun violence on four mums, one dad and the aftermath on the rest of their family, especially the brothers and sisters of the deceased, displayed in the July 2005 edition of Pride magazine, I never realised the legacy it would leave.

I’m very proud this article has since spawned numerous newspaper, magazine, radio and television news features/documentaries.

Please have a look at the following site:

http://www.brentbrain.org.uk/brain/brainzones.nsf/0/8974283F5E1A16F98025762A0031334B

If you can make it, please attend.

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I have to go now but I couldn’t help admiring this woman's courage and determination when she appeared on the X-factor:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qPj6WaiUh6o

Bye for now.

Andria

PS, don’t forget to visit my other site: www.andriagreaves.com

A BREAK FROM THE USUAL ROUTINE

I was asked recently what my favourite films are and why.

The answer for me was simple. In Collateral, two men who on the surface, have nothing in common with each other briefly provide real meaning to each other’s life, even when one ends up terminating the other.

In Be Kind Rewind, a community realises its facing extinction if the small video shop closes down. In this day and age, where it’s very tempting to keep to oneself, it reminds us that no man is an island and shouldn’t seek to be one too.

In Star Wars, The Empire Strikes Back, well this one is simply my favourite of all the Star War films. I believe it was the strongest - script wise - and the one with most meaning; who can forget the moment when Luke Skywalker finds out Darth Vader is his dad?

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But I have two other films I’ve watched several times, simply because they helped, believe it or not, to change the world.

Blazing Saddles

After standing up for himself and just before he’s about to be executed, Bart, played by Cleavon Little, is saved by the State Attorney General, called Heady Lamarr - brilliantly portrayed by Harvey Korman - who makes him a sheriff that’s requested by the townsfolk of Rock Ridge.

The AT’s intentions aren't noble; he wants to use Bart to drive the local people away – especially since Lamarr's responsible for the current woes of Rock Ridge - or even better, have the townsfolk kill Bart and wash his hands clean of the town's eventual destruction (after all, he has done his bit of sending a law enforcer, so why should he send another one?) i.e. smart move!

That’s because construction of the railroad has to be changed, due to discovering quicksand on the original route - that's why Bart was due to be hanged, after striking the supervisor over the head for leaving him and a friend to drown - this means it has to go through the town of Rock Ridge.

Rather than let the residents have a fair slice of the profits gained, the AT wants to buy the land at a cheap price and keep the future gains of the railroad for himself – i.e. greed.

Blazing Saddles not only had a black man as the lead character (and was first released in 1974) it also cleverly shows how defeat can be turned into victory without having to play the race card.

In the Wild West, racial and sexual equality didn’t exist yet seeing how Sherriff Bart overcomes the original hatred of the townsfolk and defends them, which includes sticking to the principles of his job and defeating his enemies through humour, cunning, sensibility, hard work, honour and being downright clever, is something I aim for, which I hope is passed onto everyone I meet.

I also learned if there is one act of kindness I can do, whether it’s sweeping the floor before the disabled supporters arrive or helping a student achieve a demo or press cutting, we should always strive to be helpful; we all need friends and interaction with others, as Gene Wilder showed, when co-starting in this film as the ‘Waco Kid’ (which included his long-time comedy partner Richard Pryor, as one of the writers of this film).

I have another one but I’ll have to mention it another time.

Until then, be good.

Light and Peace

Andria

PS don’t forget to visit my other internet site: www.andriagreaves.com

Smoking Chimonga!

That’s an expression that’s always got my attention - I first got it from my mate Tajinder Gill, who works at the NUT central London office.

What’s also getting my attention is this: the Premier League, for the first time in its 17 year history, has gone through the £1billion sales barrier.

Worldwide TV deals have played its role for this figure, as clubs were paid a set fee, money each time they were shown on TV and payment based on which position they ended up last season.

The Premier League itself received £2.7billion by selling TV rights for three seasons, from 2007 to 2010.

Looking at the success soccer has in getting both men and women in their grounds and in visiting neighbouring pubs, it’s more than likely the Premier League will get more in the future.

Furthermore the Premier is clearly not showing signs of being affected by the recession. The League’s turnover is up at least 6 per cent from last year’s figure of £951.6million.

Rather than list the results alphabetically, here’s a breakdown of the broadcast payments the football clubs received, according to where they finished last season
- I assure you, I did format this so the lines wouldn't go wonky but for some reason, it never sticks when I publish work on a PC!

1 Manchester United...............£51.5million
2 Liverpool.......................£50.3m
3 Chelsea.........................£47.7m

The top three get automatic entry to the UEFA Champions League Group stage.

4 Arsenal.........................£46.5m

This fourth placed London team goes through to the UEFA Champions League Play-off round.

5 Everton.........................£44.8m
6 Aston Villa.....................£44.5m

These two central England teams go through to the UEFA Europa League Play-off round.

7 Fulham..........................£40.1m

This London club goes through to the UEFA Europa League Third qualifying round.

8 Tottenham Hotspur...............£42.5m
9 West Ham United.................£40.4m
10 Manchester City................£40.1m
11 Wigan Athletic.................£37m
12 Stoke City.....................£36.3m
13 Bolton Wanderers...............£35.5m
14 Portsmouth.....................£34.8m
15 Blackburn Rovers...............£34.4m
16 Sunderland.....................£33.2m
17 Hull City......................£32.5m

These 10 clubs have either:

a. Received the misfortune of missing out on playing in the UEFA Leagues
b. The privilege of remaining in the Premier League
c. Been fortunate not to be relegated to the less lucrative Division One
because - as QPR, Crystal Palace and Nottingham Forest show - once you’re
out, it’s hard to get back into top flight football since the formation of
the Premier League.
d. All of the above, particularly when looking at the fate of the following
three teams.

Here's the unfortunate ones who didn't make it:

18 Newcastle United................£36.3m
19 Middlesbrough...................£30.9m
20 West Bromwich Albion............£31.1m

These three were relegated to Football League Championship – i.e. Division One – but at least got a financial sweetener from the broadcast payments to comfort the blow.

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Congratulations to former professional footballer and Match of the Day presenter Gary Lineker and model Danielle Bux on their marriage in Ravello, Italy.

I wish both the bride and groom everlasting happiness.

To get more information, click onto this BBC link: news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/8235433.stm

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Further evidence of the success the Premier League provides can be found in Ashley Cole signing a new four-year deal at Chelsea, with increased wages.

Although many others weren’t happy at the way he engineered his move from Arsenal, like fellow teammate and former Arsenal player Nicolas Anelka – who was the highest scorer during last season, scoring 19 goals, not Cristiano Ronaldo – he’s clearly very happy at Stamford Bridge.

For more information, I found this link from The Guardian newspaper to be very effective, which also talks about current players in his former club signing contracts: www.guardian.co.uk/football/2009/sep/02/ashley-cole-chelsea-contract1


Don’t forget to visit my other internet site: www.andriagreaves.com

Until next time, peace.

Andria

X

Well done Wolves!

Although I’m not a Rugby fan, the two teams that attended Wembley Stadium today for the Challenge Cup Final, the other team being Huddersfield, were well behaved.

There was no segregation of fans, which has to be done regarding soccer.

In all, it was a carnival atmosphere, with some fans dressed as convicts, other men wearing flowery pink dresses.

When Wolves picked up the cup, many supporters of the losing team clapped their hands.

It’s the first time since 1974 that Warrington has won the Cup, so congratulations all round to them.

Some of their fans decided to stay in Wembley, visiting The Greyhound pub that’s approximately 100 yards away from the Stadium.

It was nice, seeing their fans - grown men, women and their children, sitting on the green opposite the pub, enjoying the rest of the warm, sunny weather, which was crowned by a fabulous result.

As I said to some of their fans leaving the Stadium, congratulations on the result and I hope to see some of you again next year.

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Chelsea is on top of the league!

The 3-0 result is sure to help show they are determined to break the lock Manchester United has on winning the Premiership league.

As for newly promoted Burnley, please learn from the mistakes of recently regulated out of top-flight football West Bromwich Albion (WBA); you can’t stay in the Premier league with First Division players.

I know that’s ruthless to say but that’s the way it is – this explains why Stoke City and Hull City, the other clubs who were promoted with WBA to the 2008-09 Premier League, are still in the Premiership League.

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Manchester United only just got victory today against Arsenal, thanks to Abou Diaby’s own goal.

United only just got their victory, which does bring forward the belief whether the departure of Cristiano Ronaldo has weakened this team.

Only time will tell.

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Speaking of Arsenal, it’s not surprising that UEFA has stepped in to the whole issue regarding Eduardo’s behaviour Wednesday evening.

The Euro football chiefs have charged the striker with deceiving the referee by diving to win a penalty against Celtic, in the Champions League qualifier.

Again, I think this is a case of where, as I stated regarding Drogba’s outburst during last season’s Chelsea UEFA match against Barcelona, of letting the linesman have as much say as the main referee when looking at such issues.

I must admit to being surprised by Eduardo’s actions on Wednesday, as I remember the nasty left ankle dislocation he received in February 2008 that threatened his career-playing future.

For most people, it’s a defining moment where you look at what’s important in life and it usually includes sportsmanship.

Hopefully, both Eduardo and his manager, Arséne Wenger, will come to realise this in the coming months.

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I watched Big Ron – as I still call him – doing Celebrity Wife Swap a few weeks ago with Olympic gold medal winner Tessa Sanderson.

I remember this man as the showy-with-clout manager of Manchester United, who put the glam into a club that was then synonymous with supporters wearing brown cloth caps and long matching coats – i.e., dowdy.

Along with a team that had a successful streak in the 1980’s, Ron Atkinson was a man who invented the word bling and made Manchester United a trendy team to follow, before he was removed to make way for a then unpeeraged unknown-to-mainstream-English-football manager, called Alex Ferguson.

Big Ron was responsible for introducing black football players on a mainstream scale to English football. This was particularly the case when he managed WBA, before becoming a match commentator.

So rather than ponder on the foolish remarks he said about Marcel Desailly in 2004, I hope he gets further involved in the academy in Newham, London, that Ms Sanderson is helping to run in preparation for the 2012 Olympics.

Mr Atkinson has an amazing talent, which clearly showed when he was being a manager of a local Newham football team during the swap.

He is a man you can believe in; that quality is needed in a football manager.

I also saw the home – well let’s face it, mansion – he lives in with his wife.

It just goes to show, like Kevin Keegan, there has always been some football professionals who had their financial heads screwed on before the arrival of the Premiership league in 1991.

I for one hope Celebrity Wife Swap is not the last we see or hear from Big Ron.

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That leads me to what I mentioned during my last blog about recommending books to read regarding sport.

For Father’s Day this year, I brought: Beyond A Boundary, by CLR James.

My mum isn’t a cricket lover but decided to take this book with her to the hairdressers, as she usually spends all day at the salon and found this book good to read and realised why certain cricket matches are called a Test.

I decided to read it and realised why this man was such an inspirational figure for independence and self-rule during his lifetime.

I wrote a biography piece about him for Pride magazine, featured in February 2006 – the feedback the office received about it was fantastic and was responsible for that edition being a sell-out.

The e-mails and phone calls to the then editor praising this article were daily and continued for the whole month.

My only regret was seeing the sub-editors take my name out. My thanks go to those who liked reading it – it took me a whole week to finally produce that article, such was the extent of work and essays that Cyril Lionel Robert James produced.

Another book I’d highly recommend is Paul Gascoigne’s autobiography, Gazza: My Story, with Hunter Davies, first published in 2004.

It’s a truly warming book that made me laugh, cry, get annoyed with Mr Gascoigne and generally feel his pain. It’s a warts and all revelation about him; a genius midfielder who sadly never achieved his full potential during his playing days.

I so wish that Sir Alex Ferguson had signed him from Lazio.

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I’m now being kicked off the computer I’m typing this on, so I’m signing off now!

Please don’t hesitate to visit my other internet site: www.andriagreaves.com

Until next time.

Light and Peace

Andria

X

West Ham Vs Millwall: the truth

Hi to one and all

I realise I haven’t written for some time and I do accept full responsibility for this.

Nevertheless, I’m happy to inform you about my experiences, both yesterday as a football steward at West Ham vs Millwall and on other issues.

I can say the real West Ham fans wouldn’t of been involved in the hooliganism we’ve seen regarding Tuesday’s match – during the many times I’ve worked at this club, I’ve been treated very well by both fans and staff.

But since this was a Football Association - FA - Carling Cup match, it was decided that a certain amount of tickets had to be available to the public that otherwise wouldn’t attend Upton Park (home of West Ham football club).

Generally, this is a good thing as it gives everyone the opportunity to see a premiership team live and keeps the romance of what the FA means – Millwall and West Ham haven’t meet each other in years, since The Lions were demoted out of top flight football in 1990.

Furthermore, Millwall and West Ham are well known bitter rivals, which clearly didn’t help.

Unfortunately it also gives troublemakers the chance to take advantage of the good nature of the FA and that’s what happened yesterday evening.

It was truly a good match, with Millwall getting a well deserved in the first half. Many West Ham fans clapped when they scored. Then West Ham equalised in the dying minutes of the second half, which is when the first pitch invasion happened.

It was at a weak point of the pitch, where football fans and the camera people share the same part, near the left-hand corner of the Bobby Moore stand. The real West Ham fans were booing the invaders, who got the message and came off with little fuss within five minutes.

But when extra time was over – thank goodness it didn’t go to penalties – with West Ham winning the match 3-1, that’s when the central part of the Dr Martens Stand gave way to individuals running on the pitch.

It wasn’t easy to get them off and it’s a shame for West Ham they will be receiving fines for yesterday’s commotion, as the only thing they can do is ban the people who caused the trouble.

This isn’t going to be affective, as most of those individuals who behaved badly wouldn’t come to a West Ham match anyway, so again, the club suffers.

Millwall has an established reputation of having the most violent supporters in British football.

At the match, I must give credit to the Millwall supporters who – despite the strong police and steward attendance at the match, were well behaved during the game.

I can also empathise with the frustration of the disabled supporters at the end of the game. They couldn’t leave the building as the lifts had been suspended, a safety precaution at any venue when trouble emerges, which meant they had to stay in the building until the police said it was safe for the elevators to be re-enabled.

One disabled supporter had two of his sons waiting in the car park, which by now was being heavily monitored, for fear of any further acts of violence.

Indeed it was outside the match that further violence flared up – I can still vividly remember walking up to Upton Park underground station at night, seeing ambulance workers placing people inside their vehicles regarding head, chest and arm injuries.

Despite being past 11pm, violent blood shedding was clearly visible on the pavements, with police having to cauldron off open spaces.

I also remember having no choice but walking on broken glass for the last 100 metres in getting to the station, such was the aftermath of the violence.

English clubs have worked so hard in eradicating hooliganism and it’s clearly a battle the police and football stewards must win – families, disabled people and individuals of colour have as much right to attend these events. Hooliganism is the opposite of this.

Right now, I feel for the safety officer and deputy safety office, Mr Ron Pearce and Mr Leon Blackburn respectively, who will no doubt have to compile a report on what happened. These two men have a lot of responsibility heaped on their shoulders, which they can’t sort out by themselves, if certain people are hell bent on violence.

More security is definitely needed, from football stewards to police – both had increased the usual amount of people to attend this match but sadly the people they had on that day was not enough.

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I’m not surprised that Jose Mourinho is once again in hot water, over his remarks that Inter Milan player Sulley Muntari should not be fasting during Ramadan.

All Muslims abstain from eating or drinking during this period during the daytime, that’s something Mourinho would have known about when deciding to play Muntari on Sunday’s draw against Bari.

A person’s religion is a part of their identity in this world and helps to signify meaning to their life.

Furthermore, it’s only for one month – I’m sure Mr Muntari wants to win games like Mr Mourinho, so I can’t help but feel Jose, by criticising one of his own players in such a public way, is scoring an own goal.

Isn’t it for the opposition to be undermining his players?

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Not relating to football, but I’m saddened to hear about the recent death of Senator Edward Kennedy.

He was a force to contend with and clearly played a strong role in getting Barack Obama into the White House.

With the recent death of his sister Eunice Kennedy Shriver, mother of top-rated journalist and first lady of Florida Maria Shriver – who happens to be married to Arnold Schwarzenegger, it’s only Jean Kennedy Smith that’s now alive of the original Kennedy clan who are forever enshrined as America’s Royal Family.

Although I understand some were unhappy in his involvement in the ‘troubles’ in Northern Ireland, I’m relived for him that he no longer has to suffer from the brain cancer which robbed him of his life.

I’m also relieved the ‘troubles’ in Northern Ireland are over – walking in Wembley yesterday, I went past the Army Careers office that was a target in 1994 – one man lost his life due to an IRA bomb, so again, I’m glad those days are a thing of the past.

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All of this means I don’t have the chance to talk about the sport books I’d highly recommend to read!

But the week is young, so I intend to update this log soon.

After yesterday’s commotion – I didn’t get home until minutes past one in the morning, I’ll be glad to watch (not attend) the Arsenal Vs Celtic match.

Until then, bye!


Light and Peace

Andria

PS, don’t forget to visit my other site (unfortunately, I can't put a link on it, for some unknown reason): www.andriagreaves.com

Only the Welsh rain can save the England Cricket team

Australia’s batsmen got a mammoth 674 for six until rain cut short a day of misery for England yesterday.

One poster, by an Australian supporter, simply said: “Only cowards pray for rain.”

Either way, Australia’s batting display is sure to result in one change in England’s attack for the second test at Lord’s this Thursday.

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This leads me to the dismay I’m seeing of England’s Women cricketers.

Despite being double world champions, it seems they are in danger of following their male counterparts.

On the first day of their Ashes Test at New Road, Worcester, they were reduced to 28 for five.

What’s going on? Sort it out ladies!

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Liverpool FC have dug their heels in by rejecting an offer for Fernando Torres.

As they are still aiming to break the domination of Manchester United, Liverpool have turned down a rumoured £60m bid for the Spanish striker, by an English football club that’s NOT Manchester City.

Their manager Rafa Benitez stated: “It was a proper offer, a big one but we said no and he wanted to stay here.”

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Talking of which, I’m glad to see defender Glen Johnson has made a £17m move to join Mr Torres and Mr Benitez at Liverpool.

He had a tough time of it under Jose Mourinho at Chelsea and had to join Portsmouth in 2007 to resurrect his career.

Since Fabio Capello brought him back into the England first team, Johnson’s been very effective at right back.

It’s a true test of his character and inner strength that despite having the opportunity to do so, he says he has no bitterness towards his former manager, saying: “I don’t see the point in bearing grudges.”

Welcome back to the big four Johnson and I hope all works out for you at the Kop.

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I watched the dawning of a new era for UK track and field as 23 year-old sprint star Simeon Williamson won the men’s 100m at the national championships yesterday at the Alexander Stadium, Birmingham.

Dwayne Chambers, 32, huffed and puffed but was blown away by the elegance of Mr Williamson who, despite being slow off the blocks and wearing a necklace, was determined and comfortable with his win

Two other athletes who show promise for Britain in 2012 are Lawrence Clarke, 19, whose skill in the men’s 110m reminds me of Colin Jackson and Jodie Williams, 15, who is likely to win another medal in today’s 200m final.

In other words, we’re getting there!

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The Tour De France is still by far the most challenging as well as being the grand-daddy of all the cycling tournaments.

But the argument between Lance Armstrong, who bravely defeated cancer a few years ago, and Alberto Contador seems to be overshadowing this great event.

The power struggle between these two men – who are part of the same team – reminds me of the issues that Lewis Hamilton had with his former team-mate Fernando Alonso.

Looking at the various mountain climbs and sprints awaiting the cyclists at today’s Stage 9 in south-west France, their won’t me much opportunity for anyone to argue!

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I was looking at the sports magazine The Red Bulletin when I read the Me And My Body section, with Davin Hester.

I could symphonise with him about having a weakness for fast food and being a cookie monster.

I too have a craving for such products, despite having diabetes running in my family – I assure you, I haven’t got diabetes but I know if I don’t cut back, there’s a strong possibility I will, so no chocolate for me today!

Check out the full interview – for me it was a pleasure to read - which also explains how much dedication professional sports men and women have, which shows why they excell, at:
www.redbulletin.com/tags/meandmy/en

Also, don’t forget to check out my other internet address: www.andriagreaves.com

Until next time, peace.


Andria

X

PLEASE SEE THE FILM BRÜNO

I saw it yesterday and feel it deserves the five out of five score by the film critics of the Daily Mirror newspaper.

As for the audience who was watching it at the same time as me - the Vue Cinema in Harrow was full – the one unsettling moment was seeing two Muslim men getting annoyed at Brüno’s interview with a Hamas leader.

They shouted obscenities at the character, a fictional gay Austrian fashion reporter portrayed by English comedian Sacha Baron Cohen, before storming off.

At first, I thought they were extras for the film!

I was warned about the talking penis scene, which is why I’m not surprised this film got an 18 certificate in the UK but it was still unexpected.

So long as you remember that Brüno (who claims to be 19) like Borat and Ali G isn’t real, you’re sure to have a good time watching this film.

The scene of seeing Brüno running away from orthodox Jews – he’s wearing a funky version of their traditional suit - is hilarious.

The same goes for him seeing an American preacher who claims to heal homosexuality.

As for the OJ baby pictures - displayed to a largly African American audience, his visit to a Swingers party and his interaction with some Deep South hunters, well I’m surprised that Brüno manages to leave America in one piece!

Just when you think Brüno can’t surprise you any further, something else comes along that’s just as funny and bemusing as the last act – watch out for the new man on the block, Straight Dave.

This is the official trailer for the film: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fAGpmNb2xfQ

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The pictures below, feel free to look at them, the first two include my visit to the Animal Flower Cave in St Lucy, Barbados.

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Until tomorrow, Boa Noite – that’s goodnight in Portuguese, the language I'm now trying to learn.

Don’t forget to view my other internet address: www.andriagreaves.com

Light and Peace

Andria

X

Hey you

That 4-0 thrashing still hurts!

Yes I’m referring to the Germany team wining the UEFA Under 21 Football Championship on Monday 29th June

Congratulations to Germany, who outclassed England - they looked stodgy, stiff and simply not with it, compared the flexible, reliable and determined Germans.

Their player Sandro Wagner gave a brilliant display that night – definitely a man to keep an eye on when he graduates to full maturity.

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Although it’s already been said in many ways, I am genuinely sorry about the death of Michael Jackson.

To die so young – at 50, MJ certainly wasn’t an old man – is hurtful enough.

But to pass away when he was on the cusp of getting out of debt and getting back on stage, his second home, with sell-out shows at the O2 in London (he probably would of issued more dates, such was the demand) is just as sad.

I’ve seen the pictures of him practising, with the words THIS IS IT behind him.

So I was understandably annoyed to see that one UK based so-called ethnic magazine decided to stick with its game plan of stating how ‘wonderful’ it will be to see MJ performing in London again this month and featured an unknown artist on the front of its magazine.

This is a case of poor editorial and management decision-making, especially since the passing of the King of Pop was announced in good time for this publication to of made appropriate changes for this month’s edition.

No doubt they will come up with a ‘tribute’ edition of MJ for next month – i.e. a good 31 days too late.

A strong word of advice to them and any other ethnic publication: there is no point in playing the race card, especially against other black performers or politicians refusing to speak to you, if you can’t be bothered to get your own act together!

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It seems that the Real Madrid revolution is set to continue, with the purchase of French striker Karim Benzema from the team Lyon for a fee believed to be £30 million.

After the purchase of Kaka and Cristiano Ronaldo, it shouldn’t be of any surprise Real would make a play for this promising forward.

It seems that Manchester United are loosing their touch, as we know that’s the second top player in months they have lost to the glamorous Real Madrid – they too wanted to sign Benzema.

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Ironically, I was looking at a past copy of the Metro newspaper, dated 15th May, where Ronaldo was categorically stating he is happy at Manchester United and has no intention of leaving during the summer.

Well, the pundits have been proven to be right in saying that Real would make their move again after last year’s will-he-or-won’t-he fiasco.

I’d just like to say thank you Cristiano for displaying for Manchester United why you are the top-rated footballer you are, especially against FC Porto earlier this year.

Whatever you may personally think of him – player or over-pampered prima donna – this is one man who knows how to create and score goals, while remembering the team he plays in must come first.

I genuinely wish all the best for Ronaldo and hope he continues to do well in his life, both on and off the pitch, as balance in life is so important.

His former manager also wishes him no ill-will as Sir Alex recently had a quiet farewell dinner with him in Cheshire, Manchester.

His unveiling at the Bernabeu drew in more people than Manchester's Old Trafford could ever hold.

If you still dislike what Ronaldo’s done, then ask yourself this question; if an organisation wanted you so much, they will pay £80 million for you and give you an astronomical wage of £200,000.00 a week, would you turn that down?

I thought so!

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This leads me onto the current problems I can see with Manchester United.

Yes, they won the league, but now they haven’t got Ronaldo, a forward who could win games from nowhere, it seems that despite having £80 million in the bank, they can’t get anyone.

After this season’s defeat by Liverpool – who could forget that 1-4 drumming in the Premier league and the humiliating 2-0 defeat by Barcelona in the UEFA finals – it’s clear that the central midfield is weak and that’s not being helped by the uncertainty surrounding Owen Hargreaves – nobody knows whether this man will play again.

Dimitar Berbatov has had sparingly good matches this season, while Giggs and Scholes are clearly at the stage where they will want to retire and coach the under 18’s.

Carlos Tevez - who accuses Mr Berbatov of forcing him out of United - looks set to join derby rivals Manchester City.

The purchase of Michael Owen, a well-respected but out-of-favour with the England team manager was a shrewd move, which clearly replaces Ronaldo, but it’s yet to be seen whether he’ll be happy playing alongside Wayne Rooney, who along with Theo Walcott, have pushed him out of the national squad.

Then again, something tells me that a striker with his ability wasn’t going to be happy playing in the first division – better known as Division Two to those of you who remember watching The Saint and Greavise (no relation to moi) on (now titled) ITV1.

Furthermore, being a former Kop player, something tells me the Mancurians and their supporters are going to be divided about welcoming Owen.

Unless these issues are dealt with soon, come next season, it’s unlikely that Manchester United will be the winners of the Premier League.

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Another reason for putting my reservations across about Manchester United retaining the title next season is due to the present Chelsea manager Carlo Ancelotti confirming that John Terry will remain Chelsea captain “forever” and that the “Chelsea-Terry story will continue”.

Blues fans will be happy with this statement of intent from the Chelsea manager, a clear signal that he sees Terry, who has been with The Blues for 11 seasons, as a major force in their title bid – as well as fending off the constant interest from Manchester City.

But this does signal a clear push for the title, especially since the purchase of Russian midfielder Yuri Zhirkov, who usually plays as an attacking left-winger and in leftwing, which is clearly adding a platinum frame to this team.

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Congratulations to Swiss pro Roger Federer on gaining his record 15th Grand Slam win at Wimbledon.

He surpassed Pete Sampras’s total of 14 major titles.

But defeating Andy Roddick was no easy feat and he made Federer work for every point in five sets during Sunday’s final.

I saw how actor Russell Crowe, Sir Alex Ferguson and Mr Sampras himself watched seeing history being made.

I’m not surprised about the latter two being present as being sportsmen themselves, they can understand the focus, drive and determination – under the watchful gaze of millions – of these two men, as well as the pressure surrounding them.

Looking at today’s technology and how it keeps getting better year by year, it’s only a matter of time before Mr Federer’s record is broken, so my advice to him is enjoy it while you can.

Then again, Roger could make it Sweet 16!

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As for the women’s tournament, well it wasn’t a surprise that a Williams sister won.

Despite not getting the top seed ranking, once again, both Venus and Serena – who won the female section – showed us why they are dominating the women’s role of tennis.

Their power, strength, agility and speed are second to none.

Needless to say, they both went on to win the women’s double too.

My heartfelt congratulations to both the Williams sisters.

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Now for The Ashes.

Considering only two teams can play, it shouldn’t surprise some that only cricket-obsessed fans really take an interest in this.

But it would be nice to have it confirmed what The Ashes urn contains, rather than speculated!

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Nevertheless, if you don’t understand cricket, then please read the book Beyond A Boundary by CLR James.

My mum, despite being from Barbados – just like my dad – didn’t know a hoot about the game until reading this book.

I brought it for my dad as a Father’s Day present but considering my mum takes all day to get her hair done, she decided to take this book along with her - she enjoyed reading it too!

It’s long been accepted this is one of the best sporting books ever written and clearly shows the author’s dedication to cricket.

In other words, well worth a read!

I did a biography on him for the history section of a monthly magazine - Cyril Lionel Robert James was a great thinker. His work, like MJ, lives on after his death.

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I was at the Southbank a few weeks ago, when I stumbled on the Simple Acts campaign by the Refugee Council.

It’s all very well dismissing such organisations as do-gooders but then I remembered a case of Ahmed, a Somalian in his mid twenties who could pass as Jamaican.

He was self-employed as a plaster and had two men working for him, when he was approached in a pub after 6pm to be a drug seller by two Caucasian men.

He said no and thought that would be the end of it but after 10pm that night he answered a knock on his door and realised the same men had followed him home.

He was bundled into a van by the same men – who had someone else as a driver, taken to a council estate that still had the old fashioned heaters that provided fuel for the whole block, rather than individually, like it is now for many council buildings in London.

He was tied down to the heater which started to burn his skin. In order to free himself, he had to break the pipe that was tying him down to the heater.

But he was left with a choice between the devil and the deep blue sea as by breaking the shaft, all the piping-hot water in the radiator painfully melt his skin to leave him with 80% second to third-degree damage.

But he refuses to be downbeat. He went back to Somalia to get himself a wife, stating that no woman in England would want him because of his disfigurement – he wears a prosthetic right hand – learnt how to write with his left hand and is now back working as a bus driver.

The men who kidnapped, tortured him and tied him down to that radiator have not been caught but as Ahmed said to me: “They will get their comeuppance, so I don’t let it bother me.”

He was visiting Inquilab Housing Association as his wife was pregnant with their first child and just wanted help in fixing up his mortgage in Acton, north London, as he lost his business while in hospital, recovering from his wounds.

So I was happy to sign up for Option 3: Learn To Say A Few Things In A New Language for Refugee Week, which is just as well as I’m determined to sign up for a language course in Portuguese.

I want to do this as Brazil is still by far the Mecca for football talent, so speaking a few words in their language will help to break the ice.

Plus there’s a strong Portuguese community in Harlesden, so I’m sure that I’ll get a lot of practice.

Here are a few pictures of last year’s Celebrating Sanctuary event (displayed above) also held at the same venue as this year’s festival.

One of them includes the lead singer of indie band the Noisettes – their lead singer, Shingai Shoniwa (first name pronounced Shing-eee) is of Zimbabwean parentage.

The pictures were taken by Nana Varveropoulou.


To find out more, visit their internet site: www.simpleacts.org.uk


Please don’t forget to visit my other internet site: www.andriagreaves.com


Peace


Andria

CONGRATULATIONS TO BARCELONA FC

They are worthy champions!

As for Manchester United, they seemed to be in the match for a mere ten minutes, with Ronaldo making some good attempts before Samuel Eto’o goal and Cristiano’s Catalan nemesis Lionel Messi scored in each half, which put the game out of Man U’s reach.

I realised it was going to be a tough match, after seeing how Barcelona scored a last-minute goal against Chelsea a few weeks ago.

Unusual for Manchester United, they were simply outplayed and outclassed.

My brother Jeffrey Greaves was happy with the result as it was his birthday yesterday and he’s a Liverpool fan.

Seeing his bitter rivals get soundly beaten was his icing on the cake!

Credit is due to Barcelona who, as they did at Stamford Bridge against The Blues, played with a mixture of skill, passion and ability – this shined through again at Rome yesterday.

They were outstanding and deserved to be winners of the Champions League.

Being a British citizen, I couldn’t help but feel nauseated when the final whistle blew and I didn’t stay at the McQuian’s pub in Kenton to watch Barcelona lift the Cup – that would have been too much for me (thank goodness I wasn’t on reporting duty).

So after finishing the rest of my drink, I slipped out the pub, just like most of the MUFC supporters, including my (female) mate Jasjot, who’s on the international side of the broadcast journalism course, which also leads to a Masters of the Arts (MA).

The other half, who clearly supported Barcelona, stayed on to enjoy their success. I’m glad there was no violence in the pub at all, with both sets of fans appreciating each other’s side - I'm glad to say that the fans of both teams were sitting side by side.

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I was a football steward at the West Ham home match against Middlesborough on Saturday 23 May.

As you could expect, tensions were high as it was known that the visiting team were facing regulation to the First Division – better known as the original Division Two to many.

Before the Premier league was formed, it was well known that some teams, like Sheffield Wednesday and Crystal Palace, would bounce between the two divisions.

But now, the standards needed to be and remain in the Premier league is so high, it’s going to be hard for any team to stay if they don’t have players, marketing and a strategy to boot.

It didn’t help that when West Ham won the match 2-0 their fans taunted the opposing team and their fan base by singing “Cheerio” to them!

Nevertheless I was surprised that Newcastle are now going down with Middlesborough, as I thought they'd survive after Man U beat Hull earlier that day. So Sunderland live to fight another day!

As for West Bromwich Albion (WBA), I think that by Christmas 2008, their form and success rate was so poor; nobody realistically expected them to remain in the Premier League at the end of this season.

All the best for Wolverhampton Wanderers – better known as Wolves - and Birmingham City.

A big hello to Burnley, who haven’t been in the top flight since the 1970s.

These are the new teams joining the big league but unless they start spending that hard earned extra cash on new – meaning Premier league standard - signings, then like WBA, they will go straight back down to Division One next year.

As constant Premier league wannabe team Queens Park Rangers found to their cost, who were exiled after selling Les Ferdinand to, ironically Newcastle in 1995, once you’re out – they were relegated the following year - it’s hard to get back!

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Former professional footballer Mario Celaire has confessed to murdering his ex-girlfriend seven years after originally being cleared of her murder and manslaughter at the Old Bailey.

Mario Celaire, now 31, also faces life after admitting to attempting to murder his ex-lover Kara Hoyte, 19.

The same court heard how the ex-Maidstone United defender hit Cassandra, 19, continiously over the head at her mum’s home in Norbury, South London, in 2001.

She choked on her own vomit while unconscious, which is how she died.

He would have got away with it, as he was originally acquitted of her murder in 2002, if it weren’t for the change of the double jeopardy ruling which provided the opportunity of former girlfriend Kara to give evidence against Celaire this month, after her beat her with a hammer in 2007 after she, like Cassandra, left him.

It was thanks to Mario cockily admitting to killing Cassandra to Ms Hoyte that Celaire eventually confessed to both crimes.

He will be sentenced on July 3.

Many complain that you don’t see ethnic WAGs but looking at the tragedy of what Celaire did to these two beautiful black women, well this just shows the importance of simply finding a good person to settle down with, regardless of race.

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Speaking of which, I read Harry Redknapp’s recent attack on the WAG culture.

He talks about how much it’s changed for players to find a good partner and stay out of trouble.

But to look on the flip side, nobody has forced a premier league footballer to date, say serial WAG, Danielle Lloyd.

And looking at the state Tottenham Hotspur captain and defender Ledley King was in when he was arrested outside a London nightclub for alleged racially aggravated assault earlier this month, as well as the problems Harry's nephew Frank Lampard is having regarding his private life, perhaps it’s not surprising that he wanted to get a few things off his chest.

I for one was touched by the refreshing honesty displayed by Mr Redknapp in the interview, which also marked a turning point; gone are the days where football managers just dealt with getting the right players, the right results and arguing with the club chairman over spending.

Read it for yourself, in the Telegraph newspaper edition: www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/celebritynews/5322684/Harry-Redknapp-criticises-footballs-WAG-culture.html

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I’m glad to see that women’s football is finally starting to get the recognition it deserves in the newspaper back pages.

So congratulations to the Arsenal Ladies Football Team for winning the FA’s Women’s Premier League on Sunday 10 May.

I’ve yet to see the men’s team - even when they had legendary striker Ian Wright around - wining 11 trophies in four years, which is exactly what the lady’s team has done!

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So now the season’s over, it’s time to look at who’s staying and who’s going, either from the Premiership league or moving to another club, within the premiership.

But considering I’ve got more stuff to hand in – i.e. university deadlines, I’ll have to say bye for now, as that will be for another blog entry.

Don’t forget to visit my other internet site: http://www.andriagreaves.com/

But if you want to leave a comment for me, it will have to be on this site!

Until next time

Light and Peace

Andria

X

Akon’s Coming Home!

I’ve genuinely been so busy with deadlines at the University of Westminster, I’ve side-lined quite a few things in my life of late.

I truly apologise.

The past week in football has been crazy!

I for one am not surprised by the behaviour of Chelsea’s Didier Drogba against the referee during the Champions League semi-final.

I saw how the Ivory Coast captain and other Chelsea players chased after Norwegian referee Tom Henning Ovrebo, particularly after the final whistle.

I also saw, or rather laughed, at Drogba’s behaviour – with eyes bulging - towards a TV camera, which not surprisingly was beamed to millions of homes across the globe.

I also read with bemusement at how Stan The Man, a former professional footballer who was a part of the Spice Boys - sorry Liverpool FC team in the 1990s – say that Drogba should be punished for his behaviour after Chelsea’s dramatic exit.

Looking at Mr Collymore’s own chequered football career, in which he has proven himself to be a nearly man and was left alone to celebrate scoring a goal by his Nottingham Forest team-mates, I can’t help but feel he’s someone who, despite receiving lots of money, inevitably remains an underachiever.

I’m sure I’m not alone in saying that people living in glass houses shouldn’t throw stones!

Nevertheless, considering that Barcelona were down to ten men, I feel it’s only fair to say congratulations to this Catalan-based team for getting into the final.

Unfortunately, the game was soiled by the way it was run. There should have been at least three penalties for Chelsea.

The sending off, that left Barcelona with ten men on the pitch, should not have been allowed.

Barcelona got their last minute goal through sheer determination and passion. They did deserve it, particularly as it was in the dying minutes of extra time.

But I feel this match shows the way football is refereed needs to be updated.

Football, or soccer as it’s called in the United States, is run on rules and regulations that are as old as the game itself.

Footballers now are much faster, professional and dedicated to this magnificent sport, yet the way its run is still based on regulations made centuries ago.

The rules regarding the way such matches are refereed must change with it.

Having a camera to check every angle will be costly, especially for the smaller clubs, so why not let the guardsmen have more of a say when it comes to all football games?

Especially since they get to see the match from an angle the main referee doesn’t and in some cases can’t.

The reason why I don’t attack Drogba, instead I applaud him, is simply because football is a reactionary sport.

It was only when Eric Cantona delivered a kung-fu style attack on a ‘supporter’ for yelling racist abuse at him, that football made a real effort to clear up this cancer that was ignored for a long time.

Black football players before Mr Cantona had to put up with monkey chants every time they got the ball and even had bananas thrown at them on the pitch.

Yet it’s only when Eric gave a public reaction towards racism that the rest of the football world finally woke up to the fact that prejudice must not be tolerated, either in or outside the pitch.

The same goes for crowd safety. It was only when Hillsborough happened that people finally realised the importance of spectator guidelines for modern-day football.

So let us not be critical of Drogba, instead, lets accept this situation to highlight what is wrong with football, to make a change for a better future.

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I also, like the rest of the football world, saw the behaviour of Cristiano Ronaldo when he was substituted for Wayne Rooney during the Manchester derby on Sunday.

It seems that the hairdryer treatment of boss Sir Alex Ferguson is on the cards for him, as although he did have a good match, surely even Cristiano could realise that his Gaffer simply wanted to rest him for future matches.

Especially since Ronaldo’s ability to score from nowhere will be needed in Rome, against the football giants Barcelona, which is only a handful of days away.

As they showed against Chelsea FC, this is a team you under-estimate at your own peril!

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Sticking to Manchester United, the situation with Carlos Tevez is something he has good reason to sulk about, which he demonstrated after scoring a goal on Sunday, then cupped his hands to his ears to make a point.

As he’s been on loan for two years, Manchester United cannot renew his contract for another loan spell.

Either they have to sign Tevez or let him go.

He’s been playing so well, but ManU already have Berbatov, Rooney and – with exception to the Real Madrid rumours – Ronaldo.

Then there’s the current economic climate. The people behind Tevez are said to be asking for £26million.

Manchester United, despite their success, is known to be careful with the cash.

They will always go for a cheaper price, so it seems that Carlos may well be off to Liverpool or derby rivals Manchester City instead.

Either way, Tevez is a good professional; he respects the shirt of United as he’s relatively kept his nose clean both on and off the pitch, so I genuinely hope he gets a good outcome, wherever he plays next season.

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This brings me back to why I mentioned rapper Akon in my opening headline.

The star is co-ordinating the football World Cup anthem and opening celebrations for South Africa.

The singer has made it clear he won’t be asking his friend David Beckham for advice, saying: “I know David, he’s my man. But I’m not asking for his advice. Footballers should stick to football.”

Considering some of the dog howlers that became UK football anthems, I couldn’t agree more!

The only one worth remembering was Eat My Goal by Collapsed Lung.

Even then, that tune wasn’t officially adopted by the England team during its Euro 96 campaign. US company Coca-cola picked up on it instead.

Funny that, as Three Lions, by Baddiel and Skinner with the Lightening Seeds, was accepted by the England football team and it was adopted by the winners Germany.

They also sang it when they paraded the prized silverware to the Deutschland people.

My German mate Ijeoma (Nigerian parents) says this tune is still played on German radio stations.

Football came home alright, just not to England!

Please don’t hesitate to view my other internet site: www.andriagreaves.com


Peace


Andria

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I’VE SEEN ARSENE WENGER’S DANCE BEFORE!

It was by the contestant Susan on Britain’s Got Talent!

When he joined in the celebrations led by Arsenal strikers Theo Walcott and Emmanuel Adebayor, with a polished penalty by Robin van Persie, each scoring a goal against Villarreal yesterday, the rest of the punters at the pub joined in – even if they, like Wenger, had two left feet!

His performance, along with the rest of the Arsenal team, reminded me of the Will Smith video Getting Jiggy With It - without its slickness!

Like the Arsenal manager, the crowd in the pub simply didn’t care about the style of their dancing, as the result has put this magnificent team in the next stage of the Champions League.

See the Will Smith video I've mentioned for yourself:

www.youtube.com/watch?v=BIduOvEoVeQ

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I decided to go to Harlesden, instead of Wembley, to watch Arsenal and Manchester United play.

I’m glad to say I made the right decision, as two public houses were showing both matches - that were right next to each other!

Furthermore, Harlesden, yes in the north-west ten area of London, has a strong Portuguese community, who quickly corrected me that Porto is in northern Portugal – sorry for my earlier mistake of saying it was in the mid-west.

I kept running in between pubs before settling for the one that showed the Man U game, simply because the atmosphere in that one was electric!

You see, the Portuguese crowd had divided loyalties; such is the case when the country – or a team – from England, is playing against another team or national side, from your mother or father country.

For instance, a few years ago, the England football team played against Cameroon in the World Cup.

It was hard for many individuals of West African descent to decide which team to support.

The same goes for cricket.

When England is playing against the West Indies, many of Caribbean origin are also torn, as to who to support.

So when Man U played against Porto yesterday, loyalties in the Portuguese camp, were bound to be tested.

When the ball was passed to Cristiano Ronaldo and Nani, who came on as a substitute for Dimitar Berbatov – who on occasions did drift out of the game – the Portuguese punters, who dominated one pub, either cheered or booed these two footballers.

When Mr Ronaldo scored for United in the sixth minute – which was from under 40 yards and at a speed of more than 64 miles per hour – there were both cries of joy and laughter from some as well as yells of shame and Judas from others for Cristiano, who displayed why he’s the Fifa World Player of the Year.

Man U certainly seemed sure of themselves in defence, whereas Porto FC, despite their strong reputation as a formidable team, seemed to lack self-belief on this crucial evening.

So congratulations to both victors, Arsenal and Manchester United, on their success; who will probably face each other in the next leg – the semi-finals - of the UEFA Champions League

The managers of these two fine English clubs have crossed verbal and mental swords before, so it will be just as thrilling to see which club goes onto the final.

Sir Alex Ferguson for Man U will hope it’s onwards and upwards for his team but if they are playing against Arsenal, Wenger will definitely have something to say about that!

Please don’t hesitate to visit my other internet site: www.andriagreaves.com

PEACE

Andria

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It’s amazing – part I

Congratulations to Chelsea on coming back from 2-nil down before half-time against Liverpool, on their own territory yesterday to finish the second half with four goals yesterday -14th April.

I was working as a steward yesterday at Chelsea Village – which includes the home of Chelsea FC - and felt the energy of the supporters (which included having to hold some of them back from invading the pitch at the Mathew Harding Stand) when Didier Drogba – in my view, the Premier league’s top scorer for this season – scored for Chelsea.

His strike put the game off its then balance and towards a positive result for Chelsea, as Frank Lampard then netted his second in the 89th minute to finally quell a magnificent effort from the visitors who let slip a 2-0 lead.

Eventually the final score was 4-4 but this meant Chelsea had won, as the total score, which included last week’s 3-1 result during the first half at Liverpool’s home ground, meant the final score was 5-7 to the Blues.

When the final whistle rang, the Chelsea supporters were dancing in the isles and in front of their seats to One Step Beyond, by Madness.

I took one of their flags, left behind by a fan, as a souvenir!

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It’s amazing – part II

Sheffield Wednesday let a 0-2 goal lead slip to see QPR’s B-team win 3-2, on Bank Holiday Monday, 13th April.

Previous manager Paulo Sousa would have been proud of them and the result, which shows that it’s not just Manchester United’s and Arsenal's youth project that's bearing fruit.

Ironically, it was at the Sheffield Wednesday stadium that Liverpool were playing against Nottingham Forest 20 years ago, that led to the tragedy of 96 fans losing their lives at this football match in Hillsborough, which has led to the high level of training and supervising of safety stewards and crowd control at football matches.

It’s also sad that fans still take the mickey over safety issues at football matches, from deliberately standing on chairs to using derogatory language that still makes it difficult for children to attend matches.

It’s also dissapointing to see and hear some dads using offensive language towards stewards in front of their children, as I experienced while working in crowd safety at QPR on Saturday 11th April.

Nevertheless, the anticipated display of anger against the chairman and co-owner Flavio Briatore didn’t amount to anything, with only a couple of drunkards protesting at the main entrance at how Paulo was removed from the club last week - after a leak of confidential club information.

It now means that QPR is now without a manager for the fifth time since Mr Briatore took over 18 months ago.

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I’m going to visit a pub in Wembley Central to watch tonight’s match: FC Porto vs Manchester United.

Part of Portugal’s name comes from this city, in the mid-west of this beautiful country.

No English side has ever won at the Dragao Stadium, so here’s wishing that Manchester United will be the first to break the hoodoo.

Porto is beautiful at night, as this aerial shot below shows, courtesy of Hedda blog.

Please don’t hesitate to visit my other internet site: www.andriagreaves.com

Until next time,

Andria

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Robinho will come back stronger!

Brazilian and Manchester City star Robinho won’t be facing any charges over an allegation that he committed a serious sexual assault at a nightclub in Leeds.

The 25 year-old was arrested, regarding a report by an 18 year-old woman in the northern city of Leeds in January this year.

But a spokeswoman from West Yorkshire Police said: “A file was submitted to the CPS (Crown Prosecution Service) who decided no further action should be taken.”

This must come as a huge relief for Robinho and his family.

It should also serve as a warning to other football stars in the media spotlight to be careful as to where you go after hours, as Robinho, his wife and family, from the time this started until now, must have been to hell and back over this allegation.

Neighbouring footballer Cristiano Ronaldo also went through a similar hell. Five years ago he too had a serious sexual accusation against him but came back from it a stronger and better player.

Hopefully Robinho will now do the same and we’ll finally see why Real Madrid received a share of the 32.5 million pound transfer fee, paid in September 2008.

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When talking of sport, many people still think of men running about on the rugby or football pitch.

Some even think about cricket – although not many realise why certain games are called a ‘test’.

So I want to pass on my congratulations to the Woman’s England Cricket team for winning the world cup a few weeks ago.

Let’s face it, when have we last said that about the England men’s cricket team?

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Hell’s Kitchen star Marco Pierre White is not a man to mess with!

So I wish all the stars in this year’s show, including Ms Dynamite, all the best which includes comedian Adrian Edmondson, who it seems Mr White has already tipped for success.

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Liverpool vs Chelsea, UEFA Champions League Quarter Final – tonight!

I’m going to be so excited to watch this match!

Mainly because I’m going to see how four great men, in two great teams, play off against each other.

They are:

John Terry v Fernando Torres

England’s best defender against one of the world’s best strikers.

It will be exceedingly interesting to see who comes out on top!

This match could depend on Terry’s power and positional excellence against Torres’ pace, guile and strength.

Frank Lampard v Steven Gerrard

Just who is England’s best midfielder?

England’s football manager Fabio Capello has found the key in having the pair both playing in midfield but this is the match where these two great men will finally be able to prove just who is top dog in midfield - once and for all.

Let the battle commence!

I’m now off to buy myself a cool, cold bottle of Jamaican Ginger Beer – sorry mum - as some of you may realise, I’m of Barbadian parentage.

But this drink hits the spot Sorrell simply doesn’t and I can’t make Mauby.

Light and Peace

Andria

PS, don’t forget to visit my other internet page: www.andriagreaves.com

PLEASE WATCH THE DAMNED UNITED FILM!

I’d give this movie five out of five, if you understand the joy, passion and sometimes dark humour underlying British football.

Most of us know that the family of Brian Clough have criticised elements of this film but as far as I'm concerned, it’s an honest, warts-and-all portrait at what happened then - and probably even now – in English football.

It looks at Mr Clough’s doomed 44-day tenure as manager at Leeds United, a team that was the Manchester United of its day.

You can tell by the swagger and open confidence of the Leeds United team that anyone crossing swords with them was going to lose – it reminds me of today’s Manchester United football team, minus the 70s hairstyle, dodgy clothing and openly lit cigarettes of the players.

Mr Clough takes over from the previous manager Don Revie, who was also Mr Clough’s bitter rival.

This film shows that football managers have to contend with more than just choosing and running a football team.

It also shows how important it is for all of us to be surrounded with work colleagues who share the same goals in life as Mr Clough realised at Leeds, as he was without his right-hand man and clearly surrogate brother, Peter Taylor - played brilliantly by Timothy Spall.

It’s a heart-warming portrayal of Brian Clough, not an angry drunk that many have mistakenly claimed.

The film is true in showing how Mr Clough could be reckless and sometimes mis-calculating in his decision-making.

It also shows how manipulative the newly-promoted-to-England manager Mr Revie was towards Mr Clough and what a mountain any man had to climb, in dealing with the players at Leeds United once Revie left.

To get a taster of it, see the trailer, by clicking video on this:

www.sonypictures.co.uk/movies/thedamnedunited/#/home/

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Southampton Leisure Holdings, the owners of Southampton Football Club, have confirmed it has appointed Mark Fry and David Hudson, partners of Begbies Traynor, an accountancy firm, as administrators of the business.

With this and last year’s downturn in the economy, it was enviable that something like this was going to happen to a football club.

I wouldn’t be surprised if members of tomorrow’s G20 protestors turn out to be Southampton FC fans.

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So the Vodafone McLaren Mercedes racing team, represented on the racing pitch by Lewis Hamilton, have been disqualified from participating in the Australian leg of the Grand Prix.

Hamilton had finished the race fourth overall but was promoted to the podium after reporting Toyota’s Jarno Trulli for illegal overtaking.

But Trulli has now been reinstated to third place and with Jenson in poll position – no doubt, thanks to having Sir Richard Branson at his side, a man who knows about wining – it’s going to be tough for Lewis to hang onto the Formula One title!

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I’m really pleased that England’s football team, under Fabio Capello, have now won all five of their games to qualify for the FIFA World Cup.

2010 is a year to look forward to, as I’m sure that England will be heading for South Africa.

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I’m surprised that QPR football team forward Dexter Blackstock is joining Nottingham Forest, even if it is on loan.

He’s been amazing in creating and getting goals for QPR this season but I’m glad he’s looking forward to keep third-bottom Forest in the First Division Championship.

It's just that if QPR still want to push for promotion to the Premiership league, I would of thought they would be holding onto their best players, come what may.

After all, you don't see Manchester United loaning Wayne Rooney to Newcastle, despite the The Magpies being third-bottom and two points away from Premier League safety!

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Which brings me back, full circle, to Brian Clough, as after Leeds, he went to be a manager of a then struggling Division Two football team called Nottingham Forest, who not only gained promotion to Division One but played in the early years of the Premiership League.

I think that’s a good note to end it on.

Please visit my other internet site: www.andriagreaves.com

Here’s a picture of Wembley Stadium, home of British football, to warm your cockles, as I say ciao!

Light and Peace

Andria

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