Football

The end of another season, and what have we learned?

That Sir Alex Ferguson is actually quite a good manager?
Maybe it has taken him a while (having been at Manchester United since he left Aberdeen in 1986), but he has built a good team and surrounded himself by not only internationally great players, but also those of less renown, but still work together as a great team. Now don't get me wrong, I would never choose to support Man Utd being a Liverpool fan, but I feel it is time to give Fergie the respect that I guess he really deserves. Anyone who can lead Aberdeen to European glory can't be too bad a manager! I was very surprised to learn that the European Cup victory the other night was the first penalty shootout that he has ever won!

That two Americans should not be allowed to buy a football club?
In a word, Yes. The only good thing that has come of Hicks and Gillett is that we were able to sign Torres, and let's face it, if it weren't for him then I don't think we would have the opportunity to compete for Champions' League football next season. Behind the scenes has been a total fiasco this season. If it isn't Hicks and Gillett trying to stab each other in the back, it is very public arguments with Benitez about transfer funds, or swooping for Jürgen Klinsmann to succeed Benitez, or just telling our Rick Parry that he is actually rubbish and no good for the future of the club! If only the Hicks and Gillett would come to some agreement and sell up to DIC then we may be saved further embarrassment next season.

Of course we may not be saved embarrassment if Benitez doesn't get us into the top two next season. Don't get me wrong, I think he is a great manager, for European games. He just doesn't seem to be able to put it together for the league. I feel that he rotates too much. If a player is playing well he needs to be playing every week, but he seems to insistent on playing Lucas or Kuyt instead of sticking with Alonso and Mascherano. Consequently, Alonso has suffered this season and is unsure of his future. I don't know, maybe he is the right manager, but he needs to beat Man Utd and Chelsea more often, as well as the heavy weights such as Bolton, Reading and Barnsley!!!!

That we're glad Rangers didn't win the SPL.
Mostly realised on the back of the ridiculous game against Dundee Utd, where Utd were denied a penalty (Stonewall apparently, though I'm really not sure as the basis of this phrase - according to the Urban dictionary it is due to the obvious nature of the offence), as well as a legitimate goal being disallowed, as well as two sending off offences for the huns being overlooked. I think that Craig Levein (spelling?) had every reason to lodge an official complaint about the referee. Rangers won the Scottish Cup today beating Queen of the South 3-2. Fair play for Queen of the South coming back to make it 2-2 before the winning goal. But even having won this trophy, all of the Rangers player seem to just wander around the pitch thinking "Yeah yeah, we thought we'd win this anyway!" There seemed to be no "Woo Hoo, we won the cup" about it at all! Arrogance all over.

That getting to the Champions' League Final for the first time in your clubs' history is not enough to save you from being sacked.
Avram Grant was sacked as manager of Chelsea yesterday. Having been second in the Premier League, reached the Champions' League final for the first time in Chelsea's history, and having reached the final of the League cup. So the real question is; how does anyone manage a club for more than one season if they don't win anything? It's ridiculous. Grant was basically using Mourinho's team, so Grant's achievements are really tribute to Mourinho's abilities as a manager. But the special one was sacked because apparently Chelsea's football was boring, a reason now being touted for why Grant is being sacked.

So who would want this job, when it seems that Abramovich and Kenyon will discard pretty sharpish anyone who doesn't meet their standards of winning everything? At least Hicks and Gillet have given Benitez their full backing so Liverpool have some consistency in management. A team can't perform well if their manager is chopped and changed every five minutes. Look at Hearts a few seasons ago. Whoever takes this job will soon realise that it is a poisoned chalice. Yes there are big stars in the team, yes it is bankrolled by a multi billionaire, but not much of an exchange for no job security, and being manager of probably now the most despised team in England.

I should stop now as I could go on for longer with this drivel which isn't really interesting or well written I'm sure.

Work

So, I have been working for almost 8 months now. It's really great. Sometimes I have one of those days when I maybe lack enthusiasm for what I should be doing that day, but then I remember how lucky I am to have a job that I really enjoy doing. I think being unemployed for so long (was it really 13 months?) has given me a very different outlook on the world of work. Having been unemployed that long has made me appreciate what I have now; I have been able to really throw myself into what I am doing, and consequently I am enjoying the work far more than my PhD or my Postdoc in Berlin.

My PhD was marred by experiments that took a long time to get working, and results that I guess I was never truly happy with. I feel that I maybe winged it quite a bit in the lab; whereas now careful planning and simply taking my time, has not only delivered results fairly quickly, but also results that I feel I have deserved to achieve, rather than just flinging some enzymes at DNA or protein and hoping something comes out of it!

I should really thank my current Boss for a lot of this really. A very approachable person who has encouraged us in the lab to plan carefully, and not to worry at all if we screw up a bit (which we inevitably do occasionally, though nothing very serious). And so I find my approach to research has chilled out a bit, I don't try to do seven things at once any more, things are working, I feel more confident about my science, and I'm really enjoying it. And the best thing is, my Boss is very happy with the work I have done, and is keen for me to stay on, so we shall apply for another grant to keep me on for a couple more years.

Of course my wife has been brilliant too, never forcing me to go and get a crappy shop job, or something similar just so that we have some money. Generally for always having faith in me.

So you see, I really am very lucky.

1st blog

Not really sure what I'm doing. Let's just see how this turns out!