Drum roll for Nick ("The Hornet")

[El Gordo]

A warm welcome please, for one of the 2007 FLM heroes, Nick, our latest training diarist.

Nick posted an excellent FLM report as "The Hornet" (see JDRF forum), so I think we can look forward to plenty more where that came from.

[Sweder]

Reminds me of that excellent film The Mystery Men, featuring such luminaries as the Spleen, the Shoveller and the Bowler, where a band of superheroes seek a new member. The Hornet would have been a shoe-in

Expecting quite a buzz around this member . . .






[SIZE="1"]. . . I'll get me coat . . .[/SIZE]

[Nick]

I thought it only polite to let you know a little about myself.

I am a 45 year old male. Married, with 16 year old twins (one of each) living in Milton Keynes, Buckinghamshire, England. I still play Cricket for a local side, but only in the second team these days.

Have been running for about 2.5 years and train 3 - 4 times a week. I have run several 10km's and half marathons although PB's of 51:20 and 1:57:30 mean there is room for improvement. Would ideally like to break 45 mins for 10km and 1:50 for the half. We can all dream.

As for the "Hornet" tag. Well its the nickname of my football team, who have played Sweders team this season (lost all 3 times) and will be playing Andys team next season (that'll be 6 points then).

[El Gordo]

I thought it only polite to let you know a little about myself.

I am a 45 year old male. Married, with 16 year old twins (one of each) living in Milton Keynes, Buckinghamshire, England. I still play Cricket for a local side, but only in the second team these days.

Have been running for about 2.5 years and train 3 - 4 times a week. I have run several 10km's and half marathons although PB's of 51:20 and 1:57:30 mean there is room for improvement. Would ideally like to break 45 mins for 10km and 1:50 for the half. We can all dream.

As for the "Hornet" tag. Well its the nickname of my football team, who have played Sweders team this season (lost all 3 times) and will be playing Andys team next season (that'll be 6 points then).

Thanks for the info, Nick. Sounds like you'll fit right in. Your PBs are pretty much my targets, though of course, once you get a PB you're never satisfied.

Re the "6 points" reference -- it wasn't clear who you thought would be donating them to whom! I'd definitely have gone along with 'from QPR' idea unitl the last few weeks. I don't have the stats to hand, but after a rotten season, we've suddenly come into some form, with something like 5 or 6 wins out of 8, after Gregory made a few shrewd loan signings, so (as is the birthright of all football fans) we daring to be optimistic for next year.

But I've always enjoyed QPR-Watford games, so bring 'em on, I say -- never a hint of crowd trouble, either.

[Ant]

Andy

Please do the Baggies a big favour and stuff Stoke on Sunday.

Our finger is as usual poised over the self destruct button........3 points at home to Barnsley and a play off place is ours.........what could possibly go wrong........watch this space.

Safe to say QPR and Watford are likely to be calling in at the Hawthorns next season.

Ant

[Bierzo Baggie]

Hey, nice to find another Baggie on here!
How about a sell-out Wembley play-off final against Wolves?

[El Gordo]

Andy

Please do the Baggies a big favour and stuff Stoke on Sunday.

Our finger is as usual poised over the self destruct button........3 points at home to Barnsley and a play off place is ours.........what could possibly go wrong........watch this space.

Safe to say QPR and Watford are likely to be calling in at the Hawthorns next season.

Ant

It's not quite up there with seeing Chelsea going out of the Champions League, but beating Stoke is always high on the list of football pleasures. I've had horrendous experiences at both Stoke and near-neighbours Port Vale over the years, and the Stoke 'fans' always behave badly in and around Loftus Road. It's as if they can't contain their excitement about being in London. If a victory prevents them getting to the the play-offs, so much the sweeter, though I suspect that the residents, shops and pubs of W12 will feel the backlash. They're bad enough for me to decide not to go to the game, which is a sad state of affairs. If it can help West Brom, even better. I've felt a bit sorry for the Baggies ever since March 4, 1967.

[Sweder]

It's not quite up there with seeing Chelsea going out of the Champions League

Oh Lord, I'm biting my tongue sooooo hard . . .
There's nothing more certain to bring calamity upon proceedings at the San Siro tonight than a good revel in Mourinho's misery. It's a tough enough job as it is; not only are the Rowdies up against a great Italian side well drilled in the art of defending (especially at home), and a partisan crowd (last night's was spectacular, although Mourinho apparently didn't notice 'anything special'), but the whole population of Greece is praying to Zeus that United don't make it.

Just think for a moment; squadrons of Scoucers and Mancs leaving John Lennon and MCR (OK, OK . . . and LGW and LHR) to descend upon Athens out of the Helenic skies. The local old bill will probably line up at immigration and give them a wallop as they go through passport control . . .

. . . welcome to Hellas

Quote of the week:
'The best team was in blue'
[SIZE="1"]Champion's League? You're 'avin' a laff . . [/SIZE]

[El Gordo]

To cap it all, I just heard on the radio that the 17,000 police in Athens are due to be on strike of the day of the final

I can't believe that UEFA are decisive enough to act, given the commercial interests, but one is tempted to think that a ManU -Liverpool final would be a pretty good show to grace the new Wembley.

But as you say, it would be rash to predict the other finalists just yet, though I think that the Rowdies are well able to score in Milan, especially as the Italians need to attack. If Milan were defending a lead I'd feel different. I think Utd have a small advantage.

But whatever happens it looks like yet another tense affair.

[Seafront Plodder]

Kaka to score early and then Milan sit on it for the rest of the game.

Ronaldo to ponce around and actually tackle himself.

Oh yes, and Rooney to be booked. :p

[Sweder]

Kaka to score early and then Milan sit on it for the rest of the game.

Ronaldo to ponce around and actually tackle himself.

Oh yes, and Rooney to be booked. :p

[SIZE="4"]PHEW![/SIZE]
Thank God I know that you know rock-all about football . . .

. . . there again, nothing would surprise me with United.
Chances are they'll nick a tie-snatching equaliser in the sixth minute of added time. I rather think it'll be Scholes getting the yellow tonight, ruling him out of any potential final. I just hope the officials are as anonymous as they were last night. Joe Cole would have needed to use a chainsaw to get booked it seems.

One thing's for sure: I'll enjoy tonight a good deal less than last night

[El Gordo]

One thing's for sure: I'll enjoy tonight a good deal less than last night

Other way round for me. Even though I'd have won £600 if Chelsea won the Big Cup, I was desperate for them to go out. Tonight, I hope the Rowdies get through but it doesn't have quite the angst of last night.

Mind you, however calm I claim to be, I suspect that the tension will grab the viewer from a pretty early stage. But am definitely looking forward to seeing more football than I got last night.

Agree about the refereeing though to be honest, I would rather the ref erred on this side than the other. You're right about Cole but I thought Drogba's antics were worse. There was one occasion when the ball skidded off his head, and from sheer force of habit, he collapsed to the ground clutching his face. A great player but a total clown.

[Sweder]

In support of your remarks re: the worryingly unstable Drogba, this from today's Fiver letters (it was a particularly good edition thise evening):

"How great it was to see the best of English football represented in last night's Big Cup semi-final, with both sides committed to confirming the Premiership's reputation as the greatest league in the world by lumping 50-yard punts in the general direction of a collapsible Ivorian and a spindly-limbed liability" - Chris Parker.

[El Gordo]

Well as you'll remember, I think Crouch is a gifted and deliberately misunderstood player, but let's not go into that now - or perhaps ever.

There's more important business to attend to...

[Sweder]

Looks like being a long, lonely night for Sir Alex and the boys.
The Vidic gamble gifted a second goal to a Milan side who seem to have at least four more players than United. I've left the TV to the girls, relying on Alan Green to tell me just how awful United are. Could be a cricket score.

Security officials all over Athens are breathing a collective sigh of relief.

Of course it's not quite over yet . . .

. . . there's still time for the Rowdies to drag Milan down to their level. :o

[El Gordo]

Eh?

Sweder, I can feel Fergie's hairdryer from here

Just wait and see. There is, as the pundits love to say, 'plenty more football left in this one'.

Milan are dominating the middle. Let's see how the Rowdies deal with that challenge.

ManU are now definitely well behind in the race for the line but there's plenty of time. Frankly I now expect them to go out, but I think they'll score. Perhaps twice. Trouble is, I expect the other guys to do a bit of that too.

Edit:

I meant to say (and I might have said it before) that Van der Saar is a weak point. ManU have perhaps 6 or 7 great players, same as Chelsea, and probably one or two more than Liverpool, but both the Rowdies' rivals have really top keepers comapred with ManU. VdS has been great in his day but I fear his day has gone....

Hope I'm wrong.

[Sweder]

Nope, they're done for this time.
I feel the spirit of Frazer drifting through the house; 'We're doomed, doooomed!'

I've seen them do it all before of course.
They were in the same boat - worse, actually, after a 1-1 at the Devilbowl - against Juve 8 years ago. But they had Roy Keane on the pitch, and Keane was infused with a mighty spirit that night. Not sure there's a player out there who can lift the team in that way.

Shame but there it is.
I'll be happy if they tonk City at the weekend; then I can sit back and watch Arsenal take away Chelsea's last league hope. Now that will be weird - cheering on the Gooners

[Seafront Plodder]

[SIZE="4"]PHEW![/SIZE]
Thank God I know that you know rock-all about football . . .

Yeah, thank god eh?

[El Gordo]

OK, so I was wrong. The Rowdies just looked weary and were always a yard behind. Strange time to show it, in a Big Cup semi.

Onto the league, just think how good it would/will(?) feel to run out at Stamford Bridge next week, as champions. Or even better, to get the result there to win it. Oh, the joy. And I'm talking about the pleasure of seeing Mourinho's thunderous face.

Every cloud...

[Sweder]

No doubt. Funnily I'm not too despondant tonight - we were walloped by a class outfit who played football the right way; no shame there. The fatigue showed later on, but only after AC Milan put SP's legendary tactical nous into effect I suspect United missed Neville and Ferdinand more tonight than at any other time this season. I hope they're back for the FA Cup Final.

Whatever the stakes Chelsea v United next week has the look of a Rocky final round; two exhausted giants taking huge, lazy swipes at each other. But you're right; it'll be wonderful to see the Special One looking like someone has just crapped in his slippers. Again.