Goofy US college art rock shit that actually isn’t very funny. It reminded me of the ‘skits’ on US chat shows. They’re crap as well. Ha, bloody ha. Jonathan Richman has some half decent jokes in his back catalogue, along with the songs to match. AJJ has neither.
⭐ ⭐
Tense. VERY tense.
ffs - this is only poxy Fulham at home - a club, less we forget, that once erected a statue of Michael Jackson in their car park. I haven’t felt this nervous watching Forest since the Sheffield United play-off semi.
The Big Fat Greek had kindly forked out for a new scarf for every Forest fan in the ground. Which was, erm, nice. There’s the danger here that we become a freebie happy clapper club like L******er. No ta.
I’m just starting to like the pinstripes of this season. It’s a shame that we’re likely to get relegated - again - wearing them. Some kits hold strong associations with you. Fix up, look sharp, don’t be shit, etc.
Marco Silva rocked up at the World Famous looking very comfortable in the away dug out. It’s going to take something more than freebie scarves being waved to convince him to come in the summer months. Premier League status would certainly help.
The crowd was behind Forest for the first fifteen minutes or so. I just couldn’t see what the plan was to actually score a goal. Some long punts upfield suggested playing it direct. But then Jesus isn’t exactly a target man.
Both teams looked like they were huffing and puffing, desperate for the season to end. At times it was like watching a dull Championship match. Careful what you wish for…
One of the biggest cheers came when Taiwo came on. That pretty much sums up our season, raising the roof for a forward who has scored one goal in two seasons.
Finally Ndoye did something decent. His finish was great. Oh, wait. Fuck VAR.
Subbing MGW for Yates was real head scratcher. So we’re playing for the point here, right? There was no urgency in the game. It was as if the Forest players aren’t actually aware of the deep shit we’re in.
And so a 0-0 draw and another blank at home. The stats are bloody horrid. We’ve scored only 13 goals in 15 PL games. Only one goal has been scored out of the past 99 shots. Chris Wood was the last forward to score at home for Forest.
That beautiful Brentford victory at the start of the season feels like a result from a different era. I half expect it crop up one of those Insta feeds, celebrating past glories from decades gone by.
Why did the Forest players leave the pitch smiling?
Just end this horrid, horrid season now.
There was Estuary Wilds blue skies to greet me on Sunday morning. After what seems like months of wet roads, this was a half decent opportunity to roll out on the Raleigh electric for a brief burst.
Chapeau!
The first Spring Classic of the year was a short 30-ish km circuit around the lanes, on the usual Bobby George BONER route. The route heading out towards Lawford is still a no go zone, thanks to the bloody Garden Village.
Daffodils had formed on either side of the road for most of the ride. There were a few other cyclists, plus plenty of runners. SHOUT OUT to the family of four out running together.
The close pass count was low. There was a couple of incidents that I could have reported, but the spring daffs had left me in a good mood. Being overtaken by a motorbike club run was a bit of an arse, especially as some of the leather boys decided to sway towards me.
Whatever.
More Spring Classics to come, please.
Cometh Halesworth, cometh the hail. I do LOVE nominative determinism. I don’t love yet another home defeat for the Dragons, now looking in serious danger of dropping down a division. Away days on a barren field in Alresford? Oh Lordy.
I was on time for once. I caught the highlights in seeing Wivenhoe score a half decent headed goal. Can we go home now please? It was bloody freezing, even with my Long John tights underneath my trackies.
Haleworth weren’t difficult to spot. The away team had a Hi Vis kit that puts my weirdo cycling clothes to shame.
Wivenhoe meanwhile weren’t so visible in defence. My Man on the Inside informed me that our usual centre half was running a marathon in Barcelona.
“I hope he can make it back to come on at half time”
…I quipped.
Haleworth equalised with an equally impressive header. A second followed, with an all too easy run around the Wiv ‘keeper.
Hey hoe. At least I can cycle to an away day at Alresford Rangers.
A nasty head injury was suffered by the Dragons’ No.11. He was patched up, looking a cross between Terry Butcher and Mr Bump. Fair play, fella, for playing out the rest of the game.
This was a scrappy game. It was a tough watch, as well as being bloody cold. I cycled back to base in record time.
“AI opens up graphic art to people who never thought they could do it. I bet you some absolutely fantastic artists are blossoming right now. Calling it slop is just as disrespectful as calling art expressed in software “code.” BTW they said the same bullshit about bloggers and we know how that turned out”
via Dave Winer
Hey hoe. Here we go again. Bloody Midtjylland. They rock up at the World Famous as outsiders, intent on spoiling and soiling our promised European dream, and once again bugger off back to Denmark with a victory.
Sacked in the morning?
Not quite, this time. Although a record of W1 D2 L4 for Pereira is approaching vote of confidence territory. Except we’ve run out of road this time. Forest surely, couldn’t, wouldn’t, erm, shouldn’t once again?
Midtjylland at a very wet World Famous on Thursday evening wasn’t that bad. Forest played well in creating chances. But as we know, the main issue this season has been in scoring goals - a rather important fundamental of football.
The team news was interesting. Only three players were rested. It seemed like a half in, half our approach to balancing Europe with the PL. The plan seemed to be get the early goals, and then sack off the big hitters ahead of Fulham at home on Sunday.
Best laid plans…
The goal line clearance from Murillo was an early warning sign. Midtjylland weren’t here to make up the numbers.
And neither was the Slovenian ref. Bloody hell, he had a shocker. The fella appeared to be reffing by guesswork. The last thing Forest need right now is some injuries to the A team.
Midtjylland were ‘competitive.’ OUCH, etc. Cunha’s absence could be critical as we try and limp over the line. Milenković was a half decent replacement. At times he appeared to be playing as a right winger.
And then the downpour started. Christ, that was Biblical, etc. The ball was always only one misjudged Morato bounce away from Forest going behind. Somehow Forest managed to keep on playing the passing game - albeit with no one available on the end of the final move.
The inevitable Midtjylland goal came after a rare moment of hesitation from Aina. Arse. 1-0 down to Midtjylland. BLOODY Midtjylland. Let’s do it all over again next Thursday. The Danes are becoming something of a grudge team for Forest this season.
“Is reported that at former chief of staff McSweeney’s leaving drinks in a Westminster pub, the Prime Minister hailed him as the greatest political strategist in the world! Given Labour’s extinction-level polling position and the complete collapse of popular support for the government that is akin to hailing the military genius of Field Marshal Haig.”
McSweeney was a little shit in Lambeth. He took this forward in Westminster to become a little shit on a wider stage.
via Morning Star
High Court Rules in Favour of Owen Jones in BBC Gaza Libel Case
via Novara
“Your Party should have become the focus for the new mood to the left of Labour. Unfortunately, it is now undeniable that this historic opportunity has been well and truly squandered.”
via Socialist Worker
“I suggested Igor might like to write something about numberplate distributions, Merseyside statues or tube station passenger data, and he went very quiet after that.”
arf Diamond Geezer
Is the cycling industry back on track? UK bike market returns to growth for first time in four years, new report finds
via road.cc
We finally finished off the 1,001 Album list today. Every day for the past 1,001 days, R and I have both been served up the same highly recommended album to listen to.
Actually - that’s not quite true. We finished off the 1,001 Albums list a couple of months ago. The site editor added in a few extra albums beyond the book of the same name. But now that well has run dry.
Once again - sorta…
There’s just under 500 more albums, all recommended by subscribers to the list to plough through. And so we go again.
The quality control seems a little uncertain if the Album of the Day - Metric and Fantasies - is anything to go by. That’s what happens when you out source the list to the great unwashed.
I looked elsewhere for my morning musical blast, once Metric had done with their Garbage imitation riffs. Hang on! I know - I’ve not explored Disc 4 and 5 of the Cafe Bleu epic box set yet.
It was held back at first from the streaming platforms, but is now available. It’s basically some early Style Council BBC sessions, plus some early live recordings.
It’s the early BBC sessions that hold the most promise. You can hear the songs developing in real time, with the odd extra bongo interlude here and there, as Paul and Mick find their feet. The trumpet break in Paris Match doesn’t quite work out…
Cafe Bleu always reminds me of spring. Maybe the timing of the re-release was deliberate? The overall theme is one of optimism and an extra bounce in your step. Even the synth heavy Headstart for Happiness retains that youthful joy.
1,001 albums?
How about 1,006?
Strong Garbage vibes here. No bad thing. It’s not going to win any Ivor Novello awards for songwriting. But the sweeping chord changes built into the melodies are pleasing. It probably plays well in the gym.
⭐ ⭐
‘92 and ‘94 away. I’m not sure about the white kit. It doesn’t quite look right. I did have an original - or maybe that was an earlier white away? Either way, the detail on the sleeve is something that is new to me.
Forest should never wear blue btw. Except during that glorious ‘94-‘95 season, our first back in the PL after a season away. This blue effort always reminds me of Stan. For some reason we associate specific kits with certain players.
A quick shifty at my online file of Forest replicas (yep, it does exist) and OH MY DAYS. I’m up to fifteen. Whoops. As is the case with all collecting, the chase is always better than the thrill.
