Its been a while (again) since I last blogged. I thought that it best that I should put down these few words in case you remove me from your own blog sites or fear that I have been taken of the air for one too many Anti-Russian stories. Since I've started working full time I seem to have less time to write or maybe its just that I'm not getting out as much as I use to and my news worthy stories have dried up.
That being said I haven't simply drowned in a new Rat race.
Work is surprisingly enjoyable. I know that its not meant to be something that you enjoy but so far so good My working day is from 11.00 to 7.00pm, to match up with the UK's 9 - 5 office hours. The company is an Internet bookmakers sports comparison site, at the moments my sports are Gaelic games and TV+Music (X Factor Stuff).
My fledgling football team is slowly developing. When I first started this project I was barley working 15 hours a week and had all the time in the world to sort things out, but since then....well you know.
Over the last couple of weeks we've played and visited three different venues.
Hopefully the current location will become the permanent home pitch.
Sticking to football stories the draw for the World Cup play-offs were announced today and Ireland have drawn France. It could have been worse I suppose, I however was hopping that it could have been the Russians, now that would have beeen a nice and easy victory.
Tuesday, October 20, 2009
Monday, October 5, 2009
Book Review No. 10
Dunkirk The Men they left behind by Sean Longden
Mention the word “Dunkirk“ and you probably picture an armada of small boats that rescued the remnants of the British army from the beaches of Dunkirk to escape the Blitzkrieg German army in 1940. That rescue is well documented, but what isn’t so well known or is what happened to the men that put up the rearguard action and kept Rommel's forces at bay so 330,000 Allied troops could escape to England.
This book tells the story of the unfortunate 41,000 British troops who were left behind and spent five hellish years as German prisoners of war.
It wasn’t for another six weeks after the evacuation that the units of British and French armies finally surrendered to the Germans. For the next five years most of the men became prisoners of war. But life as a German prisoner was far removed from films such as the “Great Escape“ , but horrifically closer to those who became slaves of the notorious Japanese. These men became slaves, starved, executed, tortured and worked to death in mines and wherever the Third Reich felt that they could be of use.
A third of the book tells of famous last stands where it was only after all ammunition and hope of rescue was lost did the soldiers surrender. Sadly many of these troops were executed shortly after offering their surrender by an enemy who cared nothing for the Geneva convention. After this things didn’t get any better.
Mention the word “Dunkirk“ and you probably picture an armada of small boats that rescued the remnants of the British army from the beaches of Dunkirk to escape the Blitzkrieg German army in 1940. That rescue is well documented, but what isn’t so well known or is what happened to the men that put up the rearguard action and kept Rommel's forces at bay so 330,000 Allied troops could escape to England.
This book tells the story of the unfortunate 41,000 British troops who were left behind and spent five hellish years as German prisoners of war.
It wasn’t for another six weeks after the evacuation that the units of British and French armies finally surrendered to the Germans. For the next five years most of the men became prisoners of war. But life as a German prisoner was far removed from films such as the “Great Escape“ , but horrifically closer to those who became slaves of the notorious Japanese. These men became slaves, starved, executed, tortured and worked to death in mines and wherever the Third Reich felt that they could be of use.
A third of the book tells of famous last stands where it was only after all ammunition and hope of rescue was lost did the soldiers surrender. Sadly many of these troops were executed shortly after offering their surrender by an enemy who cared nothing for the Geneva convention. After this things didn’t get any better.
Sunday, October 4, 2009
No Life beyond Football
Now that I'm working again the only thing I seem to blog about is football. I guess it isn't too surprising as a part of the job relates to football, I play on my free time, Q.P.R. are actually winning the occasional match and am now trying to start up a team.
It was only a couple of weeks ago when all seemed lost and I was banishing all things football far far away from my blog universe, but now its all changed. Yesterday morning fourteen potential superstars turned up to play, which is thirteen more than the last time we were meant to play. Yes, that's right I'm still moaning about being the only one who turned up.
Anyway that was then and this is now.
And now I am in the process of starting up an official football team that will take part in the Estonian forth division next season. All I need to do is register thirty players, which includes convincing and ensuring that they not only sign up but turn up every week for practice and then for the actual matches when the season starts in February or March. With that matter sorted out all that is left is to find somewhere to play, train, a trainer, a method of getting to away matches, a kit and other equipment a name for the team and of course some method to cover all these costs.
With a stroke of good fortune I seem to have found a couple of potential sponsors, one being a well known pub in Tallinn and the other to be announced later in case that doesn't work out. These sponsors will hopefully cover most of these costs.
With the new job at Bet Genius I found a source of potential players and was able to kick start the Saturday morning match once again. With half of yesterdays team coming from B.G. and potentially another ten due from the old Chinese Dragons as well as further recruits from B.G., things are slowly taking shape. Hopefully this initial interest will continue, with sufficient numbers turning up every week.
Early this rainy Sunday morning I went to look at a potential venue for our home games. The pitch was great but with winter approaching and I don't mean an Irish winter, I will need to find an indoor venue as it will soon be too cold to play outside, although we could use this pitch for official matches in the new season.
Seeing so many people turn up yesterday felt very rewarding, but thinking about all the work that lies ahead is rather daunting.
During all my childhood years of dreaming about becoming a footballer, I never saw myself as a manager. Yep, its a funny old game.
It was only a couple of weeks ago when all seemed lost and I was banishing all things football far far away from my blog universe, but now its all changed. Yesterday morning fourteen potential superstars turned up to play, which is thirteen more than the last time we were meant to play. Yes, that's right I'm still moaning about being the only one who turned up.
Anyway that was then and this is now.
And now I am in the process of starting up an official football team that will take part in the Estonian forth division next season. All I need to do is register thirty players, which includes convincing and ensuring that they not only sign up but turn up every week for practice and then for the actual matches when the season starts in February or March. With that matter sorted out all that is left is to find somewhere to play, train, a trainer, a method of getting to away matches, a kit and other equipment a name for the team and of course some method to cover all these costs.
With a stroke of good fortune I seem to have found a couple of potential sponsors, one being a well known pub in Tallinn and the other to be announced later in case that doesn't work out. These sponsors will hopefully cover most of these costs.
With the new job at Bet Genius I found a source of potential players and was able to kick start the Saturday morning match once again. With half of yesterdays team coming from B.G. and potentially another ten due from the old Chinese Dragons as well as further recruits from B.G., things are slowly taking shape. Hopefully this initial interest will continue, with sufficient numbers turning up every week.
Early this rainy Sunday morning I went to look at a potential venue for our home games. The pitch was great but with winter approaching and I don't mean an Irish winter, I will need to find an indoor venue as it will soon be too cold to play outside, although we could use this pitch for official matches in the new season.
Seeing so many people turn up yesterday felt very rewarding, but thinking about all the work that lies ahead is rather daunting.
During all my childhood years of dreaming about becoming a footballer, I never saw myself as a manager. Yep, its a funny old game.
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