like a BAUSSS!!!

Whats the deal with coming on time anyway?! who does that anymore? haven't we evolved enough to do all the work we're supposed to do in twenty minutes less time than usual now? I think we have; maybe even thirty minutes less time.

When i was working in ABB i thought this might be too much site work for my taste, but i really wasn't running the show so i expected things to be different once i got permanent. I didn't get the job there. I kept looking for another job, expecting the average desk job to be one of those pleasures that seemed so distant, and alluring just because of that.

Now i do have a desk job, and apart from the time i'm working,( which is quite frankly, just a little more than half of my office hours) it sucks balls, yes, BALLS!
what, in the name of gillani's left moustache is one supposed to do while not working and still in the office? do you chat? facebook? blog? call someone? something that would make you look significantly busy when you're actually not. Or one could do the "working proactively thing" y'know; that should be something.

i imagine a desk job would only be bearable if one were to be the boss, otherwise...

10 thoughts on England being knocked out of the World Cup

1. This worldcup just came at the wrong time for England. The clubs are in turmoil, there are hardly any English players left in the squads of the major teams. And no Arsene, Walcott doesn't count. And an unfit and off-form Rooney to top it off.
2. For a team that claims to be built from the back, the defensive performance was, simply put, a disgrace.
3. The goal from Upson was fantastic, and had that Lampard goal not been disallowed, the scenario would've been much different. England would've lost on penalties, thats the English way of exiting tournaments, see?
4. The injury to Michael Ballack has been a revelation for Germany because it gave Bastian Schweinsteiger the chance to reveal himself like he did. Ozil and Muller were great too. Muller's first goal; rarely have i seen an assist so selfless! kudo's to Ozil!
5. Beckham looked great didn't he?
6. Contrary to popular belief, there was tactically nothing wrong with England (with the exception of the substitutions made), they just had a very weak squad.
7. After the first three games, Capello should've realised Rooney isn't really working out. He's a great player, but just that he's too out of form right now, and you cant blame him, coming back from injury, its difficult. And thus, he should've given the Crouch-Defoe pairing a chance.
8. The commentator in the England-Germany match made a very insightful comment about the academies in England versus the academies in Germany; clearly, lax spending in that regard in England clubs is showing now. England do have prospects in players like Lennon, Welbeck, Rodwell, Baxter, Gosling etc., but they need to play at the highest level of European football to be as good, and as confident as the German youngsters last night.
9. Capello should NOT be sacked, ever! the formation was sound, the tactics were sound, what wasn't was the squads general fitness and the level of the players involved, none of which were Capello's fault.
10. As a cynic, I have to say: Thank God England's goal was disallowed, because if it were not, we would be looking at widespread riots all across England! Not because England would've won, they would've still lost in all eventuality, but because now the England fan can always say "What if?!..."

blog hop!

Wayne Rooney: Really not all that! (courtesy: football365)

Although I don't agree with all of it, but still its a very well written little mailbox article

Wayne Rooney: It's A Myth
Though it may be unwise to write on the eve of a game where I could well be silenced by the reverberations of a good performance, I thought I'd take this opportunity to ask the media and fellow mail-boxers to stop waxing quite so lyrical about Mr. Rooney.

Aware that my longer and less sensationalist emails are rarely published, I'll try to make this one shorter and unqualified by reasonableness.

1. Wayne Rooney really shouldn't be considered among the best in the world. Certainly he had a good season, but technically it is a little embarrasing to compare him to Ronaldo and Messi, who are just plain vastly better footballers.

2. Wayne Rooney had a good season for Manchester United because the team was built around his strengths. They played a wide 4-5-1 formation that focussed on crossing as often as possible, hence a) he scored an awful lot of headers; and b) Manchester United created an awful lot of own goals. This solution is not applicable to England for several reasons:

i. it would involve having wingers who can cross - and we sent Mr. Johnson home; and
ii. Our other good players don't fit particularly well into it - we'd probably have to drop Lampard, and Steven Gerrard really doesn't have the tactical discipline for any formation which isn't built around him.

Therefore don't expect miracles of him, he'll play for us like a slightly more confident version of the Wayne we saw during the Ronaldo era.

3. Finally, would people please stop advocating a 4-4-1-1 with Gerrard behind Rooney; I'm talking especially to Mr. Shearer. This proposal seems to be built on two flawed presuppositions:

i. this would suit our two most talented players; and
Ii. This has brought the best out of 'Stevie G' at Liverpool.

Erroneous, erroneous on both counts. Gerrard playing just behind a front man requires a front man who actually stays up front all the time, creates space, and finds holes. Mr. Capello tried this formation early on in his tenure, and Steve came off the pitch and said to the media it didn't work because Wayne wouldn't stay high enough. He's a good striker in his own way, but he's not the same type of striker as Fernando Torres.

Furthermore the formation which brings so much out of Gerrard is acutally a 4-2-3-1, not a 4-4-1-1. This may sound trivial, but the former requires two holding players, one of which is a fantastic deep-lying playmaker. Frank Lampard is many things, but a Xabi Alonso type player he is not. Take Mr. Alonso away from that formation and replace him with someone average and/or ill-suited to the role and the end product is a p***-poor season for both Liverpool and Gerrard.

Essentially: leave it to Fabio, there is absolutely no doubt he's already considered your ideas and ruled them out because his appreciation of the finer points of the game are derived from years of footballing experience, not from Championship Manager.

Rant over.
Luke Johnson

10 Conclusions from Brazil 2-1 PRK

1. That commie Korean team is the ugliest team i have ever seen, never mind the football. All of them with their communist red kits, their un-branded commie shoes, and their commie haircuts. Never have i seen a team so unappealing and devoid of flair! and I've seen Greece play.
2. England should learn that playing two defensive midfielders (like Brazil) doesn't mean you can't have a go at the other team.
3. What was wrong with Luis Fabiano last night? if Brazil are banking on all their goals coming from Maicon, then its okay, but if not, then Luis needs to step it up.
4. The lads at 365 say Brazil barely scraped a victory, when that's not true; the way Korea were playing was a good defensive formation to try and go for a draw, but it was bound to break down eventually.
5. AND PRK were lucky, more than anything else, to still be in the game at half-time.
6. I don't know about you guys, but i think Brazil should play with two up front instead of one.
7. Brazil's matches against Portugal and Ivory Coast will be easier to win (and more fun to watch) if they play just a little better than they did last night.
8. Portugal and Ivory Coast's matches against PRK will be just as boring as watching Greece v Slovakia, and will probably be draws as well.
9. Seeing Bastos last night was a revalation. I wonder which big *cough* Madrid *cough* club would go after him this summer.
10. All those commie Koreans were so ooglaaayy! wait, I said that already!

10 conclusions from ENG 1 - 1 USA

1. Rooney will perform best when the fate of the world does not depend on him.
2. Donovan definitely learned a thing or two from Beckham while they were in the states together.
3. England have three right footed right mid-fielders; none of whom can put a good ball in. Makes me wish Bentley were in the squad.
4. Milners apparently best in central midfield. Which explains why he went for citeh and not a champions league club.
5. Ashley Cole couldn't take care of Cherondulou or whatever his name was- shame on him!
6. Summing up Lampards night (see picture):
7. Heskey was Englands best player on the night, and thats saying something!
8. Bob Bradley looks like two G.I. Joe's made a baby, who turned out to be a wuss.
9. Lampard should not start another game for England if they aspire to win this World Cup.
10. Shaun Wright Phillips... I won't even bother wasting blog space on that guy! wait... oh snap!

England 1-1 USA (Part 1 of 2)

So, England drew last night. Now, where to start; Lampard, team selection, lack of spark or how beautifully Donovan's learned to cross in the ball? I think I'll start off with team selection.

Last nights team selection would've been great if England's manager were not Don Fabio, but alas, it was. He's put together a great group of individuals, who for their own clubs are given supreme confidence to have a go at the game if they want, they're all playmakers and finishers (I'm focusing on the midfield right now), but the England setup is structured around one man: Wayne Mark Rooney. As a result of this current setup, Lennon tried to square a ball to Rooney when we all know he was capable of scoring if he just shot across goal around the 30th minute in the first half. Last night everyone attacking for England was trying to do set it up for Rooney rather than have a go themselves. Capello must be a very scary man to have completely destroyed all free will in the England squad! The only three goal scoring chances i remember last night were Gerrard's goal in the 4th minute, Johnson's drive into the box, and Heskey's missed screamer. None of these three moves directly involved Rooney.

I'm not trying to take anything away from Rooney, but with Capello's strategy for England's main man so obvious, all Rooney could do was this:

On the other hand, USA's focus on Rooney did give Heskey a chance to have some of the limelight, especially in the second half. Kudo's to him for the pass for Gerrard's goal as well. I'm not going to talk about Rob Greens misfortune quite yet, still a lot of midfielders left. Lampard for quite anonymous for the whole match, he didn't even look like he was trying. Gerrard did well for me; worked hard, earned his shirt.

Lennon should never had started, Milner should've been deployed on the right with Joe Cole coming in on the left. Aaron Lennon scared the living bejesus out of poor Bocanegra towards the end of the second half, which only goes to say that that is only what he's good for. SWP could've been given ten minutes in place of Lampard at the end.