The Magic of the Carling Cup

Watched Rovers v West Ham last night, and realised that the best thing about watching the early rounds of cup competitions is the fact that sweary chants can be heard much more clearly at smaller grounds, e.g. Bristol fans at Ashton Gate giving it the "ooooooOOOOOOOOOHHHHH... YOU'RE SHIT aaaaaaaaaaaaah" every time the West Ham keeper took a goal kick.

In separate news, a mate of my brother's girlfriend was at a BBQ over the weekend and John Motson was there. Apparently he was very animated when talking about football, and utterly bored to tears by any other topic of conversation.

Get in!

We are now 6th on google for "Andy Townsend" searches. Well done everyone.

Best chant from first half of Man U - Spurs

... which the Sky Sports director allowed to stay audible for about ten seconds:

(to Tevez)

"You're just a shit Maradona, shit Maradona, shit Mar-a-donnnnna"

Also I kept thinking that Nani reminded me of someone, but I couldn't work it out. It was really bugging me. Then I got it:

It was "Old Gregg".

MOTD and Hansen Update

No Hansen tonight. That "candle wax" injury must be taking longer to heal than expected. Lawro is showing some form, however. He's made an excellent reference to Statler and Waldorf and is wearing the same shirt he wore on Football Focus this lunchtime; a shirt that looks fucking barbershop.

Postcard from France

... where I just saw Jarvis strolling down the beach at St Jean de Luz, avec bebe. J'reckon he's Blades or Wednesday? Probably on record somewhere... just touching on some of the points raised recently: free internet screening of games, what are you, a 15-year-old Cantonese schoolboy? Sky isn't that expensive, kids, and by dodging the Murdoch tax you're also missing out on such choice Sky statistical insights as metres travelled by referee (thanks), and of course, the goal replay where they trace the line of the shot, which is useful if, like me, you are frequently distracted mid-replay by, say, a sparrow alighting on your windowsill, and look back to discover the ball in the net and think "how the fuck did that happen?"... actually you're probably on to a winner there... agreed with stef re: necessity of commentary, enjoyed FRA v SLO with soothing French commentary, no doubt as boring and cliche-riddled as English comm. but could pretend it was thick with allusions to Descartes and Proust... surely L'Equipe is the greatest newspaper in the world? Why no English language equivalent?... fat frank for england

And Hansen is pissed

Unshaven, rambling and slurring his words.

Lawro is wrong

Bernd Schneider did that on purpose.

I'm a bit disappointed with Lawro's anti-German co-commentary.

Oddly, though, I found Motty's chuckle when the England fans were booing the German national anthem endearing.