Thursday, July 28, 2005

Anything but the T word

I feel I need to write a post with nothing in it. Just for the hell of it. Just to celebrate that fact that I can. Here we go.

So, now is a good time to say that it is actually still worth mentioning that there's a lame duck in our midst. I had mentioned it previously but began to feel that the message was falling on deaf ears. Via Toque, I noticed that it was still worth saying after all. Trivial. Splendid. Useless. Excellent.

I've not spotted any sign of anyone joining the safety elephant campaign though. Still, can't stop flogging until I'm sure it's dead and all that. If you've no idea what I'm talking about this screen grab might provide a clue.

What else can we talk about? The new football season starts on Saturday. I'm looking forward to it, although I'm not an avid supporter and it's been a long time since I went to watch a game. My team, Aberdeen Football Club, had a good season last year, finishing fourth in the league and only missing out on a place in Europe on goal difference. Considering that we finished 11th (out of 12) the previous year, that was a huge and surprising improvement. Of course, it's along way from the glory days of1983 when we beat Real Madrid in the European Cup Winners Cup final. Ah, those were the days my friend, we thought they'd never... Ahem. That was under Alex Ferguson of course. I believe he's had some minor successes with his new club since he left Aberdeen. Bah!

Nowadays, the best we can hope for is third in the league and a "decent run" in a European competition. Neither has happened for a long while. Incidentally if you want to fully appreciate the dominance of the Old Firm* on the modern Scottish game, have a look at last year's league table. There's a bigger points difference between 2nd and 3rd than there is between 3rd and last. That's surely not healthy. These days it's all about the money. The big two have it and we've got sod all. Bah again!

Still, third looks a possibility this year. "Come on you Reds" and other such exhultations of support. You'll undoubtedly be pleased to know that I'm likely to keep my readers informed as to how the season progresses for Aberdeen. I hope it's a story with a happy ending but football can be a cruel mistress so who can really tell.

What else? You going anywhere interesting on holiday? I'm staying put this year. Can't be bothered with it all. How's the weather where you are? It been pretty Scottish in Aberdeen this week. Overcast, occassional rain, not very warm. It's a bit like winter only not quite so cold.

Ah, I feel better for that. Feel free to engage in small talk in the comments.

*For visitors from other lands, the Old Firm are Glasgow Rangers and Glasgow Celtic. They have many times more fans than any of the other Scottish clubs. It's been about 15 years, maybe longer, since any other team won the Scottish League and the gap is getting wider each year. Basically, it's a two horse race. Even more basically, it's dull.

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