Myself and my football ramblings.

Hiya all!

Apologies for not having posted in a little while - for the last month or so, I've pretty much been full speed ahead with a lot of things!
First off, I have finally finished my second year of University! As much as this year went quickly for me, the work seemed to drag on and on, so it's more of a relief than anything that I've finished for the summer. Four months of summer holiday await for me, and I cannot wait.

However, I have actually been fairly busy recently since I left University to come home! The last week, I have been completing work experience at the Independent newspaper, based in Central London. I have found the experience different to my time spent at magazines earlier in the year, but I have found it an enjoyable one! It's given me vital experience and guidance on where I possibly will want to go after University next year - and I'm looking forward to coming back in July for another week. At this moment in time, the big dream is to go to New York and work there - if not full-time then I'd like to do an internship first and go from there. I also have been job-hunting for a summer job, to keep me busy! I successfully got a job working at the South of England show for a few days, as well as a interview on Saturday for working at Gatwick Airport; keep your fingers crossed for me please people!

I've been to a few football matches - one of them seeing my beloved Brighton and Hove Albion losing in the play-offs to our arch rivals Crystal Palace. That was a horrible match - I think most of us Brighton fans were fairly confident going into the play-offs, and how that came back to bite us. It's all gone downhill since, with our management all suspended, players leaving and whatnot... It's not been the toughest time being a Brighton fan to say the least, but it has been very testing. I have full faith in Tony Bloom and the club however - as much as it is frustrating not knowing anything, it's better this way than things being leaked all the time. It's being handled internally for a reason - and it's very professionally done by the club.
If he was to stay, would Gus be welcomed back? Half and half I reckon; on one hand, he's done fantastically with us and taken us to the play-offs within two seasons of being back in the Championship. On the other, he's fast becoming a little unpopular with the fans - has his ego gotten to big for the club? Most likely. It'd be hard to see him stay after all this, but it's not impossible. I hope it is sorted sooner rather than later, so the club can focus on next season and rebuilding to challenge for the play-offs once more - I hope!

I've seen a couple of women's football matches recently - both at Premier League grounds. One was Arsenal Ladies v Liverpool Ladies at the Emirates; although the result was very disappointing from a Arsenal perspective, I found the Emirates very impressive. What would have been better, is a bigger crowd. I believe there was only a crowd of around 2,000 for the game, which me and my football team found rather disappointing. It probably felt a lot less too, due to the size of the Emirates.
The second game me and my football team-mates went to was the women's Champions League at Chelsea's stadium, Stamford Bridge. That was impressive, and the crowd was a staggering 19,258 - impressive for a women's football game in the UK outside of the Olympics. I really hope that the Olympic legacy will help women's football continue to grow - with the women's FA Cup Final shown on the TV and the Euro's due to be shown in the summer, the coverage of the sport is beginning to grow. I'm so pleased - I know women's football may never be as 'big' as the men's game, but it is growing, slowly but steadily.

I believe that is all for now, so I shall end my little ramblings. Any comments on the issues above, just drop one below! Always be glad to hear from you lovely lot.

Adios, and happy reading x

Odd Football ramblings

Football. I don't know about you guys, but I'm pretty sure I live and breathe it. I'd be so lost if I didn't play Football. It's odd how one sport can make someone have so much emotion towards just 22 players kicking a ball around, but we do. I do. And a lot has happened in the football world, which this blog is about - football ramblings!

First of, I want to extend my congratulations to everyone connected to Cardiff City FC - their players, staff, fans etc. I for one is pleased to see them in the top flight; they've deserved it for so long and they've got a good manager and squad. For a team that has been always challenging the top of the Championship, it's no more than they deserve than to finally end 51 years of hurt and go up to play with the big guns. 

I'm also sad to see Portsmouth relegated, a football club which has so much history. It's hard to believe that it was only in 2009 that they had top class players such as Niko Kranjcar and Kevin-Prince Boateng in their starting line-ups - now they have had big financial trouble, in administration and will be playing their football in League Two next season. I know it must be fantastic for Southampton fans that their arch rivals are down, but I'm sad for them and their fans. At least now, with Pompey's Supporters Trust in charge of the club, they can rebuild from stratch. I have no doubt that they will be back challenging in the Championship in no time, so keep the faith Pompey fans!

I come onto now the amount of violence and hooglanism football has seem to have over the last few days - quite frankly, I am appalled. For starters, I really don't see why some Millwall supporters (a minority may I add) found the need to scrap amongst themselves and the Police? It's done nothing but let their club down, who already have a bad enough reputation as it is. It was utterly stupid for them to behave like that, and I feel for their 'proper' fans - fans who were there just to watch their team. To then have the following day Newcastle fans riot in their OWN CITY was just disgraceful - again, was there really any point? Once again I say, all they have done is brought shame on their club - and once again I shall say this was a minority. I hope the authorites and the Football Association take swift action with both incidents.

And my final rambling focuses on the FA, and their lack of punishment for both Callum McManaman's horrendous challenge on Newcastle defender Massadio Haidara, as well as Sergio Aguero's two-footed stamp on Chelsea's David Luiz at the weekend. Both men should have received red cards for their appalling challenges at the time, and should have also received bans. However, thanks to the FA's rule, both escaped bans. Why? The FA say they don't 'have enough authority' to punish both, thanks to their ruling which states if a match official saw the challenge in question, yet didn't act on it, nothing can be done. Basically. Which is a load of tripe. The FA need to change their rulings or risk continuing to make themselves look like a laughing stock organisation, by letting horrific challenges such as McManaman's go unpunished.

And here, I shall conclude on my ramblings. As always, I would love to hear your thoughts - do you think the FA should change their rules? How do you think Cardiff will fare in the Championship next season? Let me know below!

P.s. I'm incredibly sorry for neglecting this blog for such a long time - I could give a long list of excuses but none would be acceptable... The obscene amount of second year uni work though may  be a factor.