Thursday, October 19, 2006

Fame, fortune, beer!

I didn't think that they'd go for it, but I got an article published on the Guardian's Comment Is Free pages (CiF).

They changed the title, and added a reasonable standfirst (that's the preamble paragraph, which was news to me until quite recently). They took out the links I put in to pages about Joseph Chamberlain and George Lansbury in local government, but they didn't fix my appalling clash of perspective the the fifth paragraph (which maybe no-one else will notice but is flashing in red lights to my eyes). The picture is the least awful one I could get, using a mobile phone camera in my front room.

Anyway - it's low level fame. After being in the background of a NorthWestminster piece, and being interviewed for local TV down here, my media empire inexorably spreads to the national stage.

Mwah ha ha hahhh!

Right, as I have the day off and my mate Darren is about, I'm off to the pub.

Wednesday, October 18, 2006

The month of Fultober

For the first time since I was a season ticket holder, I will be watching all of Fulham's league games this month. Well, the first two are a bit of a cheat, as I saw them on the telly down at the Labour Club, but that's more than I usually do.

October 2 - Watford 3 - 3 Fulham

Fanstastic for a neutral. Watford cheekily take a 2-0 lead, Fulham battle back to edge in front (thanks to a goalmouth scramble and own goal), Watford almost immediately equalise. Gutted.

October 16 Fulham 2 - 1 Charlton

Much better for the partisans. Well, as long as they aren't Charlton fans. Both defences were pretty poor, but luckily our attack was only slightly less lame - but only when Claus Jensen came on. Almost immediately my Charlton supporting mate, Toby, is on the phone giving me stick. ha ha!

October 21 Aston Villa v Fulham

This will be very odd. I'm taking the girlfriend's nephew to his first ever game. He's only seven, and is apparently really excited. Unfortunately for me, it means sitting in the home stand and not attempting to indoctrinate the lad into cheering for the black-and-white.

October 28 Fulham v Wigan

A bit of a blokes day out with my dad and some others - not sure yet. A pub crawl, the game, a few pubs on the way back. I quite like Wigan, having seen us play them back in 1996 and 1997. I was living in Manchester at the time, and I went down on a Wigan supporters coach for the Fulham game, where we met up with my old man, introduced them to Abbott Ale and joined them in the Away end.

Odd that - most football supporters will never think of sitting or standing with the other set of supporters. I think it's against the rules at most grounds, although if you keep your mouth shut, don't wear colours and (as a last resort), be nice to the people near you, you won't get problems, especially if you know people there already.

Mind you, I wouldn't do it if they were Millwall or Portsmouth fans. I'm not suicidal you know