Special thanks to Sparxs_TV for the cover pic and some more images from the Arsenal game. He runs a YouTube channel @WereTheNorthBank.
What did we expect – to play Dortmund in Quarter Finals, PSG in Semis and Barcelona in finals? Nope, that’s not how you claim the Champions of Europe trophy. The ties we got is what happens to everyone else in CL. Bayern in QF, Madrid or City in Semi, and any of the Dortmund, Atletico, Barcelona, PSG in finals. I would say reaching to the finals is tougher than winning it but
to be the best, you must beat the best.
And it’s the same for Premier League. Liverpool and Man City are going to make it as difficult as you can imagine, and the only way to win is to beat the current champions Man City at their home and win against the likes of Chelsea, Brighton, Tottenham (lol), Man United in the process. Tough? Yes – very. You would need everything by your side, fitness, form, luck.
We passed Porto test in the shootouts. They parked the bus, drew our players out of shape and played a game to frustrate us. I was vocal against Odegaard and was hoping to see ESR play in that role couple months back. It seems the Captain has not liked it. He was brilliant, passionate and created that goal allowing us to beat Porto. Our penalty kicks were spot on, Raya made 2 great stops and almost stopped a third one as well.
The thing is, we looked hungry for a win for the whole 120min and in the shootouts. Odegaard chest thumping showed what it meant for the boys. Saliba’s celebration after the game was one of the funniest and at the same time an intense celebration. To qualify to quarter finals after 14 years is an achievement and to not stop here is the ask.
What’s next? 3 very tough games in Champions League and 10 more in PL. You win these 13 games and you get to write your name in the history as an Arsenal players. Is it tough? A lot. Is it possible? Fuck yeah.
When the players show the urgency and enthusiasm to win something and believe in it, we fans are more than happy. It’s a sport and a loss is acceptable when it comes with a fight. Last season, we gave away the Premier league title and the manager as well as the players were responsible for that. They have improved and hanging in there, not going down without a fight this season. To anyone’s saying fighting on two front is difficult, it’s not. 13 games with a fit squad, and belief to win is more than enough.
Right, I woke up and chose positivity. It’s gonna be boring 2 weeks till we play City on 31st March. We will beat them. And for a morning chuckle, let me remind you that Fulham were playing Willian whom we let go for free more than a year back and Tottenham still managed to lose 3-0 against them. And they were talking about winning the league couple of months back. How can someone be so delusional, lol?
Fucking hell ManU manage to equalise again 3-3.
3-3. Who do we want to win this? I’m ambivalent.
Might be nice to watch a penalty shootout this week that’s rather less nerve shredding.
The sheer number of cunts involved with running football is staggering.
Young player scores to put his team in front in the 120th minute takes his shirt off in celebration and gets shown a second yellow.
Why don’t we suck all the joy out of the game completely? If the ref had any balls he’d have copped a deafen and claimed he didn’t see it.
I’ll bet you a cold beer on a sunny day that the Semi Final draw is City vs ManU and Chelsea vs Coventry.
A ManU vs Chelsea final should actually be a good game they both are all over the place but they might as well just put City’s name on the trophy now.
come on Coventry.
I didn’t chip in on the Ian Dury conversation the other day. Those first two albums (were there others?) are fantastic. New Boots and Panties and Do it Yourself. A wicked, truly brilliant songwriter. My all time favourite tune out of many beautifully crafted compositions is ‘This is what we find’ in which he describes a series of eccentric older people in parts of Britain. The one about Tony Green from Turrnham Green wiping his dog’s bum after it’s ‘laid a cable in a sandpit’ is wonderfully vivid.
Enjoy…he’ll ultimately be remembered as a poet.
https://youtu.be/L9Js_nrrtHo?si=VxQ4vWLlUUHkVWF8
KP – thanks for the link – I have just played it and then the other links You Tube brought up. Amazingly it also threw up a track by Vinegar Jo. In the early 70’s I lived in Muswell Hill. The area was band land at that time and Vinegar Jo lived along the road. Robert Palmer still had long hair and had not started wearing his suit. Elkie Brooks was fit.
There’s an old grey whistle test clip somewhere of Vinegar Joe. Yeah, agree about Ellie although I could’ve done without hearing that ‘Lilac Wine’ and ‘Pearl’s a Singer’ phase of her musical career. But I bet it paid the bills.
It was shocking when Robert Palmer died – he was still pretty young. How he went from VJ to singing 80s rock tunes is mystifying. I liked that cover he did of Marvin Gaye’s ‘ecology song’. I used to have a girlfriend and we’d laugh our heads off about the ridiculous lyrics to ‘I didn’t mean to turn you on’ (as if it was some kind of freak accident). Music in that era was easier to enjoy on the one hand and harshly criticise on the other. I wouldn’t be surprised if Tony has crossed paths with one or both of them.
We went to a party at their house one Saturday night. I can remember a couple of people being carted away in an ambulance. Elkie was on the prowl – you never know Tony may have been at that party.
He probably knows David Hepworth who was one of the Old Grey Whistle Test presenters. When we bought our first house David and Alison lived around the corner and they had their eldest daughter at roughly the same time as we had our daughter. The two girls were best friends up until we moved away from London.
Hepworth and Mark Ellen kind of supplanted whispering Bob if 8 recall correctly. It’s only really BBC4 these days broadcasting archive material (the Jules Holland thing is too eclectic for my taste) but back in the day we had OGWT and Rock goes to College plus the Word on Channel 4. Music feels dead and wholly derivative these days – talent shows or bust.
Just based on our recent conversations NORG, I’d bet good money that you also have a soft spot for Dr Feelgood. Tony (who knew them) and I have a real fondness for Canvey Island’s finest.
The London Pub Band scene in the early 70’s was good – really good. Dr Feelgood were part of that scene – Wilko seemed to have a style all of his own. We used to go to a pub in Finchley (cant remember the name) but it always had good acts on there (I saw Dr Feelgood there). In 1975 I saw a US band there – cant remember their name but Kate Pierson was their singer – a few years later B52’s appeared on the scene.
OK everyone… Break over. Time to start the drumbeat leading up to a rather important game at the weekend. 🥁🥁🥁
KP
Arsenal Women vs Chelsea Women? or City vs the good guys?
Hi NORG
I watch the women’s team often, and despite the talented players in the squad, they don’t quite seem at it this year. Too many occasions when they concede first and others when they look like flat track bullies. They also got a hammering last time out against Chelsea and going out in the early CL stages was awful. The stats from the Villa game yesterday tell it all. AV – one chance, one goal. But some of the players seem like great characters. Little and McCabe are my and the twins’ favourite players. Is your meeting in Madrid still on the cards?
Hi all just to chip in before we get back to the serious shit. No, not at the party or knew the people you talked about. Met Stevie Nicks who came up on my sound desk in Frisco in 1980 on a Madness tour. I started my sound career with Lee Lewis Reformer who many regarded as better than Lee of Feegood fame.
Norg if you saw Lee Lewis at Dingwalls or the other london circuit pub gigs yours truly was in the desk learning as I went. I’d do gigs and then head to nearby studios and rehearsal rooms to further my sound education.
Wilco was speeding 24/7 and as dramatic off stage as on. I much preferred Gippy Mayo who took over from Wilco.
Gippy was a really cool guy and married a girl, Leslie a trader, whose flat I often crashed at between tours in St Johns Wood. Had a very enjoyable music scene with them in the 80s.
I’m seriously thinking about adding a studio to this house or building a new home with one. The costs are much reduced and it’s in the acoustics where you save money on correction tech. It’s time for me to get creative again and I’m not sure I’ve got the the energy to road trip around the world with my cameras.
I’ve been too involved in family life to know what’s going on where Junior has been accepted to a top international BKK school for mathematical engineering sciences run by a leading university.
I honestly didn’t know how he’d do with his ADHD making his focus really difficult, but he enlisted help from his band of misfit brothers who take turns staying overnight who pulled all nighters with him. Really nice kids with off the charts IQs. Looks like I’ll be spending more time in BKK.
I saw a headline Saka was injured and sent home.
I’m in Ubon Ratchasima after 2 nights in Udonthani where a good Thai female friend has just beat breast cancer with alternative treatment in Japan. I’m looking into the retirement homes and medical wellness spa with a couple of Thai doctor friends.
Same in Ubon. The north is perfect for such ventures as you’ll know well KP. Already got land on the Nan river in Nakhon Sawan which is widely believed to be the next capital in 20 years time with the climate issues. Bangkok is only a meter above sea level. There are a lot of ostriches in BKK.
Sorry I digressed. No idea about the City game other than it’s a must win.
Almost 2am and sleep is not far away. Loved the music chat which Norg you add great value from your perspective and stories.
See you all at the weekend.
Fela Kuti another forgotten great. Hotel California has just had a remix in BluRay where the mix lit my room up more than Pulse by Floyd. A calibrator tool par excellence. Yello did the same with their top tunes.
Handsome is the first Dury IP and very rare. Lee from Madness had 2 copies he was so taken by it.
Good night 😴
Tony
I expect the sound you have is unbelievable compared to what we listen to. I can remember being drawn to Zappa and Miles Davis in my late teens because of the musicianship of both bands, carefully orchestrated by their leaders. At the time you could follow a certain musician through a song – it would probably sound fantastic in your ‘special’ room.
KP
Madrid is still on the cards if we progress. European grounds usually have a good atmosphere but I have never been to RM. My favourite for atmosphere is the Velodrome in Marseilles.
Norg
https://www.amazon.com/Hotel-California-Anniversary-Deluxe-1Bluray/dp/B076BWHMDP
https://superdeluxeedition.com/news/yello-issue-a-dolby-atmos-edition-of-their-latest-album-point-on-blu-ray/
Above are just 2 blu-ray’s that will light up any good room that has good acoustics and good tech. The tech side is purely down to budget and ears. No point spending on the best if you can hear what you’re paying for.
The budget and extremely good option for line source is Alcons:
https://www.youtube.com/shorts/emTEdt31RKM
Trinnov is essential as your processor: https://www.trinnov.com
Its 3D mic is sensational for filtering out poor acoustics in a room and compensating. However, if you build from the ground up or redesign a room and have the best acoustic treatment you can’t use the Trinnov 3D mic because it can’t find imperfections and so makes some up. It really bugs the Trinnov engineers who a really cool people to deal with.
My friend Steve and I took 32 hours with 5 mics including the 3D to tune my room manually.
Wisdom Audio is levels above Alcons and is perfection personified, Luc, the MD, just picked up more awards for their ceiling speakers.
I can’t speak highly enough of the quality and service you get from Wisdom & Trinnov.
You become part of a very small audiophile family. If you experience an issue with Trinnov they will be online and looking through your processor’s architecture looking to fix from Paris, as they’ve done for me.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dKMCz1b2RxE
Another brilliant track to test your music. Steely Dan was the more understandable Zappa for me.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-4HI1_LTWIk
The Alan Parsons Project has real pedigree. Alan was assistant engineer on Sgt Peppers and the main engineer for Dark Side of the Moon. His music is complex and simple but always sounding immersive.
As I mentioned before, book an appointment with Habitech and if you do, I’ll see if Steve is available to do your demo with you. Maybe, even do some speaker shoot outs to test your ears, such as isolating 12k htz and see if you can hear. Most can’t.
It would be a great day out and you’d learn all you needed to decide if you want to go that route. I just had idiots here who didn’t even know how to install a L3 Wisdom speaker.
You have the best of the best in Steve and someone you’ll really resonate with.
It depends on how you want to relax and what you have in your life’s network. I have music and photography as my biggest love outside of my son & daughter. If I’m in my home, I’m in my room – if i’m not sleeping or in my office.
One of the reasons I’ve been MIA here is because Mrs T and I have agreed amicably to end our 19 year marriage. Consequently, we have much to divide and that means I will have some new investing to do.
Retirement looks to be a few years away again.
I’ve got plans for my new house that will have a recording studio and separate “Room”. If possible I’ll add a photographic studio to play with Hasselblad & Phase One. It will be situated in the north on elevated ground.
It’s kind has come at the right time as my son has just gained entrance to a university run international school for mathematical engineering sciences. He wants to be a robotic architecture designer engineer.
I’ll be in BKK much more and maybe rent a serviced apartment.
I’ve always extended the offer to Marc, KP, Almunia, Ambarish and TRVL, which I’ll happily extend to you, that you ever come to Thailand for a holiday then you’re welcome to visit and stay if I’ve built my new home with studios. I’ll be adding a condo above the studios.
Whether you decide to go a “Room” route or just enjoy Line Source with Trinnov it will depend on your ears as they will dictate your budget. The Trinnov is a processor bar none. Around £20K for a 24 channel but 32 is needed if you go full Wisdom.
Unfortunately, in the cost sense my ears are still perfect or as good as Steve’s as we tested each other often in the 32+ hours.
One for you Almunia if you check in The Irish Rock Story a Tale of 2 cities./
https://www.imdb.com/title/tt5089890/
Also a brilliant watch if you want to really learn the real origin of the blues with Robbie Robertson
https://www.imdb.com/title/tt6333080/
Back to football I just read Walker and Stones are doubtful for Sunday’s game. Whether this is the usual gamesmanship who knows.
I have a good feeling about Sunday and will pop back at the weekend. I’m looking at investments in the north and a place to situate my new how.
I’ll get to watch the game and comment on may Laptop most likely.
Speaking of the Blues this is a cool mix: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ebfOo2vWEz4
Have a good one guys
house*