4 points and very little else

I didnt go and watched via the red button facility which is a beauty in the modern age( more so if you could record it)

I cannot recall the last opening game of the HC I didnt attend..The virgin voyage to Stradey in 2001 with a bull dozing Chris Yates and Jason Little playing his socks off at 10 remain up there in the memory bank; it was a "I was there" day and night.

Really the title says it all. I didnt wait for the stats but so little ball in hand,so much static play and so little urgency until the last 10 minutes until the introduction of Mr Hazell(local lad). An impressive first and only salvo from Jonny May as well , he looks a prospect with young Charlie Sharples.

Those better placed than me need and will comment as to the forward deficiencies. Coaching,confidence,technique will all be up there I am sure. Grasping at straws,missing Narraway,Bortolami,EFS,Tindall,Morgan,Azam,Spencer,Nick Wood is a big ask of a small squad but would they play any better?

IMO, Robinson is a hot and cold player. The return of Spencer,maybe at 12 cannot come soonest but I admire Robinson's committment to the cause if not his first up tackling.

I see another local lad closed out a game last night on a slightly bigger stage.

A trip to Biarritz is next; i doubt if the locals or the local Glos popualtion of badgers will be shaking in their boots but bon yoyage nonetheless 

i-pod latest

The collection grows and am currently going through a bit of an 80's revival. Amongst my favourites at present,is the distinctive and remarkable sounds of Talk Talk .

Talk Talk were a British musical group that were active from 1981 to 1991. The group had a string of international hit singles including; "Today", "Talk Talk", "It's My Life", "Such a Shame", "Dum Dum Girl", "Life's What You Make It" and "Living in Another World".

If ever one man's voice was as closely associated with the meaning of his band,then it was Mark Hollis'. Living now as a recluse away from the popularlistic vultures of the modern world,I would urge anyone not yet frequented with this voice to do so and enjoy.

All things GRFC

Another eventful few days in the soap that is GRFC....Noises, familar noises had been coming out all week..defiance, upbeat,putting mistakes right, all the talk of the town. Apparantly a tough training session ensued and 2 forward internationals became injured in an already small squad. Smart.

Attention turned to the appalling  surroundings of Vicrage Road and a pretty appalling match by all accounts. Losing bonus point, chance of the draw,maybe chance of a win if NRobinson had pinned his ears back that extra yard. Oh and the usual GRFC citing/GBH incident concerning our french hooker Ollie Azam. One feels the hourly medical bulletins of the English captain over the news media since Sunday are slightly over the top.

But like a phoenix from the ashes, Australia are in town to play a Gloucester XV before their Grand Slam attempt in november. Great news for all concerned and I shall be trotting down to the club post haste once tickets have been allocated

Genghis Khan politics...

Caught some of QTime the other night and there was a worrying glimpse in to the future. M.Hesletine passionately defending the rich against paying more millionaire tax and claiming that 5 year old Afghan children at the gates of Calais were clearly economic migrants because "you can tell they are"

There will be sadly a lot more of that over the next 10 years

Me and REM

Man, I am excited.

On October 27th, R.E.M. will be releasing Live At The Olympia, a 39-song, two CD set containing "working rehearsals" from 2007. Taken from five nights of live "tests" at the Dublin venue and culminating in the group's 2007 Accelerate album, this is no ordinary recording. Aside from live versions from Acelerate, the majority of songs are
from 1982-1988 IRS days . In their full glory the album consists as follows

1 Living Well is the Best Revenge

2 Second Guessing

3 Letter Never Sent

4 Staring Down the Barrel of the Middle Distance

5 Disturbance at the Heron House

6 Mr. Richards

7 Houston

8 New Test Leper

9 Cuyahoga

10 Electrolite

11 Man-Sized Wreath

12 So. Central Rain

13 On The Fly

14 Maps and Legends

15 Sitting Still

16 Driver 8

17 Horse to Water

18 I'm Gonna DJ

19 Circus Envy

20 These Days

21 Drive

22 Feeling Gravitys Pull

23 Until the Day is Done

24 Accelerate

25 Auctioneer

26 Little America

27 1,000,000

28 Disguised

29 The Worst Joke Ever

30 Welcome to the Occupation

31 Carnival of Sorts

32 Harborcoat

33 Wolves, Lower

34 I've Been High

35 Kohoutek

36 West of the Fields

37 Pretty Persuasion

38 Romance

39 Gardening at Night

My best man to be introduced me to REM in 1991. I was 20, never really into music although by then U2 were on my radar, mainly due to the Joshua Tree.

I caught a couple of snippets on TV of a rock journalist called Dave Fanning talking to REM and there studio recordings of 2 songs from their forthcoming album. One of these songs as I later found out was Losing My Religion.

I was hooked, I wore out the video tape listening to these recordings and the rest was history. 9 years later their song At My Most Beautiful was the first dance at my wedding. Better than Shiny Happy People I guess?

One of the joys of finding a band like REM was history. Discovering the 6 albums already recorded, live versions in front of 50 people,singles collections and then watching that grow before my eyes over several live concerts throughout my 20's and 30's into the largest band in the world. Accelerate was a welcome return to form,IRS years all over again. I probably have all those above versions somewhere already. It dont matter. They are now  to be safley on one recording in 5 weeks and counting.

U2@CARDIFF

Ok,quite an old review but one that must be documented. It was a beautiful day but one that at times did have an overwhelming sense of deja vu. However in the days and weeks since,and having given great thought, I have no doubt I would do it all again.

First thing I would say on Lisa and my behalf, is that it is possible that a very large amount of alcohol was consumed that day and it may well have clouded judgement. I am still not taken with Cardiff.Possibly we are shopping in the wrong quarters but its not a stand out city for mine.

So to the concert. The set up was amazing as normal, sound was just standout. We sat upper tier at the back and it was like listening to it in your front room. Genuine excitement built as the Claw started to smoke and Space Oddity echoed out of the 250 feet high speakers announcing the capsule's arrival.

The new songs are excellent live. It has given me new will to go back to the album which upon continual listening to since Cardiff, I would now put up there as the finest album made since Actung Baby; it is that good. The old songs are still good to see, good to hear but one wonders if one's heart was in it this time. It just felt I had been there before. In saying that,massive entertainment value and no doubt if the show passes through a town near me again in 2010,I will be putting my hand in the air for a prime seat.

GRFC

I fear I am falling out of love with rugby.

This is not a kneejerk reaction to the bloodgate incident. I note of course that all of the people calling for the public flogging of Dean Richards have never made a cock up at work and then panicked into trying to hide it as it snowballed out of control.

No this is a longer term effect. I just dont find it entertaining anymore. has it something to do from moving over from a 20 something generation that used to stand in the shed and watch through beer goggles as Glos either destroyed its opposition or fall over the finishing line in a hotchpotch end of the season into the more refined seats of the West and C&G stand where the product and the beer just dont taste that good anymore?

I dont think so.

Take Saturday. £39 spent with J and myself to be entertained. Very little running rugby,very little good basics,blatant offsides,continual interruptions,energy drinks galore and a referee who probably wouldnt have brandished a yellow card for GBH.

This is not sour grapes. All parties were to blame. After 3 rounds of the GP,have you seen a good game? The last 2 weeks TV viewing have been awful. Leicester of all teams are yet to go over the whitewash.

It started so well against a Bath xxiii.Strong defence,solid going forward,a pack of mean and moody souls,an enforcer in the line out(as there was no old one I wont call it a new enforcer) and a 10/12 axis who will produce no finer competitive debut between them. A new brush was certainly in town but I sensed the usual rollercoaster ride ahead.

I just cannot remember seeing Gloucester play well for a long time now and just as importantly leaving Holm feeling that was good value, must go back. It comes to all teams in the end; i just wonder if it has come to some of the players. Tindall looks a spent force, our sole strike player JSD plays with such little regularity, potentially our best player at full back seems as injury prone as one of Simpson Daniel's old nags ,around the base of the scrum is cringe worthy and I will leave the forwards to another day as it would seem that is what the coaches do.

The first 30 mins of the second half were up there with Newport Dragons in the EDF,Rotherham first game of the season when Rory Teague ponced around with 15 on his back, a Leeds landslide at home,Wasps 0-27 drubbing. Entertainment nil,belief nil,passion,you know the rest.

Yes early days but worrying signs for this committed follower but occasional visitor .