His Royal Dryness, The Duke of Cork

....and two refs. It was good to see the Blades finish on a high. First half, the Blades were good and deserved a goal without ever really threatening one. Positives were Camara up front, the industrious Ward, Jordan Stewart at left back and the man-mountain Derek Geary (for me) cementing his place at right back. Can't see Kyle Walker getting back in. Certainly doesn't deserve to. Williamson on the bench with Quinn starting I thought was a mistake. Ref was poor, but went off after about half an hour. I had time to get to the facilities and back after my two pints in The Red Deer before the match (well, it is Christmas!). The new ref wasn't any better, so rather than seeing a poor ref at the game, we saw two! Six minutes stoppage time at the end of the first half, I haven't seen the like of before. Second half turned into a dreary, dull affair without really being able to identify a reason for it. Luckily our one shining star at the club put in a quality free ki...

All very cryptic. In the week that Swillsborough somehow got chosen ahead of Beautiful Downtown Bramall Lane for the 2018 bid, we've at least managed another point away from home. The Wendy lost at home (McCauley out!) I don't know if being part of the 2018 bid means you get some cash from somewhere. If not, Wednesday may well have to put a load of work in for what will probably get award to somewhere in the Middle East as they're the ones with all the cash (it seems) Oh well, seems like Blades are getting better. Will settle for a point away to QPR. QPR 1 - Blades 1 (also Wendy 0 - Swansea 2)

Just heard Brian Laws has been sacked. Unbelievable! Has to be the worst decision since the Wendy got rid of Tricky Trevor when they were top half of the league (as I recall). Entertainment at its best! Cheerio, Brian. I was worried you would turn the club around. This has to be a mis-quote, but I enjoyed it :- "Brian Laws has done a very good job at Sheffield Wednesday in the light of the low level of resources at his disposal in the first two years of his time with the club," added Laws. from http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/teams/s/sheff_wed/8410561.stm

Back to the good old days. Blades worked hard and played some lovely football. Deserved to win by a few more goals. Palace were poor and apparently they had a virus in the team, so maybe that explains why they didn't look like a "typical" Warnock side. Good performances throughout. Williamson got up and down well. Ward was always dangerous. Defence looked solid (Walker didn't make as many silly mistakes as Tuesday) Saw Williamson's goal back on TV and it may not have crossed the line, so maybe our luck is turning. Ref and linesmen were appalling, but it seems that what we have to accept that as the norm these days. At half time, they lobbed out about 250 T-shirts using a T-shirt cannon. I watched them closely, not because I hope to get one, but because I expected them to fire one straight into someone's front row face! Fortunately health and safety remained healthy and safe. They also unveiled another (third) mascot. Captain Beaky (I think). I...

Forest have to be the modern equivalent of the cheating, un-sporting Leeds team of the 70s. Thankfully, I never had to see dirty Leeds in their ingloriousness (if that's even a word) but sadly I've had to watch this Forest side a couple of times now. Dull, boring and they time-waste from the kick off. Gary Speed summed it up: they came for a draw and they'll be delighted. Blades were by far the better side and created some good chances. One magic ball from Harper to Quinn and another from someone (could have been Taylor) to Killgallon were superb and showed a touch of class I haven't seen for a while. Henri Camara looked good when he came on. Possibly worth a start on Saturday. Walker needs to be dropped or swapped for Naughton. With Geary back to fitness, I would play him. Walker's passing and attitude are getting worse by the game. But we welcomed back the one and only MONTY! He was superb. Getting stuck in, passing the ball nicely. Got booked for some...

Was decorating this weekend with my Dad (thanks, Dad!) and we listened to the dullest ever game I can remember. We were both looking forward to doing some glossing (yes, that's how bad it was) and were just about to dip our brushes when up pops Harper. A minute or two dancing round the lounge, with KE on the radio saying we probably didn't deserver it and then we started painting. Forest next. Seen the goal - it finds its way through a forest of players into the bottom corner. Another 3 points! The table don't look too bad, either. Looks bad for the Wendy, though :-)

20 games to go!! Listened to last 6 minutes of the game in the car. Turned onto the ringroad, we were winning. 60 yards later, we'd thrown a couple of points away. Half way down City Road and we'd done the business. Quality team. Monty is our Mascot! Bristols 2 - Blades 3 Footnote: I've just read BBC's report . If you've not seen the goals, let me Henderson had put the Blades two-up with an 18-yard shot [TRUE] before latching on to a Jamie Ward ball and slotting in [at 100mph into the top corner of the goal]. Louis Carey powered home a header from a Paul Hartley cross and City levelled when Alvaro Saborio scored from 12 yards five minutes into stoppage time [I don't bother with their goals] But a minute later Henderson completed his hat-trick when he produced a cool finish after a Stephen Quinn pass [this was actually a shot from Reid which hit their defender and spurted wide to Henderson, Quinn was running in at the back post. I can see how easy it is to mix ...

Finally! We had to play bottom of the league, and looked like we were second-bottom, but at least we got three points. As the players come back from injury, we're starting to look stronger. Evans finally had a decent game and Ward was looking lively. Centre midfield was empty as always, but apparently Monty is on his way back soon. Williamson didn't seem to do much, and Harper didn't even bother to do his last ten minutes wave to the kop. Camara looked promising and Blackwell admitted after the game that he's looking forward to having a selection dilemma. A pretty dull game, really, which reflected the wet weather and greasy pitch. I sat in the Westfield Corner (Cherry Street/ Bramall Lane) and the view was superb. After the recent good performances without getting anything, it was nice to have a hard-working performance be rewarded with 3 points. Good penalty save from Bunn, although it was a pretty poor penalty from the player who was dubbed "The White...

Blades were much better tonight. First half we dominated, had a couple of good chances and should have gone in ahead. Second half Newcastle came back into it, but Blades held firm. Then they spawned a flukey goal after Nolan had crippled Walker. Deflected off Morgan (he misses Dingle game for being booked) and bobbled past Bennet. I think defence played much better tonight, until Walker went off. France is terrible. He and Taylor are way out of their league. I daren't look at table to see if Barnsley can go above us or not it they beat us. These are frustrating times. In a few weeks, we'll have Ward, Creswell, Monty, Naysmith, Geary all fit and fighting for places. I think we are missing all of them. Blades 0 - Flucastle 1 PS Terrible referee. Wasted more time for Newcastle than their own players managed. Grrrr...

Been busy, so a late blog this time round. Blades played OK on Saturday apart from having no defence. May as well play one at the back in a 1-6-3 formation. Would be just as effective. Not seen Quinny's "goal". I thought he couldn't have been offside, but haven't seen it back on the TV. We just need a win. In a few weeks there are loads of players back from injury, so we just need to ride out this bad patch and rebuild. Got my free shirt (from renewing my season ticket). Limited edition (of 23 million?) and has every player's name on it. Will be useful to read on those dreary games. Surprise, surprise, our next home game against Newcastle is on TV (Toon TV - how many games of theirs haven't been on TV? 3? 4?). Sieves 3 - Cardiff 4

I can't bring myself to comment....I'm not sure what's going wrong..... Hopefully Saturday's game against Cardiff will bring some joy, or at least some points! Blackpool 3 - Blades 0 :-(

Don't want to say much about Saturday's result. Sounds like we were awful. I know we had a team of invalids out there. We only had 6 subs. Should try one of the kids up front, just to give us some vain hope. Scunthorpe 3 - Blades 1. :-( At least our scoreboard works....

I don't think The Blades are in a recession of form, but Ipswich did seem to be pretty poor. Saturday's draw to Donny showed signs of better things to come. Some of the crowd and callers to Radio Sheffield must have been to a different game, because on another day we'd have won 3-0. Donny scored with their first real exploration into United's box. Poor defending by Morgan I thought, but it was a cruel deflection in the end. Don't think they showed that on "Action Replay" on the big screen. Some people booed The Blades off. Again, not sure what they were seeing that I didn't. Little looked quality, Cresswell had a good chance straight after the goal, only to be denied by a good save. Second half, Blades kept up the pressure. Thought we could have had a penalty, but I'm possibly a little biased. Then, the ball ran for Little after a determined challenge, an absolute peach of a cross, and Cresswell nodded in at the back post, taking a hefty whack from...

It seems "Fortress" Bramall Lane is fast become " Forceless " Bramall Lane. Our once might defence clearly had one eye on the new big screen last night. There were very few bright points in the evening and I can't think of anyone who had a good game. You know you're struggling when Monty is chasing 20 yards behind his man and when Kyle Walker can't kick a ball. Still the fighting spirit came back, I only wish they would use it at 0-0 and 1-0. Little showed a glimpse of promise, although when he ran to the opposite wing to take a corner, I wondered if he would make it. They've put a big screen up in the corner between Bramall Lane and John Street. It's attached (it seems) to the Forsyth business centre. It was due to be unveiled on Saturday, but apparently it has been completed ahead of schedule. They didn't show any replays at all on it, that I saw, so maybe that treat will be left until Saturday. Kilgallon going off in the first ...

The League Cup is a dreadful competition. Most clubs (and fans) don't care about the early stages of the cup. The FA Cup has more appeal and magic and however hard the League Cup is promoted, I don't think it can be as popular. I think the league should change the cup to make it more interesting :- The premiership clubs and the top 16 clubs in the championship get seeded. A bit like tennis competitions, the top two teams in the country don't meet each other until the final. Also there's an incentive to finish higher up the league to get a better seeding. The interest is also improved because smaller clubs are guaranteed a bigger club in the earlir rounds - good for the smaller clubs' finances. You can also see (once the initial draw is made) who might meet each other later in the competition. If we beat these, we ge to play that team. This would make the media more interested and give them more to drone on about. Seed the League Cup, that's what I say!!

After the Manchester Derby there was a lot of grumbling about how long the allowed play after the whistle. Time-wasting and the moaning and frustration and inconsistency of treating time-wasters all annoy me. I reckon that there is a simple solution :- Play 30 minutes each way and stop the clock each time the ball goes dead. This will stop players going to the other end of the pitch to be substituted. It will mean there is no ambiguity about how much time to add on (1 minute for a goal, 30 seconds for subs - what's that about?). Goalkeepers messing about trying to take goal kicks no more! I also think an extra element of excitement would be created at the end of the game. With 15 seconds left, a team who are a goal behind can send every single player forward in one last-ditch attempt at an equaliser. They are my thoughts, I think football would be a better game for the change.

A trip to Kettering to do a course presented me with an "opportunity" to go and see Kettering Town versus Barrow at the Elgood's Brewery Arena. A little research on the internet before I departed told me that it would cost me an Ayrton (£10) and that the opposition would be Barrow in the Blue Square Premier League. A teatime stroll to the ground and I bought my ticket from the gift shop. I stumbled a little as I had no idea where I wanted a ticket in the ground. Covered, I thought, and with a seat. I also managed to explain that I wasn't an away fan in the strictest sense. Ticket purchased, I returned to my hotel and then a curry at the nearby curry house. Red Rose, Kettering. Yum. Afterwards the pre-match nerves built as I strolled once more to the ground, pushing through the throngs to try and find a way into the towering stadium. There was a decent queue at the ticket office by 7:35, so I was glad of my earlier recconoitre. Trick now was to find the right turnstile...

...this was it. On the way to the game I said I'd settle for being three up at half time. Also, the general consensus was that we would need to score a couple in order to stay ahead. At half time, we were in heaven. Three poached goals and could have had a couple more, I was going to enjoy the second half, that was for sure. WRONG! Only the blades can build you up and then knock you right back down. Two minutes into the second half and our once legendary defence at "Fortress Bramall Lane" was flapping around and defending like the Keystone Cops. Goal. Oh no! Wednesday had the bit between their teeth. Second half was not enjoyable, especially after the second goal. We finally ground out the result, and I could go and enjoy my post match beer. Didn't think much to Davies, the new loan signing. I don't think he won a header until the second half. Ward getting stretchered off (looks like he's out for a month and a half) is bad news. He's the only p...

Ok, first go at a brief footy post. Is Killgallon chest infection a bluff? Just needs to take some over-the-counter cough medicine surely. I can't see there being any harm coming from that. So, United's now frail defence may struggle. We used to be so strong at the back, now we just have to hope we out-score the opposition. United tried to get some cover on loan, but failed. Could be a bit scary every time Wendy get the ball. Henderson and Ward up front should cause them problems, though. Really looking forward to seeing Harper play. Prediction: never. Come on you Red and White Wizaaaards!!

Wow! Striker Webber joins Portsmouth (BBC Sport) Average Dan has gone to the Premiership. Can't believe Pompey are preparing for the Championship already! I like the quote that Paul Hart says "When I found out Danny was available I asked him to come down and train with us - and I was delighted with what I saw." He's been available since June and been training with Man U, apparently. News obviously travels slowly to Paul Hart. Can't wait for him to show up in fantasy football, so that I can put him in my side!!

Walk with Mai. Click here to view the route and photos on EveryTrail. Think we saw a Lancaster Bomber and a Spitfire, but difficult to tell. Might have been a Fokker. Mai has created a new blog here. Fox Bark Monkey Crayon or Something .

These walks are all from my holiday to the Seychelles. Pictures and routes put onto EveryTrail for your enjoyment! Fathers' Day Walk To The Beach on EveryTrail. Fathers' Day Walk To The Beach on EveryTrail Walk around Vallee De Mai.

BBC NEWS Northern Ireland Man found dead mouse in malt loaf Malt Loaf: Like a Rat out of Hell. I would do anything for loaf, but I won't do rat.

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When I went skiing, I was amazed by my friend's placing of pictures on the route which we'd done that day. I was suitably impressed and asked how he'd done it. He had a Garmin GPS device from which he exported a .gpx file of the day's skiing (or in his case boarding). He then used some software to synchronise the his route and his pictures which he then put on a site called Every Trail . I knew that my Blackberry had a GPS device within it, and had been entertained on Google Maps watching my progress while walking over Christmas. I thought that there must be some way of doing something similar from my Blackberry as my friend had used his iPhone to achieve the same results as his Garmin and camera.After much searching, I found that I could achieve the same using my Blackberry Storm's GPS capabilities along with some bits of software. It took some finding, to get the things I needed, so I thought I'd put it all together with my experiences to help anyone else out ...

Random Vibration In Holster - BlackBerry Forums at CrackBerry.com : "are you by any chance hitting the mute button....when phone is locked and you hold down that button it changes your sound profile(and vibrates at the same time). Maybe you're pressing the button without even knowing it. I've done that couple of times myself." This was the answer to the phantom vibrations my BB Storm gives me. No sign of how to prevent this, though!