Friday 18th December 2009

Following on from my post last week, here are some of my favorites from the past decade, this time from entertainment.

UK Television programme of the decade - The Thick Of It
Fly-on-wall satire seems to have been the flavour of British comedy in the noughties and Armando Iannucci's dark political comedy just pips The Office as my favorite programme of the last ten years. Premiering on BBC4 in 2005, two series and two one off specials episodes later, The Thick Of It shows no sign of wanning and looks set to continue with an election special next year. For more information about the latest series, check out my blog entry from Monday.

US Television programme of the decade - The Sopranos
I'm not a huge fan of American TV, but after going through a phase of watching gangster movies a few years ago, I thought I would check out this popular HBO programme. I got into The Sopranos straight away and enjoyed all six seasons of the show, which ran from 1999 to 2007. Tony Soprano (James Gandolfini) is a made member of the mafia who has difficulty juggling his two "families", with the wife,kids and mother on one side and his New Jersey crew on the other. The gripping storylines, the relationships between the many characters, the extremely dark humour and the subtle references to The Godfather films all make The Sopranos a TV programme of the highest quality.

Comedian of the decade - Jimmy Carr
I went to a live Jimmy Carr performance in 2005 and have been a huge fan of him ever since. His borderline, risky style encapsulates the British comedy scene of the last decade and a few of his jokes have got into trouble in the past, but you can't help but laugh. Sometimes I feel slightly guilty at laughing at his jokes and can see why people might get offended by them, but his deadpan tone and clever puns make him the funniest man to arrive on the scene in the last ten years.

Film of the decade - The Football Factory
A number of football hooligan films have been released in the noughties, such as Green Street, Cass, Away Days and most recently The Firm. But The Football Factory was the original football violence film to become popular and anyone who regularly attends football matches will be able to identify with the characters. Among others, there's the main character Tom Johnson, played by Danny Dyer, who sees hooliganism as a way of escaping from his medicore life, veteran Brighty and out of control youth 'Zeberdee'. The clever yet realistic dialogue, dramatic fight scenes and quality sound track put The Football Factory at the top of my list of favorite films of the decade.

Next week I will be picking who I think are the best football team and players are of the noughties, plus revealing what the game of the decade was for me.

Wednesday 16th December 2009

Southampton progressed to the southern final of the Johnstone's Paint Trophy in the most dramatic fashion last night after beating Norwich City on penalties at St Mary's.
Saints were just seconds from being knocked out of the competition after trailing 2-1 going into stoppage time, but a last gasp goal from Papa Waigo N'diaye took the game to penalties. Substitute Wayne Thomas converted the decisive spot kick to give his side a 6-5 penalty win and set up an area final tie against MK Dons.
The hosts started the brighter side and took a well deserved lead on 14 minutes when Papa Waigo beat City's offside trap to go one on one with the 'keeper. The Senegalese international kept his composure and slotted the ball under the advancing Fraser Foster to make it 1-0.
The opening goal seemed to spark Norwich to life and they equalised on 33 minutes through Gary Doherty from 10 yards out.
The visitors were by far the stronger team in the second half and went 2-1 up 10 minutes after the restart when Chris Martin finished from close range after the Saints defence failed to clear the danger.
Southampton looked dead and buried and became increasingly frustrated by City's questionable time wasting tactics. But in the third minute of time added on, Rickie Lambert won a crucial header in the Norwich area, allowing Papa Waigo to finish low from six yards out, taking the game straight to penalties.
It took 16 spot kicks to separate the two teams in front of a noisy Northam stand. Lloyd James and Michail Antonio both missed from 12 yards out, but Bartosz Bialkowski's three penalty saves ensured that Wayne Thomas could send Saints through to the area final and he did just that.

Saints player ratings-

Bartosz Bialkowski - 8 - Made a great first half save and proved to be the shoot out hero.

Lloyd James - 6 - Held his position well at right back this time, but missed in the shoot out.

Chris Perry - 7 - Made an important goal line clearance in the second half and led the back four well.

Neal Trotman - 6 - An improved performance after his horror show against Brighton a few weeks ago.

Dan Harding - 7 - A real threat going forward and didn't neglect his defensive duties.

Morgan Schneiderlin - 6 - Struggled to get involved, subbed at half time because of injury.

Jacob Mellis - 6 - Started brightly but faded in the second half.

Dean Hammond - 7 - Covered the width of the pitch well, particularly in supporting Harding on the left wing.

Papa Waigo N'diaye - 8 - MAN OF THE MATCH - Scored the two all important goals and capped a good performance by converting his spot kick.

Adam Lallana - 7 - Played in a more central position than usual and looked comfortable there.

Rickie Lambert - 7 - Dominant in the air as always and stepped up confidently to score Southampton's first penalty.


Subs -

Paul Wotton (on for Schneiderlin) - 6 - Didn't play great after coming on for the whole of the second half, but made amends by scoring in the shoot out.

Michail Antonio (on for Mellis) - 6 - Caused problems for the Norwich defense down the right, but will be dissapointed to have missed a penalty.

Wayne Thomas (on for Perry) - 7 - Reliable at right back in the closing stages and kept a cool head to covert the winning spot kick.

After last night's drama, Saints now have three days to recover before travelling to Yorkshire to take on League One leaders Leeds United in what will be a difficult game.

Monday 14th December 2009

The third series of The Thick Of It came to a close on Saturday and I am of the opinion that it is the greatest comedy of this decade.
I'm a big fan of The Office and The Thick Of It creator Armando Iannucci (he doesn't like his name spelt incorrectly, as we found out at the recent Comedy Awards ceremony) has taken the fly on the wall style of Ricky Gervais and Stephen Merchant's sitcom, added some fascinating characters and put them into some interesting political scenarios.
For those of you that haven't seen The Thick Of It, it's a dark political comedy set in the fictional Department of Social Affairs and Citizenship. It could be compared to the immensely popular Yes, Minister sitcom of the 1980s, but it is certainly not as family friendly.
This most recent series follows the newly appointed Secretary of State for the Department Nicola Murray (Rebecca Front), who provides the cringe worthy comedy with her exceptionally poor social skills and general lack of organisation. Her job is made all the more harder by haplessness of her civil servants and special advisors.
The real star of the show though, most will agree, is Peter Capaldi, who plays the foul mouthed Director of Communications Malcolm Tucker, one of the greatest comedy characters ever created. Anyone who has had an authoritarian Scottish boss will identify with Tucker immediately, who manages to make swearing a form of art. Some of the lines delivered by Capaldi's character are among the most witty, sharpest and cleverest we've ever heard on television.
I enjoyed this series as the situation the characters get themselves into each week get all the more ludicrous, yet we are reminded of the current New Labour government. For the first time, we get more of an insight into the character of Malcolm Tucker, who appears to have lost his job at the end of penultimate episode, but I shall say no more as I don't want ruin to the ending for anyone who hasn't yet seen it.
My favorite episode this series sees Richard Bacon interview Nicola Murray and her counterpart, the shadow minister of social affairs and citizenship Peter Mannion (Roger Allam). We watch in amusement as both politicians crash and burn on live radio. Whilst this is happening, rival spin doctors Malcolm Tucker and Stuart Pearson have a shouting match over who can release the most damaging story to the tabloid papers.
Towards the end of the series we are introduced to Malcolm's arch enemy and the PM's new fixer, Steve Fleming (David Haig). One character describes Fleming as having "obsessive repulsive disorder" and I think this sums him up perfectly.
It's great to see the characters from previous series return; Glenn and Olly (James Smith and Chris Addison) still have their competitive relationship, Terri and Robyn (Joanna Scanlan and Polly Kemp) still have time to mess things up as press officers and the overly polite Julius Nicholson (Alex MacQueen) is now a Lord, but still has the power to be a thorn in Malcolm Tucker's side. However, it was a shame there was no return for Jamie MacDonald, a younger and even angrier version of Malcolm Tucker, as he was in my view the star of the film spin off, In The Loop.
After watching the season finale on Saturday, it looks as though there will be an election special of The Thick Of It some time next year and I'm already looking forward to it.
Iannucci's programme surpasses the work of Gervais and Merchant in terms of comedy genius and that is why The Thick Of It just pips The Office as my favorite comedy of the last decade. If you want to see what all the fuss is about then catch it on BBC iplayer now, the more you watch it the better it seems to get.

Saturday 12th December 2009

Saints overcame a resilient Tranmere Rovers to eventually run out 3-0 winners at St Marys this afternoon.
Rovers made the long journey south appearing to be playing for the draw and frustrated the home side in the first half by breaking up the flow of the game and limiting their opportunities. Whilst the visitor's failed to get many of their shots on target, Southampton's best chance of the half came on 37 minutes when Rickie Lambert's low shot was saved well by Tranmere keeper Luke Daniels.
Saints upped their game in the second half and on 51 minutes Dan Harding broke the deadlock, his powerful shot from the left of the penalty area flying into the net.
The hosts then had the chance to double their lead 12 minutes later when Tranmere defender Marlon Broomes handballed in the area. As Rickie Lambert stepped up to take the resulting penalty the home fans seemed certain there was only going to be one outcome. They were proved right, as the in form striker sent the keeper the wrong way to make it 2-0. Lambert then scored his second of the game on 70 minutes by scoring a beautiful free kick from 25 yards out which hit the top corner.
So at half time, it threatened to be a frustrating afternoon for Southampton, but a much improved second half performance ensured Saints made it five wins from five games.

Saints player ratings-

Bartosz Bialkowski - 6 - Didn't have much to do at all, could have had the day off.

Lloyd James - 5 - Seemed to have forgotten that he had been switched from midfield to right back, looked a liability there.

Chris Perry - 7 - Another solid performance from the veteran, strong in the air at all times.

Jadhi Jaidi - 6 - Hesitant to get stuck in, but appears to be forming a good defensive partnership with Perry.

Dan Harding - 8 - Perfect finish for his goal, made some well timed challenges late on.

Michail Antonio - 6 - Wasn't too involved in the game, but showed glimpses of his skill on the right.

Morgan Schneiderlin - 7 - Play very deep so wasn't much of an attacking threat, but protected the back four well.

Dean Hammond - 7 - Present in attack as well as defence and drove the team on as captain.

Adam Lallana - 7 - Had his moments and linked up well with Harding on the left.

David Connolly - 6 - Made some good off the ball runs but didn't take his chances in front of goal.

Rickie Lambert - 8 - MAN OF THE MATCH - Dominant in the air, spot on from 12 yads out and capped a great all round performance with a lovely free kick.

Subs-

Paul Wotton (on for Schneiderlin) - 6 - Took over from Schneiderlin in protecting the defence.

Papa Waigo N'daiye (on for Connolly) - 6 - Made some good runs, but was caught off side a few times as usual.

Jacob Mellis (on for Lambert) - 6 - Played his familiar role as the token late substitute.

Saints have a big week ahead as they host Norwich on Tuesday in the Johnstones Paint Trophy semi final before travelling to Leeds next Saturday in a showdown between arguably the two strongest squads in League One.

Friday 11th December 2009

In three weeks time we shall enter 2010, a brand new decade, so I thought it would be appropriate to reflect on the last ten years by picking out some of my favorites in journalism, politics, entertainment and sport from the 'noughties'.

Today I start with journalism and politics-

Politician of the decade – David Cameron
I thought I should get the most controversial category out the way first. As regular readers of my blog will know, I’m very sceptical of a Cameron led Conservative government after next year’s election, but given the state the Tory party were in ten years ago he has done well to make them electable. Since becoming leader of the opposition in 2005, I think Cameron has made genuine attempts to modernise the old fashioned, traditional party (though he could do himself a favour by breaking his alliance with George Osborne) and he has shown strong leadership, especially recently by taking a tough line on the expenses scandal. I’m sure my Labour supporting friends won’t like this, but I can’t think of any Labour politicians who have done consistently well in this decade, though I’m always open to suggestions.
Of course, as we move into the next decade, Cameron has some tough challenges ahead…

Journalist of the decade - Andrew Marr
Andrew Marr has been described as “the ideal history teacher that most people never had” and this is a true testament to his great books and television programmes. The two books I own by Marr, My Trade and A History of Modern Britain perfectly inform the reader on the ins and outs of journalism and the changing face Britain over the last 60 years respectively, using simple and understanding language. As for his television programmes, they give the viewer a colourful history of modern Britain by presenting information in a unique and interesting way. Andrew Marr has also been Political Editor of the BBC this decade and now has his own Sunday morning show. He has remained politically impartial at all times, something which other political commentators in the media should maybe take on board.

Journalism book of the decade – Piers Morgan – The Insider
Don’t get me wrong, I can’t stand Piers Morgan, as he is perhaps the most repulsive personality on television, but any budding journalist should read his diaries from his time as editor of the News of the World and the Mirror. Released in 2004, The Insider looks back on the scandalous period between 1994 and 2003, focusing on the key events of this time. The anecdotes give a brilliant insight into the murky world of tabloid journalism.

Political film of the decade – In The Loop
Afraid I’m going to have to be lazy and link to my blog entry from 24th August, read the second part of the entry. If you wish to know more about this excellent film then watch it, you won’t regret it.

Next week, my picks from the last ten years in entertainment.

Wednesday 9th December 2009

Chancellor of the Exchequer Alastair Darling delivers his pre-Budget report this afternoon and it is expected to attack bank bonuses in The City.
I'm sure most of us will be pleased with the news that these high flying bankers, who are partly responsible for the economic mess we're in, will receive a 50% tax on their bonuses. Inevitably, the bankers will kick up a fuss about having their bonuses taxed so heavily, but it is not as if they're starving. After all, this income is additional to their large salaries and it is not as if they have done such an outstanding job in the last couple of years that they deserve a huge bonus. This is why bankers now fall into that band of least respected professions, along with estate agents, politicians and journalists.
In the last year, bankers have been vilified in the press and I can't help but feel this is justified. Earlier this year, former RBS chief executive Sir Fred Goodwin came under fire after his £650,000 a year pension was revealed to the public and "Fred the Shred" is just one of the culprits.
Banking should be like any other job, where big bonuses should be performance related and shared out only if the company concerned has been successful and with many people in the the country struggling financially this Christmas, it is absurd to think that millions of pounds will be split between a few individuals.
Darling's third pre-Budget report as Chancellor will also tackle the problem of youth unemployment and is good to see the young people without jobs are not being neglected, though it will be a tough task finding jobs for the million or so aged between 16 and 24 that are unemployed.

Sunday 6th December 2009

Tory leader David Cameron this morning slammed Gordon Brown for bringing the issue of class into politics, but I think Labour need to do this if they are to have any chance of winning next year's general election.
The PM said that the Tories tax policy had been "dreamed up on the playing fields of Eton" and lets face it, he's not exactly wrong there. Shadow Chancellor George Osborne claimed in his autumn party conference speech that "we're all in this together", yet he would give the wealthy a break by raising the inheritance tax threshold. This benefits the 18 millionaires in the shadow cabinet, their fellow well off friends and of course, the party donors. So how are we all in this together then?
With the general election due to take place in the next six months, Labour have to play dirty if they are to catch up with the Conservatives in the polls.
Osborne's inheritance tax plan puts a real cog in the wheels of motion in Cameron's attempts to re modernise the Tory party and this policy is designed to appease the old, traditional wing of Conservatives. But these sort of policies put off the non wealthy floating voter such as myself, who in troubled economic times such as now want to see the rich taxed slightly more heavily (I'm talking about minimalistic measures here, before any one starts calling me a communist!).
Osborne wants to reduce Britain's budget deficit, but he's not going to achieve this with his inheritance tax plans, which will benefit just 2% of the population. Instead he will cut vital public services which will effect more than 2% of the country.
Gordon Brown needs to capitalise on these questionable Tory polices, even if he has to "petty" and "spiteful" to do so. There are other Tory weaknesses that can be exposed and I'm sure with Alastair Campbell aiding Labour's cause these weaknesses can identify areas to attack. Whether you love or hate Blair's former spokesman and spin doctor, you can't argue that he will be important in manipulating the media and thus persuading floating voters not to vote Tory.
The New Statesman have been able to identify Conservative weaknesses, with one of them being the inexperience of George Osborne. The shadow chancellor has no real background in economics, yet in six months time he could be running the country's finances. I for one would rather see shadow business secretary Ken Clarke moved to the post, as he has experience as Chancellor of the Exchequer in John Major's 1990s government, but Osborne is a close ally of Cameron, so I can't see this happening.
Gordon Brown appeared to have the upper hand over David Cameron in Wednesday's Prime Ministers Questions, but with the pre-Budget report due this week he faces a tough task of maintaining Labour momentum.

Thursday 3rd December 2009

England's World Cup hopes will be boosted by yesterday's news that they will be seeded for tomorrow's draw.
This means when the group stages for next summer's tournament are drawn, they will avoid playing, among others, current holders Italy, reigning European champions Spain and the mighty Brazil.
However, despite being seeded, Fabio Capello's men could still face difficult competition in South Africa. Here's what I think is the worst case scenario for the draw:

England
Mexico
Ivory Coast
Portugal or France

England will want to avoid being drawn in the same group as either Portugal or France, who despite both scraping through qualification were impressive during the 2006 World Cup. They will hopefully also avoid Ivory Coast, who are perhaps the strongest African team in tomorrow's draw and have a number of quality players such as talented brothers Kolo and Yaya Toure, as well as Chelsea striker Didier Drogba. They would also prefer not to have to play Mexico in the group stages, as they have reached the second round of the last four World Cups.

England will want a draw that looks something like this instead:

England
New Zealand
Algeria
Slovakia

No disrespect to New Zealand, Algeria or Slovakia, but they are all relatively unknown on the World stage and every seeded team in the tournament will be hoping to have them in their group as the whipping boys, but who knows, one of these teams might turn out to be the surprise package.

Whoever England are grouped with in tomorrow's draw, the whole country will be expecting them to qualify for the latter stages of the World Cup. It is not until the knock out rounds that the competition really begins to get serious.

The draw for the 2010 World Cup in South Africa will be made tomorrow evening and coverage starts on BBC Two from 5:15pm.

Wednesday 2nd December 2009

After last night's 1-0 win at home to Wycombe Wanderers, Southampton climbed out of the League One relegation zone for the first time this season.
Rickie Lambert's goal four minutes before half time was enough for the home side to take all three points in a game that perhaps should have been won by a much bigger margin.
Saints had all the chances to take the lead in the first half, with Adam Lallana and Papa Waigo coming close, but the deadlock was finally broken in the 41st minute when Waigo latched onto a long ball forward then cut back for Lambert to slam the ball into the bottom corner of the goal from ten yards.
The second half was very much the same story, as Saints looked to double their advantage, but a string of saves from visiting keeper Scott Shearer and and a couple of near misses from substitute Michail Antonio kept the score respectable for Wanderers.
Last night's game was by no means a classic and Saints fans will have left St Marys wondering how their team only won by one goal, but a victory is what is most important and lifts Southampton up to 20th in the league.

Saints player ratings-

Bartosz Bialkowski - 7 - Showed he has safe hands and made a good second half save.

Greame Murty - 7 - Much more solid and reliable at right back than Lloyd James.

Chris Perry - 8 - Great to see him back in the side, he was strong in the air and positioned perfectly at all times.

Radi Jaidi - 6 - A bit shaky at times, but made some important clearances.

Dan Harding - 7 - Made a crucial headed clearance late on, was reliable at left back.

Lloyd James - 6 - Looked much more comfortable in midfield than at right back.

Dean Hammond - 7 - Covered a great amount of ground as the box to box midfielder.

Morgan Schneiderlin - 8 - MAN OF THE MATCH - Played some beautiful cross field passes and got stuck into tackles.

Adam Lallana - 7 - Looked a natural winger when he ran at defenders down the left.

Papa Waigo N'daiye - 7 - Caught offside countless times, but played a pivotal role in the goal.

Rickie Lambert - 7 - Perfect, low finish for what proved to be the decisive goal.

Subs -

Michail Antonio (on for Papa Waigo) - 7 - Ran constantly at the opposition and could have added to the score.

Paul Wotton (on for James) - 6 - Came on to overload the midfield and limit Wycombe's chances.

Jacob Mellis (on for Schneiderlin) - 6 - Brought on late simply to run down the clock.

Last night's win lifts Saints outside the relegation zone and now that one hurdle is cleared fans will want the team to push on for a play off place. Twelve points separate Southampton and Bristol Rovers in 6th place and results in December can often go a long way towards shaping the second half of the season. A win away to Walsall on Saturday could help push them that little bit closer to the play off places.

I only managed to make it to three games in November, but have still kept an eye on the ratings for each player to decide my player of the month:

=1. David Connolly - average rating 7.0, from 3 games
=1. Adam Lallana - average rating 7.0, from 3 games
=2. Dean Hammond - average rating 6.66, from 3 games
=2. Dan Harding - average rating 6.66, from 3 games

So Adam Lallana and David Connolly are tied on ratings for my player of the month, but after witnessing Connolly's wonder goal against Norwich he gets a slight edge and wins my vote as Saints player of the month.

Tuesday 1st December 2009

Yesterday the 10 person shortlist for the BBC Sport Personality of the Year was released and I must say there are some strong candidates in the frame.
We have Andrew Strauss, who led the England cricket team to victory in the Ashes over the summer, or Jensen Button, who ensured a British driver would win the Formula One championship for the second year running. Another leading contender is newly crowned WBA Heavyweight champion David Haye.
However,when I saw the list late last night I overlooked all these big names and instantly decided who would get my vote. Ryan Giggs.
The Manchester United winger, who turned 36 over the weekend, has a great chance of being the first footballer since David Beckham in 2001 to win the award.
It is amazing to watch Giggs play week in, week out and still have the same passion and enthusiasm he had when he first burst onto the scene as a teenager nearly 20 years ago. Since then, the Premier League has been graced by immense talent such as Eric Cantona, Theirry Henry and most recently Cristiano Ronaldo, but none of these stars have performed as consistently as Giggs for so long.
The odd injury hit spell aside, he's never had a poor season at Manchester United and incredibly he seems to be getting better and better still. His performances over the last year have been top notch and its a great sight to see a player of Gigg's age run up and down the wing all game like a 21 year old. One game which particularly stands out for me was September's Manchester derby, which saw United beat their great rivals Man City 4-3 in a thrilling game. Giggs was outstanding on this day and seemed to be at the heart of every attack his team made.
Ryan Giggs is in my opinion the greatest Sports Personality not only to emerge in the last 20 years, but also to stay on top of his game for such a long period of time. If you love attractive attacking football then I urge you to vote for Ryan Giggs as this year's Sports Personality of the Year.