Up where we belong

Regular readers will know that I'm a big fan of podcasting and each week iTunes adds 12 or so new episodes of those that I subscibe to, for me to add to my iPod.

That number is fairly constant as many more would be impractical to keep on top of as I listen to them in the car as I travel around.

Recent additions to the list include two from Absolute radio and a new football one.

First the Absolute radio ones. Both are highlights of weekend shows and follow a similar format, with both starring the named presenter, a female sidekick and a male comedian/musican. They both last 40 or so minutes and are excellent.

The first presenter is Frank Skinner who is ideally suited to this format and relates stories of his previous week, his ongoing relationship with his girlfriend, his love of the Fall (he plays a different track each week) and he reviews the papers. He is asssited by Emily Dean, who besides being good friends with Jonathan Ross, as a child appeared in the original Day of the Triffids and has most male listeners hanging on every word she says. The final member of the team is Gareth a stand up comedian, who lives in Bournemouth and has year old son called Ethan, of whom stories feature regularly.

The second presenter is Dave Gorman, who had passeed me by until I saw "Googlewhack" a couple of weeks ago. That  was so funny that I immediately started downloading the podcast. He is assisted by award winning comedienne Danielle Ward and comedian/musician Martin White. They cover similar subject matter to Frank Skinner but one extra item is an additional piece at the end of the podcast (and not part of the radio show) called Pun Street. This is where listeners send in shop title puns in an attempt to get them installed on the street. This the maternity wear shop "womb with a view" was voted on, as was "Pak Butchers" (sent in by a pakistani) which replaced "Halal, is it meat your looking for?" as the streets butchers. 

The footbal podcast, "It's all up for grabs now" is hosted by the comedian and actor Alan Davies, together with two of his mates and revolves around their love of all things Arsenal. It is hilarious, a genuinely funny commentary on the ups and downs of following the Gooners. Most episodes reflect on the previous weeks games and their views on the various team memebrs performance. Most players now have a nickname and the best is Emmanual Eboue who is known as "Tinkerbell" as he is the team trickster, but most are brilliant based on some long story. In addition there are numerous "catchphrases" which have started to find their way into my football watching. One involves an older fan at Arsenal moaning (in a northern accent) "He's got yellow boots on", which now regularely appears at St Marys should any one have said coloured boots on! Songs sung at grounds also feature, my favourite to date being "you're white and you know you are" which the Arsenal fans sang to the permatanned Hull City manager Phil Brown. Even if you don't like football or Arsenal this podcast will have you laughing out loud in strange places while you listen to it!

Why the title to this post? Arsenal player Alex Song's full name is Alexander Dimitri Song Billong, which you can sing to the tune of the Jennifer Warnes/Joe Cocker classic.

Bring me your cup

I was the same age as my eldest son, Matthew, is now, when Southampton went to Wembley and won the F.A. Cup. The year was 1976 and I watched the game on the TV at home while my Grandpa fell asleep after lunch. He was visiting from the Isle of Wight and sadly it's one of the things I most remember him for, although after my Dad did it for years, I have now inherited that ability. Turns out it's a family skill!

I couldn't get a ticket for the Final as I hadn't been to enough games/didn't have a season ticket/had parents who thought football was a very dangerous spectator sport (which to be honest it could be in the 1970's). We beat Man Utd 1-0 and film of that game still makes me emotional.

As cup winners we got to play in the Charity shield the following August, against Liverpool and I was there for that, my first visit to Wembley stadium. we lost 1-0!

The next time they got to Wembley was in 1979, for the League cup final against Nottingham Forest. The game being the day after my 20th birthday. I was very lucky to work with the wife of one the Saints players and he obtained tickets for me. I don't remember much of the day, except that we scored first after 16 minutes and some idiot behind me started going crazy and chanting "we've won the cup, we've won the cup". Sure enough.....  we lost 3-2.

Our next Wembley final was 1992 and the ZDS Cup final again against Forest, managed by the great Brian Clough. His team included Roy Keane and they took a two goal lead. Saints fought back and Matt le Tissier scored (with a header!) and then Kevin Moore equalised. Sadly Forest won it extra time and so again we lost to them 3-2 at Wembley. Was I there...no I lived in Guernsey then and getting to the game was too tricky. If you look at any footage of that game (and you can on Youtube) Saints lost the toss and wore their away kit, which for that season was an all blue affair. We look like Pompey and that is not a good look!

One sad post-script to that game is that Kevin Moore, who is the same age as me, has recently been diagnosed with dementia, very sad at any age but particularly for some one of his age.

We've not been there since as the 2003 F A Cup final was at Cardiff's Millenium Stadium as Wembley being re-built.

Last night however Saints earned the right to play their first game at the new Wembley as they beat MK Dons 3-1 (4-1 on agrregate) to reach the final of the Johnson's Paint Trophy final. There we will play Carlisle Utd and having been at last night's game according to the announcer at the end of the match, I (& my sons) are entilted to tickets for the final. We've been there for an England game, but watching the Saints there will be awesome!

COYR