I suppose we should prepare for a shit-storm of anti SNP propanganda, as the establishment try to head-off any chance Alex Salmond guiding his party to a successful referendum result (when ever it takes place and what exact form it will take)

I like the way Eck is demonised as a slavering zealot who wants to break up the UK.

What part of ‘Scottish National Party’ don’t these people get? How can it be a surprise that the central plank of it’s very existence is ‘Independence’

Ponder a moment at the fact that the SNP managed to get a MAJORITY in the Holyrood Parliament – which was pretty much designed by Donald Dewar et al to have a proportional basis that would pretty much mean such a situation would not happen.

Let the plain fact sink in that the SNP stated in their manifesto that they would stage a referendum in the second half of the parliament, so why does Davie Boy want to bounce us into having it earlier?

Craig Murray says his piece quite well and the comments thread is also quite absorbing.

I particularly liked the line…..‘The Lib Dems have become, as a party, lying, deceitful, untrustworthy bastards’

Alex Salmond – my third favourite Jambo – after The Auld Reekie Ranter and Adullamite

Personally I would love Peterhead to get Aberdeen in the next round. Or Arbroath.

The Dons fans’ MoodSwing-o-meter continues to read Affa Cheery, following the howitzer shot Arnason goal against Dundee United, punting the not-too-popular Ricky Foster to Bristol City (and getting money in!) and a routine seeing off of Forfar Athletic yesterday. It was strange following the vidiprinter updates at my desk yesterday and not going through convulsions of agony and despair, kicking things and swearing prodigiously.

Sponsorship Mis-fire….?

Peterhead manager Jim McInally does a promotional photo-opportunity with the William Hill Scottish Cup. I’ve worked out that this is Arbroath High Street, outside the Hills Bookie Shop. Pity they got Ladbrokes across the road in shot.

spent half a work morning on Google Street view to puzzle out the location from my initial ‘that’s not Peterhead’ observation.

One of those aimiable ‘favourite uncle’ sort of presenters that now seem to have given way to the new generation of ‘zany’ or ‘edgy’ or just ‘plain annoying’ nonentities who pollute our TV screens.

My favourite memory was one afternoon, idly watching Blockbusters (after an extended liquid lunch) and Bob dealing with a wee smart arse upstart who tried to extend the ‘Can I have a P’ riff into evermore sniggering sort of phrasing.

Bob was rather ticked off and didn’t hold back with an icy and waspish defaltion of the Jack the Lad. The menacing undercurrent let the wee shite know the Bob wouldn’t hesitate to drag him into a cupboard and kick the crap out of him if he continued to diss him, the show, the audience and the other ‘nice’ contestants

probably the last time Alex Salmond's bluff was called

CREDITS TO THE LAST EPISODE OF BLOCKBUSTERS WITH BOB HOLNESS

I couldnae resist

There are ‘damned few’ North Sea installations who are without at least one resident Mackem on board, and the sight of Old Davie G grinning away – enough for 20 cheshire cats – at the final whistle after the Black Cats final kick victory is something that will stay with me for a long time. As an Aberdeen fan, this sort of goofy joy has been unavailable to me since back in the mists of time.

Good Korea Move

My own personal instincts have long rebelled and harrumphed against the modern Sky / Premier League / Champions League over-hype

- but recent results like Aston Villa beating Chelsea, Blackburn beating Manchester United and Sunderland’s piece of grand larceny mean the scene has livened up a bit and I may pay attention.

I’m scared to look into the Pie and Bovril forum for fear that there will be one of those absurd, paranoid and angry Old Firm threads about whether Alex McLeish’s Villa result was more impressive that Martin O’Neill’s glory yesterday.

* one of my favourite anagrams.

A quote I found about the current Manchester City situation….

City are like a 800 metre runner who has gone off and trained himself up, and doped up to the eyeballs. Then in the big race he explodes out of the block, and runs the fastest first lap in history, then looks beside him, and there is his main rival, right beside him, cruising along, smoking a cigar, with one of his feet in a cast.

The old Man City joke about renaming parts of the ground in tribute to club legends – leading to the (Colin) Bell End was revived by Jonathan Watson on Hogmanay’s Only An Excuse – altered to a reference to Aberdeen’s New Stadium and to The Dougie Bell End. Ho Ho.

work on the new stadium ongoing, but adjusted to account for current trend in attendances…

A lum reeking recently. Lang May Yours ditto etc

Ah well here we are, the start of another year with 366 blank pages in the desk diary, the work rota colour coded into the year planner (Blue for offshore, Red for Home) it is quarter to ten and nothing has gone wrong this year so far.

No real resolutions as such – Accentuate The Positive and Eliminate The Negative will pretty much capture every good intention and ambition.

Hopefully the Fitba will pick-up ( PAY ATTENTION!!!! Aberdeen FC and Peterhead FC)
and – here’s a good one – the standard of this blog will improve with a bit more diligence and effort from these typing fingers attached to this deluded and off-centred brain.

All The Best to you all. Let’s hope it’s a good one.

'are you going to get back blogging, Old Guy?'

today….

I am Granda to four wee girls.

that is all…

“I’ve told the players we need to win so that I can have the cash to buy some new ones” – Chris Turner, Peterborough manager, before LC QF, 1992.

“I spent a lot of my money on booze, birds and fast cars. The rest I just squandered” – George Best.

“If we played like that every week we wouldn’t be so inconsistent” – Bryan Robson, Man U, 1990.

“That’s great, tell him he’s Pelé and get him back on.” – John Lambie, Partick Thistle manager, when told a concussed striker did not know who he was.

“I was saying the other day, how often the most vulnerable area for goalies is between their legs.” – Andy Gray, Sky Sport

“It’s now 1-1, an exact reversal of the score on Saturday.” – Radio 5 Live.

“Football today, it’s like a game of chess. It’s all about money.” – Newcastle United fan, Radio 5 Live.

“Dumbarton player Steve McCahill has limped off with a badly cut forehead.” – Tom Ferrie.

“And Arsenal now have plenty of time to dictate the last few seconds.” – Peter Jones.

“Newcastle, of course, unbeaten in their last five wins.” – Brian Moore.

“Strangely, in slow motion replay, the ball seemed to hang in the air for even longer.” – David Acfield.

“What I said to them at half time would be unprintable on the radio” – Gerry Francis.

“If there weren’t such a thing as football, we’d all be frustrated footballers.” – Mick Lyons.

“He’s one of those footballers whose brains are in his head” – Derek Johnstone, BBC Scotland, 1994.

“The crowd think that Todd handled the ball – they must have seen something that nobody else did” – Barry Davies, 1975.

“If I walked on water, my accusers would say it is because I can’t swim” – Berti Vogts, Germany coach.

“Love is good for footballers, as long as it is not at half-time” – Richard Möller Nielsen, Denmark coach.

“The only way we will be going to Europe is if the club splash out and take us all to Eurodisney.” – Dean Holdsworth, Wimbledon.

“If the players want to make it hard for me, I am happy to make it twice as hard for them.” – Wendy Toms, the first female referee to officiate in a professional game.

“The score is Sunderland nil, Leicester nil, the temperature is nil and the entertainment value is not much above nil” – Sunderland v Leicester, Radio 5 Live.

“This is an unusual Scotland side because they have good players.” – praise for the Under-21s from Javier Clemente, Spain’s coach.

“It took a lot of bottle for Tony to own up” – Ian Wright on the Arsenal captain’s confession to alcoholism.

“I have some statistics that clearly illustrate we were by far the better team….”
Craig Brown (every week, so it seems)