Football & The Force

The summer has gone very quick indeed if the Premiership season is virtually upon us, plus the the first England international friendly since the World Cup has just kicked off. Where's the hell has 2006 gone already?

Say what you want about Eriksson but, like many things, I'd think the media killed his reign. I seem to be in a bit of a minority defending him though. The England manager's job always has been somewhat of a poisoned chalice, but all of these armchair managers up and down the nation seem to disregard the glaring fact that statistically he's one of our most successful managers ever. Of course he should take some of the blame for some quite bizarre tactical decisions during the World Cup, but why weren't the likes of Lampard taken out the back of the stadium and shot for their poor performances? You watch - he'll be banging them in for bloody Chelsea.

Meanwhile the Police training continues to go well. Certainly a good bunch of people I'm training with, very diverse. 50/50 split male/female and a broad range of ages from those who've just turned 20, to forty something's and then me (somewhere in the middle). Like a centrifuge things have started gently but I can feel the pressure slowly, every so slowly, building. These first few weeks have been very much classroom-based, and following various lessons we've had quick spot-checks on what we've absorbed. Now I've only been out of education for a little while, but it must be a real shock to some of my older colleagues; I know my brain is hurting once more. I quite literally feel like I need to train my mind back into the study-routine.

Anyway, we're in the gym Friday for the first part of our practical Officer Safety Training. I'm talking handcuffs and...

"Is that a ten-inch knife in your tracksuit sir, or are you just pleased to see me?" type-exercises... Should be fun.

And bruising.

Oh my god! I'm typing this and the spiky-headed pug Lampard just scored.

"After the disappointment of the World Cup..."

Says the commentator.

No shit.

Look at the goal anyway, it took a whopping deflection off the Greek defender.

Massively overratedd still, if you ask me.

A few minutes later, I'm just about click post and...

Three - nil!

Like a Greek wedding - Smashing.