tuesday evening

isole and olena chianti classico 2003 (again ... std stuff at the pharmacy)

ruby; didn't get any strawb this time (altho one with more acute olfactory organs still detected it plus cream soda???), cherry and smoke, ok maybe something like dried strawbs; plum, cherry (broader than the last time, mineral/powdery feel, parts getting nicely intergrated; very fine tannins; light/medium bodied; longish with a very pleasant astringent, cleansing and acidic tail plus a slightly bitter finish.nice. BANG! (as before, only just because of the usual restaurant markup). stock standard chianti it may be but there's no disputing the fun it provides.

works with spaghetti pesto with prawns!?, butter and sage buccatinni, grilled lamb rack.

the incredible bulk

supposedly the spearhead for the portmen ... big, strong but am not sure he's thaaat fast ... bit like good old cyril regis. methinks nothing that cannot be handled ... think he still sucks his thumb ...

just shoot billy gallas full of steroids and amphetamines and: "don't worry about a thing,'cause every little thing gonna be all right. don't worry about a thing,'cause every little thing gonna be all right!" thanx bob.

hey, we could roll out the upgraded nu kit now ...

the penny dropped ...

wengker has just realised that his team is vertically challenged ...!!!

commenting on our defensive weakness, he apparently said: “our centre backs are not very tall. I don’t know what we can do. it’s not only our centre backs who defend. as a team we are a bit short.”

whale oil beef hooked, would'nt have realised that fact if he had'nt mentioned it! (ok, an earlier post referred to hobbits... )

he's paid the big bucks and spews gems like this ... don't know whether to laugh or cry.

like stale vindaloo ...

now wengker says he's sick ... here , here and here. he should remember that too much port can also do that to you.

wee drop for lunch

had some more of this: la rioja alta, vina arana, rioja reserva 1995 (see below)
seems like it's started goin downhill ... there's an overt fruity acidity in this one which kinda overwhelms everything else. vinegar?. odd bottle maybe but i suppose at this age, stuff like this is always marginal. POP!(-)

1925-2008

hulled

gooners 1 (even then, an og by paul mcshane!!!): tigers 2


geovanni's equaliser was a cracker though ... no one could have stopped that.

and wengker's take? "too much room ..." here.

le gaff also said: "we had the chances to win the game. the commitment was on the high side but we weren't completely switched on to the level you need to be to win the game." ... errr, what does this mean?

personally think that the boys probably tawt they taw a puddytat. deja vu .....................

went home happy

drouhin domaine de vaudon chablis 2006 (their next to base model)

bandaid...oops, blew away completely in a short while...phew; greenish straw; lemon, apple, peach on the nose; lemon/citrus fruit, pear, mineral/chalk (very little); interplay of juicy fruit and acid; not bone dry on entry; slightly broader and less minerally than you might expect a chablis to be but not plump like a burg; linear and very balanced; long; medium bodied; can develop but why wait?; 12.5%. BANG! very very nice.
bruno giacosa barbaresco 2001 ("casa vinicola" label/basic/bought-in grapes)

decanted 45 mins; light ruby (you'd think this drink was thin and tasteless); nice broad nose of plum, dried flowers/violets, mushroom, dusty cedar, all beginning to meld, a bit of tar; plum/dark fruits, cinnamon (very little), hint of coco?; flavours broadened midpalate; fine tannins and balanced acidity; long; medium bodied; probably even nicer in a coupla years; 14%. BANG! a joy.

bruschetta, mussels (tomato/garlic/chilli), pork sausages, roast pork, barbequed ribs...and friends.

riesling redux

lagar de cervera albarino 2006 (rias baixas)

straw; nectarine, lime rind, granny smith; peach, nectarine, lime rind, minerally, round, a little savoury; off dry and gentle entry; balanced acidity; longish with a slight pineapple-like flavour at the back; nice smooth drop; 12.5%; no kero of course but seemed like an aussie riesling with the volume turned down a coupla notches ... like stuff from nz? POP!(+) too expensive here...when comparable antipodean rhieslings cost about 30% less.

tagliatelle alio olio with oyster mushrooms, pork sausages and chilli flakes ... for free.

$$$...sometime it's not a rich man's world

brighton and hove albion 2: adug town 2 [reg time] ...5:3 [pen] carling cup

nice init?

hope jumpin jack's not just a flash ...

until recently, it was the boy-man... now it's this young fella's turn to be lionised by the british press...

neil ashton wrote: "with comparisons already being made to liam brady, little jack wilshere suddenly has the world at his feet."

well lets hope it's not on his shoulders...

there's no doubt that he has great potential but for f*ck's sake, he's only 16 and one goonerling doesn't make a summer...at least not for english football.

by the way, liam brady's irish ...

kids in the candystore

goonerlings 6: blades 0 (carling cup)

i'd hoped that the wee ones would blunt the blades ... but ... speechless.

hobbits in the team?...just a thought.

gooners to upgrade nu kit midseason!

BREAKING NEWS!

well placed sources revealed that the gooner board have approved the use of an upgraded version of the kit issued this season, apparently at the behest of gooner gaffer, a. wengker, who has been seeking more onfield protection for the boy-man-wimp (as well as the other brittle boned wusses in the team).

when asked to comment at the post match interview after the trotter mauling, wengker refused to confirm or deny the report and merely smirked and mumbled something along the lines of " ...if the fa won't do anything, we'll take care of our own...spare funds... 30million...kill...".

said sources also revealed that the upgrade kit is scheduled to be rolled out at the home game against manure in november.

a recent amateur photograph, purportedly of walcott in training at the emirates.
our artist's impression of the upgraded home kit.
disassociated news

top...for 20 mins?

gooners 3: trotters 1

not a bad game given our obvious defensive frailties which were exposed. nuther (and luckily...only a) bruising day though...

it's funny that over-celebrating a goal and attempting to reprise the eduardo/taylor waltz deserve the same penalty.

anyway, would be nice if manure take down ch*lski......we'd be top for a week...

next stop, blunting some blades...with kids.

update: can't complain about the draw

ribs again

la fleur de bouard (lalande de pomerol) 1998
[80%merlot and the rest cab franc and sav]

ruby, some bricking; initially cassis, then plum, creamy wood, cedar, maybe a little mushroom (all melding together nicely), bit of greenish steminess; all follow onto palate, fruit, wood and acid integrating; ripe and furry tannin...nice in this case; medium bodied; linear and smooth; longish with savoury finish;13%. nice. BANG!
chateau patache d'aux (medoc) 2000
[60% cab sav: 30% merlot: 7% cab franc: 3% petit verdot ... so they say]

ruby, some bricking; initial whiff of lassi {the yoghurt drink not the collie}, blackberry, plum, cherry, sandalwood/musk?, someone said toffee?, clean; unripe plum, mineral/stone, citrus rind, that someone said capsicum; lots of fine tannins; still lots of acid (but not unpleasent); medium bodied and length; a little lean midpalate; 13%. also nice. maybe a coupla years more for things to intergrate better and fill out. needs food now. BANG! but only just, on account of it being a bit expensive and the said leaness.

and hell freezes over

manure away

pain in the ukraine

gooners 1: dynamo kyiv 1

didn't have a great game though the back wasn't too bad. we would normally flow. but if the other side does not oblige, we have to deal with it .........

lots of man to man and clumsy tackles.

had chances but we were blunt, blunt, blunt...

wengker has also started to winge ... "penalty was harsh", they "tried to destroy" the boy-man, ... pro soccer is harsh and he needs to grow up and shrug off all the thugs who will be targeting him for the rest of his playing life. if he really needs to be mommied (or wengked?), he should be playing chess...jeeez.

remember this? ouch! the pic a split second later is x-rated. "the beautiful game"? ... indeed.
anyway, to the over-the-hill bill ... good one ... would have been a real pain in the arsenal if we had gone down.

supper on wednesday

would be nice wouldn't it? crappy strike rate against them chooks though...

don't break out the bubbly just yet

gooners 4: blackburn 0

a heartening display but it must be seen in context. we played well (and took "most of" our chances) against a weak team. this is what must be done to lesser teams every single week with no exceptions before we can even hope to run with the big boys.

in any event, was a good game to blood the newborns...did not look particularly overawed...nice.

rvp and boy-man were not bad, eh? and the togolese vicillater might just redeem himself with the fans ... hmmm, hows about 30 more epl goals and leaving out the celebratory wriggling for some forgiveness?

and given the shareholdings at the club, could it be said that wednesday's game is at "home"? gives me the shivers...

all told, not a bad weekend... no points dropped plus the refreshing mancunian maulings elsewhere.