Some small bites today rather then one long rant like the last couple of times. First off the Ashes starts tonight. In my time of following cricket (I am not going to pretend I have followed it 100% in my life but I do keep an interest in Essex and England and know a little about Essex in particular but as I said, I am not 100% upon my knowledge) this is the biggest test series that I have personally known. The pressure on both sides is immense with an Australian nation expecting to regain the Ashes on home soil and the raised expectations on England after winning the Ashes in the summer of 2005. The injuries and withdrawals of players from the England side have hindered preparation but the mindset that the England side will be in is one of complete focus on the task at hand. Last Ashes series in Australia, England lost but it was the series were Michael Vaughan really came to the fore with three 150+ knocks. This series many people have tipped Monty Panesar to be the one who ups his game but for me it will have to be a collective effort from everyone. This whole post has been clichés and sound bytes but I think they ring true. Bell and Cook have a lot of pressure and expectation to handle high up the order and Anderson with the ball could be a real star if he remains consistent. However I feel that with such a partisan crowd and the strength of depth they have available to them, I think Australia will regain the ashes but not without a fight.

Next up, the Olympics. The whole thing is 6 years away but the whole process of delivering the games has got completely bogged down in politics and spin. London’s esteemed mayor has already dismissed the spiralling cost of the games while the Culture sectary Tessa Jowell has said to a committee of MP's that the cost of the Olympics set to go up by 40%. The euphoria of winning the Olympics dried up a long time ago and now Londoners and Londoners alone that are facing an even higher council tax bill. The money sure as hell is not going to come from the lottery as diverting lottery fund money into the Olympics will take away from the other causes it donates money to. People who said the Olympics would overrun when we won were dismissed as pessimists but that particular view has rung true. However this is not the time to point fingers of blame, nor is it the time to hide behind the fact of winning the Olympics is a wonderful thing like politicians have tended to do. Now is the time to be straight up with people and to show exactly what costs are incurred where and if there is any potential for any more major increases in cost.

Now onto West Ham news. Anton Ferdinand has been arrested on charges of assault leading to ABH and violent disorder. The charges stem from an incident outside an Ilford nightclub. In hindsight, it was a good thing that I kept the original article from when Anton was involved in the incident. It’s from the London Lite newspaper on the 3rd of October. It reads:

“West Ham footballer Anton Ferdinand was caught up in a nightclub brawl after someone tried to steal his £10,000 watch. The 21-year-old defender, younger brother of England and Manchester United star Rio Ferdinand was at Faces nightclub in Ilford when a clubber made a grab for his Jacob & Co watch, sparking a fight involving up to 20 people. Ferdinand, who was still sporting a bruised lip yesterday, was questioned at the scene by police as a potential witness or victim. No arrests were made.”

Now if that report from the 3rd of October was proved to be wrong previously then I apologise but if someone makes a grab for your property then you have a right to defend it, don’t you? Anyway, Hayden Mullins has signed a new contract until 2010. I am very pleased for him as he has had to overcome a lot of stick from the fans (mostly for being played out of position) and was pivotal last season in a top half of the league finish. Also Alan Pardew today has said that he wants West Ham back in Europe by the end of the season through either a good cup run or a strong league finish as he put it. Well we have already lost out on our best chance of getting into Europe (The Carling Cup) so to me it’s basically impossible.

To end, if Gary Neville knew Saha was going to miss the penalty against Celtic Tuesday night (according to Neil Lennon) then why didn’t he pipe up and say something to his manager or his team-mates?