It is funny how one external factor can make or break a weekend. Up to Sunday lunchtime, I was enjoying my weekend, having achieved very much everything I had set out to achieve. My PC was fixed, digital television was working great. Although I prefer using Power Cinema rather than the Hauppauge software that came with the card. (Even I cannot have everything!) Saturday was relatively productive. Got my haircut in the morning, dropped the 307 at the dealership for it’s first service around 1pm. Then the afternoon was spent vacuuming and polishing the interior of my car. In the evening I headed over to my mate’s house and transferred all his personal documents and photographs from his old Mesh computer to his shiny new Dell Inspiron laptop. It was not as straightforward as I had hoped but we got there in the end. I should have realised that Windows 98 would never pick up a USB 2.0 320gb hard drive. It was nice to catch up and we made that all important booking. We booked tickets for Casino Royale for Saturday 18th November at 2pm at Vue, Oxford. This inspired us somewhat and we spent rest of the evening watching various old Bond clips on YouTube.

Then we come to, today. Sunday. The rest day (well to some, okay most). Had to get up early and drop off my Mum at work. Instead of dashing home and back into bed, I went and got the car cleaned, it was badly in need of a clean. Then when I got home, I went online and spent some time doing some necessary admin. Filing away papers and making a small pile of security sensitive documents that needed to be shredded. The time flew by and it was gone midday. I had to get ready, have a shower, do all those everyday things. Around 20 past 12 I finally pulled myself away from the computer and switched it off. Getting ready, I was on the sofa watching the final few minutes of Goals on Sunday on Sky Sports within twenty minutes. However there was an uneasy feeling in the air. I just could not put a finger on it.

Defeat I can take. Last minute goals are a killer and thankfully I have suffered them more at international level, with England than with my club team Arsenal. There is little to really say, our performance was poor but West Ham did not over the course of ninety minutes deserve to win the match. You should learn from defeats, look at your mistakes, pick yourself, be stronger for the next challenge, next tackle. However, what overshadowed the game was the bust up between the two managers. Now, no matter what frustrated Monsieur Wenger, he should still have shaken hands with Alan Pardew. (I am not his biggest fan but he is a decent English football manager and at times due some credit, for talking sense). I feel ashamed by my manager for his stance. Sure, the celebration and Brucie impression under the nose of the Frenchman was completely out of order but football is a passionate sport. I would not have it any other way. Voice your annoyance, but never the less, keep the upper hand by remaining dignified in your conduct, always. I crawled the inter web for a quote and found one, “The true gentleman is subtly poised between an inner tact and an outer defense.” By little known and Ungoogleable Puzant Kevork Thomajan (well nothing substantial and no page on Wikipedia!)