Where to start? I am slightly disorientated, having for the first time in several months (could it be as much as a year?) not blogged over the weekend, as I normally would have done to build up to Wednesday. Perhaps for a change, the press, television and other blogs were right, the match, the final did mean everything that was written about it. For a change, the hype was necessary, this was the biggest game in the club’s history. Yet now, forty eight hours after the event, it slowly begins to be forgotten by the neutral, rather passive football fan. For the rest of us, we realise how close we were and yet perhaps justly, so far. I would prefer not to lament on the game and the circumstances any further. There will be column inches for many months, perhaps long into next season with analysis and post mortem of the ninety minutes in Paris. In a change, I would prefer to look to the future. To the World Cup in Germany, to the potential of next season, the first at Ashburton Grove. Particularly the news this afternoon that Titi has signed an new contract until 2010. Having just watched the news conference in full on Sky Sports News, I was touched by some of his remarks, particularly when he considered this to be his final contract, the final chapter in his glittering football career. Coming back into my room, I picked up my framed souvenir (for lack of a better word) of the last game at Highbury and looked once again at the photograph of Henry kissing the hallow Highbury turf. Never has a player held so much love for a club and have the fans paid that affection back in full from the terraces.

Been talking to Chris online and expressing how happy and glad I am that the French international has decided to stay and commit his football future to the North London club. To non-football fans, I suppose this can be difficult to understand. What is the appeal of the so called beautiful game? While I got into the sport quite late, I still believe my passion for the sport can be summarised in a single phrase. Knowing what a person is capable of on the pitch, but knowing know what will unfold over the course of a match. Does that make sense? I can understand that it sounds an oxymoron but what I am trying to explain is the appeal of the greatest sport on the planet. The week went by quite quickly and it has been fairly busy at work. While that can be a good thing, in the sense the five working days fly by, there is the added pressure to get things done and out of the door by the end play. Though, I cannot complain, there is little that can get me down in the office. Entertainment wise, we have a living legend who says he looks after the books, or rather cooks them. Never a dull moment. Enough about work, it is Friday night and I need to be thinking about my weekend. Nothing really planned for Saturday, although I may pop into town in the morning, seen how they are progressing with the town redevelopment. Of course I will be catching the second part of the Timelords latest battle with the Cybermen, followed by the Eurovision Song Contest. I last mentioned the amateur singing competition back during the tail end of my University days. Two years and five days exactly have passed since then. I suppose I was either too busy or did not want to mention the reality. I am perhaps a closet fan of the contest, watching every year. I suppose I enjoy the exuberant lyrics and the now legendary commentary from Terry Wogan. Times have changed, with the majority of entrants now singing in English, years ago, you would put on subtitles and have tears in your eyes at the sheer absurdly of some of the lyrics. On Sunday afternoon, I shall be venturing to Reading to watch Da Vinci Code. I know I said I would read Dan Brown’s book, but just did not get around to it. Even though I bought the illustrated hardback copy for my sister, this Christmas just past. She has read the book and recommended it to me over the summer, before she returned to University. Of course, I did not have any time (I rarely do) to read the conspiracy theory. I am looking forward to watching the two and a half hour movie to find out what all the fuss is about. I heard a review on FiveLive last night and while I can understand it will have strong critics, from across the religious spectrum, nothing can beat judging for yourself. At the end of the day, it is just a book and sheer entertainment, the work of pure fiction? We shall see.