Welcome back, KP?

And so the saga which has dogged English cricket for months takes another twist. Kevin Pietersen is to undergo a 'process of re-integration', or so the ECB has claimed. What this 'process' is, in practice, remains to be seen, in truth. We know the details of what it entails and these need no further comment. But, there are two sides to every story. KP finally seems to be as remorseful as the ECB wanted him to be, having announced he has again apologised to Andrew Strauss, again reiterated his desire to play for England in all forms of cricket, until, at least the 2015 World Cup and again, has seemingly turned his back on the riches and glamour of IPL/Big Bash/ insert t20 competition here. For how long, however, remains to be seen. Yes, that may be a cynical view, but doubts must surely remain as to Pietersen's loyalty. Things said and done cannot just heal thanks to a meeting or two with Giles Clarke and the ECB administration. Rifts take time to heal and only time will tell if Pietersen really is as loyal to the cause as he claims.

Again, it is all very well making peace with those at the top of the off-the-field structure, but another thing entirely to make peace with the players. It must be noted that there have been very few, if any, senior professionals who have backed Pietersen in this whole affair in the public sense, and it is doubtful whether they have privately either. Senior pros Swann, Anderson and Cook have publicly backed the coach, Andy Flower and ex-captain, Andrew Strauss throughout the whole affair and rightly so. As I made clear in my previous blog, if Pietersen doesn't want to play for England then let him go to do as he pleases. English cricket is, and always will be, bigger than one man. Nonetheless, it is plainly obvious that a team with (a committed) Pietersen is better than a team without him and Pietersen will, in all likelihood, remain a key component to the England side.

However, that comes with a huge proviso - Pietersen will remain a part of the England side 'if'' his re-integration process is successful. Effectively, he is undertaking a four-month trial period. For a team, an organisation, so keen on consistency and stability, questions have to be asked as to whether this 'trial' is really the correct way of sorting out the problems this summer has created. Consider not only KP and Andy Flower, but the likes of Jonny Bairstow, James Taylor and Nick Compton in the Test arena and the likes of Eoin Morgan and Jos Buttler in the limited-overs format who are also affectively in limbo for the coming months. This will almost certainly have a destabilising effect upon these players who have been waiting for any opportunity to break into a very tough England side. Now, for all their efforts, they are in a very rocky place through no fault of their own. It is not to say some, if not all, of these names mentioned won't play for England at some point, but, as previously mentioned, England do not like to chop and change too much and with Pietersen back in the fold, chances will certainly be more limited.

Whilst Pietersen may well be back on terms with the ECB, it is very much doubtful that this summer's big cricket news is over. At the end of the 're-integration' is the time to evaluate Pietersen's loyalty to English cricket. What is certain is that Pietersen has a lot of work to do to convince the senior pro's he truly is one of them, striving for the same goals, as a team.

Strauss, KP and a transitional England...

A couple of months ago, just prior to the early season Test series with the West Indies, English cricket had seemed so rosy. Flying high in all formats and, crucially, number one in the world in Test match cricket. The squad was harmonious, and aside from the perennial issue of playing spin on the sub-continent, the only question mark was which of England's embarrassment of riches would take the seamer spot, or spots, alongside James Anderson, Graeme Swann and Stuart Broad. At this stage, in early May, there were few signs hinting at what lie ahead for English cricket and, to an extent, world cricket.

Captain Strauss declared he would not be resigning the captaincy any time soon, and thus, wouldn't be conforming to Graeme Smith's uncanny knack of having removed the previous two England captains, Michael Vaughan and Nasser Hussain, from their posts. Strauss had had a rough 18 months with the bat, with, before the West Indies series, his only century coming against the Aussies in the Ashes triumph at Brisbane. However, few were calling for his head at this point. After all, this was arguably the most successful England captain ever. A world number one ranking, back to back Ashes victories and a fantastic partnership between himself and Andy Flower, the coach.

Kevin Pietersen is Kevin Pietersen. Any self-respecting cricket fan knows what you get with Kevin Pietersen. You get ego, you get stubbornness, but most of all, you get natural raw talent. A natural raw talent which helped, firstly, England to regain the Ashes in 2005 with a magnificent 158 to take the game away from the Australians. You then get natural raw talent which helped win England their first limited overs world trophy, the World t20 in 2010, in which KP was crowned player of the tournament.   And, most recently, you get natural raw talent which almost certainly saved England's bacon at Headingley with one of the finest innings you'll see in Test cricket, one that had newspaper writers and pundits salivating. However, 'that' press conference after the Test in Yorkshire perhaps opened the cracks that some had began to see emerge in this England team. Pietersen could not say that the third Test at Lord's would be his last or not. KP hinted at other issues too, saying it was 'hard being me playing for England' and that he was in 'discussions' with Andy Flower and that more would be revealed after the cricket was over. This, coupled with Pietersen's retirement from all limited overs cricket earlier in the summer clearly did not bode well. This bolt from the blue hinted at underlying problems, problems that would emerge later on, such as Pietersen's wish to retire only from ODI's but to continue playing for his country in Test match cricket and international T20's, something the ECB simply would not budge on, and rightly so. For players to pick and choose which games to play for their country in this way is unacceptable and sends completely the wrong message to every other cricketer. It is one thing to retire from limited overs cricket entirely, as many have done with no problems at all, including Andrew Strauss, but quite another to attempt such a stunt as Pietersen did.

English cricket, despite the above, still appeared in decent shape going into the much anticipated series against South Africa, to show just who is the best Test side in the world. However, just as quickly as England's bowlers failing to deliver at The Oval, the tenuous harmony of the side was shattered. Media rumours emerged of derogatory text messages sent by that man again, Pietersen, to the opposition, particularly, ODI captain AB De Villiers and the best paceman in the world, Dale Steyn. Any sympathy Pietersen may have garnered instantly vanished upon these revelations. What more needs to be said on this issue? Pietersen was stupid beyond belief to do what he did and these messages, which has caused issues of 'trust and mutual respect' according to Andy Flower, could well prove the tipping point in Pietersen's career. In any other working environment, if an employee conferred key information to a rival firm or spoke badly of their colleague to someone outside of the company, they would be out. No second chances, that person would not return. Why should it be any different for KP? There should be no special treatment given to this man. England, in time, will find his replacement. Someone who'll be as good as, or better, than Pietersen. Cricket, and life, goes on. The ECB and the game is bigger than one player and always will be. The authorities cannot put this at risk and stoop down to football's level of 'player power' by letting England's star batsman return to the fold. His actions and his actions alone have caused this scenario. England has been good to KP and KP has been good to England, but, as a collective, English cricket cannot allow scandals like this and for that reason, KP should be disposed of. If Pietersen wants to join his mate Chris Gayle and become a t20 mercenary, then so be it, England should not stand in his way. However, Pietersen must look at himself too. Would he prefer a Bangladesh Premier League runner up medal and an Australian Big Bash trophy to another Ashes victory? If the answer to Pietersen, or any cricketer for that matter, is 'yes', then the game of cricket is in a lot of trouble. But who can blame the players? No one reading this would reject the chance of untold millions for a short stint in a warm country playing cricket for a couple of weeks. But tradition and history must stand firm over the current trend of t20, for Test cricket must always remain the ultimate aim for every cricketer, no, as in football, to make as much money as possible in the shortest time possible.

Life must go on post-KP however, and post-Strauss, following his resignation (and who can blame him after this most tumultuous of summers?). County cricket is full of promising middle-order batsmen to fill the void. James Taylor and Jonny Bairstow have just begun their Test careers, whilst youngsters James Vince, Joe Root and Alex Hales are touted for the future. Also, the likes of Eoin Morgan and Craig Kieswetter must still be considered for the role. However, the real problem lies in finding Alastair Cook an opening partner. It is an issue I've raised over the last couple of years as there appears to be no real plan from the ECB. Some pundits have talked of moving up Trott or Bell to open, but why move cricketers who have performed so well in their respective positions over the years? For me, only a new face will do. But who? No one truly impresses in county cricket at the moment. Nick Compton has had an outstanding season for Somerset, but is not really an opening batsman, whilst England could, and perhaps should, turn to Michael Carberry, who played a single Test over 3 years ago in Bangladesh. A fantastic athlete and, on his day, capable of great performances, but at the age of 32 and becoming ever more injury prone, is he the man to turn to? What is for sure is that the ECB have a lot of thinking to do and that England must now look ahead to next summer's Ashes and create a settled contented side. With or without KP.

"This Time Next Year" (Or The Hopes And Dreams Of A 20 Year Old)

So. Me again. Months on. Pompey still in crisis. Weather still mischievous. But this isn't going to be a dramatic journalistic post about the issues of the day. This is about me. A selfish post!!

So. 3rd year is fast approaching. The big one. The final year. And so it is time to think about the future. And that is what this blogpost is about: The future and I.

Below I am going to list the hopes and dreams I have over the coming academic (and slightly beyond) year. I wonder how many will come true.... (In no particular order)

• To secure a training contract. 
• To work at Camp America.
• To secure a place at law school. 
• To get to Oxford University. 
• To travel. Be it America. Be it Europe. 
• To receive a first class degree.

So. That's me! I'll be the happiest person alive if all of that comes true. Determination and hard work coming up in bucket loads....

In times of crisis: How Portsmouth FC have broken my heart.

I only blog now when a crisis is here. This is one of those times...

Portsmouth FC. The most passionate fans, the most intimidating stadium in England, the most mismanaged club. As I type, Vladimir Antonov and his company, CSI, are under investigation for all sorts of crimes and irregularities. Now, my purpose is not to go into whether he has, or has not, actually committed these 'crimes' and whether he is or not guilty, but to share my experiences of how Portsmouth's continual plight has affected me, subjectively.

I remember the 'good ol' days', the promotion season under Redknapp with Toddy banging the goals in left, right and centre. I remember the Great Escape, Pedro Mendes v Man City on March 11th 2006 - see I still remember the date! - I will never forget that 95th minute strike that changed everything. I remember the days where world class players were bought and it seemed almost natural to the fans, the norm. Diarra, Defoe, Crouch, Muntari, Campbell..... I remember the FA Cup win of 17th May 2008, the greatest day of my life, the only day I've cried at a football match. A day I shall never forget.
  However, this seems like a lifetime ago now.... so much has changed. We are a different club entirely. Of course, any club has good times and bad, even Man Utd and suchlike. However, no club has been on a roller coaster as much as Portsmouth.

The sad thing is, every time a new owner came in, I had faith, I had belief that he was 'the one'. He, be it Al Fahim, Al Faraj, hell, even Chanrai, would save us. They would stabilise the club and build future foundations. The administration saga (part 1) nearly destroyed my love for Portsmouth. Everything became a joke - Daniel Azoughy, Marc Jacobs etc etc... All these shifty characters who had nothing to do with football suddenly running our club. This club wasn't the one I had grown up supporting. It wasn't the one I had watched from the same seat in the North Stand for seven or eight years. If the team of 2010 hadn't had that FA Cup run, beating Southampton, beating Spurs, I cannot be sure I'd still be supporting the club. This isn't to say I'm not a diehard fan, but I believe I simply wouldn't have been able to do it any more. My club meant so much to me, it was killing me to see it torn apart and I really can't see how I could have been a part of that anymore. Nonetheless, I stayed. Purely through hope I think. Hope of a bright, better future.

That hope arrived, or so I believed, through CSI on 1st June 2011. Mr Antonov and Mr Dubov were the men with the plans. A 'five year vision' was introduced. Foundations were built for the academy, the training ground had a revamp and money was (finally) spent on quality acquisitions such as Luke Varney and Greg Halford. We were set for the future.... Yet it all comes crashing down. Again. Everything has gone wrong again. The free flags given out at the home game against Brighton in August stated, 'A new era. Everything is possible'. I don't think it was meant the way it has turned out.

The crux of my view is, can I handle this whole saga again? I'm not so sure. Old men, who have been supporting their clubs all their lives don't see one administration. I'm on the verge of seeing two in a couple of years. This may tip me over the edge. Again, I must reiterate, I'm not a 'fairweather' fan, I've been to over 150 games, home and away, however, things are getting too much. Talk of 'Phoenix' clubs are being brought up again, as is the 'Pompey Trust' or whatever it is called. Be realistic, these 'initiatives'  won't make one spot of difference.

Manager, Michael Appleton, a bold appointment in itself, has revealed how he has basically been 'duped' into the 'vision' of CSI as well and that things are going to have to change from that already, just days after becoming manager of the club. This prime example illustrates just how mismanaged the club is and has been.

Now, of course, Portsmouth FC has a large role to play in their ownership and financial meltdown but lurking in the shadows is the Premier League and the Football League. They have been grossly negligent in their duties. The fit and proper persons test has failed for the 4th time, and that's only Portsmouth! Forget Shinawatra and his ilk! The Premier League were all too happy to deduct the club 9 points, but they were also too happy in letting anyone who walked off the street being able to own Portsmouth. Not once had they met or spoken too Al Faraj before he took control of the club. Yet since those days of 2009/2010, what has changed in their approach? Nothing. How so? Because the exact same thing happened with Antonov and CSI! The football league passed CSI as 'Fit and Proper' to control Portsmouth yet the Financial Services Authority, General Motors (when CSI tried to purchase Saab) and the European Investment Bank were not so happy to have dealings with such a company. Again, I suggest the Football League will lurk in the shadows until the issue of a points deduction comes about, will say they will hold a review into CSI's ownership and will wait for the fuss to die down. The Football League have many questions to answer, yet who will hold them to account?

So, I believe the end may be nigh... not for Portsmouth, but for me. I have (nearly) had enough. This season will make or break it for me. I will not shed more tears or worry any more about my club going through the whole ownership saga again if it goes beyond this season. It is too much of a burden. I genuinely think Portsmouth will survive. Tough years are ahead, but Portsmouth will keep fighting and, if and when they are on a more stable footing, I'll have a little smile to myself. After all, I still have those memories of AC Milan, of beating Man Utd regularly, of 4-1 twice against Southampton! If Portsmouth go, my memories won't.

Summer

Hey everyone/anyone ....

Summer is here (it is raining though, as usual...) and i will be working/playing/holidaying etc etc...

So here are my plans... >>

I plan to work quite a bit, continuing on with the job I held down during college for over 2 years. I've been doing some holiday work over xmas and now have some shifts sorted for summer, so that will take up some of my time.

Elsewhere, I am going on a family holiday to sunny Lanzarote at the end of July. It will be good to go abroad again, as I haven't had a proper holiday since Barbados in 2009 - last year was just too busy!

Also, what is summer without a festival or two?! I'm off to Guilfest for the day, with the highlight being a Pendulum DJ set, which are always enjoyable. Plus, being just 20 minutes away, it is pretty handy. Although I have a Reading ticket in my possession ( well, in the post), I am selling this on, as I have other plans that weekend and I'm attending a different festival in London called SW4; a more Dance/DnB/Dubstep based affair.

Along with plenty of cricket, plenty of relaxing and plenty of money being earned ( i hope!), those are my plans for Summer 2011!

Autographs I Have Collected

Portsmouth Squad 2004-05
Portsmouth Squad 2005-06
Portsmouth Squad 2006-07
Portsmouth Squad 2007-08
Portsmouth Squad 2008-09
Personalised Salif Diao photo
Dean Kiely
Svetoslav Todorov
Pedro Mendes
Matt Taylor
Gary O'Neil
Liam, Keith & Maxim - The Prodigy x 2
David Beckham
Jose Mourinho
Jonathan Trott
Michael Owen
Andrew Flintoff
David Gower
Nasser Hussain
Kumar Sangakarra
Mike Atherton
Ian Botham
Shane Warne
Rob, Perry, Gaz, KJ Sawka, Verse - Pendulum

My Review of 2010 - A Personal Account

This is my review of my 2010. Enjoy!


January -

The mocks and college work came thick and fast. Law was getting more and more complicated, History had lost me completely and English was, well, English. The snow we had towards the end of the month will live with me forever, I have never seen anything like it! So much fun was had in it, but it did last a little too long! Oh, I failed my driving test again.

Portsmouth were doing "ok". We started our FA Cup campaign by beating Coventry in a replay in the 120th minute, talk about leaving it late!! We subsequently beat Sunderland 2-1 at Fratton in the next round.  Our embargo was lifted. Sort of. We could bring in loanee's and free's, but not "buy" players. We got Jamie O'Hara back on loan and brought Quincy back to the Premier League.

In Pendulum news, work on the new album was coming along nicely, with new tracks being previewed at a headline show at Matter, o2 London, with El Hornet being joined by Speed and Anscenic on the decks. This show enticed the world to new tracks such as Watercolour, as well as The Vulture, Crush and The Island amongst others.

February -

The intensity of work was taken up a notch, with the results of the mocks and re-takes out. I did no better in my English re-take, still on a B grade, but i was happy with my mocks, getting an A and two B's. I had heard back from all my university choices and had 5 offers out of 5, so i was pleased. However, i already knew which one I wanted to go to.

Portsmouth had a month which summed up 2010 for the club. Days before playing Southampton in the FA Cup, the club was issued with a winding-up petition, but thankfully was given a stay of execution in the High Court. The players didn't let this affect them and went and trounced their rivals 4-1 in their own back yard!

The odd sample or leak or scrap of news was coming out of the Pendulum camp, with the 3rd album being entitled "Immersion". In addition, a UK tour was announced which included a headline performance at Wembley Arena in May. Watercolour was confirmed as... Watercolour and not the previously thought "Take me out of here".

March -

More of the same at College, more failed driving tests, work work and more work, with a final push being made towards those all important exams.

Portsmouth were getting ever closer to relegation following a 9-point deduction, but now focus was on the FA Cup and a lunchtime clash at Fratton against Birmingham. 2 Piquionne goals, the second less fortuitous than the first, put Portsmouth into the semi-finals and a trip to Wembley against all the odds.

Pendulum were preparing and finishing Immersion, with a mid-May release closing in. Watercolour was to be the lead single and debuted as Zane Lowe's Hottest Track in the World on Radio 1, showing the world just what the band had in mind.

April-

Ah, April. Well, i passed my driving test at the 5th attempt! A big monkey off my back. I attended my cousins wedding in Cambridge. I worked hard. I accepted my place at Oxford Brookes. That's about all!

Portsmouth were relegated one day, then beat Spurs in the Semi-final the next! The mad world of Portsmouth FC. The shock to end all shocks was fantastic for me. How Spurs didn't score and win I will never know! We were battered, but survived and Dawson's slip let Piquionne score, whilst KP Boateng scored a penalty at the death to make it official: Portsmouth were in the FA Cup Final. Again!

The main Pendulum news of the month was that fans favourite track, Ransom, had been cut from Immersion as it "didn't fit" according to the band. This was met by disappointment but also news that it would emerge "at some stage".

May -

Brilliant Month. I had my exams (i had the flu whilst i did them!). It was a relief to get them completed after years of hard work. I just hoped i had done well enough....
Pendulum hit Brighton in May and I went down with 2 mates and a load of others that i didn't know, but soon got to know and have kept in touch with since. A great gig even though not too much from the new album was forthcoming. It was great to get front row and even get one of the band's water bottles, we then saw in my mate's 18th birthday, which made the night even better.

Portsmouth had the small matter of a FA Cup final against Chelsea. This time it was different. The fans went for a day out expecting nothing. We enjoyed it so much more, despite the result and Boateng's missed penalty. My hard work on twitter had paid off too, i found a Chelsea supporting friend right before the final and we have kept in touch ever since. (this paragraph is dedicated to @shivamlm, haha!)

Pendulum exploded. Immersion was a Number One album, Watercolour got to number Four, Pendulum's highest ever single. The vibe was huge, Pendulum got massive. The worldwide release of the album was met with critical acclaim, tracks such as Witchcraft, Crush and tune of the summer, The Island would prove to be huge.

June-

Literally nothing happened in June. Not even joking!

July-

More eventful! Went to Warriors Dance Festival and saw Pendulum, Chase and Status and The Prodigy smash up Milton Keynes and play to 65,000 people. An amazing day even if the logistics were difficult, (long story!). Met up with 2 sets of friends there, which completed the day!
I also went to Guilfest, where a dream of mine was achieved; to see the masters of electronic music, Orbital. I loved it, even if it wasn't that busy and they were great. Also saw Milton Jones there, just to top it off!

Portsmouth were enjoying a much-needed break, even if Avram Grant had left and half the team had gone.

Pendulum hit Milton Keynes, and in truth be told, it was their worst performance. Outdoors doesn't suit them, nor does a massive venue. However, they still smashed it to bits!

August-

Wow! I got my results - 3B's! I got what i needed for uni! I'm going to Oxford Brookes! August 19th was one of my proudest days, I was just so happy to have made it. Results night was excellent. Spoons in Guildford was ram-jammed, everyone was happy and the night was brilliant, having fun with old friends and new. Oh yeah, the next morning i was off to V Festival for the weekend with 2 old mates! (see a previous post for more details)

The next week I went to Coventry for the opening day of the season. Failure. Big failure. A team full of kids and one's who wanted to leave. An experience best left forgotten.

Then it was off to what was to be the best weekend of my life; Reading Festival 2010. Carnage, pure carnage. Pendulum headlining the NME Stage, a proud moment, a hell of a lot of new friends, a 42nd Birthday and a flag to match (Mark!) many laughs, many "new experiences" had, and a load of fun in general, despite the weather!

Amongst all this, I also saw the T20 Finals day at the Rose Bowl (see a previous post for details), another great day of the year for myself, a Hampshire fan.

September -

I was off to uni! Oh my god! It was dawning on me, and quickly! I met my flatmates at 3am, after a fire alarm. Messi, Raymond, Ed, Sophie, Miguel and later on, Natalie. They are great to live with, so much so, i'll be living with 3 of them next year too! I settled into uni really quickly and got to grips with Law easily too.

Portsmouth managed to not win in their first 7 games, which luckily came to a halt following a 6-1 demolition of Leicester at home late in the month. A true highlight so far!

Pendulum were back from their festival tour and announced two tours; a short one of Australia and a fully-blown Arena tour of the UK, again including Wembley! Naturally, i was going again!

Oh yeah, it was my birthday on the 23rd!

October -

More of the same at Uni, work, fun and more work!

Portsmouth had a fantastic October, including a home victory over the impressive Nottingham Forest. Suddenly, from relegation candidates, the club were very much play-off contenders.

The Island was released as a 3rd single by Pendulum, after the release of Witchcraft in July, with the promise that if The Island charted higher than it's predecessor, Ransom would be released. It didn't. It wasn't.

November-

Coursework began at uni and the workload increased. Everyone was getting along great in the flat and I was making more friends in lectures too. Happy times!

Portsmouth had a shaky November, including 2 defeats, but also a win away at Swansea, highly impressive.

Pendulum destroyed Austraila and were in deep preparation for their UK tour which started in early December. Rumours of new live tracks being played gathered momentum.

December -

More coursework, more exams, oh, I love it really! This is what uni is all about!
The snow certainly disrupted things; more on that later.

Portsmouth had a disjointed December, with matches against Burnley and Scunthorpe called off, yet the club prevailed against Norwich and gained a point at home to Millwall and away to Leeds, no easy task. However, as always, nothing was easy, with contractual disputes and lack of funds making Steve Cotterill's task harder.

Pendulum smashed their Arena tour, with every date sold out. Wembley was massive, despite the snow doing its best to stop me. New live tracks did emerge, namely Different (dubstep remix), Comprachicos and Encoder. The show was off the scale, yet again, no damned Tempest! I need to see that song live!

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So, that's my review. It's been an amazing year, with the highlights being getting into uni, passing my driving test, Pendulum in general, Reading festival and Portsmouth FC (sometimes!). Here's to you, 2010.

Roll on 2011!


Grant