MJ Mad Dog

Month: May 2024

  • Week 217 – May 12th – Norwich City v Leeds United

    Norwich City 0 – Leeds United 0 – HT 0-0

    So the play-off start, can we get over the play-off curse?

    Norwich and Leeds fought out a tense, cagey, goalless draw in the first leg of their Championship play-off semi-final.

    Neither side fashioned many scoring chances at Carrow Road and the place in the Wembley final on 26 May will be decided in the second leg at Elland Road on Thursday.

    Both teams limped into the play-offs, with Norwich winning just two of their final seven league games to scrape into sixth while Leeds managed just two wins in eight to blow their chances of going up automatically.

    That poor form was reflected in a cautious approach by both sides with the Canaries’ Gabriel Sara and Leeds’ Sam Byram fluffing the two best chances in a game of few scoring opportunities.

    Leeds’ poor form forced manager Daniel Farke into an unexpected change with Archie Gray replacing striker Joel Piroe, meaning a forward role for Georginio Rutter, while Jonathan Rowe boosted Norwich with his first start since January following injury problems.

    Not surprising the 1st leg was tight, at least we haven’t conceded and will hope the 12th man (Leeds crowd) will get us over this hurdle and into the final.

    Marching On Together.

  • Week 217 – May 11th – First cut of the lawn 2024

    Due to the weather we have had this year, this afternoon was the first time that I cut the lawn.

    It was surprising how dry the lawn was considering the amount of rain we have this year.

    The most disappointing thing, was how the lawn was looking after all the work I did previously. One part just feels like it’s full of weeds. Not happy at all.

  • Well 217 – May 11th – Sparrow

    Caught a sparrow on the bird seed we have out in the garden this afternoon.

    sparrow
    Sparrow on the bird seed.

  • Week 217 – May 10th – Blooming well

    Blooming well.

    plants
    The old faithful is blooming well again this year.

  • Week 217 – May 8th – Garden plants

    Some of the spring plants are starting to show as well as the old faithfuls.

    plants
    The old faithful looking good.

    plant
    Lovely colours

    plants
    Deep blue or purple

  • Week 216 – May 4th – Leeds United v Southampton

    Leeds United 1 Southampton 2 – HT 1-2

    J. Piroe, (21′)      A. Armstrong, (18′) W. Smallbone, (35′)

    Assists –

                                  C. Adams (18′), K. Walker-Peters (35′)

    Not the way we would wanted to finish the season, especially at home and against team we could meet in the play-off final.

    Leeds will play Norwich City in the Championship play-offs and Southampton will take on West Brom after the Saints claimed a deserved win at Elland Road.

    The third-placed Whites went into the game knowing they had to win and Ipswich lose to all-but relegated Huddersfield to secure automatic promotion.

    But the Tractor Boys’ victory over the Terriers means both these sides must go through the play-offs to return to the Premier League.

    The visitors went in front when Adam Armstrong confidently converted Che Adams’ low cross first time but Leeds quickly levelled through Joel Piroe’s thumping finish from the edge of the area.

    Will Smallbone put the away side back in front after superb play by Kyle Walker-Peters to keep the ball in down their right and then tee him up with a measured pass.

    Southampton came into the game on the back of three straight losses but were good value for their first win here in West Yorkshire since March 2012.

    This victory completed the double for Russell Martin’s men against Daniel Farke’s side, in what could potentially be a dress rehearsal for the Championship play-off final on Sunday, 26 May.

    Just a few weeks ago this match had looked like it could potentially be a decider for an automatic promotion spot for either side.

    However, Saints slipped to three defeats and Leeds lost at home for the first time against Blackburn three weeks ago before being battered 4-0 at QPR last Friday to go into today’s game in need of a miracle.

    The Whites are looking to go up through the play-offs for the first time at the sixth time of asking, while Southampton have had one unsuccessful play-off campaign before.

    So we finish 3rd which is such a disappointment, after the way we played this year, until the pressure must have got to us with 6 games to go, we looked like we would be promoted straight back and now have to break the play-off curse.

    We finished with 90 points, the first second-tier side since Sunderland in 1998 to win 90 points or more and not go up automatically.

    Marching On Together

    League position 3rd after 46 games

  • Week 216 – May 4th – Tankerton

    Today we went and saw Claire’s dad and as the weather was reasonable, we took a drive out to Tankerton.

    Tankerton
    Trawler out on the English Channel

    Only after looking this up, found out the land you can see in the background is Southend.

  • Week 216 – May 2nd – Voting

    This evening we went and voted for the mayor of London, plus the constituency London Assembly and the London-Wide Assembly members.

    It been a major battle over the ULEZ and knife crime.

    This was the first vote that we had been too, that you required photo-id.

    I always wonder why the voting is done with a pencil.

    When will the General Election vote be?

  • Week 216 – May 2nd – Oh come on now, of course your stay working

    Today we switch over from a BT copper line to a BT fibre line.

    The engineer turned up and asked me if a cable had been sent. The answer was no.

    After discussing where the hub was best to go, he advised to call BT for the cable to be sent. When I spoke to BT, they were surprised the engineer didn’t have a cable, I mentioned that to the engineer, but he said they never carry them. I thought I wasn’t going to argue between them, so got the cable to be sent.

    The engineer explained what I need to do with the cable and the hub.

    After everything had been completed, the engineer came and checked everything was working OK, I said this is still on the old system, which he confirmed. Earlier in the week I had done speed tests and these were coming back much slower.

    After checking on another machine, after rebooting, that seemed OK, so I rebooted this machine and yes it was all OK.

    So I was happy for the engineer to leave.

    I went to where the hub was and was surprised that the engineer hadn’t cleaned up the dust from the drilling, so I dealt with that and put the room back.

    I then checked my phone and saw that I had two emails from BT, with the first saying we’ve completed and you now need to plug the cable in. I thought WHAT.

    Sure enough, I checked the machines and they were no longer connected to the internet.

    I was not happy.

    I rang BT, and I must admit this guy was very helpful, but this had been handled all wrongly.

    The engineer should have explained to me, without the cable, the internet wouldn’t work, because once he is completed, they switch off the copper line over to the fibre line and there is no way of going back. If I had known that, I would have said no and rescheduled.

    Also for the engineer to come and stand next to me and check everything was working and knowing that this would be stop as soon as he had sent some communication back to office, was not impressed at all.

    Whilst on with the BT, I checked a draw and found a cable, after reading out what was on the cable, he said, that may work.

    So I connected up the hub to the new BT box and thankfully the machines worked again on the internet.

    He had put in a complaint, but it was from them to the engineer provider.

    Luckily I knew what I was doing and had a cable, at no point during all the communication before the visit was there a mention of a cable required.

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