Squeaky Bum Time :)

At this point in the football season teams begin to be relegated or promoted and, for those of us involved, every match becomes crucial. I know many people who hate the drama of it but for me it's what being a supporter is all about.

Last season everything was riding on the last game for Torquay. We were glued to Sky Sports, looking at the table 'as it stands', which was insanely nerve-wracking watching us go in and out of the play-offs like a yo-yo! Sadly we ended up losing the final but I'm over it.

It was much the same with Wolves as I sat chewing my nails praying that they would avoid relegation. However, this season has been another trying one. In all honesty I believe that their exit from the Premier League will be confirmed sooner rather than later. Much as I love them I just can't see them clinging on.

On the other hand, Torquay have had another stonker of a season! Nobody is more surprised than me at how well things have gone. Losing our manager and several players made us all apprehensive and staying in the league seemed like the best we could hope for. Yet, here we are on the cusp of automatic promotion! It's true that teams around us have games in hand but the fact that we even have a chance is an unbelievable feeling. Torquay is a small club but everyone involved has fight and passion in abundance and I'm so proud of the lads for making it count. Whatever happens I can say, hand on heart, that they are a pleasure to support.

All in all I am conflicted. The dire situation at Wolves shows no signs of changing, however, the fortunes of Torquay leave me feeling positively jubilant! It has not escaped my notice that there may only be a division difference between my teams next season which I could not have predicted back in August.

There's games to play still though and I football is a rollercoaster. A lot can change in a few weeks. :)

Teamwork

Just a quick post inspired by the dire situation at Wolves at the moment. Jamie O'Hara tweets saying that he ran more than any other premier league player. Great, I'm sure that's true but football is not an individual sport.

Quite simply I think this is a perfect time to bring in the Finding Nemo philosophy. Don't laugh, it makes sense! Remember the part where all the fish are trapped in the fishing net? Well, they're all swimming every which way doing their own thing and getting nowhere. Nemo comes along and tells them all to swim in the same direction. Consequently they manage to achieve the objective and save themselves.

My point is that, whilst the Wolves players might be giving it 100%, they're all directing their efforts towards their own purpose. They need to pull together as a whole instead of an isolated unit and focus on a singular goal.

You see? Disney has all the answers. ;)

Update

Life has been getting in the way since my last post leaving me very little time or motivation to write. No developments on the job front unfortunately, the latest rejection coming from the DWP themselves. I spent over 2 hours doing their competency assessment then a numeracy and literacy test, which I passed. My application survived the first sifting process so, like an idiot, I thought I may actually be lucky this time. However, they turned me down due to my lack of recent work experience. Ironic really. Clearly you can only get a job front if you already have one!

Anyway, that's just more of the same so hardly a surprise. My car failed the MOT on a bundle of things and is now sat gathering rust while I try and save to fix it. The washing machine packed up 2 weeks ago so the laundrette is taking all my money now. Then the boiler decided to leak water through my hall ceiling. My landlord has become unreachable therefore I had to pay to call someone out to fix it. The boiler actually needs replacing but obviously that's not up to me. The council have told me they will withhold the housing benefit until they make contact so I'm just waiting to see what happens.

My daughter's school trip needs paying for too although £85 for 2 days on Dartmoor seems a bit steep to me. Especially considering it's the parents responsibility to transport the children there and back. It's also her 9th birthday in a couple of weeks, just to add to the financial stress.

Money worries I'm used to after all this time but then, during half term, I had physical pain to contend with as well. I've never had tendonitis before but I had heard of it. Still, it surprised me how much it really hurts! My doctor is a sadist I think because she bent and pulled my hand around until I was in agony! I was prescribed painkillers and anti-inflammatories then sent to the hospital for physiotherapy. There is still some discomfort in the joint but it feels much better thankfully. For future reference, wearing a wrist splint is almost as bad as the injury itself. It gets in the way something awful.

This afternoon I'll be plodding off to the jobcentre to sign on but now that I'm on the working links program they'll literally just get me to sign and go. It's not ideal but nevermind.
Right now I plan to watch some tv and read my book. I live life in the fast lane, it's true