Author: Admin

Another late start

I’m always a late starter in so many ways. Amongst my friends, I was the last to commit to a mortgage, last to get a mobile phone, resisted signing up to Sky Sports, last to pass my driving test, christ, I’ve still to get married.

So after hearing with little interest about the latest big thing on Netflix, I decided on an impulse to sign up and see what all the fuss was about. I guess at the back of my mind I was thinking of the long winter dark nights and it would be a good time to catch up on what I had missed.

I’ve been subscribed to Nextflix now for a week and I have watched little else than a diverse range of documentaries and dramas. First up was the series every guy seemingly has to watch: Narcos, which was brilliant in so many ways. The mix of archive footage, heavy narration and authentic realism of the drama made it addictive viewing. So this is what Netflix is all about…….

Then I went on to the documentary ‘Get Me Roger Stone’, as I still couldn’t’t work out how Trump gained the presidency of th e United States of America. I had read Hillary Clinton’s book ‘What Happened’ and that shed some light on the Trump phenomenon. But watching this documentary was shocking, revealing and made me fear for what is really possible in today’s world. Talk about the Dark Arts of Politics??!? How the electorate can be led down such a sinister and divisive journey is deeply depressing. This is a must watch documentary.

Next up was ‘Minimalism’. The underlying message in this documentary is simple: Live with less. It will help us both personally and as a society. This would be watched not only for anyone who wants to live a simpler life, but for everyone. I guess I have not been sucked in by many who consume a great deal in their day to day life. But this really made me think about what I need and what physical baggage I need to get rid of. I immediately scoured my flat and got a huge amount of stuff to sell at next weekend’s boot sale. The process was thoroughly therapeutic.

The latest viewing was Season One of ‘Making a murderer’. Now I’ve heard about this series for a long time and boy it didn’t disappoint. We were introduced to Steven Avery, a man who spent 18 years in prison despite being wrongfully convicted of sexual assault. Several years after he was released, he was accused of murder, found guilty and sent back to prison.

It was stunning and disturbing. A masterpiece in documentary making and a warning to us all. It really did make you think about the fundamental and seismic faults within a democratic legal system. You’d never trust another jury after you watch this. I watched this in two sittings. Watch, think, discuss, debate. If television has any value in modern society, this it is.v

I have a long list of art to watch next……Black Mirror, Mindhunter, The Vietnam War, The Staircase, 22 July, Better Call Saul, Fargo, House of Cards…..

The weather and the Americans

They say that us Brits are obsessed with the weather but our cousins in America seem fixated with reporting any weather conditions which are in any way extreme. Admittedly the conditions over in Florida who are facing the wrath of Hurricane Michael are exceptionally severe but boy are they obsessively covering the impending storms. Loss of life is a possibility but America is probably best place to survive the hurricane when compared to elsewhere in the world.

I’m watching the coverage on CNN (unfortunately the cricket is rained off) and they have cleared their schedule to over the weather. I have always believed the news is where the journalists are located, as opposed to the journalists heading out to wherever the story is. And this is very much the case with CNN. They have even suspended their savage criticism of Trump (even though much of it is deserved) and they have reporters dotted along the coast of Florida.

Whatever happens, this is the main story of the day. Even if the storm miraculously loses its awesome power, I think this development will be lost on CNN. They have invested too much money and airtime on this story. I guess it makes good TV. Reporters battling against the wind and rain creates startling imagery. Interviewing the few residents who have decided to ride out the storm gives the story a personal, emotional pull. Local politicians fight each other to been seen predicting the end of the world. It’s much easier than discussing the dangers of climate change. Far too complex and demanding for the mind.

I’m only waiting on Trump to demonstrate an air of indifference to the effects of Hurricane Michael. I think the CNN journalists will to a man and woman explode with righteous anger and excitement.

I’m back……

Hello all

Yes, I’m still alive and kicking. In fact, I’ve done more kicking (figuratively), in recent times than ever before. I had a fun placement at Comic Relief last autumn, then following a stint at AXA Insurance, I have spent the last seven months with the guys at the Canary Wharf Group. It was a hugely enjoyable and rewarding experience and I worked on some really exciting branding and campaign projects. I worked across the residential, retail and events teams. The work was demanding, yet fun and I’m hoping I will return there one day soon.

So I’ve barely had a day off during the last year. My only short holiday was spent in Lyon during the middle of May. The masterplan was to watch Arsenal play in the Europa Cup Final. It was a cunning plan, with me booking travel and hotel months before the match took place. I got a good deal on the Eurostar and found a really nice hotel in the center of town. I then got lucky in the UEFA ballot for tickets. All was in place for a memorable holiday.

Arsenal then drew Atletico Madrid in the semi final. This was a potential hitch in the masterplan. They were the favorites for the competition and they were the worst possible draw for us. But no problem, the Spanish helpfully got a player sent off 16 minutes into the first leg at the Emirates. We will take a comfortable lead back to Madrid and I’ll make a joyful trip to France along with 30,000 other Gooners. My dream of an Arsenal v Marseille final was going to come true.

But the plan was evidently not so cunning. The Atletico defenders played like giants in London and they suffocated our attacking play in Madrid. So I departed London in May with a heavy heart but I had the most wonderful trip. Met a good few Arsenal fans who were as misguided as I was in booking up early and I also met up with football fans from all over Europe who travelled to a festival of football. A truly memorable trip. I sold my final tickets to a group of grateful Marseille fans and watched the game with a load of Lyon supporters who celebrated wildly when Atletico strolled to a comfortable victory.

So I’ve had a couple of weeks off work following my departure from the Canary Wharf Group and now I’m looking forward to some exciting roles for some new clients. And I promise to be more active with this blog. Apparently, Arsenal have got a new manager since I last posted?? Really…??

Step forward Mike Dean

So the season is developing along the lines which many Arsenal fans expected and feared. You can’t escape the feeling that the club is lacking direction and any real long-term strategy. Wenger is doing what he does best for a few seasons now. Putting together a team which is technically excellent, a collection of players who, on their day, can compete with the best teams in England. Yet there remains a weak mentality, a lack of resolve when we are up against it and the team’s confidence can erode at a stroke. Capable of great football but just as likely to concede the softest of goals. It’s not easy being a Gooner.

But what we really don’t need is the kind of referring decisions which can ruin your New Year celebrations in a heartbeat. Step forward Mike Dean. He’s stitched us up before and you can sense the collection intake of breath from Arsenal fans every time he leads the teams out. The decision on Sunday to award a penalty against Calum Chambers in the game against West Brom was plainly wrong. It was at best incompetent and at worse, down to something more sinister. He’s been universally condemned by all (even Alan Pardew conceded it was never a penalty) and it’s difficult to defend such a bizarre decision.

Within hours of the match, social media was awash with examples of similar incidents in games where Dean has officiated. The match at the Emirates against Leicester this season saw a Leicester player direct the ball away with is hand in the area. A much stronger case for a penalty but the Dean seem to enjoy dismissing calls for a penalty. This season has been dogged by questionable officiating. The Palace v City game, also on Sunday, saw some atrocious refereeing and there seems to be a collective lack of confidence and authority from many of the top referees.

I guess the VAR (Video Assistant Referee) system will never entirely eradicate the controversy we seem to be witnessing each week. But it surely help in preventing the really farcical decisions. If the Chambers handball was reviewed on 10 occasions by a VAR, I’m confident the decision would be reversed 10 times. We aren’t going to win the league, we probably won’t challenge for a top four place but one day soon a really crass error of similar proportions will prove decisive in a title-deciding game. My money will be on one Mike Dean being the official making another disgraceful error.

Until then, I fear nothing will change. The FA appears to show no desire to discipline Dean in any way. Instead they have charged Wenger for having the temerity to demonstrate his outrage at such a diabolical decision. Work that one out for me. The game which makes billions annually around the world is being administered by a bunch of amateurs.

Happy New Year

I hope everyone is well and you all enjoyed the festivities last night. I dearly hope you had more of a riotous time than I enjoyed. I had a quiet night in and I actually enjoyed the evening. I’ve avoided going out for many years now. In my youth, myself and friends devised strategic (and expensive) plans to see the new year in with a bang. My body can no longer stand such an assault on my senses any more (even if the will was there). I woke up with a clear head and a unwavering desire to go for a long run. Middle age is well and truly my home now.

In any case, I needed a quiet festive period after a busy end to 2017. My inactivity with this blog probably pointed towards being busy keeping clients happy. I worked with a number of clients on relatively short projects for the second half of the year. It was a challenging time and I’m pleased I fared pretty well (even if I say so myself). As I’ve stated before, it’s always a challenge to maintain your skills levels across the diverse worlds of print and digital design. You need to keep your eye out for key, innovative and new developments in the creative world.

Since October, I’ve been working with the team at Comic Relief, with a focus on producing printed material for the Sport Relief charity week in March of this year. It’s been great to work with such a talented, committed and professional creative team. I have another couple of weeks to complete the project I’ve been working on. I then plan to embark on a really busy first five months of the year. I’m on the lookout for challenging, demanding and innovative clients to work alongside. I would love to focus more on my digital work but above all, I want to continue to develop and learn as a creative artworker.

I’ve booked a week’s holiday in May. I’m off to Lyon to hopefully cheer on Arsenal in the Europa Cup (don’t laugh) and I’ll return on the eve of Harry and Meghan’s big day to enjoy the celebrations (again, don’t laugh).

So I’m determined to write for my blog more often. I just need to organise my free time more effectively. I think my next post, which will be up in a few days, will probably focus on the competence of a Premier League referee.

I shall bow out to wish everyone a fantastic year ahead (bar Mike Dean naturally…)

Not so happy

So it’s evident that I haven’t been too busy with my blog recently. No particular reason. Work’s been hectic and I guess you can get out of a routine and all your discipline can go out of the window in respect to updating your blog. But if there is a reason I can point towards explaining my lack of activity, it’s down to my growing apathy with all things connected to supporting Arsenal.

It’s been a frustrating, up-and-down start to the season. The Leicester game was a fun evening but then we had the poor performances at Stoke and Liverpool. We then had brief, encouraging unbeaten run but you always sensed we were a game away from a crisis. And predictably (and painfully), along came Watford and Troy Deeny to put some measured perspective to our decent form during September.

It made for tough viewing last night. We were flattered to go into half-time 1-0 up and I feared for the worse. No shame losing to Watford. They are having a decent season and they’ll take points of many big clubs but the manner in which we lost was so familiar. So ‘Arsenal’. No spirit, no fight, no capacity for defending a slender lead during such an indifferent performance. Our inability to grind out a result is killing us.

There seems to be so many reasons for such a troubling state. Sanchez and Ozil seem to have their mind elsewhere, our injury crisis has come even sooner than usual in the season and key players are simply not performing. The whole balance of the team is often plain wrong and squad players such as Wilshire, Giroud, Walcott and Chambers haven’t really made an impact in the PL. The fan divide hasn’t gone away and you can sense the infighting at our next home game will be as bad as ever. Kronke, Gazidis and Wenger are seen as obstacles to our club progressing and I expect they’ll be fan protests against Swansea. The media are enjoying our difficulties and there’s generally a feeling the club remains a little rudderless.

Nevertheless, I still continue going to the games. Yet increasingly the game itself is hardly the highlight of the day. The few beers before the game – we enjoyed the City rout of Liverpool before the bournemouth game – if often far more enjoyable than the following 90 minutes. The 3-0 was welcome but instantly forgettable. I was actually happy to leave the ground and then meet family/friends for a post-match beer. Revealingly, we barely mentioned the game. I think we just were happy to come away with a win and we could discuss all subjects away from the lifeless performance. I guess watching Utd drop points at Stoke helped but we all agreed the match day experience was a world away from watching Arsenal in the 80s.

So I’ll still look forward to the Swansea game in two weeks. The lunchtime Utd v Spurs game will be a nice distraction and it will be good to catch up with some old friends. But increasingly, that’s what our home games now mean to me. An opportunity to enjoy a few beers with friends and a yearning hope that our team will return to some real form to make us credible top four challengers. I have a ticket for the upcoming Spurs game. I can only hope that Kane does his hamstring in the week to come…..

The development of Photoshop

Learning the advanced features of Photoshop.

The mantra from most in the diverse digital world is ‘keep on learning new stuff’ and ‘look out for the next big thing to improve your workflow’. Be it a new framework, plug in or software package. If you attend any of the many tech meet ups in London which I frequently do, you often leave the event feeling dizzy and a little disorientated. You are told by a multitude of strangers that you simply must learn this new ‘must have’ addition to your skill set. It’s in huge demand and clients in no time at all will be grabbing your from the streets. It’s a ‘win win’ you’re told.

Well this week, I decided to take a step back into the world of photoshop. Creatives have been using photoshop for over 25 years now. I remember learning the basics of photoshop many years ago and I was taken back by the power (and complexity) of the package. I have developed a pretty sound knowledge of the common tools and use them on a daily basis. But I’ve been increasingly conscious that I haven’t used the really advanced features and have not really kept up to the date with the many updates. It’s mainly due to the type of projects I often work on (as well as the inevitable tight deadlines), that I have used photoshop in a pretty limited way.

So I decided to go back in time and spend time actually learning the more advanced features photoshop and aimed to deepen my knowledge, without the pressure of a client looking over my shoulder and the constraints of working on a project that needs to be delivered yesterday. The learning process has been a huge amount of fun, as well as being enlightening to an extent I had never imagined. It’s dawned on me that so there are so many features and tools which would help quicken my workflow and increase the quality of my work.

Camera raw is a wonderful tool which I simply was not utilizing to the full. Using adjustment layers and masks in partnership with smart objects was an area I believed I had a good handle on. Well, I really do have a good knowledge now. Layer blending and advanced layer effects have been a revelation to me and I’ve enjoyed learning the new selection techniques (I have no idea why I used the colour range so infrequently).

So it’s been a full-on, but a really productive week. The client I’ve been working with have not needed my services this week, due to the inevitable changing deadlines, and I have used my time off pretty well. I just need now some exciting creative projects to work on and use my honed photoshop skills.

Working from home is rather good

I’m generally not a great fan of working from home. For many reasons I guess. My flat is very small and at times, the walls seem to be close in on me. I also love the cycle commute into work (when my client has shower/locker facilities) and probably the most persuasive reason is that I like working amongst other creative people.

But I’m quite enjoying working from home at the moment. My working day routine has meant an start early and a late end, with some fantastic sport to watch in between. The football season has come to a close and to be honest, it’s a welcome break from the agony of watching Arsenal toil in the league. The British Lions tour of New Zealand and the one-day Championship Trophy has been brilliant to watch. It’s top class sport and my passion for rugby union and cricket come a close joint second behind my love for football.

Waking up to a midweek game Lions tour game is wonderful. The Lions are up against it and I fully expect them to lose all three test matches against the All Blacks. They will probably lose a few of the warm-up games too, but they will be competitive and it will provide wonderful drama nonetheless. It’s going to be brutal and they’ll really put their bodies on the line. It’s a great shame Gatland and his coaching staff has such little time to prepare the squad for such a formidable tour. It really is asking too much for such an untried team to take on such a dominant, cohesive All Blacks team. We can beat the Aussies, go close against South Africa, but really I can’t see how we can ever witness a successful Lions tour of New Zealand. I noticed that the odds were 8/11 for us to lose 3-0. It’s a steal, as I really can’t see us challenging in the test matches.

Thankfully, the English cricket team are on top of their game. Joyfully, we may even knock out the Aussies on Saturday before the knock-out games have even begun. Our one-day team is thrilling. Dashing batsmen, brilliant all-rounders and effective strike bowlers has helped us win our two opening games. We have even developed a class limited-over spin bowler and our fielding is comparable with any other team in the competition. After such a torrid World Cup, our players have done magnificently to turn things around.

The format of the competition is helping too. Every game matters, there are no weak teams participating and there has been some fantastic individual performances. The run chase by Sri Lanka in their shock defeat of India was wonderful to watch today and the performance of Pakistan in defeating South Africa has given the competition a great boost.

It all makes for wonderful viewing. And I’ve not even started about the French Open tennis either…….

So if my clients are reading this, rest assured, deadlines will be met. Quality of work will be maintained. But I just may not be able to make the conference call at the time of your choosing…..>/p>

A good few days for Arsene

So the season has finished rather well for Arsene Wenger and all of his supporters. I’ve been largely pro-Wenger, notwithstanding a few reservations, and I was confident he would sign an extension. I just could not see the Arsenal board having the appetite or desire for a new manager. I think their sanity would have been questioned, were they to have embarked on a search for a new manager. Arsene has helped to significantly boost the share price. Why on earth would they sack him??

I’m just pleased the uncertainty has ended. It’s not exactly the break of a new dawn (his detractors, though small in number, are pretty vocal and will continue to cause unrest within our fanbase) but it is a feeling that we can move on to a large extent. The key now is to do our transfer business as soon as possible. There is no excuse now. There is no need for some mad, frenzied supermarket sweep for players come the end of August once the transfer window ends. The signing of Schalke left-back Sead Kolasinac looks an excellent bit of business. I can’t see our team being bullied with Sead in our team. Even looking at him in the tunnel pre-match will cause a rising level of apprehension from opponents. But not only do we need new signings but we need to get some key players to sign extensions.

I’ve given up on keeping hold of Sanchez. I think his head has been turned with all the talk of Bayern Munich’s interest. His heart seems set on a new challenge and he leaves with my best blessings. Interestingly, the package offered by Bayern may not match the huge pay increase we’re offering. But he’ll still get a pay increase on what he’s earning now, and I can’t see any way he can stay. Ozil, however, will stay on. He’s settled in London, he loves playing under Wenger and to be honest, I’m not sure if any of the really big clubs in Europe would be interested in him. I think we still need another midfielder (I’d love Panic from Roma) and of course, a world-class striker to replace Sanchez.

The squad in my view is looking pretty healthy in many respects. The likes of Cech, Monreal, Koscielny, Ramsey, Carzola (I pray he can go the season fully fit) and Giroud should be good for another season. The likes of Coquelin, Elneny, Walcott and Gabriel are still decent squad players (I hope they can keep Thursday evenings clear) and there’s always the return of Wilshere and Chambers to boost our numbers. But it’s the younger members of the squad which really excites me. Holding, Gibbs, Ox, Xhaka, Iwobi and Welbeck all look good to kick on next season. What I would love is a really world-class figure who would shake up our squad and give a real boost to our fanbase. Think of a Zlatan but five years younger. I’m not sure it’s in Wenger’s make-up to bring in such a superstar. But that would give our season a wonderful sense of momentum. God knows the club can afford it.

Of course the upcoming season has already been given a boost by the fantastic FA Cup win. I got hold of a ticket late on and it was a spectacular day. I was disappointed my nephew and brother could not attend with me (my nephew still thinks I watched the game in the pub) and it did take the gloss off the day for me. It was a relatively low key build to the match. Just a few beers in a Wembley pub. Looking back, I think I was fearing the worst. A nagging fear that we would be dominated by a much mentally stronger, successful team. But boy did our players turn up. Every player performed. It was a brilliant team performance. There were still plenty of nerves during the 90 minutes (largely in due to our inability to make our dominance count) and the Chelsea equaliser was a crushing blow. And then 22 seconds later, there was bedlam in our end. The scenes will never be forgotten. One bloke sitting behind me ended up 10 rows ahead of his seat. He virtually crowd surfed a good 20 meters when Ramsey scored. I think the frustrations of the season were evident in those crazy seconds. The celebrations following the match were long and vibrant. I was exhausted as I headed back down Wembley Way and I enjoyed mixing with the Chelsea fans. There were a few heated discussion, the odd scuffle or two but generally the day ended pretty harmoniously. They had enjoyed a great season and the vast majority of Chelsea fans didn’t begrudge our success. As one said me, ‘I can just about stomach losing to you lot. It would have been agony had it been Spurs…’

So the season has ended, I’m going to welcome a break from football but I’m already looking forward to the Community Shield in August.

Another day in the sun at Wembley

So the season is coming to a close and Arsenal fans have another visit to Wembley. I’ve said it many times before, but as a fanbase, we have been spoilt. Over the years, I’ve enjoyed some wonderful days visiting cities all over Europe, watching monumental league fixtures and of course, some great days out at Wembley.

I have managed to get hold of a ticket for the final and I’m looking forward to a good day out. I’m fearing for the result (due largely to our defensive injury problems), so I’m determined to enjoy the pre-match build up. I’ll be heading up to Wembley early and it sounds like it will be a scorcher. It could be 30c plus and enjoying a few beers in the sunshine is going to be fantastic day.

It’s been a roller coaster of a season. The Wenger In/Wenger Out debate has been an ongoing saga. Fans of other clubs have stated how bored they are of the story. Well, try being an Arsenal fan. I still maintain the majority of fans are pro-Wenger. However, the vocal minority have dominated social media and the tabloids have lapped up the divisions within our fanbase. The anti-Wenger marches at our home games have been pitiful in their numbers but their relevance and influence have been overestimated by the mainstream media in my view.

I have no doubt Wenger will sign as extension. I am relieved he’s staying on. We have seen how poorly Utd have suffered post-Fergie. They have spent an enormous amount of money and still languish below us in 6th place. For them to be below us is extraordinary, given our poor season. But they can afford such mistakes in appointing the likes of Moyes and Van Gaal. Upwards of £500m has been spent in the last four years. With their commercial power, they can stomach such huge losses.

However Arsenal, even with their impressive match day revenue, do not have such reserves at our disposal. I’m very fearful that we don’t have the calibre of ‘football men’ on our board to make key decisions on the makeup of our coaching team. I’d be much happier for Wenger to stay on and then for the board to formulate a succession plan for when he leaves. It’s far from ideal. Wenger is all-powerful and there hasn’t been a figure to challenge and question him since David Dein left the club. Our PR has been a disaster and the communication from the club generally has been shockingly bad. I’ve actually felt sorry for Wenger at times. He is having to appear weekly in press conferences where he has seemingly had no support at all from the board.

So the lead-up to Saturday has been far from serene. The lack of clarity for the club’s plans for next season, the uncertainly over the futures of Sanchez and Ozil and the chronic injury problems have all cast a shadow over what should be a special day for the fans. I’m just grateful we are playing Chelsea and not Spurs. It will be gut-wrenching to lose to Chelsea but losing to Spurs wouldn’t be worth thinking about.

I’m going to enjoy a few beers before the game, bask in the great weather and just hope our game-changing players can really excel on the day. A high scoring win is our best way of winning the cup.