alex hleb and adebayor post match interview was very funny - hleb is all 've played vell i sink very hhappy' and ade is 'ofcourseofcoursehegavemetheballandiscored'delivered at lightning speed. they were both obviously very pleased with themsleves - if i can find the interview later in the week i might stick it up here. the game started well with swiss tony scoring from a corner (yes i did say we scored from a corner..) and for ten minutes we were all over a depleted blackburn. but then they remembered who they were and put up a fight. they never looked like they were going to equalise but in football you never know... after several missed chances and after 88 minutes it was nervy stuff. then up pops alexandre hleb who was man of the match, to set up the togonator. 12 ganes to go and we have a five point lead.. it will go to the wire but i would have laughed if anyone had said pre-season that we'd be where we are today.

well my droogs the powers on high have spoken and yeah verily and forsooth they saith that i shall go on research leave in the summer of 2009 (from april to july) as predicted. my american coz gets the autumn - as predicted. the prof was very decent about it and will try and make life easier but when it comes down to it i am on a temporary contract so i have to put up and shut up. so now i am going to explore ways to be as selfish with my time as is possible without hurting the students or my chances of permanency - and woe betide that former colonial subject if is so much as dares to suggest HE is overworked again