Originally published @ 11:10 pm, Sat 1st Jan 2011
So finally, after nearly 12 months, I get to see Salop play, co-incidentally at Burton Albion. Yep, the General Election really did mean that much sacrifice. And maybe, it's taken that long to get over it.
The kiosk didn't seem ready for the number of Salop fans at the away end and it felt like 12 months waiting for a burger and chips. 40 minutes is what it was and served just in time for me to salt the chips and find a space to see the kick-off. Kinda annoying.
A good performance from Salop in the first half, with a tall centre-forward causing all sorts of problems for Burton Albion's centre-backs, who were hooking Salop's two forwards all the time at the end of the first half.
But it was Salop who changed approach in the second half, resorting to playing across the back for possession, to dismal effect. Very annoying. So Burton get another 0-0 draw, but you wonder if Salop played for it.
Beyond returning to amateur football writing, a chance to meet fellow supporters, including one from Yorkshire (a good man), none of whose four grown up chilrdren have got a job. Stories too of factories set-up in former coalfields areas, with special money, employing eastern Europeans cos they can pay them below minimum wage. If absolutely true, more than annoying. (Surprising mind that a demand to take immigration seriously still resulted in a vote for the Lib Dems.)
Labour so needed to fix the breach in the minimum wage, and people need to see it fixed quickly. We might struggle when some Tory MPs own factories who take advantage of the exemption granted by the European courts.
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A different type of annoyance has been the "lists of" TV programes over the holidays, including the most annoying people of 2010 - which should be topped by the dull and predictable pundits wheeled on to make remarks, often lame and therefore generally abusive rather than witty.
The BlackAdder tribute programmes made all involved seem self-satisfied, smug and vain. In fact, if you've got a minute, as vain as a peacock wearing an ap-ri-cot scarf in the vain peacocks world championships, thinking this line is about him.
And tonight's re-broadcast of Morecombe and Wise's 1976 Christmas Special (contriving to spray mud on John Thaw on four different occasions) makes you wonder how they ever cast such a spell on the country.
Thankfully it was followed by an excellent drama "Eric and Ernie", showing how they became a TV act - and in doing so, nearly destroying their reputation, almost having to start again. The drama took the opportunity to suggest the origin of many of their well-known jokes and running gags that the country came to love and, as other commentators have pointed out, showed there is value to performers going through a real apprenticeship rather then leap-frog to fame through X-factor.