Of course it is for 14 of our Premier League rivals; 4 more teams play tomorrow before, finally, the one that really counts.
All systems go for
launch
Perhaps there were a few moans when TV companies grabbed
a-hold of the fixtures and we were pushed to Monday night; perhaps I was one of
those who gave a slightly resigned sigh.
But it couldn’t be better really. Not only are we going to
avoid the miserable heavy rains and high winds forecasted for today – making it trickier for our lads to strut
their stuff on the green, green grass of the Etihad
– but it gives the boys a full 2 days extra recovery time and preparation
following the many players who travelled to & from - and played in - international
games this week-gone. Add that to your early list of moans too, Moyes (4:50 on this video link)!
Aguero is fit to play and there
are no other injury/fatigue issues according to Pellegrini’s first, Premier League, pre-match press conference. And although not
ready for Monday night’s opener, even Nastasic
has recovered quicker than expected and is already training with the first
team!
All systems go for…lunch
(or tea/supper on this occasion)
And this’ll be our first taste, literally, of Jamie Oliver’s new endeavour into stadium food with his
Fabulous Fanfayre
joint venture. I hope it works and that fans really enjoy what he has to
offer. Jamie might well get up the nose of some people but I have a lot of time
for cheeky – and increasingly chubby – Essex lad. His principles and forward-thinking
ideas are all there and as a Chef; I very much love his style.
He’s joint-first of
the so-called celebrity Chefs/Cooks along with Nigel Slater
in my book.
However, we’ve been down this road before and very recently
too. Marco Pierre White designed and supplied
our last ‘food revolution’ and what did we get? A slightly larger than normal (but still very
small for the price), locally sourced pork and black pudding, glazed pie. It
looked lovely (I couldn’t vouch for it being a veggie) and was told by many
that it WAS very nice indeed. However, for the size of the thing it was very
expensive – something in the region of £3.50!
For that, which is still a ridiculous price for a pie even
these days, you want a good, stonking-sized pie that’s going to satisfy even
the hungriest footy fan. Although we’re mostly catering for the home crowd of
course; could you see a little dinky pie (locally sourced or not) satisfying
the average Newcastle
No, I can’t either...
I’m sure Jamie’s new burgers, hot-(pig)-dogs, chili dogs and
whatever else will be really, really nice and will, most probably, be a ‘step
up’ from what we have at the moment. But be prepared to be a lot lighter in the
pocket as you take in the calories this season.
“Rainbow Veggie Pie”? I might try one…one day soon after
pay-day just out of interest. Generally, though, it’ll be 4 cheese ‘n’
onion pies from Tesco for around £3. Stick one
the in the oven as you’re getting ready for the match and wrap it in foil. Job
done for little over 75p. Sorry Jamie…and
Manchester City
Sponsors
And while most are eating their tastier, locally sourced ‘whatevers’,
we’ll now be doing it in and around “BT City Square
But rather than bemoaning the onslaught of companies that
City are striking-up deals with; I think it’s great and absolutely necessary.
We have fingers in so many (locally sourced) pies now that we’re putting ALL of
the celebrity Chefs to shame! Does anyone
remember 20-odd years ago when we didn’t even own our own shirt-selling store
at Maine Road
Financial Fair Play worries?
Yeah whatever…
Notable opening, Premier League fixtures
I’m sure that they’ll be some crackin’ games and loads of
goals but do you know what; none really stand out as being particularly mouth
watering to me if I'm being honest.
Who have Chelsea Hull City Stoke City
Manyoo have a tricky visit
to Swansea City and might not be a bad’n (I’ll
be watching that one at 5:30pm) but out of all of ‘em – and only really because it’s an all-London affair - the Crystal Palace v Tottenham Hotspur game seems about the best of the bunch. If Ian Holloway continues his attacking style as he did
with Blackpool
when last in the Premier League, it could be a crackin’ game! You watch, it’ll be a boring 0-0…
Although very excited about the start of the season (for
Premier League followers), Norwich City v Everton; Sunderland v
Fulham, West Bromwich Albion v Southampton and West Ham United v Cardiff City hardly set the pulse racing. I
still can’t wait, though, to listen to the live reports coming through and seeing
the highlights later on…
Fantasy Premier League team is all set up and ready to go too…
Name:
Stevie Wanderers
Money spent:
£100M from £100M
Starting 11
(formation 3-4-3):
JaaskelainenMertesacker
Zabaleta
Fellaini
Bellamy
Hazard
Dzeko
Bony
Subs:
Guzan, Garrido, Hernandez, Johnson
Task:
Try to win the league of course; certainly
to finish higher than last season's 10 from 22 (23 teams this season) and top-4 at the very
least.So...enjoy!
It’s back! Although I’ve really enjoyed the fabulous sunshine summer we’ve (mostly) had in the
Whatever your other weekend (and occasional Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday) activities might be;
make sure you make footy the priority – all
other routines and tasks must now fit in around the beautiful game.
And if you ARE heading to The
Etihad on Monday evening, make sure your locally sourced burger, pig dog
or pie has settle well in your stomach before, unavoidably, glancing over to
the Geordie, belly waving lot...
Prediction? A City win - and
high cholesterol all round in the away end…
No comments:
Post a Comment