Anorak

Currently liking...... The Shins - New Slang Aberfeldy - Heliopolis By Night Gillian Welch - Whiskey Girl Richmond Fontaine - Casino Lights Richmond Fontaine - Laramie, Wyoming

Cracking stuff in the women's U-19 Euro Final as the Russians beat the French on penalties. The French goalie was a female Barthez and it was so sweet when she hit the bar in the shootout in what could have been the last kick of the tournament to win it. Crowd was whistling the French as well, Hungary don't like them either. God bless Eurosport.

Surely the debut deserves a couple more tracks at least?

The best Britpop album I own is.....the best of Blur. Feck me.

The Shins - Oh, Inverted World Aberfeldy - Young Forever Neil Young - After The Gold Rush Gillian Welch - Hell Amongst The Yearlings

I don't think they sound overly like Belle and Sebastian. Granted, they aren't half as good as that band yet but they have potential. I've just thought of one, inspired by New Pope's list. The Orange Organics

We're on tv this time next week against Sheff Utd. Tough first game against a side that's spent quite a bit of money this summer.

Silver Jews South San Gabriel Calexico Kingsbury Manx The Ladybug Transistor New Bomb Turks Screeching Weasel Aberfeldy

Steve Bruce seems to speak a bit more sense than a lot of premiership managers and moans less than most. I've seen him hold his hands up on MOTD and just say his side was poor as much as any other boss. It looked pleasantly familiar at the start of last year with Savage, Izzet and Heskey all running around in blue & white. Forsell and Pennant are the right quality of player needed to move the club forward instead of backwards. Didn't Heskey win player of the year last season? What a legend. Two things stand out today I think.... Claridge sacked by Millwall after 36 days in charge. He obviously looks like shit coming out of this but the club looks even worse IMO. Artmedia Bratislava 5 Celtic 0 I thought Strachan would be a disaster and this is just a complete nightmare result.

That would be my main gripe this time around as well. I thought the last book did an excellent job of creating a wider circle of allies to even the odds fighting on Harry's side but most didn't get a great look in. I thought Neville and Luna might be revealed as having some untapped potential hidden up their sleeves going into this installment but it wasn't to be. Roll on number 7....and 8 if it's needed.

Wilco: Their first album didn't make any waves whatsoever and Jeff Tweedy's post Uncle Tupelo career began firmly in the shade of his ex-bandmate Jay Farrar, whose debut with his new band Son Volt got all the critical plaudits. Only a year later and somewhat out of the blue Wilco release a fantastic double album to great reviews and Tweedy becomes the main man. From then on he never looks back as the band's profile and his own songwriting reputation go from strength to strength. Manic Street Preachers - Nobody would have been surprised if they quit when Richey Edwards went missing but they decided to carry on as a 3 piece and acheived big mainstream success with their next album.

hooray! It's pre-season friendly time! The time of year when obscure trialists from all kinds of countries pull on your teams shirt. Except it's not really that exiting because you never seem to sign any of them. I suppose there's often a simple enough reson why they haven't got a club. Against Kettering yesterday we had two Croatians and an Australian playing in a side captained by a 17 year old.

I love good compolation albums, especially those which neatly collect together all the EP material you never got around to owning. A big cheer then for Belle and Sebastian's Push Barman To Open Old Wounds release, alongside Richmond Fontaine's recent album the best thing i've bought this year and the best comp of it's type since Gorky's Zygotic Mynci's 20. I've recently come to the conclusion that Gene Clark's White Light album, despite it's greater critical reputation, is certainly no better than his more unheralded but mightily fine Roadmaster album.

Gerrard changed his mind.....again. He wouldn't have looked right in a Chelsea shirt anyway. We signed Nils Eric Johansson from Blackburn today! On a free of course.

London really gained the necessary momentum in the last couple of weeks and they were quietly confident they would get it. Result!

Can't blame them for trying though, he would have been a total class apart in that division.

Belle And Sebastian - This is just a modern rock song

What happened with Quinn then? He looked good in the play-off final.

Random fan quote......"Who are these boring old twats?"

Has anybody seen a french slasher film called Switchblade Romance? It actually released last year I think but I saw it out on DVD this week.

Richmond Fontaine's The Fitzgerald is my favourite album so far this year. A case of high hopes more than satisfied.

You'll have to sit on the sofa at home and cheer England's opponents next year. It's what you do best anyway.

I wish i'd caught it, didn't know it was on. Still hate him like everybody else though.

The Ramones - I Don't Wanna Grow Up I seem to recall this cover was on their last album (i'm listening to the anthology) and although it's not even prime sounding Ramones it works because the simple brilliance of the original song is suited to a fast 3 chord makeover.

The Ramones - My Brain Is Hanging Upside Down (Bonzo Goes To Bitburg)