A few quick words from me on a subject I am massively under-qualified to talk about – I never saw Adam Stansfield play, ever talk to him, or share in the success he has repeatedly enjoyed in his all to short professional football career – but I was today moved to tears several times whilst attending his funeral service (mainly to support my Sam who very much ticks the boxes above).
It is plainly clear that the guy represents all that football should be and his loss is massive to his family (he leaves his wife and three young children behind), friends, colleagues, and – well – the world.
What can I say about Adam that hasn’t been said already? Not much, the tributes on all football forums says all that needs saying.
“Stanno” had a massive positive effect on everyone wherever he went, he was one player that no one had a bad word to say about. He was one of the most genuine, honest, down to earth men you could ever hope to meet.
Adam was plucked from non league side Elmore by Gary Johnson, at the time, Yeovil fans thought that he’d lost the plot signing an unknown player from Elmore, what was he thinking…. turns out, he’d unleashed an absolute star in the making.
2001 was a difficult year for me, I lost my grandad (to cancer), a massive YTFC fan who had spent many an hour travelling to support the mighty green army, in the October and life was pretty low but my love for Yeovil didn’t diminish, in fact, it grew, it’s like I was going to the games not only for myself but for my grandad and what a season it was!
Yeovil went onto lift the FA Trophy and us reaching the final was pretty much down to one man, who goes by the name of Adam Stansfield.
Adam gave his heart and soul to Yeovil Town FC and he scored plenty of goals in the build up to the final, and he scored the winner in the final which was very fitting… I was gutted that my grandad had not made it to see us lift our first piece of silverware for years but I also like to believe that part of him was down there on the pitch at Villa Park helping Chris Weale make the crucial save, helping launch Carl Alford into the air for the overhead kick and assisting Adam with the winner.
Trophy final day was special, seeing YTFC lift the trophy was an amazing feeling and it was also the day that I met a very good mate of mine and i’d like to thank Adam for his goals which led to that day and the friendship that developed but knowing how humble and modest Adam was, he wouldn’t have wanted thanks, he’d just say it was part of his job; he’s paid to score goals and that’s what he did!
Adam will be sorely missed, players come and players go but Adam had a special place in my heart, the day he broke his leg at Dorchester was one of the worst days in my life, I remember standing on the terrace and sobbing my heart out, I didn’t think it could get any worse but then it did…. this happened.
Adam, wherever you are, I hope that you are bringing joy to everyone and that your suffering is over and that you are still smiling, your smile was one of the best i’ve ever seen, and the smiles at the final whistle at Villa Park are an ever lasting memory, despite it being 8 years ago, I remember it like it was yesterday.
It was a joy to see you play and an absolute honour to have had the chance to talk to you, you always had the time of day for anyone who wanted to chat and that is something not many players will do these days.
I really hope the club be it Exeter or Yeovil do something to commemorate your life.
On that note, an Exeter fan called Nick Bryant is making a remarkable run from Exeter to Huish Park for the league game in September, the distance is over 50 miles and he is doing it in memory of Stanno and to raise money for Cancer Research UK, please sponsor him as I have now lost 2 special people in my life to the deadly disease and I hold onto hope that one day a cure will be found…. you can do so by visiting http://www.justgiving.com/arunforstanno/1
I have decided that LOROL should take over the world. I will possibly elaborate on this at a future date, but probably not. The first two services I would take over are St Albans-Sutton and Greenford-Paddington.
Motorsport doesn’t end with F1, as anyone who has shivered their way through the famous Formula Ford Festival in lae October will testify. I seem to be on a 3 year pattern with this event myself, as I attended in 2005 and then 2008, so I’ll see you there in 2011! Until then, I’ll have to put up with videos I took at the previous events.
Hello – you may recall I have previously blogged (or maybe vlogged) about porting back in all my old website content. Stage one is complete – click “Old Website Photos” above or on the right and you’ll find all the old website photo albums (albeit on Picasa) for your enjoyment and delight!
So it’s Silverstone this weekend – and I am not there: but considering future Grand Prix attendances. I have long harboured ambitions to go abroad for a Grand Prix, and it has been discussed many times. Chatting with Simon Rutter tonight the Canadian Grand Prix was mentioned and it rekindled an old desire to one day go there – although the price might be the limit on that! Here is the current GP calendar, less the British Grand Prix which I have already attended (just the odd 12 times), grouped in terms of desire to attend:
Group 1: Would really really really really like to attend
Australia
Canada
Singapore
Abu Dhabi
Monaco
These are my five events I would rank as those I am MOST keen to visit. Monaco needs no introduction – the “jewel in the crown” event of F1 and one I would love to visit – even if only once, despite the fact it’s proximity may make more than once a distinct possibility! Canada we mention above – Australia is a country I have waned to visit for ages, so it’s Grand Prix naturally follows. Singapore’s night race would be something completely different (reminds me of my long standing and still very much alive desire to go to Le Mans) whilst Abu Dhabi’s wealth attracts me. Well I can dream!?
Group 2: Would really like to attend
Malaysia
Europe
Belgium
Italy
Japan
Europe (Valencia) – there looked like there was an awesome beach nearby Belgium and Italy, Spa and Monza are purist motorsport fan venues I would LOVE to attend a Grand Prix at, if only for the history and to size up those places and their history… going east, Japan and Malaysia register. Japan’s unique circuit and the country as a whole attracts me, whilst Malaysia’s monsoons could be fun. One time only
Group 3: Definitely one day maybe
Brazil
Bahrain
China
Germany
Luke warm on these, but still should the opportunity arise I’d be there in a heartbeat! Brazil looks like a different kind of race and atmosphere. Bahrain too – a race in a desert must be somewhat unique! China and Germany for different reasons… the German round would probably have to be the Nurburgring mind you…
Group 4: Not arsed really
Spain
Turkey
Hungary
Again, would go if someone paid for me to, but not too arsed really…
Group 5: Where?
Korea
Not had a race here yet so can’t really make a judgement!
SO… where will I go for my first race abroad? We’ll see
When it comes to football, I support one team: Blackburn Rovers. But I affectionately follow several more: Yeovil Town, Sutton Utd, Worthing, Ashford Town (Middx), Durham City and Halifax Town I would generally all like to win on a given weekend.
For a laugh I have decided to keep an eye on (documented on here) one team from the top 8 tiers of the English football league system in the cup competitions of the 2010-11 season. The ones chosen are a mixture of my teams above, and others chosen at random if not. The chosen teams from each tier:
Ask Matt, as a feature, seems to have died. I have been asked many more questions since I last reported it, and yesterday alone whilst waiting for a train in my customer magnet hi-vis vest answered four in two minutes.
All train related too. One was funny – “When’s the next train to Shepherds Bush?” – answer dutifully given, the customer then went and checked the screen anyway. Perhaps they doubted me, or maybe they were taking the information I had given them and were marrying it up with the screens so that next time, they’ll know how to work it out themselves. I’m a benefit of the doubt kinda guy… it’s all good customer service
I am in week… 12 of my driver training by the way. I decided to blog less in case I’m not allowed to. Yesterday I was driving an actual train, empty, for only the second time. I went all the way from Richmond to Stratford, a distance of 14 or so miles. It took me about 55 minutes, all is good. Today I am driving the simulator again, fun fun
Many have shared their memories of events in London five years ago today. I didn’t move to London until 18 month later, but that day I left work, found out opened mouthed when meeting Ross at his house before driving down to Silverstone for the British Grand Prix, being held that weekend.
So my memory is a weird one. No first hand, not on the scene or of images on TV per se – although say “what image does 7/7 conjure for you” and the remains of the bus would probably be it – but ask for something particular from me for a memory of that day, and I’d have to say this:
M1 gantry sign on London-bound carriageway advises motorists to avoid the capital
Will always remain a poignant memory of that day.
52 people lost their life that day, many more were injured, and many were saved by the efforts of several very very brave, helpful people. Never forgotten.
I have attended the British Grand Prix at Silverstone every year since my first attendance in 1998. Aged just 15, Ross and I relyed on responsible adults to transport us – first his uncle and then in 1999 his father – and we attended on Sunday only, queuing down the old A43 (which was a single carriageway winding road not the dual-carriageway express we know today!) for hours (well, 1 hour) to get in.
Come 2000 and a one-off April race and we chose to pitch our tents and go solo. We took the train so didn’t get our car stuck in the mud but it was cold! Nonetheless, the camping era had begun and every year since we have turned up, tent in tow, and camped Thursday-Sunday (and one year Monday!) for the best Grand Prix on the calendar.
2010 however, I am not going. We’re having a year off, quite reasonably, due to all manner of factors. Tuning into BBC1 for the race live WILL feel strange – last time I watched a British Grand Prix on the TV was 1997, ITV were televising it for the first time, a man called Jacques Villeneuve was winning and Michael Schumacher was good.
I recently went through my entire PC sorting through the files to have a tidy up. Every video file I found, I uploaded to YouTube (even the ones that would get me into trouble!). A lot are largely boring – but hey, if you’re bored, there’s plenty there to be going on with! For today, here is video footage from a random trip around London a couple of years ago, only interesting due to the musical ending no-one would have expected
I’ve just read this on a forum that I read and thought it summed up things regarding rail passengers very well!
Don’t bother checking the timetable. Trains run 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, every ten minutes to whatever station you might want to go to.
Don’t worry about the terms and conditions of your ticket. There’s nothing I like more than tangling with the intricacies of ticketing. Fourteen times in an eight-hour shift…
You know all those signs that show you the way to places and electronic display boards that tell you what time the train goes, where it goes to and on what platform? Ignore them, they’re only there for decoration. Just ask me! And if you’ve just listened to me answer a question, why not ask me exactly the same question five seconds later?! And then ask again, just to make sure. And then repeat my answer back to me in a questioning tone. And then say, ‘Are you sure?’
And give me as little information as you can. I’m actually psychic, so when you ask ‘Where do I get my train?’ I know exactly which one you mean, out of the dozens of trains that run every day.
If you want to go to a particular station, don’t ask me about trains to that station, ask about another one! For example, if you want to go to St. Albans, don’t ask me when the next train to St. Albans is, ask me when the next Bedford train is.
Always listen to ‘what your mate said’ and NEVER check with the station. If your mate says there’s a train from St Pancras to Bristol, well there must be! Despite the fact that there has never, ever, ever been one.
Don’t bother checking at the weekend if your train might be affected by engineering work. There never is any work really, we just say that so we can muck about with the timetable.
Of course, I am responsible for the entire global transport network, so if your plane from Rome was two hours late, your train from Portsmouth was cancelled, there was a signal failure on the Underground or your taxi driver got lost on the way to the station, obviously that’s all my fault. Sorry.
And it’s also my fault that there are no taxis at 7.15 on a Sunday morning when you want one.
Related to that, I also know the depature times and fares to every single other station in the country, plus flight times from Heathrow, Luton, Stansted and Gatwick plus the ferries from Dover. Go on, test me.
If you do need to ask someone for information, don’t bother asking someone who actually works for the railway. Why not ask a cleaner or, even better, a policeman!
Please do try and go against 150 years of railway practice and try to board a train without buying a ticket. Of course we’ll make an exception just for you.
Also, we are privy to the travel plans of every single customer, so we are more than happy to hold the train while you pick up your bag from Left Luggage, go and get a coffee, a sandwich and a newspaper and wander up to the platform like you have all the time in the world.
When the sign says that barriers will close one minute before departure, that actually means ‘but if you ask really nicely, we’ll open the barriers just for you.’
If the train that you want to catch doesn’t have a platform displayed, we do actualy know which platform it will go from, we just don’t want to tell you.
When we have discussed all the possible combinations and permutations of your journey, please do ignore my answer and go and ask someone else!
I need to rant and what better place to do it then here!
For those of you who don’t know, I work in the booking office at a Railway Station in Hammersmith & Fulham serving the wonderful general public.
Now, rail passengers are an interesting breed, it’s like they leave their common sense at the door when they walk up to the window and ask the most insane things or expect things to just happen!
This morning was a prime example of that, a lady approached the window and said “Whats the date?” to which I answered, she muttered something about her travelcard probably being out of date and threw it at me. After a couple of minutes, she said “WELL HAVE YOU DONE IT” so I asked “done what exactly?” She said “renew it innit”, so I informed her that perhaps if she had asked me what she would like on her oyster then I would have done so to which I just recieved abuse that I didn’t quite catch. So I asked her to repeat it, she said “oh it doesn’t matter, your just not doing your job!!” So I told her I wasn’t a mind reader and to have a good day
Many passengers seem to think they can just put their oyster down and some cash, then when I put the whole note on it, they then inform me, “Oh, I only wante x amount….” Well try telling me then!! You wouldn’t walk up to a bank counter and just expect them to know so why is here any different!
One other thing that winds me up is…. they approach the window and ask how to get to a STREET in central London, just a street, usually if I ask where the nearest station is, they tell me that I am meant to be telling them that! Well, a) I’m sorry but i’m not a walking talking A-Z and b) Anyone with half a brain cell would find this info our before leaving their house!
Of course, along with these though, there are indeed some very nice passengers who are very friendly and genuinely seem interested when they ask how you are!
A certain game of football happened yesterday, and I watched in hope like most of the rest of the country no doubt did too. I was deflated when we went one down, moreso when we went two down. I celebrated when Upson clawed one back – but not for the goal that never was – I instinctively wait for confirmation when goals look like they have a chance of not being given, and whilst I could see from the live shots that it was in, I knew it was one of those cross-bar bounce down type goals you so often see not given – and it wasn’t.
Moot point at the end of it all, we were just outclassed. Is it because we are simply not good enough or underperforming? I lean towards the latter, and we’ve underperformed in every game in the World Cup this time round. That’s why it was no surprise. I remember saying after the first game – 1-1 v USA – that if we play like this against the likes of Germany, Argentina, Spain we’d have our arses handed to us. And so it proved.
So Sam was taking me away this weekend for a secret weekend away – all I knew was I’d have to be up for 0415 on Saturday morning to get the bus into town to a mainline London Terminal for a train to location of said weekend away…
The bus(es) took us to Liverpool Street, where we boarded the Stansted Express and my mind started racing as to where we could be going… We must be changing at Stansted for somewhere else I thought, were we going a cheap route to Birmingham or Leicester or somewhere. The obvious didn’t occur to me, until we were about halfway there!!!
Me: are we flying somewhere?!
Sam: yay, finally! Bit obvious isn’t it!!
It was – but somehow not to me. I’ll stick to the day job, detectivism (presumably just made up a word here) clearly isn’t for me!
