What they need is some arguments - not ridiculous, and frankly odd comparisons.

Those AV posters are driving me up the wall.

I don't know if you've noticed the billboards with anti-Alternative-Vote messages across them, but they may just be the most empty arguments in the run-up to a referendum I've ever seen.

If you haven't had the chance to catch one, it basically goes like this. Firstly we see the image of the archetypal British figure of sickeningly patronising respect, such as a soldier or a policemen. I'm not having a go at either the army or the police force, I think they do a good job. But the amount of times I see the picture of a soldier drawn into an irrelevancy purely for emotive effect genuinely angers me.

Then next to it we have the text. "He needs a bulletproof vest... not AV".

WHAT!!! THAT'S THE BEST YOU CAN DO???!?!?

It doesn't make sense. I know he needs a bulletproof vest. Sure, go get him one. But seriously, it's not like if we do implement Alternative Vote, we'll be so busy furrowing our brows at the polling station that we'll forget to arm our troops and they'll be massacred thanks to this evil system. They aren't related. We can have both. It's like having a picture of an African child and saying "He needs food and water... not David Cameron". It's utterly stupid

I mean, really. I know posters are hardly the canvas for an essay about this sort of thing, but is that really the only argument they could come up with? I only did politics for a year at A level, but my vague experience of voting systems could lead me to about five other arguments that would have fit nicely on a poster, and perhaps showed some, uh, I dunno, relevance.

For example, how about the problem that AV would be less likely to create a majority government. You could have something like "Hung Parliaments forever?" as a suggestion of uncertainty that would at least hold some legitimacy behind it. Or what about a picture of Nick Griffin smiling with the caption "AV... Making fringe parties win". It would be silly and hyperbolic, but again, there'd be a legitimate point made.

Instead, they've practically run away from AV, which I should be pleased about I guess. I'm firmly in support of voting reform, and I'd love to see them go further and implement my own version of PR, but that long-winded explanation is for another time.

My worry is though, that people will just say "Yeah, true that" and ignore the actual facts and mechanisms of the voting systems. It's a true shame, because when the referendum goes against AV, that could be the last attempt at reform for a very long time. Any party wishing to introduce will be under the burden of knowing that the people voted against it, and this could make it an area worth ignoring.

Anyway, I don't mind political posters, but I really don't like such a facile message. Make some sense next time, please. 

Euro-Bore League

Europe's second string is subjected to the most deathly dull competition in football

I hate the Europa League.

Let me explain. Not so long ago the now re-named UEFA Cup was a two-legged-knockout 'anyone-can-play-anyone' type tournament, as I'm sure you'll remember. It wasn't too much of a challenge, and most any team could get a bit of luck and find themselves in the latter stages of the cup, with a genuine chance of silverware. It was exactly what a cup should be. Not a ruthless test of mettle, but a chance for a trophy to be won by a team who enjoy some form and good fortune.

Nowadays that isn't the case. Instead of two-legged knockout we have four qualifying rounds leading up to an interminably slow group stage that comprises of another six games. Then the knockout begins, where a team can find themselves battling through another five rounds before finishing the competition.

In case you weren't counting, that's a possible twenty-one games you'd have to face in order to win this competition. And we're not talking about the Champions League. No, this is the far-less prestigious Europa League. Is all the effort involved really worthwhile?

In a time where there are so many games during a season, and the physical fitness of players is more important then ever, it surely isn't fair that those teams who performed well enough in the previous season to taste the glories of Europe have to carry the burden of this extra competition, which is as drawn-out as half a league season. It bears no surprise that some managers are suspected of having intentionally got their team eliminated to concentrate on the league, and can you blame them?

It perhaps is ironic that I complain about the Europa League's group system. After all, were it not for the introduction of this stage, one of the all-time great encounters at Fratton Park would have never happened. Our 2-2 draw against AC Milan will go down in Pompey folklore, and maybe the group stages should be credited for making this sort of tie happen.

But those David and Goliath encounters aside, most games in the Europa League are beyond awful. The amount of drab 0-0's that the English clubs have been involved in this season is a testament to how disinterested the teams really are. Liverpool and Man City, this year's representatives, look like two teams still despondent about missing out on the Champions League this year, and their European encounters reflect their obvious lack of enthusiasm.

This may be unfair though, because while two teams with higher ambitions might not show much concern towards their Europa League journeys, for smaller teams the awe and excitement can take them to great heights. Fulham are the perfect example of this. The club have never really achieved much, so a trip into Europe was a historic and thrilling prospect, and they certainly made the most of it. They extraordinarily made their way through the toughest opposition imaginable to reach the final, narrowly losing to an impressive Atletico side.

These examples are extremely few and far between though. I can't see a story like Fulham's ever being repeated under this current format. Or at least, not without it having a massive detrimental effect on the club's league performance. It's a shame, because the sort of story we saw with Fulham is exactly what the Europa League should be like. We should see more hard-working smaller clubs who are going through the good times reach the latter stages of the tournament. However, when squads aren't used to such a fixture-laden season, it usually just becomes too much for them.

I still feel the tournament has life in it, although it needs to be radically overhauled. If UEFA took the following steps in the next reform of this competition, I think the interest and magic would flood back into it.

• Straight knockout. That's to say, the whole competition is knockout based and there are no group stages whatsoever.
• Single-legged games. I know home advantage plays a bigger part in Europe, but for me this would be part of the fun. It would give the smaller teams a better opportunity to knock out the big guns, make the fixtures more exciting, and reduce the number of games in the competition significantly.
• No seeding. Anyone should be able to play anyone. 
• No Champions League Drop-outs. I don't think it's fair that a team can fail at one competition and then be given a bye half-way into a much easier competition as a result. If you can't make it through the CL group stages, tough luck.

Nothing unreasonable in that list, is there? I mean, luck's influence takes a little increase, but if that makes it more entertaining, then what does it matter. It doesn't. So stop saying it does.

Changing of the Guard

The seemingly innocuous retirement of Gary Neville begins a generational shift for Man United

Just what is it that brings the sort of relentless, unremitting success to a club that Manchester United have enjoyed for the last twenty years? Is it hefty wads of cash being injected into the team? Is it having one of the best managers in the world? Is it producing wave after wave of extraordinary talent from the academy?

Many would argue that it’s a combination of the three, but I’d like to think that having several players ready and willing to devote themselves entirely to the club, come rain or shine, is just as valuable and important. Indeed, three key players to Manchester United’s 20 years of unrivalled   success would have to be Ryan Giggs, Paul Scholes and Gary Neville. Throughout the years they have never shown a hint of desire to leave the club. They have flourished when made key figures in the team, and diligently stood by on the few occasions where other players took their roles. They epitomise the term “one-club man”.

It’s hard to think of anyone who will have enjoyed their football career more than Ryan Giggs has. The early proclamation by the media of him being the ‘wizard of dribble’ does not fairly sum up the range of abilities that the Welshman has; some of which came naturally to him, but some of which he developed through maturity. His technical ability and range of passing has always been excellent, and as he’s slowed down over the years he’s managed to curb the ‘pacy winger’ side of his game for a more considered playmaker role.

He’s had his fair share of famous moments as well. Many will remember the FA Cup semi-final replay in which his mazy dribbling saw him cut through an entire defence, although more will remember the hairy-chested celebration that followed. Besides that, Giggs set up the first goal in United’s 1999 Champions League comeback, and remains one of only four midfielders to have scored 100 Premier League goals.

Another one of those four is Paul Scholes. Scholes may not have had the longetivity and adulation that Giggs has had in his career, but he has left an indelible mark upon many of his opponents and team-mates, who utterly admire his abilities. Zinedine Zidane once said that "Scholes is undoubtedly the best midfielder of his generation.", whilst United legend Bobby Charlton labelled him “the embodiment of all that I think is best about football”.

His media-shy demeanour undoubtedly endears him to the game’s insiders, but this unfortunately means he sometimes gets overlooked by journalists and fans. Without question though, Scholes is one of the best English midfielders of all time. His talent of picking out a pass from practically anywhere on the pitch was phenomenal, and it’s an ability he still possesses to a great degree.

And of course, some of his goals have been absolute corkers. He has a methodical precision to direct a 25-yard volley exactly where he wants it to go, and yet he maintains a superb power in the shot that allows the ‘keeper no opportunity to get anywhere near it. His goal against Aston Villa in 2006 was the perfection of this talent.

Goals however, are not the forte of Gary Neville. In his 400 appearances for United, he only managed five. But Neville’s style of play was built on resisting the spectacular. Pure consistency was the reason he was able to act as a great servant for both club and country, becoming an integral part of many different United and England defences. With today’s full-backs like Glen Johnson and Ashley Cole, there is an expectance that they will support the attack by flying forward. Not to say that Neville never did this, but he knew his main priority was to defend and he stuck to that task with an admirable assiduousness.

Unfortunately, the past few seasons have seen a rapid demise in his performances. Despite Ferguson’s faith in Neville as captain, it had been clear for a while that Neville could no longer cut it at the top level, and he rightfully hanged up his boots, left to contemplate his steady, successful career.

Despite not being a United fan, I still have a feeling of sentimentality about Giggs, Scholes and Neville, and I believe many will feel the same way. A whole new generation of supporters have grown up with these three players making up part of the furniture at Old Trafford, and now that Neville has retired and will surely soon be followed by Giggs and Scholes, it really does mark the end of an era.

An Introduction

It makes sense for the first post to lay a few things out. Presumably one of the four people that visit this blog will want to know what exactly this idiot is playing at, so perhaps a little background would be a good start.

Well, to start with I'm a student at Roehampton University. I'm hoping to break into the competitive world of sports journalism, and this little blog here is just an outlet to fire some of my ideas for articles about. I'm writing for the monthly newspaper at the university at the moment, but I love to write. I love to write about football. I love to write about Formula One. I love to write about anything that makes me tick, and having an allowance of once article a month is like asking Alan Shearer to score one goal a season. He'd barely contain himself.

So here we are, a blog where I can fire off articles when I want.

For the most part, I'd imagine I'll be posting football articles. It's been one of my biggest passions in life as long as I can remember, and I follow the game as avidly as possible. I'm a Portsmouth supporter, so as far as the emotions of the game are concerned, I've just about been through them all. I've seen my club lift a trophy, and then had to seriously contemplate the possibility of there being no club to support. Ups and downs really are part of life at Fratton Park, so I think rather like someone who's been through a near-death experience, we all have a profound appreciation of football that perhaps fans of 'bigger' clubs don't. Not to say that we're better than them. Alright, I'm kind of saying that. Sorry. No actually, I'm not sorry. Deal with it. That's too much actually. Apologies.

I had a season ticket for all but one of the Premier League years, and before you shout 'bandwagon jumper', I still attend games now we're in the Championship, but my living arrangements make a season ticket implausible. I've seen some amazing games at Fratton Park. Who could forget that wonderful 4-1 thrashing of our rivals Southampton? Or the oh-so-close 2-2 draw with AC Milan that was nearly one of the great European upsets? Or even that manic goal-fest against Reading which ended 7-4? I saw them all, but without having those miserable days, such as our 4-1 defeat to Leyton Orient in the FA Cup, they would mean nothing. It really is the struggle that makes the glory days so much sweeter.

Outside of Pompey though, I'm just a big admirer of the game.

Formula One is my other big sport. I sort of lazily put on a few races at first, and then one of my friends who really loved it got me into it properly. 2004 was when I really started enjoying it, and I became a big fan of Jenson Button. It seemed like he was quietly dragging round this awful BAR and getting results way out of its limits. I was sure this guy was one of the best drivers on the grid, and I couldn't understand why people kept telling me he'd never win a race.

Lo and behold, he did in 2006. Then Lewis Hamilton came along and made an impact beyond anything imaginable in F1. I quickly became a big fan of him as well, and I distinctly remember going a bit mental when he won the title in 2008. Meanwhile, Jenson had faded into the background, and it was disappointing because he was still my favourite. It looked like he'd be without a drive for 2009 when Honda went out of business, but Ross Brawn saved the team and he did the unthinkable by becoming world champion. I was over the moon.

Nowadays I watch every race I can. 

Finally, I do love the odd opinion piece. I became very interested in politics in the run-up to the general election, but now that it's just all about how the Tories are ruining everything, it's just a miserly, depressing sort of interest to have. Still, it's nice to write a reasoned piece on political issues, devoid of the usual mega-left versus mega-right insult-sagas that follow anything involving the economy, immigration or religion.

Besides that, I'm a philosophy student, so I do like to think about the big issues in life. Like when are they gonna get rid of that irritating little meerkat on that advert? Or if a tree falls in the woods and there's no-one around to hear it, why did Wagner not win the X Factor? Y'know. Deep stuff.

OK, that's enough of that. I'm gonna follow this up with an article I already did for the University newspaper, so it doesn't look like this blog is 100% talking about myself. Nice talking to both of you who visited. Goodbye.