May 17, 2010

WE ARE THE CHAMPIONS Part 2...

We did it. Chelsea won the FA Cup and completed their first Leagu and Cup double. Amazing, incredible and for me an absolute highlight to be remembered forever.

Portsmouth proved more resolute than Chelsea would have liked but that only added tension that saw me holding my breath and tied up in knots for the last three or four minutes.

That said, Chelsea dominated all over the park and but for the goal post and crossbar would have been 5 0 up at half time.

Once again the goal scoring machine that is Didier Drogba put the enemy to the sword with a beautifully placed free kick hard on the heels of a missed penalty attempt by Portsmouth.

And how is Carlo Ancelotti winning the league and Cup in his first season in charge? Brilliant.


Magnificent, Fantastic, I can hardly believe it has come true but it has. Well done lads. I can die a happy man.

Think Long & Prosper.

Mark Webber wins Monaco Grand Prix

As if his win last weekend in Spain was not enough, Mark Webber demonstrated to his competitor's in the Formula 1 World Championship that his will be a hard man to beat to the title with a simply stunning drive to win at the tight, twist, Monaco street circuit and claim his fourth Grand Prix win.

This is the race that every one, driver, team owner, mechanic's and sponsor's want to win. Held in the Money rich tax haven in the South of France, it is the most glamourous race of the year with the rich and richer flooding in to be seen and associated with.

Mark qualified on pole to back up his performance in Spain and did so with absolute command. I have watched this race for 28yrs live on TV and a drive of such authority and superiority has been very rare at this most demanding of circuits. His win now puts him top of the table, equal on points with his team mate who must by now be feeling a little pressure to perform, having been annihilated in all facet's of the past two Grand Prix.

Mark took the lead from the start and simply drove away, but had to endure four safety car periods which, each time, allowed his opposition to close up behind him. Each time he again just drove away from them all with a World Champion's assurance and skill. Stunning stuff.

The race itself was a beauty in all respects, the location was, as ever, stunning and the result was fantastic for Red Bull and Webber personally. After so much bad luck, he seems to have found a level of confidence that is simply umatched by the rest of the field.

Vettel followed Mark across the finish line after the field was bunched up behind the safety car following a rather spectacular pile up involving two tail ender's. Michael Schumacher, ever on the look out for an opportunity, shot down the inside of Fernando Alonso's Ferrari as they entered the final corner after being released from the safety car, took line honours in fifth but was then penalised 20 second's dropping him to 12th place and no points for breaching the rules. It was a fine call and move on his part but the rules do not allow overtaking on the final lap in this circumstance.

Alonso had driven magnificently, as he normally does, from the pit lane to work his way through almost the entire field. Admittedly the safety car periods worked in his favour, but it was a fine effort all the same.

A great race, an even better drive by Webber to win it and signal his contention for the title. Look out if if this golden run continues. Well done Mark.

Think Long & Prosper

Dan
http://www.drmgroup.com.au/

May 16, 2010

Webber on Pole at Monaco

Mark Webber has continued a great run of form as he claimed the pole position for the Monaco Grand Prix to be run tonight.

He outclassed his young team mate again to claim his third pole of the season to equal his team mate and ensure the Red Bull has taken every pole position this year. Rather than the slight edge of 1 tenth of a second over his team mate last weekend, this time around he went a full 4 tenths quicker than Vettel who only managed third on the grid. Renault driver Robert Kubica drove quickly to gain the second front row spot but Webber should have him covered in the run up to the first corner.  With the tight twist nature of the Monaco street circuit not favouring overtaking, let's hope Mark then simply pulls away from the field as he did last week in Spain.

Michael Schumacher was pipped by his team mate but by only hundreths of a second and is on the same row of the Grid. Significantly, Fernando Alonso crashed his Ferrari in practice and was unable to run thereby ensuring he starts from the back of the grid. His race is over before it starts and it will dent his championship challenge for a while to come, although he is a class act and can never be ruled out of the picture.

So, a great start to the weekend, Mark Webber on Pole at my outright favourite race of the year and looking to win and take over the lead in the championship, and Chelsea won the FA Cup to take their first ever double - the League title and the Cup in the same season. Truly awesome.

Think Long & Prosper

Dan
http://www.drmgroup.com.au/

May 15, 2010

Red Bull Wings over Rio...

Austria's Jannes Arch won the latest round of the Red Bull Air Race held in Rio de Janeiro last weekend. However the win was not without controversy with thunderous rain calling a halt to the top 12 racing and the win being awarded based on the previous day's qualifyinh times. There is precendant for this, following heavy winds calling a halt to racing in England a couple of seasons back.

Britain took the remaining podium positions with Nigel Lamb second and current series leader, and defending champion, Paul Bonhomme third.

Bonhomme's championship lead was cut to three points with Arch, the 2008 Series champion back a further point. The general consensus from the pilot's seems to be that the officials made the right call but the official Red Bull Air Race site reports the poms Bonhomme and Lamb as being "miffed" at the outcome.

Australia's Matt Hall did manage to score a fourth place out of the situation though so that was great news. That means he is still well in the hunt for the title and seems to be flying really well after his fantastic second in the last leg at Perth. Why not follow him on Facebook. And what about the spectacular photo below, from his facebook site? Go Matt.

Think Long & Prosper
Biggles
http://www.drmgroup.com.au/

May 14, 2010

Webber Wins in Spain

Following a dominant qualifying session where he was a tenth of a second (that's get out and walk in F1 terms) quicker than his team mate, Australia's Mark Webber went on to take Pole, Fastest lap of the race and his third win in what was a masterful display of race driving.

He made sure his very quick and more fancied team mate did not get down the inside into the first corner, as happened the last time he was on pole two races ago, and from there simply drove away from the rest of the field.

I have had reason to question his abilities but this win proves to me that he has everything it takes to win the World Title. I know he was in the hunt for the title right up until the last few races last season but there was always an element of doubt about his luck, skill, racecraft, tyres, engine, gearbox call it what you like.

This win was so dominant that it shows he is the complete package. I already knew he was very quick, a string of fastest laps, poles and great drives had convinced me of that, however there was almost a Chris Amon like curse surrounding him. No longer.

Well done Mark. I hope he can repeat it at my favourite race of the year this weekend at Monaco. What a weekend that will be if he can lift the winners trophy at the same time Chelsea lift the FA Cup.
 I can't wait.

Think Long & Prosper
Dan

WE ARE THE CHAMPIONS...1 Down, 1 to go...














We did it. In emphatic fashion, 8-0 to be precise and in front of their home fans at Stamford Bridge. Chelsea have regained the English Premier League title for the first time since 2006 and now face the most historic day in their 105 year old history. The chance to do the double.

By 2:30am on Sunday morning we will know if this champion side has acheived what only two other clubs have achieved in English football by winning the league and the FA Cup in the same season. They face a freshly relegated Portsmouth, wounded and undoubtedly fired up to salvage some pride from the season that saw them almost bankrupted, relegated to the Championship Division and forced to sell off several top players to avoid the first problem mentioned.

Chelsea on the other hand have fought and beaten the best the league has thrown at them, if at times stumbling, nevetheless they rallied and held on, in the process scoring more than a century of goals, something not acheived since the 1960's. Didier Drogba the goal scoring machine secured the Golden boot for the league's top scorer and Coach Carlo Ancellotti must feel justly proud of his first full season in charge.

I have waited for this sort of event for 40 years, since I first adopted the team in Blue as a 10 year old boy - inspired by a grainy black and white photo of striker Peter Osgood diving headlong to score off a sublime Charlie Cooke delivered pass in the 1970 FA Cup Final replay. Since that moment I have held my breath, hoped, waited, held my breath again, been inspired, dejected and proud all in the same game. My team dropped to the second division, struggled back into the top tier and themselves closely avoided bankruptcy. But that is all forgotten now in the lead up to the game tomorrow at Wembley Stadium, scene of several of Chelsea's triumphs in years gone.

That 1970 team live in legend as hero's after following up the FA Cup win the next season with the European Cup Winners Cup. The current side are about to eclipse that stellar side with their effort over the past season and now stand on the cusp of immortality.

Winning the league was a truly magnificent acheivement and one that took true grit and focus. United chased hard and never let up the pressure, we beat them by only one point at season's end, but we beat them in both league games and as you all know you must be able to beat every team if you want to claim the title. United couldn't do it. We could.

Congratulations to the boy's in Blue, what a year, what a result and by Sunday I hope to be savouring the highest acheivement by a Chelsea team, ever.

C'mon Chelsea, C'mon Chelsea...

Think Long & Prosper

Dan

May 3, 2010

Duplicitous Politicians, Taxes and the Irony of it all...

Where do I begin fellow sufferers of Political duplicity and ineptitude. Is it not ironical that on the very day we celebrate the worker - May Day (Red Russia calls it that too by the way...) we see the papers plastered with Rudd's intention to take more money from our pockets.

I bought a packet of cigarettes this morning - I know I don't need to hear it - and discovered that rather than Rudd's $2.00 ( no doubt to pay for his next trip overseas as a great leader) the price had gone up $4.00 plus loose change. His next brainwave and stamp of imperial greatness is to remove the colour and branding from the packets. Brilliant! Why didn't I think of that? I'll give up over night if I can't get my cigarettes in a lovely gold packet. What a bunch of *#@% idiot's. As one journo suggested in this morning's paper, why don't they put out alcohol in unbranded bottles if that is their argument. How much is the idiot going to cost us before the Tobacco giants win the legal battle. $50 million? OK doesn't matter it isn't his money and he will be in his second term by then and on his way to a lifelong pension when he loses the following election.

Why do we keep changing our "Leaders" - excuse me but I despise calling these thieves Leaders. Leaders they definitely are not. Read my lips Kevin, Tony, Anna et al. It's because we don't like their lack of integrity, honesty and their corrupt ways so we get rid of them for the next lot of suit wearing career criminals.

So along with the cigarette tax, the egregious, pernicious, disgraceful intention to hit the mining industry with a 40% tax on profits to fund his pipe dreams (there's irony for you!), comes the recommendation that we all pay 35% income tax. Excuse me? Haven't we been going in the other direction to give the taxpayer a break? And you tell me what have they done with the previous increases, taxes, levies, and the like? Where do you think those little tax breaks and incentives to breed come from? Who actually pays for them? Not Kevin 747, he and his bunch of degenrate thugs and thieves don't create a cent for this country, they leave that to us, then take it off us to buy your vote.

I'll bet you have forgotten Rudd's earlier life when he was known as John Howard - it's true...they are all the same, you know it, you've even said it a thousand times - that he spent $45,000 for a weekend stay in a hotel. Think about that for a moment. That's all the time the bastard took to spend more than the average yearly - YEARLY - wage on a jolly for the WEEKEND!  Forgot that one didn't you. Or what about the actions of that vomitous WA treasurer Troy Boswell. How long would you last if you were caught sniffing the bosses secretary's chair, or having an affair with her? That the excretia lasted as long as he did amazes me. Hello, Earth to Perth, anyone home out there? Mind you compared to their former premier I suspose it is small doings. Then there is the meltdown that is Mark Latham, or the Tasmanian Lemon selling out to the forestry giants, the cowardly backstabbing in the Opposition as each looks to grab what they can before they self implode and disappear up their own anus horribilis, the woeful Health and education sectors that have been tampered with by these incompetents for so long no one can get a grip on the problem - certainly not Kevin 747. You have probably forgotten why they call him that though.

And now on this anniversary day he is proposing to steal more money from me to buy your vote. That is he is going to steal more money from each and every one of us to buy his own job back. How many times do you have to see this happen before you do something about it?

I heard that down the back... yes I have done something tangible, I joined a Political party whose premise is self destruction through downsizing and less government and I also subscribe to a philosphical movement and school of thought that actually demands you do just that...THINK. Sitting in the cool interior of your house escaping the ravaged society we are leaving this rabble to create and tamper with endlessly, is not a workable long term solution I am afraid.

Define Democracy for me? Now define Communism. Now Fascism. Compare the latter two with the former and what similarities do you see? And I won't take nothing, for an answer, that's what you are all guilty of anyway, kopping out.

Think Long & Prosper

Yours in disgusted fury
Biggles