A bit back it was announced that Wes Brown would only be out for a few weeks with his broken foot and I asked why England couldn’t catch a break and the dopey fullback that Fabio loves so much couldn’t be out until it was impossible for him to make the World Cup.

So it was with a cheer I heard last night that David Beckham will be missing out on his automatic squad place for what would have been his fourth World Cup.

Click here to view the embedded video.

What with Lennon’s on going injury concerns making his involvement look less and less likely and Fabio’s apparent obsession with fielding those players that have failed miserably at the last three tournaments they got to, failing even more miserably to even get to the last one. There had to be some good news at some point.

Now I know in the last post I had a go at those that cheered Jonny Wilkinson’s injury during the Calcutta Cup and in no time at all have turned around and done the exact thing. But no, it’s not the same. One thing that was rugby football and this is association football two completely different things. What is acceptable in one is contemptible in the other

So the only tears I shed at the news of Beckham’s Achilles tear, are tears of joy. I’ll leave the tears of pity to himself, his various business managers, the silly little girls, the idiots that believe that hype and foreigners, mainly in the Far East who are more interested in celebrity than England achieving anything of any merit.

I’ll look at the facts that tell a far better version of the truth than the media fanboys who worship his every movement. Witness one Clive Tyldesley during AC Milan’s stuffing by ManUre in the Champions League just under a week ago. How many boxes of tissues did Mr. Tyldesley get through during the 26 minutes Beckham was actually on the park? The 26 minutes in which he produced on two decent things, one cross across the box and the shot, which you could count either way after all it didn’t produce a goal as it was straight at the ‘keeper. Every other cross and every set piece, you know those corners and free-kicks at which he is such a master, was inept finding only the head of a player in red.

That game pretty much summed up Beckham as we stood on Sunday afternoon. Not worthy of a starting place in a Milan side that was inept, as a sop, allowed on when the game was well and truly over to milk some applause, producing nothing that would get his team back into the game. And at the end when he’d done nothing on the park worth really talking about, walking off with a green and gold anti-Glazer protest scarf around his neck, to make sure he got his fizzog in the papers. Pathetically doing anything in desperation to deprive others of the headlines.

No tears for a player who went to three World Cups:

So no tears for the player who cost England in 1998 – no it wasn’t just him, Shearer’s elbow and some inept penalty takers played their part but if he hadn’t been sent off…

No tears for the player who cost England in 2002 – when with England one up and in control he ponced out of that challenge to save himself and the injury that should have kept him out of that World Cup, but for Svennis’ man-crush, leading to Rivaldo’s equaliser and the eventual loss to Brazil.

No tears for the player who cost England in 2006 – A lumbering nothing of a player, who slowed up every England move when he was on the right. More often than not though found clogging up the centre of the park humping aimless balls from deep well over Peter Crouch’s head. And that takes some doing. Lennon wasted on the sidelines, no coincidence that England were better when Svennis amazing replaced one with the other. Where Beckham just gave away possession with his inept crosses Lennon kept the ball. Then he limped off in the quarters and cried for himself.

No tears for the only England player sent of twice and only captain to be dismissed.

No tears for the man who again cried for himself when standing down as captain.

Ah but he got us to the 2002 World Cup, it was his free kick that did it. Of course but no mention that he was so poor in qualification that it had to come down to a that moment against Greece. He was atrocious on the day and had missed how many previous free kicks.

Yes his speciality, how many times did you hear the commentators rave about his free kick ability when England were awarded one? And how many times did you hear them cheer him scoring one? Well in 115 caps he scored 17 goals. Says it all really, all those free kicks right in his area and he scored a whole 17 times.

David Beckham is not and was never a great player, would never make an all time England XI, wouldn’t make the bench or even the squad and that was when he was at his peak, which is a long time ago. He was only picked now to sell shirts, tickets and TV rights, not for footballing reasons. He will not be missed by England at the World Cup, well you certainly won’t miss him because you can guarantee he’ll make sure he’s the centre of attention throughout the tournament.

Gazza is the greatest football England has produced in my lifetime, he only went to one World Cup, in which he was a star, Jimmy Greaves who would be an automatic in an all time England XI was only in two and was cruelly denied glory in the second. Beckham was in three World Cups and two European Championships and lit none of them up. Don’t shed any tears for him not making one more.

© Toxic Web

Two seasons ago losing to the Jocks resulted in then England head coach Andy Robinson losing his job, and quite right too. So shouldn’t only managing to draw against a Jock side coached by Andy Robinson result in sackings?

The old adage rings true, just because you are a great player doesn’t make you a great coach.

The more this England side go on like this and the more Martin Johnson tries to talk them up after such performances the more he sullies the memory of him just over six years ago lifting a certain trophy.

It’s not working, no one can say it is with a straight face, all the talk of a team in transition is meaningless as there is no forward movement they are just getting worse and worse and so much of it can be laid squarely at the door of the coaching staff. The prime example is the fullback, Armitage, in 2008 he came into the squad and proved a revelation, a little over a year later and it’s all gone. Where? Well when he was out of the system he had teh ability but since being part of the system it’s gone so the finger can only point to the England coaching staff coaching it out of him. Then we have their other failings, Armitage should have been dropped for this game after Foden’s cameos have impressed in this Six Nations, but no he’s a favourite so starts yet again. It’s no coincidence that England looked far more alive when the substitution was finally made. The only problem now is how long has Foden got before they coach all that promise out of him?

So along with the sackings at the top there should be droppings further down. Yet again Wilkinson got the stick when he wasn’t helped by those around him at all. Maybe it is time to find a replacement for Jonny but did anyone really believe Flood would kick any of those penalties at the end that would have won it, never mind slot over the drop goal. Wilkinson may have limitations on the field but they aren’t in his heart or head. He’s not a bottler. Your life depended on it, who would you really want kicking for your existence, Flood, Charlie Hodgson?

But as I said he certainly wasn’t helped by his team. Where was Flutey, where was Tate, where was the back row?

You only saw the two centres when they were missing easy tackles. I’m sick of seeing Tait flounce about, looking like Harry Potter, tackling like the bint from Harry Potter. As for the back row have you ever seen a more anonymous 6, 7 & 8 for England? I think of Back, Hill and Dallaglio or Dean Richards, Mick Skinner, Mike Teague and Peter Winterbottom. For all the talk of how good the Jock back row were on Saturday they wouldn’t have had a sniff with a perm of any three of those seven on the park. A solid forward base is needed, with an anonymous back row – Borthwick back to his usual self, Welsh game really was an adoration, and the only thing Deacon did all day was pushed the broken down medical cart off the pitch – to go with a second row that wasn’t seen, Wilkinson hasn’t a platform to work off. He then turns around after receiving the ball to find he has no one behind him to work with. A shocking example being a scrum-half making his début, Youngs, looked better on the wing than the winger Johnson has picked for every game so far, Monye.

And after all that no matter how bad England were on the day, and they were atrocious, and how well the Jocks played they never really looked like scoring anything but penalties handed to them by England and still couldn’t beat us, to take the Calcutta Cup, as Andy Robinson took befuddlement to a new level.

One thing though they should have some national pride in is the new depths they took the game. Forget the mindless jeering during kicks, Bill McLaren would have shown some mighty disdain for his countrymen there, but when they cheered Jonny going off injured after he took a heavy knock to the head. Scummy behaviour of the lowest level not befitting the game.

Scotland 15 – 15 England

Click here to view the embedded video.

© Toxic Web

1958, Billie Holiday is sentenced to a year’s probation after pleading guilty to narcotics possession … Perry Como’s “Catch a Falling Star” becomes the first certified gold record …

Billie Holiday – “Trav’lin Light” (1958)

Click here to view the embedded video.

1963, Gerry Marsden of the Merseybeat group Gerry & The Pacemakers is fined £50 for trying to slip a German guitar past British customs … imported instruments are subject to high duties …

1965, Eric Clapton splits from The Yardbirds to join John Mayall’s Bluesbreakers …

The Yardbirds – “Louise”

Click here to view the embedded video.

John Mayall’s Bluesbreakers – “All Your Love”

Click here to view the embedded video.

1967, Dick James, the Beatles’ music publisher, says 446 versions of “Yesterday” have been recorded to date, making it the most covered song ever … The Grateful Dead release their first album … Jerry Garcia reveals that it was recorded on “dietwatcher’s speed and pot” and that “the tempo was way too fast” … The Velvet Underground’s debut album is released sporting Andy Warhol’s banana-peel cover …

1972, country music star and reformed burglar Merle Haggard is given a pardon by California governor Ronald Reagan … it’s been 12 years since Merle did his singing behind bars at San Quentin …

Merle Haggard – “Okie From Muskogee”

Click here to view the embedded video.

1974, John Lennon and his drinking buddy Harry Nilsson are booted out of West L.A.’s Troubadour Club after razzing comic Tom Smothers … apparently, like Smother’s mother, John and Harry like Dickie best …

1976, former porn star Andrea True scores with her #4 disco single “More, More, More” …

1979, singer Bonnie Bramlett slugs a highly inebriated Elvis Costello when he utters a racial slur about Ray Charles … Costello has publicly apologized on many occasions for this gaffe …

Delaney & Bonnie & Friends – “Comin’ Home”

Click here to view the embedded video.

1991, Janet Jackson reveals … we know what you’re thinking … that she is moving from A&M Records to Virgin in a deal worth about $40 million … seven members of Reba McEntire’s touring band and her road manager are killed when their plane crashes into a mountainous area near the California/Mexico border … McEntire was traveling in a separate plane … guitar legend Eddie Van Halen and his wife, actress Valerie Bertinelli, celebrate the birth of their son … they name the boy Wolfgang …

1992, 40,000 people show up for Farm Aid in Irving, Texas … the star-studded show is organized by Willie Nelson to help failing family farms …

1997, Paul McCartney is knighted by Queen Elizabeth II …

1998, Cathay Pacific Airways announces that Oasis singer Liam Gallagher has been banned from flying with the airline following a flight during which he is reported to have screamed obscenities and smoked in the cabin … lawyers representing Korn serve Assistant Principal Gretchen Plewes of Zeeland High School in Michigan … the papers demand that she stop making “defamatory comments about Korn and its products” … the action stems from the suspension of a student who wore a Korn T-shirt to school …

2000, the Recording Industry Association of America certifies 17 million copies sold of Shania Twain’s album Come On Over, making it the best-selling album by a solo female artist …

2002, R.E.M. is inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame at the 22nd annual dinner …

2003, the Chinese government orders the Rolling Stones to axe four songs from the set lists of their Shanghai and Beijing shows … the banned tunes are “Brown Sugar,” “Honky Tonk Women,” “Beast of Burden,” and “Let’s Spend the Night Together” …

The Rolling Stones – “Brown Sugar”

Click here to view the embedded video.

2004, Courtney Love repeatedly flashes her breasts during an appearance on The Late Show with David Letterman … later that night she plays an unannounced gig at the New York club, Plaid, where she throws a mic stand into the audience and is arrested for reckless endangerment … the next night she turns up at the Bowery Ballroom with the legend “EAT MY F**K” emblazoned in 10-inch high letters on her tank top, then tops off the night with a Kodak moment in which she is photographed breast-feeding a fan at a local Wendys … like the man said, “All you need is Love” … Starbucks announces it’s partnering with Hewlett-Packard to offer customers digital music downloads via HP tablet computers … Axl Rose is denied a restraining order that would prevent Universal Music Group from releasing a Guns N’ Roses greatest hits album … the label argues that it has every right to release the record since Rose has failed to deliver on his contract to produce the long-threatened Chinese Democracy album …

2005, the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame celebrates its 20th anniversary—and the 50th anniversary of rock music—in a ceremony that peaks with Bruce Springsteen inducting U2; Neil Young ushering in the Pretenders; Justin Timberlake welcoming the O’Jays into the Hall; B.B. King and Eric Clapton joining forces to pay tribute to bluesman Buddy Guy; and Rod Stewart inducting soul singer Percy Sledge … legendary tenor Luciano Pavarotti will lend his voice to a new version of Deep Purple’s classic “Smoke on the Water” for a new retrospective album covering the 40-year career of rocker Ian Gillan … a London audience is treated to an unannounced appearance by Mick Jagger during a Ron Wood concert; Jagger handles vocals on the Stones song “Dance (Pt. 1)” … Coldplay gives L.A. fans a thrill by playing a one-off gig at The Troubador … rapper Lil’ Kim is convicted of perjury for lying to a federal grand jury in connection with a 2001 shooting involving her manager and a former member of her posse …

2006, Isaac Hayes quits South Park, the animated show where he voiced the character of Chef for nine years … Hayes cites the show’s take on religion as his reason for leaving: “There is a place in this world for satire, but there is a time when satire ends and intolerance and bigotry toward religious beliefs of others begins.” … Matt Stone, the show’s co-creator, cites a recent episode that targeted Hayes’ religion, Scientology … “He has no problem—and he’s cashed plenty of checks—with our show making fun of Christians.” … Leonard Cohen wins a $9.5 million judgment against former manager Kelley Lynch, charging that he extorted more than $5 million from the singer-songwriter … outlook for compensation is dim, since the defendant apparently took a powder right after the suit was filed … Hasidic reggae star Matisyahu fires his management team at JDub with three years left to go on their contract … the sacking comes as Matisyahu enjoys having two albums in the top 40 album chart … the JDub crew, who were the artist’s buddies in college, are reported to be considering suit …

2007, Sony BMG Music Entertainment announces that it’s shutting down Sony Wonder, its kids’ label that was once home to Sesame Street … it’s not easy being BMG … Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five become the first hip-hop act to be inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame …

2008, it’s announced that Snoop Dogg will guest star on the long-running soap One Life to Live … he’ll perform a couple of tracks from his newest CD, Ego Trippin’, and mashup the show’s theme music … a judge awards Heather Mills nearly $50 million in her divorce from Paul McCartney … the Allman Brothers are forced to postpone their annual May engagement at New York’s Beacon Theater while Gregg Allman recuperates from hepatitis C …

2009, Capitol Records executive Alan Livingston dies … after the U.S.-based label rejected the first four Beatles singles, he gave the go-ahead to release “I Want to Hold Your Hand” … Neil Young releases his video for “Johnny Magic” on the Internet … it’s Neil in his car lip-synching to the song with his dog in the back seat, one camera, no edits … Neil explains the “economy look” goes with the times …

…and that was the week that was.

Arrivals:

March 11: bandleader Lawrence Welk (1903), Mike Hugg of Manfred Mann (1940), Golden Earring’s George Kooymans (1948), singer Bobby McFerrin (1950), singer Nina Hagen (1955), Bruce Watson of Big Country (1961), drummer and Pantera co-founder Vinnie Paul, born Vincent Paul Abbott (1964), singer-songwriter Lisa Loeb (1968), Joel and Benji Madden of Good Charlotte (1979)

March 12: one-man-band Jesse “Lone Cat” Fuller (1896), R&B bandleader Red Saunders (1912), Leonard Chess, co-founder of Chess Records (1917), L.C. Williams, Houston bluesman who worked with Lightnin’ Hopkins (1930), singer Al Jarreau (1940), Paul Kantner of Jefferson Airplane (1942), singer-actress Liza Minelli (1946), singer-songwriter James Taylor (1948), Bill Payne of Little Feat (1949), Mike Gibbons of Badfinger (1949), Marlon Jackson of The Jackson 5 (1957), Steve Harris of Iron Maiden (1957), Graham Coxon of Blur (1969)

March 13: bluesman Lightnin’ Slim (1913), Willie Williams, drummer with Howlin’ Wolf (1922), songwriter Mike Stoller (1933), singer-songwriter-pianist Neil Sedaka (1939), Mississippi-born electric guitarist Melvin Taylor (1959), U2’s Adam Clayton (1960)

March 14: baroque composer Georg Philipp Telemann (1681), Austrian romantic composer Johann Strauss Sr. (1804), bandleader Les Brown (1912), singer-songwriter Phil Phillips, who penned “Sea of Love” (1931), trumpeter-arranger-composer-producer Quincy Jones (1933), “Queen of Country Music” Loretta Lynn (1940), Jim Pons of The Turtles (1943), Chicago’s Walt Parazaider (1945), Boon Gould of Level 42 (1955)

March 15: bluesman Lightnin’ Hopkins (1912), Grateful Dead bassist Phil Lesh (1940), Mike Love, co-lead singer of The Beach Boys (1944), Sly Stone, born Sylvester Stewart (1944), War’s Howard Scott (1946), slide guitarist-singer-composer Ry Cooder (1947), Twisted Sister’s Dee Snider (1955), singer-songwriter Terence Trent D’Arby (1962), Brett Michaels of Poison (1963), Mark McGrath of Sugar Ray (1970), Mark Hoppus of blink-182 (1972), Joseph Hahn of Linkin Park (1977)

March 16: country singer-songwriter Jerry Jeff Walker, born Ronald Clyde Crosby (1942), Heart’s Nancy Wilson (1954), Flavor Flav of Public Enemy (1959), rock and metal guitarist Marcus Henderson, lead guitar for Guitar Hero video game (1973), bassist and son of Eddie, Wolfgang Van Halen (1991)

March 17: singer-songwriter-pianist Nat “King” Cole, born Nathaniel Adams Coles (1917), Clarence Collins of Little Anthony & The Imperials (1939), Vito Picone of The Elegants (1940), Paul Kantner of The Jefferson Airplane (1941), singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist John Sebastian of The Lovin’ Spoonful (1944), Harold Brown of War (1946), Ian Gomm of Brinsley Schwartz (1947), Thin Lizzy’s Scott Gorham (1951), Mike Lindup of Level 42 (1959), Smashing Pumpkins’ Billy Corgan (1967), Melissa Auf der Maur of Hole (1972)

Departures:

March 11: Stacy Guess of The Squirrel Nut Zippers (1998), South African saxophonist Basil “Manenberg” Coetzee (1998), blues harmonica player Sonny Terry (1986)

March 12: Marc Moreland, guitarist for Wall of Voodoo (2002), violinist and conductor Yehudi Menuhin (1999), singer-songwriter Alex Taylor, older brother of James Taylor (1993), alto sax innovator Charlie “Yardbird” Parker (1955)

March 13: Capitol records executive Alan Livingston (2009), soul singer Lyn Collins (2005), reggae singer Judge Dread, born Alex Hughes (1998), rock and jazz producer Bob Shad (1985), Jerry Blaine, jazz bandleader and founder of Jubilee Records (1973)

March 14: country singer-songwriter Tommy Collins, born Leonard Raymond Sipes (2000), songwriter Jerome “Doc” Pomus (1991), R&B bandleader Larry “Big Twist” Nolan (1990), Keith Relf of The Yardbirds (1976), ’60s soul singer Linda Jones (1972)

March 15: rapper Harold “Whiz Kid” McGuire (1996), violinist Olga Rudge (1996), Electric Flag bassist Roger “Jelly Roll” Troy (1991), tenor sax giant Lester “Prez” Young (1959), boogie-woogie pianist Clarence “Pine Top” Smith (1929)

March 16: Ola Brunkert, drummer for ABBA (2008), singer Carol Richards, who teamed with Bing Crosby on “Silver Bells” (2007), ska pioneer Justin Hinds (2005), Jakson Spires, drummer, co-founder, and songwriter for Blackfoot (2005), Joseph Pope, lead singer of The Tams (1996), singer-songwriter Johnny Cymbal (1993), John Simmons of The Reflections (1990), bluesman and electric guitar pioneer Aaron “T-Bone” Walker (1975), soul singer Tammi Terrell (1970)

March 17: Narvin Campbell of the Preservation Hall Jazz Band (2006), Lumumba Nelson aka Professor X of the ’90s rap posse X-Clan (2006), MTV VJ J.J. Jackson (2004), Lillian McMurry, co-founder of Trumpet Records (1999), ’80s R&B and pop singer Jermaine Stewart (1997), Elvis sound-alike Terry Safford (1996), Chicago blues pianist Sunnyland Slim, born Albert Luandrew (1995), singer Yvonne Fair of The Chantels (1994), Ric Grech, bass player for Blind Faith and Traffic (1990), New Orleans R&B singer Bobby Mitchell (1989), Samuel George, singer-drummer with The Capitols (1982)

© Toxic Web

“Ultimate Guitar Speed Learning System” The Fastest & Easiest Way to Accelerate your Guitar Playing Click here to check it out NOW! It’s got heaps of hot tips & tricks.

This sprite’s not so refreshing after an all-nighter and it likes to feel the wind in it’s hair.

But less of the little green fella. Don’t know why but it’s taken me some time to actually get round to using CSS sprites for the background images here on Toxic Web, after all I think the first article I saw about them was on “A List Apart” and that is just over 6 years old. Added to that I’ve used them elsewhere, mainly for such things as menu lists with a rollover effect, but in a smaller individual basis.

In fact even on this site, with the rollover effect for the submit button on the comments form (below). Pretty much every image to do with the site’s layout is a background image so I decided to go the whole hog and create one huge image, which turned out not as workable so I ended up with two sprites.

I tried a couple of the Sprite generators but they didn’t exactly work out for me, the SpriteMe bookmarklet looked like a good one – there are more in this Smashing Magazine article – but in Firefox it produced a strange box that covered the working are making it partially unusable.

So it was down to a bit of DIY, importing the images into a big transparent background image, marking all the coordinates and making sure that there’s no overlapping when rendered on the page.

First one an image for all the borders (in the main content area), boxes (red & orange over there on the right) and all the little icons (again over there on the right next to ever list menu oh and down below and the date on the left), it came out at 150px high and 15,000px long but was only 21kb and replaced 37 individual images that in total were about 5kb more. The second image was for the navigation menu tabs at the top, one the left and at the bottom, this weighed in at 6kb replacing 16 images totally 10kb.

But it wasn’t the size of the images that I was bothered about, this day and age of broadband what difference does 9kb make? Bugger all.

It was partly just to do it and see about getting 53 images down to just 2 and thus reducing the number of HTTP-Requests by at least 50.

Using this post as a test subject (mainly because it is just text, no videos or images), Firebug shows that before the sprite there was 133 HTTP-Requests, after it was down to 78. The total download time was reduced by about 33%.

Then I looked at the site a Linux Mint live disc and of course even though it’s Firefox, it’s not the same as in Windows. Great, top nav is miles above where it should be. Hmmm positioned absolutely, obviously not measuring the same from the bottom of the containing div. Positioning it from the top gets it to work but of course the search box on the right drops down below where it should be.

And all this started when I was thinking about CSS3ing the whole site after changing back from Flock to Firefox when the latter moved to v3.6 – more on that later – and viewing a number of examples that would negate the use of images all together with nice border radii, alpha transparencies, glossy style boxes which of course won’t work in the most used browser.

Bloody interweb, can’t live with it, can’t hit it over the back of the head with a shovel and bury it under the patio…

Click here to view the embedded video.

© Toxic Web

If you’re gonna hire Machete to kill the bad guy, you better make sure the bad guy isn’t you…

Click here to view the embedded video.

Just watched Robert Rodriguez’s $7,000 classic “El Mariachi” again the other night, don’t know how many times I’ve seen it, along with “Desperado“, “From Dusk Till Dawn” and “Once Upon A Time In Mexico“.

Watching those last three of course has nothing to do with Salma being in then at all, her dancing on tables with snakes is irrelevant to my enjoyment.

Rodriguez’s fake trailer for “Machete” (above) is a cracking piece of Mexploitation. Will the real thing match up, well with Danny Trejo, Cheech Marin and Robert DeNiro, it has a chance. Though with Steven Seagal and that stupid bint Rose McGowan it’ll have to lift it’s game and of course Jessica Alba and Lindsay Lohan ain’t no Salma.

Rated X: Listening to the Danny Baker show at the weekend he asked what was the first X rated film people saw in the cinema. Mine was Mad Max 2, I was 10 years old – no it wasn’t in the year of it’s release – it was a very hot and humid summer on the equator, our air con packed in and the cinema was the coolest place to spend a night. So me and my dad went to see what had looked like a decent flick in the previous weeks trailers. I was tall for my age, I was tall for any age of the locals…

You can pretty much figure out what type of game it was without seeing a single minute of it. Unfortunately I did see every single minute of it – thank you teh interweb, fuck you STV – and you’d be right.

A lot of huff, quite a bit of puff and another game on the fixture list.

‘Arry, team selection wise, with his hands tied due to injuries and him buying/recalling cup tied players, meant he had only 13 recognisable first teamers at his disposal. One of them carrying a niggle, Defoe, the other not had much first team action of late, Gudjohnsen. So we got a starting XI and formation many had wanted to see for some time. Benoit Assou-Ekotto at left-back, Bale in front of him as a left winger and Modric moved into the central playmaker role.

A number of factors meant it didn’t really work. Firstly the location, The Cottage, nice little cosy ground – were there any home fans? All I could hear were Spurs chants throughout – it’s tight, not ideal for wide wing play and the pitch isn’t the best. But then so many aren’t after the winter we’ve had, just look at Wembley. And then there was the opposition and their ambition, or lack of it. First half all they wanted to do is defend and defend deep.

So poor old Bale generally had two players marking him, the opposing fullback and right sided midfielder. That’s when he was luck, obviously Woy had been watching the recent Spurs games and targeted the Welsh player as Spurs best this year. So there was times when he had to combat up to five players, giving him very little chance of getting to the byline for a cross, or even passing it off for a one-two, or even passing it inside. But he stuck to his game and as an attacking outlet was the best player on the park .

Modric didn’t work either but again the situation created the problems, as Spurs ended up playing in front of an almost flat back nine. So we can’t say it’ll never work but when mentioning ‘Arry picking this setup in past posts I commented about how Bale may be better off bombing forward from fullback with Modric moving inside from a nominal left sided position, pulling defenders in and thus creating the space for Bale to flourish. But against a more attacking side, on a more suitable pitch who knows.

Another thing that didn’t work on the day was the partnership…well pairing of Crouch and Pavlyuchenko up front. A lot of comments about why did Spurs by this Crouch and not the one that played for England midweek. Well one major difference between the two was the service they received. On Wednesday Crouch had the ball played to his feet, the lack of Rio Ferdinand on the pitch meant the aimless hoofs up the park were cut down. They weren’t on Saturday evening. Far too many came in from deep and with Fulham’s defence well drilled to combat such an approach it really had no chance of coming off. So you can’t say Crouch and Pav don’t work, both are better with the ball at their feet, so again the right approach play and a less stifling defence it could work perfectly.

So Wilson won the day…oh helped by Gomes and another cracking save, from Gera, to keep a clean sheet and Corluka’s inability to strike the winning goal in the final minute – a winner for Fulham.

Fulham 0 – 0 Spurs

Click here to view the embedded video.

Still one win away from Wembley, for the semi-final against Pompey. So the media might actually want us to win the replay so they can have the Pompey versus all their exes stories in the semi, where of course they’ll want us to lose.

© Toxic Web

Song Surgeon – The Ultimate Musician’s Tool

1951, produced by the legendary Sam Phillips at Sun Records in Memphis, Ike Turner’s Kings of Rhythm record “Rocket 88″ is released … considered groundbreaking for its use of the distorted electric guitar of Willie Kizart, it’s credited by many rock historians for being the first rock ‘n’ roll record … unfortunately for Turner, the bandleader and piano player, he is not the star on the record label—it is credited to saxophonist Jackie Brenston who handles lead vocals …

Click here to view the embedded video.

1954, Elvis Presley auditions for The Songfellows, a country vocal group … they pass on the future king saying he can’t sing harmony …

1955, Elvis Presley appears for the first time on television on a regional show called Louisiana Hayride …

1965, The Beatles’ “Eight Days a Week” rides the top of the Billboard Pop Chart … oddly the song is never released as a single in England …

Click here to view the embedded video.

1966, a pre-Cream, pre-Blind Faith, all-star, one-time-only group called Eric Clapton & The Powerhouse is created to record a few tunes for an Elektra Records compilation … in addition to featuring Clapton on guitar, Steve Winwood (under the alias Steve Anglo) sings, Jack Bruce plays bass, Paul Jones on harmonica (under the alias Jacob Matthews), Pete York on drums … the ad hoc group records three tunes, one of which, “Crossroads,” will become a legendary live recording by Cream …

Eric Clapton & The Powerhouse – “Steppin’ Out”

Click here to view the embedded video.

… John Lennon stirs up controversy when during a newspaper interview he remarks that the Beatles “are probably bigger than Jesus right now” … in the southern U.S.—the “Bible Belt”—Beatles’ records are ripped apart, stomped upon, and burned in protest; threats are made against the Beatles; and concerts are cancelled … Lennon is forced to explain his claim to the press by saying “I’m not saying that we’re better or greater, or comparing us with Jesus Christ as a person or God as a thing or whatever it is. I just said what I said and it was wrong. Or it was taken wrong. And now it’s all this” …

1966, Phil Spector produces the monumental Ike & Tina Turner track “River Deep, Mountain High” … it’s rumored that he spent more than $22,000 creating the orchestral backing track—an unprecedented sum in its day—word has it that Spector also paid Ike Turner, Tina’s spouse and Svengali, 20 grand to stay the hell out of the studio … the single goes to #3 in England but flops in the USA …

Click here to view the embedded video.

1967, Steve and Muff Winwood announce plans to quit the Spencer Davis Group … the brothers have been with the band four years … Steve goes on to form Traffic …

“Keep On Running”

Click here to view the embedded video.

“Gimme Some Lovin’”

Click here to view the embedded video.

1969, The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour TV show is canceled by CBS … during its run the show had featured many rock acts including The Beatles, The Doors, and The Who … the cancellation is seen as the result of the brothers refusing to censor comments made by guest Joan Baez about her husband David Harris who was facing prison as a war resister …

Click here to view the embedded video.

1970, Janis Joplin is fined $200 for onstage swearing in Tampa, Florida …

1971, Radio Hanoi broadcasts Jimi Hendrix’s “Star Spangled Banner” … the tape was sent to the North Vietnamese station by anti-war activist Abbie Hoffman …

1973, Paul McCartney pleads guilty and pays a fine of $240 after marijuana plants were found growing at his farm in Scotland … in his defense McCartney claimed that a fan gave him some seeds, which he planted, not knowing what would grow from them … this same week in 1975, Linda and Paul are pulled over for running a red light in Los Angeles … police sniff pot and find six to eight ounces in Linda’s purse and charge her with possession … since it isn’t his purse, Paul skates free …

1976, a wax version of Elton John goes on display at Madame Tussaud’s Wax Museum …

1979, Soul Brother (and Good Old Boy) Number One, James Brown, gets funky at the Grand Ole Opry …

1980, the number-one song on the pop chart this week is “Crazy Little Thing Called Love” by Queen …

Click here to view the embedded video.

1998, Alan Reed, an American dancer, sues Japanese pop star Seiko Matsuda for 48 million yen, charging that she pressured Reed, a member of her stage show, into having sex with her … his case is a loser …

2000, in the middle of a show in Fargo, North Dakota, Korn drummer David Silveria suddenly loses use of one of his wrists … Mike Bordin of Faith No More subs for the rest of the tour while Silveria heals … Chrissie Hynde is busted in New York for slashing leather goods at a Gap store … she’s part of a PETA action …

2004, Jack White of the White Stripes pleads guilty to misdemeanor assault and battery on singer Jason Stollsteimer of The Von Bondies … the charges stem from a bar fight between the two Detroit musicians that occurred the previous December at the CD release party for Blanche, another Detroit area band …White is fined $750 …

2005, XL Recordings’ Dizzee Rascal is arrested in East London after he is found carrying pepper spray (considered a firearm)… his companion is charged with possession of drugs (marijuana) and an offensive weapon (a baton and more pepper spray) …

2008, MTV pulls Gnarls Barkley’s video Run for having the potential to induce seizures … before the song reaches its conclusion the retro dancers are surrounded by strobing, criss-crossing and interweaving black and white patterns … enough to cause the video to fail the Harding Test—software designed to protect sufferers of photosensitive epilepsy from having seizures … Van Halen postpones 17 more concert dates so that guitarist Eddie Van Halen “can continue medical tests to define a course of treatment,” … that band’s website notes that Eddie remains “under doctors’ care” …

2009, in another indication of foundering CD sales, BMG Music Service, the last of the record clubs to offer those 10-CDs-for-a-penny promotions, announces that it is shutting down … former competitor Columbia House had closed a couple of years earlier … the Allman Brothers kick off their 40th anniversary year with a three-week residency at New York’s Beacon Theatre—an annual tradition for the Southern rockers … the shows feature a star-studded lineup of friends sitting in with the band that inludes Eric Clapton, Phil Lesh, Bob Weir, Sheryl Crow, Billy Gibbons, Taj Mahal, Levon Helm, Buddy Guy, Boz Scaggs, and Stanley Clarke …

…and that was the week that was.

Arrivals:

March 4: Miriam Makeba (1932), Bobby Womack (1944), singer-songwriter Shakin’ Stevens (1948), Billy Gibbons (1948), Chris Squire of Yes (1948), Emilio Estefan of Miami Sound Machine (1950), Jason Newsted of Metallica (1963), Patrick Hannan of The Sundays (1966), Fergal Lawler of The Cranberries (1971)

March 5: blues great J.B. Lenoir (1929), R&B star Tommy “High Heel Sneakers” Tucker (1939), Electric Prune James Lowe (1945), “Electric Avenue” Eddy Grant (1948), Alan Clark of Dire Straits (1952), singer-songwriter-producer Teena Marie (1956), Bobby DeBarge (1956), Mark Smith of The Fall (1957), Andy Gibb (1958), Craig Reid and Charlie Reid of The Proclaimers (1962), John Frusciante of The Red Hot Chili Peppers (1971)

March 6: bluesman Furry Lewis (1893), western swing pioneer Bob Wills (1905), Bernie Wayne, pop composer who wrote “Blue Velvet” (1919), Wes Montgomery (1923), Sylvia Robinson of Mickey and Sylvia (1936), bluegrass banjo legend Doug Dillard of The Dillards (1937), Mary Wilson of the Supremes (1944), Hugh Grundy of The Zombies (1945), Pink Floyd’s David Gilmour (1947), singer Kiki Dee (1947), Megadeth guitarist Chris Broderick (1970)

March 7: Maurice Ravel, composer of “Bolero” (1875), Zola Taylor, the only female member of The Platters (1938), producer and ex-Zombie Chris White (1943), singer-songwriter Townes Van Zandt (1944), J. Geils Band vocalist Peter Wolf (1946), Procol Harum organist Matthew Fisher (1946), Taylor Dayne, born Leslie Wonderman (1962)

March 8: Micky Dolenz of The Monkees (1945), Eagles bassist Randy Meisner (1946), Three Dog Night’s Michael Allsup (1947), Mel Galley of Whitesnake (1948), Little Peggy March of “I Will Follow Him” fame (1948), singer and synth pop pioneer Gary Numan (1958), Peter “Pedro” Gill of Frankie Goes to Hollywood (1960), Julian Lennon (1963), Cheryl James of Salt-N-Pepa (1964), singer-songwriter Shawn Mullins (1968), Kameelah Williams of 702 (1978)

March 9: composer Samuel Barber (1910), Motown songwriter Clarence Paul (1928), R&B stalwart Lloyd Price (1933), Red Steele, bass singer with The (Five) Willows (1934), country singer Mickey Gilley (1936), Mark Lindsay of Paul Revere & the Raiders (1942), John Cale of The Velvet Underground (1942), guitarist Robin Trower (1945), Ron Wilson of The Surfaris (1945), Jimmie Fadden of The Nitty Gritty Dirt Band (1948), R&B singer Jeffrey Osborne (1948), The Move’s Trevor Burton (1949), Robert Sledge of Ben Folds Five (1968), rapper Lil’ Bow Wow (1987)

March 10: legendary trumpeter Leon “Bix” Beiderbecke (1903), Tex-Mex legend, producer Huey “The Crazy Cajun” Meaux (1929), Dexter Tisby of The Penguins (1935), swamp rocker Johnny Allen (1938), Dean Torrence of Jan & Dean (1940), Eddie Guzman, percussionist for Rare Earth (1944), Tom Scholz of Boston (1947), Jeff Ament of Pearl Jam (1963), Neneh Cherry (1964), Edie Brickell (1966), Sims Ellison, bassist with Pariah (1967)

Departures:

March 4: Piedmont blues guitarist John Cephas (2009), Beatles’ engineer and Pink Floyd producer Norman Smith (2008), songwriter-pianist Marvin Jenkins (2005), guitarist John McGeoch (2004), country artist Eddie Dean of “I Dreamed Of a Hillbilly Heaven” fame (1999), Minnie Pearl (1996), songwriter Eden Ahbez (1995), jazz guitarist Mary Osborne (1992), founder of the doo-wop Herald and Ember labels Al Silver (1992), bebop guitarist Tiny Grimes (1989), Richard Manuel of The Band (1986), R&B bandleader Red Saunders (1981), Brit rocker Mike Patto (1979), Raymond Edwards of The Silhouettes (1977)

March 5:: Bob Timmins, an addiction specialist who worked with Kurt Cobain and Slash (2008), Vivian Stanshall of The Bonzo Dog Band (1995), blues brother John Belushi (1982), Patsy Cline (1963), Cowboy Copas (1963), Hawkshaw Hawkins (1963)

March 6: David Williams, rhythm guitar soloist on Michael Jackson’s “Beat It” (2009), producer Mickey Most (2003), Sir Joseph Lockwood, head of Britain’s EMI records (1991)

March 7: Jimmy “I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus” Boyd (2009), Portland-based blues harp player and singer Paul deLay (2007), Malian blues singer and guitarist Ali Farka Toure (2006), Jesse Taylor, former guitarist with the Joe Ely Band (2006), country bandleader-songwriter Pee Wee King (2000), producer Dave Jordan (1995), Texas blues singer-guitarist George “Little Hat” Jones (1981), country singer Jack Anglin (1963)

March 8: Grand Ole Opry star Hank Locklin (2009), Adam Faith, British pop singer and actor (2003), session drummer Bobby Chouinard (1997), novelty songwriter-performer and DJ, Vic Venus (1994), jazz singer and bandleader Billy Eckstine (1993), Ron “Pigpen” McKernan of the Grateful Dead (1973)

March 9: country singer Chris LeDoux (2005), George Scott, founding member of the gospel group The Blind Boys of Alabama (2005), Rust Epique, guitarist for pre)Thing (2004), rapper Notorious B.I.G. (1997), Mercury Wilson, lead rapper-singer for The Force M.D.’s (1995), R&B songwriter and producer Robert “Bumps” Blackwell (1985), Harry Womack, bassist, member of the Valentinos, and brother of Bobby Womack (1974)

March 10: Danny Joe Brown, lead singer of Molly Hatchet (2005), Dave Blood, bassist for the Dead Milkmen (2004), jazz and R&B singer LaVern Baker (1997), Doc Green, baritone singer with The Drifters (1989), Andy Gibb (1988), bluesman Blind Joe Reynolds (1968)

© Toxic Web

Play Your Favorite Song Better

Fabio has come out and stated he picked his strongest available side on Wednesday night against Egypt to scare their fellow North Africans Algeria who England face in their second group game of the World Cup on June 18th.

Well Fabio that first half starting XI will have them pissing themselves. Seeing the performances of Brown, Upson, Terry, Lampard, Gerrard, Walcott et al, will have the urine flowing down their legs.

Of course not in fear but pissing themselves laughing.

© Toxic Web

Learn to play CLASSIC guitar leads

After an atrocious first half and then a not much better second half, after which England were flattered by a 3-1 scoreline against Egypt, who aren’t at the World Cup, last night, there was far too much talking up of the team and certain individuals in particular. Especially the captain and coach.

After all it may have ended well but Fabio picked that starting XI, the eleven that he thought could do the job and it gave an indication of what he’ll pick come South Africa in June. Does any England fan want to head into that first game against the US with that lineup? Hell it could even get worse with the club games certain players will have between now and then.

So lets start at the very back. Green? Why? Well Fabio said a while back he knows his #1, does this mean it’s Green. Why play him, he’s started a number of internationals lately, surely by now Fabio knows what he’s got, even if it’s very little. Green is a semi-competent ‘keeper, like last night he didn’t have much to do and what he did he was OK. But you know there’s a howler in there somewhere. His distribution last night was poor and that’s the last thing that defence needs is to be played into trouble by their own ‘keeper. Why wasn’t Hart given a look, he’s only got one cap, he needs the experience, after all Green may not be available in a few months and that leaves us with Calamity. Dear god, not again. As Robinson, having a pretty good season in a poor team looked on from above.

So that defence, man that’s grim. There’s one person on this planet that thinks Wes Brown is an international fullback and it ain’t even Wes Brown. And it’s certainly non of his team-mates as to a man throughout that game when in possession they looked up saw Brown free and immediately stopped themselves, had second thoughts and then you could almost hear them think – “oh god I have to, there’s no one else” – as their shoulders dropped. Oh and by the way it’s Fabio, he’s the only one that thinks it, in case you hadn’t guessed.

Terry, well Fabio said he thought the ex-captain’s form hadn’t dropped. Yeah right Fab, because he wasn’t skinned and embarrassed against Citeh time and time again. The power slides, yards from the ball, the running the wrong side of Tevez for the first goal – why would anyone go the non-goal side for that? – the air shots, all say he’s in tip top form. He’s slow and ponderous, only in there as the blocker, not there as a great footballer but to be the one to stop those that are. When he can’t even do that what is the point?

Now if you’ve got the Jack Charlton stopper you need the Bobby Moore player. But no, we’ve got Upson. There’s a reason he looks confused all the team, he’s trying to figure out why he’s there. A dear in the headlights, dullard who instils confidence in no one. Yes it was a slip for the Egypt goal but you know he’s going to slip at the important times, he didn’t slip when attacks were fizzling out. A decent club player, not an international, or he wouldn’t be at the club he is.

Baines, now there’s a shocker, Fabio actually picked the right player. When Milner’s name was listed among the defenders when the squad was announced, who didn’t think – “oh I see where this is going”? Now Baines didn’t disgrace himself but I’ve seen some criticism of him, all unjustified. His first cap and he’s out there on the left all on his lonesome, no help at all, well until the 73 minute. He defended OK, but we didn’t really see him get forward, mainly because he had no support out there on the left, it was him against Egypt’s right sided player and wingback. Against that on his own, I amend myself his defending was better than OK. After the 73 minute and with support we saw him finally get forward, put in a decent cross, though deflected, did result in a goal. He Also put in the only decent corner.

So what was Baines real problem, ah yes the collector of undeserved caps – that was number 78 – the captain who led by example. Gerrard. As he floated about, aimlessly in the middle of the park, Gerrard put in his standard England display. Useless. Totally exposing Baines, who he didn’t help at all throughout his time on the pitch, more interest in self-glory. Gerrard’s performance can be summed up in passage of play, somewhere during the first 45 minutes he lost the ball weakly in the Egypt half, as the Egyptian player ran forward, Gerrard sauntered behind not making any attempt to catch up never mind atone for his error. There was a little pinball and the ball luckily made it’s way back to the captain at which point he hit a standard glory ball for a Rooney run. Nobody watching could understand why Rooney bothered, there was no way he would catch it before it crossed the dead ball line for a goal kick. The pass to Barry for England’s opener was the only pass he didn’t over or under hit in those 73 minutes.

Another manager is trying to crowbar him into the team, it’s no coincidence that England looked livelier, sharper and that Baines finally got forward and attacked when Milner came on. Look at the last few games and ask yourself why is Gerrard starting and Milner only a sub? It doesn’t make sense. It’s not as if the captain is even being outstanding for his beloved club. As for having the armband, who was leading them out there? He provided nothing, as Rooney was screaming at his team mates.

Another manager finds that Gerrard and Frank don’t fit, though you may be forgiven for asking “Frank who?” Yes Lampard was playing, he was just slightly more anonymous than Gerrard and Barry. Oh yes Barry was out there for all the game, I know you only noticed him after Carrick arrived. Can a central pairing have ever done so little, bar miss one sitter, in a half of football? Well one that doesn’t include the Jenasite. Now Frank was slow last night and it was flagged up the amount of games he’s played so far, well that number ain’t gonna get any lower by the summer.

So the right flank and the starting position given to the last man standing. How else did Walcott get a starting place, hardly in his club side and certainly not in any kind of form. He was only there because he was the only one left on the list Fabio picks from. Lennon, out injured. Beckham, flitting between the geriatric day centre that is Italian football and funeral waiting room that is the MLS. Wright-Phillips, not in any sort of form. Ashley Young, discarded, even though he’s the only candidate that is playing well.

So Walcott, poor old Theo stuck between a rock and a hard place, play badly and miss out on the World Cup, play well and his club manager will punish him as he doesn’t make the bench never mind the starting XI for their next game. He had the beating of the fullback but after the first succeeded he didn’t have the footballing ability to repeat. Another English player destroyed by that club and it’s manager? Wright-Phillips came on and yes he score one lucky goal and laid on another but other than that he was as inept as Walcott. The same old SWP, has the ability to beat a player but instead of knocking the ball past him, turning him and chasing it down, he will insist in running into the player and meekly losing possession. All too predictable.

The strikers, well there was a genuine surprise, Defoe up with Rooney. Whoa actually saw that coming? Not me. Anyway we were then told the line about the two England strikers on form, well yes and no. Rooney is, Defoe well has been and hasn’t been. It’s not been a season long form , it’s been an up and and down form. A lot of peaks where scoring comes in bundles but separated by many a fallow week, after all Pavlyuchenko is the one on form. He only really had one gilt edged chance, one that he dithered over and could get a shot off in time. No real surprise seeing him replaced at half-time.

Rooney, ran about, did a lot of running, quite a bit of defending as well but didn’t really link with Defoe and neither of them got any real service in that first half. Also did a bit of shouting, told the ref to “fuck off”, did a bit more screaming and shouting at his team. Some say he had a great game, he didn’t get the service to have a great game. At the moment the way he’s playing for ManUre he’s filling the same role and therefore the same positions as Defoe. It’s a pairing that hasn’t worked before and I don’t think will work. Also how many times have we heard in the last few weeks about the number of headers Rooney has scored, how many crosses came in last night?

Crouch’s introduction changed things, surprisingly for England not for the worse. As the beanpole came on first thing you expect is an increase of long aimless humps up the park. Thankfully Rio was playing, so that was kept to a minimum. It was played to feet for both his goals as finally a striker received decent balls, which he proceeded to stick away with two excellent taken finishes. Now what does Fabio do? It worked but you feel Crouch is going to be on Spurs bench a bit from n ow on.

This was all against a team that didn’t reach the World Cup, yeah they may have won a third straight African Cup of Nations but after they went ahead they dropped back and barely got out of their half for much of the game and England huffed and puffed and struggled.

Yes the England team that finished were far better than the one that started, so Fabio made good changes but he also started that first XI and they were his first choice from those available. The first half was piss poor, the second wasn’t as great as certain TV broadcaster would have you believe and the frightening thing is it could be worse, sat on that bench was Calamity James, Beckham, Lescott and Heskey.

That’s your lot, knocking on 1800 words, most of which you’ve read here before but hey it’s the truth…

England 3 – 1 Egypt

Click here to view the embedded video.

© Toxic Web

FREE – Stairway to Heaven Guitar Lesson

England could have quite easily have beaten Ireland on Saturday, is it better that they didn’t?

I have no doubt Martin Johnson and his captain talked about taking the positives out of the game in the post match interviews – didn’t see them as the BBC forum on the red button somehow turned into a game of curling, which has pretty much been the case every time I’ve use said button over the last fortnight – and there was some positives to be had but with a victory they would just have been used to mask all the negatives.

Jonny came in for some stick after the Italian game, some of it deserved a lot of it not. You can blame him for the missed kicks, it’s not what we expect of the special one. Though the Ireland game showed yet again he needs to stop attempting the halfway line jobs, he hasn’t got the leg for it these days, when was the last extra long kick he actually got to the posts?

But you can’t blame Jonny for those around him and you can’t blame him for positioning himself on the pitch based on those around him. All the complaints about him being to deep, yeah it’s OK being flat with a decent scrum-half but when the number 9 takes three steps, then sends in a slow looping pass that’s a foot above Jonny’s head, can you really blame him for standing a little deep? Or would it be better if he stood flat to take everyone of those hospital passes.

So if one guy next to him isn’t Matt Dawson – who still can’t say Ricky Flutey’s name without adding a few too many syllables – the said centre isn’t Will Greenwood. Though that fact is hard to prove cause I’m not sure Flutey was on the pitch on Saturday. Heard his name a couple of times but never really saw him with my own eyes. So Jonny gets blamed for the guy inside providing crap service and the guy outside him disappearing. Then after the wining Irish try he’s blamed again for missing a tackle, or not being there to tackle. Blamed by Jeremy Guscott with a smug grin on his face. Yes the same face he used to try and protect by poncing out of tackles in the 90s.

Yet they still could have won, in fact really should have but for stupid things. Forget the Danny Care penalty, that shouldn’t have been overturned, one of the very few things the ref surprisingly got wrong. But really, really stupid things. There’s a few things I detest players doing in sport, in football it’s chickening out of a block, turning their back and jumping out of the way while pretending to make the block. In rugby it’s what England did time and time again at the weekend, seemingly every time they were in a great attacking position with Ireland on the back foot.

Lollygagging at a ruck. A ruck has formed, there isn’t enough players in there to secure it and the ball is almost out of it and they just stand around looking – “I’m not a scrum-half, not my job”. One bang from the other side, ball is loose and then turned over. That and lollygagging when a player is isolated with no support, it resulted in turnover ball time and time again on Saturday and the weeks before. If they’d played that part of the game with more brains, they would have had quicker ball and the running game which they wanted to play would have come off better than it did.

As I said the ref had a decent game, bar the odd choice. The Care penalty that was overturned being one because it highlighted something the ref missed, with the Irish scrum-half again stopping England play by holding onto the ball, the amount of times he penalised the Irish. If it had been the other way round what chance and England player wouldn’t have see yellow. When England scored their try, an Irish player had illegally tried to stop him on the line. The ref really didn’t need to ask the TMO, just awarded the penalty try, then shown the yellow card.

But other than that he was one of the fairest officials I’ve seen on the international game for a while, something needs to be done about many others and the way they interpret the laws. I mean I don’t know when rugby union changed into the NFL but it seems you’re allowed one forward pass per phase of play – one on Friday night was so blatant with a line on pitch highlighting it but totally ignored by officials, commentators and pundits alike – and if you’re Welsh you’re allowed to block any tackler off the ball with a “dummy run”.

England 16-20 Ireland

Click here to view the embedded video.

Where have we seen this before, we have seen this before, haven’t we, I’m sure we have, it really rings a bell, can you remember it?

Oh that’s right in so many games, especially the reverse fixture, nearly everything about the game had you thinking deja vu except for a few things. One of them very important.

Well they both started the same as Spurs battered Everton, barely allowing them a touch of the ball, this time though the ball hit the back of the net. A great ball from Huddlestone, a long ball, but certainly not an aimless hoof up the park, right on Defoe’s foot who controlled it superbly. His shot though was going some way wide but thankfully there was a goal scorer on hand, sliding in to score his 6th in a little over 200 minutes of playing time. Now it’s one thing I have previously flagged up about Pavlyuchenko, sometimes he’s been lollygagging and not there for the tap in. He looks hungrier now, wants to show ‘Arry why he should be starting.

The second goal was just a piece of art, Croatian art, as Corluka, Kranjcar and the Modric teamed up for the little one to deposit a sublime finish past Howard. Modric, he’s a true Spur. OK there was the amount of chances as in the first game the football was there. Certainly didn’t miss Bentley on the left as Kranjcar filled in adeptly and on the other side Bale put another masterclass in “bombing on” (© Slaven Bilic).

Half time it was a cruise but half time came and gave Moyes a chance to have a go at his players and unlike their midweek European excursion, it had an effect. What also had an effect was the injury to Huddlestone, now last time around it was Palacios that went of with a “bad one”, luckily it wasn’t as bad as first thought, just have to hope the same with Hudd. As it totally disrupted Spurs with the introduction of Kaboul in the centre of the park. So we’ve found out Younes isn’t a right -back, now we’ve been shown he’s not a central midfielder. With him and Palacios in the middle there wasn’t really anyone to link up with the forwards with any passes the way Tom does. Could Everton have piled forward as much as they did with the chance of just one Huddlestone pass dropping over the back of them into the path of Defoe or Pav?

Huddlestone will be a loss, if it is a bad injury, what with Lennon staying sidelined for another 6 weeks, so having to cover the right wing, there’s a lack of depth in the middle. Thankfully the Jenasite is heading off for an operation, might as well just start with ten men than put him in there. I wonder if ‘Arry will think of putting Assou-Ekotto back in at left-back, move Bale up as left winger and shift Modric in the middle to see if he can run the game. In reality it’s what he should have done on Sunday, instead of Kaboul. Also the replacing of Pav with Crouch, now that didn’t work, just inspired aimless humps up the park.

Of course the one great difference between the games, the scoreline. From 2-0 up this one thankfully finished 2-1 not in a two all draw. Thanks to Gomes, who went from ridiculous to the sublime, with a range of flapping and dropping the ball turning to some great saves. But more than the ‘keeper thanks has to go to Landon Donovan, Everton’s resurgence this season can be attributed to that draw in the reverse fixture and then his loan signing. But his two yard, open goal, miss of the season and the reaction of Moyes filled many a Spur heart with joy.

No late equaliser, no dropped points, back up to fourth.

Spurs 2 – Everton 1

Click here to view the embedded video.

Now in other news: It’s about time a team made a stand. Stoke, their manager and captain, should sue Whingeing Wenger and his club for statements he made after their game at the weekend. He slandered all of them, as anyone who saw the challenge can see as Shawcross never took his eye off the ball for one instant. Sympathy for other player, lost instantly with the reaction of his manager and fans.

And as for Pugwash, I hear Barca have changed their mind and aren’t going to follow the Blackburn / Big Sam method of football, they’ve decided to go with the fat Spanish waiter’s style. Set up ultra defensively, with one up front at home, hoping not to lose, a draw being good, maybe nicking a win. They just have to budget for the bag of balls and a set of cones to bring Lucas, Kuyt and the rest of Pugwash’s dullards to the club.

© Toxic Web

1949, RCA introduces the 45-rpm record …

1952, Sun Records, future home of Elvis, Johnny Cash, Jerry Lee Lewis, and Carl Perkins releases its first record, an instrumental by saxman Johnny London … it flops …

1957, Frankie Lymon & The Teenagers receive the princely sum of $7,500 to play a carnival in Panama … the fee is considered huge for a one-nighter … meanwhile Chicago’s Chess Records releases Muddy Waters’ “I Got My Mojo Working,” and Chuck Berry’s “School Days” … the singles reflect the company’s dual focus on urban blacks and white teens …

Muddy Waters – “I Got My Mojo Working”

Click here to view the embedded video.

Chuck Berry – “School Days”

Click here to view the embedded video.

1967, Paul McCartney reads a newspaper account of a missing teenage girl inspiring his “She’s Leaving Home” …

1968, Johnny Cash and June Carter marry in Franklin, Kentucky … a motorcade of Cadillacs transports Johnny, June, and their families to a small, private ceremony … Cash’s best man is Merle Kilgore who shares co-writing credits with June on “Ring of Fire,” a tune often considered as the musical record of Johnny and June’s illicit love affair …

Click here to view the embedded video.

1977, Mississippi bluesman Bukka White dies of cancer … born Booker T. Washington White, he was inspired to play music by blues legend Charley Patton … in the 1930s he played semi-pro baseball and boxed, and in 1937 was imprisoned on an assault charge … after escaping from prison, White cut some sides for the Vocalion label and was eventually recaptured … his name as it appears on records resulted from a Vocalion producer misunderstanding his name; White preferred to be called Booker … rediscovered by a blues researcher in 1963, he made appearances at festivals during the blues revival that marked the latter stages of his eventful life … remembered as a powerful performer on National steel guitars, White gave his cousin B.B. King a Stella—the future electric blues star’s first guitar …

Bukka White – “Aberdeen Mississippi Blues”

Click here to view the embedded video.

… meanwhile in Santa Monica, California, Bob Dylan’s wife, Sara, files for divorce … the couple has been married for 11 years and has five children … in the property settlement she is given the family home and custody of the kids … Sara is said to be the inspiration behind Dylan songs such as “Sad-Eyed Lady of the Lowlands,” “Lay Lady Lay,” and “Sara” …

1978, Van Halen plays the first date of its first national tour at Chicago’s Aragon Ballroom … there’s a rider in the contract providing that M&MS with the brown candies removed be available backstage …

Van Halen – Fresno September 22nd 1978

Click here to view the embedded video.

1983, Michael Jackson’s Thriller soars to #1 on the pop chart and will stay there 37 weeks, selling over 40 million copies … it’s the number-one seller in every Western nation where such records are kept …

1985, Jacko drops in on Madame Tussaud’s London waxworks where his likeness is being unveiled …

1990, former Coasters lead tenor Cornell Gunter dies in Las Vegas when an unknown assailant shoots him while he’s sitting in his car …

1994, Kurt Cobain washes down a handful of Valiums with champagne and winds up in a coma in a Rome hospital … he revives after about 20 hours … though officially labeled accidental, the overdose is thought to be a suicide attempt by those close to Cobain … a second attempt nearly two months later with a shotgun will prove fatal …

1995, Lyle Lovett breaks his collarbone while motorcycling in Mexico causing him to miss the Grammys where he wins Best Pop Collaboration with Vocals for his duet on “Funny How Time Slips Away” with Al Green and Best Country Vocal Performance by a Duo or Group for his version of “Blues For Dixie” with Asleep At The Wheel … meanwhile in Lausanne, Switzerland, Bill Berry of R.E.M. suffers a massive migraine about 90 minutes into the band’s set … he collapses and is rushed offstage but does not see a doctor until the next day when it is discovered he has an aneurysm on the right side of his brain … Berry undergoes surgery and makes a full recovery …

1999, British singer Dusty Springfield falls victim to breast cancer … born Mary Elizabeth Catherine Bernadette O’Brien, the highly regarded singer enjoyed a series of pop hits including the blockbuster “Silver Threads and Golden Needles” … her death falls on the day she was scheduled to receive her OBE (Officer of the Order of the British Empire) from Queen Elizabeth …she was 59 …

Dusty Springfield – “Son Of A Preacher Man”

Click here to view the embedded video.

… Joss Stone may have a Brand New Combine Harvester but she ain’t got no soul … after a 31-year hiatus, Patti LaBelle & The Bluebelles appear at the Rhythm & Blues Foundation’s Pioneer Awards in L.A. where they perform a stunning rendition of “You’ll Never Walk Alone” …

Click here to view the embedded video.

2000, it’s announced that pop princess Britney Spears is marketing her own brand of bubble gum creatively dubbed “Britney Spears CD Bubble Gum” … meanwhile in Newport Beach, California, Dennis Danell of Social Distortion dies of an apparent brain aneurysm suffered in his driveway … he was 38 …

2003, R&B singer Hank Ballard dies of throat cancer at home in L.A. … notable for having written “The Twist” and enjoying a hit with it before Chubby Checker’s cover, he and his swinging band, The Midnighters, charted with 22 R&B hits in the 1950s and ’60s, many of which crossed over onto the pop chart … these include the suggestive “Work With Me Annie” followed by “Annie Had a Baby” … their racy lyrics resulted in the songs being banned on many radio stations …

2004, shock jock Howard Stern is suspended indefinitely from Clear Channel radio following listeners’ complaints sent to the network and the FCC … complaints center around Stern’s potty mouth and the smutty subjects he addresses … Clear Channel president John Hogan publicly demands Stern drop the naughty content from his show … Stern demurs and is suspended only to be picked up as a broadcaster by XM satellite radio …

2005, the legendary Muscle Shoals Sound Studio in Muscle Shoals, Alabama, closes … artists such as The Rolling Stones, Aretha Franklin, Bob Dylan, Willie Nelson, Lynyrd Skynyrd, and Bob Seger recorded some of their biggest hits at the facility … the studio, owned since 1985 by indie blues label Malaco Records, is a victim of the computer recording boom …

Lynyrd Skynyrd – “Sweet Home Alabama”

Click here to view the embedded video.

… Ozzy Osbourne, who’s promoting the Australian MTV Awards in Sydney, inexplicably cups daughter Kelly’s left breast during a press conference …

2006, new-age musician Yanni is arrested in Florida on charges of domestic battery against his girlfriend … after being found asleep at the steering wheel of his car in London, George Michael is taken in by the bobbies on charges of possessing pot and painkillers …

2007, more than two months after his death, James Brown remains unburied while family members squabble over burial details … meanwhile an undisclosed agreement is reached on how DNA samples should be collected from the corpse … they are needed to resolve several paternity claims including the parentage of a child that his companion Tomi Rae Hynie says Brown fathered … though Hynie says she married Brown, the Godfather’s lawyers dispute that, saying she was still married to another man when the alleged marriage took place … meanwhile in Britain, the husband of deceased classical pianist Joyce Hatto confesses to passing off other artists’ recordings as the work of his late wife on more than 100 CDs issued under her name since she quit public performances in 1976 … William Barrington-Coupe admits the deception in a letter sent to BIS, the label that issued the discs … the scandal is precipitated by an article in Britain’s Gramophone magazine in which it’s revealed that Hatto’s recording of Liszt’s Transcendental Etudes was actually lifted from a recording by Laszio Simon … meanwhile on this side of the Atlantic, in its ongoing campaign against piracy, the Recording Industry Association of America sends 400 letters to U.S. universities warning them that students may be sued for copyright infringement if they don’t settle up … the RIAA directs students to a website where they can settle their cases online by coughing up some bucks … Big Champagne, a web tracking service, estimates that one billion songs are downloaded online every month at sites such as LimeWire … on this same day in 2007, in the ongoing saga of rapper Sean Combs’ ever-changing nom-de-rap, a British court rules that he violated a deal made with London record producer Richard “Diddy” Dearlove to not use the alias “Diddy” in the U.K. … in response to the judgment, Combs agrees to remove the lyric “…mainline this Diddy heroin…” from his song, “The Future,” when it is performed in Britain henceforth … and finally, in other legal proceedings back in the colonies, after spending three nights in the Norfolk County Jail in Massachusetts for late child-support payments, singer Bobby Brown is sprung when a Washington, DC, radio station posts $19,510 bail … in return, the singer will take part in a week’s worth of broadcasts of Hot 99.5 FM’s The Kane Show … the show’s host, who goes by the single name Kane, tells the press, “In exchange for the money, he agreed to be an employee of our radio station for one week, where he will discuss what he did wrong and how he could turn his life around. We are going to have a very open and candid conversation” … Brown was arrested as he watched his daughter perform at a local cheerleading competition … coincidentally, a year earlier Brown was arrested for a 14-year string of motor-vehicle violations, also while watching his daughter in a cheerleading competition …

2008, Dee Snider of Twisted Sister and Troy Luccketa of Tesla put together a lineup of rock and country performers at the Providence, Rhode Island, Dunkin’ Donuts Center to raise money for the families of the 100 fans who died and 200 who were injured in the Station nightclub fire five years earlier … the benefit that includes Winger, Stryder, and Gretchen Wilson among others raises $175,000 …

2009, President Obama awards Stevie Wonder The Library of Congress Gershwin Prize …

…and that was the week that was.

Arrivals:

February 25: blueswoman Ida Cox (1896), record store tycoon Sam Goody, born Samuel Gutowitz (1904), country singer Faron Young (1932), Barry Kramer, founder of Creem magazine (1943), guitarist Frank “Poncho” Sampedro of Crazy Horse (1949), bassist and songwriter Stewart “Woody” Wood of The Bay City Rollers (1957), drummer Dennis Diken of The Smithereens (1957), singer Mike Peters of The Alarm (1959)

February 26: Fats Domino (1928), Norman P. Rich of Billy Stewart’s band (1930), Johnny Cash (1932), Paul Cotton of Poco (1943), Bob “The Bear” Hite of Canned Heat (1943), Mitch Ryder (1945), Elvis impersonator Orion born Jimmy Hodges (1945), Jonathan Cain of Journey (1950), Michael Bolton (1954), Bronski Beat’s John Jon (1961), Erykah Badu (1971)

February 27: New Orleans guitarist Roy Montrell (1928), Ralph Garone of The Bob Knight Four (1940), Eddie Gray of Tommy James & The Shondells (1948), Neil Schon of Journey (1954), Adrian Smith of Iron Maiden (1957), Chili of TLC (1971), Jeremy Dean of Nine Days (1972), rapper Ja Rule (1976), singer-songwriter Josh Groban (1981)

February 28: guitarist John Fahey (1939), singer-songwriter Joe South (1940), Marty Sanders of Jay and the Americans (1941), R&B singer Barbara Acklin (1943), Brian Jones (1952), Ronald Rosman of Tommy James & The Shondells (1945), Cindy Wilson of The B-52’s (1957), Ian Stanley of Tears For Fears (1957), Phillip Gould of Level 42 (1957), Pat Monahan of Train (1969)

February 29: producer David Briggs (1944)

March 1: bandleader Glenn Miller (1904), barrelhouse pianist Walter Davis (1912), Harry Belafonte (1927), Jim Ed Brown of The Browns (1934), Roger Daltrey (1942), Jerry Fisher of Blood, Sweat & Tears (1943), Mike D’Abo of Manfred Mann (1944), synth pop singer-songwriter Nik Kershaw (1958)

March 2: Desi Arnaz (1917), Doc Watson (1923), Lawrence Payton of The Four Tops (1938), Lou Reed born Louis Firbank (1942), George Benson (1943), blues/rock guitarist Rory Gallagher (1948), sax player Michael Brecker (1949), Eddie Money (1949), Karen Carpenter (1950), Jay Osmond of The Osmonds (1955), Dale Bozzio of Missing Persons (1955), Mark Evans of AC/DC (1956), Jon Bon Jovi born John Bongiovi (1962), rapper and DJ Scott LaRock (1962), Coldplay’s Chris Martin (1977)

March 3: jazz bassist Pierre Michelot (1928), Willie Chambers of The Chambers Brothers (1938), Paul Kantner of Jefferson Airplane (1942), Mike Pender of The Searchers (1942), Jance Garfat of Dr. Hook (1944), Jennifer Warnes (1947), Robyn Hitchcock (1953), Tone-Loc (1966), John Bigham of Fishbone (1969), Ronan Keating of Boyzone (1977)

Departures:

February 25: Pylon guitarist Randy Bewley (2009), ’60s folk singer Mark Spoelstra (2007), Thomas Koppel, co-founder of Danish prog-rock band Savage Rose (2006), blues saxophonist A.C. Reed (2004), William “Hoss” Allen, white DJ who promoted R&B in Nashville (1997), Toy Caldwell, guitarist and songwriter for the Marshall Tucker Band (1993)

February 26: ELO bassist Kelly Groucutt (2009), drummer Buddy Miles (2008), Cajun music pioneer Edwin Duhon (2006), lyricist Ben Raleigh (1997), Frank O’Keefe of The Outlaws (1995), Cornell Gunter of The Coasters (1990), bluesman Bukka White (1977), Sherman Garnes of Frankie Lymon & The Teenagers (1977), blues pianist Big Maceo (1953)

February 27: drummer Bobby Rosengarden (2007), Mississippi fife player Othar Turner (2003), Marlena Easley of The Orlons (1993)

February 28: Mike Smith of The Dave Clark Five (2008), saxophonist Walter Kimble (1988), DJ Eddie Madison (1987), David Byron of Uriah Heep (1985), Duprees lead vocalist Joey Vann (1984), songwriter Bobby Bloom (1974), Frankie Lymon (1968), Fats Domino’s guitarist Walter “Papoose” Nelson (1962)

March 1: Jackson 5 drummer (and no relation) Johnny Jackson (2006), Dennis Danell of Social Distortion (2000), Air Supply’s Frank Esler-Smith (1991)

March 2: country singer-songwriter Ernie Ashworth (2009), blues guitarist Jeff Healey (2008), exotica bandleader Martin Denny (2005), Hank Ballard (2003), Dusty Springfield (1999), singer-songwriter David Ackles (1999), French pop singer Serge Gainsbourg (1991), rockabilly pianist Roy Hall (1984), Charlie Christian (1942)

March 3: poet-songwriter and Beatles influence Ivor Cutler (2006), Harlan “Mr. Songwriter” Howard (2002)

© Toxic Web

Welcome my son, welcome to the machine.
Where have you been?
It’s alright we know where you’ve been.

Bill Ruppert has posted another in his excellent series of Effectology videos where he uses just a standard guitar and a few well chosen Electro-Harmonix effects pedals to make some weird non-guitar noises.

OK so this time it’s not just a guitar and the pedals, an electric shaver and a telephone are utilised to create the synth and tape effects heard on the classic Pink Floyd track “Welcome To The Machine” from their 1975 masterpiece “Wish You Were Here“.

Click here to view the embedded video.

For all the effects and the settings Bill used to recreate the sounds of the EMS VCS 3 synth that the Floyd used on the original recording, check out the EHX forum

You’ve been in the pipeline, filling in time,
Provided with toys and ‘Scouting for Boys’.
You bought a guitar to punish your ma,
And you didn’t like school, and you
know you’re nobody’s fool,
So welcome to the machine.

Welcome my son, welcome to the machine.
What did you dream?
It’s alright we told you what to dream.
You dreamed of a big star,
He played a mean guitar,
He always ate in the Steak Bar.
He loved to drive in his Jaguar.
So welcome to the Machine.

Pink Floyd – “Welcome To The Machine”

Click here to view the embedded video.

© Toxic Web

“Ultimate Guitar Speed Learning System” The Fastest & Easiest Way to Accelerate your Guitar Playing Click here to check it out NOW! It’s got heaps of hot tips & tricks.

As I posted yesterday England manager Fabio Capello was insistent that there was nothing wrong and that Wayne Bridge would not only be in the England squad for the friendly against Egypt next week but would be flying out with the rest of the team to South Africa for the World Cup finals.

Wayne on the other hand has a different take on it…

I have thought long and hard about my position in the England football team in the light of the reporting and events over the last few weeks.

It has always been an honour to play for England. However, after careful thought I believe my position in the squad is now untenable and potentially divisive.

Sadly therefore I feel for the sake of the team and in order to avoid what will be inevitable distractions, I have decided not to put myself forward for selection.

I have today informed the management of this decision. I wish the team all the very best in South Africa. – Wayne Bridge (via his lawyers)

Read that one well Fabio, well it’s good that you used all those friendlies and dead rubbers to blood some of the fringe players to see if they were up to the game and didn’t just ignore those that weren’t part of Fab’s Favs.

I mean you wouldn’t want to be going into the final match before the World Cup having to check in one game if a cap-less player or one with 1 cap is the best option now would you, what kind of manager would do something stupid like that…I ask you…

Oh and what was the point of stripping Terry of the captaincy now, what with Ferdinand being crocked and looking more and more likely to miss the finals it leaves us with Gerrard holding the armband and by default a starting XI spot.

© Toxic Web

In the end Spurs really didn’t need those two goals that Bolton scored for them to get into the quarter finals of the FA Cup last night.

Yes the first one helped just steady nerves and probably helped contribute more to the final score than just being 4-0 rather than 3-0. But this was a bit of a cruise from the moment Owen Coyle decided where his and his club’s priorities lay – league survival.

Can’t be many Spurs fans unhappy to see Kevin Davies and his elbows on the bench. The only real problems Spurs had were self inflicted, as this was probably the sloppiest four nil stroll you’ll see. The number of times a player in white gave the ball away was shockingly slack. Passes straight to Bolton players, couldn’t really be called misplaced as they went straight to opposite players who had no Spurs player anywhere near to them. Then when the game was beyond them and Coyle made some substitutions that finally injected some life into the away team, with Spurs dropping off and being a touch more casual, did they look like they were interested.

Who thought ‘Arry could remove the midfield steel, in the form of Palacios, to have a whole play-maker midfield against the likes of Bolton.

‘Arry bowed to the pressure of Pavlyuchenko’s brace against Wigan at the weekend, giving the big Russian a well deserved start and he didn’t disappoint – well except for Peter Crouch probably. Another two exceptionally well taken goals, which if you add up minutes on pitch makes it 5 goals in pretty much 2 whole games, not a bad strike rate. Crouch with 10 goals in 33 appearances. should be resigned to a spell on the bench. The player on form and in possession should keep the starting place, Big Pav is on form and now in possession, it’ll be interesting top see if ‘Arry starts him against Everton at the weekend.

One thing about Pav playing the “big” striker to Defoe’s “little” one, there was less humped up long balls than when Crouch plays.

‘Arry though did throw one curveball, two left-backs. All those years Spurs didn’t have two left footed players in the side never mind specialist left-backs and now here’s two on the pitch at the same time. Assou-Ekotto coming back into the side but on the wrong side and it told. As an experiment it didn’t work, it also showed the folly of letting two right-backs go on loan while recalling one right-back and signing another player who was thought of as cover, both of whom are cup tied. At the end there with Rose coming on it meant four left footers on the park, with Bassong starting at the back.

With the way Bale performed again BAE will struggle to get his proper position back, he kept coming inside and his crosses were far too heavy each time, defensively he didn’t do too bad but the room was there to be an attacking force and he didn’t take it because it meant using his right. It didn’t help Bentley playing wide right but then Bentley didn’t help himself either, another lacklustre performance. There’s been a few of them lately, getting back in the side he seemed to have upped his game but now looks to have fallen back to the old player. Useless flicks and needless fancy Dan crap, added to a succession of nothing crosses and even worse set pieces, every corner heading into the box an aimless long loping floater to the back stick. Just living off Lennon’s injury currently. In possession but not on form.

A sloppy four nil victory over a Premier League side, the joy of fans and team-mates alike from Pav scoring again and again, some delightful stuff by Modric, another clean sheet with some cracking saves by Gomes, another good game by Bale, linesman denying Gudjohnsen from making it an even more emphatic margin of victory. Only two more games to Wembley?

Spurs 4 – Bolton 0

Click here to view the embedded video.

© Toxic Web

“Ultimate Guitar Speed Learning System” The Fastest & Easiest Way to Accelerate your Guitar Playing Click here to check it out NOW! It’s got heaps of hot tips & tricks.