Weekend Jottings

Today we have just two meetings taking place but at least they are both National Hunt fixtures from Ffos Las and Market Rasen.  We have no runners so it is going to be a quiet day for the stable, although Tom Scudamore makes the long trip to Market Rasen for just one ride for his brother Michael.  I wonder if the old theory will come to fruition?  The saying goes that  you should follow jockeys with just one ride at a meeting but I don't give it much credence - if they could get more than one ride at a meeting, I am sure they would!

I was amused by Mick Fitzgerald's answer when asked how great it would be if A P McCoy went out on a winner.  The reply from Fitzy came, "I hope so, I went out on a stretcher!"  He was injured on his final ride when L'Ami fell in the 2008 Grand National and never rode again.

Peter Scudamore compiled a piece for the Telegraph about the greatest jockeys he had ever seen and I was quite surprised to see Fred Archer on his list.  Now, Fred died in 1928 so I do have to question when Scu ever saw him or if he has been telling us porkies about his age?!

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There are three FA Cup matches to look forward to this afternoon between Arsenal and Middlesborough, Aston Villa versus Leicester and Bradford host Sunderland.  I see one of the papers have put Sol Campbell up as the potential new manager of Aston Villa.  It is an interesting shout considering he has never managed a football team before.  Villa cannot score any goals and the transfer window is closed - as far as I am concerned they are doomed for relegation and are not an attractive proposition for any manager.

I see that West Ham striker Andy Carroll is out for the remainder of the season - I would think that he, Balotelli and Fellaini are just about the worst buys ever.  About £60 million spent on those three alone and only one of them can afford a haircut!

There was a headline in an edition of the Sun earlier this week that caught my eye.  It read, "Scu's A Genius But He Must Spread The Wealth" I thought that he cannot be talking about Peter or Tom - I can't remember either one of them ever buying a round of drinks!  In fact, Peter still owns the first fiver he ever earned!  Actually the comments came from Barry Hearn who was talking about Richard Scudamore and the job he has done for the Premier League.  Even so, I am not convinced that there shouldn't be a 'living wage' for those at the grassroots of the sport, especially considering the lucrative new television rights deal that has been secured and the astronomical wages the players are earning.

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Finally another amazing but true story...Addict Adrian Pope was convicted of stealing from a shop in Plymouth in order to feed his pet snake - you could say he was a boa convict-or!