Mr.Mike

funny how over the space of 4 months you a) lose any prior knowledge of football, and b) forget how hard fantasy football can be.

Every time I ship someone out on transfer they're guaranteed to score a hat-trick or keep a clean sheet, or pull a hamstring (Torres, I'm looking at you...)

I'll sign up once all the transfers have calmed down, ie Gareth Barry makes his fucking mind up, also Ronaldo, Lampard etc. I did OK in the Euros one.

Barry? I think he made his mind up a long time ago. it's that angry wee bugger Muppet O'neill who needs to get down to business rather than crying to the press every time he doesn't get his way

all signed up.

but I'll be amazed if anyone's still bothering to post about this come the end of the season...

anyone care to tell me the final score?

hahaha;

Fiorentina finished 4th in Serie A this season which means Milan came 5th and, as a result, will be slumming it in the UEFA Cup next season

excuse me whilst I wipe away the tears of Joy/Uncontrolable laughter...

Pretty dull game at the Nou Camp tonight. Barcelona had all the ball but failed to do anything with it, has been the case a lot this season. Still, i don't think it's a bad result. Barce have leaked a fair few goals as of late, so not conceding an away goal is a positive.

thought Barca might actually sneak a cheeky winner when Henry came on. As good as Utd have been in the PL I still fancy Barca to nick it at old trafford, they look shaky as fuck without Vidic and Ronaldo proved again that it's easy to look good against the Boltons and Derbys of the world but playing against quality opposition is a different thing altogether. And I'm sure if Liverpool play like they did for 94mins against Chelsea that they'll get the goal they need at Stamford Bridge. Torres isn't the sort of player to have that bad a game twice in a row!

Also seems like Drogba and Ronaldo are back to their old tricks again, altogether now: backs arched, arms flailing, appealing to the ref before you've even hit the deck...

This is a subject I'd so like to get into for helping with my site design, banners ads etc. Hard to know where to start really. ?(

Some great poster designs on here sometimes.

get a book on grid systems. sounds dull but it'll make your site easier to navigate, more consistent between pages, better looking and easier to design (after the initial difficult bit of learning about the grid).

my advice (and this isn't the practical "how to learn a new program" thing), but if you are going to learn graphic design, you have to live it...

be aware of everything you look at (grpahics etc)...you've got a great photographic eye, so apply that sense of composition, colour and balance to your work...

looking at other's work, whether you like it or not, will inform your practice (contextualising it)...

you can reflect on your work through others, and self assessment (critical evaluation).

know WHAT you like, and WHY you like it.

look at billboards, magazines, tv ads everything...get a favourite font!

you've got to live it to be one!

couldn't agree more.

If you're familiar with photoshop then Illustrator wont take a massive amount of time to get to grips with in terms of interface. CS2 & CS3 now allow you to use many photoshop features (filters, layer effects etc) in illustrator too. On top of this I'd maybe suggest getting to grips with InDesign rather than Quark. I know a lot of studios that use Quark but IMHO InDesign is better and as it's adobe it works with AI and PSD files with a bit less hassle. It also has a great preflight feature which is very handy (dunno if Quark has this?) For type design I've only used Fontshop but it seems pretty good and Adobe AfterEffects is a great tool for animation/video/title sequences etc. Personally I can't stand Flash but it is a good tool. At the end of the day you can be 100% versed in all of these programs and still be a crap designer so take LePeepe's advice and try to keep your eyes open. Suspend your judgement and just produce idea after idea. The more you have the more you can edit through.

bookwise, there's a big difference between inspiration and tuition. I'd recommend checking out analogue books in Edinburgh. They've got a great selection of books online. A good textbook on Grid systems will be of great use to you as would a concise history of typography if you're thinking of designing your own typefaces/layouts. It might sound silly but I've always found if a book is well designed itself then the content is usually worth listening to. Avoid anything that claims to be "the ultimate graphic design resource" like the plague. It's far too big a subject to cover in one book.

I can highly recommend these studios/authors:

Adrian Shaughnessy

Daniel Eatock

Non-Format

Experimental Jetset

Designers are Wankers

North

Spin

Robert Bringhurst

Finally, the web is a great resource for just looking at other peoples work, from student to professional work. Analysing the work of your contemporaries will be of just as much use as reading someone else's opinion. At the end of the day it's YOUR design work, no-one else's so it's important to be confident in what you like and why you like it. Technically there's not a right and wrong so learn to trust your gut instinct. Also, don't be scared to take inspiration from other art forms and music, no-one can produce a brand new radical idea from nothing. As long as you're not ripping anyone off, nobody will ever mind you taking their ideas as a starting point to develop in your own style.

sorry, that was a rant, I just love graphics and hope that over time you'll develop the same feelings for it. It is a genuinely modern, relevant art-form and one that allows you to cross many boundaries into other specialisms (photography, animation, sculpture, crafts etc). I wish you the best of luck.

and weeps tea.

made simple, sexual

like a large

we helped bake

expected to be

realising he could

Nice bunch of fans, those lovel rangers supporters -

- full bottle of bud thrown into a bus shelter at the brig o'dee while half a dozen (inc myself) were standing in it.

- coin missing me by inches at half time, chuck from the away end.

seriously, get a fucking grip.

that is poor behaviour but at the end of the day we're talking about a bunch of fucking hun minks. That lot can barely spell class, let alone display it.

At least you dont have to live in a city full of the scummy wee fucks...

and am I the only person who noticed fergus-hun grabbing someone by the throat? I only saw the highlights so I dunno if he was provoked but surely that's a post game ban even if the ref never saw it at the time?

band: Electoral District of Concord

album: Gold

1 Abraham Kidane

2 Mason Tappan

3 A Room with a view (film)

4 Alyque Padamsee

5 MTV Video Music Award for best dance video

6 Bearnese

This has all the classic hallmarks of a pretentious emo-Indie-punk EP by some gang of cunts who're desperate to come across as more arty and intelligent than they really are

on a side note, "Gang of Cunts" would have been a MUCH better band name

What if he was english and he was called a scots cunt ...does this mean the word scot is just as bad as the word cunt?....

I watched east is east not that long ago and i noticed the ammount of times the 'paki's called each other 'paki's .... Is paki's another nigga,nigger word that only if your the specific race your alowed to say the appropriate slang words?......

I also watch MTV i also listen to the odd rap artist.....We all know the word 'nigga' is just thrown about wildly yet we are not allowed to say it?...Why are we allowing ourself to be educated like this?...

Im very very very confused regarding race creed religion i really am.......

Say my daughter is out with friends and these friends like black music black cultures but are white.Should i stop my daughter hanging about with these kids as they all must be racist as they all use the N word while singing along to there favourite artists?....Where do i draw the line.....Do i follow my dughter every where to make sure she doesnt offend anyone or be racist with her young fullish trends?..

CONFUSED.COM

I think the use of the word nigger or nigga in hip-hop is an example of a racial minority taking a word originally used to degrade and offend and using it as a term of endearment in order to help erode the original meaning of the word. The logic behind this being if racists use the word nigger to offend but then the black community starts using it as a term of endearment then it obviously won't be as effective when used to offend. Basically it's fine for a black rap artist to use the word but not a white country western singer for obvious reasons (the context they use the word in is important here). East is East provides another example of the same practice. As for your daughter, technically she's not racist because the word is applied in it's secondary meaning, but at the same time I don't greet my black friends with "sup nigga?" every time i see them cos that's just a bit naive.

I dont know if thats gonna clear it up anymore, it's a tricky subject to explain.

(On a more comedic note, you could always check out Chris Rock's explanation of the difference between black people and niggers. Youtube it, it's Fucking Hilarious! )

OK, I'm not going to argue about the corruption in the domestic game, obviously.

If you were to judge them on tonight's game alone, then it's true that they played negatively, but find me the team that wouldn't when they're looking for a draw away from home.

And if you look at their style in general, I think people are very unfair to them. They can match virtually anyone in the world for technical ability, and in an average game they'll play with two forwards in addition to their main striker, as well as quite often pretty attacking full-backs (Zambrotta, Oddo, Grosso...). They pass and move just about as well as any other team and their ball retention is outstanding. I don't understand how Brazil winning 4-2 is better than Italy winning 2-0. Some teams specialise in attack, some in defence - play to your strengths, surely?

As for this "undeserving" argument...

Buffon- The best keeper in the world

Cannavaro - At the time of the World Cup, arguably the best centre-half in the world

Pirlo - Arguably the best ball-player in the world

Totti (still playing at the time) - one of the best creative players in the world

Toni - One of the best goalscorers in the world

And that's just the blindingly obvious ones, so how you or anyone can claim they didn't deserve to be world champions is something I'll never understand.

I fucking love Italian football and I'm not going to apologise for it. But that's just me, I'd love to hear any interesting arguments folk have to the contrary.

sorry, I've been away from my comp for a couple days. I hadn't actually considered their formation but that's quite a good observation, and you're right about playing to your strengths.

I think in general I just get fed up with the way they'll get a goal and then seem content to sit back for most of the game after that. I know that's a cliche but no smoke without fire and all that and I certainly dont remember seeing Italy win many games by more than 2 clear goals. Their passing is exceptional, no denying that, but i just feel they lack a real exciting attacking edge. Toni is alright but you could hardly call him exciting (unless you're discussing his acting ), Del Piero ain't looking so great these days and Totti's retired too, although I never really thought he was as good as he's made out to be. I guess that leaves Ianquinta who doesn't look too bad and same goes for Di Natale.

They just don't play my sort of game. It's nothing personal.

As for the undeserving thing; I was referring more to the way they got through the Australia game and events that happened during the final as opposed to which of their players make FIFA's list of players of the year or who's on the front of the new PES game. Although there's no doubting the quality of some of their squad, some of them are resting on their reputations. (Zambrotta was a good example on Saturday)

For my money, Germany are still the most consistent and arguably the best football team in Europe right now. Domestic league ain't so great but maybe that's somehting to do with why the national side are so consistent?

I STILL can't beleive McFadden missed that open goal at 1-1. Ref was a disgrace, but then again you get used to that.

Anyone for 10 pints?

i know, in fairness though the angle looks like a bit of a shitter if you were sliding in at pace. Players like McFadden and Hutton are really starting to show some real promise. If we can continue to build a whole squad as good as those guys i think the future should be bright for the Tartan Army.

I may have been slightly upset when i made my first post.

I think blaming the ref is a bit far fetched when our goal did look a bit off-side and their second could have been given. But I can't stomach the gamesmanship and the ease with which some of the Italians go down. At one point Ferguson brushed past one of them and he collapsed to the ground as if he'd been shot. Of course he got the free kick. And there's the endless gesticulation and bullshitting at the ref, and blocking every free kick until the ref orders them back ten yeards. It's just irritating.

You're right that the Scots were a little naive going into tackles from behind though, and did give away plenty of unnecessary fouls.

So we're out, and that's that. Well done Italy and France.

Now, as for the prospect of England qualifying....

well said. I'm sorry (particularly toward calum who's going to have his usual field day with my comments) but that lot are a disgrace to the sport they should be the greatest ambassador of.

Say what you like about the game, fact is we had it in our own hands and couldn't take the initiative at 1-1, but their "gamesmanship" is just appaling and should be lauded by anyone who enjoys football. I just don't understand why ref's don't come down harder on this kind of silly behaviour, some of which we saw today. I saw Luca Toni obstruct a free kick, take a blatant dive and hassle the ref, all of those are supposed to be bookable offences and he'd already had a yellow. I'm not saying Toni should've been sent off neccesarily but all it takes is for one ref to stand up and do something about it for players like him to think again.

say what you like, this has confirmed to me that Italy doesn't deserve to be considered world champions. They're not a particularly great footballing side and seem content to get by on a combination of dull football and riding their rather suspect luck (don't even get me started on their domestic game and the politics that goes with it.) But they took advantage of the situation so fair enough, they qualified we didn't. I just hope someone seriously embaresses them at the finals...(Germany, I'm looking at you:up:)

my money's on him heading to serie A

Only team in Spain that would/could have him would be Valencia and none of the other big four teams in England need him.

Don't see Ancelotti leaving Milan any time soon so that leaves Inter or Juve I suppose?

The food at Mono is a bit rubbish, but the record store is good. For better vegetarian/vegan food I'd go to 57, which is where Stereo used to be - 10-14 Kelvinhaugh Street. Good beers, too.

yup 57 is indeed awesome. if I remember correctly they do some really good beers in there (i.e organic real ales and the like). And when I went it smelt smokey, as in peat smoke, not fag smoke.

in the interests of sportsmanship and fairplay i should probably point this out:

the scores are updated at the end of every day. that means if you've got 3 strikers and one doesn't play till sunday, put him on the bench on saturday then change your team on sunday morning before kick off and replace players who've already played that weekend with anyones who haven't to milk maximum points.

not sure if people already knew about this. if you didn't then do it, waaaay more points. if you did then don't I look stupid?

on the gig front might I be so bold as to add the rather excellent 13th note to your list? It's a good'un.

Also the art school gets my vote if you fancy something a bit different. Also has a few banging club nights.

you probably know about the ABC already but they seem to always have a few good bands every month. Sonic Youth played there last month and I've seen Mogwai and J5 there before. They were all pretty special.

1 jimmy calderwood's fake tan experience mr.mike 130

2 Athletico Shitbox Murrr 124

3 The Hans Gillhaus Memorial XI B Fudge 107

4 Jackanory! C.Masson 102

5 qzdia'lbion qzdiablo 102

6 inter yerma Danny Evans 96

7 Corn's XI Corn 88

8 The Lithuanian State Circus Skacel 88

9 Brian Clough's Football Failures Lord Summerisle 87

10 KZ Nostradamus Dave Milne 76

11 FC Keesher Keesher 64

12 The Cosmic Trigger thebass101 62