Time Spent in the Wrong Places

Apologies for the solitary post last week but after my controversial post on Monday evening I thought it was best to keep a low profile. The angry mobs outside of my window (which might just have been the wind but I'm convinced it wasn't) meant that I've not left my flat for a whole week solid now and I'm running out of food/clean clothes to keep me going. Come to think of it, if I let my clothes get so unclean then they might become edible? Not a good idea? OK. Anyway that is a whole load of rubbish and fine well you know it. My excuse from Wednesday was the age-old one of football and for that, as I've said many a time before, I will never be sorry (except for the fact that Chelsea lost - I'm sorry for that). Today's post is about something that makes me a little bit scared about my own ability. They say that the more you put into things, the more you get out of the other end - you have to earn success - and of course this is true. The sad thing is that I'm aware of that for all of the wrong reasons.

Pretty much every time I go home, one of the first things that I reach for is my trusty PSP loaded with Football Manager Handheld. It is one of the few things in life that I can actually say that I might have spent too much time doing. There have been days (usually during holidays) when I can pick it up in the morning, have it with me all day whilst I watch TV or listen to music and then put it down at daft o'clock in the morning before I go to bed - some might say I should get paid for it because I've worked 12-15 hour shifts on that game! As a result of this Football Manager gluttony, my football knowledge has rocketed through the roof (in fact the Stratosphere because it was pretty immense anyway) and I can remember names of players that I had two or three years ago - in real time that is as well. It dawned on me a long time ago that I probably play it too much but I get a kick out of it and it is pure footballing escapism which is sometimes just what I need.

The point that I'm trying to make, however, is a negative one. If I had spent even half of the time I did playing Football Manager and learning about things that might actually lead to something (like qualifications!) then it scares me just how much I might actually know. I mean I get by just fine with my brain and the amount of work that I do but maybe I could use some of my time more wisely. Instead of remembering the two best strikers that I've had in the last few games (Cacciatore and Mokhtari for the record) and the best midfielders that I've even trained up (Jaime Gracia, Oleg Vasiljev, Milan Nemec and Marcus Schaaf) I could have used up that long-term memory remembering other things. It's an interesting point that I'm pressing on but it's one that scares me a little so I'm going to leave it at that for now.

Thanks for reading and get on with some work - you won't regret it!

Martin

P.S. I just want to leave a brief note at the bottom of this post to say that Gary Speed will be a sorely missed member of the football family and his untimely death has shocked and saddened many millions of people. My thoughts are with his family and the people that knew him well - football has lost a true role-model and gentleman.