View from the Lane
By Nick Griffiths
It was so bizarre it was almost funny – ‘fans’ calling for Martin Jol’s head after the latest run of dodgy results.
If someone gave me Martin Jol’s head, I’d put it on the mantelpiece with a crown on, polish the not insubstantial pate every morning and quiz it obsequiously.
Yes, a lot of money has been spent in the transfer market, and some of the results have been demoralising (both Newcastles, Sheffield United and one too many goals conceded to a reasonably good Manchester United side) – but look at the team Jol is building. Berbatov must be buy of the season. He’s tall and not fast, but the things he does with a ball I couldn’t do with a yo-yo. He was beyond awesome against Bolton. That little chip over Campo’s head off the goal line made the Spaniard look like a chunky chap with curly hair. The guy’s sensational.
Malbranque, despite being 3 ft 7 or so (he reminds me of dinky Jose Dominguez), is also a top buy, adding tricksiness and proven goal-scoring ability to the midfield. Dawson, Huddlestone, Lennon, Chimbonda, Zokora sometimes… Jenas came back from injury and bagged three in three games to silence the whingers. And Keane did find his form – and how – then got sent off for the first time in his professional career. The look on his face. It’s just great to have him back.
 Who’d have expected us to beat Bolton 4-1, down to ten men for the second half? That’s a measure of what we can do. And stashing four past Fulham to remain in the FA Cup… with Chelsea next. Away. So the Carling Cup was disappointing. Actually, it was worse than that. A measure of what we can’t do. Remember: we were 2-0 up after 21 minutes. If we’d kept playing like that, we too might have faced Chelsea in a cup final and not-punched Frank Lampard. Ah, what might have been.
Still we have that bye into the last 16 of the Uefa Cup and I’m considering flying to Portugal this weekend to watch our opponents Braga play, wearing a ‘Braga fans fancy donkeys’ T-shirt, to see if I can spark a riot and get us a bye into the quarters. A cup win would make all the difference to a season that has been a little too topsy-turvy for comfort, though a top six finish isn’t out of reach, particularly when we play West Ham next, whose season has been only turvy.
Update: Just watched the game, be on the safe side before crowing – and the old bird looked dead on its feet at half time. But there were always more goals and Eggert Magnusson’s head said it all. It wasn’t pretty but it somehow worked – and who scored the winner, despite looking an unusual substitution? Four wins, 14 goals. Trust the Jol.
Mental Spring Cleaning
By Peter Scott
With Spring in the air, for many it is the time when thoughts turn to new plans and projects.
Getting fit again after the winter, clearing out the loft, redecorating the house, tidying up the garden or planning the summer holidays can quickly become time-consuming additions to our already busy lifestyles. Too often, with these extra activities comes increased stress and anxiety as we try to fit everything in to already overflowing schedules.
So perhaps now is the time to do some mental spring cleaning. Hypnotherapy offers us a relaxing and enjoyable way to learn some new techniques to enable us to better manage the stresses and anxieties of everyday life. Hypnosis is a safe and natural process that has been approved by the British Medical Association for over forty years. Described as a state of altered awareness, hypnosis is often characterised by enhanced physical and mental relaxation. It is similar to daydreaming or to the state we all pass through at night before dropping off to sleep.
Hypnotherapy uses techniques such as story telling, metaphors and direct suggestion to help create new and positive associations and new patterns of thinking and behaviour. Most obviously, you can use it to help get you into a deeply relaxed state, helping to reduce or even eliminate those stressful and anxious feelings. It can also be used to aid you in achieving positive lifestyle changes, such as keeping to your new exercise programme, keeping your house tidier and clutter-free, or helping you to be more motivated, better organised and focussed on any of the many other new Spring projects you decide to undertake.
You’ll find that, whatever your particular circumstances, hypnotherapy can help you to create your own personal oasis of calm in the turbulent sea of Springtime activities, keeping your inner reserves fully replenished, ensuring joy is always on tap for yourself and for all those around you, and helping to ensure you fully enjoy whatever Springtime brings for you.
To find out how hypnotherapy can help you to reduce your stress levels both round Springtime and other times throughout the year, call Scott Hypnotherapy on 08456 34 21 99 or Shine Holistic on 020 7241 5033, or visit www.scott-hypnotherapy.net or www.shineholistic.co.uk
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