Draw

Double shattered!. No sleep at all last night, a combination of too much caffeine in the system and a new duvet that pushed the room temperature up to around melting point. This morning I dropped my son off at football with his Grandad, the girl's stayed at home with Grandma and my wife and I drove to the club for a bit of lunch and to listen to the 3rd round draw. Along with a few of the lad's and their partner's we all waited in anticipation...... "Number 56...Torquay Utd "............, Come on Ray Clemence say Man Utd, come on Ray say Arsenal,............"will play Blackpool". I never really took to Ray Clemence and I can see why now. It could be worse though, it could be away to Blackpool!!. Joking aside it's not a Premiership club which everybody had hoped for but it is a game that we can win, for now though it goes well and truly on the back burner.

On returning home it was time to get serious. Out came the Christmas decorations and for the next 3 hours we set about the house in true Christmas spirit. The Christmas CD went on, the baubles were thrown all over, each room had the 'Full Works', and that many lights have been rigged up that Dan ( next door) will have to do a full safety check ( He's a Fireman!!!) before they are turned on !.

Time to Chill out in front of the TV now, and it's a BBC 2 fest. I'll be watching The Long Way Down, Top Gear, Louis Theroux and then Match of The Day.... if my wife let's me. Very Doubtful!.

CH

Home Time

Shattered!!. A great victory today, beating my old team Oxford 2-o and with 10 men. We were a bit tentative in the first half but scored a good goal before the break, unfortunately we also lost Roscoe Dsane to a harsh sending off. But with 10 men we rolled the old sleeves up and actually looked the more dangerous team in the second half, topping of a great display with a second goal to win the game. Well done to all the boys, they gave it everything, and along with some good tactical decisions it was a well deserved result.

We certainly needed our fan's today and they didn't let us down, great support in freezing conditions!!!. I think I tempted fate in last night's blog, talking about scoring an own goal in an F.A cup tie. It nearly happened again today, I was trying to defend a cross and headed the ball towards goal, but Scotty Beavan made a good save and it was panic over ( that's what keepers are paid for anyway!!).
What with the own goal scare and nearly walking out with Matt Green' shirt on before the game it was a relief to be sat in the changing room after the game, victorious and with the right shirt on!.
I am now sat watching X-Factor with an ice pack on, the kid's are playing junior monopoly with their grandparents and we have all just destroyed an indian takeaway and a few bottles of red. Bliss!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!.

CH

Big Money Round?

It's the evening before the match against Oxford, the second round of the F.A Cup. We need to progress to the 3rd round where hopefully a big club awaits and some much needed ££££££. I have played in lot's of F.A cup ties over the years, lot's of highs and some lows.

High's include goals for Grimsby, Northampton, Hull, Plymouth and Brentford and other's!!!, and low's include a goal for Man Utd. Yes I did say a goal for Man Utd, it was during a great cup run with Northampton. We had beaten Rotherham away in the 4th round and were drawn to Man Utd at home. The club actually made over a million pounds from that cup run. Unfortunately I scored an own goal, just after half time and at 1-0 down, against the current Champions. In over 600 games it was, and still is, the only own goal I've scored!. A viewing audience of 60 million worldwide, about 30 family and friends at the game and a party arranged for the night.... brilliant!. I couldn't wait to do the press after that game.

The only good thing that came out of the game was that I gave Nicky Butt a bit of a slap for a late challenge. Another moment in the F.A cup, this time enoyable, was a goal I scored (In the right end this time!) at Reading in the 3rd round. We were losing 1-0 when in the last few minutes I managed to smash one in the top corner. Off came the shirt, I ran around the goal and celebrated in front of about 4 thousand travelling fan's. My brother was in the crowd that day and he said it was a great buzz when the goal went in as a bloke who jumped on him to celebrate had a Hargreaves shirt on, they did sell one that year then !!!!.
As I have said before though it is a great chance for player's to appear on Match of The Day. I will have to try and locate those old VIDEOS some day!.

CH

Toddy's Blog

When Greavsie asked me to do this I was so happy to say yes .....


So were do I start, what a crazy and life changing week. I would first like to thank everyone from the bottom of my heart for the support I have received it has touched me in so many ways. I don't think I have ever had so many frogs in my throat and I don't mean the ones out of water......

I will say this I have grown up so much in the last few days, it has made me realise so many things about life that normally I would take for granted. Believe me if everyone realised that one phone call could do this they would most probably look at life with a whole different outlook .

The club have been amazing and have helped me in so many ways already. I have the best Manager a player could wish for and his class backroom staff with him. A Physio who has not left my side, and who will be a big part in getting me healthy. A keeper coach who does just about everything at the training ground...... And Northy for winding me up all the time about the Welsh.

The lads have been a great help in keeping me smiling, not with their banter as it need some work especially Greavsie’ ha ha. On a serious note they keep me going and are true friends......


With the support I am getting from everyone around the world I hope and believe I will be back on the pitch in a yellow shirt very soon!

Chris Todd

Another day at the office

Super quick blog as very busy today. Training this morning was excellent. The lad's came in after a few day's off and really put it in. We had a keep ball session that was fiercely contested, then we went into a game. It was played at full tempo with tackles, shot's and header's flying in. The morning session was rounded off with a few sprints, all the boy's being flat out at the end. Then it was into the gym for a blast on the weights( All the best with the golf tomorrow Kev!). I have to say the attitude of the whole squad was spot on, that's the way we all want it to be for the rest of the season, a togetherness and team spirit that will hopefully carry us through.

I'm thinking about having Guest blogger's on and it may start tonight, as well as this throughout the course of the next few weeks I will be giving you a little bit of info on each player i.e loves, hates etc so watch this space. Speak soon.

No guest blog as kids have gone to bed and my wife is online job hunting (again!!)

News Flash. On to tonights tennis now - Game, Set and Match Chris Hargreaves 6-2 6-2, 18 court violations shared between two players including 12 uses of bad language, 4 volleying of tennis balls with feet and 2 cases of clothing abuse (Dan). See you next week mate with a new racket.


CH

Today I tried to go shopping with the girls, my Wife and Daughter, but again I failed. Fiona wanted to buy a few things so I entertained Hatty but I was beaten both mentally and physically. Physically, 10 yards of being in her buggy and it's "Shoulders Daddy, the old body starts to creak after carrying 'H' for 30 mins. Mentally there are only so many shops you can be led into and asked "What do you think about this one, is it really me!!!". Harriet tried her best as well, she entertained the Xmas shopper's by waving and dancing from inside the window displays but after an hour ( and that included coffee) we were both broken so we abandoned ship and returned home, leaving Fiona to shop and relax! for a few hours.


I was asked recently by a friend if I wanted to try the Paris- Dakar rally. As much as I want to it's difficult while I'm playing football, and judging by Charlie Boorman's ( of Long Way Round) retirement in a recent rally due to a broken hand (he fell off his bike) it's pretty dangerous too. The journey is mammoth, around 5 thousand miles, and dangerous, this year's rally was cancelled because of the danger in Africa, it will now take place in South America in Jan 2009. As with all the adventures that I fancy doing they are firmly on the back burner for a few years yet ( hopefully!!). It doesn't stop me plotting and planning though, Everest, the London Marathon, the Amazon, even surviving an afternoon's shopping with the girl's are all challenges ahead!!!.

One adventure that may not take place is a one that another friend of mine recently completed. The annual Mont Blanc 100 mile run is not one for the faint hearted. It basically is a non stop, yes non stop, run over ridiculous terrain ( mountainous) in as quick a time as possible. Rob completed the run in around 40 hours, he said he was hallucinating towards the end and that stopping for a drink 6 or so miles before the end was a big mistake. The last few miles, up hill, took about 7 hours!!!. A great achievement and a very emotional finish I'm sure for him and his waiting family.

CH

London Town

At the final whistle in yesterday's match against Woking the general feeling in the changing room was one of frustration with a 2-2 draw. Before the game we were confident we could win and at the end of the game we thought we should have won. Obviously at half time and at 2-0 down a draw would seem like a good result, but we were that dominant in the second half that it felt a bit disappointing that we hadn't taken all 3 points. I spoke to Phil Gilchrist their manager after the game and he was more than happy with a point !!!. The ground pretty much felt like it had been taken over by Torquay fan's which again was a massive bonus.


So the with the game over the squad travelled into London for the annual ( if early!) Christmas 'Do'. It was back to the hotel first though to change into the dancing old gear !! . Once the boy's had showered and shaved it was straight to the tube station and into Covent Garden. We spent a few hours there before heading to 'Clubland'. First it involved a quick taxi ride to the Met bar on Park Lane ( I'll come back to that), then onto another club back in the West End. Most of the lad's were already queuing when our taxi arrived. The queue was big, it was cold so...... why not!. Yep I nipped to the front of the queue and began the 'Blag'. Our names had been put on the guest list but when I asked the guy's at the door it was a negative, it may have been the sight of 10 or so of the lad's at the back of the queue 'livening' proceedings up that suddenly erased the names from the list. Time for Plan B, "Come on, the lad's have travelled up a long way, don't let them down, we will be little angel's in there", smile and wait....... The 'Rope' was lifted and to the annoyance of the freezing hopefuls in the queue the boy's marched past and into safety!.

As usual the clubs were a frenzy of celebs, wannabes, and footballers. Understandably there weren't many takers for the first round!. The remaining kitty was swallowed up in minutes rather than hours due to the price list at the bar!. It was that bad that the bar staff gave you a tissue and a get well soon card after each order. It could have been much worse though. As I said earlier we had already been to the Met Bar, kindly sorted by 'Hells Bells', but it was early and a bit quiet in there so we moved on. But I had told Damo, Kenny, Bri and Shaun we would meet them in there only remembering when I received a text from Damo saying he had just come round after paying 50 pounds for 4 drinks!, smelling salts anyone!.
Back to our watering hole and one of the lad's was having a bit of banter with a couple when the guy said " Tell you what I'll get a bottle eh, then you get one OK ". The waitress came over and beamed " That's 400 thanks". Shoulder officially dropped at that point!. Don't mess with bottles of Crystal is the lesson there !. It didn't stop plenty in there though, there were that many ice bucket's with sparkler's it was like firework night. What with the Ice sculpture and the chocolate fountain the credit crunch was nowhere to be seen!.
I have to say though I love London, the sights, the restaurants, the buses and black cabs and the town houses in squares overlooking little parks. I know for a day trip or a weekend it's a novelty but I think I could live in London quite happily as long as I had a few million in the bank!. The ideal scenario is a home in Devon and a pad to crash in London for the odd blast!. But for now it's the odd day or evening like last night.
A great laugh, a little cameo role by Phil Mitchel, a ten man race on rickshaw's and a faultless man marking display by one of the lad's and the night was over. Is that the alarm clock we've only just got in !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!.



CH