Australia DESTROYED!!

I wasn't really for anybody but even Australia supporters have to realise that their team are disintegrating. Ponting is 36 and should really retire and leave Haddin the captaincy. But Australia have run out of talent. They can't recover from losing McGrath/Warne and have found nobody to replace them (will they ever?).

I think that their best bowler at the moment is Mitchell Johnson, but Peter Siddle isn't bad either and as for batting, Hussey I still think is decent (even though he only scored 8 in the last test, you have to look at his overall performances and let's not forget that almost every Australian was bad in that test).

As far as England is concerned, they are a bit over-hyped in my opinion. Yes they are maybe in the top 3, top 4 teams in the world but thrashing a greatly under par Australia does not mean they are suddenly the best. However I will not deny that Graeme Swann is the greatest spinner in the world at the moment (there's not really many other people to pick from) and Alastair Cook is right up there with Tendulkar and co as an excellent batsmen.

My prediction for the final test: draw (or very close win for Australia). This may be surprising considering all the things I have said above, but I think that Australia will be really motivated to win it and I don't think it will matter to England as much. But you never know, I could be wrong, but whatever happens, Australia will not go down without a fight.

Arsenal, WELL DONE!!!

They've finally done it! Beaten a big four team. They hadn't beat Chelsea since 2008 before this win, and I can imagine it well send their confidence sky high. Fabregas and Walcott both scored and assisted to each other and it really was brilliant.

However massive problems for Chelsea. And it's very simple how to solve them. Bring back Wilkins. It really is the only reason that they have been playing badly: the moment he left, they started losing. Ancelotti will get sacked, even though he is not responsible if they go on like this and he will unfortunately become the scapegoat even though he wasn't the on who made the bad decision: it was Abramovich.

Another problem that needs to be solved whatever happens for Chelsea is who they have up front. This is unusual, normally as we all know rich clubs always buy tons of good strikers but no good defenders and at Chelsea the opposite has happened. They have practically the best back four in the world and yet up front they only have Drogba who's any good. Anelka's rubbish, Kalou's even worse than rubbish (my cat could do better than him) and all their youngsters are perfectly decent but not yet ready. Who should they buy then? Well, they already have the big powerhouse, so they should really go for a skilful Messi type player: Neymar, a new Brazilian wonder kid would probably fit the bill.

But again, really well done Arsenal. Walcott really showed his worth and was there when needed and it just shows you what happens when you get Van Persie, Walcott and Fabregas in a team together: perfection (well, almost).

What I Got for Christmas 2010

I got a lot of cool things, but if were to list everything from big presents to pieces of chocolate, it would be really long and going to far, so I'm just going to list the main things:

-iPod Shuffle (Orange), pictured: Something I asked for, and I'm really happy I got it. I might do a review on it, but maybe not, I'll see. Anyway, it works really well and VoiceOver sort of acts like a screen.

-LEGO City Crawler Crane (pictured): Still building it, but it's actually really tall (more than you'd expect) and has tons of features. I'd really recommend it. Also something I asked for.

-£50 iTunes Vouchers: I actually got two £25 pound cards, but it doesn't matter, the important thing is that I'll be able to download music from iTunes for quite a long time.

-£25 Amazon Voucher: Really good idea, as it might allow me to get some of the stuff that I wanted that I didn't get (I did get almost all of the stuff I wanted though!)

-Godfather Box set: Got this in my stocking. Really good present, and it's all been digitally remastered so it'll look really good. Never seen them before either, so looking forward to it.

-Bose AE2 Headphones: These are really top quality, and I wasn't expecting to get a new pair. They will replace the crappy pair of Sony's I've got at the moment and even though Bose claim they are not sound-cancelling, they do a really good job of blocking out sound.

-More DVDs: Tour de Francis and theWorld Cup 2010 Official FIFA DVD

-A Doctor Who Pen: I don't really watch the series to be honest, but I needed a new pen so it's all good.

Happy Holidays/Christmas!!

Well I should obviously do this post tomorrow, but I fear I'll be so into unwrapping my presents and eating that I won't have time. So this is just to read all of my readers Happy Holidays/A Happy Christmas.

For those interested, I'm now getting on average about 15 views a day, and for December, I should get over 300 views. Considering I started this blog 4 months ago from nothing, I think that's reasonable and the fact that the traffic is growing regularly is pleasing.

I'm really looking forward to Christmas (who isn't) and although the presents are important, I know it isn't only about that it's also about the Christmas spirit, and being friendly and nice. Anyway Happy Holidays to all my readers!!

Super Crazy Mario Balotelli!

I do quite like super eccentric/crazy footballers, one of which is Mario Balotelli (who I badly photoshopped onto the original Super Mario), his recent comments just showing the eccentricity of the young Italian.

The first thing that made me laugh: he wants to play for AC Milan, which is a crazy thing to say, firstly as he come from Inter, their arch-rivals (no normal AC player would EVER play for Inter unless serious money was involved) and secondly, he's only just been transferred to Man City.

Secondly, and more seriously this time, he has a serious ego problem. Balotelli considers himself on second best to Messi in the world: so in other words, Balotelli considers himself better than Ronaldo, Forlan, Ibrahimovic and any other world class striker you can think of. Do you think it's possible that when he made the comment, he forgot about all the other world class players and was instead dreaming that he played for some Second Division team and Messi was the only other good player out there. Let's face it Mario, even Wayne Rooney is better than you, and that's really saying something (Rooney playing rubbish at the moment).

Finally, Balotelli has revealed he is NOT the person you would want to have on your side if you had to to a pub quiz about football. To Mario, Jack Wilshere, arguably the greatest hope England has for 2012 and 2018, is Jack Who? This is quite serious and really, the least you expect of a footballer is that he at least knows one of the top 3 best young players in the country.

But again, Balotelli is like Cantona, the only disappointment being that when he learns English and eventually karate kicks a supporter, you don't really expect him to come out with a statement like "When seagulls follow the trawler, it's because they think sardines will be thrown into the sea" but something more like "300 grand a week or I'm off back to Italy".

Top 5 Video Games of All Time

This is quite a tight top five, and I'm sure you'll all have very different opinions:

5)Medal of Honor-This might be quite a surprise, but I actually prefer it to Call of Duty. Partly because the first game I got for PSP was Medal of Honor heroes, which was a great game, but also because of it's simplicity. It's all based on real life events, whereas some Call of Duty (Modern Warfare) is futuristic which I am not too keen on. That's not to say Call of Duty is a bad game, but it just didn't get into my top five, as I didn't want two shoot em' up type games.

4)Forza Motorsport-Again this might be surprising. I recently ordered a second-hand original Xbox off amazon and thus I could finally got to play Forza. I was a big Gran Turismo fan before I played Forza. Now I prefer the latter. GT might have way more cars, but what really did it for me was how much more fun the career mode was on Forza than on GT. You can completely customise your cars (paint jobs, decals etc...) which was not a feature on GT4. The cars are a lot cheaper and it's just generally more fun. And, as far as I know, Forza was the first driving game to give you the lines on the track to tell you when to brake, which GT4 didn't have.

3)Lara Croft Tomb Raider-The ultimate adventure game. It's a classic. There have been 10 in the series, soon 11 and it really was one of the first adventure games for any console. The blend of genres this game offers is also quite remarkable: it is shoot em up', fantasy and adventure and it was arguably the first game of it's kind. Finally for me, the great thing is that the story line is actually plausible. You could imagine that in some far away hidden place you could find some hugely powerful sword or some special stone.

2)Mario Kart-Why not the original Super Mario? I honestly think that Mario Kart is more enjoyable. I like driving games, and Mario Kart was the first game I got for my first Gameboy Advance, so it really is a game that's quite special to me. Whether it be throwing a banana skin at Peach or crashing into someone with Bowser, it's always fun. And the latest Wii version is equally as good as all the previous versions, which is very promising.

1)Football Manager-Now, a lot of people will not know about this game. I don't think it's super popular in the States, but if you're a football (soccer) fan, it's a must. The game allows you to take charge of almost any football team in the world and manage them to glory. You are responsible for the wages, the transfers in and out, the tactics, basically everything. And trust me, when you start playing it, you won't want to stop. It's addictive and very very infuriating at times, so be warned. But when you win or are successful, it is really rewarding and satisfying: you feel like a real manager. It really is quite hard to explain the absolute brilliance and genius of this game, I seriously recommend getting a second hand copy of amazon, whether it be an old version or the latest version. I personally like the old version, which has a 2D match engine vs the new versions which have 3D match engines. The latter requires a super good graphics card and the 3D engine feature does not really make a super big difference.

Mirko Cro Cop: Tribute

My tribute to in my opinion the greatest MMA fighter of all time. Expect more tribute videos in the future! Enjoy and feel free to comment!

Xbox Review

Meant to do this a long time ago but here is my review the original Xbox. If you compare it to the PS2, I really can't pick a favourite. I think that, generally speaking, the PS2 has slightly better graphics, but at the same time the Xbox boasts and internal HD and the ability to store music on it. The menu is also way more slick than the PS2.

Then again though, game wise, I think you would have to go PS2. Don't get me wrong, the Xbox games are great, I prefer Forza to Gran Turismo for example, but PS2 games are still being made today. FIFA 11 was released recently and there are a few other series of games still being made for the PS2. The last time somebody made a game for the original was ages ago to be nice about it, and to be perfectly honest, it never really had that many games. But again, all the games it did have are very good I think, whereas with the PS2 some games are absolute CRAP.

Finally hardware wise, the Xbox has 4 controller ports, compared to the PS2's 2 and the design of it is much cooler, but what it's problem is is that it's really really big compared to the PS2 Slim, so it does also have a negative point as far as that's concerned. I can't decided which one I prefer. Can you? Feel free to leave comments

Lenny the Legend

One of the funniest things I've seen, especially part 2 of the video! Enjoy!

I'm writing for TekSocial!

Just a quick post to say that I am now writing for teksocial.com What is teksocial? It's basically a tech blog, but there's also more general stuff on there, like a bit of sports. It's run by David Di Franco, otherwise known as thecreativeone on Youtube.

It's a really good website, and it just allows me to get my content to more users and also slightly promote my blog. Most posts I do for Teksocial will also be on here but some will be unique to Teksocial so be sure to check out my page on the website. Links are below and will be added to the "Links" page.

My page on Teksocial: http://www.teksocial.com/socialblog/author/henrytg

thecreativeone's Youtube channel: http://youtube.com/thecreativeone

My Christmas Wishlist 2010

It seems to be the thing to do at the moment, so here is my Christmas Wishlist for 2010. it's in three different sections with stuff that's super important, not so important but would be good, and stocking fillers. Enjoy!

Absolute Musts

-UFC Official Fight Gloves (Large)|These would be ideal as I have a punching bag, but the gloves that came with it are honestly rubbish. The UFC gloves are top class and what's more they're worn by all the top fighters in the world. They have good padding as well, which is excellent|: http://www.amazon.co.uk/UFC-Official-Fight-Glove-Large/dp/B0019EXPJY/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=sports&qid=1290963657&sr=8-1

-LEGO City Crawler Crane #7632|I need a new LEGO set, and as I'm collecting the City construction series at the moment, this set seems the obvious choice. It's tall and is quite cheap for what you get. More importantly it has a whole load of features|: http://www.amazon.co.uk/LEGO-City-7632-Crawler-Crane/dp/B001CQLUYG/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1290963996&sr=8-1

-iPod Shuffle (Orange)|I need a new iPod, and seeing as I hate the new Nano, this is the only option. My current Nano is slowly crapping out on me and this new Shuffle does seem to have a good mix of features|: http://www.apple.com/uk/ipodshuffle/

-Money|Pretty obvious, but want it specifically to pay off the price of my Xbox and just to have more money in the bank|

-Flip Flops|Probably unconsciously the item i use most, the ones i have are all worn out and crappy, so would like a new pair of good ones|

-MATCH Annual 2010|I adore the magazine, and I always get the annual. It's pretty good this year and as usual it features tons of fun games and funny photos|

Not very Important, but would be good

-A few accessories for my fish tank|My goldfish (now 11) almost froze (literally!) when it was really cold a few weeks ago. He has now been put in a brand new tank in my room, so he gets fed properly and cared for properly. But his tank is a bit bare, so I want some good stuff to put in it|

-Pro Evolution Soccer 2011 (PS2)|I only like PES because of the sick graphics (better that FIFA) so I sort of want it for PS2, just to see if there have been any big improvements|: http://www.amazon.co.uk/Pro-Evolution-Soccer-2011-PS2/dp/B00403MIF8

-LEGO City Single Drum Roller #7746|Another possible LEGO set, again, just continuing in the LEGO City construction range|: http://www.amazon.co.uk/Lego-7746-Exclusive-Single-Roller/dp/B001U3ZMFO/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=toys&qid=1290964567&sr=8-1

-A DVD Case Stand|This would actually be for my video games (for PS2 and Xbox) as I don't really have a good place to put them|

Stocking filler ideas

-iTunes Giftcards

-DVDs

-Vouchers

-Stationary (pens especially)

-Anything Cadburys

-Mac Software

-Books (not many though)

My New View in Football Tactics

Before a few weeks ago, I had a very different view of football tactics. But it changed once I realised that Bolton played 4-4-2. Why is this little fact so important? Bolton are currently playing like samba stars and lie near the top of the league, no where near where they should be.

The 4-4-2 employed by Owen Coyle is rare, Bolton being one of the only teams in the Premier League to use it. Before, I favoured a 5-4-1 Diamond formation, with an attacking style. This was good as it allows you to be defensive (with 5 at the back) and still have that attacking edge. Also, if you get somebody sent off, it allows you to not really feel the damage (if it's a defender).

But why did I change my mind? Great as my 5-4-1 system is, the fact that it's not used that much in practice slightly questions it's efficiency. The 4-4-2 on the other hand has proved it's worth countless times and I think that quite simply, it's just better to go back to classics that work well and continue to work, rather than to venture into the unknown and try something wacky that could epically backfire on you. I guess I'm not really a risk-taker.

Newcastle, are you insane??

I really don't understand football clubs at all. How can an owner (Mike Ashley) sack a manager who is doing a very good job (Chris Hughton)?? I really am disgusted, and it just shows that even if you get you're team into the Premier League, getting 102 pts out 132, you still get sacked.

It was pretty obvious Mike Ashley did not want somebody like Chris Hughton, who does not have the prestige of other manager's which he actually deserves. Pardew is reported to be on the verge of signing a contract with the club, which is quite ironic.

The very same thing happened to him at the start of the season. He was doing a decent job with Southampton and hew as sacked for no apparent reason: two managers who have experienced exactly the same treatment. I would laugh a lot if Hughton ended up going to Sunderland, and then both of them getting fired afterwards. Unlikely, but you never know.

The final thing that really puzzles me is that Newcastle said they wanted somebody with more experience that Hughton. Well, it seems Pardew isn't exactly the man. His Premier League record is bad to say the least and he's only played 74 games. Better get somebody like Cursbishley or Martin Jol, as was suggested in a newspaper this morning who are much better managers with more Premier League experience.

The Downfall of Youtube (for me, anyway)

It really all started when Google took over. I think that Youtube was never really the same again, as it had previously been totally independent. Yes, it is still run by the same person, Chad Hurley, but the fact is Google now have a massive influence on how its run.

I really don't blame Chad Hurley for selling and later running (he resigned a s CEO in October 2010), but I still think that it would have been nice for him to keep it a bit longer and make improvements. A bit like Mark Zuckerberg is doing with Facebook, but except that he has no intention at all of selling.

Why has it been a downfall? For the simple reason that by "upgrading" stuff, they are actually just complicating things. The new layout update they did a few months ago for example (the one where they changed the subscribe button from the side to the top). It hasn't greatly improved anything, and I have a funny feeling that it takes several seconds longer to load than the old page, just because it's more complex and complicated.

The final thing that does annoy me, and it might surprise some people, is all the annotations they now allow you to put in the video. Now what I really hate is that some people go way to far with them and I don't get when people give you another link to their channel/to subscribe in the video. There are already bloody obvious links for both of them on the page. Nobody needs reminding.

Cricket, another sport I like.

It's a sport I forgot to mention. But I actually do quite like cricket, especially as I have come to fully understand the rules over the years. to be perfectly honest, a few years ago, for me cricket was world of boredom, but, possibly because of the hype over this years Ashes or possibly because I purchased Brian Lara International Cricket 2005 for my new Xbox.

I do like England, and Australia for that matter, but neither are my favorite team. This might be surprising, my favorite team are Pakistan. They have, in my opinion, the best fast bowlers in the world, one of which, Shoaib Akhtar, is my favorite player.

As for the Ashes, which as you probably know, is going on at the moment, I'm not really for anybody. All I can really say is that Australia have big problems and ever since the Warne-McGrath team they had in the late nineties and early noughties, they haven't been super good. England on the other hand are developing into a strong team with several promising players, Alastair Cook in particular.

Xbox Unboxing

Here is the unboxing of an original Xbox I got off amazon for 25£. Pretty good deal. Enjoy and comment!

Qatar and Russia: Money and Money

I guessed this morning that Russia were going to win it, but Qatar, never in a million years. This is surprising and very money related in my opinion.

I'm not saying Russia will make bad hosts, as I think that it is a good thing for them and that they actually do have a chance of winning it with the home support, but let's face it, nobody deserved it more than England. And this really isn't because I'm English. Spain/Portugal had the Euro 6 years ago, Holland/Belgium had the Euro in 2000 and Russia are not a super mad footballing country. Money is a very good motivator is what really comes out from this.

Qatar was a total shock. Nobody expected them to win, yet they did. Again it was likely to be the money that did it, even though they did put forward a stadium recycling scheme which FIFA obviously found super sexy. Now although Russia have a good chance of winning in my opinion, QATAR??? They can't even beat Uzbekistan to quote my latest tweet. No seriously, they'll get knocked out first round for sure.

All I can say is that the BBC are really stupid. Sure, you can show Panorama BUT NOT 3 DAYS BEFORE THE BLOODY VOTE HAPPENS!!!! What's wrong with you???? The FA will really be pissed with the BBC, as I bet you Jack Warner and everybody else who was mentioned in Panorama voted for Russia. Anyway, there is my rant, feel free to comment and have one yourself.

Advent Calendars Time!

What better time to do a post about advent calendars than today? The first of December. Arguably one of my favourite things about Christmas: the fact you get to eat a chocolate a day until the big event.

There are quite a lot of different types out there, but I think you really have to pay for good quality chocolate rather than go for something that looks cool but where the chocolate tastes rubbish. I'd recommend Lindt's, which is the one I have and the chocolate tastes bloody great.

They're some pretty cool ones out there though: there's a LEGO one where you get a piece everyday and then you build something at the end. I was tempted by it, but then I realised it would be pretty expensive.

Anyway, you know Christmas is near when you start your calendar and that's what makes it so great. Expect a few more Christmas themed posts like my wishlist which should be coming up shortly