The Omens Are Not Just Bad...

Two park sessions in two days with the footballs seem to be too much for the dogs. They’re supposed to be outdoor dogs, which allegedly go on forever... simply not true. I cut it short as I’m the only one of the three us still playing football.

Then I head over to Derby with trepidation. My mate predicts the score line Derby 0 Forest 3 and lots of booing. Not sure what he means about ‘lots of booing’, probably be from the Forest fans if they only score three.

Did he say 0-3? I’m not that optimistic. Forest are nineteen games unbeaten, unbeaten away all season and they won 5-0 on Tuesday night whilst Derby were losing at lowly Plymouth... the omens are not just bad, they’re horrific.

Football though is a funny old game, so they say. Which I suppose is why I retain an interest amidst such adversity. Almost from the kick off, the game is all Derby. Forest are, if we’re being honest, largely rubbish and rely on high balls forward, which are probably the one thing our defence can cope easily with. So perhaps it’s not going to be a thrashing, although I still expect Forest to nick it as we simply don’t score goals very often. It’s also a feisty game but only really because we have one of those referees who insist on stoking it up at every opportunity. As if a local Derby needed any spice adding.

Then with twelve minutes to go Rob Hulse powers in a header and Derby have a lead that they manage to hang on to.



There’s even an entertaining bust-up on the touchline over a throw-in as the game headed into stoppage time. As players and staff from both teams piled in, goal scorer Hulse appears in the centre of it, despite already having been substituted five minutes earlier. Afterwards Nigel Clough declined to comment, as he was accused of kneeing Forest manager Billy Davies in the leg during the melee. Excellent stuff, pure comedy. I'm sure they’ll be some great chants emerging in stands about this soon.

In the evening we’re at a party, L's brother's 30th. The bash clashes with one of Daughter’s gigs, Emilie Autumn at Rock City. I’d never heard of her... quick Google... quick Myspace... hmmm... she looks interesting.



I would quite like to have gone and been an embarrassing parent there but never mind.

A quick perusal of the menu for L's brother's do informs me that it’s a post-Christmas party... which means they're serving Turkey with all the trimmings and Christmas pudding on the 30th January! Honestly how long does this Christmas lark go on for these days? Or is this the start of next year’s build up. I bet there will be some saddo sitting there already saying ‘Phew, I've just finished my Christmas shopping’.

We resist the temptation to turn up in reindeer antlers and have a pretty good evening. As good as possible considering it’s over on the outskirts of Derby and we end up driving. We leave just before eleven and drop Son off at home before slipping into town for a few, thanks to everywhere being open until 1am these days. Although we seem to tumble from one 30th party to another, as there’s the dregs of one still going on in the Ropewalk. Just hope Geoffrey didn’t mind us gate-crashing.