I have been thinking that sometimes things don’t have to be perfect,
sometimes they can’t be.
Sometimes, however hard you try
there are other things which get in the way.

There are times when your energy is low
so all you can do is your best and hope that it will be enough.
So do your best and do it,
even if it isn’t perfect you can feel proud
that your seeking of perfection has not held you back.

So I will try to not let the goal of perfection hold me back
although it might not be perfect there is hope
and it is better to live with hope than none.

Last month I travelled to the Westgate Hall in Canterbury for an evening with Robbie Fowler; the former Liverpool, Leeds, Manchester City, Blackburn, Cardiff and England striker.

As a Liverpool fan, Robbie was my favourite player growing up and he provided many happy memories scoring 120 goals before being sold to Leeds United in 2002.  Such was his talent, he was given the nickname ‘God’ by his teammates and the Anfield crowd.  Resultedly,  his return to the club in January 2006 was seen as a ‘second coming’.

Upon arriving at the Westgate Hall, a modern, refurbished venue I joined a long queue of people lining up to meet him.  Whilst I waited, I deliberated about what to say during the 30 second interaction I would have with him.  I had brought a copy of his autobiography (or as my mate had called it, the Bible) with me to sign and this is how the encounter went:

Me:  Alright Robbie
I don’t know what to call you, is it okay to call you God?
Fowler:  “Ive been called worse”, he smiled.
Me:  Thanks for the memories.  Could you sign my Bible please?
Fowler:  Yes of course.
Me:  Thank you.  Are you going to be a future Liverpool manager?
Fowler:  Yeah
Me:  We’re going to win the league and CL with you.  Good luck in Australia.

I was awestruck to meet one of my childhood heroes – now Robbie looks younger than me!

And that was it;  I’m sure that Robbie has dozens of these types of events each year and meets hundreds of fans each night yet for me it was a nice moment which i won’t forget.

The evening continued with a question and answer session with former Liverpool and Republic of Ireland midfielder Jason McAteer which was entertaining and a pleasant surprise as McAteer had not been advertised.

Learning about Robbie’s desire to test himself and prove himself as a manager was interesting as I had never considered him to be a candidate for the Liverpool manager’s position until then.

I left feeling grateful to have met a childhood hero and with a feeling of excitement that Robbie Fowler’s best Liverpool moments may be yet to come.

I wrote last December that I was very skeptical that a true Brexit would take place on 31st March 2019.

So now more than a month after the original leaving date I am not surprised that the United Kingdom (UK)’s exit from the European Union (EU) has been postponed until 31st October.  After nearly three years of planning, contingency expenses and political debate, Brexit seems to have lost speed and impetus.

The reason for this postponement has generally been because of the concern about leaving the EU without a deal.  Leaving without a deal will mean the UK reverts to rules and tariffs agreed by the World Trade Organisation; however countries have a right to set lower tariffs or agree free trade agreements.  As former Australian High Commissioner to the UK Alexander Downer explained in The Spectator in May 2018, the UK could declare that it will not impose any tariffs on goods from the EU and eliminate the need for additional border controls.  The EU may object to this but world trade rules exist to cap any retaliatory action.

From uncertainty stems fear and concerns have been promoted that vital medicines will become unavailable and mortgages and food prices will rise.   Yet less promoted is that leaving the EU will result in the abolition of import taxes reducing prices from the rest of the world that aren’t in the EU.  Added to this is the fear of potential gridlock and queues at the borders.  This view fails to account the percentage of incoming freight deriving from EU nations (which could be permitted entry without tariff) or the eight percent increase in border staff in preparation of Brexit.

Immediately following the shock  referendum result in 2016, stock prices plummeted and the value of the pound fell; however prices soon rose to reach their previous levels.  In the event of a no deal Brexit this may happen again, yet because this is expected it may not be so severe.  Even if it is, is this risk sufficient to overrule the result of the largest public vote in UK political history?  As Robert Tombs wrote in The Telegraph on November 17, 2018 “The purpose of democracy is not to find the right answer to technical problems, as judged by “experts”, but is to maintain an acceptable political community based on consent”.

So what do I think will happen next?  My opinion is that pressure will increase on the UK Prime Minister Theresa May to reach an agreement with the opposition parties resulting in a second referendum (people’s vote) or a general election.  I suggest the fear of an economic crash will then result in the ‘remainers’ winning the vote, the United Kingdom staying in the EU and Brexit failing to take place.

It remains to be seen what twists and turns will take place between now and 31st October yet with Brexit postponed and momentum seemingly grinding to a halt, the best chances of the United Kingdom leaving the European Union may have already passed.

There has been so much going on recently; reading the headlines in the West It feels that the world has changed and is changing. 

In America, US President Trump shutdown the government and in France there has been scenes of civil unrest as the Gilet Jaunes (yellow vests)’ protests enter their 12th week.  In the United Kingdom the parliament is divided as the UK prepares to leave the European Union with ‘no deal’.

It has been reported 100,000 people protesters took to the streets of Paris one weekend in January.  Videos show a warzone.  The Police have been teargassing protesters and protesters have been damaging private property.  There are countless questions.  Is the price of fuel the issue or just the straw that broke the camels back? What is the objective of the protesters?  If it is President Macron out, then what?  Has it been manifested by external forces?  Are agents provocateurs at work?

Even Spain, a country reknowned for it’s fiestas had the 4th largest deterioration of peace in the world in 2018 (Global Peace Index).  This has been driven by terrorism and the political unrest in the Catalonia region.

Mass migration has caused problems Europe and North America. 

The conflict in Syria has now displaced 6 million people.  Somalia is reported to be rife of crime, terrorism and privacy.  Human rights abuses continue to be reported in Saudi Arabia and Yemen.

The United States are withdrawing troops ftom Syria but are they bring lined up for furure conflict with Iran?

As the protests in France express, a lot of people want change.  However, if the vision is divided or unclear the outcomes of any political struggle could be adverse.  An alternative needs to be discussed and ready to replace the old structure or it could all be for nothing.  The people want change but must be careful what they wish for.

In sum, the world keeps moving in it’s current direction, greater problems can be expected.  Thankfully there is plenty of evidence to suggest positive changes are not only possible but there are already groups of people working towards achieving this.

I will write more about this in a future post.

So for the first time in more than 40 years of it’s history Prince Albert Football Club had reached the top division of the Ashford & District Sunday League.  Having played my first match for the club in Division 4 in 2007 I was excited to have reached the ‘pinnacle’.

Yet the summer brought a change as title winning manager Stu stepped down from his role to spend more time with his young family.  He was replaced as Manager by Brownie, a committed and hard working full back/winger who had played a key role in the side’s rise from Division 3.  A new job also meant I would only be available for a maximum of 6 out of every 8 weeks for the forthcoming season.

Pre-season:
Prince Albert 1 Appledore 2
Put in at central midfield we led one nil at half time thanks to a scruffy goal I netted from close range.  On a scorching hot morning the game was a useful exercise to start building back my fitness.

Aldington 3 Prince Albert 5
Back in at centre back with new signing Luke I scored my second goal in two games as we stormed into a 3 nil lead before being pushed back in the second half. A decent performance against Aldington’s strong and quick forwards.

Ashford Dynamo 3 Prince Albert 5 (First league game)
A great start to the season with a hard fought victory.  Barraged with countless long balls and throw ins we were penned in for much of the second half.  I conceded a contentious penalty which was superbly saved by out keeper Hadley. 

Mersham 1 Prince Albert 3
An efficient performance in a tight game.  We went ahead with 20 minutes to go after a barnstorming run and shot from full back Joe.  Made a tackle and pass beginning the move for our late third goal.

Prince Albert 4 Ashford Athletic 4
Trailing 4-1 at half time and down to 10 men we dominated the second half and got our rewards with a late equaliser.  Kept a high line in the second half and moved up to support the midfield.

Mersham 3 Prince Albert 1 (Cup)
Made a mistake losing possession by the corner flag which ended with a goal which put us behind at half time.  Chasing a turnaround I was subbed off after 45 minutes as new signing Sean took my place.

Prince Albert 0 Market Hotel 7
Part of a makeshift side which was comprehensively outclassed by the reigning champions. 

Market Hotel 6 Prince Albert 0
Part of another depleted line up we were undone by 3 goals from set pieces in the first half.  Given the run around in the second half we were grateful to our keeper Hadley for keeping the score down.

With the weather leading to the last matches of the calendar year being called off, there was time to judge my performance.  I had been part of the side which had won the league but also been part of the drubbings we had suffered to superior opposition.  My confidence had suffered as a result and I knew I faced a challenge to keep my place in the side.  I opened my work bag and the book I had been reading that day stared back at me, ‘Massively Violent and Decidedly Average’ by Lee Howey; I disagree with being considered violent yet other than that there was no questioning this was a fitting description of my recent performances.

Seeking some form of support from my wife, she commented, “I don’t understand why you are still playing it’s not like you’re going to be in the Premier League or anything; you need to get your priorities right”.  She had seemingly failed to recognise I was now playing in the (Ashford & District Sunday) Premier League.

Facing a fight for my place, competing family demands and work commitments, could I battle back and improve my performance? Or, after 11 seasons and at 35 years of age was it time to consider doing something else on Sunday mornings?  It felt my footballing life was at a crossroads.