Villa had lost five games in a row and so Smith had to go.
The problem I have with all this is there are 20 teams in the Premier League and somebody has to end up bottom, three teams have to be relegated and most clubs go through a tough patch. But there seems to be no allowances made for this and a handful of bad results and you are gone. Mind you they shuffle off to a nice compensation payment.
The rule seems to be "somebody has to lose but make sure it's not us."
All this doesn't help with that little thing called loyalty. Players and managers know that they can very often be on what's known as "borrowed time" so they feel little affinity for the club they are managing or playing for.
Incidentally watched the St Albans v Forest Green on the television. The St Albans ground was packed with screaming supporters. The attendance was about 4,000. Usually they get around 1,000 for home games. The result was a 3-2 win for St Albans - a giantkilling against a league team. Wonder if the additional 3,000 fans will be there for the next home league game - somehow I think not.
Anyway enough about what was once known as the beautiful game and is now more of an ugly game.
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On Saturday, went to Wymondham and Norwich and yesterday went to Hethersett Village Hall for the latest film show. It was noticeable at all three places that fewer and fewer people are wearing masks.
I have my booster jab organised for next Saturday afternoon in Attleborough. Haven't been to Attleborough for a number of years, so it will give us the chance to have a look around as well as getting a shot in the arm.
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The film Ammonite was rather a slow burner. Interesting but at times a tad dull. Worth watching, although there were a few gasps in the audience at some of the racier parts. It shows how things have changed. This film had a 15 category. Twenty years back and it would probably have had an X (adults only) rating.
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Sometimes a new word comes into our language that adds to our lexicographical understanding. Quite often it's one of those words that annoys. Certainly that's the case with the word Woke. I absolutely hate it.
According to Wikipedia Woke is a term originating in the United States that originally meant to be alert to racial prejudice and discrimination. Beginning in the 2010s, it came to encompass a broader awareness of social inequalities such as sexism, and has also been used as shorthand for left-wing ideas involving identity politics and social justice, such as the notion of white privilege and slavery reparations for African Americans.
Which is all very well but to me it's become synonymous with intolerance and has gone far too far. The Woke Police have been very active. Everything must be what is generally referred to as "politically correct." But that doesn't seem to apply to our leaders where sleaze has made a mockery of wokeness.
And a few nights ago I watched a bit of Live at the Apollo. This is a BBC show that features a seemingly never ending run of comedians and comediennes. These performances are anything but woke. So it seems we have double standards at work here. I found the performance I watched (and I didn't bother to find out the name of the comediennes) embarrassingly unfunny. It was mainly jokes about the anatomy of females from top to toe and it was about as amusing as Matt Lucas and Noel Fielding on The Great British Bake Off!