JPT, SPOTY & Silver Weddings

I'm sure I'm not the only person slightly puzzled by Ryan Giggs elevation to the lofty heights of Sports Personality of the Year. Now don't get me wrong despite the fact that he plays for the Salford Yanks I think he is a model professional and the game would be a lot better if there were more of his ilk gracing the football fields of England............................but the fact that he's in the twilight of a distinguished & successful career should put him in line for a life time achievement award not the SPOTY. The award in past years has always gone to someone who has achieved something special in that particular year something that even the most hardened Red lover would find difficult to explain exactly what the Welsh Wizard has done this year! Anyway the BBC are fast becoming the new ITV in my eyes for their sports coverage. It just seems all a bit dated and predictable? Lawro always looks as if he can't be arsed and the blonde bimbo on the Football League show looks as if she's come straight from Blue Peter!

Accrington Stanley are next up at Elland Road in the "Watching Paint Dry" trophy (sorry Luke) David "Bumble" Lloyd counts himself as their celeb fan and if his tweets are to be believed he will be following his beloved Stanley from his commentating duties in SA. Let's hope that Leeds don't give him any reason to be twittering with delight tomorrow night. Much as this competition is not top priority for Leeds it is a route to Wembley therefore I think Lord Grayson will put out a strong team with Vokes, Naylor, Johnson & Higgs all pushing for starts. I'm expecting the size of the crowd to be embarrassing as the glut of games leading up to Xmas take their toll on fans pockets. Capt Birdseye might look like Santa but doesn't act like him..........if he had an ounce of Xmas spirit he might have let ST's and kids in for free and everyone else for a £5 just to boost the crowd, seeing as he is getting a cool £750k from the trip to OT he's not budgeted for? More chance of seeing Moses than him thinking like that.

Finally tomorrows game will be my last until the new year. Southampton on Saturday will be the first game I have missed since the Semi Final away leg at Carlisle the season before last. All together I miss three games as I will be cruising around the Red Sea with the long suffering present Mrs MOT as we celebrate our Silver Wedding anniversary. When we tied the knot in 1984 we did so on a Wednesday as I was playing on the Saturday and I rather rashly promised her that I would make up for that on our Silver Wedding......................Mmmmm maybe we should have got wed in the summer?

Seriously she's an absolute star so I will take my medicine gladly. That's not to say if I find an internet cafe and have a chat with the Happy Chocker after the games there might still be a bit of a blog...........................Mum's the word!

Please let there be no drama against Stanley, no penalties, no extra time, just a nice routine win. I know it's not like Leeds but let's do it the easy way this time.

Can't wait

MOT