Self on Soccer: It was dug for you, Chelsea F.C.

OK - one needs to play a little catch up over the last couple of weeks...

Not me. But could be in 25 years. Nice hole buddy.

Chelsea first - I was starting to dig a nice deep hole in the garden a couple of weeks ago and invited Chelsea to come to hide in it before their visit to Old Trafford. Their 3-1 loss was a great game with some incredible missed chances. Villas-Boas was very upbeat post match despite printing mapquest directions to the goal and handing them to Torres for next time. I've got $50 on Torres being the next target for the Barcelona team - to spend a year telling him, and us, and the press he should go back to Spain. Fabregas all over again.

Sir Alex claimed the game was like basketball. Mmmm.... interesting analogy. Didn't know they played that game in Scotland - which is has every inch of land covered with either a golf course or a pub. The score was 3-1. sir. OK, so even if a typical NBA player hits around 35% of his 3 point shots, that's still 30% better than Torres. OK, so could it have been basketball....? Maybe, but we need to slip back in time to 1954 Indiana high school basketball state championships.

Left to right - De Gea, Cleverly, Ferguson, Rooney.

For your reading pleasure (and the rest of the world) and if this was a movie...
Ferguson would be a slick pomade garnished coach with a questionable past and a drinking problem. Oh, that works already. Rooney would be a troubled, yet talented player who is a game changer on the field and a dark moody git off. Mmmmm, Alex may be right after all. The refs would always be on the take and stitching Ferguson's team up for which he would blow up and get thrown out - also refusing to speak to the local community about tactics or post game analysis. Coach takes a bunch of young players on a whirlwind tour of a season and performs miracles.

Venison Sausage. Yummy...

I see it now. Ferguson's entire career and coaching style has been loosely based on the storyline and character played by Gene Hackman and the movie 'Hoosiers'. Footnote - that movie is called 'Best Shot' in the UK. Apparently no one has heard of a Hoosier there. Sorry Indiana - it's a big planet. Oh, while we on that, corn dogs are a mystery to others also. The closest to that in England would be sausage toad-in-the-hole. With gravy...proper brown gravy.

Moving on..... West Ham haven't lost for a while. So I've upped my medication as I cannot cope. Losing at least half the time was in my supporters contract. It's been refreshing even if yesterday's 1-0 home win was not that impressive. Bottom line is this - 3pts. The Irons are up there and gathering momentum to return to the Premier League at first time of asking. Sam Allardyce is the right man for the job. The squad has strength, experience, youth and talent. Players like Henri Lansbury and David Bentley want to be at Upton Park right now - it is a big club and the carrot of a move to a 60,000 seater Olympic stadium has to be worth something.

Numerous articles have placed the Academy at West Ham United in the top 5 worldwide. I'm glad to read what a few of us have known for years.

Last weekend I was in Vadnais, MN running a West Ham United International Academy regional player ID camp. We worked inside a great dome with a full sized FIFA turf field. There were some great kids - and a couple like Alex and Michael who had attended the WHUIA National Camp at the Darlington School in Georgia. Go back to July to see the blog, pics and video about that week.

All the players were great, from Jack and Liam, the two goalies, to little Bella, Sydney and Jordyn - the three girls who are developing as good players. I worked with Ole Frøystad, who played professionally in Norway and was a great help. We put the players through the same drills used at the Academy in London over three days. The local club is Minnesota Thunder, but other clubs were represented and we were impressed with the level of play.

Despite covering a broad range of skills and game aspects we really focused on vision and awareness. Now, to spare those of you who have heard me say this before - I'll be brief. Right - you've got to know what you are doing before the ball arrives at your feet. To do that you have to look up, around and see the changing picture as you play. Frank Lampard checks over his shoulder all the time. Alex, who attended the National Camp and was invited to visit the Academy this coming Spring, is a great example of a player with heart, soccer intelligence, vision and technical ability. He played, alongside a few others, with the U15s as an 11 year old. Physical size may have an impact but the older players were impressed with the ease with which he fitted in with them. I do not have the full range of pictures and video from the camp - indoor lighting is a pain at times - but I've included a couple here.

Saint Paul is a lovely city - worth a visit. You can see the origins of the Mississippi - and I would strongly recommend a visit to the W.A. Frost restaurant. The tasting menu is a must - perfect paired with wine also. It was a meal that ranked with the best, and that includes (for me)...

Cibero - Florence. Refined Tuscan.
Corrigan's - London. Sophisticated English cuisine
Le Jules Verne - Paris. French (unsurprisingly...)
Oakleys Bistro - Indianapolis. Bistro American / French (yes, Indianapolis).

Next trip to London will include a Ramsey and Oliver restaurant - and oh, if you are wandering through Piccadilly on a lunchtime you must pop into Richoux and order (amongst other things) un Croque-Monsieur. Tres beajoulais.