August and the staycation

August has arrived and for once we're at home. The world of politics has all but closed down , living the first weekend with a strong sports focus.

On Saturday we made our way to Islington, enjoyed a very decent lunch in an Italian restaurant ,"Small and Beautiful" in Blackstock Road, before walking to the Emirates to watch Celtic v Lyon and Arsenal v AC Milan in the Emirates Cup. Having bought the tickets a couple of months ago allowed us the rare treat of sitting in the lower tier, in seats normally held by season ticket holders. An enjoyable afternoon which showcased the talent of young midfield players, Jack wiltshere and Emanuel Frimpong. Most Arsenal fans got their first view of new striker Chamakh and he obliged with a well taken goal.

With a multitude of substitutes the final score was not of paramount importance, although Arsene Wenger focussed on the mental and physical tiredness in the final twenty minutes. Arsenal conceded an equaliser from a free kick where lack of organisation seem the main culprit.

On Sunday Arsenal defeated Celtic 3-2 to win the trophy, but the doubts remain over the defence, another central defender is a must and a settled reliable keeper would be a bonus.

In the background the Fabregas saga lingers on and as Wenger has it is now not Barcelona as a club not the Spanish press and individual players ( Messi now) who are hyping up the chance of a transfer.

Away from football, England showed their resiliance and self belief in defeating Pakistan by 354 runs in the 1st Test match. On Saturday Prior came to he rescue with a century when the more established bats failed; but the stars of the show were the England pace attack and in particular James anderson. Anderson, the waterboy during the T20 World Cup success, roared back with 11 wickets in the match at Trent Bridge , an excellent performance. Pakistan, looked like a team in transition, certainly there are some gifted bowlers but the batting looked fragile and the fielding gave an indication that all is not well in the camp.

Finally if anyone needs to learn how to win , a talk with Phil "The Power" Taylor would be a good idea. On Sunday he won the European Darts Championship 11-1 frames. Taylor continues to maintain discipline, focus and desire, a model for many other sportsmen.