Manchester United: The Next Chapter

Do you ever sit down and worry about the future?

I’ve been fortunate in life to have had both my parents be together throughout my childhood. However, when I was about 18, I started to notice things had changed. My Dad stopped greeting my Mum with a kiss when he came home from work. He was much quieter at home. They argued more often, Dad would sleep on the couch downstairs instead of sharing the same bed. He’d shout at me and my siblings more. You knew it was coming, but you didn’t really want to think about it, but it was there.

My parents eventually separated in 2011, but I felt the same feelings 2 years later when on May 8th, 2013, Sir Alex Ferguson had announced his retirement from Manchester United. As a fan, I knew it would happen some day. He had just turned 70. But it’s one of those things you never really want to accept or acknowledge, especially coming off yet another league title. He is without doubt, the greatest club manager in the history of the game, the beating heart of Manchester United, capturing a generation and legacy in Football, that very few managed to achieve…And now he was gone.

Podcast: The Impact Of Jimmy Savile

“Has public perception of someone ever changed so much from beyond the grave?”

He was a public hero. An icon. A TV personality that had changed lives, on and off the screen. Unfortunately, after Jimmy Savile had died, the more literal meaning of this phrase was exposed once the mourning stopped and the investigations began.

It was revealed that Savile was a Serial paedophile, often sexually abusing young girls on the set of the BBC, in his own home, and in visits to children’s hospitals during the peak of his TV popularity in the 60’s, 70’s and 80’s when hosting “Jim’ll Fix It”, and “Top Of The Pops”.

This escalation of people declaring their abuse now he had passed away was the perfect situation for the media to cash in on. All these incredible investigations and victim’s stories being shared, like a bank register spraying £20 notes, and the man at the head of it all was dead, and couldn’t sue. A newspaper’s wet dream.

Savile, known for his famous cigar smoking habits.

But is there even more to it than that? This was the 1970’s we’re talking about after all. An era where shows like “Casanova” were celebrating Britain’s new found sexual revolution, considering the invention of contraception the decade before. Mainstream movies were more sexually provocative, and no-one was ever asking about these young women’s ages. This wasn’t the same era as we are in now in 2013, where age is much more openly questioned in modern society. Easier forms of ID weren’t around, and no-one was asking girls about how old they were before they jumped into bed with them.

Paul Daniels, the famous magician once said: “Did I have Groupies? Of course! Were they over 16? I hope so!”

Savile, the star of the format “Jim’ll Fix It”, in the 60’s and 70’s for the BBC.

This statement to me, sums up the era of the times that Savile thrived in, in terms of showbiz, as well as sexually. Now, I’m not condoning anything he did, not by a long shot, but is there even MORE to the Savile scandal that meets the eye? In this 10 minute Podcast, I talk about the scandal at large from a range of angles, as well as include views from the public. Thanks for reading, and for listening.

Dre’s Formula 1 2013 Season Review

“Guys, Sebastian Vettel’s kinda good at this whole, racing thing.”

Hey guys, Dre here, and don’t worry casual F1 fans, the season’s over, you can come out now! Here’s my take on some of the major points over the course of this 2013 Formula 1 season. To be honest, not the most stimulating across the board, but there’s PLENTY of things worth talking about here, so let’s break it down, shall we?

– 2013: The Season known for the off-track action, rather than the on

“The FIA…Never too far away from a storm.”

Politicking and Formula 1 are never too far away from one another from too long, and 2013 was their family reunion. Only this time Uncle Politics has been through a rough divorce and came back extra grouchy. It’s not the best analogy, but it’s all I’ve got right now.

Dre’s FIFA 14 Team Review: Borussia Dortmund

Dre’s FIFA 14 Team Breakdown – Borussia Dortmund

Hey folks, Dre here, back with some more FIFA 14 content! This is the first in a new series called “Team Breakdown”, where I break down some of the elite teams in FIFA 14, tell you their strengths, weaknesses, how to use their entire squad effectively, their star players to focus on, and more!

In the first column, we’re going to break down the 2013 Champions League runners-up and one of the best teams in the Bundesliga, Borussia Dortmund. Now, this was one of the fastest and most popular 4.5 star teams to use in last year’s FIFA, and despite having lost one of their key players in the off-season in Mario Gotze heading to Bayern, they have made up for it this year in other areas, with more strength in-depth, other good players becoming great players due to stat boosts, and creativity strategy wise.

Now, quick note: I won’t be using the 4-2-3-1 Formation too much in these guides. Reason? EVERY elite team in World Football can run one, and that’s a bit boring. I like to find more alternatives. Unless it’s the best formation for a team BY FAR, I’ll intentionally try to avoid it. Any stats are used from the game’s most recent squad update.

“To be, this is an ideal 4-4-2 Diamond for Dortmund”

Formula 1: Sauber’s Woes and Hulkenberg’s Dilemma / An Open Letter To Lewis Hamilton

“The rise and fall of Sauber and me dropping some bombs on Lewis Hamilton.”

Two topics in one F1 blog, because I feel like being generous. First up, the revelation over Nico Hulkenberg’s terminated contract at Sauber over financial issues, and an open letter to Lewis Hamilton after his recent comments to the media post-German GP, and why he’s slowly ruining his image and reputation. Hope you enjoy it.

Dre’s Game Reviews: Mass Effect 3 (Xbox 360, PS3, PC)

“Commander Shepard closes the door on one of this generation’s finest trilogies.”

Ah, the Mass Effect trilogy. Not going to lie, I missed the first one out. So did a lot of people. After the incredible reviews that Mass Effect 2 got in January of 2010, I gave the game a try…And fell in love with it. It had the perfect blend of a Third Person Shooter, with varying gameplay elements and styles, with RPG elements in how you moulded YOUR Commander Shepard…A compassionate soldier with a heart of gold, or a cold-blooded renegade who would do anything and everything to finish the fight. I played through it twice. Finally, 2 years on, Mass Effect 3 would close the book, and despite controversy, is generally regarded as the best game 2012 had to offer. So what did I think, in 2013, after the dust had settled? Read on, as I review Bioware’s Mass Effect 3 for the Xbox 360, Playstation 3, and PC.

Mark Webber’s F1 Legacy and Red Bull’s Future

“Not bad, for a number two driver.”

After his announcement to leave Formula 1 last week and his terrific 2nd place at the British Grand Prix yesterday (More on that later this week), I thought I’d dedicate a blog to the career of Australia’s finest, Mark Webber.

Major stats? 206 races, 9 wins, 37 podiums, 11 pole positions, 16 fastest laps, and twice finished 3rd in the Drivers Championship with Red Bull Racing, after 11 seasons in the sport. If F1 had a hall of fame, I don’t think he’d make it in on those numbers alone, but he’s definitely made an impact in a sport not known for having characters, and produced some fine drivers in his career. Remember the 5th place in a Minardi in the 2002 season? His Monaco drivers were awesome, a bit of a specialist around Silverstone as well, winning the hearts of many a British fan (Even more amazing considering he’s an Aussie, our sporting nemesis)

Dre’s Game Review: MotoGP 13 (Xbox 360, PS3, PC, PS Vita)

“Could it be, a decent MotoGP game?”

In-case you haven’t already noticed, I’m a massive Motorsport fan, and have been watching MotoGP for about 13 years now. The sport is popular enough to have had a games license, and over the years, many different developers have tried to recapture the high octane nature of the sport on numerous consoles, on the PC and on multiple generations of home console. After a run of mediocre and flat titles by Monumental Games, Milestone bought back the rights for the series and took a 2nd crack at developing a MotoGP game after their decent first attempt with MotoGP 08. The result? Read on to find out as I take a look at the Xbox 360 version of MotoGP 13**.

The Battle of PR At E3: Sony Send A Message To Microsoft

“Sony hits Microsoft where it hurts.”

So…E3’s main event happened yesterday, as Microsoft and then Sony went to battle over their new consoles coming out in the Winter of 2013. Microsoft’s Xbox One, and Sony’s Playstation 4. And if you’re on the Microsoft side…Well, this one’s pretty painful. Sony came out swinging with their 2 hour press conference, announcing many counter-claims to the Xbox One, and on first glance, it could be a death blow.

Not only did Sony announce that there’s no restrictions on Used Games, no online-checking service, and the real hammer blow, a $399/£349 price-point, $100 and £80 less than the Xbox One ($499/£429). At the time, the Sony crowd and people on the Internet went insane, declaring the console war “over” before it had even begun. And while don’t get me wrong, this battle Sony has clearly won, there’s still some question marks hanging over my head here, and Sony did get away with some pretty big factors. For example:

The Playstation 4. It’s like Raiden took his sword through a PS2 prototype.

Dre’s 2013 Canadian Grand Prix Race Review

“A weekend of incredible highs, and lows.”

Hey folks, Dre here, and I’m back to talk about yesterday’s Canadian Grand Prix from the Circuit Gilles Villenuve in Montreal. It was a race where Sebastian Vettel would find redemption for his horrible error in 2011 that cost him a win, as well as a race where Lewis Hamilton showed some real grit, Jean Eric-Vergne did great in the other Red Bull team, Paul Di Resta was outstanding, and the continuing downfall of McLaren..

…As well as a tragedy to close out an otherwise, fantastic weekend.

– Lest we forget the dangers that this sport will always have

“Esteban’s crash…Little did we know what it would cause.”