It's Sven Vs Scolari.

England go through to the quarter finals! Perhaps this is a testimonial that the baby Jesus actually exists. I thought we would be struggling a lot more on the account of how we have played so far. So what chance have we got against "Big Phil" Scolari's troops next Saturday? With Deco out of the game and Ronaldo "the tart" looking a bit iffy, there could well be every chance that we may be able to beat Portugal in the next game. However, Scolari is a passionate manager and his temper will be running high after the recent game against the Netherlands. I saw more yellow on that pitch than when I watched the awful Ukraine vs Switzerland match. As for Sven...well, he's just Sven. The only passion he shows is when he blows his nose on the touchline. We will see.

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At the start of last weekend, I was dreading going back to work. However, on Saturday whilst doing my normal railway duties, I bumped into an old friend and ex-railway colleague called Steve. Steve had to give up working for the firm because of his bad back, but he seems to be much happier nowadays. Good luck to him...and let's all go to another Focus concert in the future. Another yodelling exersize has been long overdue.

I had the bi-annual rules exam coming up and I ended up doing very little revision. This test is a must for any train driver who wants to hang on to his / her position unless a trip to Basingstoke training centre is to be undertaken for further revision and re-evaluation. I was penciled in to have the test last Sunday, the day of the England vs Ecuador game. I was asked by my DSM (Driver Standards Manager) to make an earlier-than-scheduled appearance so that we could get all the usual formalities out of the way as quickly as possible.

It turned out that I passed (what a relief), and that we could now turn our attention to more pressing matters (ie: the football). After watching the game, I looked forward to the Portugal vs Netherlands match, which turned out to be a much more entertaining game.

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Yesterday I was back at work singing the JDA's "Night Shift Blues" as I was booked on the night-wash turn. Starting at around 20.30 and finishing in the early hours of the next morning, this duty is one filled with shunting work and driving the trains through the wash-machine. It's a boring turn, but at least there is no contact with drunken passengers shouting abuse at you. The hours were spent enjoying the derogatory banter (which is usual railway practice) that is directed at various members of staff during (and as par of) a normal working day.

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Selhurst Park Update. News regarding CPFC is always more interesting to me than what's happening in the World Cup. Firstly, we have "One Size" Fitz Hall on his way to Wigan Athletic for an undisclosed sum (thought to be in the region of £3 million - a cool profit for Palace of £1.5 million). I reckon Fitz is desperate to meet up with Aidy Boothroyd for another rumble (see "The May Diaries - Ungodly Melee at Vicarage Road"). Rumours are going around that Palace are looking at signing Carl Cort from Wolverhampton Wanderers for £1 million. The usual wheeling and dealing is in full flight, which is natural at this time of year.

The saddest piece of CPFC related news is that Gabor Kiraly, the goalkeeper and Hungarian international, has declared that he wants to leave the club, as he see's himself as a premiership player. His details have been circulated to all the premiership clubs in England and Germany, but so far, there has been little interest. This must make things awkward for both parties involved. Oh, how I wish promotion was achieved at the end of last season, as I feel we may have a few more years of hard graft in the championship before we have another break-through. Now is the time to start praying for another miracle.