The Brown Dog

Went to a really, really nice gastropub called the Brown Dog in an area of Barnes known as 'little Chelsea'. Small place, fabulous food, not too pricey and a cute logo. Recommended

Poor Steve McClaren

Never thought I'd say this, but I feel a bit sorry for Steve McClaren. I don't think he's a great manager, but after the defeat against Russia, everyone - including of course the Sun - are calling for him to go.

He'd started to make some brave decisions. Picking Heskey and Barry and dropping Lampard. England were starting to play as a team. However his players have badly let him down. He showed loyalty to Robinson - who yet again made a basic error. His captain, Gerrard misses a really easy chance.

Despite what the pundits say, English players are NOT world class and we've been kidding ourselves for decades. They occasionally have a good game, but where would the top clubs be without the foreign players? Nowhere. Even Sven, who was ridiculed as an England manager, has transformed Man City largely through overseas talent.

Is there any upside? Well, we may well get Jose Morinho back as England manager. Now that would be interesting.

We Eat Too Much and We Drink Too Much

According to a report out today, not only are we overweight, but we're becoming a nation of alcoholics. What's most shocking is that its the middle classes who are most guilty, apparently knocking back far too much New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc and Chilean Merlot. So its not just the young Friday night binge drinkers or the working class beer drinkers - everyone's at it. How shocking.

So what's going to happen? My guess is - more regulation. Higher prices via taxation, more restrictive advertising, health warnings on wine bottles. In fact our whole lives are going to become more and more regulated as the Government decides that the British people can't be trusted to look after themselves. My predictions:

- parents will be fined if their children are overweight

- children will be sent home if their lunch boxes are not up to scratch

- late night pub licenses will be revoked

- we will have to pay for treatment on the NHS if the illness is 'self inflicted'

Are the British people able to self-regulate? Not sure....

A Walk in Richmond Park

Who'd have thought it would have been warm enough for a picnic in mid-October? What a lovely day.

Lessons From the England Rugby Team

1. Being able to handle pressure is more important than individual talent.

2. It's about how good you are, not how old you are

3. Play to your strengths, don't dwell on your weaknesses

4. Never stop believing in yourself.

5. Stick together during a crisis

6. Learn from your defeats

It's been a fairtale for the players. Especially for Jonny who has been crocked for the past 4 years and Jason Robinson who thought his career was over. I don't care who we play in the final. We'd feel more confident against Argentina, but imagine how motivating it would be to try and avenge the 36-0 defeat v South Africa. Now that would really be a miracle.

Friday Night at Tate Modern

Tate Modern is a great place to go to on a Friday night. Yesterday, there was a Silent Disco which featured a huge crowd wearing headphones and dancing to their own music. Another example of flashmobbing - spontaneous gatherings of people organised via word of mouth - that I'd read about but never witnessed. It was fun to watch. Didn't join in.


Also saw Shibboleth, the latest exhibit in the Turbine Hall, which is basically a huge crack in the floor. Compared to previous exhibits I thought it might be a bit dull, but it was actually very impressive. Don't understand all the blurb that explains what its all about, but its still worth a look.


There's also a bar with a spectacular view of our wonderful city and a very nice restaurant. Great start to the weekend.

The Brand Gym Birthday Party

On Thursday evening I went to the Cobden Club in Ladbroke Grove to celebrate the 5th anniversary of The Brand Gym, the brand consultancy run by David Taylor and David Nichols.

The 2 Davids are ex-Added Value colleagues of mine and it was like going back to a school reunion. I was struck by how many talented people had worked there, particularly under the Mark Sherrington, Peter Dart era. A lot of people have now gone on to form their own successful brand-related businesses, such as The Space Doctors and Insight Inside. It was great to catch up with them.

David Taylor is a prolific writer of marketing books. His latest is Called Where's the Sausage. Check out excerpts and details on his blog which is one of my links below.

Gordon Brown's in Trouble

Driving in the car today I heard Gordon Brown being duffed up by David Cameron on Prime Minister's Question Time. He came across as defensive, hesitant and frankly a bit dull. I was always confident that he'd make a good PM but now I'm not so sure.

The worst thing was, the trouble was of all of his own making. If Alastair Campbell was still around, I bet it wouldn't have happened.

I bet Tony Blair's having a little smile to himself...

The Legendary Gina Birch

I first met Gina and her husband Mike a few years ago. Like us, they'd also adopted 2 girls from China and we used to have Mandarin lessons at their kitchen table in Notting Hill.

What I didn't know at the time was that Gina was - and still is - an extremely influential figure in the music industry. She founded the all-female band The Raincoats in the late 1970s producing a series of critically acclaimed albums. Today she has a successful solo career as a performer and music video director.

Last night we saw her perform at the Bush Hall in Hammersmith with her own videos as a backdrop and she was fantastic. Great songs, brilliant music, amazing voice. She's a really unassuming, modest person but when she's on stage holding a guitar she's transformed into this charismatic performer with such power and confidence.

No wonder she's held in such high esteem and if you can a chance to see her, you should.

Two Out of Four Ain't Bad

Well - I got the England prediction right. There's nothing sweeter than beating Australia at a sporting event. I know most of the world complains about English arrogance, but before the game the Australians were completely disrepectful and were guilty of breaking the most important rule of sport - underestimating your opponent. They're not saying much now and they've got 4 years to think about it.

Lewis Hamilton blew it, but it ain't over yet. I guess its great that it all comes down to a winner takes all last race.

Derby - still winless away from home and still to score a goal. Fortunately we're surrounded by other teams in a similar situation and there's a long way to go. However, we've done nothing so far to suggest we shouldn't be relegation favourites.

And yes - I did complete the 80km road race. A really enjoyable day out.

This Weekend's Sporting Predictions

Q1. Will England beat Australia in the Rugby World Cup?

Ans: Yes, think we're getting a bit of momentum, plus Jonny and Jason are back.

Q2. Will Lewis Hamilton become world champion this weekend?

Ans: Yes, I think he'll finish ahead of Alonso

Q3. Will Derby beat Reading on Sunday?

Ans: Think we may get a draw, but our recent away record's not good.

Q4. WIll I complete the Ride of the Falling Leaves on Sunday? 50 miles.

Ans: Weather will be good, but am worried about the hills. Hope so...

Friday's Should Always Be Like This

Yesterday, was a perfect Autumn day. Warm, sunny, still with a bit of a chill in the air. Shorts weather. In the morning I cycled to school to drop Mae off. I had a couple of conference calls in the morning and caught up with my work. I then played Karen at tennis at her local club. In the afternoon I managed to do pick up Mae again, nip to the supermarket and do a bit more work. In the evening I cooked dinner for friends (roast chicken and polenta).

These were exactly the kind of days I was imagining when I started to work for myself: time to see the family/friends, fitting in a bit of sport whilst still doing a good chunk of productive work.

In 2008 I must do more of this.

American vs British Sports Commentary

American sports commentators bore me to tears. They're obsessed with statistics: yardage gained, % pass completions, etc, etc. Its so dull and uninvolving. Compare this to the British commentator who generally tries to conjure up the emotions of the game - as if you're in the stadium itself.

My favourite piece of footie commentary was by Barry Davies, describing the goal scored by Francis Lee for Derby against his old club Man City.

'Interesting, very interesting. Just look at his face'

Click here to listen to this and other great bits of sports commentary compiled by Radio 5 Live

Budapest

Have been in Budapest for 2 days now and have seen nothing of the city. The workshop I'm involved in goes on until quite late, so there's no real time to get out and about. It's a real shame as Budapest is a very nice place with lots to see. Its certainly popular with the coachloads of Japanesese tourists who always seem to be gathered in the hotel reception Thank goodness I've got my iPod and the BBC website to keep me sane. Must check out the latest episode of the Archers.

Last Day in New York

On my last day in New York I had 2 hours free before my flight. The traffic was at a standstill due to roadblocks. Bill Clinton was in the hotel next door. Decided to be brave and get the subway downtown.

I was a bit worried about this, largely because I remembered how scarey it looked in the film 'The Warriors'. Anyway, it wasn't.

Airconditioned, cheap and efficient. Much better than the Northern Line. Had a quick wander around Union Square and flew back to Dublin then eventually to London.

Back home now. Managed to say hello to the family, go for a 40 mile cycle ride around Richmond and see Derby draw 1-1 on Match of the Day. Off to Budapest for the next 3 days.

Central Park

Just back from a really lovely early morning run around Central Park. Even at 7am it was really hot and humid. There were hundreds of people running, cycling and walking dogs. All ages. All shapes and sizes. Most of them overtook me.

On the way back I saw dozens of policemen on a street corner. They were holding sheets of paper so I imagine that they were extras in a film that is being shot today. I wonder if they have a spare uniform? Maybe I can ask to join in.

Have got one last workshop today, tonight I'll fly straight to Dublin for another meeting and finally, finally I'll be back to Tooting. I love New York, but am so looking forward to getting back home.

5th Avenue

I had a bit of spare time today in between meetings so I went for a walk up 5th Avenue towards Central Park. The traffic is at a standstill at the moment because the President is visiting.

Managed to resist buying anything, but simply had to have a look in the Apple store. Managed to get my hands on the iPhone to see what all the fuss was about and I thought it was fantastic. Sleek, easy to use, full of really cool stuff. No wonder its taking the world by storm. Also love the new Nano and the latest touch screen iPod models.

Apple always seem to get it right and people were queueing out the door to buy stuff. With $2 to £1 at the moment it took enormous willpower to walk out empty handed. However, there's always tomorrow morning...

Hot in the City

This picture was taken at 7am this morning looking down 7th Avenue. Managed to find a classic American Diner for a huge breakfast. Temperatures rose to 25 degrees today. Didn't get much time to see very much as I was meetings all day.

Is really tempting to buy stuff as everything is so cheap compared to the UK. Will do my best to resist.

New York, New York

Its 1.30am. I've just arrived in New York and am staying in the Michelangelo Hotel which appears to be modelled on a poshTuscan villa. Quite a coincidence in that I stayed near Caprese the town where Michelangelo was born in Tuscany only last Wednesday.

Will be here for 3 days before I fly straight to Dublin for a meeting. Its always exciting being in New York. Not sure how much time I'll have to look around but will try. Flew with Virgin Atlantic in Upper Class which was great. I love the Virgin Lounge in terminal 3 at Heathrow. Could spend all day in there.

Saw Hot Fuzz which is in many ways the perfect airline movie. Non-demanding, funny and very English, which along with pie and mash for supper made for a very pleasant journey. Must try and get some kip. Have got an 8.00 am meeting tomorrow. Plus, want to find time for a huge breakfast in a New York Diner and watch the commuters. Always a highlight.

Photos From The Game