SciFiFootball

New Links!

February 27, 2013 David Stringer

A couple of new links, to things that have been published over the last two days.

I’ve written for Wearegoingup.co.uk, a Football League website, about Hartlepool United’s bad start to the season and recent turnaround. If you’ve not been following Pools (you should have been) the first three or four months were consistently awful. Hartlepool sunk to the bottom of League One, with only a single win, and relegation seemed inevitable. But Hartlepool are now one of the division’s form teams, and seem to have half a chance of survival.

You can read my thoughts at We Are Going Up – Fighting Spirit Restored at Victoria Park

Meanwhile, Bornoffside.net have published John Nutter’s Month in Football, which may be the ramblings of an idiot, or which may be me writing in character with the intent of creating laughter.
John Nutter, like all of us who watch football, has opinions on the game. Problem is, he’s not the brightest.

It’d make him happy if you click the link and read John Nutter’s Month in Football

Comedy

Alternative Film Synopsis: Ghostbusters

February 23, 2013 David Stringer

Three university scientists, accused by their dean of sloppy methods, at least one of whom has faked positive results, are kicked out of academia.

They then enter the private sector, where they present their crackpot theories as fact, and make a fortune, in the process avoiding environmental regulations and locking up the immortal souls of the recently deceased without any form of legal process.

Who ya gonna call?

FootballOpinion

Today’s Week

February 22, 2013 David Stringer

Earlier today I published a brief blog post linking to last week’s Lower League Week at BornOffside: here I link to the edition that was published today.

There’s large sections on Paolo di Canio’s departure from Swindon, and Coventry’s conflict over their stadium.

English football’s most successful twin brothers were both sacked as managers this week,Oldham marched a bit further on in the FA Cup, and Preston North End have appointed a new manager already.

Bilel Mohsni returned to Southend after throwing a Tevez, only for them to wish he’d stayed away, the area finals of the Johnstone Paint Trophy were both this week, and I looked forward briefly to Bradford competing in the League Cup final this Sunday.

You can read all that in The Lower League Week – Unreasonable People

FootballOpinion

A Late Link to a Large Lower League Week (I Love ‘Literation)

February 22, 2013February 22, 2013 David Stringer

I’ve been intending to link from here to everything I write elsewhere, but occasionally I have a massive memory lapse. So, seven days later, here is a short post linking to last week’s Lower League Week.

League Two’s bottom teams were fighting fiercely to break away from the relegation zone, while League One’s top sides seem intent on falling away from the top.

Mark Robins walked away from Coventry, Graham Westley was sacked by Preston, and Notts County spent about two minutes in court as a result of HMRC proceedings.

Hartlepool’s draw with Portsmouth made it seem that relegation had became a formality for both, and Torquay have been without manager Martin Ling because of a ‘mystery illness’.

Click here to read The Lower League Week: Impossible to Predict

FootballOpinion

I Sort of Remembered to Leave a Link This Time…

February 9, 2013 David Stringer

Yesterday there I wrote a new edition of the Lower League Week for Born Offside.

Swindon’s new owners have pissed of Paolo di Canio, Bournemouth are doing quite well, the Dalai Llama has declared his support for a League Two side, Hartlepool United won (remarkable in itself) with the goals scored by Hartley and Poole, Dickov and Curle were sacked by Oldham and Notts County, while Graham Westley praised himself in the Daily Mail, in the week his Preston side set a new club record for home games without victory.

You can read all of that in The Lower League Week – Things Fall Apart

Egotism

Unfreezing the Writers Muscle

February 6, 2013April 5, 2013 David Stringer

This is my submission for the Insecure Writers’ Support Group for February. There’ve been a few blogs I’ve came across through IWSG in the last two months that I’ve not kept up with, so if I gave the impression I’d be reading your blog regularly but haven’t, it’s a matter of bad time management, not me trying to manipulate you!

Continue reading →

FootballOpinion

Things I Forgot to Link To

February 5, 2013 David Stringer

You know how sometimes you plan to do something, keep intending to go back to it in just a few hours, regret not doing it yesterday, and then intend to do that thing in just a few hours for a second day in a row? Then a third?
Yeah, I meant to link to my Lower League Fortnight column when it went live last Thursday. I make it a principle of sorts to make sure everything I write is linked to from here, so I’m catching up, even if it is out of date.

Last Thursday’s Lower League Week (written before the frantic last two days of the transfer window) covered Swindon’s new owners, Bournemouth’s impressive form, Sheffield United hitting a rough patch, Zoko being a bit daft for Notts County, Keith Hill’s return to Rochdale, and a banana.

You can read all of that by clicking on The Lower League Fortnight – Of Money and Managers.

Speaking of things I haven’t linked to, a couple of weeks ago there was a bit of a furore over the ballboy in the Swansea – Chelsea match. At BornOffside we wrote some quick reactions, myself included.

These can be reading by clicking through to BornOffside Reacts…

And… that’s me pretty much up to date for today!

Analysis, Storytelling Geekery

Blake Snyder’s Beat Sheet – The Waterboy

January 20, 2013January 21, 2013 David Stringer

A while back, I posted what was intended to be the first in a series of analyses of films using Blake Snyder’s Beat Sheet.
I’ve put off doing more since. Among the reasons are the fact that the second film I tried to apply the formula to was Cowboys and Aliens, which I found difficult to classify at a crucial part, and Casino Royale, which I thought did some interesting things with its structure when I looked at it analytically. (I intend to analyse Casino Royale, but want to do a few more examples of the ‘classic’ style of beat sheet first.)

The next film I analyse will be a comedy – Adam Sandler’s The Waterboy.
When writing I felt like I was being a bit humourless looking at a comedy in this way, particularly one with a style so OTT. But the structure is still there, and is quite easy to spot, which I think proves that even bold, silly films like this need to have a decent structure to function as a story.

Continue reading “Blake Snyder’s Beat Sheet – The Waterboy” →

Review

Belated Review: Pramface Series One

January 18, 2013January 18, 2013 David Stringer

The second series of BBC Three’s teen comedy Pramface has just begun airing in the UK, prompting me to go back and watch the first series. I missed it at the time, partially because of it’s frankly awful name. It was also partially because it looked like a BBC attempt to ‘deal with issues’ or to identify a market and write specifically towards that, rather than telling a story.

It's a seriously awful, awful name. — It’s a seriously awful, awful name.

Continue reading “Belated Review: Pramface Series One” →

FootballOpinion

Bornoffside Bits

January 17, 2013 David Stringer

After missing the first scheduled Lower League Week of the year due to other commitments, today a Lower League Fortnight has gone up at Bornoffside.

In it, I write about lower league involvement in three different cups, Dean Saunders waiting for the moment he starts being quite good to leave his job (again) Port Vale spending money, Notts County’s chairman surfing the web, and Graham Westley was booed by his own fans on his anniversary.

Click here to read The Lower League Fortnight: Glory of the Cups