Connor's Blog

Good afternoon and welcome back to this afternoon's blog. I want to firstly say thank you to those who are reading or sharing my weekly predictions on a Friday. I know some of you aren't exactly football fans, but please bear with me for the season, as I have got a few new readers from football backgrounds. Today is Monday, though, and that means another blog on the topic of my choice. And today there's another big question (and yes that means an extended article)! As the title says, is life one big lie? Before I get into the serious nature of it, here are some tongue-in-cheek reasons (all true) as to why life is not always as it seems. 1. Gorillas make nests to sleep in (and they only ever use them once). 2. TV commercials use motor oil instead of honey for pancake advertising. 3. Baby carrots are normal-sized carrots cut down to size. 4. Ostriches do not bury their head in the sand. This is an optical illusion as they are so big it just looks like they do. 5. Egypt (130) ...

Brighton v Manchester United Brighton have played some decent football so far this season, and were very impressive at Newcastle last weekend. United, on the other hand, were played off the park by Palace in their opening game. The only positive was Donny Van De Beek scoring a debut goal, but apart from that it was a very lacklustre performance. They will get something here, but will have to wait for their first win. Prediction 1-1 Crystal Palace v Everton This could turn out to be game of the weekend. Both teams have won their opening 2 games and are scoring a lot of goals. Wilfred Zaha and James Rodriguez are the players to watch in this one, and that could decide who comes out on top. Prediction 1-2 West Brom v Chelsea The nicest word I can use to describe the Baggies defence so far is shambolic. 8 goals conceded in their opening 2 games and they are yet to face any of the top 4. That changes this weekend, and Chelsea should be chomping at the bit. Their strikers will be queueing up...

Good afternoon and welcome back to this afternoon's blog. It feels different only doing a Monday blog, as Friday's now are being used for my Premier League predictions. I realise that lots of you probably haven't got my level of interest in football, but please keep reading. It only takes a few minutes and it really helps me out. Also feel free to share with any other football fanatics that you might know. Before I really dive in to today's topic, I have a favour to ask you all. This time next week will be episode 2 in my series where I do my best to answer life's big questions. If you could leave any suggestions in the comments below then I would be most grateful (it's worth a shout out to you)! So on to today. Do you think my blogs are the best thing you have ever read? Do you think they are worth reading? Or do you think I should stick to the day job (sankes)? You probably want to know where this is heading? We all interpret the same thing in different way. W...

Everton v West Brom I said how impressed I was with Everton's summer signings last week and they really impressed at Spurs to win 1-0. West Brom on the other hand were less than impressive. They looked at 6s and 7s at the back and got ripped apart far too often. I think Everton will cruise this one. Prediction 3-0 Leeds v Fulham Leeds were very unlucky to leave Anfield empty-handed last week, having conceded a very late penalty. Fulham looked slow, lacklustre and still on the beach in their home defeat by Arsenal. Just a few months ago this was a Championship fixture, but I think it is Leeds who are more prepared for the Premier League. I also expect them to win this one. Prediction 2-0 Manchester United v Crystal Palace This is United's first game of the season following an extended break, and the first chance for Donny Van Den Beek to impress. Palace, meanwhile, looked good last week when they beat Southampton. Michy Batshuayi should definitely add goals to their team. The Ea...

Good afternoon and welcome back to this afternoon's blog. Today we enter new guidelines whereby only social gatherings of 6 people or less are allowed. While I agree this is frustrating and unnecessary, the measure is there to keep us all safe so we can continue working towards a new chapter in our lives. And that perfectly leads me onto today's article - new starts. We all need them from time to time, but are often afraid by them. The uncertainty, the apprehension and the unknown can be frightening as well as exciting. If I may, I'll start with a personal story that has been developing over the past couple of weeks (I still don't know why I ask your permission for things). So around a month ago, I was casually scrolling through various job websites (I think I was eating marshmallows and Nutella while doing this but I may be wrong). I found something that I thought sounded interesting and different. So, as you do, I applied (not expecting anything of course). Just after...

Fulham v Arsenal This will be a strange opening for Fulham. Usually, a newly promoted team would be playing in front of a full, buzzing atmosphere. Instead, they will be entertaining an empty stadium on their top flight return. Arsenal have won trophies in their previous 2 competitive games and should be raring to go. With Maghales and Saliba arriving, the weak defence suddenly looks a lot stronger. Either way, the Gunners will open with a win. Prediction 0-2 Crystal Palace v Southampton Palace ended the last campaign with just 1 point from their last 8 games. Meanwhile, the Saints finished the season very strongly, helped largely by the goal scoring form of Danny Ings. Both of these teams have had a much longer break than most and should be ready for this fixture. I can't see much between these teams, and think that will be reflected in the result. Prediction 1-1 Liverpool v Leeds The Premier League winners against the Championship winners - this should be a good game. There are s...

So, there I was, busy at work doing my university course and looking forward to 2020 and seeing Taylor Swift for the first time at Hyde Park and then we had lockdown… Life slowed down, everything went quiet and was cancelled. No work, no concerts, no fun.   And then I met my Swiftie family on a Swiftogeddon livestream back in April. That day I had originally planned on going to a Swiftogeddon club night to celebrate my birthday early. However, the virtual club night made the day even better. All I was expecting was that I was going to have a virtual club night, I wasn’t expecting to meet a lovely group of people. I clicked on a link on a twitch chat link and entered the group without realising a few months later I would be calling them family. Many have since joined the group and there’s about 19 of us who talk when we can usually on a daily basis. At the first virtual Swiftogeddon we had our first zoom and had a Taylor Swift ‘after party’. We have met most of each other’s family m...

Good afternoon and welcome back to this afternoon's blog. Today marks the beginning of a new series of extended blogs (as if 1,200 words isn't enough) where I attempt to answer some of life's biggest and most impossible questions. I thought we would open up with probably the biggest, yet most opinionated one yet. "What is life?" Now I know what you're probably thinking...how does anyone possibly answer that? Well, honestly I don't even know where to begin. I have been asking a selection of people to send me their responses, so while I think about my answer, here are some of the thoughts from others: "Life is organic matter with the capability of reproduction" - Dani "The meaning of life is 42" - Sarah "Shit" - Tasha "Every time I get excited something goes wrong" - Vicky  "Life is life" - Steve B "Great George Harrison song, but as to the real answer, I'm way out of depth. If I ever figure it out I...