At off the ball, all the retired players spoke freely of their time in professional rugby. Whether as when these players were being interviewed whilst still playing they were extremely vague and had their guard up constantly. Safe to say it made for very boring interviews. So what was different? I think it was the … Continue reading Players opening up →

I have to says: I'm forced to be here, I am present against my will and I have no choice in the matter.   I get to says: I had other options and I chose to be here. The key difference is in the choice.  You may not believe me when I say you always have a … Continue reading I have to v I get to →

You want to watch the Rugby World Cup final in the comfort of your own home but you don't have the channel. Your mate tells you about a 'doohickey' that you can connect to your TV to get it for free. If you go into the shop now, looking for a 'doohickey', you could be … Continue reading What does a doohickey look like? →

Meticulous planning can help an immense amount, but against the randomness of life, a confidence to handle whatever comes one's way is more important.

As Chuck Close said:  "Inspiration is for amateurs; the rest of us just show up and get to work. If you wait around for the clouds to part and a bolt of lightning to strike you in the brain, you are not going to make an awful lot of work." I'd like to paraphrase this … Continue reading Waiting for motivation →

We've all been there. You started this big task with great gusto and energy but as more time passes you begin to lose your resolve.  As the day goes on your energy levels diminish further and further.  By the end of the day you are mentally fried, you can't take any more and you're sick … Continue reading The law of diminishing energy →

For some reason it didn’t work. The usual, didn’t come off this time. When it comes to people sometimes incessant repetition can wear someone down but it’s not the same for computers. Repeating the same thing over and over again expecting new results is to invite in frustration. The key thing in this case is … Continue reading Try something different →

Writing is a lot like forging a fork. It starts off a useless hunk of metal but with incessant beating and diligent stripping of the inessential it can become something of value.

So you finished the filming of your movie, you're happy with it and all you have to do now is add your name to the title credits. You type it out: written and directed by... You hesitate, putting your name down will mean taking full responsibility for this movie. So if it's a hit, you'll … Continue reading Putting your name to it →

The below is a link to an interview Roy Keane did for 'Off the Ball': https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Oz4AiigHMxk From the very start we can feel the aura of the former United captain.  The interviewer, clearly terrified of upsetting Roy, stumbles over his own words and takes about 30 seconds to ask a single question.  Roy listens to … Continue reading Roy off the ball →