Thursday 30 April 2009

Why Everton, Chelsea, Arsenal, Man Utd, Liverpool, Tottenham, Newcastle et all may be left hanging.


At the moment, we are all looking forward to an exciting ending to the season. Another all English Champions League Final threatens, there is the prospect of an attritional FA Cup Final, Liverpool still hope to chase down the Mancs in the race for the Prem, and nails are being bitten beneath the quick in the North East. But there is a very real prospect that all these matters may be left unresolved. The season may soon be put into suspended animation, locked away into cold storage. Football may stop in the next two to three weeks.

Why? Well some of you may have noticed how deaths from Swine Flu are growing exponentially. In week one, five deaths in Mexico, in week two 150. Apply the multiple of 30 and that is 4500 deaths next week, multiply by 30 again and 135,000 die, multiply by 30 again and over 4 million are dead. Doesn't take long does it?

Now, look at the spread of the disease globally. They have it in Scotland, Germany, Scandinavia, Devon and, very worryingly, Spain. How many Brits have returned from holiday in Spain over the past 7 days? There are a few Chelsea fans of course. One infected person in the Nou Camp on Tuesday and the disease will have enjoyed a massive boost in its quest to infect as many people as possible in the shortest possible time.

The world is now on red alert. Yet amazingly the Press are leading on the Gurkha story. Why? Is there is an embargo on exactly how serious this is? One school has already been closed in England, many more will follow now the alert level has been raised to 5. If it is dangerous to collect 1000 people together in a school, how much more dangerous is it to gather 50,000+ together in a football stadium? When the pandemic takes hold, and it is now when, not if, the government will be advising us not go out unless we have to. Football matches will be cancelled / postponed as a matter of course as mass gatherings will be made illegal to try to limit the spread of the disease.

What will happen from there? How will relegation be resolved, how will the Cup be awarded? Never mind that, there may be much bigger questions to answer in this country and around the world. Not worried yet? You should be. We are not all doomed but these are VERY dangerous times.

24 comments:

Anonymous said...

You my friend are an idiot

HTH

Anonymous said...

I think you're going a bit overboard to be honest. Aren't they playing Mexican Primera matches in empty stadiums?

Anonymous said...

I know it early in the morning - but is this meant to be a joke?

Unknown said...

I reckon youve already got it mate.

Anonymous said...

Over reaction surely. 4 million dead in 3 weeks??? all abit Michael Moore logic. Its the flu - get over it!

Anonymous said...

Previous things that were going to kill us

Global cooling
AIDS
Bird flu
Global warming
Mad Cow Disease
Foot and Mouth

el Martillo said...

I believe I am right in saying that after the first world war, a flu epidemic in this country despatched more people than died in the entire four years of conflict. The flu virus is nothing if not adaptable and rather like a hacker, is constantly re-inventing itself to negotiate the obstacles that modern medicine puts in its way.

Influenza is not a bad cold and is a serious threat to the elderly and infirm, it is easy to make light of it as I suspect many will. How often do you hear people say that they've got flu when at worst it is a heavy cold. Flu is a debilitating illness that can leave even the fit and healthy in bed for a fortnight. Forget the more high profile diseases, in terms of a medical threat to life on earth, Flu is in the vanguard.

Let's face it, we've finished third and fifth only for some quirk of fate to deny us a european spot, who's to say that this time it won't be a pandemic that bursts our bubbles.

Anonymous said...

swine flu...psshh....if you want some really freaky doomsday shit, google 2012

tommyd83 said...

you need too settle down son..its people like you that are gonna make things worse,you a journalist?

el Martillo said...

Tommy, there are plenty of characters full of hot air above, which of course is how an air born virus is spread. Communicating via the written word carries no risk of spreading Influenza. However, judging by the number of inane Anonymous comments this blog attracts, you are in serious danger of contracting mad cow disease.

Devo's Barnet said...

'Hammersfan' you have finally crossed the line from being an idiot to being a dangerous idiot.
PLEASE get a life and stop posting you're poisonous 'wind up' material on the net.

Hammersfan said...

To all who have responded with scoffing above, I HOPE you are right. Three more cases in the UK including the first case of the disease being passed inside the country. 10 more cases in the USA. We are at Level 5 which means that a pandemic is "inevitable". That is the word the World Health Organisation is using - INEVITABLE. Now we may be lucky but to try to pass this off as scare mongering is unwise. This is a real threat and the threat is here already. Hopefully your scoffing will be vindicated, but I hope you will be big enough to apologise if this thing develops along the lines I have predicted.

Am I a journalist? No.

Anonymous said...

What are you then apart from a smartarse. As for the pandemic is it not gods way of curbing our numbers? With medical science improving year on year we are now living longer so nature has a way of always striking back. Bit deep I know but just a thought.

Hammersfan said...

Bloody hell 1535, so now God is wiping out a chunk of humanity to save the planet. It's a thought! Guess you must believe in a Divinity from that reply. Interesting that the Sun is cooling down too. He is a clever bugger isn't he, twist a dial here, move a knob there and hey presto, Global Warming solved!

You may be right. No World War in the offing so send down a pandemic.

el Martillo said...

Definition of a pandemic: One flu over the cuckoo's nest.

Hammersfan said...

LOL I tried to ring the Pig Flu help line but there was a fault, all I got was crackling. Word is that to contain the spread, if you get Pig Flu, you get the chop. They are seriously worried in Nelson Mandela House because of the Trotters.

Hammersfan said...

Three cases in London. How many people have they come into contact with at Heathrow and on the tube? Let's say 300 shared the cabin space with each of them on the flight back from Mexico, with recycled air. That's 897 potential carriers in the country somewhere. Lets says each of those meet 100 people, that's 89,700. Each of those meet another 100 people, that's 8,970,000. Notice how much advice is already being given?

Hotshot C said...

Hammersfan - when you called up the 'pig flu helpline' was it crackling you got or scratchings?

Anonymous said...

Hammersfantillo nice to see you, keeping alright are we? One flu over the cuckoo's nest wasn't that a film about a sad group of nutters. Reminds me a bit of being on here with all you fruitcakes especially that Hotshot, what a wanker he sounds.

Hammersfan said...

Hello Anonymous. Do you know, anonymity will not protect you from Swine Flu! The masks are useless!

Anonymous said...

Is that right that Hammersfantillo wears a mask when he's poking your fire?

Denbighammer said...

Jeez not you as well. I've just skimmed the headlines in the petrol station. The majority going with something nice and restrained like "WE ALL GONNA DIE!" Of the 10-15 people who had direct contact with the Scottish couple only ONE has developed the starting symptoms of pig flu. Not a great strike rate? The main method of passing it is through touching infected surfaces, hence the 'wash your hand' mantra. In the words of Cpl Jones "don't panic!"

Hammersfan said...

In the words of Fraser, "We're all doomed!" LOL Den, watch what happens. I am not shooting from the hip here. This is genuinely VERY serious. Like I say at the end of the article, I am not saying that the dead will be in the streets but this is a real threat, not a media hyped threat. Believe me, there are things that the press are not allowed to reveal at the moment.

Staying Anonymous said...

'morning all. Just to brighten and set up your day .....

A man enters a confessional and says to the priest....

"Father, it has been one month since my last confession.   I've been with Fannie Green every week for the last month."
The priest tells the sinner, "You are forgiven. Go out and say three Hail Marys."

Soon, another man enters the confessional. "Father, it has been two months since my last confession. I have been with Fannie Green twice a week for the last two months."

This time the priest asks, "Who is this Fannie Green?" "A new woman in the neighbourhood," the sinner replies. "Very well," says the priest. "Go and say ten Hail Marys."

The next morning in church, the priest is preparing to deliver his sermon when a gorgeous, tall woman enters the church. All the mens' eyes fall upon her as she slowly sashays up the aisle and sits down in front of the altar. Her dress is green and very short, with matching shiny emerald green shoes.  The priest and altar boy gasp as the woman sits down with her legs slightly spread apart, Sharon Stone-style.

The priest turns to the altar boy and whisperingly asks, "Is that Fannie Green?"

The altar boy replies, "No Father, I think it's just the reflection off her shoes"