At the end of the day

It’s the end of one of the two non finance weeks each month, and it has been mainly spend doing, finance. In addition to the forecast, actuals we have the business plan, it is getting to the point were I would like a week without excel!

Today was presentation day, and I am told the fact that we didn’t finish, but were guillotined was a good sign. It does mean we have loads to do in the next four weeks, and I currently have just four clear days in the next month.

I have been feeling very tired today, so much so that I feel a sleep when Belle got home.

Tomorrow its of to the frozen North to see MACO and TACO in their new love pad! It will be good to see them both and have a relaxing weekend. Next week is going to be full on with client meetings, process reviews, structure reviews and sales tender planning, so a work free weekend is just what’s needed.

Monday, Bloody Monday

Its different when its your friends. Over the last 6 months I have had to make a number of people redundant, it’s the way of the market, however when you hear about others going through the same thing it feels different.

What makes it worse is when they use such a poor process. By miss using the same process as I have used 60 people are affected rather than just 10. Its madness. The only saving grace is that even this pitiful effort will not save the share price. As they approach the end of H1, I am sure the share price will continue to drop. The big cash payout that the bastards who run the business want will not happen, they had their chance and ditched the wrong people. Those people are now happy and have fulfilment, what do they have.

As for my day, I had my first meeting with my first sales direct report. Just a £600k target for the next 10 weeks, I like small challenges!

I was however home by 18:30, tea by 19:30, and another 3 episodes of Spooks, nice!

Hobbs Knob

It’s a Saturday, and sometimes that means sometimes I do a review of the game, and player ratings, however today, I will rate just one player, Jack Hobbs (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jack_Hobbs_(footballer)).

As anyone who ever listens to me will know I am not a great fan, of young Jack, however today he reached an all time low, hand has surplaced Alan Maybury as the worst LCFC regular I have ever had to endure watching.

Lets just look at todays performance, and be charitable and ignore his hand in the opposition goal. Lets just run through the key requirements of a defender.

1) Heading – To say that his headers are powder puff, who be unkind to powder puffs. No power, no sense of direction, no passing ability. That is of course when he doesn’t play his special trick, not quite getting to head the ball at all.
2) Passing – He has two skills here, he can either kick it out, or can pass it to the opposition. That’s not really fair, he can also pass sideways
3) Ball @ Feet – This is were he gets really good. He has one approach, he puts his head down and runs! Sooner or later he runs into someone, falls down, loses the ball then slowly walks back into position. Occasionally he gets back during the same game.
Now some would say that he is only 20 and we should give him a chance, and whilst in my own business I would give a kid a second chance, however he has a premier contract, many players are performing at the top level at his age, and he I am afraid is rubbish! I hope at the end of the season we send him back to Raffa, where I expect him never to be heard of again. To be honest, if I had the chance, I would drive him back to Liverpool tomorrow, and put PASH in his place. We would be better playing Gerry Taggart!

So, how would I rate young Jack, using the usual 10 point scale. If it was possible to give a negative score I would, however as that would be breaking new ground lets go with 1. Alan Maybury would have been better!

The game was poor, a 1-1 draw, and the journey rubbish, thank god for a valentines meal with Belle, and series two of Spooks.

Friday 13th

So, it was a fantastic day until about 19:20, when I ran out of fuel. Yes the car has a gauge that tells you, and it even has a how many miles until you need to re-fill. So will 200 meters until the Sainsbury’s petrol station, I stopped. To cut a very long and frustrating story short, someone came out of their house and offer me a fuel tank, I walked to the garage and was offered a tow, but a lady in a Citroen AX, on arriving back at my car, she discovered she had no tow rope, so she pushed the car to the garage with Belle.

God bless her, I hope she gets her reward, it makes you realise that not everyone is a waste of oxygen.

Lets hope the hat still works tomorrow.

£725k found, and still £400k short

Far to many of these entries revolve around numbers and the inability of colleagues to understand and deliver. This week I have been trying to find £1.1m over 10 weeks, easy stuff?!!?

Good news is I have got us to £720k, but I cant control the delivery of this, it is down to the sales team, so god help us.

Add this to the fact that its business plan time, so I am also looking for £40m over 12 weeks, I am sure there is a reason I do this job!

The good news is there is only 2 days left this week, then its football, FIFA 09 on the PS2, catch up on Sky+ and spend some more time with Belle.

Whilst the numbers pain is a never ending slog, I have only had to be away from home 4 nights on the last 3 months, which means sitting with Belle in the evenings, which is sooooo relaxing.

Tomorrow I need to present 3 BP presentations, and whilst I have done all the data gathering, I have not done the slides, not because I am winging it, but because I want to relax tonight, so it will wait until tomorrow morning even if I have to be up early (well early for me!).

Coming in from the cold.

The problem with cathartic blogs are when you don’t need cathar, you don’t write. I have a friend who has taken 6 months off, and travelling the world, he has created a blog, which is much more up beat, and relaxed than mine.

The last week has been rubbish due to snow, I hate snow, its so invasive, it stops everything you want to do, and has played havoc with my numbers. This coming week is more finance, fun, fun, fun!

This weekend I have been working on the summer trip to Italy, its been tricky finding twin rooms in hotels in Rome and Venice, Double and Singles, but Twins, are harder to find that a goal in a 10 v 11 football match. I finally found them, and also a nice place at Herculaneum, I cant wait to see it and Pompeii. As for Venice, it’s a nice 5 star hotel, and Rome is a 4 room boutique hotel near the Parthenon and Coliseum.

We have some fun coming up over the next few weeks, next week is football, then upto MacoTake Towers, that followed by the Kaiser Chiefs, then a Spa weekend, and my first league away game. Should be fun.