Jared Leto's band 30 Seconds To Mars will play Lincoln as part of a Radio 1 Tour. Photo: Jamie Ivins

Fronted by actor turned rock star Jared Leto, the American four-piece are responsible for such alternative rock hits as “The Kill” and “From Yesterday” as well as platinum selling album “A Beautiful Lie”. The band are already into the sixth leg of their mammoth “Into The Wild” tour which sees them visit 145 venues across the globe.

Joining 30 Seconds To Mars on Tuesday, October 19th are Radio 1 favourites Zane Lowe and Fearne Cotton. They will be presenting their shows live from Lincoln on the day with songs from the gig itself and special Live Lounge sessions from the band and a yet to be announced support act.

The tour is also hitting Northumbria University, Oxford Academy and Bristol’s Anson Rooms featuring Mark Ronson, Chase & Status and Klaxons respectively over the week long tour.

Tickets for the gig go on sale on Friday 3rd September at 9am and are priced at £17 plus a booking fee. Entry is available to those 16 or older and ID will be required. For more information on the gig and to purchase tickets visit the Engine Shed website.

Prolific Miller’s striker Adam Le Fondre was once again the Imps’ slayer after his deflected strike beat Joe Anyon just a minute into the second half.

Rotherham's Adam Le Fondre added to his already impressive tally this season with a 47th minute strike. Photo: David Ingham

The closest that Chris Sutton’s side came to an equaliser was when a Ben Hutchinson shot shaved the post just moments after the only goal of the game.

Sutton made three changes to the side that drew with Crewe at Sincil Bank on Saturday. Albert Jarrett was away on international duty with Sierra Leone, while Ian Pearce was rested. Jamie Clapham was also replaced, with the ex-Ipswich man dropping to the bench. Scott Kerr returned to the Imps’ starting line-up along with Moses Swaibu and young striker Andy Hutchinson.

The relatively small amount of changes to the City starting eleven was partly down to the popularity of the physio room at the moment. That situation may have been further confounded by an injury to Paul Green which forced the defender off in the first half of the game.

Manager Sutton and Lincoln fans will be hoping that Green’s injury is nothing but a niggle and that he recovers in time to face Chesterfield on Saturday.

Juno star, Michael Cera leads as the titular character who meets Romana Flowers (Mary Winstead), the girl who he dreamt about the night before and who he is sure is the girl for him. However, as that would be too simple, Romana is not your average girl. Whilst playing for his band “Sex Bob-Omb” (one of the many videogame references in the film), the first of Ramona’s seven evil ex-boyfriends challenges Scott to a duel.

"Scott Pilgrim vs The World" puts a videogame spin on both flirting and fighting. Photo: Universal Pictures

This first fight scene, coming a fair way into the film, is the start of a spectacle for any videogame fan as retro graphics, beat-em-up style battles and comedic one-liners join in with the action. From the changing aspect ratios to the scores for each move, the authentic sounds to the Super Mario Bros explosion into coins, the battles are a joy to watch.

The film is based on Canadian Bryan Lee O’Malley’s comic book series, “Scott Pilgrim”, and the comic’s style is portrayed beautifully. Reminiscent of “Sin City” and “Kick-Ass”, Scott Pilgrim transforms into a live-action comic book brilliantly as typography flies across the screen out of toilets and telephones and music styles are echoed by the graphic style, including two anime Japanese dragons representing a couple of electro DJs.

The comic book style flourishes thanks to the quick-paced and quick-witted signature style of director Edgar Wright, of “Shaun of the Dead” and “Hot Fuzz” fame. Some of the cinematography is beautiful, the comedy is hilarious and Wright manages to create a fully surreal yet realistic world that transforms from videogame to naturalistic style seamlessly.

One slight disappointment is the performance of Cera. He is in trouble of being typecast as a geeky, unconfident, weedy teenage boy (even as he turns 22) and this performance matches that description. Not forgetting that he plays this character very well, it’s not what was needed for such a heart-breaking, rock music playing super hero.

The hype over comic book conventions, in film circles and over Twitter unfortunately came to very little at the American box office. But for comic book, videogame and cinema fans in general, this really is a great experience. “Scott Pilgrim vs The World” is energetic, funny and absolutely gorgeous to watch. Although it hasn’t been able to match The Expendables’ all-star cast, you should really go and see it – and expect a shower of coins to follow…

Rating: 8/10

The Imps went down 2-1 to the Millers on the opening day of the League Two season and will be hoping to exact revenge on Ronnie Moore’s side.

Rotherham's temporary home, the Don Valley Stadium, isn't the typical League Two stadium. Photo: James Thornett

Manager Chris Sutton will field the strongest side available to him, although that decision is mainly influenced by factors outside of his control. His Lincoln squad is suffering from a hefty absentee list, with Drewe Broughton the latest entrant to the Imps’ catalogue of injuries and will definitely be missing the trip to his former home ground.

As well as that, the rules of the Johnstone’s Paint Trophy mean Sutton is obliged to select either six of the players with the most league appearances this season or six of the 11 players who started the last league game—the home draw against Crewe on Saturday. The rules were brought in to stop managers from fielding a team full of fringe players and untried youngsters, which resulted in low attendances for matches.

Chris Fagan and Shane Clarke are set to leave Sincil Bank meaning neither will be given the opportunity to put in a farewell performance for the Imps.

As a result, the majority of the starting line-up against the Railwaymen should begin the match. One exception is the Imps’ goal scorer in that game, Albert Jarrett. Jarrett, who has arguably been Lincoln’s most impressive player this season, is away on international duty with Sierra Leone. It is also likely that 36-year-old Ian Pearce will be rested, meaning a recall for Moses Swaibu.

Rotherham are likely to give debuts to defender Johnny Mullins and forward Jeremiah Ani. Mullins signed from Stockport County in the summer but has failed to force his way into the Millers’ starting 11 as yet. Nigerian forward Ani signed a short term deal for the club last week. The 25-year-old striker’s CV includes spells in Nigeria, Malta, Portugal and China and he has been on trial at both Plymouth Argyle and Notts County in the past year.

Veteran striker Paul Warne scored in his first appearance since November for the Millers in their 1-0 win against Hereford at the weekend. He could retain his place as Tom Elliot, who is on loan from Leeds United, is still struggling with injury.

The Linc prediction: Rotherham 1 Imps 0

Saturday was turning out to be a great day. We’d just come back from Milton Keynes, where my father had finally cashed in the voucher for indoor skydiving that myself and my brother had gotten him for Father’s day. It had been a blast, and the hilarity of seeing a 52-year-old man freefalling right in front of you is something that will stay with me for a long time to come. We’d gulped down a hearty meal, and were just getting to the part in “Shutter Island” where Leonardo Di Caprio realises he’s gone insane…when the phone rang.

There are many thoughts that cross your mind when the phone rings at 10.30pm on a Saturday night. If you’re a student, it probably means it’s time to go out. If you’re an office worker, it means it’s time to come home. For myself and my parents sitting in the lounge, it meant that something was definitely wrong.

The unfortunate recipient of the damage and the unsung heroine of this tale is my brother’s fiancé, who has managed to overcome a lot of adversity in her life, despite being born with ginger hair. The initial phone calls were tearful, as events began to unfold. It turns out that whilst her car was parked near to a friend’s house, someone had reversed into her.

Read the rest of this post on Darren’s blog.

City are still to record a win at home but it seems after a 1-1 draw with Crewe and a satisfying performance from Albert Jarrett in particular, Chris Sutton and his team are not very far away from such a feat.

Sincil Bank is still to witness a home win, but after a 1-1 draw with Crewe, City fans may not have too long to wait. Photo: Tom Farmery

Imps boss Sutton said after the game that he thought the 1-1 draw was quite fair but believed the game was there for the taking, especially in the first half where he thought his team had the better chances.

“I think in the end it was probably fair — in the last couple of minutes we came under a bit of pressure but it was a good game. It was entertaining, I thought we were unfortunate to go behind but they do have that threat on the counter-attack, I didn’t think the scoreline was particularly fair at the break.

“On the balance of play we deserved to go in up at the break, it doesn’t work like that and then we had a couple of really good chances but didn’t take them. They’re a really difficult side and have got a lot of big boys and the big threat up front. They hit the post towards the end and had a couple of close scares so probably a draw was about right.”

One problem that has been evident in the past few games, notably the defeats to Rotherham and Torquay, has been City’s poor defensive play. To address this problem Sutton played assistant manager Ian Pearce in the heart of defence in the 1-0 win away to Gillingham. Pearce played again on Saturday and helped to provide another reassuring performance, something the Lincoln manager felt worked well.

Sutton said: “I think he played well, they [Crewe] offered a different threat and they are probably a bit more direct than they were last season but they make good runs in behind and they have players who can pick the passes.

“I thought in general we defended ok it’s difficult at the end when balls are coming in the box. It’s easy sitting on the bench saying why doesn’t anyone head it but I know how difficult it is being out there but we stuck at it.”

The Linc’s Man of the Match on Saturday was Albert Jarrett, a player the former Celtic striker has previously spoken of very highly, and the Imps boss was quick to praise the Sierra Leone international once again but also stressed that other team members need to follow suit.

The 37-year-old said: “His goal was fantastic. I just felt all through the game and this season we just aren’t making the most of our opportunities.

“We aren’t doing the right things at the right times but that’s probably why we’re in division two. When things open up we can pick better passes but we’re working as hard as we possibly can in training and I thought we knocked it around and played some good stuff at times.”

Dario Gradi’s Crewe had come off the back of a hardly fought contest in their mid-week 1-0 defeat in the Carling Cup against Championship outfit Ipswich Town. After witnessing his side’s draw against Lincoln he said: “It was a hard game and I think it was going to be a hard game against whoever we played this afternoon because of the game against Ipswich on Tuesday.

“We didn’t want extra-time and I know Roy Keane didn’t want it either. It was physically draining and we had to go through an extra 30 minutes and got nothing for it. Saying that I thought the fitness levels of the players were very good and we finished strongly.

“One or two of them struggled a bit in the second and were flagging but I still think we had the better chances and curtailed their chances more. We are looking harder to beat and that is encouraging.”

Gradi believed that Lincoln were lucky to finish with a draw after Ashley Westwood’s shot was cleared off Lincoln’s goal line by Joe Anderson but he also admitted that City represent how tough the teams can be in League Two.

“They certainly had a bit of luck at the end with Westy’s [Ashley Westwood] shot. I don’t think the defender knew too much about it. It just hit him on the line and they got that break.

“I also thought (Calvin) Zola’s header was in and he did very well when he came on and Byron [Moore] went close with his first touch, so there were chances there. They are a decent side and it just goes to show how tough this league is.

“The managers are trying to play a different pattern of play and I don’t think we have faced a team playing 4-4-2 yet. They were athletic and organised and that makes it difficult.”

The match belonged to Jarrett as he once again wowed the City faithful scoring a solo effort any Premier League player would be proud of.

Albert Jarrett was the star of the show at Sincil Bank as he made sure that Lincoln fans didn't go home disappointed. Photo: Tom Farmery

Chris Sutton opted to remain with the same side that won 1-0 away to Gillingham. Sticking to his guns by keeping Ian Pearce and Jamie Clapham in the side after the City boss declared in mid-week how experience was essential in developing the younger players while producing an assured performance at the same time.

Crewe boss Dario Gradi made only one change following the Railwaymen’s 7-0 thrashing of Barnet, replacing Matt Tootle with Mat Mitchel-King. The Cheshire outift lost to Championship side Ipswich Town 1-0 after extra-time on Tuesday night and certainly fancied their chances ahead of the game at Sincil Bank.

Making his home debut was Ben Hutchinson who started brightly playing in front of Albert Jarrett, while Delroy Facey, Cian Hughton, Clark Keltie, and Jamie Clapham slotted into a four-man midfield completing the 4-4-1-1 formation.

On 22 minutes Crewe took the lead after Ashley Westwood was allowed to get his shot away before it was palmed away only to the feet of Shaun Miller who skillfully took the ball around Joe Anyon before slotting home.

Crewe nearly added to their lead shortly afterwards when Lee Bell picked out Joel Grant at the far post but the left winger couldn’t get on the end of the cross eventually going behind for a goal kick.

Lincoln fans watched nervously as Crewe piled on the pressure once again coming close to extending their lead with eight minutes to go after a goalmouth scramble occured eventually resulting in a goal kick after Donaldson got a shot away from close range.

City’s reply to Crewe’s early lead came on 40 minutes. Albert Jarrett picked up the ball just inside the opposition’s half weaving his run left and right beating two defenders in his path before smashing the ball to the left of Rhys Taylor in the Crewe goal.

Half time: Imps 1 – 1 Crewe

Both teams emerged from the tunnel unchanged, and immediately it was Lincoln who had a chance to go one up. Facey controlled the ball on the left wing and then played an inch perfect cross into Hutchinson who turned before firing wide of Taylor’s goal.

Dario Gradi decided to change things on 58 minutes, taking off influential winger Joel Grant and replacing him with striker Calvin Zola.

Anyon had some work to do with just under 30 minutes left after Luke Murphy played the ball across to Donaldson who got his head to it but could do nothing as the Lincoln keeper produced a fine save.

City instantly responded to some strong Crewe play as Jarrett burst down the right wing and into the area before trying to place his shot past Taylor. The Crewe keeper could only parry the ball straight into the route of Clapham who saw his mis-timed shot headed off the line by Westwood.

Left-back Danny Blanchett provided Crewe with another opportunity after a perfect cross on 81 minutes found Zola yet he could only stand and watch as his headed effort hit the post.

The Crewe boss made his second substitution of the game with just over five minutes left, choosing to replace Luke Murphy with midfielder Byron Moore.

Chris Sutton then made changes of his own bringing on Andy Hutchinson for Albert Jarrett and also replacing Ben Hutchinson with Drewe Broughton.

As the game entered into injury time Crewe nearly took the lead after Westwood powered a shot towards the City goal however Joe Anderson was on hand to clear off the line.

Full time: Imps 1 – Crewe 1

The Linc’s Man of the Match: Albert Jarrett – had an exciting afternoon getting on the scoresheet in the process and proving why Chris Sutton believes him to be one of the best players in League Two.

Attendance: 3024 (226 from Crewe)

This weekend City host Crewe at Sincil Bank, and after they thrashed Barnet 7-0 it is likely that the Railwaymen will have another win in their sights against Lincoln.

Along with Ian Pearce, Jamie Clapham is one of the more experienced players that Chris Sutton believes provided a more assured performance against Gillingham. Photo: Tom Farmery

Crewe’s emphatic win came after they lost their first two games against Hereford and Cheltenham. Despite a slow start, Imps manager Chris Sutton believes that Crewe are one of the best footballing sides in League Two.

Straight-talking Sutton said: “They’re actually a big threat from set pieces with [David] Artell and [Joel] Grant. They’re all good. The midfield always pass the ball very nicely, they’ll look for the threat in behind, probably more so than they did last year but they’re a massive threat in the league.

“One thing we mustn’t do is be ragged against them. We certainly need to make sure we have shape about us, make sure we’re switched on at the back and get our distances right because they will exploit.

“I think they’re the best team in this division in terms of the way they play and certainly the forwards are extremely dangerous.”

The experienced minds of Ian Pearce and Jamie Clapham featured in City’s 1-0 victory away to Gillingham, resulting in an assured style of play. Sutton feels this has a calming effect on the younger players in the side, creating better performances overall.

“I think experience is essential at any level, albeit you get young players who come in who look comfortable as well and are assured. What I would say is I think if you look, I mean I don’t pay any attention to stats but Joe Anyon hasn’t had overly a great deal of work to do this season, and I think if you look at chances against Gillingham and chances against Torquay, they’re probably similar in the number of efforts on goal.

“We got a break against Gillingham and against Torquay. We should’ve been up yet we weren’t up, they scored and we lost the game. Then we panicked in the last 20 minutes. There are fine lines — we’ve got to take our chances when they come and try not to concede.

“I think Ian [Pearce] certainly steady’s the ship at the back when he plays. The players around him know their jobs better. That’s not a criticism of anyone else – it’s just that he’s good enough to play at the highest level and the players around him are benefitting from his experience,” the City boss said.

If Lincoln do record three points against Crewe they could be in the top six of the table come Saturday evening, erasing the first two defeats to Rotherham and Torquay from the memory. The former Chelsea striker knows that it would be a major morale boost to his side if they can produce a back-to-back win at the weekend.

“It would mean a lot in terms of confidence. It’s early days at the moment it seemed to be doom and gloom before the game at Gillingham as they had two draws and we hadn’t had a win. Then we go there and go above them, but it’s too early to read into things.

“I would say that we’ve had a tough start. On paper it’s tough, but I don’t think three points is a total disaster from the first three league games, albeit we wandered more - but it’s a tough league.

“Back-to-back wins would mean a lot. I think Chesterfield’s going to be tough and then I think we have three out of four at home and a run of games whereby come the end of October I think we’ll have a better idea of what sort of level we’re at and where we stand.”

Saturday’s game will provide loanee Ben Hutchinson with his first chance to impress the home crowd at Sincil Bank. Crewe lost 1-0 to Ipswich after extra-time on Tuesday night, and with the likes of Clayton Donaldson and Joel Grant they will prove a stern test for City.

The Linc’s prediction: Imps 1-3 Crewe

Cian Hughton scored the only goal of the game to lift City off the bottom of the Football League and into 15th place in League Two.

Cian Hughton's strike was enough to give the Imps their first win of the season. Photo: Tom Farmery

Imps manager Chris Sutton made five changes to his team that lost to Torquay last weekend, some of which were forced. Mustapha Carayol and Gavin McCallum had injuries while Drewe Broughton, Josh O’Keefe and Moses Swaibu dropped to the bench. Captain Scott Kerr was also ruled out through illness.

New signing Ben Hutchinson started up front on his own, with Albert Jarrett playing just off the Celtic loanee. Delroy Facey took an unfamiliar role on the left wing with Hughton on the opposite flank. Jamie Clapham and Clark Keltie occupied the central positions in midfield.

Ian Pearce also came in to bolster Lincoln’s back line and proved to be a calming effect on a City defence which had been at sea in the early part of the season.

Gillingham had gone nine league games without defeat but it was clear they are going to be a troubled side this season. The Gills were hurried in possession and were caught unaware by the Imps’ changes in personnel and formation—adjustments that saw Sutton switch to what was almost a 4-2-3-1 formation.

Crewe Alexandra travel to Sincil Bank next weekend and the Imps will be hoping to enter the game with a new sense of optimism. But their opponents won’t be short of buoyancy either—the Railwaymen thrashed Barnet 7-0 at Gresty Road this afternoon.

So far, City have lost all three of their opening fixtures including last Saturday’s first game of the season at Sincil Bank against top of the table Torquay. The trip to the Priestfield Stadium at the weekend will not be an easy one for the Imps, and Sutton admits that Gillingham will have a win in their sights ahead of the game.

New loan signing Ben Hutchinson talks to the press following his move from Celtic Park to Sincil Bank. Photo: Tom Farmery

He said: “They’ve started off with two draws, I think it’s fair to say they’ll be looking at us and probably fancy their chances. They’ve got a big threat in (Adebayo) Akinfenwa who’s scored a lot of goals at this level. How we deal with him will have a big bearing on the game.

“I think out of all the teams coming down last season, I think they were particularly unlucky and they’ll be looking to bounce back. As I said we had a tough start on paper but going into the game these games we are 50/50.

“Maybe we need a break or something to go our way but ultimately we’ve got to defend better and take our chances. It’s as simple as that, we’re not getting totally outgunned and were not outplayed in the two league games and you do need a break.

“We’ve lost two games but there probably won’t be another side who don’t go through the season without losing two games back-to-back, we’ve just got to make sure it’s not three.”

There has been a varied amount of negativity surrounding City’s current league position, yet the former Celtic goal machine believes that there has been some positives to take from the season so far.

“I think in the two league games there’s not been a lot in them. We’ve had some good matches in those games, things just haven’t gone for us. With regards to the Leeds game you play a side who are superior opposition which they are, they are better players that’s why they’re at that level.

“It isn’t a great start I’m well aware of that. But am I panicking? No. Do I believe in the players? Yes I do. We’ve got to have the grittyness and determination and the steeliness to get out of this situation but I do believe we will be fine. But as I say it’s about results”, the 37-year-old said.

This week has also seen the Lincoln boss dip into the loan market, something that was done successfully last year, through the arrival of Davide Somma, who by all accounts saved the Imps from being relegated along with local rivals Grimsby.

Ben Hutchinson joined City on Wednesday, 18th, August, on a season-long deal from Sutton’s former side Celtic. The 22-year-old scored twice against Lincoln in the 4-1 pre-season defeat to the Bhoys at Sincil Bank in late July. Yet the striker says he doesn’t have a goal scoring target as such but just wants to concentrate on turning his career around.

The powerful forward said: “My aim is to help the team and to get my career back on track. I won’t say I’m going to score this amount, every game I play I want to score so hopefully I will. It’s an opportunity to come here and try to make a name for myself again. I didn’t need much convincing (to join City) because I wasn’t going to get any football, so to get some it’s a bonus.

“I just want to get my career back on track and see what happens. I want to try and score as many goals as I can and help the team, I don’t really have anything other than that. I’ve probably not done as well as I probably should of and it’s time to knuckle down really.”

It is highly likely Hutchinson will be included in the starting eleven that will play Gillingham in the third league game of the season. The Gills have recorded just two points this season drawing both of their games against Cheltenham and Hereford respectively.

Andy Hessenthaler’s biggest threat lies in frontman Akinfenwa and it is up to City’s faltering defence to regroup in order protect Joe Anyon’s goal. Chris Sutton will be hoping that the arrival of Hutchinson will ensure that Lincoln come away from Kent at the weekend, with at least a point to their name on the league table.

The Linc’s prediction: Gillingham 1-1 Imps

The 22-year-old frontman scored two goals for the Glaswegian giants in their 4-1 pre-season victory over the Imps last month.

Hutchinson, 22, arrives at Sincil Bank having already played both Premier League and Scottish Premier League football. Photo: Tom Brogan.

It is that kind of performance, coupled with the Imps’ shortage of forwards and poor start to the season, which has tempted manager Chris Sutton to entice the former Middlesbrough man south of the border.

Hutchinson began his career at lowly Arnold Town but his raw talent was enough to convince Steve McClaren to take the Nottingham-born striker to the Premier League. He started just one game for the Teesside club in three seasons but impressed the coaching staff at the Riverside Stadium and scored on his league debut against Manchester City.

With his contract running out at Boro, and club bosses unable to agree terms with the promising striker, the then Scottish champions Celtic were quick to pounce and hastily agreed terms with the player.

Hutchinson has made only five appearances for the Bhoys, all from the substitutes’ bench, meaning he has had to settle for short term loan moves in order to achieve first team football. He spent the first half of last season on loan at League One Swindon Town where he scored one goal in 10 appearances. The striker then signed for Dundee in February this year, where he played until the end of the season.

Imps fans will undoubtedly be delighted with the arrival of Hutchinson who should be seen as an exciting coup for the club. They will be hoping he hits the ground running as Sutton’s side currently prop up the basement division of the Football League. The striker is bound to go straight into City’s starting eleven which will face Gillingham at the Priestfield Stadium on Saturday, August, 21st.

After the full time whistle had blown manager Sutton decided to stay in the dressing room to give an extended team talk, while assistant manager Ian Pearce gave his reaction to the press.

Imps assistant manager Ian Pearce speaks to the press after City's defeat against Torquay on Saturday. Photo: Tom Farmery

Pearce, a former centre half for West Ham felt hugely disappointed to lose a third straight game but believed that the Imps should have taken chances when on top in the first half.

He said: “We were playing some good stuff, creating chances and then they go down the other end, have one free kick where they score from. That then put us on the back foot and we’re chasing the game again.

“If we had a little bit of luck and scored a goal, it would’ve been a totally different game. But that’s football and we could be stood here saying ‘what if?’ ‘what if?’ They’ve beaten us 2-0.”

BBC Lincolnshire’s Michael Hortin raised the issue of defending from set pieces and how even after the summer training City still conceded an easy goal from a dead ball situation.

Pearce responded admitting that the quality himself and boss Sutton had set, was not being met in these problem areas.

“We’re fully aware of what we expect and the standards we’ve set and unfortunately we’re not achieving them at the moment.

“We can’t go on conceding from set pieces, we need to tighten up on that [and] it’s an element that has to go out of our game.”

The assistant manager still feels that the game plan is correct but also thinks that a little bit of luck is needed to get off the mark this season.

A disgruntled Pearce said: “We set out to try and play a high tempo game and get on the front foot, we’re at home, we want to try and take it to them and make sure that we take the game forward. If one of those goes in I think it needs to fly off someone’s backside or something that changes our fortune.

“We’re fully aware of what’s expected and the standards that we set and unfortunately we’re not achieving it at the moment.”

The Torquay squad and associates however, were travelling back down the M1 on Saturday night with beaming smiles across their faces, none more so than manager Paul Buckle.

“This is a fantastic result, this is a tough, tough place to come and we’ve had everything today. We’ve scored two very good goals and kept a clean sheet again.

“I don’t know what the record is now but I think it’s nine games we’ve gone without conceding a goal [in the league] and the players have carried on from where they left off last season. So, we’re absolutely thrilled and thought we played some good football as well, some good passing football second half and we controlled the game.”

Just under 3000 home fans saw City’s defeat on Saturday and two fans share two completely different views. Paul, from Lincoln felt that with ex-Premier League footballers at the helm surely something can be done to stop the rot.

He said: “They’ve got Ian Pearce who’s employed to get results along with Chris Sutton and he’s on the sidelines.

“The two centre backs at times looked poor, certainly Moses Swaibu didn’t look to me like a centre half. Yet they’ve got Pearce who’s played all those games in the Premiership who could add a bit of stability who should give influence, but it’s not happening.”

Another Imps fan countered this point and simply thought that Torquay were just to good on the day.

David from Grantham said: “I think they were just better than we were all round really. I think everybody gave their best, don’t think we really had anybody who could put the ball in today.

“I just think they need to work a bit harder and see how we go. I think Jamie Clapham could come in and add a bit of stability, but that’s the only person I’d put in.”

Elliot Benyon scored both goals as the Gulls romped to victory in front of 194 travelling fans, leaving Chris Sutton’s men still searching for that all important victory.

Chris Sutton's men are still without a victory this season after Torquay striker Elliot Benyon bags two goals that keeps the Gulls flying high. Photo: Tom Farmery

Chris Sutton decided to change formation ahead of kick-off opting for 4-4-2 rather than the 4-1-4-1 that saw the Imps slump to defeat away to Rotherham and Leeds. The change saw capain Scott Kerr and Joe Anderson drop to the bench while Cian Hughton slotted into the right back role with Clark Keltie in centre midfield. Gavin McCallum got his first start partnering Drewe Broughton in a two-man attack.

Torquay remained unchanged after their 1-0 defeat in the Carling Cup during midweek against Reading.

Lincoln had the best of the early action when former Torquay man Mustapha Carayol played a diagonal ball to Albert Jarrett before the right-winger cut inside placing a shot just wide of Scott Bevan’s goal.

Some silky skills from Carayol in front of the Gulls fans didn’t go unnoticed with boos echoing from the Co-op Stand.

The City faithful were brought to their feet on 18 minutes as it looked as though Lincoln had gone ahead. Superb play from Carayol allowed Jarrett to carve a run inside the Torquay penalty area before flicking the ball up for McCallum to tuck home but the whistle had already gone for offside.

Just over 26 minutes played and Torquay took the lead when they were awarded a free-kick on the right side of the pitch. Nicholson whipped the ball in and as the Lincoln defence stood still Benyon got the final touch leaving ‘keeper Joe Anyon with no chance.

Minutes before the end of the first half Lincoln had a strong chance to equalise when McCallum running down the left flank played a searching ball into the six-yard box only to be headed wide by Broughton.

Half Time: Imps 0 – 1 Torquay

Manager Sutton made no changes during the interval persisting with the 4-4-2 formation that started the game.

Gulls fans thought their team had gone 2-0 up when Benyon picked up the ball on the right side of the penalty area and buried a shot into the City goal only for the linesman to flag for offside.

With 30 minutes remaining, Sutton decided to change the team’s frontline taking off McCallum and Broughton and bringing on Delroy Facey and Andy Hutchinson for a straight swap. Soon after the substitution City came close with a blistering effort from the right foot of Jarrett that had Bevan beaten but flew agonisingly wide of the left post.

Imps fans nearly had an equaliser to cheer when Carayol burst down the left flank before passing to substitute Hutchinson who cut inside but placed his shot above the goal without troubling the Torquay stopper.

Torquay boss Paul Buckle made his first change of the game on 68 minutes, switching Billy Kee for Eunan O’Kane.

On 71 minutes Lincoln’s afternoon went from bad to worse when Zebroski, unmarked dashed down the right wing before turning inside and playing a fine ball across the area leaving Benyon to head home his second of the game.

City had a chance to pull a goal back moments after the restart when Carayol played in a curling free kick that was met by a strong Facey header but Bevan was once again equal to it and blocked out for a corner.

Sutton was forced to make his last substitution of the game when Moses Swaibu took a knock and coincidently was replaced by Jamie Clapham.

Full Time: Imps 0 – 2 Torquay

The Linc’s Man of the Match: Mustapha Carayol

Attendance: 3033 (194 from Torquay)

Radio 1 stars Zane Lowe and Greg James will be the main attractions for this year’s Freshers’ Week, The Linc is able to reveal. Freshers’ Week will begin on Sunday, September 19th and will include the usual variety of club nights and events held around the city.

Zane Lowe will return to the Engine Shed to host the DJ Hero 2 Tour on Thursday, September 23rd. The Radio 1 DJ has performed at the venue on several occasions, and was a main attraction at last year’s Freshers’ Week, with tickets quickly selling out on the day they were released.

Zane Lowe will be returning to perform at Freshers' Week again. Photo: Michael Spiller via Flickr:

Also performing at the Engine Shed will be Ex-Hollyoaks actors Matt Littler and Darren Jefferies. They will be hosting Fever Pitch on Wednesday night as part of the 4Music Versus tour. The pair played the characters of Max Cunningham and OB and visited Lincoln for Freshers’ Week in 2008, shortly after their characters left the soap.

On Friday, the Engine Shed will hold a roller disco, followed by a headphone disco. Saturday sees the appearance of Radio 1 DJ Greg James for the UP! club night. James, the host of the afternoon show and “The Official Chart Update”, also came to Lincoln for an UP! night in 2009.

Alongside the club nights are alternative events such as film nights, quizzes, and the ghost walk of Lincoln. Enterprise@Lincoln, the university’s business and careers service, will be holding a freshers barbecue at noon on Thursday, promising a free beer and burger for every attendee.

Lincoln City FC, who offer a student discount throughout the year, will be playing Stevenage FC at Sincil Bank their home ground on Saturday, September 25th.

The West End of Lincoln will host to their annual Carholme Gala towards the end of the week. Each year the gala is held to promote a sense of community between the students and the locals living in the area, with positive effects last year.

Torquay are the opposition for Lincoln on Saturday, and they are currently top of the table. Photo: Pot Noodle via Flickr

Imps fans haven’t had much to cheer about so far this season, with defeats away to Rotherham and Leeds respectively. Before the new league season began manager Chris Sutton had already warned fans not to expect a win-after-win start, understanding the tough tests his team are subject to in the opening fixtures.

Yet following his summer cries of progress, re-emphasising how much of a better situation Lincoln are now in, the City boss has once again called for realism.

The former Chelsea striker said: “We have to be realistic, it’s been a tough start for us as I’ve said, and three out of the first four are away.

“Rotherham and Torquay are going to be up there for automatic promotion so it’s never going to be easy for us. Having said that we didn’t get what we deserved on Saturday [against Rotherham] but over the course of the season, hopefully, we’ll have performances where we don’t play well and then nick a result.

“That did happen a few times last season, it has to be said so overall I’m not sitting in a position where I’m overly worried at the moment. I think as of last season I was far more concerned and as things pan out I do think we’ve got players here who are capable of putting a real good run together.”

City face a Gulls side that opened their account in blistering fashion, beating Northampton 3-0 at home. Torquay manager Paul Buckle then watched his team put up a strong fight against Championship outfit Reading in the Carling Cup, losing  1-0 eventually after extra-time.

The City boss realises the threat the league leaders pose, especially in attackers Elliot Benyon and Chris Zebroski as they have already scored this season.

“Benyon’s quite clever in that he’ll look to run in behind the defence and Zebroski’s a very powerful player. I think he’ll play wide right but, you have to deal with that, it’s what the players are paid for, that’s why they’re here. We have to be well organised, read the game well and hopefully we’ll be alright.

“But as I say most of the games are going to be frenetic, [and] are going to be similar in the way they’re played in League Two this season.

“We have to be able to cope with the physical element which in fairness we did ok last Saturday, we didn’t cope as well on Tuesday. If we cope with that I think eventually we’ll get breaks going our way and our players will be good enough to cause teams problems.”

One player who is relishing the occasion on Saturday is former Torquay winger Mustapha Carayol, who signed a two-year deal with Lincoln in the summer. The Gambian-born winger says he hasn’t looked forward to a game as much as this ever in his career.

“The first thing you look at when the fixtures come out is when you’re going to be playing your old team. I’ve spoken to a few of the boys there and they’re looking forward to it as well, so it’ll be nice to see them and hopefully get a win.

“I’ve kept in touch with everyone. I think I left the club not on bad terms with anyone; I tried to leave it as good as I could and I still speak to all of the players. I was on the phone to the captain last night so everything’s fine.”

The Linc’s prediction: Imps 0-2 Torquay

The student temple. Photo: Daquella Manera via Flickr

Now, on the cover of things, we don’t seem to do much to downplay this stereotypical view of student hood. I know I don’t. Most of my spare time is dreamt away quite literally in bed. And much of the time I’m awake I spend it figuring out how to get myself back to sleep.

Most of the student population seems to agree with this laid back lifestyle, especially on the weekends. If I happen to be catching an early train home on a Saturday morning (and by early I mean anything before 9am) I meet literally nobody as I walk towards the station. Well, I say nobody, because there’s always the few stumbling their way across the bridge, trying terribly hard to convince everyone they’re not doing the walk of shame. Walking through the Pavilions at this time in the morning is like walking through a ghost town. It’s eerie.

Now that I’ve been home for summer for a good few weeks I want to continue this lifestyle of doing absolutely nothing for most of the day. Now is it just me or does anybody else’s parents seem to have a moral objection to this? Every morning, just as I’m on the cusp of waking up, the shout of “get up lazy,” drifts over on the morning air. I could’ve just worked out how to time travel, or had finally gotten to the part of the dream where Megan Fox invites me to her hot tub and massage party. But I never get to find out what happens next. It’s a real shame.

And besides, it’s not as if I’m doing nothing. Like most of us during the holidays, I work for that extra bit of cash to keep me afloat during the first few weeks back. But even then, the older generations seem to think that I’m not contributing enough to society, despite the fact that I’m studying to become a journalist, which is arguably one of the most important jobs available.

I wonder if anyone else out there has come across this same form of parental judgement? If you have then it is best to just tell them the truth – that we need time to relax during the holidays, because once we get back to university in September we actually start working damn hard. Well, for some of the time anyway.

“Cream, Goldenvoice, and Loudsound present…

LONDON ELECTRONIC DANCE FESTIVAL

WIN TICKETS TO SEE DAVID GUETTA & LEFTFIELD HEADLINE NEW LONDON FESTIVAL

L.E.D FESTIVAL – VICTORIA PARK

FRIDAY 27TH & SATURDAY 28TH AUGUST BANK HOLIDAY WEEKEND 2010

David Guetta, Annie Mac, and Soulwax are just a few of the big names playing LED Festival. Picture: LED Festival

Three giants of live music, Cream, Goldenvoice, and Loudsound, have joined forces to create what is destined to become one of London’s most exciting outdoor electronic dance festivals. Pooling their collective resources they have secured exclusive London performances from the mighty David Guetta, and legendary pioneers of electronica Leftfield as well as an array of special guest appearances from a phenomenally diverse range of dance music’s most exciting acts and this is your chance to be there for free!

The inaugural festival which takes place over London’s stunning Victoria Park kicks off on Friday 27th August Bank Holiday weekend, and will be headlined by the one and only David Guetta, this will be the French house superstar DJ/Producer’ only London show this summer. Also joining him on the Fridays will be Soulwax, Calvin Harris, Axwell, Ingrosso, Tiga & Many more.

On Saturday August 28th we are delighted to announce that one of the worlds most influential names in dance music history, Leftfield, will be headlining. 2010 is the first time fans of the legendary dance group will get a chance to hear the Leftfield sound after nearly a decade away, and will be their only London performance. Heading up to the site on the Saturday will also be Goldfrapp, Friendly Fires, Aphex Twin & Annie Mac + many more!

For full line up and tickets visit LED Festival’s website.

For your chance to win a pair of tickets to the entire weekend then all you have to do is answer this simple question.

Which one of these albums is by Leftfield?

Leftism
One Love
Ready For the Weekend

Send your answers to competition@thelinc.co.uk to enter the prizedraw.”

L.E.D FESTIVAL 2010 TICKET PRICES AND INFORMATION:

Friday 27th & Saturday 28th August Bank Holiday Weekend
Victoria Park, London, Info: www.ledfestival.net

Buy tickets: www.ticketmaster.co.uk / Tel: 08444 775 775

The film stars seasoned actor Leonardo DiCaprio as Dominic Cobb, a professional thief who uses government equipment to infiltrate people’s dreams to obtain important information. Opposite DiCaprio is Juno actress, Ellen Page, and there is a supporting role from famous English actor, Michael Caine.

Inception is the latest film from Leonardo DiCaprio and Christopher Nolan. Photo: Warner Brothers

Nolan’s Inception was ten years in the making,after he decided more experience was needed, and the big budget high complex feel he was aiming for certainly comes through in the film.

Naturally, with a film about dreams, the visuals are amazing, reflecting the “infinite nature of the human mind”, a joy to behold with altered gravity, supernatural weather and spectacular landscapes. The style and concept of “Inception” is almost as important as the plot-line, which is just as intricate and ingenious.

It is a heist film, which Caine will be used to, with a twist which gives Inception its uniqueness and the twist will keep you interested throughout, if you can keep up.

Cobb (DiCaprio) leads a crack team of ‘dream-stealers’ in an attempt to perform inception, which involves planting the idea itslef rather than taking the ideas in a person’s dream. However, Cobb’s incentive is not just the prize or a wage, it is the chance to be reunited with the family that he has had to leave behind because of his abilities. This adds to the tension of the already intense action film. The main sequence towards the end of the film will have you on the edge of your seat.

DiCaprio puts in another good performance, miserable and serious as ever, as he portrays the character of strong leader and desperate lover in opposition to each other. Ellen Page plays a graduate who is brought in to Cobb’s team with the help of his father (Caine).

Page plays her usual young, independent woman with ease but manages to be the perfect side-kick to Cobb. She sets him straight as she probes his problems, creating a force to be reckoned with.

DiCaprio and Page are just two of the actors in a cast with great performances including “28 Days Later” actor Cillian Murphy as the intended victim of the heist and French actress Marion Cotillard as Cobb’s wife and the main antagonist.

Inception has been compared and contrasted with some of Nolan’s other work, such as “Prestige” and “Memento”, and deserves to become a household name. Add to that the spectacular visuals, the ingenious concept, the immense soundtrack by composer Hans Zimmer and the perfect balance of humour to the serious nature of the film, and you have a true classic. I think this film will continue to create discussion and speculation for many months, even years to come and is a must for any film fan.

Inception = 9/10

The former Celtic star nearly had a bitter taste of basement division football last year but narrowly avoided relegation. Yet Sutton has regrouped his team and knows exactly what he has in mind for the new campaign, which surprisingly to some fans is not outright promotion.

Expectations of promotion and the play-offs are easy think about yet Chris Sutton feels an improvement on last season is the real aim this year. Photo: The Linc

“You have to look where we came last season [20th] and where we are now, there is a difference. We’ve brought our own players in through the free market and we haven’t actually spent any money.

“Every club has ambition, but there has to be realism. This club over its history hasn’t done overly well. The challenge for me is to do well and move it forward.

“I think expectations are high amongst fans, which I think they are before every season. Fans in general aren’t daft but they want progression and improvement, that’s the aim for this season,” the 37-year-old said.

Notts County won League Two last season proving to fans nationwide that having an increased financial budget can have a serious effect on a team’s overall performance. This is a thought manager Sutton doesn’t share completely, instead believing success starts on the training ground.

“There’s lots of different ways you can look at it. I suppose if a club’s budget is bigger, the expectation could be that the club want promotion, so then they come under pressure.

“I certainly feel if we’re lucky with injuries then we’ll do okay. But in terms of play-offs and automatic promotion, I think there are a lot of teams who, budget wise, are stronger than us.

“But it’s not about budget, it’s about being slick, and cohesive and hopefully we’ll be well organised and cause problems.”

The City boss has signed a total of six players over the summer break and among the new recruits are pacey wingers Mustapha Carayol and Albert Jarrett. The Imps didn’t possess a great deal of pace last season and it’s something that Sutton thinks will be noticeably different, and could be the key to success on the pitch.

“I think you need to have strings to your bow, and you need to score goals. I think that’s always been the case with players who can cause problems.

“I think we are lucky that we have players with pace and who can play. If we keep these guys fit then we’ll cause a lot of problems, but we also need people who can hold the ball up.

“Ultimately at this level you’re always going to sacrifice something. It’s never going to be perfect and it’s up to us to find some solutions and try to implement them through the training where we can be effective and also good on the eye.”

Peter Jackson was still in charge at Sincil Bank and had drafted in new blood, such as Jamie Clarke and Joe Heath, to help the team towards the higher reaches of the league. On paper, everything seemed in place for a victorious season, but a year is a long time in football.

Last season's fans' favourite proved to be loanee Davide Somma, this season it could be this man, Mustapha Carayol. Photo: Tom Farmery

Promotion aspirations were dented early into the season when a dismal run of results saw Jackson sacked as manager from the club. His replacement was Chris Sutton who applied the brakes to Lincoln’s ruinous start by freshening things up with various signings—including the inspired loan acquisition of crowd favourite Davide Somma.

Sutton managed to narrowly guide the Imps to safety, mainly thanks to the heroics of Somma and the now departed goalkeeper Rob Burch. But his real challenge will come in the 2010-11 season.

With the League Two slate wiped clean, the Imps faithful are confident of a play-off push this time around. Towards the end of last season performances certainly improved—among them was the Imps overpowering of eventual promotion winners Bournemouth.

Sutton has kept faith with the majority of his backline from last season. Cian Hughton, Moses Swaibu, Joe Anderson and Paul Green remain at the club, while the return of tough centre back Adam Watts will boost the Imps defence. Watts suffered a leg break against Grimsby in February but has featured in pre-season and looks likely to secure a starting berth. New signing Jamie Clapham is likely to provide defensive cover.

Despite the familiar looking defence, Sutton was forced to scour the market for a new goalkeeper after last season’s ‘Player of the Year’ Burch left for Notts County. He has a tough act to follow, but former Port Vale stopper Joe Anyon will hope to prove himself a capable replacement for Burch.

The strong Josh O’Keefe will spark competition for central midfield places, with Scott Kerr and Clark Keltie, but it is on the flanks where Sutton has focused his recruitment. Albert Jarrett, Gavin McCallum and Mustapha Carayol all possess incredible pace, making Lincoln arguably the quickest side in the division.

Drewe Broughton has signed a permanent contract after impressing on loan last season. He will be expected to link well with both McCallum and journeyman Delroy Facey. The Imps are the 30-year-old’s 13th club and the striker is well accustomed to the lower leagues. Youngster Andy Hutchinson should also see a fair amount of game time if the Imps don’t strengthen their forward line before the end of the transfer window.

The wave of optimism around Sincil Bank is very similar to that of 12 months ago—and that story nearly had a catastrophic ending. The class of 2010-11 still lack a prolific goal scorer, though some consider the pursuit of a 20 goals-a-season striker to be idealistic as such forwards are hardly available to clubs like City.

Even though Lincoln City lack a quality, recognised striker, it seems Sutton has put his faith in two different types of player this summer—players who are either familiar with the club or familiar with the division. That will ensure the team hit the ground running, which is something last season’s team failed to do. The squad also seems to possess a good mix of exuberance and level-headedness. The likes of Kerr, Clapham and Broughton give the team a degree of pragmatism which balances the team and allows the likes of McCallum and Carayol more freedom to express themselves.

On paper it makes sense. Whether it works on the pitch is a very different matter.

Two of those signings, Mustapha Carayol and Josh O’Keefe, have both impressed during pre-season, putting them in a good position for the season opener away at Rotherham. Carayol possesses pace and skill while O’Keefe fills the role of a reassuring central attacking midfielder.

After being released by Walsall, midfielder Josh O'Keefe is hoping for first team football at Sincil Bank. Photo: Tom Farmery

Gambian-born Carayol will face former club Torquay in Lincoln’s first home game at Sincil Bank on August 14th. However, he’s concentrating on more pressing matters — reaching the play-offs with a shot at promotion.

The former Gulls winger said: “I’ve always said that if we’re not aiming for play-offs it’s not a good thing. We’ve got a young team so I think we’ve just got to go for it and I’m sure with a bit of luck we’ll make the play-offs.”

Known most of all for his quick bursts down the left flank, Carayol strongly believes that for a team to be successful you need the type of players who are willing to attack.

“If we want to score goals we need those types of players. I don’t think it’s just down to me and [Albert] Jarrett only. Everyone has also got to be direct when we go into attack.

“Obviously as well as that we’ve got to defend as a team and I’m sure the strikers will get on the scoresheet. When Gav [McCallum] gets to full fitness I’m sure he’ll score a lot of the goals.

“Looking at our performances in the last few games [pre-season friendlies] we do attack well but it’s just the defensive side of the game that’s a problem. But I’m sure we’ll sort that out on our own.”

Josh O’Keefe signed for the Imps on a two-year deal in May after he was released by Walsall. However, the central midfielder doesn’t view dropping a division a step back in his career and wants to focus on first team football.

“I just want to break into the team, to do as well as I can to show everyone what I can do and see where we go from there.

“Coming in here the lads have been great, it’s been really fresh with some new lads coming in, and I think we can do something this year.”

Throughout pre-season O’Keefe has played alongside captain Scott Kerr, and on several occasions it has proved to be an impressive partnership.

This is a tactic manager Sutton has encouraged, O’Keefe explained: “I’m a strong attack minded player, and the gaffer has told me to get forward as well as Scott [Kerr] and hopefully I can get a few goals as well.”

Lovebox festival transformed London’s Victoria Park on Friday, July 16th. You stepped out of the country’s capital and in to a place far away – where everything goes and anything could happen. For the weekend, it was no longer just a park, but 18 acres of pure music love and craziness.

A giant tree house added to the festival fairytale, becoming a perfect place to sit and soak up the atmosphere. There were retro fairground rides, many people in eccentric fancy dress, and huge multi-coloured sculptures dotted randomly around, making the festival like no other.

Big names like Dizzee Rascal and Ellie Goulding wowed the Lovebox crowd with their main stage performances. Photo: Sarah Ford

The Main Stage hosted top class acts, all giving great shows that both hardcore fans and potential new fans could enjoy.

Ellie Goulding gave a solid performance for someone so new to the festival scene. What she lacked in experience, the Hereford girl made up for in heart and enthusiasm. You could tell she really wanted to be there and was taking it all in. The audience was transfixed on every word she sang. With lyrics wise beyond her age of 23, she sang well known tracks like “Starry Eyed” and “Guns and Horses”, but also lesser-known album tracks.

For headliner of the night Dizzee Rascal, Lovebox was like a homecoming. The east London cheeky chap clearly enjoyed every second performing back on familiar turf. This gave him a cocky-yet-lovable confidence that made his performance more exciting. His energetic show mixed old and new material, with a heavier focus on his 2009 Tongue ‘n’ Cheek album.

Kicking off with “Jus’ a Rascal” it was clear that his set would be awesome. The crowd were jumping as he rolled out hit after hit, “Dance Wiv Me”, “Holiday”, and “Bonkers” to name just a few.

For a different vibe, acts playing the Relentless Tent aimed to get the crowd jumping and loving it – safe to say this goal was met. It felt like a bubble had been created where it was impossible not to have a good time and enjoy the beats. Standout performances were definitely from Crookers, Doorly, and Sinden who took it the tent to another level.

Friday’s Lovebox was only the beginning, however. It could almost be guaranteed that the rest of the weekend was going to have the same energy, fun, and overall brilliant atmosphere as the opening day.

This is definitely a festival for everyone. With ten different stages both large and small, there is something to suit all tastes. Whether you are old or young, into indie, dance or electro music, or if you just fancy a fun day out with friends – this is the one for you.

Bring on Lovebox 2011!

Philip Hodson, Fellow of the British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy, says that most people experience a process of regret as they go through life: “You tend to start with sorrow for the missed opportunity. But then reason comes to your aid – you were making your best decision at the time, given the information available and the personality you have inherited and I think this is the key to staying out of trouble with nostalgia.”

The top five regrets are spirituality, family, romance and health, but 20-year-old Rossana Pirodi can relate to the number one regret, education, the most: “I regret not keeping up with learning Italian when I first started studying it,” she says.

“I also regret not taking my driving test when I was ready to. I wish I’d just gone for it and gotten it out of the way.”

Rossana says she doesn’t believe it when people say that they don’t have regrets and thinks that they can be a healthy part of life: “You can’t change what’s happened and I don’t think people can help wishing things were different.

“I think it’s easy to get caught up in regrets, but as long as we just treat them as learning opportunities and don’t let them overwhelm us, regrets can be a normal and useful part of life,” she says.

However, engineering manager Wayne Roberts claims he doesn’t regret any decision he’s made in 54 years: “The experiences I’ve had – whether they’ve been good or bad – have made me the person that I am today, and I am happy with who I am and where I am.

“If I had a done anything different then I wouldn’t be this person,” he says.

Most people have regrets, but learning from those experiences is key. Photo: Victor Bezrukov

Philip Hodson admits that he regrets falling out with his friend, who never forgave him, in the sixties, as well as several ‘crimes’ and minor sins. However, since his immaturity subsided, he has made many ‘adult lifetime friends’.

He advises against living in the past, and encourages people to learn from their experiences and take more of the opportunities that are offered to them: “Try to be a little more open-minded and experimental when it comes to key opportunities. Bear this in mind: the only things that really matter in life are health and family – the rest is ‘management’.

“So don’t say you “don’t like it because you’ve never tried it”. And do invest in friendships because you will need them.”

More tickets were set aside for Americans and Europeans than Africans, and weeks before South Africa’s first game, 3m tickets had been sold, but only 10,000 to the host nation’s people.

Thousands gathered in Soweto fan park to watch the World Cup's big games. Photo Frederic Jon

FIFA reduced ticket prices to $20 for South Africans, hoping that more would be sold. However these tickets were only available on the internet. But Internet usage is still low in Africa, and many don’t trust it enough to buy things.

Food and drink in the stadiums was restricted to that sold by FIFA’s partners, with Budweiser being the only beer, and McDonald’s the only food. No local produce was present, despite the South African government spending over $4billion on the tournament.

The South African Football Association is expected to get $100m from the World Cup, a blessing for them, but a figure dwarfed by the $3billion made by FIFA.

Infrastructure projects, such as upgrading the country’s motorways, airports, and public transport, that were already planned by the South African government were fast-tracked due to the World Cup bid being successful in 2004. While welcome in a country with a previously-poor transport system, only a small, rich part of the population will benefit.

Around 150,000 jobs were created during the World Cup, but most were temporary and few will stay employed, the majority in the stadiums used for the tournament. South Africa has a population of 49m and a current unemployment rate of 25%, or 12.2m people. It is highly unlikely that poor people in areas such as Cape Town and Johannesburg will see a difference in their quality of life.

World Cup 2010 produced the most colourful, exuberant, and emotive spectacle world football has ever seen. Yet the host nation should have been able to reap more financial rewards than FIFA and its wealthy partners.

One conclusion is for sure though, the memory of a remarkable World Cup can never be taken away from the people who supported Bafana Bafana.

Our favourite ogre family are living the good life in “Shrek Forever After”, but Shrek has lost what made him fearsome. He no longer scares the villagers, and instead he’s a tourist attraction for the residents of Far Far Away.

This all gets too much for Shrek and he makes a deal with the conniving Rumpelstiltskin which sends him into an alternate reality where he was never born, where he never met Donkey, and where he never married Fiona.

Shrek is back and ready to scare again in "Shrek Forever After". Photo: Paramount

The series’ main characters are then reintroduced to Shrek without the fairytale trappings, which makes this film a little more heartwarming than its predecessors. This is also helped by the omission of the over-the-top puns and parodies found in the previous films.

Newcomer Walt Dohrn (Rumpelstiltskin) has brilliant vocal abilities which match those of his celebrity co-stars, and although the script is sometimes lacking it’s a lot more satisfying than that of “Shrek the Third”. Also, the film’s 3D presentation adds a visual depth without being a gimmick.

The plot is predictable, but the inevitable happy ending still makes you feel warm and fuzzy.

6/10

Turner, who is playing on Friday, said: “Getting to headline a festival is a milestone for me. Something to check off my list. The guys who run it are great people, honest and hard working folk.

“I was booked to play last year and had to pull out due to US touring commitments. That’s something I hate doing, and I feel like I’m making it right by coming back to play this year.”

Frank Turner headlines Friday night of the 2000 Trees festival. Photo: Vince Kmeron

In 2008 the festival won the “A Greener Festival” award, previously won by Glastonbury and Latitude. AGreenerFestival.com said: “All the award winners have demonstrated the ability to promote environmental efficiency and sustainability, and that they have coherent green policies covering greenhouse gas emissions, traffic and transport, waste management, recycling, protecting the environment, and water management.”

2000 Trees is keen to cut their own CO2 emissions, and they have comprehensive on-site recycling and composting scheme that had a 90% recycling rate in 2008. Also, all power and lighting is produced using locally-sourced chip-fat biodiesel. The organisers say they saved over two tonnes of carbon last year.

For Frank Turner fans who can’t make it to Upcote Farm next week, he’s on tour in December and could be making a trip to Lincoln: “I’ve been thinking about doing a solo tour of the UK sometime, playing smaller venues but playing like every town, Lincoln included. So we shall see.”

The vuvuzelas will be the lasting memory of this World Cup for many people. Photo: Dundas Football Club

Team of the tournament: Germany
Runners-up: Spain, Netherlands

South Africa 2010 was the World Cup where the 4-2-3-1 formation came of age. No other team adopted the system as successfully as the Germans though, who defended solidly before counter-attacking with fantastic speed. Sami Khedira and Bastian Schweinsteiger occupied the middle of the park and sat deep, limiting themselves to only the occasional venture forward. This allowed the quartet of Muller, Podolski, Ozil and Klose more freedom in the opposition half—the former picking up the Golden Boot for his efforts.

The Germans lost to Serbia in the first round but still managed to finish top of Group D. Then came the consecutive crushings of England and Argentina in the knockout stages before a semi-final tie with the Spanish. The eventual winners were just too strong though, with Carlos Puyol’s header sending the young German side home.

Player of the tournament: Diego Forlan
Runners-up: Wesley Sneijder, Bastian Schweinsteiger

In a tournament where many so-called ‘superstars’ failed to live up to expectations, it was ironic that a man considered a ‘flop’ to Premier League supporters set the tournament alight. During his three and a half year stay at Manchester United, the Uruguay marksman scored just 17 goals for the club. Sir Alex Ferguson shipped him off to Villarreal, where Forlan began to score, and brought in Wayne Rooney (who is mentioned later).

Forlan opened his 2010 account with a brace against South Africa and then scored the equaliser against Ghana in the quarter-finals. His goal against the Netherlands in the semi-finals was not enough to send the Uruguayans crashing out, while his third place play-off strike against Germany inspired a comeback from Joachim Loew’s side. Despite his tournament ending in disappointment, Forlan picked up FIFA’s ‘Golden Ball’ award for the best player of the World Cup.

Coach of the tournament: Joachim Loew 
Runners-up: Bert Van Marwijk, Vicente Del Bosque

Loew was certainly the best dressed coach, and his stylish ‘father from an American teen show’ look was matched only by his tactical prowess. Losing Michael Ballack to injury before departing to South Africa proved to be a blessing in disguise as the inclusion of Khedira gave better balance to the side.

His side were only stopped by a persistent and disciplined Spain in the semi-finals. In four years time Loew, assuming he stays on as head coach, will be more experienced and equipped to go further. As will his players.

Surprise package of the tournament: Ghana
Runners-up: Uruguay, Paraguay

Ghana carried the torch admirably for Africa in a campaign where it’s nations failed to impress. Placed in the so-called ‘group of death’, Ghana did well to finish above Australia and Serbia and qualify for the next round. An extra time victory over USA set up a winnable quarter final against the Uruguayans.

Right at the death of extra time, Dominic Adiyah’s header was about to cross the line when Luis Suarez cruelly handled the ball, denying Africa an historic first semi-finalist ever. Asamoah Gyan missed the resulting penalty and the rest is history. But winning this award means Uruguay will hopefully give the Ghanaians some sense of consolation and justice. Maybe not.

Flop of the tournament: Italy
Runners-up: Wayne Rooney, France

They arrived into the tournament with a much weaker squad than they did four years ago, but the disastrous campaign that developed was not predicted by anyone. The Italians were lucky after being placed in a relatively easy group with Paraguay, Slovakia and New Zealand.

After Daniele De Rossi rescued a point for the Italians in their opening game against Paraguay, it was expected Marcello Lippi’s team would up their game against New Zealand. But the 1000/1 rank outsiders for the World Cup held them to a 1-1 draw. It was down to the Italians to win their last match to qualify which everyone still expected them to do. But the Slovakians put in a marvellous performance and came away with a 3-2 win to send the Azzurri home.

Goal of the tournament: Van Bronckhorst v Uruguay
Runners-up: Tshabalala v Mexico, Tevez v Mexico

Giovanni Van Bronchorst announced prior to the tournament that he would retire from football altogether after its conclusion. The Dutch captain managed to lead his team to the final which ultimately ended in disappointment, but he will cherish the memory of his strike in the semi-final against Uruguay.

The former Feyenoord and Rangers left back let fly from 35 yards, with the ball striking the inside of the post and soaring into the top left hand corner of Fernando Muslera’s goal.

Under Bert Van Marwijk, the Netherlands have simplified their style of football and are now a much more pragmatic outfit.

They kicked off their campaign with a comfortable 2-0 win over a disappointing Denmark side before edging past Japan and Cameroon in their other group matches. If a professional 2-1 defeat of Slovakia in the last 16 didn’t have their rivals worried yet then the dispatching of Brazil in the quarters certainly did – as did their swift and confident disposal of over performers Uruguay in the semi-finals.

David Villa and his Spain team mates are just one game away from world domination. Photo: lembagg via Flickr

Spain’s passage has been less straightforward. Tipped as the favourites before the tournament kicked off, ‘La Roja’ slumped to a 1-0 defeat in their opening game against Switzerland. They saw off the minnows of Honduras but still had to beat Chile to be sure of qualification from their group—a match that ended in a narrow 2-1 win. Then Spain got their act together, as three consecutive 1-0 wins in the knockout rounds proved. Usually flamboyant Spain is becoming the unlikely experts of the 1-0 win.

If the Netherlands are to secure the title of world’s best, they will have to stop Spain from keeping the ball at the attacking end of the pitch. The Spaniards will be looking to shake the major tournament monkey from their backs fully as it continues to remind them of their international failures. Claiming the European Championships in 2008 went some way to doing that but Vicente Del Bosque’s nation are still without that elusive World Cup win.

They will start the match as favourites but need to be wary of the counter attacking threat of the ‘Oranje’. Arjen Robben, despite not being fully match fit, will be a potent threat and could well be propelled down the right flank to target Spain’s left back Joan Capdevila who has looked unconvincing thus far. As well as Robben, Wesley Sneijder, who is vying for the Golden Boot with Spain’s David Villa, is in top form and will look to pull the strings for the Dutch.

Most teams at big tournaments have at least one bad game. The Netherlands have not yet had one. Germany lost to Serbia, the Uruguayans toiled against the troubled French and Spain lost their opener. That failure motivated the Spanish into developing resilience, which has seen them score three second half winners in three consecutive matches.

The Dutch will be no pushovers, but few would bet against yet another 1-0 victory for Spain.

Known to his friends as Sam Duckworth, Get Cape. shot on to the scene in 2006 with a blend of folk and electronica, with his first album “The Chronicles Of A Bohemian Teenager”. He describes his style as “like listening to four records at once, but hopefully not as confusing as that”.

Get Cape. Wear Cape. Fly will headline the Y Not festival on Friday, July 30th . Photo: Matt Freer

Two years after the release of his last album “Searching For The Hows And Whys”, Duckworth is back with his next release expected for September 13th. “To me it sounds like a natural progression, but people I’ve been playing it to seem to think it’s more of an electronic record,” Duckworth says.

Politics are a huge part of Get Cape. Wear Cape. Fly, and Duckworth is highly involved in several political based groups, most notably “Love Music Hate Racism” (LMHR), an organisation set up by members of the British music industry to help promote anti-racist ideologies through music and events: “I got introduced [to LMHR] at Glastonbury a few years ago, and then got involved handing out flyers and helping to put gigs on.”

The aim of LMHR is not only to help with serious racial abuse, but also to take away the acceptability of casual racism: “We want people to challenge people they know who support parties like the BNP, and challenge their racist undertones.”

However, Duckworth says that the new album is less overtly political, compared with his last album, but focuses instead on the importance of community: “It’s about how we can learn things from other people, and how coming together for the common goal can break down barriers. I didn’t want to make a record that was all doom and gloom. The politics is in there, but its more focussed on what do we do next and how do we rebuild.”

“There’s so much negativity in the media, but I don’t think we’re quite at Armageddon. Obviously with the way it is things have to change, but people need to realise that change isn’t necessarily a bad thing.”

At the end of the month Get Cape. Wear Cape. Fly is scheduled to play the Y Not festival, in Matlock, Derbyshire, and Duckworth and his live band will be headlining the second stage on Friday, July 30th.

“It’s nice going to a festival somewhere I’ve never been, The King Blues (last year’s headliners) said it was amazing, and the line-up looks fantastic. It’ll be really nice to be somewhere where people are really excited to see bands, and the excitement comes from the people being together and enjoying live music.”

Y Not festival is in its fifth year this year, and will also play host to The Futureheads, The Subways and The Mystery Jets amongst many others.

– The Linc has three pairs of tickets to the Y Not festival (July 30th – August 1st) to offer, which can be won by answering the following question: Which three acts headlined the Y Not festival last year?

To be in with a chance of winning, email your answer to ynotfestival@thelinc.co.uk before July 18th, 2010.

Good luck!

Big Brother, one of the most successful reality TV programmes, is celebrating its 11th year. Photo: Ged Carrol via Flickr

This sort of programme really does lend light to the mindset that the media will literally broadcast anything these days.

That rather nicely leads me onto the crux of my argument, Big Brother. I’m sure you’ve all seen it, you would have had to have been living in a hole for the past decade or so to have missed this cultural phenomenon. As the programme enters into it’s eleventh, and thankfully final series, I’m trying to see what the appeal is.

First of all though, a bit of history. As with all the great British icons, we nicked the idea of Big Brother from someone else, the Netherlands in this case. The first Dutch series was broadcast in 1999, with the UK version kicking off a year later. Now the show has several international versions, and is hailed as one of the true icons of the twenty-first century.

But why? What’s so great about it? Oh sure, you get the regular arguments and the occasional flash of nudity, but that can’t really be the appeal?

Maybe it’s the God complex in all of us at work, the good feeling we get from looking down on people who can’t watch us back, of interfering in another person’s life and watching them deal with the consequences.

The people I’ve spoken to, all avid Big Brother fans, say they watch the series because they like seeing the various relationships form in the house and there’s not much else on during the summer anyway.

There’s also one thing about Big Brother that annoys me immensely. It’s not the constant adverts or shameless self-promotion, but rather the housemates themselves. Think about it, in the current series we have a lesbian, a gay man, a religious but intoxicated fanatic, a posh-boy, and an amputee.

It’s as if Channel 4 simply went down a checklist of minority groups, ticking each one off as they went. They might as well chuck a serial killer into the house as well, that’d tick a few more diversity boxes.

Though clearly I must be missing a very important point here, because despite numerous Facebook status updates proclaiming otherwise, reality television in general is still a huge business. There’s been hundreds of commissioned programmes over the years, all with the basis of watching a cross section of the public undertake something ridiculous from the comfort of your living room. And every incarnation of I’m a B-list Celebrity Dancing Strictly on Ice for Charity owes its roots to Big Brother.

So I suppose that since this broadcasting leviathan is well and truly in its death throes, the time for criticising it is past. And what I should in fact be doing is praising the icon for providing us with quality programming for the past decade or so. I would be doing this, had said programming been of any reasonable quality.

What Big Brother has in fact provided us with is a unique way of turning ordinary people into so-called celebrities. This has been so successful that there are now more celebrities than ever, and therefore the threshold of what it takes to be considered famous has been considerably lowered.

So that’s my final sentiment after ten years of Big Brother. So if you want to vote on whether we should keep reality shows, phone our premium rate phone number now… or you could just write it down, I suppose.

The upper body is most commonly injured, resulting in pain in the forearms, elbows, and shoulders. People with RSI usually experience tightness, burning, swelling, and a feeling of weakness in the area of the affected joint.

Sufferers of RSI experience pain in the area of the affected joint. Photo: Anneka James

The increased use of computers, console gaming, and iPods all contribute to the condition, as 18-year-old Charles Burdett knows only too well. He was diagnosed with RSI five years ago: “It developed from gaming on the computer and the constant use of the W, A, S and D directional computer keys,” he says. “It doesn’t affect my life in a big way at the moment. It’s only uncomfortable to tightly clench my left hand into a fist.”

Burdett treats his RSI by taking regular rests from gaming to stretch his fingers, and taking cod liver oil.

Mike Forrester set up repetitivestraininjury.org.uk after suffering himself: “There didn’t seem to be a great deal of information on the web about RSIs at the time so I tried to put together a comprehensive resource which would hopefully help other people who either have RSIs or believe that they may have an RSI.”

Forrester attributes his condition to the fact that he’s worked with computers over the course of several years.

RSI is treatable, however preventing it from developing is more important. Forrester suggests ways in which RSI can be prevented on his website: “When sat down, attempt to retain a good posture, no slouching! Ideally your head and back should form a straight line from your ears to your pelvis. When using the keyboard, try not to hit the keys on your keyboard too forcefully, and learn all the keyboard shortcuts to save you from unnecessary typing.

“Take regular breaks and stand up and stretch, as well as stretching your arms and wrists, and also straighten your fingers. If you are office based, try to look at objects in the distance occasionally rather than continuously starring at a computer screen.”

A change in philosophy for the Dutch national team has seen more success follow, with a World Cup semi-final on the horizon. Photo: Globovision via Flickr

The players we have seen swagger effortlessly around South African pitches in the past few weeks were learning their trade. Take Sami Khedira, the man who has filled in easily for Ballack, was captaining the German youth teams to success and forcing his way into the Stuttgart first team. The Germans were learning a different brand of football—one that would be of use in the not-so-distant future.

Across the border in the Netherlands, the Dutch national team were continuing their tradition of underachievement. In 2006 they were knocked out in the last 16 of the 2006 World Cup by Portugal. However, for as long as the World Cup has been in existence, the Dutch have won admirers for sticking by their free-flowing, attractive style of ‘Total Football’.

When Bert Van Marwijk arrived as head coach of the national team, he signalled a change. It was quite obvious that the ‘sexy’ football that neutrals enjoyed so much was not going to win the Netherlands a big tournament any time soon. Instead he changed the Dutch philosophy. Armed with this new pragmatism, the team may have lost a few fair-weather fans but stand just 90 minutes away from their first World Cup final for 32 years.

Changing a country’s style of football is not an easy thing to do. One may have sacrificed style for substance and the other vice versa, but the two countries outlined above have adapted to the constant evolution of international football. Germany needed some sexing up, Holland needed a chill pill. England, at the very least, needs to start developing technique at an earlier age and rectify the power that clubs have over the national team. Maybe the FA should take notice before England fall even further behind.

Speaking on the official Lincoln City website, Imps manager Chris Sutton said: “I’m delighted that a player of Albert’s ability has agreed to sign for us. He is a player who the fans will pay money to come and watch and if he can fulfill his potential he will almost certainly improve us as a team and help move us forward.”

Albert Jarrett controls the ball while playing for Barnet. Lincoln will be the 25-year-old's 10th club. Photo: Ingy the Wingy via Flickr

Jarrett represented Arsenal at schoolboy level, but failed to make the grade at the club and left to join Wimbledon in 2003. He spent just one season at the Dons, making just 9 appearances before heading to the south coast to ply his trade with Brighton.

After two years at the Seagulls, he was released and joined Watford on a free transfer. But Jarrett made just one appearance there and was instead shipped out on loan to both Boston United and Milton Keynes Dons.

Gillingham was the next stop for Jarrett who offered him a month-to-month contract. He made 16 league appearances at the club before he was released at the end of the 2008-09 season. Jarrett had arguably his most successful season ever last year as he played in all but one of Barnet’s League Two matches, helping them to avoid relegation.

He becomes the sixth new recruit to sign on at Sincil Bank for the new season and will now join the rest of the players in pre-season training which began this week.

England's failure to progress in South Africa has left fans feeling dejected, but what does the future hold? Photo: Mark Bridge

“The ball was over the damn line and you know it! It would have changed everything.”

Yes it was. And there is no doubting that had that goal been given, it would have changed the course of the game. Germany would have been shell shocked by England’s quick-fire comeback, and Fabio Capello’s side would have been on top mentally with less need to push forward to find an equaliser—a task which ultimately allowed the Germans to counter-attack and score more goals.

But there is no guarantee that that would happen. England were horrific defensively and could quite easily have conceded more goals even if their second half tactics had not been so gung-ho. Regardless, an England win would have masked the deeper shortcomings in the English game which are beginning to be properly debated. For that reason, and the fact that Sepp Blatter and his infamous FIFA friends now seem forced into introducing goal-line technology, Frank Lampard’s ghost goal may prove to be a blessing in disguise.

“Well the players were tired after a long season.”

This is one of my favourite excuses. Yes, we should have a winter break. The majority of football lovers agree with that point. It would improve fatigue levels for the second half of the season and lessen the number of lower-league matches which are postponed due to bad weather.

But there is no way that these supremely fit professional footballers can be more tired than their better-performing counterparts. Martin Samuel, sports columnist for the Daily Mail, argued against this point perfectly in his column today so I don’t have to:

“As for tiredness, why isn’t Dirk Kuyt dead on his feet for Holland, then? He featured in 53 matches for Liverpool, four more than Steven Gerrard. Javier Mascherano played 45 for the club, compared to 34 by Glen Johnson. Why aren’t the foreign players performing in the Premier League exhausted, too?”

“But that’s what it is! It’s all those foreigners coming over here and taking our jobs. The Premier League is too crammed with them.”

Amazingly, there is some logic in this “white van man” argument. The amount of foreign players in the Premier League is amazing and far surpasses that of other major continental leagues. To take one example, when the Premier League started back in 1989, according to the BBC, Liverpool had 18 players born in the UK with just five born abroad. At the start of last season that had completely reversed, with the squad accommodating just four domestic players compared to 20 overseas “stars”. This, of course, means there is less room for home-grown players to break into Premier League first teams.

But in the seventies, there were almost no foreign players in the top division. England qualified for just one of the three tournaments in that decade.

“And while we’re on the subject, the England team need an Englishman in charge. Where was Joe Cole and the 4-5-1?”

It’s quite easy to blame the manager but he can only work with what he has, which is not a lot. England’s strikers were Rooney, Defoe, Crouch and Heskey. Hardly inspiring. Compare that to the Argentinean quartet of Higuain, Tevez, Milito, and Aguero and you will see the vast differences between the countries in squad depth.

Fabio Capello is one of the best managers in the world. If he can’t succeed with the England team it is unlikely that anyone can. An English manager would attempt to restore pride in the national side and would provide clear tactical instructions but whether any of them are good enough for the job is debatable.

“Erm, okay, so…we’re just not good enough?”

Probably not. Not at the minute anyway, and we’re unlikely to be for several years because the players just aren’t coming through. There are some promising talents in the likes of Jack Wilshere and Jack Rodwell, but there are no Owens or Gerrards ready to come straight into the side for the Euro 2012 campaign, which will be a struggle.

There needs to be mass investment at grassroots level and new styles of coaching need to be explored. Youngsters need to be taught to play the Brazilian way, the Spanish way, even the German way, rather than the rigid, direct, tactical dirge which is all they know at the moment. Only then will we see an England side which can adjust and impress on the world stage.

Ferdinand, ruled out of the competition with a knee injury, watched the old enemy run rampant in the last-16 clash in Bloemfontein.

In the second half a dominant Germany showing rendered that decision academic but Ferdinand believes it may have been a different story had the sides gone in 2-2 at the break.

The Lincoln manager has made five major signings so far this summer. Sutton began his push to bolster the team in late May, shortly after the football season finished. Josh O’Keefe joined the Imps on a deal that will keep him with City until 2012, after he was released along with six other players from Walsall. The midfielder’s release was no surprise after he played only 13 games for the Saddlers in the previous campaign.

Gavin McCallum in action for Hereford United. The winger is expected to become an instant hit with the Sincil Bank faithful. Photo: Ingy the Wingy via Flickr

Joe Anyon and Mustapha Carayol were the second and third players to walk into the board room and sign contracts at Sincil Bank. Goalkeeper Anyon signed a two-year deal with the Imps after he was released by Port Vale after making 109 appearances at Vale Park.

Carayol, a pacey right-footed left winger, also signed on a two-year deal with the Imps. He joined from last season’s League Two strugglers  Torquay, where he scored six goals in 50 appearances for the Gulls. The Imps were forced to pay compensation to Torquay as Carayol is under the age of 24 and was not released by the Gulls.

In early June, Sutton made the successful move to sign Drewe Broughton on a permanent deal, after the Hitchin-born player impressed on loan at Sincil Bank. Even though Broughton did not score a single goal for the Imps during his nine-game spell, he did provide the perfect partner to Davide Somma in the latter stages of last season.

In late June came Sutton’s fifth transfer of the summer: the rapid wide midfielder Gavin McCallum. He made an impression on City’s managerial staff playing for Hereford United when they faced the Imps last season at Sincil Bank, and since penned a two-year contract with City. The Canadian-born player enjoyed a productive period with the Bulls last season scoring eight goals in 27 games, an impressive yield for any winger.

Lincoln manager Sutton is still rumoured to be looking to sign a striker who will provide goals and a balance to the Imps side as the new season looms.

A “psychic” octopus is said by its aquarium owners to have predicted the country’s football team will knock England out of the World Cup.

When consulted, Paul the octopus chose a mussel from a jar with the German flag on it ahead of one in a similar jar bearing the cross of St George.

The two-year-old cephalopod has a record of predicting past German results in this manner, his owners say.

Read the full report on the BBC News website.

Will David James's preparation mean he'll end up smiling at the end of Sunday's match? Photo: B.Tse

James has had a fantastic career. He was somewhat of a loose cannon in his early years and became known as ‘Calamity James’ for his fairly regular goalkeeping mishaps. But, like the proverbial fine wine, he has matured with age. That realisation of potential has brought new characteristics to David James’s nature. One of those is a meticulous attention to detail.

In 2003, James was invited over to the United States to train with the Miami Dolphins of the National Football League. While there he gained an in depth insight into the way American football is organised, from the technical coaching to the physical conditioning of players. He also became converted to the Americans’ obsessive analysis of every aspect of their sport.

The intelligent Portsmouth goalkeeper has already admitted his eagerness to enter into management in the future, and has even being linked with the Portsmouth job recently. It is apparent that he is ready to put the tactical and organisational theory he has learned throughout his career into practice.

Sunday’s bout with Germany, and the chance of penalties, gives James the ideal scenario to do this. He has already admitted that he is studying the penalty taking habits of the German players in preparation. David James is set to thrive on such a pressure situation, mentally armed with his preparation and, most probably and less abstractly, an accompanying crib sheet.

That’s if 120 minutes of nerve-wrangling, heart failure-inducing football doesn’t sort things out first, of course.

Expressions such as, “don’t mention the war” and “two World Wars and one World Cup” are banded each time the two sides meet. Yet surely and justifiably the conflict that went on pre-1945 means diddly squat to a football match that may hold significance, but will never be held in the same regard as soldiers battling on the frontline.

For 1966 to be repeated England need to beat Germany at Bloemfontein, will penalties be needed to decide matters? Photo: Germán Aczel

So, then, where does this rivalry come from and how has it become so toughened and meaningful to the footballing world? Post-1945 the first account of rivalry between the two countries on the football pitch came on Saturday, 30th July, 1966. England came out of the dressing room at the Old Wembley, captained by Bobby Moore and managed by Sir Alf Ramsey. West Germany were led onto the field that day by Uwe Seeler and coached by Helmut Schön. The result is possibily the most revered in English football, 4-2 after extra time. No need on that occasion for the dreaded penalties.

There were however two controversial moments in that game in front of 98,000 pitchside and millions watching at home. Firstly, West Germany’s equaliser which sent the game into extra time with the score two a piece. Jack Charlton had initially given away a free kick. Yet, in conventional Jack fashion, he declared he should’ve been given a free kick after Uwe Seeler backed into the Ashington-born player. The free kick, whipped in by Lothar Emmerich, was sufficiently blocked by George Cohen but then tucked away by Wolfgang Weber. Yet England’s stopper Gordon Banks protested to Swiss referee Gottfried Dienst, claiming the ball had struck the hand of Karl-Heinz Schnellinger before Weber hit home.

Then came the moment that sent the home nation into ecstasy. With minutes of the first half of extra time left to play, Alan Ball played the ball in towards Geoff Hurst. Hurst controlled the ball, turned and hit a rasping shot in the direction of the German goal. The ball carried its flight ahead of hitting the underside of the crossbar before dropping onto the goal line. The English shouted “goal” and the Germans shouted “kein zeil.” Attention instantly turned to Soviet linesman Tofik Bakhramov, who dramatically awarded a goal, leaving the German players outraged.

There’s no doubt that moments like these fuel the dislike amongst both sets of players and fans. Most recently on the World Cup stage, Italia ‘90 wrote another chapter in England and Germany’s rivalry. The penalty shootout. The frontline of professional football warfare, where what you do as a player can win your country the most prestigous competition in world football. Yet the alternative means heartbreak. Italia ‘90 was England’s big chance to win the World Cup. In between them and the final stood a German side saturated in a wealth of world class quality footballers.

The match went to a penalty shootout after a Gary Lineker goal cancelled out an earlier strike from Andreas Brehme. Then came tension, nail-biting and finally nationwide depression. England and Germany were both level at three all. Up stepped Stuart Pearce, ‘Psycho’ as he was known to fans and teammates. Looking assured and ready, Pearce strode up to the goal with his left foot poised. But disaster struck as it went straight towards German keeper Bodo Illgner.

With Germany scoring their fourth it was up to Chris Waddle to save the hopes of a nation begging for success. Waddle’s body language unlike Pearce’s appeared heavily ridden with doubt. Waddle indicated weakness and proved it when he blazed his shot above and beyond the crossbar into a sea of supporters. England were going home without carrying out yet another World Cup winning objective.

Bloemfontein could well write a new chapter to those written by London and Turin— a chapter that may finally have a narrative that speaks of England emerging victorious and erasing a past tarnished by penalty shootout depression against Germany. The rivalry will only live on.

Oliver Khan, the Germany skipper at the 2002 FIFA World Cup™, says current keeper Manuel Neuer and English rival David James must get their minds right if Sunday’s last-16 tie comes down to a dreaded penalty shoot-out.

Old enemies England and Germany meet in Bloemfontein with a quarter-final spot at stake, conscious that their meetings at UEFA EURO 1996 and the 1990 FIFA World Cup were decided by penalties, with Germany coming out on top on both occasions. England were also beaten by Portugal at EURO 2004 and the 2006 FIFA World Cup on penalties.

Read the full report on the official FIFA website.

The young Thomas Muller drifted in from his right hand flank and picked out Mesut Ozil on the edge of the penalty area. The wily Ozil took one touch to set himself, before firing a wicked left footed volley into the back of the net. It was cruel for Ghana, but Asamoah and his team mates should have took their chances. After all, with the likes of Ozil around, Joachim Loew’s team were always likely to score.

Germany fans celebrate their win against Ghana on Wednesday night. Next up is a mouthwatering tie against the English. Photo: SpreePIX media

In many ways that match summed up Germany’s class of 2010. Like years gone by the Germany side was, both on paper and in practice, more talented than their opponents. But the German sides of previous eras were built from the back—players like Berti Vogts, Jurgen Kohler, and of course the great Franz Beckenbauer, acted as firm foundations and ensured that the team was defensively solid. But these sides often lacked imagination and creativity in attack. They were functional but not flamboyant.

In contrast, it is in the backline where Germany have problems. Phillip Lahm is undoubtedly one of the world’s best full backs, but his fellow defenders are not as convincing. Bayern defender Holger Badstuber is inexperienced and his naivety has been targeted by clubs in the Champions League this season. Also, centre backs Arne Freidrich and Per Mertesacker lack pace and agility which leaves them exposed at international level. Neither have the leadership qualities of either a Beckenbauer, Matthaus, or a Kohler.

However this Joachim Loew-led team possesses strength in the final third. Forwards Miroslav Klose and Lukas Podolski have had torrid seasons for their respective clubs, but really seem to rise to the occasion when playing for their national team. Klose is just one goal away from 50 for his country, while Podolski has impressed in the early stages of the tournament. When you add the nippy and tricky Mesut Ozil into the mix, Germany seem to have the firepower to match most teams at the World Cup.

If England are to beat the odds and down the Germans on Friday, they will need to win two key battles. The first is to breach the relatively weak German defence. That will most probably be done through pace, meaning another start for Jermain Defoe is all but guaranteed.

But their second task will be much more difficult, and one the aforementioned Ghanaians could not achieve. Mesut Ozil is a man in form and will look to pull the strings just behind the German frontline. If England can stop Ozil they can seriously lessen the Germans’ attacking threat.

A new spirit floods the England camp, following the cathartic victory over Slovenia, and a welcome commitment to practising penalties in training gives England hope going into Sunday’s round of 16 game in Bloemfontein.

If England line up with Jamie Carragher replacing Matthew Upson, then Fabio Capello will have plenty of players experienced at penalty-taking, albeit not always successfully.

Steven Gerrard, Frank Lampard and Carragher all missed in Gelsenkirchen in 2006 but will present themselves willingly for duty, as will Glen Johnson, John Terry, Ashley Cole, James Milner, Gareth Barry, Wayne Rooney and Defoe.

Capello has 23 names in order and those on the pitch at the end of extra time will not be allowed shirk their responsibility. The probable German five would be Bastian Schweinsteiger (if fit), Lukas Podolski, Per Mertesacker, Philipp Lahm and Miroslav Klose.

Read Henry Winter’s full article for the Daily Telegraph here.

This is all according to Kayleigh Turner, Lincoln SU’s out-going and outspoken vice-president for education and academic affairs. As the SU handover week sees the next executive team start, The Linc speaks to Turner about her two years as a full-time officer.

“It’s [SU] very cliquey and sometimes quite hard to feel involved in the SU ‘bubble’. I came in as an officer having had little to no involvement in the SU…everyone else seemed to know and understand the workings of the SU and the relationships,” Turner says.

Kayleigh Turner was a full-time officer at Lincoln SU for two years. Photo: Sam Cox

She was first elected in 2008, before being re-elected in 2009: ”The two teams were incredibly different from each other, and neither better or worse to work in. My first year was difficult as we lacked a strong leader and sometimes it was every officer for themselves rather than working as a team.

“My second year was equally difficult as sometimes I felt a lack of support for the projects that I felt were important based on the feedback I received. Also, as a second year the experience and knowledge you gained over your first year in office isn’t always appreciated and I found that particularly difficult.”

Feedback from student reps showed her they wanted a bigger say in course quality and design, and faculty reps wanted more research engaged teaching – but there was little support for Turner within the union as “it wasn’t a strategic priority”.

Turner says: “In years to come, with money in universities…becoming tighter, quality is going to be a huge deal and [if] Lincoln gets in early with new, innovative methods of teaching and learning, it could have a huge impact on the experience that our students have.”

Her high points were the SU’s efforts in the library becoming 24 hour for busy periods in term, and the student reps system they have introduced.

As for her low points: “[They were] the times when I felt like no matter how hard I tried, the things I wanted to do were never going to work. Making changes and having an impact…is difficult, especially if it needs a culture shift and support from the students or the university that you don’t have.”

The future may bring problems for the new team with the government’s scissors poised to cut university funding. The university will have to be thrifty, which could test the union and university’s relationship.

“There will be times when the SU needs to stand up for students against the university, which is something that they haven’t particularly had to deal with in the years that I have been involved, and that might be difficult given the close relationship there is currently,” Turner says.

“The university has always been very supportive of the union and vice versa, so it would be very interesting to see what happened.”

The university’s estates strategy may cause clashes, she thinks, with differences between what students and the university want from buildings “particularly with regards to commercial spaces on campus”.

It may be difficult for the SU to take a strong stance against the university – chomping on the hand that feeds may leave you hungry. What are funding alternatives for the SU? “I think the funding question is a really tough one to answer. All SUs are in some way funded by the university or college they are attached to, it’s just the way things go.

“In the climate, having your own commercial services can either be a real financial bonus, or a financial drain. Five years ago when I first came to Lincoln, the SU owned the Delph [the old SU bar before the Engine Shed], but the time and money the Delph took meant the union didn’t have as much time to focus on education and welfare – things that I really think should be the core of what the SU does.”

She believes sponsorship may be viable, but that commercial ventures are a bad idea.

For now, Turner has re-located to London and is City University’s latest postgraduate courses officer, a post she “absolutely loves”.

“My calling is definitely the education sector, and working for ‘the other side’ I can now appreciate the hard work that goes into making each course run smoothly for students through the year. In January I start my PGCE at St Mary’s University College and will hopefully, fingers crossed, be qualified as a maths teacher in 2012.”

The cause of all the trouble Photo: Dan Taylor via Flickr

Partly because it looks utterly fantastic. Gone are the days when Apple was a byword for big and bulky machinery that barely functioned. Now it’s design heaven. The subtle curves and sexiness of it all means I could go on about it for days, as my flatmates will delight in telling you. They’ll recall how I can be found most evenings now whispering sweet nothings to the Macbook, promising it that what happens between myself and my iPhone is purely professional.

Come to think of it, I’ve got three iProducts. I have an iPod like every person my age. And also the iPhone because, let’s face it, why not? And now an Apple laptop as well. Yep, my iLife is really starting to take shape.

But my pleasure in the wondrous powers of the Apple marketing division lead me to ask why we can’t do without technology?

Technology and staying connected are now vital aspects in all of our lives. We’ve come to rely heavily on the capabilities of the Internet. So, with that in mind, could we do without it?

I was on a train the other day and was already pretty annoyed that I couldn’t get a full mobile signal, so you can imagine the sort of language I came out with when the stewards announced that there was no Wi-Fi either. What? No Wi-Fi at all? Even the dingiest of Lincoln’s coffee shops has Wi-Fi if some sort, so how come East Midlands Trains doesn’t?

Their answer shocked me. I phoned them to see why they didn’t offer Wi-Fi, pointing out that most train companies, especially those operating services in and out of London, offer Wi-Fi free on their trains. Apparently there are plans to introduce such a service on their London routes, but this won’t be in place for a while. And whilst they admit that Wi-Fi connectivity has come to be expected by customers nowadays, they don’t seem to grasp how late to the Wi-Fi party they really are.

Back on my journey, we’d now cleared the station and the last remnants of the university Internet were ebbing away as we pulled clear from Lincoln. The prospect of no Internet at all was starting to set in. What if someone wanted to send me a particularly funny email? What if some long-lost relative tried to get in touch with me on Facebook? I’d spent a whole twenty minutes creating a Spotify playlist to keep me company on the long journey, and what use was it now?

So there I was, absolutely stuck. For the next hour and a half I could feel myself ageing, things were that boring. The tedium of the journey wasn’t even lightened by pulling into Nottingham, where we were joined by a group of lads, who spent the whole journey telling each other where they’d last “done it”. Had any sort of Internet been available here, I could’ve spent my time productively. I was instead forced to listen to just how far Andy had gotten with Sharon the previous weekend.

Why can’t we do without technology? Sure, computers are wonderful things, but where it all will end? Will we increasingly let computers take over our lives? To the point where we can’t do anything for ourselves any more? It’s scary if you consider just how far the computer and the Internet have come since their respective inventions.

Just a few decades have passed and look at the rate of progression. If the same were to happen to humans, we’d have all been born, moved out of the caves, and gone to the stars in a matter of hours. Things are moving at a phenomenal rate, and that’s a truly terrifying thought.

I could easily go on. But if you don’t mind, there’s an iPad going on ebay that I quite like the look of…

Franz Beckenbauer has claimed England look ‘burnt out’ ahead of their World Cup last-16 clash with Germany following a gruelling Premier League season.

England’s failure to win Group C means they will meet Group D winners Germany in the first knockout phase match in Bloemfontein on Sunday afternoon, and Beckenbauer would rather have seen the two sides go head to head later in the competition.

“A game like this should be a semi-final, not a last-16 game,” Beckenbauer told Germany’s Bild newspaper. “Unfortunately, the English have slipped up a little by finishing second in their group.”

Read the full report over at the Guardian website.

England striker Wayne Rooney calmed fears about his fitness by taking part in light training with his team-mates in Rustenburg on Thursday.

Rooney was substituted after 72 minutes in his side’s 1-0 win over Slovenia on Wednesday because of an ankle problem.

But he trained in the gym alongside the other players who featured in the game, boosting hopes that he will be fit for Sunday’s last-16 clash with Germany.

Read the BBC’s full report here

Coach Joachim Loew believes Germany will face a “tough job” against England when the two teams meet in the second round of the World Cup on Sunday.

Germany beat Ghana 1-0 to finish top of Group D, while England had to settle for second place in Group C despite beating Slovenia by the same score.

“It’s going to be special, there is so much history between us,” said Loew.

Read the BBC’s full report for more.

Gavin McCallum in action for Hereford United. The winger joins the Imps fresh from gaining his first international cap. Photo: Ingy the Wingy via Flickr

Lightning-quick McCallum, who impressed playing for Hereford United against the Imps last season, has put pen to paper on a two-year deal at Sincil Bank.

The acquisition of the 22-year-old Canadian international is Sutton’s fifth major signing of the summer. He also becomes the second wide man that the manager has brought in, after Mustapha Carayol signed in May. The duo look set to occupy the flanks for Lincoln next season and their frightening pace is bound to worry League Two defenders.

McCallum began his career at Yeovil Town, but couldn’t force his way into the The Glovers’ first team and had to settle for an array of loan deals at non-league clubs, including Tamworth and Dorchester. McCallum went on to play for Weymouth and then Sutton United which is where his speed caught the eye of the then-Hereford United manager John Trewick. He signed a short-term deal for the Bulls after a successful trial spell.

He made 20 league starts and seven substitute appearances for the club last season, scoring seven goals in the process.

And McCallum’s recent good form earned him his first cap for the Canadian national team. He celebrated his debut by scoring a late equaliser in The Reds’ 1-1 draw in Venezuela last month.

Every four years the expectation of winning another World Cup rises. Yet that doesn’t neccessarily mean that the chances of winning the Jules Rimet trophy have improved, in actual fact the team fielded this year is worse than that selected for the previous three tournaments. It is almost a desperate hope that anyone can envisage England winning the cup this year after two successive bore score draws in the opening games.

Every four years the population of England get behind the national team with the hope of bringing World Cup glory home. Photo: G Lloyd

Italia ‘90 has been labelled by many as the best chance the national team has had of bringing national glory home since the Geoff Hurst hat-trick at the Old Wembley against West Germany. In 1990, a team fronted by Gary Lineker made it to the semi finals and played a regimental Germany side. In true World Cup style the match went to a penalty shootout after a cagey performance from both teams that finished one a piece after extra time.

The Germans unsurprisingly conducted the shootout in a matter only they can be associated with, scoring all four of their spot kicks. England, accompanied by Chris Waddle and Ian Pearce, wilted under the Italian sunlight missing their respective penalties putting an end to another expectant World Cup campaign.

Currently all of the England players selected in this year’s World Cup turnout respectively for different Premier League teams. This may be a fantastic advert for English football and the Premier League in this country, however the emphasis on grassroots football is still lacking. The top league in England is also recognised as the top league in the world and is by far the most lucrative. The truly irresistable reward of inflated wages and global exposure that only the Premier League can offer means that quite literally everyone wants to play in England’s top flight.

These strong incentives that encourage an influx of foreign players to the highest division in the country can be both valuable and detrimental at the same time. They are valuable because of the entertainment factor only the Premier League can provide for spectators, and the additional competition for domestic players. The detrimental effect is that clubs will pay millions of pounds on players and then further thousands in bonuses so that a particular player signs for them.

The monetary policy the Premier League’s sugar daddies have enacted over the last decade means that instead of priming young English players to become stars of the future, the stars of now are foreign and bought for gigantic sums of money. Procedure such as this creates a financial bubble that is only sustainable through bad debt and does not ensure a football club long-term safety.

Until the Premier League or the Football Association propose a ruling that prevents a club fielding more than 50% of foreign players in their starting line-up, emphasis will still remain on entertainment rather than safeguarding the domestic starlets of tomorrow.

George Osborne's emergency budget gave little hope for hard-up students. Photo: Prime Minister's Office

VAT will rise to 20% on January 4th, 2011, meaning hard-up students already struggling to fund living at university will be squeezed even more.

The increase was announced by George Osborne, chancellor of the exchequer, today, June 22nd, in his emergency budget.

Bursaries at the University of Lincoln are gradually being cut, meaning fewer students benefit. Coupled with a rise in VAT, the cost of living for some students may be too much to bear.

The emergency budget gave nothing away about higher education funding, leaving universities, their current students, and people considering university unsure about the future. Fees may yet rise. David Willetts, minister for universities, recently said that students are a “burden on the taxpayer“.

A private owner for the student loans book will also be sought, a policy the coalition shares with the previous Labour government.

Osborne told the House of Commons that this budget is “tough but fair”. He said: “When we say we’re all in this together, we mean it.”

However, a new levy on banks also announced will raise just £2bn a year. Corporation tax is being cut by 4% over the next four years, and the civil list, which is money handed to the Queen by the state, has been frozen at £7.9million.

One small bonus for students, though, is that the proposed increase in duty on cider has been binned.