2014 My Challenge

Terry Cooper, great left back, would be classed as a wing back in todays game.......

and im very proud of my team, you know, we get bad press, but we are what we are, we take it on the chin.

Thats fantastic. Really made me smile. I've only been to Grimsby's ground once, we played them in a midweek friendly, and our car got bricked on the way home as we were driving away. Happy days.

After we had our brief stint in league 1 (division 3 to me and you) i can definately relate to him.

I can appreciate we are disliked by most, based on the teams history, the fans history etc, but what isnt fair is giving other clubs ammunition to ridicule us by running our club shambolicly and consistently having a very very average playing squad.

** Update **

im 148 days clean. I know i'm over the worst for now as i no longer wake up sweating, thinking about it, i've not had to use software on my laptop, and i do not go into the bookies anymore. My short term dangers have been avoided, for now.

I have not verbally shared my problem with many, but have told the small group of lads im going to cheltenham with next month that i will not be gambling. I've told them i cant trust myself. I didnt go into full details, and i think they are respecting my privacy by not asking, i might tell all on the day after a few hours in the guinness village.

Until i go though, and fully test myself out, im not sure i will remain bet free for the week. I want to be and i plan to be.

The sensible thing would be to not go, but i dont want to prevent myself the joy of the sporting highlight of my year.

Its a big test and im up for it.

You are right, i can trust these lads, they know i dont suffer fools, so if they try give me any ribbing and try tempt me into it ill likely give them plenty back, but it wont ***.

Cheltenham is a mad place, and i really am looking forward to watching each race unbiased, cheering on my mates bets but knowing either way my day wont be ruined.

Ill be on my own high if i can make it through the week.

You are right though, i am an old bore of a jumps man, my wife hates it, i struggle to contain my excitement.

Thanks for the well done my fearless friend.

Hi Leeds V,

Well done on continuing to go without gambling, and I think that sharing the fact that you won't be gambling with your mates before going to Cheltenham should help you to get through it. Nobody will be surprised to see you're not having a flutter, and you'll feel a bit of peer pressure to follow through on what you said, that you weren't going to gamble.

Hope it turns out to be a great event for you, I can certainly say that sport without gambling is much better than sport with it.

All the best

Ryan

Do you know what Ryan, i hadn't considered that. If i were to sneak off and have a bet they would think i was some kind of lying attention seeker so its another great reason to keep away.

Thanks for your support pal.

well, im now past the big 150 which im very pleased with.

Today is a weird one for me.

Im out with work tonight, its a yearly thing we all attend. Im driving, mainly so i can get home in time to see my wife, but also to keep me sober, drinking to much at the moment.

I remember 12 months ago, quite drunk, sneaking into a corner putting bet after bet after bet on, at one stage i was over grand down on the night, trying to keep up the pretense of having fun with my colleagues, knowing that i was dying inside. I eventually had a winner which clawed back the losses as i had upped my stakes dramatically, but it was still a bad bad night and one that sticks with me a year on.

Bob, do you know what, betting, it doesnt interest me either. My favourite website used to be oddchecker, i was obsessed with odds for all sorts, even stupid tv stuff, everything seems to have a price. No more though, no more.

Jackdaws castle looks a magnificent place doesnt it, racehorses have magnificent lives, id give my right arm to work with horses for a living.....however i dont think i could support my family on the money id earn mucking them out. I cant ride, i think i know enough to train them, but realisticly i know 0.001% of what you would need.

Bob, that's great news, and what a fantastic thing it would be working with those uniquely bred animals, so jealous.

Really pleased you are back on track.

I m checking in after Cheltenham is now done for another year, the old place was just as fantastic as ever and I managed the whole week without any bets. Didn't miss betting at all,

Have a good weekend all, I need to detox from Guinness!

Bob, that's great news, and what a fantastic thing it would be working with those uniquely bred animals, so jealous.

Really pleased you are back on track.

I m checking in after Cheltenham is now done for another year, the old place was just as fantastic as ever and I managed the whole week without any bets. Didn't miss betting at all,

Have a good weekend all, I need to detox from Guinness!

Was thinking of you last week mate, and I saw one of my mates put a copy of his betslip on facebook, and I just though best of luck to him. Getting through the week without gambling is a great success, hope the festival itself was enough of a treat for you.

Back to real life now though, hope you can continue with your gamble free progress.

All the best

Ryan

Thanks to you both...

One large difference to the pubs with the Guinness they serve is the price, £4.50 which to us northerners is steep to say the least.

It is a brilliant buzz though being in the packed bars with half the voices irish and everyone just so happy to be there and enjoying the sport.

My mates all lost a fortune so when we were traveling back and they were all moaning about the hard luck stories i was sitting pretty with a conscience clear head.

Well, we did take precautions, and on day 1 had a fair few on the 3 hour train down from leeds, so we already had our base to build on. Louts.

Guard up indeed. I'll buy one