Time to stop!

Hi Steve,

Good to see you still on track mate. I'd agree with Jeff that you should treat yourself a little with the extra £ you willbe earning from the double shifts. Makes a change from working overtime just to fund a gambling session!

Keep up the good work Steve.

Hi Steve,glad all is going well.....,double shifts can be hard to cope with if you do to many...,make sure you get a bit of rest and time out for self.....,i see Elliot Ward went to Norwich in the end,shame, he would have been good for Donny.

Seano.

Hey Steve mate, I know where you are with working all the shifts you can get your hands on, getting my finances back to an even keel is a big priority for me too.

As was also mentioned, make sure you do take a little time out to treat yourself with some of the money you make, otherwise the work can get on top of you. I usually do one normal working week for every 5 or 6 I do with 20 or 30 hours overtime on top.

All the best mate,

Ryan

hi steve,

hope things are good with you, and those little gambling thoughts have faded away.

Make a little time for yourself.

continued strength to you

tommi

* pulls megaphone out of pocket of clown trousers *

* clears throat *

STEEEEEVVVVVVVEEEEEEEEEE!!!!!

Hope everything is ok mate.

Hi All,

Thanks for your kind words and thoughts. Firstly i'm ok and haven't gambled. Secondly, I wish I would have come on here and read some of your advice. I've been working far too hard and if i'm honest I need a break which just isn't possible at work at the moment. I'm even working on Saturday night during England's first game which i'm really P***** off about. I'm off tomorrow, but have promised my mate with cancer that I will go and visit him, he's not doing very well so I really want to go and see him, but it just means not having any time to myself until Sunday. I'd think of the money, but the tax man makes sure that after a certain point it's not worth me doing any extra. Anyway, enough of the doom and gloom, i'm gonna check in with a few diaries now.

Stay Strong

Steve

Hi Steve,

Cheers for the post mate.

Keep working on your golf mate. I want to see you break 90 before the year is out. Keep it on the short grass off the tee and practice your chipping and putting and you will not go far wrong. Better to hit 6iron down the middle than driver into the trees!

I saw Vantage Point on the cinema. Very good film. Available for £3 in your local Asda if anyone else reading this diary wants to give it a bash!

I went to see a good film last Saturday called "She's out of my league". It's about an average looking guy who bags a date with a great looking girl and then his subsequent battle to hold onto her. I thought the joke was on me when i walked into the cinema as my wife is a 10/10 and i might rate a solid 5 on a good day! Well worth a watch.

I'm coming over all Barry Norman here. Sorry mate!

I think Pienaar has already made his mind up to jump ship i am afraid. His contract is up at the end of next season so if we want to make a few quid on him then now is the time. I have a suspicion he might run his contract down however and join Doncaster on a Bosman. Every player's dream move!!

Good to see you back posting Steve and delighted you are still gamble free.

Don't work too hard mate.

Like Curly,i was wondering where you were Steve,glad all is going well for you.It is a shame that Ward didn't sign for you,no doubt the transfer merry go round,will start in earnest really soon.I see you are getting some "distance coaching" on the golf front now from Curly,he wouldn't no where to start with me mate,no aptitude at all for it!!!.

Seano.

Thanks Curly n Seano for your posts.

I've had a busy day off today, catching up on the usual household stuff, then went to see my mate and was very happy to see that he's looking a bit better than when I saw him at the weekend, still very poorly though. He's got 3 weeks of Radio and chemotherapy left then he's gonna have an op to remove what's left if anything. Can't wait to see him back to old form sooner rather than later, he's a top fella and has been a really good mate to me these last few years when i've needed him.

Had a bit of a quandry earlier, whilst doing some housework I found some betting slips from the start of last football season. It was a tradition of mine to pick out a team from each division to follow for the year and of course back Donny. I'd placed a fiver each way on teams from all the divisions and of course had lost with all barring one. I had some money to come back from Bournemouth e/w (£30 odd). I can hear a lot of you probably cursing me for talking about this, but I would really like to point out that I didn't win overall, more likely lost £70 in total. In my opinion now, the only winning bet is no bet at all. I almost threw the slip away so I didn't have to go and collect the money, however with stumper's phrase in my head and the thoughts of potentially letting myself down I decided to go on my way to my mates. I managed to collect it and walk out without betting, but i've got to say it scared the s**t out of me. I'm never going to put myself in that position again, the best way I can describe it is that it was like Frodo in Lord Of The Rings, when the evil of wearing the ring nearly takes over him. The FOBT's were speaking to the dark side of my soul and for a moment I nearly relented, but I have you guys to thank that I didn't. The lessons i've learn't from reading these diaries and getting advice from you all has given me a bit of inner resolve.

Whilst i'm in the back slapping mood, i'd just like to say that I have read an awful lot of diaries on here and tried to absorb an awful lot of advice, many from people who are, shall I say, more senior than myself. I believe this advice is the difference between me taking the long hard road of gambling and being aware that i'm a cg but taking a road away from it. In a way you have given me a life back. Thank you.

I'll check that film out Curly, sounds ok. Pienaar to Donny on a bosman!! lol. Yeah I think we are in for Messi, Ronaldo and Rooney aswell mate lol.

2 days to go, Cmon England!!!

Stay Strong

Steve

Great post Steve,

You did the right thing picking that money up. The bookies have had enough off us over the years for us to leave money sitting there. It must have given you such strength to walk in and pick up the dough and then walk out.

I'll be going to bed with a smile on my face after reading that little entry.

Super stuff mate.

Hi Steve

Thanks for post and good to read that you are doing well.

re the self-exclusion - I have been advised that it is 6 months minimum and thats no good to me as I want to be back in in August.

I have asked about restricting me to only football betting at each of the 3 main High Street bookmakers but they all say the same - they are not allowed to do that.

Thanks for the post yorkie mate...excellent progress wi the bookies and feeling uncomfortable ...im well impressed..,the fact you work in a gambling environment must make it extremely difficult as well...well done,we can do this my friend 😉

Hey Steve

That must have taken some bottle to go in the bookies collect and leave.

It just shows though if you hadnt been doing you spring cleaning you may never have found them slips and although the bet was a winning one then the bookies may never have had to pay it out.Thats the difference for the bookies its possible for them to lose and yet still win lol.

Hi Steve,

I checked out a couple of Doncaster Rovers videos on Youtube. Looks like you have had a resurgence in the last few seasons. That old stadium was looking a bit tatty! I watched the SoccerAm crossbar challenge one as well and your boys got three including a sweet strike from Stuart Elliot. Not sure if he is still with you but he has got a lovely left foot that lad.

Hope you find time for a game of golf this weekend Steve. It's too nice to be indoors.

Enjoy the football tonight pal.

Hi All,

Thanks for your posts, Seano, Post, Jeff n Curly.

Very true point Jeff about the bookies losing and sometimes still winning. I had a mate who used to do Lucky 15's but used to not claim the prize if it was only 50p or so. I wonder how many people do that. I think it would certainly add up. Anyway there's one way to make sure they can't rob ya, and that's to avoid placing a bet in the first place.

Curly, I believe that tatty old stadium you're talking about was the mighty Belle Vue! (now a car park lol). I had quite an affinity for the old stadium. I once played there for my old U 19's team in the Doncaster Rovers Invitational Trophy Final. We won as well. Highlight of a low key footy career lol. The new stadium is a vast improvement although I do miss the old terrace mentality and atmosphere. Suppose all things have to change and the team has come on leaps and bounds over the last 6-7 years, which is fantastic. I have to remind some of my mates of where we were only a few seasons back, when they start getting grumpy about things not going our way. Playing Newcastle, Coventry etc certainly beats watching them take on Dover and Forest Green. Stuart Elliott's at Hamilton now I think. Rovers let him go in January. Still got a sweet left foot though.

I had a few minor urges to place a bet today, but haven't given into them. I'm finding that the urges are becoming less frequent and when I do have them, i'm able to get over them quicker than I used to.

My analysis of England tonight. Missing Rio's pace at CB. Heskey can't score. Lennon needs to be given more of the ball. And finally, Rob Green (i'm usually a fan) can't get round the fact he made a big error. However I can't remember an England keeper not making a glaring error at some point in there career, so people shouldn't get on his back too much. And I might live to regret saying this, but I don't think we will have as much trouble with the other teams in our group (touch wood). England to win group!!

I'm hopefully playing golf tomorrow (today, bloody hell is that the time). I'm hoping for a score in the low 100's.

Stay Strong

Steve