After a couple (knee and ankle) injuries in 5-a-side football games i stayed on the sidelines not just of football but of any physical exercise whatsoever. I made some hopeless attempts to bring myself back to the league of fit men but they all proved futile. I resigned myself in a life of sleep, work, and videogaming with lots of snacks and drinks in between these "activities". The Dark Ages of my physique and fitness. 2 years in total.

That was until late August when i decided that enough was enough. Reaching the 1st floor breathless and not fitting into my clothes were not the decisive factors. No. It was stress. Or rather the need to relieve stress and the best medicine is exercise. A return to the futsal pitches of Nicosia was tempting as i love football but the high risk of injury and my breaking the barrier of 30 years old put me off. Cycling i dismissed due to fears of reviving knee problems. Swimming was a no go as i needed something that i could on weekdays unless i was willing to pay a ridiculous amount of money to hotels or gyms.

In the late 80's my parents would be greeted daily by a scruffy skinny little kid running towards their car carrying a Mitre football in one hand and his bag in the other. That young bundle of joy was non other than myself of course. 

My shirt would be half tucked in, occasionally missing a button or two and caked in a layer of dirt. The grey shorts I wore revealed my puny legs and displayed the old battle scars as well as the fresh grazes from the latest epic football confrontation.

I have been an avid Liverpool supporter since I first saw King Kenny, Rushy and Digger ripping the opposition to shreds in style during the 80's. For those were the glory days and if ever there was a team back then that encapsulated the phrase "the beautiful game" it was the team from the red half of Merseyside. Throughout the 1980's the mighty reds managed to racked up an impressive 16 major trophies. 

I wore their kit with pride and held my head up high as I kicked the other scruffy kids shins in one of the neighbourhoods done dry and barren fields. I still recall the Crown Paints logo that was plastered on the front of my chest and those frightfully revealing P.E style shorts that predominantly featured in that era and psychologically scared so many of us. Those were the good old days, happy days for me and my club.

Some of you might be aware of my love for the NHL, both the sport as well as the videogame. It's a shame that you guys in Cyprus don't get to watch any games as it really is one of the most fascinating specticals around. Everyone plays with their heart on their sleeve and you will not get any cheating or disrespect from the players. Hasek is one of the games greatest Goalies and at the age of 42 he is still getting the job done for the Detroit Red Wings. Gaborik, a Slovak, who plays for the Minnesota Wild, has proved to be a consistant force to be reckoned with over the last few years but injuries have prevented him from reaching his full potential. This happened a few days ago and I wanted to share it with you guys.