Phlegm Genius

  Arsenal dropped points tonight to Brentford and missed the chance to go six points clear. And yes Man City are chasing them down (I’m a neutral no dog in the fight) but they have to hold their nerve. If anything a close title race will be better for all and for Arsenal if they win it. It doesn't matter how you get over the line as long as you do it. And if it’s by a single point winning is winning. Fans expecting a 12 point gap and panicking it’s not that are missing the point in my opinion. Showing your metal is being there in May not leading 12 points in February. After all, some of the greatest premier league teams and some good sides have blown 12 and 13 points leads to not win the title. Arsenal clawed back a 13 point deficit in 1998. Newcastle famously blew a 12 point lead in the 95-96 season. I felt months ago when Villa were in the title race and they still are in  my opinion (even though everyone else disagrees) that the monster coming down the track for them and Ar...

  The Department of Work and Pensions announced earlier this week that, following a trial starting in October 2024 involving 25,000 working age people with health conditions, the scheme would now be rolled out nationally. They hope to reach 250,000 people. The DWP describe the scheme as “a personalised service offering early help for people struggling with their health.” It aims to connect them to local services such as physiotherapy, counselling and also helps with workplace adjustments with the aim of enabling them to remain or gain employment. It sounds like a localised streamlined one-stop version of Access to Work and they have had pilots in East Birmingham and North Solihull, the Black Country, North Central London, and Herefordshire and Worcestershire, They claim to have high success rates in these pilots. Support is provided via work and health coaches and a team of clinicians and practitioners with specialising in mental health, muscular skeletal conditions, occupational t...

  On  January 23, 2026 , the government officially announced the Independent Disability Advisory Panel. This will be a new panel of 10 representatives from the Disability sector, all people with lived experience of disability. The panel will be chaired by Zara Tood with the aim giving views on policy related to health and disability. They will work with ministers in relation to initiatives such as Access to Work and The Disability Confident Scheme. However, it appears they will not be directly involved in the Timms Reviews of Welfare Reform. People within the disability community particularly those working within the (raises hands to make speech marks) disability sector may raise their eyes at this news and I get it. What will change? Will they be listened to? Is this a gravy train for some leading lights of the disability sector? And those sceptical can have their view. I’m as sceptical as the next person about the construction of these panels. In fact I’ve got a gold medal i...

  Here’s the surprising thing my disabled and non-disabled friends. Many disabled people and those with health related and chronic illnesses feel ill at ease as if everything is out of our control. And why wouldn’t we as a lot of the time we are battling to survive whether that be managing our conditions and fighting to receive or to maintain the support needed to meet our needs in everyday life. However a lot of our architects of our world and environments without even knowing it. How so? Well those of us who may need assistance are often directing others in how we need our support and or care delivered. Whether that be personal assistance, live in care or a support worker. Or even if you’re battling with the local authority to get or maintain the support you need, self advocating or working with an advocate. All of that is a form of not only trying to get service to meet our needs but in the process of doing this without or without support we attempt to define the terms of how we...

  No it’s not covid. Well it might be, take that test. No tis the season to be snotty or if you’re a chronic breather that’s every or just every day. Get those flu jabs if you believe in them. I can never get one when I ring my doctors although I should be first in the cue. Truth be told last time I actually got the flu jab I ended up was the last time I got the flu so make of that what you will. Even so wrap up warm and if you’re inclined get the old jab. Find you favourite blanket, boxset and in your downtime give ourself permission to relax as a chronic breather, spoonie or however you wish to identify. We have to give ourselves permission to relax as a lot of us have guilt about low productivity when our bodies savage (cause we all know we chose this obviously) but unfortunately my fellow chronics for some of us head gremlins are part of the battle too. I often feel I have to be productive even in what is suppose to be downtime and sometimes I have so much on the to do list tha...

  Who am I? Who are you? Who am i? No seriously who am I? I’m the Phlegm Genius of course. But in an era where everyone appears to be trying find themselves online, or build a brand and find their voice. Identity has become such a heated battleground. But often for disabled people outside of managing our day to day lives, truly knowing who we are, coming to terms with ourselves, our bodies, our mind, our conditions and learning to love ourselves (or at least like ourselves) for some of us really feel like our hero’s journey of life. Especially now of all times when in certain countries disabled people feel under attack and rights seem to being eroded on an almost daily basis. Whether it’s welfare reform or accessible transport and housing or legislation around assisted dying, politically it can feel as though we’re going back in time. If the world feels as is there’s no place for you then it’s hard to have confidence in yourself and fight your daily battles for the support you may ...