The9

That tickertape and flames combo is asking for it. Anyone got the footage of the Brazilian champions on fire ?

I'm all for any Ultras group that doesn't have nutcases or neo-anythings running it and aren't stoning the players at training...

It is an absolute farce, every year. And this year the Prem / FA Cup Final / Play-Off semis is even worse. I suspect the FL don't know because the FA haven't confirmed re: FA Cup Final times yet.

2 ST holders on the 10:33 (or thereabouts) Southampton Central to Newport tomorrow morning (£7 each ) then back Sat night from Cardiff to (ahem) Botley (£6 each) - though it stops at Salisbury until the morning, so getting a lift from some fellow Forum members who would have been coming back from Plymouth originally. Cheaper than driving, especially when the train costs about the same as the bridge !

I'm going. It's confusing as hell for me, born in Monmouthshire when it was in England*, in a town that is no longer part of Monmouthshire or England, and no longer a town for that matter. And I now live in Southampton anyway. Just to add to the confusion, I went to the last two Wales/England matches and was in the home end for both, and on Saturday I'll be in the home end sat next to my dad, who was born in the same place as me and regards himself as Welsh, and my wife, who was born in Winchester and who has just bought a Wales shirt to wear over her England one. As for the result, absolute cakewalk for England, just like the last two. At least a 2-0. It's not the 1970s when no-one had any technique and you could win with effort alone, and Wales' Championship-level players just can't pass the ball well enough to give even a mediocre England side any concerns. *don't get me started - 1933 Local Govt Act apparently, superseded by the 1974 Local Govt Act which amongst other things created Gwent when Mon. used to be and placed it firmly in Wales.

5pm today : http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/9410398.stm

True story. We were alongside the bus station opposite the big chinese restaurant not far from the ground, and he got out of a taxi or car of some sort with some others, one of whom I think was Andrew Cowen. It was about an hour after I'd left the ground and I was slightly taken aback (not to mention couldn't figure out why they were getting out of a car near the ground when they should logically have been getting in one to leave it), so all I could muster was the over-familiar greeting, and he was probably shocked that one of us lot had recognised and addressed him, so he issued a knee-jerk thanks for my support. The patronising (vnt.

As someone who wrote my University dissertation on the Policing of Football Hooliganism and read the Taylor Report cover to cover about 4 times as part of that research, I'm still p1s5ed off that the report has always been held up as an advocate of all seaters - it indicated a lack of crowd control was the major contributing factor, and that all-seaters were not the only solution. It was merely the document used as a basis for pushing through all-seaters by the authorities, and readily accepted by bigger clubs who were able to hike prices and shift their audiences to the middle classes due to the higher prices, more comfortable arenas, and increased interest post Italia '90. Clubs had already more than acceptably reacted to Hillsborough by introducing ticketing for all terraces and reducing capacity to safe levels in the 2 years before the unnecessary all-seater rules were mandated. All that was required was to insist these lower attendances and ticketing arrangements were maintained. The real tragedy is that there was enough room for everyone at Hillsborough, just not in the central enclosure directly in front of the gates which were opened on Leppings Lane. The safety of standing is not determined by the standard of football on the pitch, yet the current regulations make this the case. Standing is apparently "safer" in League One and below, where it is permitted. And don't tell me those grounds don't ever fill their terraces... so how is that any different to having standing in the top divisions ? As you might guess, I'm in favour of standing. The Hillsborough lobby no longer seem to have their iron vice-grip on the agenda (thankfully, there's little logic in their complaints). But if anyone resists this change now I'm expecting it to be the clubs who decide not to redevelop standing areas due to cost. But at least let's have the legal right for them to make that decision.

Almost worth all the stress and two relegations just for that moment alone. And to think all I've ever said to him was "Hello Rupert", to which he replied "Well done". It was outside the Millennium Stadium though, so there wasn't much else to say to him at the time.

Ah that old chestnut. "The moment he left the club" [shares were suspended on 1 April 2009] - aside from the reduced price tickets, there was the 27,000+ against Charlton which was a call to arms from Saints fans to get money into the club and show support, then a Bank Holiday game v Palace and the last game of the season at home to Burnley (23/24k each, boosted by the bank holiday and last game status) - there was also the little matter of them potentially being Saints' last 3 home games ever. In fact, the three games PRIOR to Lowe leaving were all around the 18k mark. Our first three league attendances the following season, when the fans had every opportunity to support the new regime, were 20k, 19k and 17k, which were exactly the kind of attendances the club had been getting immediately before Administration.

Can someone clarify for me if he was wearing a creased olive coloured jacket and light slacks, please ?

I would assume it would go "I'm Adam Lallana" "But are you Jonno Quick?" "Fair point".

I bet that was before Tuesday's injuries. Turned out better for us that its off. Nice to see a "simple as that" thrown in for good measure though. And what IS he on about with "replayed" ? You mean "rescheduled" Nigel (or possibly re-re-rescheduled), you have to have already played it once for it to be replayed.

He's played on the left every time I've seen him for Saints so far, so Lallana would have to swap sides...

Not if it's digital.

...especially when they're as poorly considered as yours.

Funny you mention "stand out turd displayed by ITV" and then go on to mention Alan Parry, one of ITV's lesser football commentators (Gubba-level) in the 1980s. All we need now is an Elton Welsby sighting.

Whoooooooooooooooooo ?

Terrible goal.

It's similar, maybe the Forum game is a little better because there are a lot of 45-minuters so the pace is a little higher overall, or maybe I'm just older and sh1itter now. Actually, no maybe about it ! There are a few videos on YouTube that will give you an idea.

As with Puncheon, it's a standard loan to season's end, so we are unable to recall him under the Football League's rules. The only permissible recall clauses are to get players on season-long loans back in the January window. http://www.saintsfc.co.uk/page/NewsDetail/0,,10280~2281239,00.html

Sounds like planning to me. I think I beat you there by about half an hour to get our 4. I would be VERY surprised if a few hundred of those tickets aren't in the hands of people who don't know who they're giving them to at the moment.

Hah, like you'll have a chance of being considered with your track record unless you turn up at Steve's house with bullion yesterday.

But then you're a nutter with some bizarre and unfounded conspiracy theories, so we're all going to ignore your mental ramblings.

I didn't think he was particularly stirring it, and he implied both support and criticism of Adkins about Puncheon during and after commentary, as he contradicted himself. Interesting rumour re: Puncheon being there though. A two-second Google tells me Echofon automatically keeps unread tweets in sync between your computer, your iPhone and your iPad.