St Landrew

He's just being a Saints fan from the previous era. It's a difficult habit to drop.

You're probably right. As I said, there are many variables as to why we haven't secured his transfer. I'd just like to know exactly why not, because his ability to make the difference, or score when required, was one of the key elements of last season.

Inevitably... Antonio..!

I was thinking along the lines of player power, as in... Thanks Reading FC, but I'd rather go back to Saints. Please can you make it possible..? And then we pay/compensate Reading, as he is a youngster.

I still find it slightly hard to believe that we haven't tried to secure his transfer. I mean, surely he made enough friends down here to want to come back, and he also would have a better chance of 1st team status. Or perhaps he thinks he's nearer the front at Reading..? Many variables, I'm sure [championship club, etc...], but it would be nice to know.

That's the idea.

Perhaps we should bookmark the Reading site for the new season..?

2-1 Saints, isn't it..? [Hammond]

There is one point you make that I most certainly agree with, and that is the timing of transfers. Although I realise the club want to look over the availability of quality players, there is also the need for these players to come in and gel immediately with the rest of the squad. If you are of Rickie Lambert's quality, that takes about 10 minutes. For almost anyone else, it takes a wee bit longer. Plus, I also don't want to go into the new season feeling that we've shot ourselves in the foot by being one or two players shy of nailing the League One title. The team put out today may not necessarily beat Plymouth, but then AP may not be necessarily be trying to beat Reading, as a first priority, but as one of a list of priorities to follow through to the season opener.

Well that'll be 3 more goals for Reading, 1 for Brian Howard, and if they bring their subs on, 1 each for Antonio and Rasiak.

Should we move into the right forum..? is the question I ask myself. [General Sports]

If we locked this thread we'd pretty much have to lock 90% of all threads on the main board. Most of the stuff that is mentioned on here would be best left unsaid, at least until some facts actually emerged.

On the M27, the other day, I noticed ordinary unleaded priced at 120.9p. Feel slightly better..? I didn't buy it.

Tbh, the little old lady and gent probably think they're doing their community spirited thing. But one day they'll be doing it, and a driver will jump out of his car and take a club to them. And that will be a great shame. I wouldn't encourage this sort of stuff for a second. Let the police do the work, that's what they're paid for.

Tbf, it's a road car, even if it is a particularly powerful one. I suspect the gearbox had got bloody hot with all the power running through, with differing loads on it. By the end, the down changes were definitely getting a bit noisy. Notice they were quiet at first..? You wouldn't turn it down, either. EDIT: I can see it now. 'Ere mate, I've got this Pagani Zonda, only about 40 miles on the clock, it's yours if you want it..? Oh no, the down changes are terribly clunky, I'll pass this time.

The only one I can remember, off the top of my head, was of a pensioner who asked for me, after my salesman couldn't satisfy her requirements for a discount. It was a fairly new and current product, so there was little room for movement, if any. After berating the salesman once more - a good, well meaning and well informed salesman too, she turned on me. I took one run through of her annoying poor pensioner piffle [yeah... poor, judging by the genuine fur and jewellery], and when she decided to ask what I was going to do about it, I unclipped my tie, and started to unbutton my shirt. In a fright, he asked me what I was doing. I said, I'm going to give you the shirt off my back... Thankfully, she left. Stolen from the comic master, John Cleese/Basil Fawlty [Mrs Richards, episode], that line. Cheers Al, I'd forgotten that.

Ah, you've spotted a pattern there hamster. I can't speak for Currys or Dixons nowadays, but I do remember from when I was worked for Comet in various areas of sales and management. It's been some time, but I'll try to remember how the pricing policy goes. It's all based in the 90-99p change area. If the price ended in... 93p - the item had been sold and returned by the customer and was now being re-sold. 94p - discontinued product. 97p - about to be discontinued. No more being ordered by HQ. 98p - very discontinued product - what the hell is this doing in a Comet store after all these years..! 99p - current product. All the other prices, 90p, 91p, 92p, 95p and 96p, were either never used or were for special exclusive offers with a particular manufacturer. If a customer pointed to a product priced with one of the 93, 94, 97, 98p endings, the salesman could quickly move on the amount of discount could be given out. It meant that a real deal could be setup between the salesman and the customer. As a manager, one of my perks was to have advance knowledge of when products were about to be discontinued. As you'll appreciate, often products are superseeded just to revamp the range, and occasionally the incoming product is no better, or maybe even slightly worse than the outgoing product. It was in my power to offer huge discounts [60% off the price], and I'd put it around to friends and relatives to see if they wanted some of the good products that were about to be discontinued. Then I'd put one or two in a corner with, reserved - do not touch, on them, and wait. BTW, a manager has no requirement to sell any product to any customer at any price. But he/she won't last long if he/she carries on like that. Another BTW, I believe Comet still use the same system, but they may have added to it since my time of 10 years ago.

A recognisable name on the front. No seriously, if you don't have a need for higher capability in a router, then don't pay the extra. A few years back, I had been given secondhand routers and modems etc... They eventually broke down because they had been halfway through their working lives when I got them. But they cost me nothing. But some of the equipment broke down a little more often than others, and I built up a pattern of what was preferable. Eventually, I came across a Netgear BT modem/router. I'd heard all about Netgear and how they were. On first use I hated them with a passion. But they are good products and very reliable too. Are they worth the extra. I don't really know, because I didn't pay for the one I have. Cheaper ones work very well indeed and have improved interfaces nowadays too, so they are easy to setup. Netgear are still probably easiest to setup, in my experience, simply because they'll do it all for you. That can be annoying for some. As I said, I hated it at first, but it will let you in to fiddle about afterwards anyway. My advice is, pay a little extra if funds permit. If they don't, or you simply don't want to pay the extra, then don't. Buy a basement price, but good spec Novatech model, and you'll probably find that it's fine anyway. If you're an ultra gamer, then it's probably better to get as high a spec as you can, but you don't have to buy one with a name. If your broadband is relative snail pace [like mine] and you've no plans to ever improve it, definitely don't pay extra. Does that give you an idea..?

health

Here we go again. Yes, you are overreacting. Isn't it typical of a Saints fan to find the cloud in a sky full of silver linings..? Understandable, I suppose, with our recent history. but can we at least try to change our ways..? This is meant to be a new era. Can we try to stop reacting as if it was 5 years ago..?

It seems to be emerging that the family were heavily in debt. I don't know about the £7K stolen from a credit card, but that can't have helped, if true. Seems a rather drastic way out of one's troubles, so the debt was simply enormous, and/or the father took the apparent shame of debt very badly indeed. When the first reports came out, one or two little things made me wonder if they were living above their income. It's a lesson to all of us to ignore the pressure of peers and society. One doesn't have to have the latest, the biggest, the smallest, the fastest, whatever, simply because they are out there. Capitalism actually helps to foster a sick society unless there is self discipline among its individuals. Live within one's means and find a way to be happier way without 90% of the crap. Very sad.

In truth, a location is what you make of it. Both Exeter and Plymouth are in a lovely part of the UK, i.e. the West Country. Don't overlook the fact that the best leisure activities might be just that, activities I mean, and not just places for getting alcohol down your neck. Make the best of your opportunity. It may never come again.

Ah OK. Here you go, take your pick. Any of the bigger pictured ones would be fine, IMO. Depends on your requirements and pocket: http://www.novatech.co.uk/novatech/prods/Networking/WirelessNetworking/WirelessRouters/DSLRoutersNTL/Virgin/

Love the Clangers. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OTyjBUoCnKM

The BMW Mini really does make me chuckle. It's the size of a family car from 30 years ago, but purports to be a Mini. It's the shining example of cars today. Enormous great things that take up huge amounts of roadspace, and then you find out their supposed to be superminis anyway. Every few years, cars get bigger and bigger [just where did all that interior room come from, over the previous model [fake shock]..?] and then they invent an even smaller category, so that someone can return to a car that is still slightly bigger than an original Mini. Such is progress. I thnk we should all be running around in cars about the size of Smarts, with perhaps a top size limit like that quite pretty Citroen DS3 above. Just imagine all that freed up road.