suewhistle

Lambert wasn't offside - 2nd one that lino has got wrong..

I was just logging on to make exactly the same comment..

I'd second that, and I've seen plenty of away fans in there: doesn't even raise an eyebrow amongst the (generally) older demographic of old codgers.;-) Various pubs in the Bedford place area and at St.Denys (The Junction etc.) with a walk along the river to follow.

That's a little unfair; I've had a few friends who played pub league football and he doesn't look he's got a beer gut... But yes, how well he copes in L2 will be interesting... Either way,good luck to the lad, he obviously wants to succeed in football, and he might be lucky to move on from Pompey.

Thanks chez, I was wondering... The astroturf pitch in Portsmouth we train on isn't that one but at a school, obviously used as a playground, and I always spend a minute clearing the broken biros and other plastic stuff from the goalmouth before I end up diving on it in training. I know how we pay for it (our subs) but was wondering how Portsmouth managed?;-)

I'm not sure it's too important to dwell on how London got to its pre-eminent position, but we do need to consider what impact that has on the rest of the UK and indeed on its own inhabitants, particularly where they aren't the rich elites. There's no doubt that it's a great city and I enjoy my visits there, but the virtuous circle for London and the negative spiral for the rest of the UK does need looking at. I'm not sure if the other major cities like Birmingham and Manchester (oh, and Liverpool, sorry Pap) have sufficient political and financial autonomy. It's all very well saying they should do this or that or they lack dynamism, but the fact is that their hands are tied by Westminster, particularly with a Tory government. I don't think the industrial past and the municipal pride shown by such cities indicates any inherent lack of dynamism on their part. In the case of HS2 I'm sure we do need such infrastructure, but perhaps it could be started by building the northern links first.

I once went for a project manager role where the IT test included doing a mail shot/mail merge etc. Sod that, there's other people can do it, or let me RTFM.

Ta! That's theproblem with these longer threads... Looks like Noodles has started something here...

I can't see those icons either: does HTML code have to be enabled?

Trousers, I notice you're keeping out of the debate! It's like the old "how many angels can dance on the point of a needle?".. Don't we fans normally argue these things retrospectively? We lost, so should have played a stronger team. We win - so what's the problem? We get injuries, we should have given so-and-so a rest. No injuries - see, nothing to worry about. Later in the season - "why isn't thingmegum match fit when he's bought in due to injuries to so-and-so?" "Why aren't are back-ups good enough?" Perhaps they like playing competitive games occasionally? It's a complex issue and not the black and white, either/or binary some posters seem to make out. The team at Sunderland was perfectly capable of winning but didn't. Funnily enough the same has happened to our best-11 too, but in all cases wins are expected.

Actually, there was a tremendous atmosphere from the drummer and surrounding fans the last time I was at Nottarf Krap. Doubt if you'd often see so many Fenerbahce fans together in one place, but I'm sure the Turkish ladies team appreciated it, even if they were dismantled by England 7-0 that evening. The drummer could actually play the thing, which no doubt made a pleasant change for the regulars..

Well done! Towards what are you putting all the saved money?

Give it a ****ing rest. I don't normally go in for unladylike language, but the sheer unfunny inevitability about the last post is really so, so tiresome.

Why not use the calendar question from above? As it featured in a national newspaper it's a fairly general question.

I'm a goalkeeper! Not as young or as glam as Hope, I'm afraid... Back to César; if he has been injured according to stevegrant we're obviously not going for him just to cover for those next 5 games, surely? I'm sure we'll pay decently (although maybe not QPR/'arry levels) but it seems the current team ethos relies on motivated players, and he certainly doesn't seem that.

Trousers (or someone else on twitter) - ask him if he really does have Enhanced DBS/CRB clearance and is he prepared for PTSD afterwards? (No, that doesn't stand for Portsmouth Trust Supporter's Disorder)

I believe both Eastleigh and Havant & Waterlooville are planning massive ground expansions...

No, why, was the b******d shorting them?

What? CB Fry? Never! As to the national unity business you could always take Italy; unified in the 1860s but still very regional and with such localism that there is the word 'campanilismo' after the bell tower of each small town. Can't remember the national holidays off-hand, but there were local ones as well (S.Ambrogio at Milan, for example). The World Cup tends to be a far better unifier mind.. I used to go to my local bar with an England flag - all very tongue in cheek - and an Italian one with a wry smile as soon as we'd been knocked out... Personally I think May Day should get more prominence: apart from the capitalist rentiers amongst you we are all workers/ex-workers and May day has a long tradition. I know some people who go out at dawn to Morris dance and generally celebrate the spring. I've joined them in the past for a breakfast pint around 8, which is about as early as I can manage.. I don't dance but know loads of traditional tunes, and it's always the people like BS who give the most grief to people who have the temerity to do traditional dance and music.

They certainly do, as they do in Italy (and I've even bought horse escalopes in an Italian Lidl), and the price is certainly no lower than beef. If it has been claimed to be beef perhaps that is to avoid checks on potential veterinary residues more likely to be in horse?

It's the way you tell'em VFTT...

As usual it's the over-the-top reactions that annoy me. We've a sound defence, as the stats prove, playing with a third choice keeper and a depleted midfield away from home against an in form side. Although Gazzanigga doesn't fill me with confidence he's not "a Wessex League keeper" and all the other similar criticisms. He handled the back pass badly, but it was hit hard and with spin and he should probably have taken a touch before trying to boot clear. He came out well for that high ball before the end where he got clattered, but held onto the ball well when he came down hard. Incidentally, why did the ref give a bounce ball seeing as play stopped with the keeper in possession? I thought maybe MP was resting Lallana (and Morgan) and drawing the sting out of Newcastle in the first half, with both those changes perhaps anticipated from the beginning. When you consider Newcastle only scored through two defensive errors - allowing the header and then not clearing - it was nearly a succesful policy.

No, you don't understand Ohio - those aren't blows, they're heart compressions to get him going again.. The fact that she hasn't noticed a muddy football sock has been shoved in the mouth is just a little short-sighted.

We'll no doubt get a full, unbiased report from The9 in due course...

Tee hee, that was very naughty Phil; let's just hope the usual suspects don't descend on this thread!