suewhistle

Aargh, ankles. I get tendonitis but that's hardly surprising at my age (over 50) and I still play. Normally I come off the bench but just before Christmas we were down to the bare 11 and I did 90 minutes: not good! My lungs were OK (I also ski n'stuff) but my ankles and calf muscles!! Currently we're in our winter break but I went for a run today: I warm up very gradually and use strapping and can still feel it a little bit. I'm going skiing tomorrow and Thursday but that's not bad as your ankle is held and supported. I use velcro and material strapping but 2 or 3 of the girls have their ankles properly strapped with surgical tape before games. We used to have a physio to do that until he was naughty with a junior, but at least people know how to do strapping for themselves now.

Get a busman who's on holiday? Having a browse here has just reminded me of part of a dream I had last night. I was driving a coach but was sat on the wrong side and had to make a panic move across to the other side when I realised I didn't have any brake pedal. I was on the way to Wembley but was hopelessly lost and was thinking about dumping the coach and getting the tube... I blame Adkins and reading too many posts here!

The most difficulty I ever had with understanding someone was an incomprehensible scouser at a leccy board call centre. Considering that as a teacher of English to foreigners Im pretty good at understanding mangled English I thought that was a leetle surprising.

So we're not going to sign him up just to b****r up Tranmere's chances for this weekend?

Oooh, varda you! Personally good Italian (natch, see my location), conversational French (had a few compliments when popping over the border to France) and bluffing in German..

OS twitter says Chaplow came off with an apparent back problem. Oh well, pity they couldn't have kept a spare goal back from the Oldham game..

I think it was The Ark that used to do a lovely pint of HSB with those interesting diaphragm pump dispensers: well, it did in 1976..

Could we ask for a youth player, just to embarass them?

Be honest guys, as a troll he's pretty good.. But as he makes me laugh so much I forgive him...

Paperwork? Where Pompey are concerned? Now which shredder did we file it in...

Verily I say unto you that Plech knoweth his Good Book!

I think they're beginning to get it.. They haven't even got 5p in the pound...

Man U reserve keeper as well, we hope...

Bloomin 'eck, I think you've summed it all up in one sentence...

True, but can you imagine the opposition manager pre-match: "So mark Lambert, he's a real danger, we've got to double up on Lallana, Guly hass a great shot on him so don't give him space, Chaplow can also score, we;ve already talked about marking the kid, watch Barnard in the box, for corners watch the CBs...." Schneiderlin will then go and score...

In today's Guardian...

What are the odds on a good crowd after last night??

Interesting.... I wonder how Blackpool will react now?

So if it's still 0-0 with 5 minutess to go do you think Holloway will tell his team to go for a quick breakaway own-goal?

heh heh. Just back in the room for a quick look...

Kiss o' death, eh?

Ooh, so he has: not that I didn't believe you or anything...

I didn't expect that: excellent news! It was sheer pleasure watching him in the couple of games I got in over Christmas. A real statement of intent (had to say that..) and let's hope it starts by putting on a thousand or two on the gate today.

Yes, we've expressed our concerns here, particularly after ML's death, but I think we can never expect to know the full details. Like all business or life that final 1% has to be based on trust and instinct and the balance of probabilities. If anything changes we'll have to review the situation again, but at the moment I don't think we're "gloating": I think the expression "delighted relief" is more accurate.