miserableoldgit

Watching and dancing to Southampton band "The Courtelles" (later to be "The Shakedown Sound") at the Park Ballroom!

Yeah! A good kick in the flippers! There I`ve done it!

To a degree this post sums it up. Its also a bit like worshipping a band or singer when you were growing up then after a good few years they turn into a "cabaret" band. Does this make make their earlier acheivements worthless? Of course it doesn`t. For the 12 years that he was manager we achieved the near impossible. Whatever he has become, in some peoples eyes, will never change that.

Or just a numpty craving for attention.

I am so looking forward to tomorrows Polish Speedway GP. Jason Crumps horrific injury has opened the door for Gollob or Sayfutdinov to snatch the World Championship from him. Final GP tomorrow, Gollob and Sayfutdinov unpredictable and Crump almost back to fitness and ultra determined. Has the makings of a great GP. Can`t wait!!

Do skates have flippers?? I thought that that was pinball machines! Mind you, "I gave him a kick in the flippers" is a great expression! I must try and use it at least once this week-end.

There was also Frances (Francis??) record shop in the road opposite (Houndwell?) where Virgin/Waterstones now is. Back in the 60`s this and Henrys were the places to go for the latest 45`s!! Originally there were two Sperrings shops at the top of Lances Hill in Bitterne. They were run by two brothers. One shop, run by one of the brothers was an extremely dark, dusty, sweet/tobacconists shop where I used to get my American Superman/Batman comics. They were just thrown in a heap and you had to dust them off and sort through them. The other brother ran a similar shop on the opposite corner but it was clean tidy and organised. Unsurprisingly it was this brother who built up the Sperring "empire"!

Did he used to make clothes change colour in his spare time??

Called "Importers" I think. The smell of freshly ground coffee used to permeate the whole of the junction, and when ever you were on a bus that stopped there, the bus would be filled with that lovely smell!!

Built of wood!!

Strangely I don`t feel inferior at all. We have a superb stadium with excellent attendances,we have a real billionaire owner, we are debt free, we have a very professional and realistic board, we have a decent manager who is putting together a good exciting team to chase realistic goals (two promotions) and even more importantly I am enjoying going to watch my team more than I have for a good few years. Can you say the same? What are we supposed to feel inferior about?? Your ground, training facilities, crowds, team,or prospects? Your succession of dodgy owners who seem to have very little money but a lot of promises? Do I want to be in the Prem? Of course. But when we get there we will be able to live within our means and give it a good go not do a Redknapp/Storrie and spend money regardless of the consequences.

Surely if you go back far enough you can make the figures say what you want. You only have to look at this season to prove who is the best supported club. Us in League One on minus 10 points, and Poopey 2 divisions above us, in the "Big League". Who would you expect to have the biggest crowds? Who has the biggest crowds? Never mind the "we sold all of our best players" nonsense. If the fans were that passionate they would go to watch trained monkeys wearing blue shirts. WE ARE LEAGUE ONE ON MINUS TEN POINTS! The only thing worse than that would be League Two on -10!

Speedway at Bannister Court. Good crowd!!

The one in Bitterne, which was replaced by Bitterne Bowling was I think, The Ritz. There were two in Portswood - The Broadway (now the Bingo hall ) and one just past Boots called (again, I think) The Palladium. Shirley had two - The Atherley and The Rialto and there was The Savoy in Swaythling. I believe that there also was The Gaiety in Below Bar.

Please show me the PROOF that the "protests" had any effect whatsoever on the decision not to appoint GH.

Isn`t she taking over Margaret Mountfords role in the next series of "The Apprentice"? I think that KB may be a better "smash" than MM!

Perhaops GS was talking about himself??

http://www.dailyecho.co.uk/sport/saints/news/4678168.Connolly_wants_to_make_a_big_impact/ Saying the right things.

I know that obviously Skates will disagree, but you are right. They do stand for all that is wrong in modern football. It is all about money, but they can`t see that. The Storrie-Teller is a charletan and they can`t see it.

Late for the Sky - Jackson Browne, My favourite album ever,

Two items in todays Mail. Oh Dear:- http://www.mailonsunday.co.uk/sport/football/article-1219527/EXCLUSIVE-Portsmouth-facing-financial-ruin-unpaid-tax-bill.html Billy Bunter! There's nothing comic about the Billy Bunter of Pompey The money's in the post: Sulaiman Al Fahim BILLY BUNTER was a glorious comic creation. He was the Owl of the Remove, the most celebrated pupil of Greyfriars School; fat, braying and given to cheerily ingratiating introductions: ‘I say, you fellows!’ His head was buzzing with ambitious schemes, but he lacked the money to bring them off. Yet he never lost his sense of optimism, his conviction that something would turn up. In Bunter’s case it was a postal order, imminently expected, which would bring him the cash to deliver his dreams. It was the straw to which he clung. ‘You’re laughing now,’ he would shriek at his schoolmates, ‘but you won’t be laughing when my postal order arrives.’ And they would carry on laughing. I doubt that Sulaiman Al Fahim has ever heard of Bunter, but the similarities are irresistible. During his 43-day reign as the owner of Portsmouth FC, he was constantly promising the arrival of a postal order worth £50million. Players and staff went unpaid during the anxious wait, but it never materialised. So now his brief ownership is over as other, apparently richer, men take charge of the mess. Yet, like Bunter, Al Fahim is unsinkable. Indeed, he promises to make the £50m available, just as soon at it turns up. Sadly, unlike Bunter, nobody is laughing.

Calling for APs head at this stage was always just a knee-jerk reaction. Nearly everyone on here agreed that continuity was the key to success and this meant sticking with AP and giving him a real chance to make a difference. Alex Ferguson was awful for the first season or two at Manure. I`ll bet that they`re glad that they stuck with him.

Yeah man!

I was wondering that too.

Yeah. Just as I thought.