Ken Tone

Out it this way -- I'm be more likely to have a policeman as a mate than an estate agent!

Just a typical game then really

When we went on to bankrupt the club, we were there; we were there. (NB better grammar too)

Good grief! That really is the definition of optimism.

Just as long as he doesn't offer to cook me a vegetarian meal !

Dog --I'm not sure if you are just taking the ****. But if you are serious, and you've never had waxed up ears before, you ought to go to a doctor first to check that that really is the problem. You should not be pouring olive oil into your ear if what you have is a perforated ear drum for example. If it is wax, it may fall out if you're lucky, but most people need to have a nurse or doctor syringe it out after it has been softened up... which is not as bad as it sounds. S/he just squirts warm water into your ear and washes out the wax.

You must be very very bored today Dog.

And on the sporting theme, let's hear it for Austin Healey.

Clearly it was only a wax carrot

IF it is wax, which is why he has to see the doc to confirm first, then yes this works better than most of the commercial drops, but my tip is to warm the oil a bit to around blood temperature, by eg holding in a teaspoon in the steam of a kettle. But don't overheat! And then put a cotton wool 'plug' in outer ear after the oil, to stop the wax drying out again. The whole point is to soften the wax so the medic can wash it out without perforating your ear drum by using too much pressure.

Just back from my meeting. Managed to send in a couple of (serious, not wind up) questions before he signed off, but he ducked them all. Joking apart, you have to hand it to people like him who are really trying to save their club, but the level of naivety displayed is remarkable. They really have no chance do they? Portpin it is then.

I will be tied up at work. Someone please try to find out what happens to the players' contracts if they are liquidated. Are they just cancelled, or or do they get paid up in full by the league using part of the parachute payments that would no longer go to the club? Because if it is the latter, they are doomed. No player would pass up that pay-off, so there'd be no chance lowering the wage bill. The trust bloke on the News site doesn't seem to have even asked this question of the football league!

I sympathise. The only way we customers can affect this is by gettng into the habit of routinely asking the retailer who they use for deliveries and then saying 'no sale' if they use yodel, who are indeed rubbish. In fact most of these firms are worse than the good old royal mail in my experience... just cheaper for the retailer.

Of course I could be mates with a copper. What a daft question. They're human beings like us, and are doing a job that helps protect me and my family.

Jesus! Neverstick a biro in your ear! You may well have caused some damage. If you are really sure it isn't wax, make a doctor's appointment and get it treated. In fact even if it is wax, do that, so they can syringe it out safely after it has been softened up with drops or olive oil.

I'd have thought that the (50% or so?) PL clubs that are inherently 'bigger' than us will not want to risk Nigel until he's proved he can do it in the top division. My hope is a) he will indeedprove it, but b) Cortese will then convince him that Saints are on the way to being as big as many of those other clubs anyway, with, by then, definite plans to extend the stadium and more investment in the playing squad. If a) and b) both happen, then only the top 4 or so clubs will be a threat, and they mostly want really big names as managers, which Nigel won't be until he's taken us into Europe a few times.

Quite. Since it is a number between 3 and 4 times another number between 3 and 4, you should get an answer bigger than 9 but not as big as 16 ( 4x4) . If you get the point in the wrong place and get an answer of 1100 odd ,you know you've cocked it up.

It's quite simple.. If you use 3.50x3.25 then multiply 350x 325 and make sure there are 4 numbers after the point. If you use 3.5 x3.25 multiply 35 x 325 , then make sure there are 3 numbers after the point.

That has to be the most cumbersome calculation method I have seen for years! How on earth is that easier than 35 x 325 then put decimal point 3 places in from the right?

Not unless you are married. ( or didn't you mean Bearsy?)

All good advice you've been given, from people like Minty especially. Your main weakness would be if you lost your temper in the discussion with the accountant, or swore.That might constitute gross misconduct and warrant dismissal in itself. If not ,and you simply were part of a calm discussion there are no grounds to dismiss you unless your contract expressly forbids discussion of salary. The call from your manager ought to have been followed up by a formal letter. He ought to warn you that there is a possibility ,or even a probablilty that you may lose your job, but not a certainty. ACAS guidance is that he also ought to tell you that you are entitled to take a 'friend' with you -- usually a union rep or other employee. Most firms deny access to a solicitor as a friend. All this ought to be set out in your conditions of service .. staff handbook or similar. If you have not been at the firm long you are in big trouble , because our caring government has taken away most unfair dismissal rights for employees until you've worked for 2 years. If you have been there over 2 years though, you have a very strong case for a claim from what you have described. See a solicitor who deals with employment issues if you are not in a union. Much also depends on the size and nature of your employer. Some big foimrs wil jiust do what they like, regardless, and risk paying up compensation afterwards if they have to.

For watching Greco-Roman wrestling, you deserve medals! It's the fuss about the torch that amazes me. Towns all round the country are planning to come to halt for the day, just because someone we've never heard of will drive close with a bit of metal in a van, then one of them will get out and jog for a bit with the bit of metal, then they'll put the torch back in its van and get back in their coaches, and drive to the next town. Once you learn that it is driven in a van further than it is carried by a runner , and that the flame usually goes out quite often, it rather loses its 'magic' doesn't it?

Good grief! What was this thread doing languishing down about 10th in the list? Are we so convinced they are disappearing that we've already lost interest? Come on -- there's still hours of fun to be had yet from their futile hope.