Ken Tone

Employment law does apply to footballers, so legally they can sack them. However the football creditors rule means that they'd then lose their golden share and be ejected from the football league.

Tried twice just now, but the web site is timing me out. You might want to check with the organisers that they haven't got a problem -- or maybe not if you're winning so far! EDIT ... Scrub that. Both comments have now appeared, as 'awaiting moderation'

God yes. I'd forgotten how uncool some of the tunes were. To think that Clapton, May, etc used to play them! I wonder if I've still got the book somewhere.

Exactly. I gave the 2 day example to illustrate more clearly the stupidity of May's interpretation. Surely that was obvious? 'Everybody' does not agree it is ambiguous. The government here say one thing (the equivalent of saturday in my 2 day example) whilst the court itself, plus of course Qatada's lawyers, and apparently plus you too in effect, say the other (the equivalent of the sunday in my example) And I still say throw him out anyway! Just sack May as well. Don't make some poor sod of an official with a mortgage take the blame for her.

Of course what those who say we won't ever get regular attendances above 32k forget , is that soon we really will be the only team in Hampshire, with Portsmouth fans' children growing up supporting us. I'm looking forward to Westwood's kids one day asking him what the tattoos are about and asking him to take them to St Mary's. (Although the thought of him actually procreating is more than a little nauseating)

The criteria for winning were wrong too. The 'winning' team were called that because they took more income, but that ony happened with them promising free space hoppers and other equipment, and the firm that wanted them only paid £17.50 an hour for lots of venues, not the £35 they asked for, so they'd have had to provide loads of equipment. It is likely that their profit would have been much less than the 'losing' team's. They may even have made a loss. I mean, on that basis they could have won by saying "for every hour you take at £17.50 , we'll give you £100 cash in hand."

I repeat i'm all for chucking him out regardless, but it isn't ambiguous. The european court agree with his lawyers, and after all it is their court and their rules. It is just Theresa May who who somehow intepreted the really difficult word 'from' incorrectly. As in "2 days from today Friday" according to her would mean up to midnight on Saturday, whereas to everyone else it is up to midnight on Sunday.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-17781762 I can't be the only person on here who learnt the guitar from his 'play in a day' book. He got whole generations picking and strumming. Mind you, it took more than a day!

I too think many on here are writing Barnard off far too quickly. He's not a bad player at all. And let's face it, he never bottles a challenge ............. or if he does, it hasn't been proven

Finally something we can do to help! http://www.portsmouth.co.uk/sport/pompey/pompey-past/phones-can-help-pompey-1-3754641

Birch ducked this question when he did the web chat. He said at the end of that that he'd give 'the News' answer to the questions he'd not had time to answer, but I see no sign of anything being published.

Look, I'm a touchy-feely, wishy-washy, middle of the road, liberal, and even I say just chuck him out. Oh and by the way, sack May for cocking it up big time. Don't let the politicians pin it on some poor minion who'll lose his job to save her face

Yes I agree. PFC are about the same size of club as Preston or Huddersfield. Big history from way back, but now natural inhabitants of L1, or maybe NPC in good years. Hence my earlier post about returing to L1 not realy being a punishment --it's where they shoud have been all along.

And I hope you enjoy it. I'd go, but I'm afraid I'll embarrass the 'proper' away fans by singing the wrong song, being middle-aged and enthusiastic, or god forbid, .... sitting down ..... or even ....eating a sandwich. Oh the shame! Btw if anyone looks at the thread on away attendances and tries the link given http://www.footballforums.net/forums/showthread.php/277307-Championship-Away-Following-2011-12 they'll see that anything over 3000 will be the biggest away following by anyone this season at Middlesborough. Only the 2 Yorkshire clubs, Hull and Leeds ,for whom it is a local derby of sorts, have come anywhere near that. For a game live on TV at a bloody silly time, 6 hours drive away, I reckon that is actually pretty impressive.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/football/competitions/championship/9212717/Championship-clubs-to-vote-on-tough-financial-fair-play-plan-that-would-have-cost-QPR-a-15m-fine.html Well, possible new rules that the NPC clubs are about to vote on. We'd be ok because the Liebherrs converted the debt into equity, but most clubs whose owners only lend them money would be stuffed. Designed to stop another portsmouth etc presumably. Wonder how Reading would have fared under this. With £3m spent on a 34 year old, their policy changed radically with the half-way takeover by the Russian? That money must surely be a loan, for now at least, since the Russians have not yet been allowed to actually buy the club properly?

No. It'll take them to start L1 next season with a further points deduction before I'll feel less aggrieved. Bottom of NPC/top end of L1 is their natural home given the size of the club and their real resources. It's only been the artificial inflation of their spending that has got them up above that in recent years. Merely returning next season to where they should have been all this time anyway, is no punishment. They need to have a further deduction, or they will have effectively succeeded in cheating their way to a good run in the PL and a cup win with no real punishment, all paid for by the charities and others, including me as a taxpayer, that they have defrauded. If someone nicked your booze and went out, having a really good time and getting drunk at your expense, would you consider it enough punishment if they merely got sober afterwards, but neither paid you for your property nor was arrested? Their spending spree over the past 6? (8?) years is much the same in principle. In fact, they went out on the town several times at our expense.

I think that it is slightly worse than that. If we draw one , lose one, W.Ham only have to get a net gain of 5 goals, not 6, because if we are equal on goal diff , then goals scored count. At the moment I think we have scored only 3 more than them, so if we drew and they won 2 more, they'd presumably end up having scored more than us. So in short if we only get one point from the 2 remaining games then our goal difference must worsen by at least 1, and W.Ham might only have to win by 2 nil each game. And if our defeat was by more than the odd goal...... So if it's all the same to you I'd rather we won at Boro

True, but as someone else has said it was sung after sky sports reported that Reading were losing. I know, as a pathetic armchair fan that couldn't go to the match because I was afraid I might embarass Turkish, so I was listening to Radio Solent , watching sky sports and refreshing on saints web forum and the BBC web site, all at the same time. I heard the chant just after Sky put up the score 0-1 at Reading ...which by the way they did not correct for a long time.

Not in the NPC yet I know, but someone is surely going to buy Jordan Rhodes. Why not us?

Was thinking about this. I wouldn't put it past their manager to ban radios, phones etc to keep his players from knowing the scores of the other games. So those of you that are at the match might just mention (loudly) the pointlessness of them winning to their players ...even if it isn't true!

It would be interesting to see how he'd fare with Strachan if he aked him the same inane questions. Wee Gordie didn't take prisoners with the media.

Yes, but would be pretty tricky. With one draw and therefore one loss, our goal difference would go down by at least one (from the defeat) so West Ham would have to win both by only 2-nil each to better us, because by then they'd have equalled our gd but scored more goals, so would go up instead. If we lost one game 3-nil and drew the other, then west ham would just have to win both by any score. That 6-nil win of West Ham's against gutless Brighton really hit us. So in reality we need 1 win or 2 draws.

I read Birdsong some years ago, and really rated it. I gave up on the TV adaptation ... thought it was rubbish. Do read the book.

Just looked at the play-off dates --just in case ---and saw The npower Championship Play-off Semi-Final dates have been confirmed as follows - 1st legs 6th v 3rd - Thursday 3rd May 2012, kick-off 7.45pm* 5th v 4th - Friday 4th May 2012, kick-off 7.45pm 2nd legs 3rd v 6th - Monday 7th May 2012, kick-off 4.30pm* 4th v 5th - Tuesday 8th May 2012 OR Wednesday 9th May 2012**, kick-off 7.45pm. *Note - If Brighton & Hove Albion finish in third place, both ties will reverse i.e. Brighton's HOME leg will take place on Tuesday 8th or Wednesday 9th with the AWAY leg on Friday 4th May. ** Note - The exact date will be confirmed following the FA Cup Semi-Finals. The Final will take place at Wembley on Saturday 19th May, with a 3pm kick-off. Brighton won't finish 3rd of course, but why the special case? Home/away makes a lot of difference in the play-offs.