Fowllyd

If Pardew thought Pulis had a part to play in the first team, he (Pulis) would surely have been in Switzerland, not playing Saints XI friendlies with the kids. Also, notice the praise that Pardew has for other players in that team - his only mention of Pulis is his shoulder!

I saw him play in a reserves match a few months after he joined us; he was injured when he joined us but was fully fit by then. He wandered around the middle of the pitch while the game just passed him by. He didn't do anything of note during the time he was on the pitch; quite simply, he looked totally lost and way below the standard of the other players - and bear in mind that this was our reserve team, two seasons back. And, as others have pointed out, a glance at his record of appearances for a number of teams (ie hardly any over several years) also gives a good indication of his abilities. I assume that the reason he's started all the Saints XI friendlies this year was to give him a chance to find a team (most likely non-league) who'll be willing to pay for his services. If he'd been in Pardew's mind for a first team place he'd have been in Switzerland. He's here on a two-year contract which started on the 29th August 2008, so it's up soon (I can't somehow see the club taking up the option of an additional year). So, if he can interest any other side by then he gets to continue his career as a footballer. If not, he'll be released anyway.

If a rule were to be introduced along the lines of your first point above it would lead to a deterioration in the standard of football played in the Premier League, with little or no effect on the quality of the national team. Does Spain have such a rule? Does Germany? No. Do they produce significantly better players than England, and in greater numbers? Yes. That's the issue to address, but you won't do it by legislating on numbers of players of home nationality. The quality of coaching for youngsters is what really counts - if that doesn't improve then the national team never will. I agree with your second point though - in fact, I'd say that such a rule is long overdue.

What a touching story - it brought a tear to my rheumy old eye. I only hope that your parents-to-be weren't killed in the plane crash, as that would be truly tragic.

Top quote, Wes - wonderfully apposite. Nice to see a bit of kulcher on here too!

Maybe it's just that he's descended from a long line of bush babies...

Best known in this country for his hit with Good Thing Going (a cover of a Michael Jackson song). But before and after that he made a string of excellent records, first on the mighty Studio One label and later on his own Black Roots label. He worked with such greats of Jamaican music as Coxsone Dodd, Michael Campbell (aka Mikey Dread) and Sly and Robbie and was also a major pioneer in the development of the massively popular dancehall style of the early eighties. Died unexpectedly at the age of 54. RIP Sugar.

What a winsome pic of AA there - looks like he's paid a visit to a professional photographer!

I'd have thought that the special project would count as employment over and above his regular position as a head teacher, rather than part and parcel of it. So no, it's not bonuses, it's remuneration for an additional job being done. He's clearly very highly regarded, so I think you can take it as read that he was already delivering the very best for his basic salary. Why pay him extra? Because he was doing extra work, work which was not a part of his day to day job.

It's only per annum if he's going to get those same payments next year. A large slice of what you quote is back pay from previous employment, which is clearly a one-off payment, and not a per annum one. I'm surprised that he's been able to claim overtime though, as I didn't think any teachers were paid that, let alone heads. Do you think that his salary of £82,714 is too high? There's a discussion to be had there, I'm sure, but including that £51k as part of it is nonsensical.

I've never liked that "Alan Pardew's red army" chant, so I for one will be glad not to hear it. Way back in days of yore we used to chant "Lawrie McMenemy's red and white army" and the rhythm of it was just fine, so why doing the same but substituting our current manager's name is apparently so difficult is beyond me. And it would fit with the anniversary kit - which is, after all, red and white.

Happy birthday Duncan!

Probably Scooby then. In which case followers can look forward to tweets heralding the return of Lord Lowe and the Golden Duo...

I think you're right. The present football bubble has been remarkably long-lived, but a bubble it is nonetheless. And bubbles eventually burst.

Mind you, the impersonator's so damn good you'd never know the difference...

You really are the new Scooby, aren't you? OK, so you're not at his level yet, though you do clearly model yourself on him. Give it time and practice, though, and you may one day come somewhere near to his mastery of comic trolling. In addition to the endearingly idiotic views you purport to espouse, I particularly enjoy your deliberate misuse of certain words and phrases - 'council' in this post, others such as 'in lieu of' quite regularly. Don't rest on your laurels though - you'll need to think up the occasional new malapropism to keep us entertained.

I have no problems with using the forum as it now is. Hell, I actually quite like the look of it. This thread is hilarious. Its title and first post are some of the most preposterous, pretentious nonsense I've read on here in quite some time. The funniest part is that the original poster actually seems to be totally serious in what he's saying.

Actually, it strikes me that Dune is in fact not a serious poster at all, but a deliberately provocative comedy poster in the manner of the now-departed Scooby. It's the only rational explanation I can see.

I like what you did there...

It's quite possible that certain players have already signed pre-contract terms, in which case they will be Saints players come July (and of course we don't know whether or not this has happened). Unless any player has already signed for another club, we haven't missed out on them as they're still available. I'm sure we'll make signings and I hope and trust they'll be good ones. I'm also sure that we will miss out on some of our targets, but that happens to every club.

Well, if you are it's well worth the repetition. And seeing the percentages proposed in Andronikou's CVA brings home all the more clearly just how corrupt and self-serving it is.

Griffins' response is very nicely worded, I have to say - they've coolly and calmly poured a vat of agricultural slurry all over UHY and their statement. I love that first sentence: "We are surprised to read that the Administrators of Portsmouth FC have, with the assistance of a public relations agency, issued a press release attacking our firm." If it were a boxing match it would be stopped in the first round.

Yep, I think that in the near future he could well find himself in a very big pile of poo - and I don't mean Fratton Park! Boom boom!

On which subject, didn't you state not so long ago that as far as you were concerned Markus Liebherr is god and Nicola Cortese Jesus Christ, and that both of them were therefore above any criticism? I also seem to recall comments from you about Pardew having got too big for his boots and deserving a (presumed) slap from Cortese to put him back in his place. So what's happened to bring about this particular U-turn then?

You did indeed. I worked for IBM at Hursley for a year before going to university, and went there every Thursday lunchtime.