Fowllyd

Very impressive today - quick, strong, tenacious and showed no little skill too. Plus a great goal to top it all off. I'd sign him (and Papa too) like a shot.

Thanks for that - good on you.

In what sense exactly did Walters 'meet' Alan Pardew, as claimed in the title? It's crystal clear from what follows that he didn't even speak to AP, let alone come face to face with him. Never trust a man with a face like an arse turned sideways.

The transfer embargo was imposed and subsequently lifted by the Premier League, not the FA. Therefore I doubt there's any possibility of Pompey being kicked out of the FA Cup. The PL imposed the embargo because Pompey had football debts which were unpaid and/or on which no schedule had been agreed. Once they reached agreement with the last club they owe money to, the embargo was lifted, on the condition that they could only bring in loans or free transfers. I assume that this was done to ensure that their level of football debt didn't rise; if they paid any loan and signing-on fees in full then it wouldn't have done. All that said, they're still cheats!

Fabulous stuff - once again, you really couldn't make it up. I particularly liked the reference to 'Arry's "sense of fair play". :smt044

Claws Lundekvam. Somebody had to do it.

She sure is. Looks like a domestic longhair to me - she'll need a bit of grooming, but nothing compared to posh cats. I see the M-name's been attached to the jpg - best think of another one before it sticks.

Why thank you kindly. Had I but known, I think I'd have gone for the Atlantic Mudskipper - something appropriate about that, don't you think? On the other hand, it wouldn't scan as well as 'alibut.

Dammit dammit dammit! I was trying like hell to think of a fish beginning with 'a' - how could I miss 'anchovy'? That said, I like the twin apostrophes - redolent of a certain ex-manager who helped kick-start the whole saga...

Cod-cuddling, Haddock-humping, Eel-embracing, 'Alibut-'arrassing, Tuna-tounging Skates I do like a nice acrostic, don't you?

HMRC won't be able to block such an arrangement; however, they will be able to veto a CVA if they still hold a sufficient proportion of the unsecured debt (which they almost certainly do). Which would, of course, mean that Pompey would start next season with a nice big points penalty from the Football League.

The Man in Black, not long before he died - and a video which always brings tears to my eyes...

This: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MZPH1SvbexQ And this, cos it's my location on here... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IMIlP4zB0EM

Shows how deceptive appearances can be - and I agree entirely on the respect bit!

I wouldn't put too much credence in rumours - especially ones "traced back to Fratton Park sources"! And they wouldn't get a CVA at 30p in the pound either - not with HMRC as a major unsecured creditor.

Well, it remains to be seen just what strings are attached to this and, of course, how many clubs are actually interested in any of Pompey's players - and at what price. It won't be the first time that Andronikou has announced something with a drum roll and fanfare of trumpets, only for the reality to be more suited to a lone kazoo. We'll see. Meanwhile, their secret millionaires appear to be getting more secret by the day. Wonder why...

Didn't look like it - I was most surprised to see that figure on the OS. Fewer than 100 I'd have said.

Yep, I'd agree with that for the most part. I couldn't work out the formation to start with - I expected Papa to play on the right wing, then realised it was an attempt to play him in the hole. Didn't work at all and good that we changed it sharpish after they scored. In the first half Puncheon played a few very good passes, including a real killer which Barnard should have done more with; he also headed the ball against the bar for Barnard to get the rebound. He did little apart from that though, but was definitely better second half - really deserved to score after the run he made. And Rickie's snap shot which was saved would have been a pretty spectacular goal; he really is a very impressive player. We definitely allow Davis to wallop the ball up the pitch from free kicks and the like way too much. We can pass the ball well and we look a far better team when we do just that - so what's with all the long hoofs from the keeper? Agree about Schneiderlin - Wotton didn't do a great deal wrong really, but he offers very little.

I can understand your puzzlement - consternation, even - but I think you need to read between the lines a little here. As we all know, Peter Storrie's incomparable football experience and know-how (acquired, lest we forget, during 21 years of unparalleled achievement in the game) are still required by Mr Andronikou, albeit in a consultancy capacity. The FA, no doubt mindful of this fact, have decided to go for a temporary appointment, with Alex Horne keeping things ticking over until December. When the time comes I feel quite certain that a fully refreshed Storrie (and I'm sure we'll all agree that he'll need a decent break after the traumatic time he's been put through recently) will march triumphantly into FA headquarters to take his rightful place at the centre of the game in this country.

Eammon Collins it was - I remember Alan Ball tipping him as one for the future, and that at a time when we had a fair few handy youngsters around the place. He was quite a small lad as I recall, which may have held him back. Another I'd mention is Dave Puckett; scored shed loads right through the youth and reserve levels, looked like another Steve Moran (they were similar in age) but never really made it in the first team. Oh, and also Dave Madden, another 'new Steve Williams' - never made it with us, though he did play in an FA Cup final for Palace I think.

Likewise. A masterpiece of the style; I used to drive past it quite regularly at one point when I lived in north London. It's now a Tesco, but they had to keep all the façade in place as it was, quite rightly, listed.

This link has some excellent photos of the Ocean Terminal, demolished in 1983. A striking building, with a fabulous interior (well, for first class passengers!): http://www.thecunarders.co.uk/Southampton%20Ocean%20Terminal3.html

I think that comment is an early front-runner for the euphemism of the year award!

Fair points, but criticism comes in different forms. Negative, destructive criticism does nobody any good; constructive criticism is another matter altogether. On here I'd say the former tends to dominate; there are plenty of posters who like to complain yet never offer any positive suggestions for improvement. And do you really think that Shakespeare wrote Oliver Twist?