buctootim

He lives in the next village to me. Supports the local annual festival and gave 'an evening with' speech last year. He started with nothing and has done well. Good luck to him

The Harp in Chandos Place, Covent Garden. Really good pub and beer. Much better than its oirish website http://www.harpcoventgarden.com/ I also like the Salisbury nr Leicester Square. Heavily touristed so not much local atmosphere but I like all the gilt mirrors which make is seem double the size, like a circus trick. http://www.taylor-walker.co.uk/pub-food/salisbury-covent-garden/pid-C3111

Americans say "the situation is serious but isnt hopeless", Brits say "the situation is hopeless but isn't serious"

The Walcott transfer was exactly what I was thinking of too. Supposedly it was the Walcott family's insistence that any deal was conditional on Arsenal treating Saints properly that meant we got the high fee.

Not so. Pre contract agreements are just that - a document where each party sets out what they expect to happen at a certain date. They carry moral weight, especially if the parents co-sign but they arent legally enforceable if the player is under 17 afaik.

I know he gave his word, promising to sign a contract when he was 17 - but afaik that doesnt mean anything legally. He can still welch on that if he wants.

But if he isnt under contract until he turns 17 surely the club cant stop him just walking away and signing for Chelsea, leaving a tribunal to sort out compensation?

I thought that was all alfalfa, facials and towelling robes. A bit fey for a group of footballers.

I know. Its a shambles where little worthwhile get done and no-one learns anything.

Actually I dont have a problem with you because getting sucked into the stupid game a few times aside, you do mostly post what you think - albeit that a lot of what you think is a bit weird - but thats a separate issue. Turkish, Kraken, Sour Mash, Hypochondriac and a couple of others are perfectly capable of trashing any thread and do with monotonous regularity. Yeah we know its possible to destroy the threads and discussion points, its easy, there lots of techniques for it. Fact is hundreds choose not to pi ss on the bonfire whilst just a few cant stop themselves.

No. I post what I think. I dont post to get a reaction. Huge difference.

Yeah. There is only so much pedantry and negativity you can post on a fans forum before people get fed up. Two thousand forum users and six or eight posters manage to screw the life out of every thread.

Not sure what you are hoping people will infer Trousers, but there is a huge difference between consulting on which government policies might reduce a key interest rate during a sharp recession and fraudulent manipulation by a bank hoping to boost its profits.

Rather than trying to preserve a club that has cheated and defaulted for years the PFA should be welcioming their liquidation, knowing that another club will be promoted in its place, one that pays its bills and players.

Ooh goody. A semantics argument.

...

Its not a valid comparison for all the reasons I gave. To think that if a Chelsea fan doesnt't turn down playing in the CL for Chelsea then that blows apart the argument that Saints are less likely to lose talent now we are in the PL and have money - is facile. Saints are now in a much better position to retain the stars coming through than last season and infinitely stronger position than when we were in admin. It doesnt mean we can win all battles with all clubs for all players always. Players will always have personal preferences, Chelsea and Man U lose players too.

No its not. Chelsea have been a glamour side for years and will be playing in the CL next year. They train at Cobham where LS grew up and he is a Chelsea fan. He'd be making a mistake to go (more so than going to Arsenal) but it wouldnt necessarily set any precedents.

It just explains the timing imo. Chelsea are hoping to bully Saints by saying 'Play nice, take the £4m, its a generous offer since you dont have him under contract. We will turn his head anyway and a development fee from a tribunal will be less. "

Miss

Its important to get the right mix of posters sitting together - though Im not sure we can do boy / girl/ boy / girl. Name cards on the seats would be a nice touch though, and napkins for the pies. .

Guess you don't really like football then. People who like football often go to see other teams matches when their club arent playing / they are on holiday abroad / their friend/relation is playing somewhere.

But does it make the forum a better place to be? Its not banter because its lazy and unfunny, so its just repetitive bickering - and its so effing tedious .

It is a bit pathetic though Dune. Its easy to put groups of people down, but why, whats the enjoyment? Your a loner chain smoker who hangs outside buildings in the rain and lives in the 1950s. Ha hah ha etc. Turkish is a mid 30s bloke going to seed, getting fat and still desperately clinging on to his clothes and cyber hoolie persona as a crutch against getting old. So he cracks endelss variations of the same joke about a catchement area in order to show how smart he is. ha ha ha ha. Is that better?

Just keep adding the spam to the junk list and gradually over time it reduces - and stop giving your email address to dodgy websites and make sure you always untick the box where it says in code 'I consent to you selling my email address and personal details to anyone who will pay us 5p for them, no matter how much grief that will cause you'.