trousers

I've been an 'unqualified' IT Project Manager for many years now. I find common sense works just as well as the usual 'CV filler' qualifications....try telling that to some of the blinkered senior managers that litter our industry though...

It's Messi. Reliable source. IMHO of course

I've just chuckled out loud on a train, thanks to that quip. Give me warning next time!

You didn't ask him if were signing Messi FFS!!! But, seriously, good read. Cheers

Without wishing to steal your thunder, I did float the idea of a similar "pay as you go" top-up/membership type scheme a couple of years ago. It would also be great for family and friends buying gifts for each other......rather than buy an iTunes gift card (or similar) you could buy a Saints gift card which tops up the credits on your account. Etc. A fine idea....even if I say so myself :-)

But I thought we were supposed to be closing down the academy and the Liebherrs want to sell......? Or maybe I just read that on here....? ;-)

Does anyone remember what "end of year 5" looked like on the original 5 year plan? Was it: "year 5: promoted from the Championship - reached the premier league." Or was it: "year 5: reached Prem 1 or 2 years ago - finished in top 5 - Europe here we come" In other words, was the 'plan' to reach the Prem by year 5 or to have consolidated in the Prem by year 5? I think the answer to that will determine the level of extra investment the owner(s) will need to plough into the club next season.

Indeed..,you've countered your own argument there. It's not "silly", rather it's very sensible given the average IQ of a football supporter who's had a few beers compared to a rugby or cricket fan who has similarly imbibed. Edit: and, of course, the law is an ass as a lot of people end up drinking more and quicker because of the rush to down a beer or two before the game starts and at half time. So, the rule doesn't actually achieve what it sets out to achieve. IMO

It's Fred Gee from Coronation Street. How many more times, FFS ?

It's in the Charles Sale column in the Daily Mail: "Hard to tell the Saints from the sinners The 125th anniversary celebrations at Southampton have highlighted the acrimonious relationships that exist between the club and some of their greatest names. Fans’ favourites Matt Le Tissier and Francis Benali, who have been outspoken critics of executive chairman Nicola Cortese’s regime, were conspicuous by their absence from an all-star team that played the current side, newly promoted from League One. Meanwhile, no-one from the club attended two sell-out birthday events in Southampton organised by supporters which honoured the snubbed duo along with other Saints hall of famers Mick Channon, Kevin Keegan, Alan Shearer, the late Alan Ball and Lawrie McMenemy, who received a lifetime achievement award. Le Tissier has complained about the way he is treated over ticket requests, Benali is involved in legal action over alleged unpaid bills due from one of his properties after Cortese was a tenant, while former manager McMenemy has been accused by the club of having a ‘hidden agenda’. Club accounts for the last financial year have revealed the Swiss chairman was paid £599,793 for six months — a huge salary for running a club in the second tier of the Football League where staff have complained about having to pay for the car park and food at the training ground." Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/article-1385281/Charles-Sale-Hard-tell-Saints-sinners-Southampton.html#ixzz1LwwsYyUN

That's Fred Gee. Bet Lynch's cellar man and chauffeur.

I've been telling people this VERY simple fact for months now but through either ignorance or arrogance it doesn't sink in. Why people choose not to understand that election pledges are what a party would do if they win an overall majority is beyond me. These pledges are not what they would do if part of a coalition. Perhaps it's TOO simple for people to grasp as it most certainly isn't complicated.

I owe an apology to Verbal. The British electorate aren't thick afterall. I can only apologise for insinuating otherwise P.s. Good to see the Tory vote increase in the local elections too. Who'd have thought, especially after all the unnecessary cuts... :-)

Is this thread only for people that do it by accident, or can those of us who do it on purpose for sexual gratification also contribute?

4 in person; 53 in spirit

That's understandable, because I'm not making one. Was simply reading the Cortese threads from a year or so ago and thought they were interesting and, perhaps, worth sharing for reflection. There again...

As it seems to be in vogue to resurrect old threads this week....this one caught my eye.... :-)

Superb. Nice one Mike. What a nice man that Cortese fella is

You raisin expectations again?

Here's Bournemouth celebrating their automatic promotion this year....

There are predominantly four types of football match attendees: 1) Die-hards who will go as often as they can regardless of the quality level of the League we're in. It's their main hobby. 2) Fans who will go as often as they can but are restricted by other commitments. It's not their main hobby but they love Saints all the same. 3) People who like to watch a good game of football and have a soft spot for their local side. They tend to go for the games most likely to be the most entertaining. 4) 'Non-fans' who enjoy going to watch a game of football every now and again as a social activity. These will tend to be individuals or corporate customers who will tend to go for the more glamorous games because, again, they are going for the entertainment potential and the sense of 'occasion' A football club needs all 4 types of 'customer' to thrive, especially in the higher leagues. Thus, the higher up the leagues we go, the more we should be striving to attract as many people in categories 3 & 4 as possible. Simple as that.

Oops....well spotted that man.....duly snipped. Not that there's much chance of inadvertently quoting a full Daily Mail article on here having a vast affect on their revenue streams.....all those people on this thread who were about to pop out to the newsagents to buy it will now keep their money in their pocket as a result of that post..... ;-)

Yes vote would take us back to the bad old days One thing seems certain in the welter of claims and counter-claims about tomorrow’s referendum: AV is progressive. The referendum is being held at the insistence of the Lib Dems, which always proclaims itself the party of progress. Alongside Nick Clegg, the Yes campaign is being led by the Labour leader, Ed Miliband, who is the self-styled champion of the new political generation. And their campaign is endorsed by a bevy of celebrities and luvvies who you would hardly term traditionalists. They include the fragrant Joanna Lumley, the tweeting Stephen Fry and comedian Eddie Izzard, who is so achingly right-on that he tells jokes in two languages. In contrast the No campaign boasts a solitary star, Richard Wilson of One Foot In The Grave, whose television persona is the epitome of curmudgeonliness. He is joined by a couple of hard-boiled politicians from the Left such as former home secretaries David Blunkett and John Reid. And, of course, there is David Cameron, our Etonian Prime Minister. It seems to say it all: the Yes to AV campaign appears to offer hope for a new kind of politics, one that is in touch with the people, while the No campaign merely means more of the same, broken old political system. In fact nothing could be further from the truth. Far from being progressive, AV would be a giant step backwards. Out would go the open politics of ‘one man, one vote’ – a system that, contrary to what the Yes campaign would have you believe, is one of comparatively modern times. Back would come the elite politics of the bad old world, when we were ruled, not by the ballot box, but by deals done behind closed mahogany doors in country houses, London clubs and parliamentary committee rooms. No doubt the venues where the backroom deals are concluded would be different. But I remain to be convinced that London’s trendy Groucho Club is more fundamentally democratic than White’s, the traditional St James’s club of the aristocracy . I will explain why AV would take us back to the corrupt politics of old, but first let me make a concession. No form of voting is perfect – whether it is first-past-the-post or AV. Each has its advantages and disadvantages and works better for one purpose rather than another. Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/debate/article-1383303/AV-referendum-Yes-vote-bad-old-days.html#ixzz1LNO12Gs2

I have a friend who is a Daggers fan and has threatened me with a slow and painful death if Saints rollover on Saturday.

I've decided to vote thus: 1st choice AV; Second choice FPTP. It's a win-win for me.