sandwichsaint

I had an Octavia 1.9 turbo diesel I bought on 22k miles in 2000, just got rid of last year at 230,000 miles! Fantastic all-rounder, 50mpg on every day driving, 40mpg+ on fast MWay cruising - had it serviced once a year. Never broke down, never not started- ever, in daily use for 10 years. Replaced cam belts / discs+pads / steering and suspension bits as needed. At 230k it was on the original: engine, gearbox, clutch, exhaust, fuel pump and injectors, and all electrical gear. Every switch, bulb, gizmo worked and the interior was still perfectly comfortable/usable. Only got rid cos nipper is driving now and couldn't get him on insurance... got £700 for it! If you can live with the badge it's prob the most car for your money.

Not sure they will be playing with -4 of frost in the ground? Looks like we now need some idle speculation as to 'Do Walsall have covers?' I'll go first - 'possibly'.

It's already been called off in my house, I was supposed to be picking junior up from Luffbro Saturday morning, going to Walsall, going home. Now going up to Luff tommo, will be well ****ed off it's on! (really can't see that it will be, LOL at those asking if Walsall have undersoil heating, this is the third division FFS!)

Funny old game - Dover beat Aldershot quite comfortably who beat Brentford quite comfortably who are beating Saints quite comfortably ... how many would Dover beat Saints by?

Was it two pound day for visitors???

Where's Chaplow, injured or suspended or gone back?

I guess the crown will be most interested in the fact that he has been wearing a plaster cast for the last 6 weeks: was this apparent injury caused 'offensively' or 'defensively'? I think we should be told.....

I think you need Help.

Shame, decent player when he plays but I think we need to go back to Derby and check if he came with any sort of warranty; they certainly saw us coming with this one.

All good positive stuff and combined with the dinner party comments it seems to show that NC is in it for the long haul and that he is deadly serious about the type of club he wants to build - a super-club if you will. It is good that the club is in such committed hands, we appear to have money, he appears to back NA and we will spend in Jan if the right players are available, or in the summer if they aren't. All good stuff and it should be a very interesting ride. Whether he really can combine the investment required (in players/wages/infrastructure) with the available income streams (trust fund(?)/broadcasting/commercial/ticket sales) and deliver crowds of 45k remains to be seen .... I guess he thinks that if anyone can then he can!

I've always understood it wasnt installed because with the pitch being virtually at sea level and close to the river it wasn't needed. I'm not sure it was ever a cost thing - it simply wasn't needed - and 'events' seem to have proved that correct over the years. Will make an interesting discussion if we ever return to the Prem (presumably we will be forced to have it!)

I saw this game too, can't remember if it actually rained during the game but I remember it was an absolute glue-pot of a pitch, the sort you just don't see now. Me, my dad and bro had seats in the West Stand down the Archers end and I remember it cos it was one of the first games we ever had seats at and that was a very rare treat indeed to go 'in the stands', seats being both more expensive and hard to get hold of. Guess those were the days when season ticket holders 'had until Wednesday' to buy their own seats - I can only apologise if we were sat in your ST seat that day.... (I'm not a ST holder, never have been, prob never likely to be ... why oh why can't Saints sell ST holders their 'own seat' for cup games? ... that can't be too hard via an electronic db surely? They used to manage perfectly well with telephones, letters, and hard-printed tickets .. I just don't get why they continue to choose to upset a certain section of their fanbase?)

And France and Italy and America again and Africa again and Australasia ... we are more likely to see Saints in the Chamions League than to see a WC in England.

Pretty sure they are for ticket holders only (ie ST or day-ticket) and you book them (coach seats) when you book your tickets - they do say no away fans allowed in the advertising. They do one from here, excellent value, match ticket and coach travel is about £20 for most games, sometimes more; I have seen ticket-and-coach deals at £12-£15 for midweek games ... ridiculously good value when you think it is 75 minutes travel time from where I am. A few of the lads from my school use it regularly (age about 12-18) and it costs them about £8 a game including travel from Deal or S'wich .. incredible! Anyways ... for about £25 you could buy a home ticket and guaranteed travel ... get off the coach, bin your home ticket, and go into the away end .. there are services from all over Kent and East Sussex ... get in!

The original was def Channon at the 76 final (you can see it clearly if you have the video or DVD), may have been reprised for Boyer in 79?

Channon strikes faster than British Leyland

While we are all having a good moan I can't believe the club are still running with the completely naff, generic 'OS'. Are we contractually obliged via the FL to subscribe to this pile of junk? I see that most other clubs (all other clubs?) in our league have something similar; I have just been on Huddersfield's and it is equally: confusing, out-of-date, cluttered, illogical, full of in-your-face adverts etc etc. Surely it wouldn't take very much for a club of Saints stature and means to produce a comprehensive, integrated, online system that delivered a decent web site and ticketing system? The fact that they haven't improved either so far says to me that the club don't much care for their supporters/customers, or that they are doing so well that they can afford to turn away potential visitors to their website (I only ever click on it for ticket details) and potential ticket sales (the same 'fee' for online booking and for phoning the ticket office is a joke - there is nil incentive to use the online service as it stands). Saints v Brighton, top of Division 3, 26k Leicester v Forest, top end of Championship, 23k Saints fans deserve better!

Yeah, that and cr8p players, cr8p managers, cr8p preparation, cr8p tactics ... I don't think we really need FIFAs big ref conspiracy to put us out of World Cups, do you?

Although the old BritishRail cost (lost) considerably less to run than the privatised railways now take in subsidies ... and the service was in many cases 'better' and with considerably lower fares pound-for-pound than those on offer nowadays.

It looks like Beckford is finding it soooo much easier with better players around him, is there any real 'evidence' that you can be 'too good' for Lge 1? I guess the Prem Lge and the top half of the CCC(sic) is full of players that looked-ok-but-never-did-much in the third division; is it just that I haven't noticed them?

Excellent draw for Saints, price it right and there should be a decent crowd and an entertaining match; if we win it will be a big morale boost to beat a Prem team, if not we go out to a team two leagues above and concentrate on the league -win/win - only downside I can see is a possible replay which we really could do without. Spare a thought for Dover! They've won through five rounds, comfortably beating two league sides in rounds 1 and 2 and are in the third round for the first time in their history ... they get drawn at Huddersfield away! Worst-case scenario! Miles away, very difficult game, and limited TV/media appeal. Huddersfield have had less than 4000 for their two previous games in the cup this season. Dover will prob take a 1000+ up there but it's a massive anti-climax after Saturday, to reach the third round and then not to receive a financial windfall is a right kick in the wotsits.

?????

Is it 'Ray' Reardon? I thought it was Jason Dennis or Mark Codd, wot a pollock I am.

You really should get out more ... it's a lovely non-lge ground (it's already league-rated if they ever get that far)- a much better pitch than plenty of those in our league - Dover v Saints would be a great third round tie (or we could all go to Chelsea/L'pool/Man U 'again', yawn).

Dover away would be nice - I went today and Dover were well worth their win; in fact they have been good value for both their victories over league oppo. Over 4000 at Crabble today and a cracking atmosphere, would love to see Saints play there.