sandwichsaint

Not sure the Queen gets to decide much these days, the leader with the most seats gets first go at forming a coalition that can carry a majority in the house of commons, if they can't get a majority then the second biggest party will be asked to try and form a workable majority - if they can't either then we're into minority govt/supply and confidence territory, and pretty quickly towards a second election. Not convinced that Lab won't make a more formal agreement with the SNP when the time comes, it's quite conceivable we could see something like Tories 290, Lab 280, SNP 40, and Ed being PM with fewer seats than the Tories.

Ed done good on the coalition question, ruled it out without completely ruling-it-out. Sturgeon came on a bit strident at that point, like a sexed-up Margaret Thatcher, I love a feisty bird me.

Read the link. doesnt matter if Labour get anhilated in Scotland , Lab + SNP > Con + Lib Con can only win if they take 20+ Con/Lab marginals and poling nowhere near that at the moment.

http://www.theguardian.com/politics/2015/apr/16/in-the-election-numbers-game-the-odds-are-stacked-against-cameron Pretty much game over under FPTP, Ed just needs to play a straight bat for another 20 days and it's bye bye Dave, happy days!

Great spot, I fully expect to see this on MOTD or Sky before the end of the season.

Adrian Heath (lock this now!) Callum Wilson Ian Callaghan (skate, that's Jim not Ian)

I've never seen an advert for the Tories on my computer .....

Not sure why you are quite so confident on this? Bit of a chicken and egg for me. Saints have to nominate before the season starts, 7(?) games to be Cat A, obviously they go for the games with the biggest demand: 'top 4'-plus, Xmas games (if it's not already against big 4 teams, which both were this season), plus last game of the season would seem to make sense? When are away prices set? Before the season? A little way into the season? Some weeks before the fixture? Not sure how you can be so certain that the selection of Villa on the last day of the season (which we picked before the season started) reflects the high price they charged our away fans? Why would Saints base their Premium pricing home fixtures on the price that away teams charge us ... it only affects 2000-3000 fans either way (why discriminate against 28,000 home fans based on the price of the away tickets?). If Ipswich come up, and charge us £42 for away tickets, does that make them one of the 7 home Cat A games next season? I absolutely agree with Villa last game of the season being Cat A, I fully understand why they were Cat C last year, Saints fans got a bargain when Stoke were Cat C last game last season! I think most of us understand why Villa are Cat A this season, and it's nothing to do with the price of their away tickets!

Prob still working on it, but you would have to assume that there would be a limit to the times you can do it though, perhaps 3-4 times a year? Other clubs have had similar schemes established for a number of years, maybe check out how their's work? Excellent renewal prices, and a reduction in the corners, very pleased with this package all round.

Doesn't 'new' telly money kick in next season?

Nutjob nutshell, who-ever-you-vote-for-the-government-gets-in, or something like that.

Periscopes?

Wrong on just about every level! 'Let down by league position and trophies' ? but the training ground's good! How would 'weighting it in' help our ranking? We won our only major trophy 38 years ago and have been more down than up over the last 8 years - weighting to the modern era would depress our rankings not improve them! (tho Wolves and West brom would be pushed even further back, maybe that was your point?) Global fanbase, if you scan down to the bottom, relates to twitter and facebook followers abroad, so an arbitrary-but-measurable 'fact' (keep up the good work Dubai). You 'definitely' think we are bigger than West Brom and Wolves? West Brom have won 5 FA cups, 2 League championships and have a record home attendance of near on 65,000, Wolves have won the First Division 3 times, runners up 5 times and have won 4 of their 8 FA Cup finals, they were pioneers in European football and were unofficially regarded as 'world champions' in the mid-50s after a series of high-profile friendlies, the pre-cursor to modern European football as we know it now. In addition Wolves have played in a European final and have a record ground attendance of 60,500. We're not in the same ball park historically, not even close, and we're not bigger than West Ham either. I'd say come back in another 10 years and see where we are then, if we continue what we've started we will be somewhere above 15th by then,; at the moment I'd say 15th feels just about right!

Great tribute from the Northam yesterday to come out with a chorus of Kelvin, kelvin Davies, Steven, Steven Davis. I'm sure he was looking down in a state of mild bemusement and wryly thinking that Heaton did indeed look like a wotsit.

Agree, was going to post this up yesterday, Aubisque is a fantastic climb and unusual in that it comes in two parts, first part up to Soleur(?) is relatively routine. Maybe 6 or 7k at 6% to 8%, not looking it up, just from memory. You then traverse along a spectacular contour with the biggest drop-offs I've probably seen anywhere (there is a small wall and a barrier but you are literally looking sideways over 'nothing') then there's a reasonably long tunnel with cobbles and dripping water, if you get through that lot there is a deceptively steep climb to the finish, again from memory, prob 4-5km at 8% plus with the end always in sight. Did it on the tour in prob 2010? ish? Red hot day and a fantastic decent afterwards, picking down through the crowds then a full on thrash back to St Gironds. Seriously consider adding Aubisque to your itinerary. Another unsung gem in the pyrennes is Plateau de Baille, literally a road to nowhere, and the climb that Lance Armstrong declared to be 'against his human rights'. A completely surreal experience, it kicks up relatively out of nowhere, straight on to 9% plus ramps. Literally in the middle of nowhere, we did it in mid-summer and only saw a handful of cars in an hours plus climbing. Road surface is excellent, bottom half is steeper (v. steep in places) top section is easier but guarded by giant cattle/ox/buffalo type creatures! Weave through those and arrive at a David Bowie/Man Who Fell to Earth type Sci Fi visitor centre (which was closed in the middle of summer) and about three cars in the car park. Now for the real reason for coming up here, the descent! Have to say this is up there with the best descents I've ever done ... the road surface is immaculate, the traffic is scarce, the visibility down is good and some of the ramps are in excess of a K long! I'm sure you go faster in Staffordshire but for me this is the faster I've ever been on a bike! Enjoy!

Bulldog. lots of football, is nine-in the same as 'buzz'? There was a conker craze once a year, pickled in vinegar and you gained the points if you beat an opponent. Bit of skipping over a long rope, Malcolm McLaren eat your heart out, we were doing the double dutch at Butlocks Heath in the early seventies. We also played marbles, or 'alleys?' 'allies?'. all marbles had a value based on their size, 4-ers, 6-ers etc, kids who's dads were in the motor trade bought in giant ball bearings which were 16-ers. Scraped the marbles into a hole on the playground and the last person to pocket a marble took the pot. We also had a boy in primary school who could lean back and wee against the ceiling of the outside toilets (he frequently did), think he went on to have a reasonably successful career in the adult film industry.

Penkridge Infants St Michael's Juniors, Penkridge Butlocks Heath Primary Hamble Comprehensive School Sir Roger Manwood's Grammer School, Sandwich Canterbury Technology College (A Levels) 2 Thick 4 University (allegedly:rolleyes:)

I'd go Forster Clyne Toby Fonte Bertrand Big Vic Morgan Davis JWP Mane Pelle TBF Man U away was about JWP's best performance of the season, I'd be inclined to play him in this one, leave either/both of Tadic and Djuricic for the last 15 minutes when it's still 0-0 and we're looking to knick it. 0-1 to the mighty Saints (pen in the 83rd minute, no idea who will take it though!)

Don't know if it's become rubbish in the last 9 months but Southampton have been in the top 4 for virtually the whole season, .

Nice one, I was born in Stone (1961!) and my parents were in Penkridge until I was age 9. Guess it's my third home but I rarely get there, my parents were both originally from Warsash/Tichfield and we lived in Netley (Hamble school) from 9-14. I have been in Kent since age 14 but I don't feel any great affinity to it, Soton will always be home for me. In Norman Tebbitt's cricket test I would take Hants over Kent every time. Just nice to see different parts of the country, you certainly live in some cracking biking country where you are.

Fair play, I did think he was a little bit leisurely for you. but he did have very similar colouring and facial hair! Looks cracking biking country where you are, we went from the Crem to the M6 toll towards Lichfield and we also went off the M6 early for the Stoke league cup game and went up through Stone and Leek (?), there's not a flat bit of road NE of Stafford!

VFT today, Inset day? Funny half term? Dentists appointment? Were you on the Penkridge side of Stafford around 11-45 this morning then round by the Crem about 12-45? We were at a funeral in Penkridge then on to Stafford crem after. Could have sworn we saw you, if not you then there's somebody else around Stafford giving a very good impression of you! If you don't want to be noticed, don't go out dressed as your avatar!!!

Difficult one, a 'clear' red card under the laws of the game - but it was 'common sense' refereeing in the context of what had gone before in the game and the provocation/time wasting from Saints when they tried to delay their corner.

I must have dozed off for that bit, I saw a largely nervous team frequently mis-passing, mis-contolling and over-hitting their through balls. I also saw a lot of falling over, running down blind alleys, desperate long-range 'shooting' and intricate link-ups that never quite came off. I can't really remember their back four being stretched at all in the first half. With MS and VW dominating midfield and no real end product it looked to me like an object lesson in WGS's 'propaganda football'.

If they ever get to make the DVD of that one we can rest assured that the title 'Thriller' has already been taken, may I suggest 'Turgid' as a suitable alternative? It really was a hard watch at times, in the first half Palace looked shot from their weekend exertions and despite us having the lion's share of possession, MS and VW ran the midfield virtually unopposed for the first 45 minutes, but our front 4, plus the two fullbacks failed to create anything worthwhile (I think I've seen this one before?). We are just so rigid and predictable in our movements, long-ball up to Pelle who seems to operate in an ever decreasing radius (by my estimation he was down to an area of about 6m by 2m last night), he flicks it or chests it on (he quite regularly won stuff last night), the midfield is then 20m behind the play and the wide players are both pegged out wide, sometimes when I'm watching it I'm not entirely sure what Plan A actually is..... When we did get it down most of our best moments came from Mane who cut in dangerously several times but at least twice he shanked his shot high wide and handsome. Palace offered little in a mind-numbing first half though Forster managed to keep them interested when he dropped a routine catch at the near post. For me Elia has a lot to do to earn a contract, hopefully Tadic can sort himself out in the forthcoming break and get back to being a regular starter. Second half was a brighter affair all round; Palace stirred themselves and while Saints continued to monopolise possession, generally to no great effect, Palace looked genuinely threatening on the counter with Puncheon and Bolasie both looking dangerous and both looking more direct than anything we had on show. Fair play to Fonte and Yoshi and Forster who were extended several times and generally came up with the answers to gain a well-earned clean sheet. Only question was could we, would we, should we score, and Koeman finally saw the light pulling off the ineffectual Pelle and replacing him with the lively Long and adding Tadic to the mix too. Once Pelle went the game changed with Saints suddenly became more fluid with the Palace CB's being pulled out of their comfort zone as we started to interchange in the attacking third, the goal was soft when it came, JWP advancing through their at-last disrupted ranks and hitting half a shot (at least it was on target. yay!), Speroni spilled it, and Mane did the rest. Relief all round but Palace roused themselves for a rather nail-biting finale as Saints somewhat nervously held on. Whither to from here? Koeman talks a good game (playing down CL ambitions on Saturday, saying last night that it was one of the biggest results of the season) but what have Saints got left in the locker for the run-in? Watching for 80 minutes last night was a bit like watching the fag end of the previous two seasons where Pochotino's sides went through the motions, out of both cups, not going up or down, and with several players with their heads already elsewhere. The selections look a bit random at the moment with no clear pattern up front; for me I'd give Long the next three games and get Davis and Tadic back in the team, Toby to come back in, and if we could get the fullbacks back firing again we could yet surprise one or two. If we persist with Pelle I can't see much more than the long-drawn out, excitement-free, run-in/wind-down we've seen for the last two seasons. Pre-match curry (that little red place by the bridge in Woolston) 8, unexpectedly good Weather 3, freezing Atmosphere 7, in the circumstances surprisingly positive Ref watch 8, much better than recently though TBF it was a very straightfd incident free game to ref! Traffic, 10 on the way down, 4 on the way back (A3 closed, diverted cross-country to Gatwick, M25 junction closed, loads of 50 mph roadworks) Onwards and hopefully upwards.