The Kraken

I'll offer some advice but you need to understand that ski resorts are often a very personal thing, and some people's ideal resort is another's idea of hell. Some quick tips first though: - If you're all beginners, find a resort with a decent ski school. I prefer English native speakers as instructors, I learn better by verbal technique rather than visual so the analogies that an English speaker provides suits me better than an albeit fluent foreign instructor. This will cost more though. - Don't feel suckered into going to a mega-resort first time out if you're all beginners. Its often cheaper to go to a smaller resort, particularly for instruction, lift passes, beer and food etc. - If going to France, bear in mind they have 4 weeks of half terms running from February into March. These are really busy times and the most expensive, so book outside of these. - If none of you have much experience of going on ski holidays, go with a tour operator. There are bargains and flexibility to be had by going DIY but not when you don't know what you're doing. Let the tour op take the strain. - Do as much research as you can on it all. So, my summary. bear in mind these are very much a generalisation from my experiences (albeit 20 years travelling and 3 years working in the Alps), but some of these countries have a huge number of resorts that 99% of tourists won't have been to: Bulgaria - Definitely the cheap end but limited skiing and very much a developing country. Bargains can be had but, personally, I'd stay away. Andorra - this is very much at the cheaper end of things and if you go somewhere like Pas de la Casa, the night life is very lively. That said it has a Brits abroad reputation to it akin to a chavvy summer holiday. France - Home to many world class resorts. Expensive, but you often get what you pay for. If you want good night life I'd consider Meribel, Les Deux Alpes, or if you can afford it Val d'Isere. La Plagne is a good ski area for beginners but I'm not a fan of the village feel and limited apres. Tignes is a great resort but not ideal for total beginners. Morzine is pretty lively and a good resort, definitely one to consider. Austria - very good apres ski (if sometimes a bit too oompah). You'll often find people dancing on tables at 5pm after a day of skiing and a few gluhweins at the bars at the bottom of the slopes. I'd probably recommend Hinterglemm and Saalbach, Soelden is ok, Soll is supposed to be decent but I've not been. Mayrhofen is excellent but less so for beginners, its a bit more red-run dominated. Italy - I really like Italian skiing. I wouldn't say nightlife is lively but its typically quieter on the slopes (always a good thing) and I quite like the chilled out Italian style of apres-ski. I'm off to Sauze d'Oulx in Feb after a week there last year which we all really enjoyed. Switzerland - Relatively expensive and to be fair I have little experience other than a couple of small resorts, neither of which I'd recommend for beginners. Dunno if that helps of not. Like I said it's most personal experience. But if you like the snowdome and get something booked up you can't really go wrong. And each trip is a further learning experience for what you like and don't like to refine future choices.

You're embarrassing yourself, you sad melt. Chelsea fans were some of the quietest away fans we've had this season, and look at you kissing their arses. D1ckhead.

James Ward-Prowse has changed in appearance since I last saw him.

LVG doesn't have the players for 352. We absolutely do; Clyne and Bert are perfect for it. Also a great role for Toby to get on the ball.

I wonder if Koeman will persist with the formation but put in Schneiderlin and Wanyama instead of Reed and JWP. While I thought everyone played well today I thought we often looked like we needed a bit more protection of the back 3. Morgan, Wanyama and Jack Cork are all very good at picking up the pieces and breaking up play. We looked a bit vulnerable through the middle at times. Thankfully the defence were superb and Fraser exceptional when needed. Great result.

£16M on agent fees alone, for one club in one summer. Football has truly gone mad.

The kit manufacturer has done a tremendous job. It is very rare I am lost for words but I saw the kit last week and it is awesome - a tremendous tribute to a great club. Fans have waited a long time for this and it is going to be fantastic. I really believe it will be the best football kit anywhere both in style and the amount of detail. I think everyone is very excited to see the work under way and to know it will be a reality next July.

It's massive, isn't it?

I didn't feel for them at all. Sounds entirely like it was a deserved win and but for wasteful finishing we could have had more. 7 league wins from 8. Absolutely phenomenal.

An impossibly good looking man with a massive plonker. His missus is one lucky girl.

You've just predicted 9 points from 10 games; that's relegation form. I'm really not sure what on earth you're saying about 5th or 6th. If we have those ten results we will not be 5th or 6th. 7th place is currently just 5 points behind us.

You see, you're making the time honoured m-board mistake of black and white thinking, that because I see cup progress as our best chance of winning something it means I don't care about our current lofty position. It's a common yet daft mistake. Being third in the league now is great, but it isn't winning anything.

It'll be one to tell the grandkids about TBF. "Aah, the halcyon days of yore, the 2014-15 Premier League season. Did you know that we were third in the league going into November? THIRD!!"

I would say that I can't believe the number of people who would (again) value 3 extra points in the league rather than cup progress. But then this is the M-Board where the race for 8th certainly does seem to hold a higher value than actually winning some major silverware amongst a seeming majority of posters. Cup every time for me, its much more important. And thankfully with RK's attitude of playing his strongest tem every game there are far fewer apologists than last season kissing Pochettino's arse for capitulating and treating the competition with utter contempt.

I'm trying to keep a record of the SWF MOTM votes for each league game, kind of like a player of the season tracker. Missing a couple of games which I can't find a poll for. Liverpool: Wanyama, Tadic, Ward-Prowse. West Brom: West Ham: Schneiderlin, Pelle, Tadic. Newcastle: Pelle, Cork, Schneiderlin. Swansea: Wanyama, Tadic, Bertrand. QPR: Pelle, Wanyama, Tadic. Tottenham: Sunderland (so far): Tadic, Pelle, Schneiderlin.

I thought I'd never see an own goal as good as Lee Dixon's. But I think yesterday's was even better. Best own goal I've seen.

It is, actually. I've got no problem with threads like this being bumped. If people are going to make Mystic Meg predictions of any sort then they shouldn't be surprised if it comes back at them. Besides, anyone who can't hold their hands up and say "yep, fair play, I got that one wrong" takes themselves far too seriously. Everyone makes a bad call from time to time. It's much better to just admit it and laugh about it rather than getting all precious about someone bringing it up again.

I also should say Whistlers Dream in Les Arcs 2000 as my mate Ruud now owns it.

Not sure if I'd count the Folie as an après bar as its during the afternoon, although they are definitely an experience. I've not been to the Meribel one but prefer VT to VdI. My top 5 après bars: Jacks, Meribel. Le Ski Lodge, La Tania. Lodge De Village, Meribel Village. All 3 of those a great atmosphere with decent live music. Miravallino, Sauze d'Oulx. Chilled out bar with loads of bean bags for seating and cracking chicken wings and ribs. Table service too. L'Arpette, Les Arcs. Do the evening meal after the slopes shut, it's dancing on tables getting leathered (then skiing down with a flaming torch).

Comparing 3 Valleys and Espace Killy is a bit like comparing a Ferrari and an Aston Martin; they're both amongst the best in the world and we'd be nitpitting finding faults with either. If pushed I'd go for Espace Killy but more for personal memories than anything else. At the start of my first working season I did ski-guide training in Tignes on 1st December; the slopes were virtually empty and the conditions just utterly exceptional. Definitely in my top 5 days on skis ever, especially as the last 2 hours of the day were just spent being guided around the mountain finding all sorts of amazing spots where the fresh powder hadn't been touched. As for Meribel, I lived opposite Dicks Tea Bar there for 5 months! Good lord, those were heady days... I love skiing; I can't wait for the season to get underway, it's weird but it gives me a comfort when I know the slopes are properly open again. Still deciding where to get away to for Xmas/New Year, but Sauze in February can't some soon enough.

Plagne 1800 is pretty quiet too; La Mine is about the only busy bar there. The busiest village in LP is Plagne Centre which I is the next village up and which you can get a bus up to, Scotty's bar always used to be the busiest. 1800 is largely just a collection of chalets. Personally I'm not a fan of La Plagne, I find it too blue run heavy and disjointed. That said there is some great off-piste, in particular of course the north face of the Bellecote. I worked my first winter season in Les Arcs which I love, brilliant ski area. Meribel and Val d'Isere are also fantastic resorts, I've done seasons in both Meribel and Tignes (linked to VdI) and would happily go back any time. Amazing après ski in both too, in fact probably the best French resorts (with Chamonix) for après.

Ask him where Mick Jnr has gone and why we don't get the Windmill Diaries any more.

If you've read any of George's posts over any sort of time you'd know that any semblance of credibility he may have had was lost years ago. The guy is fundamentally incorrect about almost everything, he makes ART seem sane in comparison.

Perhaps you should try reading the point of the thread then Roger. It's got nothing to do with the best Saints XI, just people's favourite XI. Here's the extract from the OP, as you clearly missed it. Doesn't have to be the best XI in history, just players that you particularly like"

Antti Niemi Nathaniel Clyne - Michael Svensson - Mark Wright - Gareth Bale Jimmy Case - Morgan Schneiderlin Danny Wallace - Matt Le Tissier - Rodney Wallace Alan Shearer Subs: Tim Flowers, Francis Benali (for the lols), Dejan Lovren, Steve Williams, Jack Cork, Kevin Keegan, Rickie Lambert