The Kraken

Sounds like that could be it. One of the PDT bods from POL just posted this as clarification:

How the hell did that happen?? That's really quite freaky.

So by that reckoning Alex Mcleish is a better manager in the past 8 years than Arsene Wenger. Ok then.

Have the two of you had a tiff?

Its not amazing no, but I don't think winning a cup here or there really makes much difference. Arsenal have consistently qualified for the CL (getting to the final once), and their consistency year on year has been amazing. Especially so when they've been up against far richer clubs such as Manchester United, Chelsea and Manchester City. If not winning the league in 8 years against those bohemoths of clubs is derserving of your criticism, then I don't go along with that. And the fact that arsenal haven't sold their soul and operate on an even financial keel is worthy of some praise in my book. Given the complete transformation of the club under Wenger's charge and all the success he has had, and the way he continues to shape the progress of the whole club despite being financially up against it what with having to pay off the new stadium, I think some Arsenal fans should be careful what they wish for. He's a fantastic manager.

You also said he was great at winning f*ck all. That wasn't quite true as stated either.

You're right, what a complete failure he is.

Yeah, what a complete loser. Monaco Ligue 1: 1987–88 Coupe de France: 1990–91 Nagoya Grampus Emperor's Cup: 1995 J-League Super Cup: 1996 Arsenal FA Premier League: 1997–98, 2001–02, 2003–04 FA Cup: 1997–98, 2001–02, 2002–03, 2004–05 FA Community Shield: 1998, 1999, 2002, 2004

I think for perhaps the first time ever I may have to curtail my half time pint in the concourse and stay pitch side to check out when awesome levels of banter bowers and his pal can come up with. It should be MENTAL!!!! The santa outfits are an absolute classic, I can't wait, I'm sure I'll be LOLLing out loud and ROFLing all over the floor!!!!!

'Sunday Bloody Sunday'. What a great song. It really encapsulates the frustration of a Sunday, doesn't it? You wake up in the morning, you've got to read all the Sunday papers, the kids are running round, you've got to mow the lawn, wash the car, and you think "Sunday, bloody Sunday!".

That and singing to the Man Utd fans "you're just a small town in City" were two of my top Northam highlights. What rapturous wit.

You did mention it but I thought your description of "easy enough to get to Italy apart from a final slow drag lift" needed further clarification. On my skis I was absolutely fine doing it; the two (fairly advanced) boarders with me found it an absolute chore and had to have a 10 minute rest after it. At least one or two beginner intermediate boarders I know and ski with would never be able to do a drag-lift that long.

Don't forget that there are also a huge amount of as yet untapped sponsors who will be waiting in line to keep the academy afloat with annual cash injections. It won't just be player sales that keep it all running.

No no no. The PDT have been at pains to point out that they are absolutely not ditching the academy; no way are they doing that. They're just not going to fund it; it has to be self-financing, the club will not pay for it. But they're not ditching it, no siree.

Its great, but far too expensive.

I'm sure St. Chalet will be along soon to do, er, nothing about it at all really.

Please don't do that.

The worst things about that run are a) the lift to access it from the bottom and b) the pre st. espirit lift up to Arc 1950 from the bottom. Both old, rickety small chairs that take forever and a day to get where you're going.

A guy I shared a flat with in the 2011 season bought a pair of Punishers and absolutely loves them. I think (from memory) they're 86 underfoot so they're pretty good for all-mountain, and as they've got twintips too they're half decent in the park too. Very light, too. I just can't stand the graphics on them, they look like Fisher Price skis.

Having lived and skied in France for the past 3 seasons I'd kind of given up on most black runs there, as they're mostly just a bit steep and mogulled. And I like going fast, moguls just get in the way. Done some really nice off-piste, north face of Bellecote at La Plagne probably the favourite. On piste, probably Harakiri in Mayrhofen, which is supposedly Eurpoe's steepest pisted run (pretty short though, and tons of d*ckheads who get sucked in by the "steepest" title getting in the way and having a yard sale left right and centre).

Beaches are for summer holidays; skiing is for winters. Perfect symmetry. Skiing holidays really are great. Get up; big breakfast in the chalet; morning blast about on the slopes, ski off the hangover; lunch and beers in a mountain restaurant, best views in the world; afternoon blast about on the slopes; 4pm, hit the bars for some apres ski beers and/or gluhwein (and in Austria typically some dancing on tables to cheesy German singalongs); dinner, beers and wine at the chalet in the evening; collapse in bed exhausted and drunk; next day, repeat all over again.

If you're travelling with any boarders, its best to tell them about the drag lift over to La Thuile beforehand. Its really long (in fact so long it consists of two separate parts, each about a ten minute or so uplift). And if you come off; good luck with that. The only rescue option is to ski back down the lift path avoiding the drag poles and other skiers; there's huge gulleys by the side which make it impossible to get back to the piste. Going up on skis, it's fine. On a board, I wouldn't fancy it.

And if you're even considering wearing a tinsel wig; don't do it. Just don't do it.

That can't be true. Everyone knows that those fackin' scummahs never did nuffink when their club went into administration. Apart from the SOS campaign, apart from the bucket rattling before every game that raised thousands, apart from Leon Crouch paying hundreds of thousands to supplement the staff wages, and apart from listening to the administrator who stated that there were numerous offers to take over the club including one from a benevolent Swiss billionaire. Apart from all that, of course, the facking scummahs did fack all.

Seems a bit funny for Nagoya to get so upset about this; she cared enough about SFC a few weeks back to start throwing a few accusations around about SFC being completely up the spout financially due to our £30M loan we'd just taken out. But then proper maths and football club debt never really went hand in hand with the Pompey "faithful", so its understandable enough I guess. And the notion that we plan to actually pay our debt back must be a confusing idea to them. Bless.