Sheaf Saint

I think this sums it up nicely. They have been punching above their weight for many years now. In many ways they are a bit like us, in that they now have an entire generation of young fans who have only known the premiership years and do not remember what it was like in the days before Allardyce/The Reebok stadium, and they therefore expect this to be the norm. I think they have outstayed their welcome in the prem and look forward to them returning to the level that their attendances deserve.

Indeed. I'm no expert on these matters but I believe that it all then comes down to a high-court ruling rather than an agreement between the two parties, and voluntary administration is no longer an option. I could be wrong on that though, can anybody clarify?

It is when somebody who is owed some money by a debtor who is unable to pay it within the agreed terms petitions for the business to be wound-up and asset-stripped so they can get what is owed to them.

So 2009 is nearly over. It's been a strange year in many ways, especially for SFC, but a difficult year as well for myself and a lot people I know. Things seem to be slowly looking up for me so I can look forward hopefully to 2010 and all that it brings. So what were the good/bad bits about 2009 for you? And what are you looking forward to in 2010? For me, there wasn't much in the way of highlights this year. I spent many months out of work thanks to the ****ing recession, which in turn has landed me in a whole sh1tload of debt. I went to a couple of good festivals in the summer and my GF moved in with me in August but other than that it has been a forgettable year due to my complete inability to afford to do many of the things I wanted to do. Looking forward though, my GF and me have an invite to go to Kenya in April to stay with the family of her brother-in-law which, finances permitting, I really can't wait for.

Remains to be seen I guess. Maybe he genuinely has learned his lesson. Either way, what he says is true. Premiership footballers don't live in the real world. As Bill Bailey described them 'A bunch of vain, illiterate, borderline rapists whose job it is to shepherd a piece of leather into an outdoor cupboard'. The reality they live in is completely alien to that of the fans who idolise them. The money that they now earn as a result of the ridiculous increases in ticket prices over the last 10-15 years is just obscene. I remember WGS musing on how he is supposed to motivate a dressing-room full of millionaires, and I can see his point.

Now now. For all you know he has quietly been learning his trade ever since he left Saints, and he may well go on top become a very successful manager with Bolton. There again, he may well fail spectacularly and get them relegated. It's hard to say really.

Yeah I did get it thanks.

Not that I know of, but it should be!

Grilled haloumi. mmmMMMMmmmm.

While I would not normally find myself agreeing with Delldays, I do think that some people on this thread should be ashamed of themselves for their 'holier than thou' attitude towards him. Persdonally, I think he makes a very valid point on this subject. It seems that only after this guy's arrest and conviction has so much been made of his mental condition. If you scratch the surface you find a bankrupt guy with a history of dodgy business dealings, so I'm not entirely convinced that he did not know what he was doing, because if his condition was as serious as some people are making out then how has he made it into his 50s without being institutionalised? If he was genuinely incapable of knowing right from wrong or understanding what he was getting himself into then how was he able to run his own business? Now, whether or not you agree with it, the fact remains that China still uses capital punishment for drug-trafficking, and anybody who puts themselves int that situation must face the consequences. The argument that Shaikh didn't know what was in the suitcase these people gave him just doesn't wash with me I'm afraid. For somebody to be so oblivious to the dangers of carrying someone else's suitcase through customs without bothering to check the contents of it, they must either be monumentally stupid or have the mental-age of a 7-year-old. Clearly Shaikh was neither of these things. I don't think you can pinpoint bi-polar disorder as being responsible for him not knowing what he as doing. I think in all probability he knew exactly what he was doing. Now we might all agree that the sentence was overly harsh for his crime, but as I said, that is China's laws and they must be respected regardless of whether we agree with them or not. If you can't do the time then don't do the crime.

Make sure you have some Prozac at the ready!

Merrington thinks that was an important goal for Southampton. I'm so glad he shares his little nuggets with us because I would be totally in the dark about the whole objective of this game they call association football otherwise.

Lloyd James you beauty!

Just thought I would share this mashup video that a mate of mine has done... And yes, he does have too much spare time on his hands!

Snowing again in Sheffield and lots more forecast overnight. Thank god I don't have to drive anywhere now until next tuesday!

Maybe if your posts weren't so provocative and you didn't bite back so hard then you might find people would stop doing it.

Are you on a mission to get yourself banned today Delldays?

It's alright, no need for them to panic. Riquelme will be signing on a free in jan. He'll save them.

At least he won't have to face the Iraq inquiry until after the election... http://http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/8428074.stm Not sure whether I agree with that or not. If Brown's testimony to the inquiry shows him to be in any way guilty of any kind of misconduct in the run up to the invasion, then the public deserve to be told about that before deciding whether or not to vote for him or his party IMO.

I heard on Radio 2 news on the way home last night that there was going to be a huge national shortage of sprouts this christmas due to the crops freezing over in the cold snap or something. Lucky for me I can't stand the damn things

Always up for a bit of 'scampi-pampy'

Squid fiddler? Pike poker?

Neither am I. If you bothered to read my original post you would see that what I said was I would be far more impressed IF they did it. I didn't say I expected them to.

I didn't realise this was a 'I'm better than you' contest. What are you doing?

As it happens, I enquired about volunteering for a soup kitchen over xmas but they already had all the volunteers they needed. Homelessness isn't actually a problem in my particular area of Sheffield, as far as I'm aware, but if any homeless people come knocking over xmas I will gladly share some of the modest goodies I have been fortunate enough to buy in (as long as they don't stink the place out!)