FloridaMarlin

The secret to buying a good suit is the cloth. Wool or wool/silk mix is the best and if the fabric is good that's half the battle. A good quality wool cloth will have a nice drape, in other words, the suit will hang well on you, even if it is off the peg, Check out the trousers first to see how they sit on your waist, and how they hang to the floor. You'll get what I mean when you try on a pair of trousers from a good quality wool cloth compared to a pair made from a man-made fibre. A good quality wool cloth can still be light, but should feel 'weight' as it hangs to the floor in the trousers. Man-made fibres also tend to go stiff and shiny after a few wears, especially in the areas which are going to experience friction, for example, the seat of the trousers and the knees. Wool fabric will cost you a little more, but it's worth it, and your suit will hold its shape together for much longer. M&S do a decent range of wool suits for everyday business wear, and they will serve you well. I like suits and being a bit of a tart, I like a designer suit and number Paul Smith, Armani, Nino Cerruti, Balmain and Commes des Garcons in my wardrobe. They cost a bit more but they are better made and have lasted longer, so they prove to be good value for money in the long term if you are a regular suit wearer I had always fought shy of buying suits online but this company are really good; http://www.julesb.co.uk/menswear-c1/mens-suits-c92 They do a next-day delivery and have a simple returns policy (if it doesn't fit and you have to send it back). Their prices are also reasonable. You can't beat a made-to-measure suit, of course, but for a bespoke suit in a decent cloth you are probably talking four figures in this country, and even I would baulk at that. Went to Penang (Malaysia) this year and got a made-to-measure suit in a wool-silk cloth for £89. It really is the best suit I have and for fit and drape knocks all the others I have into a cocked hat because it is individually tailored to fit me, and really makes you wonder how they do it for that price. I don't doubt it's made by kids in a sweat shop for fourpence a week, but even M&S have been found out using these so you have to decide how ethical you want to be about where you have your clothes made. In any event, when buying your suit, check the label to see where it is made. Even designer suits aren't made in Italy these days but Hungarian factories turn out some really good quality suits, as do Portugal. All big stores (like M&S) have quality control but suits labelled made in China can vary in quality of stitching from very good to awful, so when buying your suit check how the sleeves are attached at the shoulders. Give it a tug to see how close the stitches are and check things like buttons to see how well they are sewn on, especially those on the sleeve. Sorry to waffle on, but I do have rellies in the schmutter business.

Played against Denis in the Southampton Sunday League. He was a bit slow by then and our right winger was a flying machine who could catch pigeons. First time he faced Denis, he knocked the ball behind him and scorched past him. Next time they got close, Denis said to him; "Don't do that again, son, you'll get hurt." Sure enough, next time our guy had the ball he knocked it past Denis but as he went to round Hollywod, he took a half-step to his right, body-checked him and our guy went down as though he had run into Nelson's Column. He disappeared from the game after that. One of the guys in our team said: "One of the blokes I work with is looking for a game. He used to play a bit." He was told to bring him along the following Sunday and Brian O'Neill turned up! The opposition visibly used to quail when they saw Buddha trotting out in our line-up, but for his fearsome reputation he was a gentleman who actually cost us. On a couple of occasions he pulled out of the sort of 50-50 challenge he would have thundered into in his Saints days, leaving the opponent in a heap. When asked why he said: "People at this level don't know how to tackle properly. If I'd gone in on him full-force, I would have broken his leg, and we've all got to go to work tomorrow."

Meanwhile, back to defectors. In other news, a mate who works at the Daily Mail (yes, I know..) told me an interesting snippet today. Apparently, they had it on good authority that the Lallana deal was effectively wrapped up as early as April. They couldn't run the story as both clubs would have denied it, but it seems Adam's head and beard were on Merseyside for a while before the end of the season, no doubt thanks to Stevie G's efforts with the plumbing accessories.

There's clearly something rotten in the state of Denmark. Fully accept what you say about new players, new coach, new philosophy and how perhaps using a softer approach at this early juncture might have a better effect on getting the players onside. But LVG was clearly livid at the players after the Leicester game. There might have been various reasons for this, but his intimation was that they had shortcomings in their individual performance. Again, that might be linked to their failure or inability to play the way he wanted them to. As the manager he is appointed to get the best out of his players. How long should it take players of the highest quality (which these guys are, judged on their price tags) to take on a new managerial philosophy? These are supposed to be not only the most technically-gifted players but also the most intelligent, who have played at the top level for some time, so how many sessions does it need on the training ground to instill his philosophy into them? It doesn't appear to have taken Koeman that long to get players playing his way, so does that mean we have got the better manager? LVG's criticism of his players for failing to carry out his instructions and play his way suggests they either didn't understand the message or they understood it but didn't implement it, for whatever reason. He's hardly going to admit the communications problem is down to his part, so he's going to point the finger at the players, and for whatever reason - exasperation, loss of patience, sheer bloody-mindedness - he feels strongly enough about it to vent his feelings in public. He's experienced enough to know when the time is right to sling a metaphorical arm around a shoulder and when to apply the metaphorical boot to a backside. The reaction of his players will indicate whether he is right to use stick or carrot. But hey, why should we worry? They're not our problems. Our Dutchman is flying.

He certainly said the right things after the Leicester debacle, and probably more managers need to do it. In full view of the public glare, he let the players know in no uncertain terms what he thought of their display. Some may regard it as bad management to criticise your players in public, but he didn't pull any punches. Players nowadays are protected and coccooned from criticism by manager who - understandably - are scared that any player on the wrong end of criticism is on the phone to his agent asking for a move. I think it's only right that players paid vast sums of money should be accountable for their performances and it's a good litmus test of a player's mentality to see how he reacts to a public flogging. Some will look at themselves and question their performance in an act of self-criticism. These are the one you want as a manager. You don't want those who react badly to criticism, run to the agent or sulk and point the finger at others.

Samuel is one of those journalists who still uses the term 'fire sale' to describe Saints summer dealings without really thinking about the true connotations of the phrase. At the outset, that just seems like a piece of lazy journalism. A true fire sale would not have seen those players sold replaced. The fact they were tells you it was not a fire sale. But the insertion of the phrase into the piece puts the idea into the reader's mind that that was what took place. He does attempt to be objective and balance out his criticism and there is nothing intrinsically wrong with the article as an opinion piece, which is what he paid to write. You don't have to agree with his opinion, and The Mail are happy enough if you don't providing it provokes debate. But whenever a journalist writes a piece you have to try and race right back through the thought processes as to why he wrote it. What prompted him? What sowed the seed of the idea in his head? Why hasn't he written a piece about Hull? Or Stoke? As a Hammers' fan, why wasn't he lauding their efforts to the skies? OK, he's looked at the table, seen we are second and as such warrant comment. But are there not any bigger stories out there this weekend? As much as the article is pretty inoffensive, I find Samuel's sudden interest in a club he has steadfastly ignored down the years as it falls outside the M25, intriguing.

Spurs fans really do have a delusional sense of entitlement. They got what they apparently wanted in Poch, but have now decided he's not good enough. I have to say, within a couple of days of Saints appointing Koeman, there were Spurs fans asking why - if he was available - they hadn't got him.

That bloody Liverpool game came a week or so too soon. As it was, we were unlucky, but if we played them now.... Koeman must really know his players. There would have been a few raised eyebrows at his decision to start Yoshida and JWP, but he's got it right again. I really think we have got a serious upgrade in our manager.

It doesn't help that the population of half our catchment area are fish - and I don't mean skates. Draw a 25-mile circle centred on St Mary's and a fairly large chunk of that is sea. The upside of that is that it's part of the reason we get special dispensation when it comes to recruitment areas for our academy.

It was especially atmospheric under lights. And if it had been raining before kick-off but stopped by game time and it was a little cold, you had the added extra bonus of steam rising from the crowd. Cup games against West Brom and Man City spring to mind as magical nights. I started going with my old man (now dead, bless him) and our spot was the Milton Road corner under the East Stand. It was populated largely by dockers who would come fresh from the pub and on arrival, light up en masse. Even now, if I smell smoke from roll-up ciggies, I am transported straight back there. Of course we had to move as it was hopelessly inadequate for our needs but there was no place like The Dell, and although we deride p****y for Krap Nottarf, I can appreciate why they love it.

He's there on merit. A Dutch international with 31 caps and a member of the victorious Euro 1988 winning squad underlines his playing bona fides. A respected coach in his own right, who has managed the Hungary national team, among others suggests he knows what he is doing.

Ossian - Global Sports Editor of Thomson Reuters = big Saints fan. People would be surprised how many Saints fans there are in prominent positions in big sport and news providers, such as BBC, Sky, ITV, Reuters, PA, etc.

I'm not the sort that gets carried away on a cloud of euphoria after a couple of good wins, nor do I ask my other half to lock sharp objects away if we lose a couple on the bounce. It is early days, but after the way we strengthened during the summer, you are then left to ponder how many clubs are better than us this season? On our day last season, our first XI was capable of competing with the best in the league but we lacked depth and when hit by injuries, dropped points to teams around and below us. I'll reserve judgement as to whether our best XI this season can mix it with the top boys when we play one of them. I tend to discount the Liverpool game and I'm sure had we played them Saturday, we would have beaten them just like Villa. I think, though, our strength in depth will benefit us down the stretch and we should always be able to put out a strong and competitive team to take points off the lower teams. So which teams are better than us? Clearly the top four/five. Chelsea, Citeh, ManUre and Arsenal have beefed up enough to maintain the difference. Liverpool? I can see them finishing outside the top six this season. Early days, I know, but they have little to suggest they are not a one-man team who are now missing the one man. Everton have made a good signing in Lukaku, but they have struggled defensively (although I think anybody will against Chelsea). Despite our feelings towards Spurs and Pochettino, they do have some excellent players and a good squad. It will be a poor manager who is not able to produce something with that squad, even if it is just short of a player or two to be a Champions League squad. While I would love to see us break into the top six, I cannot realistically see who that might be at the expense of. Everton perhaps, but they - like us - have a damn good manager. What of the teams who finished around and below us last season? Have Stoke added to their squad as effectively as us, or enough to overhaul the six point deficit of last season? Newcastle? I think we saw the answer to that on Saturday. Crystal Palace had an amazing second half to last season, thanks mainly to Pulis. I don't think they will repeat that under Colin, although they might have enough to stay up. Same question of West Ham, Sunderland and Villa. In the same way the big boys have strengthened enough to maintain the differential with us, I think we have done the same to them. Villa have had a great start, but they suffer from a similar lack of depth to which we did last season. The game against Swansea will be as good an early indicator of where our season might be heading as any against Chelsea/Citeh. They're a similar team to us in terms of how they play, and although they might not have spent the money we did, they've made some shrewd signings. They've also had a cracking start and like us, have a bit of early season momentum. I think we'll finish 8th or 9th, and our main contenders for the 8th spot could be Swansea, even thought they fell away badly last season. Of course, I could be completely wrong and Ron's tactical genius and inspirational man-management will propel us up the table and towards Europe. But I don't see there are any more teams better than us than last season.

So Franny runs 1,000 miles and so far has raised around £1000,000 for research into finding a cure for a cruel disease. A dogs' home burns down and 60 dogs which nobody wanted (why else were they in the home?) are killed, and £1.5m is raised overnight. I don't wish to antagonise dog owners, but it says something about this country.

I'm sorry, I just don't believe that stat. There is absolutely no way Newcastle had more of the ball than we did.

Penny: "And how much fluid squirts out of the end of your hose?"

The key words to the story are in the intro - "according to his agent."

Dear old TP has got previous for this sort of thing. A mate who covered Bompey during his fledgling years at the Bournemouth Echo (before he went on to bigger things) used to tell me all sorts of stories about how he would pick fights with players, and on one occasion, slammed a door on a player's head. You wouldn't want to mess with him. On the P****y Takeover Saga thread in The Lounge, there is talk of how tasty the loons are from Newport, and that's his neck of the woods. Strangely, though, TP is a devout catholic who attends mass every week, and can be a charming and engaging bloke.

You have to think of the practicalities of it and how they will work. What can you appeal against? There are black and white decisions such as the ball crossing over the line and offside where it does work and where it could work again. But decisions on fouls are often not clear cut. How many times to do we see pundits and studio guests disagreeing about whether a player got a slight touch on the ball or whether that's negated by the tackle coming in from the side or behind? Is a third official in a TV studio going to be able to determine if that elbow to the face is deliberate or an accident caused by a player trying to give himself momentum? And as for handballs. Is a TV replay really going to help decide if there was intention to handle the ball, or whether it was accidental handball? Is there any reason to suppose the tv replay official's interpretation will not be as fallible as the ref on the pitch? As long as there is a question of judgement in a decision there will always be dispute. Referring it upstairs only means another official has to make a judgement call similar to the one made on the pitch, and there is no guarantee the TV official's call is correct. When referrals were introduced to cricket, umpire Peter Willey (the hardest man in the game when he was playing. He once threatened to punch Botham's lights out in a match, and Beefy pushed off to field at third man a bit sharpish) said it wouldn't be long until the umpire's role was reduced to counting the pebbles in their pocket for the number of balls in an over. He's not far wrong there. Blatter and Fifa are bowing to pressure from the TV companies who want to increase the drama in their coverage. There's nothing Sky's collective ego would love more than for their cameras to play a role in making the big decisions in games. They'll cream themselves at the the thought that the Premier League title could hinge on a dramatic referral.

All the newspaper articles are plugging a book written by the bloke who bought the shawl; Naming Jack The Ripper, by Russell Edwards, will be published by Sidgwick & Jackson on September 9, priced £16.99. It's a bit disingenuous of the Daily Mail to claim a major role in the supposed unearthing. This might well be the unearthing of killer's identity, but it should also be viewed in the light of the fact that the guy who bought the shawl will be looking to get some of his money back through his book sales.

The Sunday Times reporter was singing his praises in the West Ham game, describing him as "excellent" and giving him the same mark as Sxhneiderlin. A lot of people criticise him for not being able to beat a man and lacking pace, both shortcomings levelled at David Beckham, and he didn't turn out to be bad. I'm not claiming JWP is the next Beckham, but you don't need to be a mazy dribbler or Usain Bolt to open up defences. Beckham made a career out of using the ball well and JWP does that.

It's Adolf Hilter, and his friends Ron Vibbentrop and Mr Bimmler. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OKgHUrKZiXA

Is he? Confidence is a big part of any player's make-up. Football is littered with players who have gone from hero to zero because their confidence is shot. All players claim they don't read papers or watch or listen to news and claim they don't take any notice of critics, but you can be sure they are aware of what's being said about them. As confidence is nibbled at, it affects technical skills. Fear of making mistakes means players take short cuts. They lump the ball instead of bringing it down and passing it. Defenders suddenly start backing off and giving themselves a yard. The next few games will show how strong mentally Lovren is, whether he has the confidence and strength of character to shrug off the fact that so far, he has been implicated in all four goals Liverpool have conceded so far this season. If he has a couple more stinkers it will be as big a test of Brenda Rogers' ability than of Lovren's and I wouldn't like to say how that might pan out.

Their problem is that Gerrard dominates the dressing room and the club and Rogers is scared to drop him. Now that he is being found out as a supposed defensive midfielder, his next step will be to drop into the back four. He'll be on Mignolet's toes soon. We might be seeing that Lovren is only as good as the defenders and other playes around him. Perhaps he was a bit spoiled last season.