FloridaMarlin

His column in the Sunday Sun today really is a work of art. http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage...oes-wrong.html Of course, when you read it from his point of view, it's all so reasonable, isn't it? A mate of mine who dealt with Redcrap on a daily basis when he was Bournemouth manager sussed him out and summed him up, even that far back. He said: "You always know when Redknapp is lying when he talks. His lips move."

"We can pick up the best of talent from the Channel Islands." Now you're just being stupid. Everybody knows the Channel Islands have never produced a decent player.

It's just more chewing gum for the ears for the gullible down the eastern end of the M27. Bransgrove is desperate to regain some support from the p****y area as Hampshire followers effectively boycotted the club when they stopped playing at Burnaby Road and memberships have dropped off at Bompey and pompey since Hampshire pulled out . I can't say I blame them too much for that, to be honest, what do they get for their £150 standard Hampshire membership since Hampshire stopped playing down there. But rather than give a sensible reason - ie, it's not worth paying £150 for a membership of a club that can't even be bothered to play in the city, they dress it up as an anti-Southampton thing. Don't worry, Rod will be a Bompey supporter next year if he thinks it sells tickets.

Meanwhile, in other news. In the 'more from the Telegraph' list below the football story, a far more important issue. http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/northamerica/usa/10094693/Michael-Douglas-oral-sex-caused-my-throat-cancer.html Doesn't say much for C Z-J's mucky b*x. Where's The Bear when you need him to comment on this?

Sunday football, years ago. One of the guys in the team says to the manager; "A lad at work fancies a game on Sundays. He hasn't played for a while, but he used to be quite good." The manager treats this with the suspicion expected when somebody says his mate wants a game and he's quite good, but he said; "OK, bring him along next week, we might be able to use him." This in the days when you only had one sub. Imagine our surprise when he turned up with Brian O'Neill. He played until the end of the season, lashed in a few typical Buddha long-range shots, but on occasions cost us goals by not putting in tackles. We were a bit annoyed and incredulous that one of the most feared midfielders in the domestic game was shirking tackles, but he had an explanation. He said; "Lads at this level don't know how to go into a tackle properly and if I tackled them, I'd hurt them. I don't want to do that because like me, they have to go to work tomorrow." He was such a nice bloke that you had to accept an explanation like that and to be honest, he didn't need to put in too many tackles. When the oppo saw him running out, you could see the fear on their faces. There was one occasion, though, when one of the opposition wound him up - and it took a lot to do that. Buddha bided his time patiently until there was an opportunity to tackle him fairly, but firmly. Suffice to say, it was a pretty firm tackle. We played against Denis Hollywood once, he was playing for The Clump Inn. We had a winger who could catch sparrows, and Denis was, shall we say, carrying a little bit of weight by this time. First opportunity, the lad knocked the ball past Denis took off, and left him standing. When Denis gave him the cold-eyed stare and said; "Don't try that again son. Next time, the ball might get past me, or you might get past me, but not both," we thought he was just giving it the big one. But he was as good as his word. The lad knocked the ball past Denis, and it was if somebody had put a cube of concrete on castors and wheeled it in front of him. I never realised a human being could bounce off something so solid, so far. One of the hardest, toughest, and nastiest players I came across in local football was a professional sportsman, but not a footballer. Former Hampshire wicket-keeper Adie Aymes was a decent player, with a lot of skill, but he wasn't frightened to mix it and was also prepared to put his foot in if he needed to. He had an assassin's smile and there was nothing he liked better than taking on some of the reknowned hard men at their game. When he gave them the grin, you knew they were in trouble. I suppose anybody whose day-job involved catching a cricket ball propelled by Malcolm Marshall is not going to be afraid of too much on a football pitch.

John McGrath's pre-match ritual involved two jars, which he would take from his kit bag (players carried their own kit in those days). One was a jar of honey, the other a jar of Vick's vapour rub. Just before going out, he would dip two fingers in the honey jar, scoop some out and drip it down his throat. He would then dip two fingers in the Vick's jar, scoop some out and rub it into his crown jewels. Big Jake would wait for the Vick's to take effect, bellow like a bull, and then be ready to go and do business. It was his chest-high challenge on Liverpool striker Alun Evans that laid him out, unconscious and literally breathless, that prompted Bill Shankly to dub Saints 'Alehouse footballers.' I recall at White Hart Lane, Cyril Knowles making one of his rampaging overlapping runs down the flank. Docker Walker came across to halt the run and body-checked Knowles. One of them ended up in the crowd. It wasn't Walker. I was sat in the stand behind the goal with my dad at the other end from the incident and remember the crowd handing a dazed Knowles back over the wall helped by the St John's Ambulance people pulling him back on to the running track. Credit to Knowles, he came back into the game, but didn't venture down that flank again. So who has the real skinny on the Terry Hurlock-David Speedie-glass ashtray incident in Jersey?

Sorry, smart-arse here got 10. Maracana only one I've not been to.

I was but a kid, but I count myself lucky enough to have seen him play. Like most Saints-supporting kids of that age, he was my hero. I was there in the flesh when he scored four at Stamford Bridge in a 6-2 win and in the same way Le Tissier almost single-handedly kept Saints up in some seasons, Ron's goals performed a similar feat in the early, fledgling days in the old First Division. Although the win at Old Trafford was hailed as his greatest game, to really see his awesome power in the air, you need to see him in action for Wales in a 3-5 defeat to Scotland at Wrexham back in the 70s. It is in the BBC archives somewhere, but I can't find it on Youtube anywhere. And while he may have been noted for his aerial prowess, he was certainly no mug on the deck A sad, sad day.

The only culture you'll find in P*******th is in a strawberry yogurt. Fat-free, of course.

Everton fans aren't happy... http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-merseyside-22679092

At the moment, true. But I think Clyne has the potential to be better than even him.

D'oh! Misread the object of the thread. Obviously can't have Big Ron in there. Keepers? Gerry Gurr? Showed great promise until he dislocated his shoulder. Defenders; Jeff Kenna, Malcolm Waldron, Garry Monk (useless with us, but developed with Swansea), Manny Andrusewski, Reuben Agboola, Like Shaw. Midfielders; Steve Williams, Nick Holmes, Bale, Paine, Le Tissier. Strikers: Shearer, Channon, Rod and Danny Wallace, Walcott, Oxlade-Chamberlain. You could pick a decent XI out of that.

Might be an age thing, but if we're only allowed one centre-forward, Big Ron over Shearer. You would have to get Steve Williams in there somewhere, and central defenders? The Ginger Ninjahs, Mark Wright and Killer. He may not be the finished article just yet, but I think Clyne might end up being the best right-back I've seen a Saints shirt, edging out Mick Mills and Ivan Golac.

Quite a few made the trip in the 1800s, but not through their own choice. "The next day the woman's partner set up a video camera in the kitchen to try and capture paranormal activity." Yeah right. Video now appearing on a pay website near you.

Opinion pieces are given protection against libel in law. This is fundamental to the principal of free speech and allowing people to express opinions, whether you agree with that opinion or not. In order to enjoy the protection of the law under Fair Comment the opinion must be the honestly held opinion of the writer; it should be recognisable to the reader as opinion; the comment must be based on provably true facts; the subject commented on must be a matter of public interest. Defendants pleading Fair Comment do not need to persuade a judge or jury to share their views, they have to satisfy the judge/jury that the comment on established facts, represents a view that a person could honestly hold on those facts. This message board would not exist without people's desires to express opinions, and that's what Martin Samuel has done. To paraphrase what other, greater people have said before, we may not agree with his opinion, but we defend his right to be able to express it. It will be a poor day when the right to express an opinion is taken away.

Martin Samuels is a very good journalist, and like most good journalists, is quite capable of holding opposite views at the same time. Yes, there is a lot of truth in what he says, and some of Cortese's conduct has been questionable in tis whole affair. But you would probably give this piece more credence were it not for the fact that Samuel has in the past been a willing, pliant tool for the very thing he criticises Cortese for. "So Cortese played up, just as a manager would. Stories began appearing that he would quit," writes Samuel (a West Ham fan) who is among the first people Redknapp turns to when he needs something planted in the media. We've all ground our teeth before and expressed amazement at how the media have never really turned Harry over, and how wiv a cheeky Cockernee grin and wink, he has the media apparently eating out his hand. Here's one reason why. And does he have an anti-Saints bias? I'm not sure you can entirely accuse him of this, but any journalist who has been burned by somebody will dip his metaphorical pen in acid when given an opportunity to strike back. Samuel was the author of The Times piece about Dave Jones which Rupert sued for, and won £250,000 damages (which charity did benefit from that £250,000, by the way?). It was an interesting case from a legal point of view as The Times claimed Samuel's description of Jones removal as "shabbily handled" was entitled to the libel defence of Fair Comment (as it was called then). To be entitled to this defence, the autor has to prove that the words written were his honestly held opinion, that the opinion is based on fact, and that there was no malicious intent. The jury took less than three hours to reach a unanimous verdict which doesn't say a great deal about the freedom of speech and opinion, to be honest. You might not like Samuel's opinion, but he should be entitled to express it.

"Still it, must stick in the craw of famous Pompey fan Mr Darke." Who has now been usurped as Sky's top boxing commentator by dyed-in-the-wool Saints fain Nick Halling, by the looks of things. 'Inky's' decision to join ESPN is not looking so hot now Sky have bumped them off their platform, and BT are picking them up piecemeal. I suppose he's hoping to get some football commentaries off BT next season, although they might have their team in place.

At least Katharina Liebherr is real and not some fictitious sheikh made up to con the football authorities.

The new chief exec - who comes with the ready-made Mockney expected by the phew and modelled on Mark Kelly's - was on the radio this morning. In the wake of their seventh transfer coup, he was saying how it is easier for them to attract players who beg to have a pen put into their hands and a contract thrust in front of them when they are approached by the club, thanks to the reputation of their supporters. Such is the reputation of those fans - not just at Fatpipes Park, but as they travel up and down the country - that they are asking players to form an orderly queue to join up. I didn't get the whole quote verbatim, but to paraphrase, he did say: "They know they will be playing in front of the biggest crowds in the division next season," a line they all swallow, of course. The new CEO, Mark Catlin is also quoted on a BBC website story outlining the upbeat and feelgood factor sweeping around the rusty shed. He said; "We've had so many old sponsors coming back to us. Part of my job is to re-engage with local business and explain the vision and where we want to go and everyone is so happy. From a commercial point of view it is so important we get these businesses back on board." Of course it is. Having swindled them not once, but twice (and possibly a third time time) they hope these local businesses are so addled and stupid they can gull them again.

As a general rule of thumb, you wouldn't take any player from a relegated team. There will be exceptions to that rule, but there is a reason that a team were relegated, and it's because the players weren't good enough. I may be wrong, but other than Crouch, I don't remember too many clubs banging down the door for our players when we were relegated in 2005. Of all the players from all three relegated teams, Remy would be the only one you would really want. Good, relevant points about Samba above who because of his stature, sticks out like a sore thumb when he has a good game, but equally stands out like a baboon's arse when he has a bad one.

As with all these stories, the key to them is the source. Who gave the journalist the info, and what were his motivations for doing so? If you could find that out, you would be more than halfway to unravelling it. Was it a leak from Cortese for his own ends? Unlikely, as he doesn't really deal with the media. Did it come from somebody inside the club? If so, who? At what level are they? If it's a director, what's his reason for doing so? Is it malice, mischief? What's his agenda? Is it somebody from the football side? Did it come from Switzerland? Have the family leaked it for their own reasons, to undermine Cortese? The only person who can answer this is the author of the piece, and like any good journo, he won't reveal his sources.

"Jesus loves you." Not something you would want to hear in a Mexican prison.

Not football, but even stranger habits at cricket. When Hampshire were at the old Northlands Road County Ground, a guy and his wife would turn up at every day's play. They would grab a seat by the fence in the old pavilion, just under the old dressing rooms, for those that remember the ground. He would get a scorebook out, and a selection of coloured pens. He would then proceed to meticulously score the game in his book. Every single dot ball, run, extra would be recorded in a different coloured ink, and the pages were a work of art. However, having taken the greatest pains during the course of his day, at 6pm he would close his book, pack up his pens and his missus the sandwich boxes, and off they would go. There might easily be another hours play left, but nope, at 6pm, he closed the book. You have to ask what was the point of labouring all day to keep his book up to scratch, only to snap it shut at 6pm? It's like writing a really important sentence and then not....

"Micah Hall: In the build-up we will be playing Time for Action by Secret Affair and if anybody doesn't like it - Tough!" Time For Action - a song, the first line of which is: "Standing in the shadows." How apt.

Israel. Weather still good either on the Med or Red Sea. People tend to overlook Israel as a tourist destination, but it really is a fantastic place. If you base yourself in Tel-Aviv you can take in in trips to Jerusalem, Dead Sea, Galilee etc. Tel-Aviv is a great, cosmopolitan city with a great nightlife. Rio Ferdinand is a regular visitor and is alleged to have bought a place there, although I'm not sure that is a recommendation. If you fancy the Red Sea, I'd avoid Sharm el Sheikh like the plague and go to Eilat. Great beach resort, but you can make trips into the Negev Desert, and across the borders into Egypt, but even better, into Jordan to go to Petra. People think Israel is a dangerous place, but it's safer than a lot of Middle Eastern countries. Israel is a European-facing country in the Middle East, and unlike some countries, is strongly pro-Western. If you are the type, you can easily spend two weeks on the beach, but if you like to see historic sights, you couldn't get any more historic than Jerusalem. Even if you are not religious, can't fail to be fascinated by all the sights associated with all the major religions.