Winnersaint

Started about 15 minutes ago here in Wokingham. Not heavy at the moment but is laying because there has been no thaw here during the day.

I loved Uncharted 2. but it was too short and good though the online is, us of more mature years have neither time, reactions nor inclination to perfect our skills against those more youthful and obsessesed. So my game of the year award has to be split between two games which are very similar in many ways. inFamous along with Assassins Creed 2. I can't separate them. I thoroughly enjoyed inFamous and am really enjoying AC2.

Its the School holidays, so fortunately no daily trip along A329 to Bracknell and back. Bad enough on Friday tbh. Heart traffic just said that M4 blocked both ways from J12 to M25, M3 from M25 to J8. All A roads a nightmare in Reading, Wokingham, Newbury , Bracknell and Basingstoke. Drive carefully Poshie - watch out for the idiots and I hope you and your fella get home safely.

Masses of the stuff coming down in Wokingham. Rained around lunchtime and started to melt the lying snow, ice and frozen slush. About 1:30 it turned to snow and it's been going on for over 4 hours.

2-3 inches in Wokingham, plenty of entertainment on A329M. Bloke went past me doing 60 clipped the slush and started doing ballerina impressions and ended up in a ditch.

Only 5 then, but remember it well. Was living in the middle of nowhere in Wiltshire on a farm in Wishford. School meant walking along the A36. It was scary as the pavements were piled high for months with snow/ice and so we literally had to walk along the road with Wilts and Dorset buses thundering past you. Also remember there being snow around Xmas in 1970 in North Baddesley. I had a pair of Adidas Rom trainers and wore them out and about and completely knackered them in the snow.

Hoddle had sublime skills and you're right he was more of a goalscorer. Some of the goals he scored would equal and almost eclipse the very best of MLT. Gerrard is game changer. someone who single handedly can alter the course of a game. e.g. Istanbul 05. However SW's contribution to a Saints team which at the time challenged the almost invincible Liverpool sides of the early 80's cannot be underestimated. As an all round midfielder playing on the RHS he was just a great for us, complimented on the LHS of midfield by David Armstrong. Don't even get me started on his qualities!!

In one of my thoughtful moments I was trying to compare Stevie Williams with a modern day counterpart and Gerrard was the only one I could come with. Without wanting to patronise those who were unable to see him play in the red and white, at his peak he was that good. A contemporary of Hoddle's he was a far better all round player. Prodded and prompted by Bally he didn't beat people with pace but he had a sublime sort of drift movement that carried him past players. Never the same when he went to the Gooners even though they were his team.

Desert Strike, Jungle Strike, Urban Strike

It comes from working day in day out with teenagers who quite clearly need said anger management classes. It pays to keep a cool and non-confrontational head. Geaux Saints! The NO variety as well the boys down at SMS.

Great 52nd birthday present!

The Who Dat stuff dates back to minstrel shows way back and was adopted by the NO Saints fans as their chant. In many ways it's like OWTSGMI to us. Great to see the Saints over the pond on the up. I know many won't like the NFL but I really suggest you catch a highlights show and see Drew Brees dismantle the Pats.

Quite! We're buying the 32GB for our daughter, but that's her main Xmas present.

Reading at Majdeski. Easy for me to get to, and lots of crowing when we beat them. I am still thinking we might pass them as they go down this season.

Am I missing something? Are we already in the 3rd Round? There was me thinking that we still had to play Northampton to get to the next hurdle.

Oi! Behave there's nothing wrong with Geography teachers as a species supporting Saints. I've been the former for nearly 30 years and knowingly supported the latter for 45. Personally don't sing much at matches I get to these days. Kind of grew out of it. Used to love it on Milton Rd in my teens though.

I can't get worked up over this. It wasn't Saints and wasn't England. Personally I don't give a flying **** if a hoofball team misses out. Get over it. I've no allegiance to Ireland, I think they were desperately unlucky to get a bum decision, however,it doesn't even rank anywhere near Maradonna's HOG in Mexico

Same. Remember it as quite a scary experience. Having to stand at the back of a covered terrace with a **** poor view (no segregation) listening to endless choruses of "Drink up your cider!" Also went to a cup came at Oxford a few years later, Ron Atkinson was their skipper I think. However my favourite early away game was in Jan 71 when we beat Spuds at WHL.

Put simply we are not as good as we think we are. As usual.

I recall Bob McCarthy as being something of the Dell's whipping boy when he played. Mind you I never thought he was a particularly gifted full back. Didn't Best give a torrid time at the Dell a few years later?

Trying to put names to faces in picture. Reckon it was taken around 1968. Back row Jimmy Gabriel, Don't know,Dave Docker Walker,Gerry Gurr, Eric Martin, Not sure, Joe Kirkup, Mick Judd? Middle row George Horsfall, Frank Saul, Can't remember, Mick Channon, John McGrath, Hughie Fisher, Jimmy Melia, Tony Byrne? John Mortimer, Jimmy Gallagher Front row First two on left I can't recall, Ron Davies, Ted Bates, Terry Paine, Fred Kemp, John Sydenham

Went to Villa game at Dell, missed replay. Saw Blackpool game with amazing Paul Bennett goal. Went with mates in back of a pick up to WBA, but broke down at Bromsgrove so missed game, saw replay. Went to Bradford, saw the flying Party Seven. Missed Palace due to 6th Form Geog Field Trip in North Wales with BWS Salisbury. A fruitless Sunday spent trying to find somewhere in sheep ****gingville where we could view highlights. Went to Wembley courtesy of cup-tie voucher from league game in November possibly Oldham?

Saw my first game in October 1963, just before my 6th birthday. Dirty Leeds (the Revie team in its infancy). Lost 4-1. I was never aware of any other team to support. Somewhere my parents have a tattered school book from my first school telling of a trip to The Dell complete with a 6 year old's dodgy drawing of a figure in a red and white striped shirt and a building with what I must have thought were floodlights on it. By rights I should have no real Saints connections as my Dad was born in North London and my mum is from Sussex and I've never lived in Southampton (North Baddesley, Fordingbridge, Romsey, Winchester when I was younger though). Through family connections in Southampton my dad started supporting them in the war years and has notched up nearly 70 years as a Saints supporter so it was inevitable when I first wanted to go and watch football it would be The Dell I was taken.

PI KEY seen quite often around Wokingham area, also S80NGY parked in Winnersh.