CHAPEL END CHARLIE

Wowzers! I can only apologize for my typo but you do seem to have gone a bit OTT in your reaction. To address the issues however: Are you really quite this utterly sure that that basic mainstay of feminist ideology - a womans 'right to choose' - must always come before a child's 'right to life' ? You accuse me of a simplistic take on this matter, but some might say your view might be a better fit for the term. For that matter this question is surely a problem for all society to consider, rather than relegating half of us to the status of mere disenfranchised bystanders? The last time I checked men do still have some role to play in the propagation of mankind. Re Godwins Law, I actually don't think you have read my post. I didn't say "Nazi's support abortion" - far from it. They were actually fervently against abortion because they desperately wanted an increased supply of healthy Germanic children to populate and expand the Reich. The point you seem to have entirely missed somehow is that they saw no value in providing for existing disabled children, and therefore had them murdered. This is obviously not at all the same as saying that those who support abortion must be Nazis! If society values Human life - and a Human life starts at the moment of conception - then it must be wrong to take it without some overwhelming justification. I don't happen to think that a women simply presenting herself and demanding a abortion because it is expedient to her amounts to a 'overwhelming justification'. Now if that seems too simple a viewpoint for your sophisticated tastes .. well then we'll just have to agree to disagree. Finally, although I might not have put it quite that way, I am sentimental about kids and I do believe that 'children are our future'. Now if I'm wrong in that then perhaps you could explain to the forum what future we have without them?

Sometimes it is necessary, more often than not it is just expedient if we are honest about it. I don't claim to have all (indeed any) of the answers, I might even support a daughter of mine who took a 'morning after' pill, or had a early abortion. That acceptance of expediency over any moral considerations would make me a terrible hypocrite because we should all practice what we preach. But this world is a difficult place full of Human weakness and compromise. The language we employ in this debate is so very telling is it not? Whenever people resort to the use of technical/medical terminology that's a pretty reliable indication that they want to mask a unpalatable truth behind a shield of language. What in other circumstances would be routinely referred to as a 'Baby' suddenly becomes a 'Feotus' in this context. When for some reason we decide to end the life of the said feotus we don't 'kill' it, we 'terminate' it - as if a human life were a mere corrupt computer programe or a workplace sacking. When does your "bunch of cells" become a human being? A age old question for sure, but the only answer that makes any damn sense to me is at the moment of contraception. Scientifically and morally from that awesome moment on a true Human Life has been created, and Human life should be both cherished and protected. If a man were to kick a heavily pregnant women in the tummy and 'terminate' her 'feotus' then (as I understand the law) the law could not charge him with that killing. Well I think that is wrong, any human baby should enjoy the protection of the law both before, and after, it is born in my view. The issue of Downs Syndrome children has been raised. The children in my life have been blessed with good health I'm happy to say, and I just don't know if I could cope with a disabled or chronically sick child. I do know however that the Nazis had these children quietly murdered because they were a too much trouble and might even 'pollute' the gene pool. I've just committed the terrible Internet crime of breaking Godwin's Law I know, but please forgive me because I use Nazi Germany as a sure guide of what not to do or think. How will the future judge us I wonder? We habitually sneer at the cruel excesses of the past and congratulate ourselves on our civilized state. The things we do in the name of expediency, something tells be that one day we too might be seen as a bunch of barbarians.

If you really understood what it means to perform a late abortion - this can sometimes involve the physical dismembering of a living and recognizable human baby - then you should also understand why so many people of conscience want to see the abortion time limit drastically reduced. I have no idea how the medical staff who perform these procedures reconcile what they are doing, with the oath they have taken to do no harm. This weeks awful news from Wales demonstrates clearly enough that in other circumstances society sees the killing of children as a terrible crime. If that reaction is right - and surely it is - then the same principle should be applied to all our children, whether they be pre or post natal. There are certain situations when killing can be morally justified - in time of war, self defence, or the merciful ending of intolerable suffering perhaps - but mere parental inconvenience should never find a proper place on that list.

I'm I the only remaining 'NYPD Blue' fan on here then ... oh well. 'Star Trek' (both TOS & TNG) of course but 'Salem's Lot', 'American Gothic' & 'LA law' were also more than watchable. 'Frasier' was just about as witty as TV ever gets, but More 4's massively underrated 'The Closer' seems to this TV addict to be easy the best written US series currently on our screens. Other opinions are available .....

My guess? I think we've probably overspent on our transfer/wages budget this summer in order to (we hope) acquire a PL quality squad and avoid relegation. We have funded that overspend via this reported load arrangement. In theory once you have established PL standard squad we can spend less in future and return to a more sustainable financial model. Thats a OK theory - it may not work out like that in practice.

Quite right - how the memory plays tricks on us old gits.

It involves Katy Bates, a isolated house and the use of a mallet if I remember correctly.

My first game at St Marys so I remember it well - Shearer getting plenty of stick, a unstoppable strike from Craig Bellamy and Chris Marsden showing just why we was such a 'football genius'.

Katy Manning naked with a Dalek springs to mind ....... Don't build your hopes too high re the latest series of Doctor Who Phil - its bloody awful.

18 goals conceded in just 6 games is a truly shocking stat even considering the quality of the opposition we've faced. As for coaching our way out of this mess, I'm sure NA and his team will be striving to do just that. However even if you can polish a turd the resulting shine is unlikely to be all that impressive. This game's all about players ultimately, and if our players can't learn quickly (or are not good enough anyway) to defend to the required standard as a unit, then no amount of coaching is going to change that fundamentally. Perhaps Artur Boruc's belated introduction will make a difference, but until the transfer window reopens at least, I suspect we're likely to continue fielding one of the weakest defences in this division. So if we are to stay in the hunt until Xmas then we may have little choice but to try and score our way out of trouble. Now I instinctively don't like that idea all that much - I recall Blackpool tried that and failed - but as we are hitting the net at twice the rate of the teams around us I suppose we still have some sort of chance.

Recently I've become an admirer of Robert Harris's writing - especially his historical novels - so I opened 'Imperium' with great expectations, but somehow this superb book surpassed even those high hopes.'Imperium' (a term which we may translate as something like 'absolute power') is a semi fictional account that charts the career of that intellectual titan of the Roman Republic Cicero as recalled by his devoted slave/secretary 'Tiro'. The first half of this book is principally concerned with one of the most famous criminal trials of all antiquity when Cicero prosecutes the corrupt former Governor of Sicily, the venal Gaius Verres. The Governors aristocratic birth and ill-gotten gains have garnered him a huge fortune and powerful friends in the Senate, so to take him on our hero must not only overcome the inbuilt corruption of the legal system, but also amass a case so watertight that even a thoroughly biased jury of Roman nobles dare not acquit Verres for fear of how the mob will react. After the dramatic conclusion of this historic trial we move on to chart Cicero's rise through the Republic's complicated electoral system towards his ultimate ambition - to become Consul and achieve his very own Imperium. If you reading this thinking that you don't really care about Cicero (or the power struggles of the late Roman Republic for that matter) then think again, because Harris spins his tale with such consummate skill that you soon become immersed in this world to the extent that (terrible old cliche that it is) I found it's almost impossible to put this book down. So allow the author take you on a journey of the mind, along the way marvel at the vanity of Pompey the Great and the reckless ambition of the young Caesar. Witness the horrific cruelty of Marcus Licinius Crassus as he crucifies the remnants of Spartacus's defeated slave army along the Appian Way. But above all wonder at just why every now & then history brings forth men of the caliber of Marcus Tullius Cicero.

Spot on. Lambert strikes the ball so hard (with both head and feet) that it doesn't have to be inch perfect to have a chance of beating the keeper. That's not all he has to offer of course because he's a smashing all round footballer, but even so .....

I wouldn't claim to be able to second guess what NA will do, but if the choice is between a 21 year old with one top level game under his belt, and a keeper of Artur Boruc's experience and reputation ... well that doesn't seem to be the hardest choice NA will face this season does it?

I'm slowly warming to him ... but looking at his defending for Villa's goal on Saturday I can't guarantee it will last !

Scoring is probably a aspect of his game he could work on, but why single Adam out when the rest of the midfield aren't exactly prolific either are they? I understand that even a player as manifestly talented as Gaston Ramirez has 'only' scored 15 goals in the last two seasons. Every team is on the perennial look out for goal scoring midfielders - they're pretty thin on the ground unfortunately. I've not the slightest doubt that Adam Lallana will chip in a fair number of goals for us this season - he always does.

I was about to post the same - what a bleedin 'Jobsworth' that man is. As others have said Mark Lawrenson (who I quite like actually) although complementary, appeared to have only seen the highlights. Comparing SRL with Grant Holt yet again should now be a sackable offence I'd say. I don't believe for one moment that he has it in for us, but when he opined that Villa were in "complete control" of the first half, I just could not reconcile that with the game I was watching. To be fair Saggy had some very nice things to say about Nigel.

Gaston was truly excellent, Yoshida did well in the main, but Mayuka's all too brief run out left almost as big an impression on this fan as either of the other newcomers. Early days of course and some players are like shooting stars - they shine brightly only to fade away - but I was so impressed with this lads mobility, skill, and enthusiasm that I'll stick my neck out and say we got a glimpse yesterday of this teams post Lambert future. I reckon we've got a live one here.

And you're right. I too have given this player some stick over the years on the grounds of both his technical ability (or lack of) and his questionable attitude. However I though he did well both today and against MUFC. His final delivery and shooting are likely to remain as wayward as ever I fear, but there is something about the status of being a Premier League player that seems to make him raise his game significantly. I (and the fans around me) were most surprised to see him substituted today considering how increasingly effective he was becoming as the game went on - although the young player who replaced him (Mayuka) looks as keen as mustard and a proper prospect. Keep this under your hat, but I think Jason Puncheon could be a real asset for us this season.

I think the pressure is starting to get to him. He didn't want to get forward today and play in his normal attacking style because that old devil 'the fear of failure' seems to this fan to have effected this players confidence badly. Playing against your own instincts never ends well for a footballer I've found over the years. Clyne adapted seamlessly to the LB position (a sure sign of a good player that) and Richardson did fine at RB I thought considering it was his first real contribution this season. The temptation to start the next game with the same defensive line-up we finished this one must be playing on Nigel Adkins mind tonight.

I can't disagree with a word of that. Near the end of this splendid game however he declined to come and claim a long looping cross that I thought could have been his. Is he confident enough to push his own defenders out of the way and dominate the area ? Time will tell I suppose. Overall he did OK and I'd give him the next few games and see how he does.

As a life long fan of the original (and slapstick in general) I ordered the kids on pain of death to come with me to see 'The Three Stooges' the other day. Although I secretly quite enjoyed it, I can't really claim it's all that good a movie really. I should add however that the new Curly, Moe, & Larry deliver a pretty damn good impression of the original act. The problem with this film is that back in the day the Stooges were never just a children's act - it might have been aimed more at us big kids perhaps. However I did get a really good laugh from the short warning film the lawyers have obviously insisted be tacked on to the end. It turns out children you must never poke people in the eye or hit them on the repeatedly head with a hammer - well I never !

I can hardly believe this thread. Are people seriously trying to tell me that whatever our results - even if we're pointless at Xmas and getting beat 6-1 every game - that they'd still want the manager to keep his job regardless ? While I can kinda admire the piety of such a extreme standpoint - in a somewhat otherworldly kind of way - this view bares bugger all relationship to the great game of professional football as we have come to know it. In my experience Human nature dictates that when you give someone what is in effect a 'Licence to Fail' then, like any other type of licence, there's a pretty good chance that licence is going to be taken advantage of. Away from the gleaming Ivory Towers of SWF, back in the real world of big money and high pressure Premier League football, Nigel Adkins has to find a way of getting his team to perform, just like any every other football manager in this situation would. And judging from my reading of the situation he better start doing that pretty damn quick I'd say.

To invest more than £30m on the squad and yet still find ourselves utterly reliant on a keeper who has already failed at this level is a error of judgment that beggars belief frankly. Squad building 101 - build from the back. Now I respect Kelvin highly as a man and I don't think he's a bad keeper either, but truth to tell he''ll never be the outstanding top flight GK we obviously require. To embark on a season in one of the toughest leagues in world football just assuming your only senior GK would be able to cope - when what evidence there is strongly suggested otherwise - is as clear a case of 'wishful thinking' as you're ever likely to see I'd say. A fan has to wonder who exactly made this critical call, the manager, or a Chairman intent on spending most of our money on forwards ? This is not a another case of perfect 20/20 hindsight either - the record shows some of us have been saying this for months.

I quite agree ...... but I not one of those who feel he has a 'license to fail' for the entire season.

I quite enjoyed 'The Bletchley Circle' (ITV1 Thursday) in a low key sort of way. Our hero 'Susan' worked at Bletchley Park during the war deciphering German Enigma code transmissions. Years later however as a traditional suburban housewife she finds her wartime skills are unappreciated in stuffy post war London. Then her keen analytical brain detects a underlaying pattern behind a series of shockingly perverted murders that the Police seem powerless to solve, and she finds she can no longer resist the temptation to break away from her dull existence and make a real difference in the world again. But can Susan persuade her skeptical Bletchley Park colleagues to help her in her mission, and can these four brilliant women overcome a wave of male chauvinist indifference, invent the science of criminal profiling, and find the killer before the body count rises too much? Lets face it the answer is bound to be 'yes' to both questions I suppose, but I'm sufficiently hooked by the story to go along with the girls for the ride.