CHAPEL END CHARLIE

I've have been watching ITV's new crime drama 'Above Suspicion : The Red Dahlia' and although the series has just about kept me watching it has to be said this is far from Lynda La Plante's best effort and a pale shadow of her rather wonderful 'Prime Suspect' of fond memory . Like Prime Suspect the programme deals with a difficult murder investigation (a copycat of the gruesome Black Dahlia case from the 1940's) with a focus on a female detective , but instead of the wonderful Helen Mirran we now have 'DC Travis' (Kelly Reily) - a sexy red head for sure but unfortunately I've seen tree's that are less wooded than this young actress and the suspicion that she was cast for her looks alone is difficult to shake . Some compensation is offered by the splendid Ciaran Hinds as her boss 'DCI Langton' - far too good a actor to get involved with substandard work such as this in my view . Add uninspired direction and a weak (or underutilised) supporting cast to the mix and you can tell we're not talking about a classic here - more Taggart than Cracker if you know what I mean . 6/10 .

Well said .

If (or is it when ?) they do crash and burn you can bet your life that every ill informed Tom , D1ck or Harriet in the sports media will rush onto the airwaves and start pontificating about what a crying shame it is that this 'lovely little club' with its 'great fans' should come to such a fate . I'll tolerate almost anything in life but hypocrisy - and I can feel my blood starting to boil already at the mere thought of the stream of utter bullsh1t that awaits us . :mad: To be fair as Saints fans our historic enmity with them makes it difficult (if not impossible) for us to be objective but any truly honest appraisal must show that PFC prostituted itself for Russian 'Blood Money' in a manner that no decent football club should ever countenance let alone accept , it must also be said there's a violently aggressive element to their fanbase (more than most clubs have) that many on here can testify to personally and the stunning recklessness of their recent financial mismanagement must surely merit the severest repercussions in the wider interests of the game . I read many Saints fans on here kind enough to express the hope that Pompey survive in some form , while I respect and admire their generosity of spirit and I'm quite sure PFC will continue to exist that's not an opinion I feel very inclined to share . They've earned everything that's coming to them , and it really couldn't have happened to a nicer club .

If you really think David Tennant is a 'pitiful hammy actor' than I can only say you're a very stern critic because to my mind he's been absolutely top draw - not only in Doctor Who but in a highly successful and critically acclaimed RSC production of Hamlet that was also broadcast on the BBC recently . For that matter the special effects you criticise are (trust me on this) a 'quantum leap' over what went before in previous generations of Doctor Who , and if they are not quite up to the very latest Hollywood standards then they are still perfectly adequate to tell the story in my opinion . If you really expect much more on a BBC budget then you've been spoilt frankly . Lets just say your comments on the script however are not so far from the mark . Doctor Who fans will forever owe a debt of gratitude to Russell T Davis for having the vision and energy to resurrect the series , but frankly on the evidence of the last two (typically overblown) episodes the programme is better off without him .

DNA by its very nature means that if you provide a sample for analysis it's not just your DNA profile that is 'on file' as it were - your blood relatives are also included - and not necessarily with their knowledge or agreement it must be said . I understand this is not just a theoretical possibility but that it has actually happened in practice . Even a partial DNA Database could make suspects of us all . DNA analysis is a wonderful scientific crime fighting tool , it can convict the guilty and even more importantly free the innocent . No reasonable person should object to specific crime suspects being examined in this way (providing a warrant has been obtained) but the rights of the individual must hold sway over the power of the state in a free society . The police practice of routinely obtaining DNA samples from everyone they arrest for however minor a matter (many of whom will never be charged let alone convicted of any crime) and then unilaterally keeping said 'profiles' (indefinitely in some forces) strikes me as a fundamental violation of Human rights . I return to the dangers of the all powerful state , each little erosion of the citizens rights (such as keeping innocent peoples DNA profiles or arrest without charge) can be justified on crime fighting or terrorism grounds , but as this remorseless step process continues our country must eventually become to resemble the totalitarian state that much of English history has been the long struggle against .

Why do you think he can't score for us then ? he's been a regular for two seasons now . Really 'Class' midfielders should be able to contribute their share in this division surely , and until he does regularly I just can't rate Schneiderlin as much more than 'promising' at the moment . He's definitely learning to adapt to the physical demands of English football to be fair and the lad can see a pass for sure , but we need a little more than that I'd say .

Hallo neighbour , behind the Chapel goal is the sweet spot at St Marys I aways say .

I got to see Avatar at last the other day and mighty impressed I was , James Cameron has already amassed a body of work that will assure him a place in movie history . I did notice however that 3D technology can still look wrong or unnatural when being used in predominantly 'live action' scenes (giving an unreal sense of depth/focus) but it has to be said it works beautifully when employed on CG 'Green-screen' images or in animation such as 'A Christmas Carol' .

Ian Wright was a breath of fresh air , a great player who knew what he was talking about but was still brave enough to speak his mind - 'one of us' as well if you get my drift . Can't understand why the BBC dropped him - too emotional I suppose . There's something intensely annoying about Andy Townsend , he can stick his bloody 'tactics truck' right up his..........

For the love of God someone please post the new 'downfall' version on every PFC forum .

I'd say a ball boy who spent the entire game seated in row x showed a distinct lack of enthusiasm for the job . Rather like me having to return to work on Monday after a long Christmas holiday .

Before we start messing about with the pitch it might be a good idea to fix the roof - a little lad near me had rain water constantly dripping onto his head/seat during the last home match .

Caught between a rock and a hard place I'd say - cut the wages until you can survive off the field (maybe) means almost certain relegation on it . 'Coffin Corner' as pilots call it .

Playing 'Devil's Advocate' if they can hold their many creditors off for a while player sells in this transfer window coupled with some season ticket income from the blue few means they may even survive until the end of the season - and almost certain relegation . Ultimately we all know where this process must end however . I can't see any way this fundamentally small club can generate the income needed to both maintain a team capable of surviving in the Premier League and service debt repayments of this magnitude . They don't even have anything concrete (like St Marys for instance) to show for all this debt - just a cup win and a short lived stay in the EPL . Just like SLH the debts (£60m it is rumoured) will overwhelm the business eventually and they will fold without the annual SKY money . Hopes of finding a real investor to take the business over will probably come to nothing as (just like SLH) it makes no business sense to buy the club and take on its massive debts when you need only wait for the administration process and pick it up for next to nothing - about all they're worth with a dilapidated old shed of a stadium and no EPL status . All I can say is that I hope they enjoyed that FA Cup win - it may take them a generation to recover from it .

The relevant section of the Football League's JPT rules and regs . 7.1 A Player shall be considered bona fide if he is registered by his Club, in accordance with the provisions of the Regulations. No Player may play for more than one Club in the Competition in any one Season.

http://www.thisishampshire.net/sport/4827953.Uncertain_future_for_loan_duo/

....."The nominations for the Saintsweb New Year Honours list was dominated by one man" - For outstanding services to Southampton Football Club :

Burn down Fratton Park with all 23 PFC fans still inside , cast the rubble into the Solent , sow the ground with salt and hang the charred corpse of that Westwood freak from the Bargates so that decent football fans can throw sharp objects at him in perpetuity . ....... perhaps I've been a tad extreme here .

A sentiment any tyrant would surely concur with - take a care of the company you keep .

8 or 8.5 out of 10 seems a tad generous when the record shows we've only averaged 1.5 points per game over half a season . Logically as we've only gained half the points available a score of 5 out of 10 would seem apt - but I'll add a point or two to that because AP has had to overcome some (well aired) disadvantages compared to some of our opposition .

Beware the power of the all-powerful state . History teaches us that it's a dangerous thing when governments know too much about their people , it is to be fortunate indeed to live in a country where the Government of the day labours under strict limits on both its powers and its knowledge - for knowledge is power and absolute power will surely corrupt absolutely . The thought of innocent citizens including children (the age of criminal responsibility in this country is 10) having a DNA sample forcibly extracted from them without consent by the state so that they can be efficiently classified and monitored throughout their life's sends a shiver down my spine , you may see that egregious violation of the individuals liberties as desirable for some reason but this is not the kind of country I want to live in . What happens in this 'brave new world' when someone refuses to give a DNA sample or commits some similar 'crime' such as failing to carry their identity card or inform on their neighbours when instructed to by the Police for instance ? Presumably such a person would be seen as a danger to society and severely punished and/or denounced - it's all rather too 'Big Brother' for my liking .

That's a good shout , The potential in 'The Time Machine' is almost limitless and it would surely produce something far more interesting than Triffids . As for my choice there are so many ..... Bradbury's 'Martian Chronicles' could be revisited to advantage (breaking my own request for originality) and I'd love to see someone attempt to film Harlan Ellison's notorious 'Deathbird Storys' - strong stuff and only suitable for broadcast after the watershed for sure but if you did it right something wonderful might emerge . If you've ever read 'Paingod' it's an experience you're unlikely to forget I'd suggest and 'The Deathbird' itself is a prime example of Ellison's extraordinarily moving writing - the last Human alive confronts God in the ruins of a desolate Earth while the Devil argues he's had a bad press . The memory of it has just inspired me to pick it up it again !

I quite agree , age and experience seem to become Centre Backs more than perhaps any other position on the field of play . I believe this is connected to young players developing the powers of intense concentration this position demands . While I'm not going to bother to trawl the stats I suspect comparatively few CB's under the age of 24 play in the better financed football clubs . Time will tell of course but the lad could be a good player for us (or somebody else) in a year or two .

"Taxes are the price we pay for civilization." Oliver Wendell Holmes .

Good for him ! The tendency for fans on here to write young players off after only having seen them play intermittently is the very height of folly .