Kingsland Codger

Did she also give him the Eleven million Swedish Krone* that comes with the medal? *around £900,000

Thank you for posting this. Away from the action there was plenty of nostalgia to wallow in. Saints in good old-fashioned stripes, the baggy shorts of the referee, a kid with a rattle behind the goal, an ad for Rizla papers, the half-time scores along the touchline, plenty of police but not a Hi-Viz jacket in sight - Happy Days.

So many to choose from but it has to be 1 May 1976. Off the field, I can recall being gobsmacked on hearing the news Laurie Mac had signed Kevin Keegan.

Same with me

Lovely build up and, at last, a finish

I doubt if my offering is correct as it was some time ago (February 2020) but at least it can serve as a back marker. And even if far too long ago, it is worth another look just to enjoy an all too rare positive moment. Saints were winning 1-0 at home to Austin Villa. Deep into stoppage time Villa won a corner and their goalkeeper came up to add to the attack. A McCarthy punch, a Che Adams pass into space and lung-busting run from Stuart Armstrong and it was good night Villa. Fast forward to 2:12 for the juicy bit.

For reasons I cannot (am reluctant to) explain, I could never get his name right. I persisted in calling him Yoshiwara - which is the name of Tokyo’s historic Red Light district.

Visiting grandchildren meant I was unable to attend the match on Saturday. I managed to take a quick look at the score at half-time (disappointment) and again in the 88th minute (despair). then another check about 20 minutes later (ecstasy) A song from the 1960s spring to mind - Bringing On Back The Good Times by the Love Affair. The chorus goes ... Bringing on back the good times, taking away the pain. You're bringing on back the good times and I'm living on air, So glad that you're there, sweeping away the sad times, making me laugh again You're bringing on back the good times And you started me living Now I'm loving again Bringing On Back The Good Times And, yes, London really was like that 60 years ago with so little traffic and such few people.

“By July 3 all matches selected for broadcast for the period to the end of September 2025 will be announced, and before a ball is kicked in the 2025/26 season all TV selections will be confirmed for the period up to the FA Cup Third Round on the weekend of January 10 next year” Source: skysports.com

Michel Platini in a queue for Security at CDG airport ... I was next up in the queue when a burly Gendarme ushered him ahead of me. Platini smiled apolgetically and after the security check we had a brief chat. He asked me which team I followed, I told him 'Southampton' he said 'Good luck for the coming season' and went straight into the First Class lounge. Johan Cruyff in the lobby of the Hotel Okura in Tokyo. Barcelona were playing in the World Club Championship and he was the manager. He asked me for directions to the hotel cafe/restaurant.

The dismal season the Saints have so far suffered has caused me to lose a bit of interest. Yesterday afternoon saw Scotland play Italy in the Six Nations followed by Ireland v England. I settled down in front of the TV and saw a thoroughly entertaining game which the Scots won 31-19. The match in Dublin followed but a few minutes in, I remembered Saints were away at Ipswich. Hastily, I opened the SofaScore app and much to my amazement I saw Saints had just scored, were now ahead and were a couple of minutes into 8 minutes of stoppage time. Being a realist, I prepared myself for inevitable disappointment - after all, alongside “death” and “taxes”, Saints-conceding-a-last-minute-of-stoppage-time-goal-against-Ipswich is one of life’s fundamental guarantees. Imagine my bewilderment when I glanced at the final score and saw we had hung on and had all three points.

For those who want to buy a ticket ... I had difficulties accessing the correct page on the southamptonfc website and also with the ticketing app. Whichever link I clicked on a page appeared saying "Error page. Unfortunately, you are not authorised to browse this url". I was about to give up when the correct page suddenly appeared.

I agree - but then again, as a (not so) wise man once said “if it ain’t broke, consider breaking it”

Let me help you … the MEPs voted for UvdL. The same sort of way the leaders of our own political parties are chosen. How the President of the European Commission is elected.

I know he’s a loanee but should Maxwell Cornet be added to that sorry list?