Kingsland Codger

Cheap tickets - it is usually cheaper to travel via a European city (Paris, Amsterdam, Helsinki) than flying non-stop. £500 for a return should be your benchmark. Sometimes it can be £550 but I travelled there earlier this month for £440. I use Expedia, Opodo, Travelocity or Ebookers but sometimes if you go direct to the website of the airline it can be a few pounds less. It might be worth checking out Finnair as they sometimes have surprisingly good offers, as does Air France. BA, Virgin, Japan Airlines and All Nippon Airways fly non-stop but usually at a premium. On arrival at Narita airport don't be put off by the phrase 'limousine bus'. To you and I this means a 'coach' to travel into the city centre and this is a good way to get into town if you have heavy bags. The train is also available and if you have your Japan Rail Pass (see below) you can activate it at the airport train station. If you intend to travel around Japan, a Japan Rail (JR) pass is a must ... http://www.japantravel.co.uk The Tokyo subway can be difficult to negotiate but it's cheap (one of the few things that is), efficient and hopelessly over-crowded. It would be very convenient to buy a Pasmo card - a pre-paid card which you touch onto a reader at the ticket gate. Using one doesn't make any savings but you won't have to decipher a subway map to work out how much you need to pay each time you travel so it is a great time saver. You can buy one at any ticket machine area with English language instructions available on-screen. http://www.pasmo.co.jp/en/ Sadly, the latest weakness in the Pound means Japan has gone back to being expensive again (a couple of years ago it was almost affordable) but if you look around there are plenty of affordable local restaurants with the menu often displayed in plastic model form in the window as Verbal says above. On the bright side this is a country with a no-tipping culture so you save 10 per cent straight away. If you go, make it more early April rather than late March as early April is cherry blossom time. Japan is a large country with a big north/south span so where you travel inside the country will determine the clothes you need. There will still be heavy snow up north but it will be much warmer in the south. At that time of year Tokyo will be changeable, it might be warm but it could be cold. When I was living there in 1983 there was snow in Tokyo in April, but this is unusual. Verbal suggests visiting Tsujiki fish market for breakfast - this is one of life's Great Treats. The auction is a great piece of theatre and the sushi will be as fresh as you will find onshore. Japan is a great place, very safe and petty honesty is rampant (if you lose your wallet on the train the chances are very high it will be handed in intact) but beware of hostess bars which can be outrageously expensive but are usually easy to identify. Other websites you might find useful are ... http://www.japan-guide.com/ http://www.tokyoessentials.com/ http://www.tourism.metro.tokyo.jp/english/

Thank you for posting this. That's some finish for the winnng goal.

Neither, I fear. There is far too much spadework to be done if I am ever going to sniff salvation. We all know FIFA/UEFA talk a good deal about 'fair play'. We also know neither Blatter nor Platini will ever do anything about it. Therefore the only way to get a 'fair play' working party to report on video-technology, post-match citing and suspensions and similar possibilities is for individual FAs to demand them. Ireland alone will have difficulty in achieving this. Since England has suffered similarly, a combined Irish and English approach might be more potent. Personally I doubt it. But the next time a blatant handball incident it happens - and there most certainly will be a next time - then maybe the other unfortunate country might seek an alliance with previous victims. One day justice will prevail; but until that happens I shall have to content myself by singing "we shall overcome" regularly.

All the more reason for us not to behave in the way they did in 86. And of course FIFA/UEFA won't replay the match, of course FIFA/UEFA will do nothing. As you say, they've got what they wanted. But if anything is ever going to change, right now the Irish need our full support and we should be unreserved in giving it. A gross injustice happened to us in 86 and our howls were ignored (yes, even laughed at). A gross injustice has been done to Ireland and their howls should be listened to, especially by us.

I would say that since we English were the victims of a blatant handball in 1986 we are well placed to show Ireland every sympathy. What puzzles me is that now, 36 hours after the match, the silence from FIFA and UEFA is deafening. Well done to the FAI for putting FIFA on the spot and our own FA should hold a press conference calling for 'something to be done' as the handball cheating is still around, 23 years after it happened to us. For what it's worth, Henry should be banned from playing for France for the next 10 competitive matches.

Thank you for this. I believe I got the year wrong for the victory at Ibrox. It was 1974, not 1975 as I had posted.

September 1975. Texaco Cup. 3-1 win at Ibrox against Glasgow Rangers. I had just started at uni up there. A question for Fitzhugh Fella ... what was Saints first ever competitive match played outside of England?

05-06 Smith Niemi Bart who was injured at Newcastle and was subbed putting in goal Blackstock Kevin Miller

Royal Air Force March Past ... for those Brave Boys of the Battle of Britain http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PwJiWBc-aws&feature=related The Italian National Anthem is a lot of fun and Vivaldi - Nulla in mundo pax sincera http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=08a0rxFOYrs Bo Jovi - Livin' on a Prayer Beatles - Getting Better

I don't believe Dimbleby gave Mr Griffin a harder time last night than he does with any other politician who holds a controversial view. I've seen him give others a very hard time. Some can brush off attacks easily (Ken Clarke and Boris J for example both appear to have that 'teflon' quality) whereas others, Griffin now being one of them, have difficulty handling it. Griffin wanted to be taken seriously, his party won the seats to allow him a place on the panel and last night he experienced the consequences of holdings his views - just like any other politician. Nor is Mr Dimbleby alone in this style of aggressive questioning. How many times did Paxman ask Michael Howard that awkward question about Derek Lewis and several years ago? 12 times, wasn't it? Nope, Nick Griffin came up against democracy last night. He didn't like it and he wasn't very good at it.

A couple of years ago we were 0-2 up at QPR and won 0-3. The Ray Jones (RIP) game.

I wish that for just one time you could stand inside my shoes And just for that one moment I could be you Yes, I wish that for just one time you could stand inside my shoes You'd know what a drag it is to see you Bob Dylan - Positively 4th Street

Amongst them ... Dexter Blackstock

Delighted to see the noun 'album' being used rather than the more modern 'CD'. Jethro Tull - Thick As A Brick Pink Floyd - Dark Side Of The Moon Barclay James Harvest - Once Again

Make sure you have an empty bladder as it wouldn't do to be caught short.

Although he was flagged a few times yesterday, there was also evidence that he was checking and delaying his runs to avoid being offside. As was said earlier - it's still work in progress. It was also encouraging to see him gettting his foot in and putting up with a bit of buffeting and barging from the defenders.

I align myself with Mornington Crescent, Le God Third Coming, Chap in the Chapel and Nineteen Canteen. I saw a magnificent football match last night with superb support from both sets of fans. Every bit as enjoyable as some of our better Premiership matches. The fact we were defeated was due to a wonder goal that might have been avoided but had we taken the chances that fell to MS and AL in the second-half then we would have been hope and dry anyway. But even then, the chances for MS and AL were a clear sign of our new-found ability to make goal scoring opportinities; and it wasn't as if either MS or AL missed the target - they were both saved superbly by the Rovers keeper. So whilst we can curse Lady Luck with her cruel twist against us, I look foward to the match on Saturday and believe that elusive 'emphatic' victory will occur.

If Trotman's loan period ends in January and Campbell becomes available around about the same time, would he be a useful replacement until the end of the season?

Given our problems of the summer and the minus 10 points, I guess we all ought to be happy with finishing around 10 points off the play-off positions. Looking back a few seasons, finishing about 10 points off the play-offs means coming around 10th place. We have a long hard haul ahead but I am pleased with the team AP has built and am sure we will finish somewhere around 10th come May.

But in order to expand the stadium and maybe improve the rail connection some super-cranes and other types of huge construction equipment would be required. Where the heck could we get hold of some of those?

I recall reading an interview with Mr Cowen(s? ...or maybe Cowan(s) - how quickly one forgets!) shortly after the move from The Dell. Possibly this interview was on the old SFE site. He was asked why the home and away fans shared the Northam end and I'm sure he said this was decided in close consultation with our fans.

I didn't have a good view of the first penalty but it looked like a dive by Saga. For the rest of the game I was expecting the ref to give Yeovil a penalty 'to even things up'. I had a much clearer view of the second incident. Yes, it hit the defender's arm but it wasn't deliberate nor did it put James at any disadvantage. I was puzzled by the lino waving his flag and couldn't believe it when he signalled for a penalty. I was also well placed for all those offsides against Papa Waigo and the lino was right every time. Waigo has some serious work to do in coming to grips with the offside law.

I think they had a win on the opening day of the season.

A tittle, then?

A bummle?