saintbletch

African or European?

Yes, some valid points. But he fails to see the connection between the financial apocalypse they now face and winning the FA Cup final "against the odds". "Against the odds"? Well by attracting footballers by paying them 80K and 100K per week, you tend to shorten the odds a little in your favour. You also store up the sort of debt that is now crippling them. They make Olympic athletes give back medals and they re-write record books if it's found that they won through unfair advantage. F.A. ?

I'm actually offended that you didn't realise that it was meant to be ironic. Well nearly offended. I even used a smilie to drop the hint. I assumed your "right's and wrong's" and capital G for "Grammar" were ironic too. Actually, I'd just had lunch with my business partner and we reminisced about those Morecambe and Wise sketches where Ern would talk about the plays "What he wrote". So I thought I'd slip one in. As it were.

This is the key for me. It's about context and making sure you can be understood easily. Spelling and grammar should make the words easier to consume and should ensure that their meaning is clear and unambiguous. If you're amongst friends and can achieve these things with being anal about it, then no problem. That said, I do find that I am forever correcting people's postings in my head. I just can't help myself - but that's my problem not their's. BUT, to be able to make that judgement about the right level of grammar and spelling for the context, students must first be taught correctly so that can make the choice. With two kids in UK schools I would say that grammar rules have become confused and therefore relaxed. I'm not sure that the teaching has been relaxed it's just that language is changing quickly. Language, and the use of language will change over time. It has always done so and will continue to do so. Right now we're in the middle of an explosion of written material - in the form of internet. This content is not controlled or edited in the way that previous mediums were. This mass of material has hastened the pace of change of language which grates with people like me (and the OP I feel) but I have to just accept it. While we're on the subject, shouldn't it be punctuation in the OP? Sorry MoG. I now anticipate others will help to correct the errors what I've made.

If I remember correctly Aaron and Forest mutually agreed to terminate his contract early so that he could go find another club. (Don't know how mutual mind you!). I agree. I think if he took this all the way through the courts, the word Davies might enter the lexicon alongside Bosman.

Good question. Well as the 62 year old Markus Liebherr was born in 1947, I'd imagine he didn't do too much in WW2.

On SSN ticker now.

Makes sense. But to my mind there's being right and being in the right. The two are not necessarily the same thing in this instance. I asked about whether there were conditions on the Echo because if NC's banning them was to attempt to achieve some particular end then I guess I'd have more respect, or at least understanding for his continued position. If he'd said "until the Echo does XYZ" then they're barred from the club, then it might make some sense. It could be, as I mentioned previously that it is a commercial strategy to marginalise the Echo for the commercial good of the club. i.e. he's looking to cut the Echo out because we have plans to make the OS the font or all knowledge, rumour, gossip and inuendo and by driving more traffic to the OS we'll eventually make more money. I have to ask myself this, do I hit F5 on the Echo site all day everyday during the January window. Or do I wait for my Twitter client to tell me that offialsaints has been updated? Could it be that this is simply posturing to ensure that future skirmishes are avoided and Saints are more likely to be able to rely on the Echo's help to keep unhelpful news stories quiet? Perhaps the echo already has a story about NC that he wants kept quiet? Perhaps it was the AC Milan story that he wanted hushed? But if this is just a blanket ban on a matter of principle then I think they should both see sense and put it behind them. And as you say I would expect pressure from the Echo ownership to kowtow and re-engage. The Echo will look exposed if our successful run continues. I mean, if I were NC's media advisor and he was hell bent on hurting the Echo, I'd be doing all I could to pin the badge of Pompey lovers on the Echo ahead of the FA Cup tie. Purely on the basis that you're either with us or agi'n us.

Avram is a regular visitor to the Women's Sale section (allegedly) But perhaps the 75% off might convince him to pay another visit.

I hoped I was careful not to lay the blame at anyone's door for the falling out. I just think its foolish to have allowed the situation to develop/escalate. The Echo is equally foolish for allowing it to perpetuate and whilst what I read of the original situation makes NC look pretty petty, from what I've seen since the Echo has stooped pretty low in its attempts to "punish" NC for his actions. I think bucktootim might have a point when he pointed out the highly secretive banking background that NC has. Perhaps we've got to wait until he starts to loosen up, accept a bit of scrutiny/criticism and start to understand the way things are done. I haven't tracked the story as closely as some on here, but perhaps you can fill me in. Is the Echo banned until further notice, or has some condition been placed upon its entry to St. Mary's and access to the club?

A couple of points but first I feel the need to put my position on NC straight because as ever on this forum people like to deal in only polarised views and are keen to ignore any grey bits in the middle. You're either pro-NC or you hate him. Well I'd classify myself as overwhelmingly pro-NC, but with an open mind and a few concerns. I am very impressed by NC so far. He's brought Markus in, he's secured Markus' agreement to invest in the management team, the squad and the training ground. I fail to see what more he could have done to put a smile on my face relating to all things SFC. I feel lucky that we found him/he found us. I hope that's clear. But you asked where the evidence was for some people on here to be questioning some of NC's actions/motives. I'd cite 3-4 pieces of information that have just made me think "Hmm that doesn't fit with my picture of him". And obviously being a completely balanced individual, that in turn has made me question whether the information is right. But here goes. 1) The Ward transfer rumoured to have been cancelled at the eleventh hour because the news got into the public domain. Making Saints look a little unprofessional and being slated by current players and managers (all with vested interests by the way). 2) NC's spat with the Echo. Forgetting the rights and wrongs of this, the principle of falling out with your local paper doesn't fit well with me. It seems petty and pointless and will only serve to remove a swath of fans and potential fans from the information flow. 3) The hiring and then (presumably) firing of Andy Oldknow. Mixed one here because I've read a lot of negative things about AO. But it struck me as a little poor judgement to hire this guy and then fire him after only few short months. 4) This self-congratulatory piece on the OS yesterday. All probably valid points, and perhaps this is just me, but my initial reaction was "me, me, me.". Taken together I could quite easily say that NC is a man of principle who knows his own value and acts decisively when things need to be done. But I could also see a egotistical control freak. Balancing this against everything else I've seen of the man, I'd say that I'm worrying unduly but as I've said I've filed them away just in case.

Agreed hutch. But I guess the net value of the asset, including any disposal costs (payments to Watford) would have to be taken into account?

I agree with the other posters below about the design. It's really dated and far, far too busy. But I'd also like to say that I think you've got a good name there and I also like the look of the logo too. It's edgy and should be able to be used to attract a certain type of client. The downside of the name and logo is that it will, IMO, tend to close some doors to you. So if I were you, I'd exploit the name and the audience it will attract. Some ideas... I'd start from looking at who will buy from cat's ass. What sort of person is your customer? Why will they buy from you? Why are you different from other t-shirt vendors? What problem are you looking to solve for your customer? What does wearing a cat's ass t-shirt say about them to their friends? Then use the answer to these questions to design your site to communicate that small set of messages over and over again in a very simply way. If your target audience is, for argument's sake, 17-23 year old males in the UK. Then look at the design of sites that this segment of the market frequent visit and try to make your site feel more like these. Use language and terminology that they will feel comfortable with. This looks like a well thought our competitor's site http://www.streetshirts.co.uk/ What is the one thing you want your target audience to do when they are on your site? I'm guessing it's buy a t-shirt (although at present this isn't clear). And if that's the case relegate all the stuff about competitions, guest books and forums to a less prominent place on the page (if at all). I'd consider using a small copy of the logo as (optional) branding on your t-shirts too. Perhaps very small at the base of the rear of the t-shirt? Lastly think about what your visitor will be looking to achieve AFTER they have visited your site. I would bet that most people that buy novelty t-shirts are not looking to just keep warm. I would imagine that they are they looking to shock and surprise their friends. Perhaps they're looking for something to wear on a stag night or looking for an outrageous gift for a friend. If you show you understand what your visitor is looking for AFTER they've purchased from you they will feel more comfortable buying from you. Good luck.

I tend to agree but things said in a quoted piece like this tend to be there for a reason. These OS articles that are about his battle with the Echo will be read, re-read and re-read again. The words that remain after editing will be there for a reason. If I put a cynic's hat on I could quite easily see Cortese as an ambitious but ego-driven control freak that wants everyone, including us fans, to bow down and be grateful that he is here. If I put my happy-clappy hat on I think we're bloody lucky to have Cortese because he's the type of driven person that will take us a long way, and that we should be eternally grateful that he brought Markus to the club. The truth is somewhere in the middle I guess and I'm not making a judgemnt on the man either way. I'm delighted he's here, pleased with what he's done so far but I do see signs that concern me a little. Taking on the Echo in this way is not too smart a thing to do, regardless of the rights or wrongs. I only hope that his battle with the Echo is more about the commercial benefits of controlling our own media relations than the personal dispute it appears to have become. The OS and Saints Player (not to mention the Twitter feed!) will get more traffic if the Echo gets zero "news". So I can see that for the club's future commercial success it might make sense to try to marginalise the Echo. But if it's just a petty, vengeful dispute that will run and run, then it does no one any favours and will only serve to bring fewer people back to the club on our journey over the coming years.

Read the quote again... From this quote it looks like we were told AFTER he bought the club but it was agreed AS A CONDITION of him buying the club. I am troubled by that last line - "and that remains the case.". This appears to suggest that Cortese being here is a condition of Markus' involvement.

Hmm. A good read, if a little self-aggrandising. But should we be worried by this? Nicola Cortese talking about what Markus said to him at the time he was deciding whether to invest or not... Obviously that was at the time, but will Markus' desire to keep pumping in the cash wane if Nicola does eventually move on?

I have to congratulate you on the quality of that put-down. One of the best I've read in years.

Yep. Well if this was the only remembrance of his life that we took part in then, it was a minute's applause.

John didn't usually kiss on first dates. But when he heard that Richard Scudamore was a keen angler, he made an exception. He'd do anything, anything for his beloved Portsmouth Football Club. or Storrie had been doing his best to truly f*** Portsmouth Football Club for ages but for now John Portsmouth Football Club Westwood would have to do.

He's a legend and the only sports presenter likely/able to bring ancient Egypt history and poems by Shelley into their commentaries. My name is Ozymandias king of kings.... He is still on 5-Live although he did nearly get thrown off (See the Stuart Hall Incident) for an outburst against Robert Mugabe on the sports quiz Fighting Talk... Legend.

Anyone know John Portsmouth Football Club Westwood's email address? I wanted to pass on this link. He might need it soon. http://www.tattooerase.com/ I hear they're very good.

LOL. Yeah, it is just possible that I made up the off-shore claim. I should have made it clear but I never have got the hang of those smilies.

Some breathing room for him at least... "Mr Storrie of St. Helen's Road, Hayling Island is expected to put forward the defence that he believed his financial dealings lay outside of her majesty's revenue and customs' jurisdiction. He was apparently under the impression that Hayling Island was 'off shore'."

This could be important because IF they manage to pay their VAT bill and players' wages through the sale of players in January, it will take a significant creditor willing to go to court to get their money back to finally bang the nail in the coffin. I'm not up to date on where their other creditors sit, but I would imagine that either the debt isn't due yet or it's not in their interests to force the club into liquidation. For example, whilst Gaydamak has a CHANCE of getting all his money back, he's unlikely to force the club to be liquidated to get whatever little he can back - unless of course the land he controls/owns covers him. So could it be good old Sol Campbell that kills Pompey?

That's a bit cheeky to be honest. Offering a piece of bedroom furniture for Doncaster's captain. Still I have it on good authority that we are considering an offer of a chest of drawers for Paul Wotton.