sidthesquid

I'm sure it's wind-up but Neil clearly failed to spot it. Top journalist....

Toasted skate sandwich sounds good to me...

There really is something in the water down there - Steve Wilson must be Neil Allen's brother/father/uncle. Perhaps outsiders will misunderstand that chant or the fact the team was loudly booed off at half-time. They may consider it disloyal or a lack of support. But it wasn’t about the scoreline and it wasn’t about the fact the team had played so poorly. It was the lack of pride. Why do they need to justify their special booing - team plays crap, fans boo, just like any other club. But oh no, Skate booing is special and different and justified. Every time I start to feel a little sympathy for them, sh1te like this appears to remind me. Anyway a happy new year and onwards towards page 2000

You assume things like competence, organisation & planning.... Personally, I'm very grateful for those long-suffering contributors who point me in the right direction each time.

It's easy to see why the DFCSBs felt he had no future there and they were better off with a couple of 30+ Champ has-beens http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/football/20858382 Josh is a hungry young player who wants to better himself....... He has shown he is a player with tremendous ability and he has the potential to improve even further I tell you, it's in the water down there....

GK is our weak link, no doubt. I thought the difference between KD and Schwarzer was immense. Anything that came into the penalty area was claimed by Schwarzer, Kelvin is still rooted to the line with balls into the 6-yard area. It was like the difference between Niemi & Jones. We will continue to struggle until we sort it - gifting a struggling team a 1-0 start is the way to get relegated....

I'm afraid KD showed why he isn't a Prem keeper again. Schwarzer totally dominated his whole penalty area, Davis is yet again rooted to the line as balls go into the six-yard box and their goal was a gift, I'm afraid.

Our fame spreads - looking for a feed for today and there's a whole football-watching site entitled - http://nutjob.eu/njtvx14.html

Thanks for wiziwig - it worked well

I really think this is why they must go bust for the good of society, never mind football. I don't know if this lad is any good, but he is young and cheap and a club above them in the league want him, but they are trying to get him to leave so they can keep their overpaid has-beens. Even now, as they stare over the abyss, they still don't get it. http://www.chichester.co.uk/sport/football/pompey-latest/defender-told-he-has-no-pompey-future-1-4614092

That is definitey the bestest advent calendar in the world, and as you say there are enough characters to do a reserve one, too. And they wonder why we watch what goes on on the septic isle and laugh and point.....

I hope the late Douglas Adams will be fully credited for his prescient quote about our scaly friends, dreamt up thirty-odd years ago.

These two lines are very revealing The high net worths are continuing to fund the club and will be funding the club through to the next court case. ‘We started seven weeks ago - since the middle of October. We are bridging the losses. That is pretty serious and implies any feckup on the next court case and it could be Morphy Richards glowing/Susan Boyle gargling time at last

Worth reading (and that's not something I say often about the Mail!), for a summary of the Guilfoyle/Portpin side of events http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/football/article-2247268/Portsmouth-FC-future-clouded-uncertainty.html

On the subject of TCWTB - I foresee a serious problem with the Supporter's Trust bid for ownership. Could any organisation, by any definition, pass him and his like as a 'Fit and Proper Person'?

I think this quote from the FL explains the latest round of quality over quantity madness. ‘It therefore re-affirmed its earlier decision that these conditions would include a deduction of ten points (applicable at the point of transfer of share) and a range of other restrictions on playing budgets and future borrowing for the next four seasons.’ Ironically, only whilst they are in admin can they take the pee and outbid other clubs on player wages. Birch & Appy probably (correctly) figured that they had one shot of getting promoted, and/or getting a decent bidder onside, and that was to be in the top two before the CVA was sorted, because once it is there will be no more £6k/week players. (And in League 2 the rules governing all clubs are pretty stringent and a very bad time for any 'bigger' club to fall into it.)

We now know what is needed to compete in the Prem. both the players and manager have been on an incredibly steep (and harsh) learning curve, but now look like they can cut it physically and mentally. (Ok, the fixtures helped, but it was a tough introduction.)

It looked like a Prem team v a Championship team today - skill and flair v endeavour and physicality. That style of football gets you so far, but the Prem will find you out.

Thoughts on today - Rickie was immense again. In the second half they had two defenders on him and still he was winning the ball. JRod ran his socks off. Still looks a little raw, but has pace and he'll come good. Punch is such a confidence player, but when it is going well he is unplayable. We were looking at two future England fullbacks today. Only negative was Adam's injury, and our inability to convert enough attacks into goals. As for Reading, they looked a Championship team, full of hard work and physicality, but way below Prem standard technically. All round, a good day at the office from everyone.

I only want one signing - Brad Freidel

Is it just me or does he look and sound like a really boring geography teacher......

The thing is, there were plenty of other goalies available on loan without a recall clause, but they went for Cisak as he was effectively Oldham's number one, and only not playing because of a contractual wrangle. They were aware of the risk of recall, but in true Skate style went for quality over quantity, then whinged when their gamble didn't pay off. It is a disease down there, isn't it? Just once you'd like to hear them say, 'Hey we took a chance, it didn't work out so we'll accept the consequences', but they are pathologically incapable of doing so.

The thing is, there were plenty of other goalies available on loan without a recall clause, but they went for Cisak as he was effectively Oldham's number one, and only not playing because of a contractual wrangle. They were aware of the risk of recall, but in true Skate style went for quality over quantity, then whinged when their gamble didn't pay off. It is a disease down there, isn't it? Just once you'd like to hear them say, 'Hey we took a chance, it didn't work out so we'll accept the consequences', but they are pathologically incapable of doing so.

You gotta laugh.... http://www.newsnow.co.uk/A/612372693?-11209:804 http://www.newsnow.co.uk/A/612552126?-11209:804

Actually, for the first of those shockers he didn't flag either way until the ref signalled which way to go, too.