spyinthesky

Keep the score down tonight and not suffer any more injuries, or cards to those teetering on the edge (eg JWP or Stephens/Bednerak) Mind you I can remember days gone by when we had to play Dodds/Benali in central defence and the likes of Tommy Widdrington in midfield and we got by. The major games for us are at the likes of Newcastle on Saturday and other team below us. We need to pick up the 11+ points to reach safety before I can relax. Apparently we are currently 500/1 for relegation with some Betting firms. I would be more than willing to stick on £20 if these odds are true so. if the worse, came it would be enough to pay for my season ticket for a couple more years.

There used to be one about a GK jersey having to be full length but that didnt last long

Watford?

GM Dont you give any credence at all that the Russians didn't have any reason to supply Trumps team with information to discredit Clinton, as indicated directly by The Donald?

Benitez? or is he bound for Newcastle?

According to Lord Agnew, the Cabinet Office Minister the UK contributed £226bn to the EU budget and EEC since 1973, compared to Covid related costs which are heading towards £300m> An interesting comparison.

A mate of my told me he voted for Brexit as he wanted to get our sovereignty back. He is now upset that the SNP's desire want to leave the UK has been fired up by the decision to leave the EU and may well be followed by N Ireland and [possibly Wales. I am sure that Boris and his cohorts will be against the breakup of the UK but it is no good just saying 'No'. A compelling argument must be made for continuation of the Union without all the deception that accompanied the Brexit vote.

Just a couple of points. 1. There is not a shortage of containers per se but due to a reduction in container space caused by lay up/scrapping of container vessels when trade from Asia dried up in the summer, there is a surfeit of empty containers here in Europe awaiting return to Asia to be loaded. 2. You are right to mention increased paperwork for hauliers affecting road transport. Another challenge is availability of HGV drivers. The age profile of UK HGV drivers was 58 last year and there were relatively few younger entrants into the industry and as a consequence the shortfall has been made up by Eastern European drivers. Many of these have now decided to return home so there is a shortage of drivers so if anyone is looking for a job have a look at these new opportunities. 3. Road Haulage is a relatively low margin business and quite a few companies were struggling before the additional manpower and paperwork costs currently being experienced.

Strong team and hope nobody gets injured. Who will play Central defence if Bednerak or Stephens get injured, or sent off, ahead of Tuesday nights game? I know I am being unduly cautious but we do need +/- 11 points to be safe. I still remember the season when we were relatively comfortable at the start of a New Year then hardly got a point as we slid towards relegation before being saved by a dodgy pen v Newcastle which provided a platform to improve. Recollect that Bournemouth were in a relatively safe position last year before injuries affected them

A number of car factories are also experiencing time delays in getting parts and seeing tariffs put on previously tariff free items. I am no fan of Boris Johnson but have a degree of understanding re his explanation that Covid is affecting sales of speciality fish products in Europe. There is a reported £50m fund to assist traders who are affected by additional paperwork . This sounds Ok but further adds to the admin cost of Brexit and another dilution of the £350m per week sum that was earmarked for the NHS.

Is there a recall for Slattery in view of Smallbones injury?

Anyone have any idea what it costs an average US citizen for Covid treatment? I guess those with Medicaire are generally OK but for the poor individuals who have lost their jobs due to the pandemic it must be a real concern. Trump was going to reverse/improve Obamacare but there doesnt appear to have been any progress with this.

If there is an injury/red card to Bednarek/Stephens of Bertrand we have very little cover in defence> Similarly JWP or Adams would be a big loss in the current situation. Good job we have 29 points on the board.

It is interesting/disappointing that many see Shane Long as not even Championship class when he appears to have been given a lucrative 2 yr extension to his contract!!

'My Pillow' is advertised extensively in our Sunday papers. Hope no one buys one of this nutter's company products.

Just an update on the Everton situation. They spent £60m this season on new players plus another £50m on plans for their proposed new stadium without a brick being laid. Their owner Moshiri, (like Abromovich at Chelsea) seems to have a bundle of cash available to invest in the club and revenue streams are likely to increase significantly when the shiny new ground is built but it seems that promised financial assistance from the Everton supporting leader of Liverpool Council will not be forthcoming as the gentleman in question has resigned and awaits his day in court. I guess one of the few things we can thank Rupert Lowe for (and the City Council) was finding and funding building of St Mary's. Even allowing for inflation, the reported £32m spent on SMS was a decent deal.

Bit like the Spanish Flu that killed millions in 1918/19. Apparently it started in Kansas and it was only when it spread to neutral Spain and was able to be reported in their uncensored newspapers that it was given an incorrect label. Bit like the virus strain that was first identified recently in Kent (because our scientists are world renown for their ability to screen viruses). This has now be labelled the UK virus in many places!!

It will be interesting to see how rival clubs in the Prem and other Divisions, and also abroad, are coping financially. Spurs is an interesting one having to deal with near £1 billion outlay on their new stadium. Everton is another case in point as they have splashed the cash and have aspirations of a £500m new ground. However both clubs seem to have owners with deep pockets. Maybe all this will bring about a more sensible view of transfer fees and players wages.

Do you really think a united Ireland would be helpful? I could see the Unionist kicking up a fuss and blaming the Whitehall Govt and this could lead to more conflict both in Ireland and England. As for Scottish Independence there is every chance that trying to sort out a deal would create more problems than it solves. Boris and his supporters wont allow another vote and this will only add to a stronger call for Independence and the prospects of more radical action by certain factions in Scotland.

Price of fish does tend to alter considerably due to a number of factors including the weather, amount of catch etc. However if the Peterhead catch cant reach European markets then this may well increase the voice of those promoting Scottish Independence. Elsewhere the Road Haulage Association is saying that the supply chain into Northern Ireland is close to collapse and even Mr Gove reckons it will get worse before it gets better. Sinn Fein must be loving that situation. Apparently we have our 'Sovereignty' back but at what cost, break up of the UK? Meantime a quote from a haulier in Dover...'The chaos has begun. Organising even the simplest load into Europe has become an almost impossible task due to the mountain of red tape brought in post Brexit'... This is at a time when traffic between the UK and Europe is approx 25% of peak movements. Of course there is time for the current mess to be sorted out but if it isn't......???

We have won 2-1 at Leicester for the past two seasons. I cant see us winning three in a row unfortunately!!

Last I heard was that Steve Moran was working as a HGV driver in Hull and was also doing an occasional stint on radio up on Humberside. I seem to remember that, as a youngster, he was attacked by a Pompey Youth player in a night club down around the 'dark side' I think he originally lived in the Fareham area.

Ecuk I tip my hat to you researching the status of Southampton Free Trade Zone. For your further information it was originally set up by ABP using warehousing facilities vacated by Union Castle at 102 berth when the South African trade changed to containers. It was also adversely affected by the Dockers Union wanting to be involved. After the repeal of the Dock Labour Act in 1990, ABP built a new FTZ building up near 20 Gate which was subsequently taken over by a company called Import Services who continue to trade (and expand) this facility.

Wes Always interested in your view but perhaps I can comment on a couple of points. Re Freeports, there were a number in the UK from the early/mid 1980's (including Southampton) but the UK legislation that established them lapsed about 8-10 years ago so it is interesting to know what the Government will do differently with their new arrangements that they were unable to do in the past. Re Trade deals, as I understand that around 60 trade deals worth approx £160 billion have rolled over from existing EU trade deals. Japan is a new one representing approx 2% of our worldwide trade and there are ongoing talks with Canada & Mexico. Meantime the highly promoted trade deal with the USA will be subject to all sorts of 'ifs, buts and maybe's' as a consequence of the new leadership in the country. I am involved in the Logistics industry and I can assure you there are significant issues with additional paperwork and, to be fair the French/Belgian and Dutch ports are taking a relatively soft approach to processing paperwork at the moment. Challenges in accessing Northern Ireland are well documented. In view of this I am finding a number of our staple imports are increasing in price and some supply being adversely affected. This may only be a temporary situation but only time will tell. With a couple of friends working in the City (one of the most important sectors of the British economy) they are very concerned about their future and can see a future where our finance industry is essentially regulated by Brussels if our negotiators are unable to agree a suitable deal. Only time will tell if things will improve but initial signs are not too encouraging. Good job we are not Sheff Utd or West Brom fans!!