bungle

I suspect, that like others, he doesn't bother to read about the fact that cycling has the MOST drug testing, and is actually catching the CHEATS successfully. Looks like a totally clean Tour this year (famous last words!), proof that it is working. My only hope is that other sports will drug test as rigourously as cycling, and then we will catch all the cheats. Don't kid yourself that cycling is the only sport with a drug issue (btw, I know you will kid yourself. You, saintwarwick and others have a nice big bag over your collective head).

He does own a pub, I believe. I am going to go with his view! Even though I wouldn't have banned smoking in pubs.

http://www.fairpint.org.uk/ Useful info.

Believe it or not, one of the three main political parties is in favour of minimum pricing...

Excellent! We might win!

I think we should.

Yes, despite my long, waffly post, I forgot loss-leading supermarket beer. I believe you can purchase your recommended number of units per week for about £2.20, by virtue of buying super strength cider.

160-6 now.

The EU didn't enforce "the" smoking ban, it was UK law.

I don't think Wetherspoons has had as much of an effect as some of you think. Clearly any pubs near to a Wetherspoons will see a decline in trade (esp day time trade), but they do tend to be in city centres, rather than near "the local". One of the big problems local pubs face is "the tie". So many pubs are tied to 'PubCos' (Greene King & Punch Taverns being two of the largest) and landlords can ONLY get the beers that are approved by their company, and at the price agreed - even if they know they could get cheaper beer themselves. Speak to any tied landlord (most of them) and they will see it is killing them. Another issue is beer tax. This hits smaller pubs more (especially independents), as they have to pass on the price to their consumer (a beer duty rise of 2p in the £ could add 5-10p onto a pint), whereas chains like Wetherspoons can swallow them up easily.

Does anyone expect a club that has been in administration all summer, and has been bought out well into pre-season AND has changed it's manager and currently seems to have only 1 coach to be at an advanced stage of team building?! Did people actually think that the summer we've had would be condusive to a positive start to the season?

I bet your NZ DJ knows a lot about professional cycling.

This thread ridiculous. Absolutely ridiculous. 1) We were just in administration for a long time, therefore we haven't been able to sign any players and have lost some. Another downside of administration is that it can cost you valuable preperation time for the following season. Anyone who thinks some Swiss billionaire is able to take us back a month to we can prepare properly is a nutjob. 2) It was a Saints XI, as The9 rightly points out. Okay, it sounds as if there were some individual performances to be worried about, but it's a mile from the team we expect to line up vs Millwall. 3) We have only just got our new manager, he still hasn't employed his own backroom staff yet (as far as I can work out we are down to 1 coach (Hendersen). Hardly ideal? 4) It's pre-season!!!!!!!!!!!!

FA Cup tie, once in a life-time opportunity for part-time players. Pre-Season friendly. Try and spot the difference.

You do know we were playing Ajax, don't you? And you do know that we haven't really had a chance to strengthen our squad yet (what with all the being in administration and all that), so when we made lots of subs in the 2nd half (which is what you do in a pre-season friendly) we didn't have a particularly strong team. And they were playing against Ajax. I can imagine in our Premier League pomp people got annoyed that we didn't stick 4 or 5 past league 1 and 2 sides. Amazing stuff.

Good old stupid British attitude to football - "4-4-2 and that's it". Bonkers, it is. It's only since the top clubs started playing different formations that they have started dominating the Champions League. We are a third tier side, and Ajax are in the top 25 clubs in Europe. If you 'pressure' teams that good too high up the field they just pass it 5/10 yards past you and then your midfield is utterly useless to you. It's this lack of any kind of tactical nous that set English football back years.

Should we post all our personal updates on the forum now?

30-0 after 13.4 overs. Managed another short stint in the afternoon - but play not yet abandoned for the day. An interesting point to note that they have altered the times slightly for this match, due to Hants playing on Saturday in Cup Final. More overs in first 3 days, followed by a shorter 4th day that will finish at 5pm (or 4pm if obvious draw).

In the Lower Mound Stand. Will be a good 'un.

Need a win in the CC - not sure what the weather is like for the rest of the week. Tremlett back in the team after being rested at Sussex. Warwicks 19-0 after 6 overs, and they have been off for rain since.

Text message from Brighton fan: "Dan Harding? hahahahahaha" Hopefully he's improved since he played for them, then!!

Last met Kip in a pub at Charlton away, I think. We had a discussion about fruit cake.

When you get to said destination, is it customary to remember that you can't actually play golf at all, and you just got conned in to going for the 'craic'?

It. Is. Pre- Season.

So, my two day trial of the new cricket captain is now over. Some thoughts: Custom fields still don't seem to work, I get battered in the one day games! Found it incredibly tough to take wickets in the County Championship. Very annoying that on every lbw appeal they show hawkeye twice, and you can't "click through" it. All-in-all, however, I think I am addicted again.