rallyboy

That wages increase is quite hefty, and presumably repeated in the next lot of accounts. With little growth available in their matchday takings without a price hike, and only a modest increase in TV money, the benefits of League One over League Two are minimal. They need to follow their floodlights into the Championship before they can consider being properly solvent, and that's if they don't go a bit silly on the wages. This business model is great for non-league or League Two, but it doesn't work much beyond that.

Bless them - but you can understand the excitement of any club that has never been to Wembley before. They have come a long way in three years.

I don't think it's harsh at all, but I agree that others have been treated leniently.

His only crime was taking a break from watching animals being raped, to spend a long period of time grooming so he could have sex with a child. To this day he is still trying to pressure the victim into some sort of mental breakdown to help him evade jail. Poor bloke.

I bet it wasn't that simple a statement! I suspect it will have been a determined hands-off warning being issued to Premier League teams by the pompey boss, as a raft of Champions' League teams battle for the signature of the next England captain-in-waiting...

Could this be the death of the plucky media template? Cook stopped his players talking to the media after their glorious joint-table-topping point at Mansfield, because he says they talk too much, and the fans agree that there is too much cliched back-slapping. But will this stop the minnows from bigging themselves up? I doubt it. The battling troops will be back at the sold out fortress with a rallying cry sometime soon.

That'll change if they get to a play-off final, the 250,000 will emerge in their Premier League shirts, with their 2010 cup final flags, asking the names of the current players.

Yeah I think we have potential for another wobble, but compared to others, life is pretty cool. We are not going down, we have not produced Liverpool's excuse for a title challenge, and we have not blown the budgets that they, Man City, Man Utd and Chelsea have. Benteke today - £32m. Days like today don't come around that often so let's savour it, before the next wobble.

Sounds like Paul Cook is having a funny five minutes wandering around the empty pitch at Mansfield on his own at this very moment....has ignored the waiting media and he's now exploring different corners of the empty stadium. He's either gone a bit bonkers or had a massive dressing room punch up and is gathering his thoughts....watch this space.

He did us proud over many seasons and left with dignity. Him and Luke will probably be alright long term - not sure about the rest of them.

When their great property-developing adventure started I'm sure they were aiming to be playing us in the Championship this season, having ripped up two divisions of little clubs. How did that work out for them?

This league is small but the Championship is a long way away.... #fatherted

Is little Bournemouth too far for them to travel? I'm sure the Dorset outfit would appreciate any help or business tips from the mighty portsmouth. Ditto Brighton, currently languishing in the Championship promotion race, they would like some extra income as they vainly thrash about in the shadow of their massive Division Four neighbour.

They are clearly preparing for another begging session. The academy is to be funded by members rather than club income and they are looking for more donations. They also admit that the business model is flawed for a higher level where investment is required. I would suggest that the old problem of attracting outside finance but not giving anything away is a huge stumbling block to progress. Fans can be conned into 'shares', consortiums won't be so easily fooled and their inevitable demands for control would leave the Trust toothless and irrelevant. They look a bit landlocked and stuck up a financial cul-de-sac of their own making.

No, that's Hardy's kagool - he put it on this chair from HMS Victory when Nelson was bleeding out. You can also see the shroud of Turin, Cleopatra's jugs, the original blue radiator off Apollo 9, and the projector screen that Churchill used on D-Day.

Summary of the Trust meeting appears to be, Fatpipes is falling down, shall we rebuild or relocate? No great mention of funding.....I spy with my little eye something that begins with B, and ends with egging bowl....

There's a Trust meeting tonight, with an agenda that includes a strategic plan for next season. I suspect it will be the same plan as the last few with the target being to rip up League One/Two.

Do they save money by using the same horses as centre backs?

Mounted police brought in to break up rival fans in flared trousers and big collars swapping punches in the street, sideburns and racist taunts at ten paces. Was that 1970? Maybe 1971? Good guess, but it was today.

Oliver did well tonight, that was not an easy game to control. Thoroughly enjoyed seeing Costa sent off, he is a disgrace, his antics have no place in the sport. I noticed that he spat on the ground in the direction of the ref when he was first booked, and his final assault on Barry could well have been a straight red. He even makes John Terry look pleasant.

Calling The9....please report to the PTS thread with a match report... He must still be typing.

What's it going to be Mack me old mucker, claim the history and admit to all of the criminality that should have seen the business liquidated, or stick with the cherry-picking approach favoured by so many? The nasty league made us have criminal owners who stole from charities, pensioners and killed children for cash...but I'd like to keep the cup.

Those play-offs look a worrying prospect....especially if you have turned inconsistency into an art form.

I was also at Highbury for the Adrian Heath moment and it was the end of a cup run that should have gone all the way. Not sure I hate him, just the occasion. And Kevin Friend when he was playing for Liverpool.

Virgil is a Rolls Royce, Toby is a Merc and Lovren is a 1982 Transit.