alpine_saint

WTF are you going on about no officers ? Of course the three Armed Services need a command structure, but it should be the minimal required and they should communicate with each other properly rather than looking to stab each other in the back. Really, some of you ex-service types are really superior nit-picking idiots when discussing this stuff.

Here he goes again...the Pillsbury Doughboy who thinks he's Chief of Naval Operations....... I never said that at all. I am saying we should have the three Armed services with no overlap and therefore no political in-fighting and treading-on-toes. Twice in the last half century the RAF and RN have had an almighty scrap over fixed wing capability (TSR2 vs. F111 vs. Buccanneer and Tornado vs. Harrier) and on both occasions the capability of BOTH was severely depleted.

Fair enough, I didnt know they were lined up to display again today. Not suprised there were luggage issues with 7 cruise liners in at one time. Lets see how the Scousers get on with one little one before sneering at Southampton, eh ?

That was during the Three Queens meeting, FFS..

Harris was called "Butch" more than "Butcher" by RAF personnel. And it had nothing to do with some sort of blood-lust at killing Germans, it was due to his matter-of-fact cold response to the loss of so many aircrew. What was he supposed to do ? Give up the bombing missions ? Harris introduced changes to bombing strategy such as Pathfinder aircraft in order to improve the accuracy of bombing missions and therefore reduce casualties as well. I just think people get carried away at a man who, like so many others, was given a responsiblity and did his duty to the best of his abilities.

A striped kit would have been just as expensive. In fact, by going for the Phil Neal's Tw*t XI look , Umbro and SFC have most likely cut their replica kit revenue and saved us money..

It wont sell more thant the sash kit.

The Paras still do their jumpt training in order to retain a certain capability. I think it is really short-sighted to suggest doing away with yet another capability (but I am sure this doesnt bother the MoD, they arent considering it simply due to the sheer bad publicity it would generate) Your comment about the airforce is interesting; I have myself thought that "overlap" needs to be removed. We dont need a Fleet Air Arm, Army Air Corps and RAF. We also dont need an Army and separate Royal Marines. I would reduce the RN to sailors and ships-only, the Army to soldiers and support equipment only and the RAF control ALL aircraft. You opinion about ditching the regiment system however demonstrates a complete lack of understanding about what made the British Army such a significant force over the last 2 centuries; the regimental system is envied and respected throughout the world (except in Whitehall and Downing Street)

Are you watching, Liverpool ????

Great post, SW11_Saint IMO, as Mr. Cortese has grown into his job as CEO of Saints, he has indicated a desire, if not determination to break with many elements of our history and tradition. For example, his attitude towards ex-players and the memory of Ted Bates in general. This sometimes makes uncomfortable reading. However, if it is a straight choice of "clubs future" against "clubs past" and he thinks that such changes and breaks with tradition somehow offer the opportunity of a more secure and successful future, then I with a heavy heart accept that. Having a club to visit is better than sitting at home with memories. Having said that, I am struggling with how exactly playing looking like mid-80s Liverpool throw-backs achieves this. Any one with an idea ??

Why did the Army decline the MoD proposal to reduce standard batallion strength from 600 to 400 men in order to save cap badges ? Seems to me the Army top brass had their bluff called. Difficult to say which should go instead, because the full details are not yet known. The Govt. are clearly still crapping the official announcement. But appears 1 batallion of the Yorkshires, Mercians and RRF are also going, so I would have reduced The Rifles by one batallion to save the Argyls. But then of course Light Infantry are cheap. The Argyls are for me the biggest casualty of this downsizing. But we have too many Guards/Cavalry regiments in an Army of this size, Royal Dragoons, Queens Dragoons, Royal Scots Dragoons, let alone all the Household Guards/Cavalry regiments which are apparently untouchable. FFS whats that all about ? Everything with "Queen" or "Royal" has been left completely alone, it seems. At least no pen-pushing mong suggested touching the Paras, despite their higher expense.

Rooney is either going to get a red card or a hat-trick against us in August, because of this..............

So, the Argyl and Sutherland Highlanders are definitely scrapped, according to the leak. Absolutely tragic news.

Yep, this is true. Players like MLT were/are treated like sh*t by the England set-up, but it still to this day rankles that the manager who sh*t on him the worst was also supposedly a victim of this mentality.

Yes, probably, they might even be able to stop by the Megastore personally. Problem is, time is not really on my side here. My relative flies over in a few days. I didnt take any action on Saturday because the kids disliked the kit - then.

Its not for me, its for my children, so cut it out with the abuse - again. You ever tried explaining to a young kid something is going to take 8 weeks ?

Having trouble getting hold of a relative to organise ne kit purchase for the kids before another relative flies out here this weekend, so decided to have a look at the online store. Decided to browse through the "small print" (not a very funny joke imo) SIX WEEKS for overseas delivery ? Another TWO WEEKS with printing ? The kits already obsoleting itself by then, FFS. Is this just run by someone from the Megastore during their coffee break or something ?

You hope....

Well, interestingly, the conclusion I have drawn from your post is that, in terms of the bigger picture, nothings changed. The "process" isnt fixed and appears to depend on the individual circumstances.

Well, you might be right about the caps, but the scoring reckon is completely out of his reach the way he is going, unless of course the FA insist on him still being picked at the time he is collecting his pension.

According to Wikipedia, the strategy of area bombing came from Lord Cherwell and was endorsed in-Cabinet, with Harris given the responsibility for implementation. Finding the criticism of him even more difficult to understand.

Oh come on. Thats war. Older more senior men sending younger men to their deaths. Thats not me being hard nosed or cold, thats the facts. Its happening now in Afghanistan, it happened in the Falklands, it happened in Ulster. Harris came up with the strategy he though would ultimately shorten the war and save more Allied lives than it lost. For me, its difficult to draw a conclusion on that either way, even 70 years later. The only justifiable criticism I would make of him was, if he knew the Blitz failed to weaken the resolve of the people of London in 1940-41, why on earth he thought his strategy would weaken the resolve of Berliners, Dresdeners and Hamburgers in 1943-44 ? Did he really think that the moral dimension, the sense of righteousness, the sense of "they started it, we're finishing it" was the difference ?? You seem to have a particular bee-in-your-bonnet over this. Close family connection, some loved one lost in Bomber command ?

If we are not interested, why are we so heavily linked to Büttner ?

Never thought about that. What a cynical world we live in. Not you, that his PR team may have had that thought in the first place. I dont know why LA Galaxy and the MLS have put up with him; hes ripped them off with his half-hearted efforts over the years. He only went in the first place because the football was getting in the way of his other activites. El Demento had him well-sussed years ago.

My kids thought it was awful on Saturday morning. But this morning I suddenly received a deputation demanding that Auntie Mau-Mau bring it over for them on her visit next week.