Lighthouse

I'm getting all the right advice, nutrition, rest, training schedules etc. I am progressing, it just takes time with my metabolism. I used to live in the US and spent the whole time eating pizza, ice cream and steak. Did bugger all exercise and didn't gain a pound.

Do you regard the abbreviation 'Man U' as being offensive to Man Utd fans? I've been chatting to some fans on another forum where it has been banned as it apparently an offensive reference to the Munich Air Crash. This was the first I've heard of it. I just assumed it was short for Man Utd and I've heard many Utd fans refer to their own club as 'Man U'. Not to mention Sheff U, Bristol C, Dundee U etc.

Only just found this thread. Fitness has never really been a problem for me, it's more gaining weight. Hoping to get to around 80kg down the gym, currently 77.5. Been going for nearly 2 years I think now and it's slow progress, despite eating like a horse and using protein shakes. Pretty much given up badminton after getting bored with the poor standard at my club. Just football now, despite limited talent.

I think long term, Spurs, Newcastle and Everton are the kind of teams we should aim to be competing with. We will never have the support to compete with the top 4 and Man Utd long term but I'd say top 6 is a reasonable goal. I just hope we can hang on to the players we've got now because in 5 years they (minus Boruc, Lambert and Fonte) will make a seriously good team. The long term project has to be a couple of sensible signings each summer to cover the areas we are weak and have no immediate academy prospects. I would hope for more summers like last, only without players like Osvaldo. I was amazed we had pulled that off but it still seemed like a weird signing. Expect more Lovrens and JRods hopefully.

Actually I think it's the opposite, our plummet through the leagues has filtered out the weak links. All the weaklings threw themselves off the Itchen Bridge after getting spanked 5-1 by Preston, 5-0 by Wednesday, the 4-4 draw at Peterborough. etc. etc.

I think it's a combination of a few factors. Fatigue, with a thin squad coming towards the end of the season. Individual errors and not actually having anything to play for. I wouldn't say we were mentally weak particularly, Spurs just wanted it more second half, even if they weren't that good.

I called it at 2-0 up. It's like watching Murray going 2 sets up against Nadal in a grand slam final and you're just sat there thinking, 'Nadal in the 5th'. Spurs were crap and we handed it to them on a plate with some sloppy defensive errors. It's strange, I can't remember seeing a team which defends so well, then just does something ridiculous to give away a pointless goal. Lovren fell over cheaply for both goals and Clyne I swear makes more howlers than Jos. The second goal especially, the ball was never going to run out. Lovren had to do something and he just froze. Have got to get it sorted for next season. If we ever want to achieve anything higher than 9th, we can't go throwing away 2 goal leads against the teams around us.

'Arry will lose the play offs, then leave the club in summer claiming the board are 'failing to meet his ambitions' because they refuse to sanction £50k a week for Carlton Cole. Play off winners Derby will be bottom of the Prem in November and their fans will be holding up banners saying, "come and save us 'Arry!" Redknapp goes there saying the squad is down to the bare bones and he has an impossible task keeping them up. He will prove this by playing the under 12s and a girl with one leg in a League Cup tie against Rochdale.

Had a yellow anaconda once which bit/squeezed my arm for 10 minutes and wouldn't let go. That was a different kind of tears though. Sold him eventually.

The flight crew oxygen masks are indeed fitted with a microphone, allowing the pilots to communicate with each other, ATC, passengers and cabin crew if needs be. The mic doesn't have to be 'plugged' in but there is a switch on the radio controls to switch between 'boom' (i.e. the microphone on the normal head sets) and the oxygen mask. You would know if you didn't have the mask mic selected as you wouldn't be able to hear your own voice in your headset (also the other guy wouldn't be able to hear you.) If used the oxygen mask a few times in the simulator. Even then it was an unpleasant and uncomfortable experience. Not something I want to experience in real life. The sound of your breathing is very loud and scratchy over the pilot intercom and it makes communicating hard. They would only be using the masks if there was a cabin altitude warning alert, or smoke/fumes in the cockpit. HTH.

I think if it's anyone it will be Davis and JWP playing deeper, with Lallana, JRod and Guly in front. That's worst case, assuming Cork, VW, Morgan and Gaston are all out but I'd be surprised if that's the case.

Highly unlikely she saw a plane on the water. I often fly right over Heathrow at cruising altitudes and even looking directly down on the airport it is hard to see individual aircraft clearly and that's despite knowing exactly I am looking. The likelihood of an aircraft landing intact on the ocean and this woman seeing it from 37000ft is almost impossible. I'd say it is much more likely she saw another aircraft cruising at a lower altitude, or is completely making it up.

Wouldn't be too sure on that. Utd will now be faced with one of the biggest wage bills in Europe and no Champions League football. I can't see their board chucking silly wages at players like Lovren to get them back into the top 4. Besides, we are hardly in the business of paying our players peanuts these days. Our top players will be earning a fairly healthy wage. I don't know Lovren's wages but I doubt Utd will be blowing them out the water. I'm not saying he wouldn't go but without CL football it wont be the no-brainer you think.

Some people were worried. I don't remember him getting any particular stick from the crowd, although there is always the occasional knobber shooting his mouth off. My overriding memory of that season is of 14,000 people sitting in silence.

I remember this time five years ago, people were 'worried' about losing David McGoldrick in summer.

I've met Eric a few times and I was surprised to see ATC are actually humans. I was expecting to meet a small hairy goblin.

[video=youtube;Vh8l0x9uF-Y] I laughed a little bit more than I probably should have.

It's between Lambert and Carroll. I don't think JR will go if he scores another 10 goals, Roy sees him as back up to Welbeck unfortunately. Got a horrible feeling another 4 or 5 goals this season will get Carroll in the squad.

Here's a full list to get your grey matter warmed up.

Three logicians walk into a bar. The barman asks, "would all of you like a drink?" The first one says, "I don't know." The second one says, "I don't know." The third one says, "yes."

Whilst it is possible, the idea of a mid air intercept like that is highly unfeasible. To meet up with another aircraft perfectly like that, in hundreds of square miles of sky would take perfectly planning in timing to within a couple of seconds. You can't know exactly where another flight will be at a certain time and if you did you wouldn't be able to get there at exactly the same time. To put it into perspective, to appear as a single blip on primary radar, you would have to get within literally feet of another aircraft. A 777 in the cruise can travel a mile in about 8 seconds. A delay for a late passenger, missing back, ATC restriction, delay taxiing etc. could add any number you like to the delay in taking off.

There hasn't been a draw between Saints and Spuds, in any competition, since January 2001. 0-0 at WHL.

Will never happen. It would take a 'foreign' player of phenomenal talent for the FA to pick them for the England team. They aren't brave enough and usually go with the 'safe' options when picking players. Even then they would face stiff opposition from a large number of fans I would probably be one of them. Morgan is French. If, he had moved here aged 5 and been brought up in the UK then fair enough but not when you move here as an adult.

Savage would take Carroll. P*ss off.

The only decent original show on there is on tonight, Bluestone 42. Anyone else a fan?