Ken Tone

Well quite, and first thoughts are that I'm sure we all wish Dan a speedy recovery. And even if he was behaving as badly as another poster suggests, he should still be able to be out and about without being hassled, let alone attacked. Having said all that, it still amazes me that any professional footballer is out on the razzle late at night during the season. I know it is 8 days till our next game, but does anyone think a top track and field athlete would be out in a night club after 2am when in training, even if their next race was 8 days away? Pro footballers are supposed to be athletes at peak of fitness, watching their scientifically planned diet, sleeping, resting, training, etc appropriately. I know a top distance runner for example, who is now planning her training,and meals and even sleep times, virtually to the minute for the next year or so, as she prepares for the Olympics. Living a quieter life than maybe most young men of that age, with that much money, would choose, is a price footballers should pay in return for all that income. Fans have a right to expect them to be at fit as they can be. They can go on the razzle when they retire on more money than most of us can even dream of.

If the signing for QPR didn't go through Puncheon really is in a mess. Surely we wouldn't loan him to another championship club, and he won't agree to go to L1, so where could he go?

Given his wife's family still live down here and he has young children I imagine you're right, he may well be down here a lot in the near future and it would indeed make sense for him to train at Saints. So if he then proves he has some fitness and some desire to play, why shouldn't he earn a short term contract? The main question would be how much, or rather how little, he'd accept in wages.... or will he seek yet another big pay day with someone like Leicester or West Ham. Here he'd be useful back up for Rickie, but I doubt he'd be first choice nowadays, so his wages would reflect that .. and that may be hard for him to accept.

Maybe he's looking for a move to QPR?

Presumably we can now at least assume that we wil not be facing Maynard tomorrow, or we'd have heard by now if he'd signed?

And indeed choosing 123456 makes a lot of sense because so few punters will, so if those numbers do come up, you'll probably not have to share the jackpot. Mind you, now I've said that, other people will choose them, so I'll have to start going for 234567, but .... bugger .... now I've scuppered that, so 345678 then . ... damn!

Been on O2 for years. Never had an 'outage' problem and get a fair signal over most of the UK, often when friends on other networks have nothing. But to be fair I don't try to donload huge lumps of data...no video etc ...mostly just phon, text and emails - maybe I'd feel different if I did. My attempts to use a dongle with a laptop on the move are not so happy unless there is a strong signal.

So never mind all the huge amount of proper statistical data, one anecdote over-rides all that, eh? Btw I can't see how sitting a GCSE early is a good idea unless the pupil gets at least an A, preferably an A*. Your son now has a small issue in terms of his A level or even later uni study. If he wants to study German A level, will he re-sit or have a 2 year gap then try and start A level with what is only a middling grade and be rusty with it? Not good preparation. If he doesn't want to study German A level then it's no big deal unless he maybe wants to try for Oxbridge or one of the other very selective universities. Oxford in particular tend to "de-select" applicants with any GCSEs below grade A... usually they'll overlook one, if it wasn't in a subject to relevant to the HE course, but no more than one. Since he has done a GCSE 2 years early he is presumably very bright, so may indeed be looking at a top uni one day? If he does have high aspirations, he really can't afford anything else below A. Don't let the school put him in for anything else early unless they are very confident of a grade A or A*. If he is just ordinary bright and the early GCSE is just the school being pushy for the sake of their league tables then just 'well done' but don't sit anything else early that he might want to study at A level. Oh and "forgot to say" I passed French O level at 14 and another 10 O levels when I was 15 ,and got a B in the full A level Maths when I was 16, so does that mean exams were easier in the 60's and early 70's when I sat them?

Cant say I know much about him to be honest, but I gather he is only 5'7" and is therefore another partner-for-Lambert sort of player ....presumably Connolly's long term replacement if as it seems Barnard is now being overlooked. Fine. I hope he lives up to expectation and the hype, and look forward to seeing him play if he does come here. But am I the only person who thinks we (also) need an understudy for Rickie, or better still, competition for him? I rate Rickie, but if he is injured or loses form I do not see who we would play in his place. Who else can play a target man role?

You missed "and he's got a dodgy ankle so is crocked anyway"

I agree. Bit worrying to read Bristol fans saying this Fontaine bloke is best next a ball winner, as opposed to being one himself. What we really need is another Svennson type to complement Fonte .... or to put it another way a younger, faster Jaidi... and what is more he has to be able to play left side because the otherwise excellent Fonte apparently can't. Still, maybe the Bristol fans are exaggerating.

I hope you're right mate, but I fear that even after finishing off Gaddafi's followers, which still won't be that easy, the next phase could be very messy. There does not seem to be any stable opposition (the mad colonel stifled that) and there's a real danger of something close to civil war as the various factions try to dominate. There's even danger of a Taliban-like regime. It ain't over yet.

Whilst the 'holding pen' idea may be OTT, it is surely time the club considered building a permanent secure fence across the north car park ...with several large gates that can be open for many, maybe most, games but shut if trouble seems likely. Would allow the stewards and police to concentrate on dealing with the trouble instead of forming a human barrier between fans.. and /or allow order to be kept by fewer personnel. This is after all effectively what they do inside the ground. Quite apart from the effect on trouble as such, in the long run this would even save money. Wages for people cost more than fences over time.

So can we sign this guy instead? Would be a lot cheaper, and will scare oppostion teams witless , so Rickie can sneak in and score whilst they're all marking Janes.

You and me both mate. Sad, ain't it.

Any idea about the left side - right side question? Which side does he play on for QPR?

Is the Navy different to the rest of the Forces then? We'd be in a bit of a mess without all the commonwealth recruits to the Army especially. I'd rather have the gurkhas on my side than against me, personally. Come to think of it, there were a fair few foreigners in Nelson's navy at Trafalgar in 'the good old days'.

Lol. You'd have thought he'd be more worried about being with a large gathering of gay people in a confined space to be honest!

Family name for him. Mis-pronounced Joseph as 'Fish when he was little apparently.

Agree. Dickson is a perfectly good player, but then so is Mills, so we didn't need Dickson as well. (cf signing Fox this year?) Always a shame to see a player from the youth side leave, especially when they are of a good standard. Fish will make it at championship level IMO.

Quite. I'd be fairly happy if we matched Arsenal's season of never losing, even if it would be in the second division.

As I recall, Clifford, according to him, had invented a fantastic new coaching method, and was going to turn the world of football upside down ..and St Juste was going to be world class. Delusional. Hence I find it difficult to believe what he is apparently saying now either (it's twitter remember). Pass the pinch of salt.

Well I swear the Kingsland stand physically shakes when Jaidi gets up to top speed, like the scene with the T. Rex in Jurassic Park!

Is he right or left-footed, or at least is he comfrotable on the left side? Fonte seems to need a partner who will play on his left. And does he have pace? If yes to both of those, sounds like a great signing.

Not what I meant by 'a good season'! We'll be in the top 10 ok and may be pushing for promotion IMO. Of course if Hoddle were in charge.......