Graffito

Yes a bargain. For some reason I too thought the land was transferred at nil cost but evidently not though the cost of the land was low. As a rule of thumb you'd expect the land value to be closer to a third of total scheme costs. Perhaps it was heavily contaminated.

Outgoing: 20.4m construction 4.3m site and third party acquisitions 2.1m service diversions 1.8m planning and infrastructure 1.3m finance incl' construction period finance 29.9m total Incoming: 17m debt 5.0m sale of the Dell 3.6m Football Trust and other grants 3.1m gross proceeds from Placing and Open Offer 1.2m stand sponsorship & other commercial 29.9m total

Peerless.

100 pages or so into "Spike Island - The Memory of a Military Hospital" by Philip Hoare, the hospital being the Royal Victoria Hospital in Netley. It's an odd mix of history and personal memoire. I know more about Netley Abbey and it's gothic connections than I ever wanted and the RVH so far has barely a mention. The most interesting bit has been a couple of pages on the author's primary school, St Patrick's in Woolston which I went to around the same. He mentions the toilets open to the elements, the ramshackle buildings, the sloping wooden floors, the interminable masses on Wednesdays in the church next door and the fearsome Mrs Clements who wore calipers. Quite a surprise and an odd experience to read something of which I have personal memories. There's also been some interesting history of Spike Island itself, in particular Sholing, including that stretch of scrub land and abandoned orchards that ran along from just below Butts Rd to I can't remember where, it was such along time ago I lived there, where I used to play as a child. Touches on Sholing's connections with gypseys and with the passage of convicts to Australia.

To be fair he's not grade A.

Best wishes mate and impressed that you're thinking of others at this time in the advice you've offered.

He wants the club to do more to encourage him back but doesn't say what. Not sure why he bothered writing it.

I had that problem and asked the ticket office when I bought my Season Ticket today. The explanation was something to do with a password in an email sent out inviting me to renew my registration details. I vaguely remember receiving an email a while ago but ignored it because I thought it was for renewals. Apparently not so. The password is your date of birth. Doesn't really explain why you're told you'll be sent a new password in an email which never arrives. Can only suggest you try your dob. Failing that renew over the phone.

Buttner's a left back isn't he?

Yeah right and my old man said be a pompey fan. Pull the other one.

Each to his own but at no point during last night's game was I bored. I found the match riveting. Just a pity the Italians went down to 10 as they were no threat once that happened.

What do you think caused us to adapt?

Think this one has no legs...bit like Jenas.

The one of Lambert is so bad it's funny. Any one of countless photos of his goal celebrations would have been perfect for the logo. Arsenal have player's pictures all round the Emirates though they include past players which I think is a bit more meaningful. Can't see Cortese doing that somehow.

The PL isn't the be all and end all. Big world outside the PL especially in England.

Pace is desirable but not essential. Stating the bleedin' obvious but what's essential in a winger is ability to cross the ball. Even better if he can do so with left and right but that would be a rare winger. Amazingly, professional players that can even pass with both left and right remain a rare breed. Btw my recollection of McCann was that he was that bad. Rangers done us up there whatever he cost.

Thought so.

Take your cheese sandwich and much else in these autobiographies with a pinch of salt. Good for Lowe, we didn't want to sell him.

A few weeks ago he was expecting to be appointed England manager now he's unemployed. Quite a turnaround. Do the the FA and Tottenham know something we don't?

Was he marking Lambert?

Always rated Schneiderlin. He could definitely play further forward but that would mean getting someone to play the holding role and he isn't in any case the pacy midfielder I had in mind. The alternative is to get pace at right midfield which is what I think we'll buy.

An intelligent player who passes the ball well but he's not what we need in midfield. We need pace and someone that can get ahead of the forwards on occasion and back again.

Portsmouth.

I think it's good that the team is more accessible now. At the WC in Germany, with nothing better to do in Nuremburg I turned up to await the arrival of the England team, along with a few thousand other England fans. Eventually the team coach turned up and one fat bloke with a kit bag got out and disappeared inside the hotel, the players having been delivered via the rear entrance.

Premiership experience, not necessarily. Premiership quality, yes.