stockportsaint

On R5 Live right now

Indeed - bit strong that. Perhaps best SINCE Matty?

is that by gold-plated first class carriage? I just tried it on http://ojp.nationalrail.co.uk/en/s/fares/tickets and it came in at £18.40 adult return.

Did you really mean this, or should there have been a wink type smiley thing? - my guess is you're referring to the Red Lion that caught fire in slightly iffy circumstances the other week.

+1 - Lampard looks good cos he plays in a midfield alongside Essien, Ballack, Kalou, and feeds/feeds off Drogba. Gerrard - plays off one of the best strikers in the world (Torres), and until this season was fed by Alonso. Would get my vote, although you could consider dropping Fat Frank and play e.g. Carrick in there to have two holding midfielders - would allow Joe Cole and Lennon to get forward more. reminded me of the old Liberal Party leader David Steele, who used to wear striped shirts with a white collar: interesting shout - see you drop Lampard (agree) and Rooney (tend to agree).

that's a pretty good shout based on tonight's (lack of) performance

They still do this my friend. Used it today to avoid whoever was the annoying TV commentator, listened to 5Live commentary instead, which made "those bloody horns" *much* quieter. And they still do the "Crowd noise only" option. Mind you, it's less necessary now that John Motson has hung up his mike - the most annoying commentator apart from Clive Tyldesley. Unfortunately ITV haven't used their red button for anything useful like muting Clive Tyldesley or Peter Drury, instead you can get Coronation Street news - FFS. - what a genius website, I shall be annoying several people with that tomorrow.

Reckon it'll be Carlisle away as I'm working in Reading the week before the first game, so it's bound to be the other end of the country.

Like you do when you renew your car insurance with Directline etc. Muppets. Thought the new regime was an improvement, am now not convinced they are much of an improvement on Lowe et al with regards to fan relationships, PR etc. As Roger Daltrey put it all those years ago: "Meet the new boss, same as the old boss", followed by Pete Townsend's unbelievable axe-wielding.

So if you're going on your own, and you can't get to the ground to buy a ticket beforehand, then it's actually cheaper to buy one on the day than on the phone/internet before the game. Don't think they've really thought this one through. I predict an increase in the number of people leaving it till matchday, and a consequent increase in the queues, also due to the lack of instalments. I'd put good money on it - not having instalments seems like a massive **** up to me.

Today's word of the day: http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/schadenfreude

+1 always found the whole concept of away goals fairly ridiculous. Why should one goal count more than another, a goal is a goal is a goal. Or why not go the other way, and have away fouls, away bookings (you have to get booked 4 times to get sent off), away corners (you're allowed to take it from the corner of the penalty area, like a short corner in hockey.

The lad who used to run the Northern Saints (andy) has lived in Barcelona for five years. Last time I saw him (at Wembley :-)), he told me his Espanyol Season Ticket (top flight Primera Liga) cost him 150 Euros - about the same as Bayern then. And UEFA Cup games (or whatever it's called at the moment) are around 15 Euros. I too blame the sausage-faced man at number 10.

Yes, I spotted him coming in at 2.30. Except he wasn't driving, he was riding in on the back of a horse that he kept calling "Sher gar". Then Lord Lucan led the horse over to the motorbike area where he was tied up for the duration of the game. However Lord Lucan didn't stay with the horse, instead he handed him over to a bloke with lots of hair and a thick Russian accent that he called "Rass Pootin".

bump - due to price cut

know a lot of City fans who'll be mighty ****ed off tonight. did try to cheer them up by text with the last night of the "Saviour Markus Liebherr went to Rome to see the Pope" song. Altogether now: "and Harry Redknapp's mother is a whore"

Mate has dropped out at shortish notice, so I have a spare ticket for Block 37 (Kingsland/Northam corner), about 30 rows back. Face value £22, will accept £10 If you're looking for two together, I'll sell you mine (£22) as well, then just buy one on my own elsewhere. PM me if interested.

Me too - I never got to see the trophy close up at Wembley, despite being in row 10, due to all the muppets waving flags whilst the trophy was paraded round. All my attempted photos of the fairly massive cup ended up being of various large flags in front of me.

Bolox - have booked the 17th-19th as holiday just in case (wasn't sure when the League 1 dates were, just knew they were that week). So I'm fine there, however, the first Leg could be tricky if we get the Friday 14th night game - this would be our home leg if we make it, as the lower place team has to play home first (like back in 2007 vs Diveby). I'm currently scheduled to be in Sheffield teaching a course that day, finishing around 4ish, and I won't be able to get out of it. That means getting from Sheffield to So'ton for 7.45. Google Maps says it will take 3 hrs 43 to get to So'ton. So I get parked 2 minutes before kick off, provided I don't hit any tailbacks on the M1 on a Friday night(!), and provided I don't stop for a pee! Only problem is neither of those things will happen, especially as the M1 still has the 50 mph roadworks for 20 miles in Nottinghamshire. All thanks to the feckers at Sky.

A great site for research into just such things is the stats section of Football 365: http://stats.football365.com/dom/index.html - specifically this page: http://stats.football365.com/dom/ENG/D2/ptsgain.html Shows we've come from behind in 10 games, winning 6 and drawing 4. The games in question: Carlisle (a) - 1-0 down till Jaidi equalised in injury time - DRAW MK Dons (h) - 1-0 at H-T (Puncheon), scored 3 in 2nd half - WIN Leyton Orient (a) - 2-0 down after an hour, brace from Rickie resued a point - DRAW Hartlepool (a) - 1 down after 15 minutes, Lallana leveled before h-t, then Lallana and Ricky made it 3-1 - WIN Walsall (h) - concede after 3 minutes, then scored 5, including Barnard's first (two) - WIN Hartlepool (h) - one down after 10 minutes, level within 3 minutes, went on to win 3-2 - WIN Brighton (a) - twice went behind, but twice drew level (last goal in 89th minute) - DRAW Leyton Orient (h) - went behind after 2 minutes, but 2 goals either side of h-t from Lallana gave us the WIN Brizzle R (a) - made the mistake of scoring in 1st half, which only made us angry enough to score 5 - WIN Just looked back at this, and I can only see three draws in that list, although the F365 stats say we managed it four times. Anyone else spot another draw snatched from defeat this season (League only)? Also, we shouldn't forget 2 of the JPT games: Torquay - came from 2-0 down at H-T to draw, then won on pens Norwich - took the lead, then let in 2, came back to draw, won on pens. Pleasingly, this season we've managed twice something that we didn't do for something like 12 years, namely win an away game when we conceded first. As I recall, between 1994 at Coventry and at Burnley in 2006, if the home team scored first, they were guaranteed at least a point.

Which form table is that then? The one I follow from football 365 has them bang in the middle of the form table (last 8 ) - with 13 points, Millwall top with 20 and us just behind on 19: http://stats.football365.com/dom/ENG/D2/oform.html

Indeed, my short term wish list is thus: On friday, Millwall, who are unbeaten since Boxing Day (20 points from last 8 ), win or at worst draw at Huddersfield, who are in so-so form (13 from last 8 ). Then we win at Yeovil and Colchester, who are in terrible form at the mo' (5 points from last 8 ) get no more than a point at Hartlepool. This would leave us three points behind Colchester and five/six points behind Huddersfield. We could then go into our game in hand next Tuesday against Oldham knowing that a win puts us above Hoofroyd's Colchester, and only 2/3 points behind Huddersfield. Provided we beat Oldham, we'd then have 3 games left to make up 3 points on them, which is certainly do-able. It could all come down to their game at home to Colchester, where a draw would suit us fine. That day we play Gillingham, which is probably our trickiest game left this season. If we win all our remaining games, I think we'll sneak into 6th, possibly with a game to go. Gillingham could be a critical game, although a draw there might be enough depending on what Hudds do against Colchester. I certainly think that if we get to within three points of Huddersfield (poss. by this time next week), then Huddersfield's arses will go and we'll sneak into 6th. My assessment of our games remaining: Yeovil (a) - not to be taken lightly, they only conceded the equaliser to Millwall, the form team of the division, in the last few minutes. Despite being in safe mid-table, they obviously haven't given up playing yet. Oldham (h) - our game in hand, and what should be a home banker, but they're only six points clear of the drop, and it's exactly the sort of game we've been capable of throwing away in the past. Carlisle (h) - see Yeovil - also safe mid-table, yet put up quite a fight at home to Leeds tonight. Should be a home banker, but must still be put away. Gillingham (a) - currently 3 points clear of the drop, their next 2 games are Leeds(h) and Norwich (a), so they're unlikely to be safe from relegation by the time we play them. Their away form is terrible, but their home form is pretty good: P W D L F A Gills 21 10 8 3 30 12 This is probably the trickiest game we have left, and with Colchester playing at Huddersfield that day, it could be the day we sneak into 6th place, but a draw won't be enough to do it. Southend (h) They'll probably be relegated by then, so it could be a repeat of the last game of the 2006/07 season. Them down but singing proudly, us having just snuck into 6th place and only needing a win to be sure of another run at the playoffs. Of course, being Saints, we'll probably go and feck it up and draw at Yeovil, or lose next Tuesday at home to Oldham.

Sorry to be slow but, what Barnard song are you referring to? The only one i've heard is the same as the old Marian Pahars song.

Best away: Oldham - not for the boozers, as the "away friendly" pub turned out to be home only, but for the quality game, getting off the bottom of the table ("we're not bottom anymore"), and the first time I heard (and sang) the Ricky Lambert song. Orient - some great boozers in central London beforehand (thanks to Bungle), cracking atmosphere, great comeback from 2 down, another 5 minutes and we'd have won it. The winner: Hartlepool - made a day of it with a trip to Sedgefield races - only won on one race but a good day out. Found a quality boozer with the largest head on a pint I've ever seen. then a great performance in front of 900 very noisy Saints fans. Worst away: Swindon - long way (for me) to get to. Terrible performance, looked like we hadn't a clue, wondering what Pardew saw in Lambert, wondering what Cortese saw in Pardew for that matter. We could have played for a week, we still wouldn't have scored. Big Saints following, but no atmosphere at all, no chants, lots of whinging at the team. Brighton - sh1te view of a sh1te game. No decent boozers nearby. Not going back there till they've got a proper ground. and the winner by a country mile: Colchester - Terrible pitch in sh1tty new lego-style ground. Took fookin ages to get there due to M25 horrors (fecking Bluewater/Lakeside nonsense). Took an hour to move 10 yards after the game due to them being allowed to build a ground with one access road through a housing estate. And a typical Adie Hoofroyd team - dirty, niggly, cheating, diving ****s, even got the ballboys to cheat by not collecting the ball when it went out. Best part was the fog, stopped us seeing the rest of the terrible game. Should have been abandoned by the ref due to the fog, but he bottled it.

reported in several places, including: http://blogs.telegraph.co.uk/sport/paulkelso/100006898/mawhinney-urges-football-league-to-tackle-financial-reform-in-parting-shot/ - probably the most detailed http://www.guardian.co.uk/football/2010/apr/07/football-league-lord-mahwinney-debt and http://www.teamtalk.com/championship/6080345/Mawhinney-concerned-by-FL-finances I like this bit: Have thought they should do this for years, but it really needs doing at top flight level as well, so everyone who plays Arsenal, Man U, etc, gets a decent whack of gate money, as currently happens in Cup ties. Not so sure about this bit: would our debt last June have been "unsustainable" and put us into League 2? If so, then Pompey's would surely be sufficient for a double or triple relegation.