oracle saint

I was in Club Wembley with my son next to a table with Melvyn Bragg and a group of Carlisle supporters. Had a chat with him; decent bloke. After the game they had ordered drinks to their table for post-match refreshment but didn't turn up - obviously slunk back north with tails firmly between legs. Somebody had to consume the drinks so we happily obliged. The team came up to collect trophy through the spectators; I was at the end of the row so clapped them all on the back and shook Nigel's hand. Terrific day out.

A great cricketer and commentator but my personal favourite commentator was John Arrrlott. I loved his mellifluous rich tones and broad Hampshire accent; his voice was made for cricket commentary. Maybe RB was the greatest TV commentator though as I think JA was mostly confined to radio. He died in 1991 so if you are too young to have heard him you missed something special.

I looked at this a while ago and felt it would save me very little although it does some things that are quite interesting; e.g. it monitors your mobile location so it knows how far away from home you are. However how does it work if more than 1 person has a mobile and they are both in different locations? It also looks at weather forecasts and modifies its boiler switching instructions accordingly. However a standard cheap controller and thermostatic radiator valves will probably function more efficiently than relying on the vagaries of a weather forecast; we know how accurate they are! The other point is that the cost of the product would outweigh the savings; you can buy a lot of gas for £100/year. If you adopt a sensible approach to your heat requirements then along with some basic controls and an efficient boiler you will probably end up with a more cost-effective solution. Oh and to answer your question about the boiler being permanently on I think that the boiler would be constantly available to be switched on by a signal from the controller rather than the boiler constantly heating water. Hope this helps

A very positive Morgan here http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/football/30797971

Use iWeb - £5 poet trade and no other fees. After much research I reckon it's the lowest cost way to trade. http://www.iweb-sharedealing.co.uk/share-dealing-home.asp

I agree with much of the content of the last 3 posts; although Fox is often like a rabbit in the headlamps often he was given little cover, particularly in the first half. Too often when Dyer received the ball, played it back and then took off like a scalded cat to receive the ball the player to whom he had passed the ball was not closed down - Steven Davis was at fault here though I'm tempted to overlook that factor and focus on the huge shift he put in - he kept going right to the end chasing, harrying and making a nuisance of himself. You can see why we've let in so few goals this season with him and Wanyama playing a key part in protecting the back four. I thoroughly enjoyed the game; I was puzzled why Saints changed their game plan after they had scored - or was it that Swansea changed theirs? Up until the goal Saints looked pretty threatening with the front four combining well. Then we scored and seemed to retreat into a more compact shape; did the players feel that they could hold out for a further 70 minutes? Is their belief in their own defensive prowess now so great that they feel they can defend a 1 goal lead for as long as necessary? The ease with which Swansea ripped us apart down the right was embarrassing - I was hoping for JWP to come on at half time to provide cover. When he did come on we seemed to tighten up though I also felt that Swansea changed their shape a bit and removed the emphasis on attacking down their right. I also thought that MP got the Rickie sub. absolutely right; Swansea were pushing up so high at that stage that it was crying out for some pace to exploit the subsequent space. What I did enjoy was for the first time this season that a visiting team came who could play football; the 3 others to date have been dross. Swansea were very good in possession; Bony was good in the air but often a bit isolated and yes - Swansea had several shots on target but most were a bit speculative and reasonably comfortable for Boruc. Shelvey I felt was pretty ordinary; many of his dead ball kicks were poor. Dyer was by far the most potent attacker. My MoM were Adam, Boruc and Davis; Clyne played very well and nullified any threat down the Swansea left though yet again any overlapping was notable for its absence apart from his forward run with about 2 minutes to go (when we were trying to close down the game - weird). Oh and finally one of the funniest sights I've seen at a football match when Wanyama thought he'd scored; slid on his knees facing the corner flag while the game restarted behind him without him being aware of this - I think that he, with most of the crowd (me included) was wondering why he wasn't being mobbed by the other Saints players. A good day out with a slightly flattering score but all credit to MP and the team - they must be in dreamland. Cortese presumably just thinks that this is exactly what he expected and paid out the Liebherr legacy for!

OK - introducing the phrase "visionary decision" was intended to be a little provocative - The9 reacted and swallowed hook, line and sinker. However in a reflective mood after half a bottle of indifferent Rioja I really would love to know more about Cortese's thought process and motivation. Italian banker (i.e. not steeped in the English game) appointed as chairman of Saints removes from his job a manager, almost universally loved by the fan base, who has achieved consecutive promotions and appoints an unknown foreigner who does not speak English. He knew this would probably provoke almost universal outrage and if MP had not worked out would have considerably weakened his authority. The safe option would have been to allow Nigel to carry on and keep his fingers crossed. Bear in mind that he doesn't own the club - he's answerable to others. How much mental anguish did he go through in reaching his decision? There must have been many subsequent moments when he experienced huge doubts and fears that the ice was becoming wafer-thin and he would be the next recipient of a P45. What an incredibly brave - almost perverse - decision. My conclusion is that he (NC) must have an incredibly firm vision (hence "visionary") of both his future ambition and the modus operandum to achieve it and he's willing to go out on a limb to pursue that belief. I'm not saying he was right; as The9 and others have observed it's maybe too early to reach a firm conclusion. Thanks Nick for raising your contextual thread; I've thoroughly enjoyed the last 4 years - can anyone really say they have not?

OK - introducing the phrase "visionary decision" was intended to be a little provocative - The9 reacted and swallowed hook, line and sinker. However in a reflective mood after half a bottle of indifferent Rioja I really would love to know more about Cortese's thought process and motivation. Italian banker (i.e. not steeped in the English game) appointed as chairman of Saints removes from his job a manager, almost universally loved by the fan base, who has achieved consecutive promotions and appoints an unknown foreigner who does not speak English. He knew this would probably provoke almost universal outrage and if MP had not worked out would have considerably weakened his authority. The safe option would have been to allow Nigel to carry on and keep his fingers crossed. Bear in mind that he doesn't own the club - he's answerable to others. How much mental anguish did he go through in reaching his decision? There must have been many subsequent moments when he experienced huge doubts and fears that the ice was becoming wafer-thin and he would be the next recipient of a P45. What an incredibly brave - almost perverse - decision. My conclusion is that he (NC) must have an incredibly firm vision (hence "visionary") of both his future ambition and the modus operandum to achieve it and he's willing to go out on a limb to pursue that belief. I'm not saying he was right; as The9 and others have observed it's maybe too early to reach a firm conclusion. Thanks Nick for raising your contextual thread; I've thoroughly enjoyed the last 4 years - can anyone really say they have not?

I like this historical perspective. 127 league games to date in the last 3 years since we played Yeovil away and drew 1-1 in front of the massed assembly of fans numbering 5,854; we've risen 56 league places since then; what a wonderful journey. You've got to admire Nicola's chutzpah and single-mindednes in pursuing his vision. 3 questions occur: 1. Does anyone (other than maybe Art) think that appointing MP was anything other than a visionary decision? 2. Has anyone attended all those matches? (I think I've seen all the home games) 3. Has anyone on TSW ever before used the word "chutzpah"?

Raise your sights, Sir, seduce your taste buds and insult not the name of Le Tiss. If you are a pinot connoisseur then surely the first element of the comparison should be a good Gevrey Chambertin, possibly even a Chambolle Musigny? Something from the Côte de Nuits, anyway.

What a great idea! The government controlling prices; why not wages as well? Oh.... hang on; hasn't that already been tried? Anybody know how it worked out?

I owned a fairly smart garden flat in the south of France for 7 years. I only went there about twice a year and didn't bother to let it out (though tried to initially). The first 2 or three years were quite fun; a great area to explore and good inviting friends down. However the last two years I went down a total of 5 times; I realised it wasn't really a holiday any more after spending the whole of a visit redecorating and fixing some damp. It cost me about £8000 p.a. to run it and pay the various taxes. I also note that the French government has imposed a wealth tax on foreign property owners - an easy target for cash-strapped governments. The main problem though was that you have to keep on going back to the same spot; OK if you're not particularly adventurous but not too great if you want to explore other parts of the world. Given the amount of money the place cost to maintain it would have been less expensive to rent a property in different parts of the world for a few weeks a year. The other problem with Spain is the amount of property available that has been specifically built to cater for the Brits'. property-owning obsession. Don't expect prices to rise and if it's in a holiday complex you've also got the potential problem of the operator going bust - many of them do. However that does also make it cheap to rent. My advice, for what it's worth, is to rent a place for your holidays and let someone else maintain it. I'm not really trying to deter you from buying - just pointing out some potential pitfalls. Ultimately also I did make money when I sold about 3 years ago (due entirely to currency movements) so it is possible to escape with your shirt. I do know a few people though who have lost significant money though! Good luck

Well, the goals flowed last year and nobody complained we weren't scoring from open play. There was a certain preoccupation with the defence though! Oh, and by the way, we have 8 points after 5 games. Last year it took us 12 games to amass the same number. Do we really have a problem?

North Sea oil is always debated fairly vigorously in relation to Scottish independence. However there's little talk over how much of the national debt the Scots would take over. Furthermore if we ask them to also assume the bail-out costs of RBS I suspect that would probably put an end to the whole economic rationale of independence.

Somebody pulled a gun on me in Rio - many years ago though but apart from that I had a good time. Whilst there I watched possibly the dullest cup final match ever at the Maracana stadium - pretty lively pre kick-off and then 120,000 people pretty much went to sleep. Also safety-related my niece and her new husband were mugged there last year; had passports, money, etc. stolen. British embassy was useless; fortunately he's Italian and the Italian authorities got them back home. I guess the local hoodlums are really looking forward to the Olympics! Probably just luck of the draw; stay in a hotel with a safe and don't carry passports, too much money and bling - try and look really poor!

Agree. Clyne looked fairly rusty and it's noticeable that when playing on the left he tends to cut inside. What changed the game was that Saints changed their tactics in the second half to playing with more pace, more one-touch and passing forward instead of laterally as they had done for the first 45 minutes. I thought JWP had a superb first half and a better second - my MOM. Very secure, good ball retention, excellent passing vision and (finally) a player that can consistently deliver a dead ball in exactly the right spot. It's probably been said elsewhere but he looks an embryonic Paul Scholes. I also wondered if Chambers was under strict instructions not to overlap (which he did in the pre-season game against Real Sociedad). One thought that's often exercised me is how different our perceptions often are of player performance in a game; after all we all watched the same game. Does where we sit fundamentally determine our conclusions? I've sat in the Itchen for the last 2 seasons (previously the Chapel) and I reckon I get a much better appreciation of mid-field play. Maybe that largely influenced my views on the excellence of JWP on Saturday.

Enjoyed the game but if this is a foretaste of the season we'll both score and concede shedloads of goals. Some of the pressing was extreme - on more than one occasion there were 21 players in RS's half. This does make us vulnerable to quick counter-attacks - RS's 2nd goal in particular highlighted the problem when a pass was played to their wide left and no Saints player within 30 yards. Stand-out players for me were Guly, Morgan, Wanyama. Guly in particular showed immense application; he's either fitter than previous seasons or he knew he would be substituted and was therefore prepared to burn himself out in the first half. My champagne moment was Lambert's pass to Adam for the first goal - truly a thing of beauty. I also enjoyed the injection of pace when Isgrove, Mayuka and Puncheon arrived on the scene - this revived a game that had gently subsided into mid-field lethargy. Finally I was at the Udinese pre-season match last year at this time - we do look immeasurably better this year. I look forward to the season with keen anticipation. Cork at right back just doesn't work - but then again it never has done. I remember him playing there in L1 days - the net result was that the right Centre Back was regularly pulled out to cover the position leaving us vulnerable to a cross into the centre. Disappointed with Gaston; I would have thought he would be able to showcase his skills given more time and space than he'll get in the Premiership - it just didn't happen. Extractum Digitatum Gaston or you won't be adding much value to the Saints in 2013/14.

Try Google maps; you can add locations, save, print, email, etc.

Aldershot - steak & kidney pie. Saints reserves Vs Chelsea reserves. Pahars ran the show. Fernandes played on the wing - was close enough to be able to offer verbal encouragement to him in French. He seemed to quite enjoy it.

And on a positive note here's an article in the "Telegraph" today Teenage prospect Luke Shaw to stay at Southampton despite interest from Chelsea Luke Shaw has told Southampton of his desire to stay and sign a first senior contract at the club this summer, despite interest from Chelsea. Rising star: Southampton's Luke Shaw is one of the most sought-after young players in the Premier League Photo: GETTY IMAGES By Jeremy Wilson8:36PM BST 21 May 20136 Comments At just 17, Shaw has enjoyed an exceptional first season in the Premier League and is among the most sought-after teenagers in the country. Chelsea have identified Shaw as a potential long-term replacement to Ashley Cole at left-back but the player has verbally pledged his future to Southampton and said he wants to continue his development in the first team. Southampton are now confident that he will sign a five-year contract when he turns 18 on July 12. Shaw has made it clear to Southampton that his choice is being dictated by footballing reasons and the opportunity to play regularly for a club who expect to establish themselves in the Premier League in the coming years. His decision will come as a blow to Chelsea – and probable manager Jose Mourinho – although they can be expected to renew their interest again next year, when Cole will be out of contract. Southampton have lost Gareth Bale, Theo Walcott, Wayne Bridge and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain to leading London clubs over the past decade, but chairman Nicola Cortese would only listen to offers if Shaw expressed a desire to leave. Cortese has received a fresh mandate from owner Katharina Liebherr to continue at Southampton and there is no financial pressure to make any sales this summer.

Awake at 3am thoroughly jet-lagged having flown in from Los Angeles for the match. Started wondering how we could thank all concerned and show our appreciation for a mightily enjoyable season. To the tune of "Thank you very much" As the players are walking round the pitch: "Thank you Markus Liebherr thank you Thank you very much, thank you very very very much Thank you Markus Liebherr, thank you Thank you very very very much" Repeat for: "Thank you Nicola Cortese" "Thank you Katharina Liebherr" "Thanks Mauricio Pochettino" "Thank you all the playing squad" ("Thank you Nigel Adkins, thank you"???) "Thanks to all the Saints supporters" Any others? We could keep this going for quite a while! To add a bit more impact slow it down for the line with the name, point to the individual (obviously up in the sky for Markus) and then speed up and happy clap for the other lines. Follow up with a rousing rendition of "Oh, when the saints go marching in" and then off to a summer of rumour, speculation and - no doubt - the occasional high drama.

So I guess you're not a believer in the aphorism that the ends justify the means? I thought Wes Tender's contribution was far from pompous; in fact an erudite and thoughtful summary. Why do people have to resort to facile abuse if they disagree with someone? Contributed in the interests of the campaign for reasoned debate.

I go to Mexico City fairly regularly on business and I really like it - it's an interesting mix of first and third world (LDC's is the current nomenclature I believe) maybe second world? I also holidayed in Yucatan a few years ago and thoroughly enjoyed it - particularly trips to Mayan pyramids. Disliked Cancun - pretty much like Florida; over-endowed with shopping malls.

You are absolutely right. I'm so distraught at this turn of event so I guess I'll have to console myself with the case of champagne I bought on the profits of selling at 1.51 rather than 1.60!

I've recently moved to iWeb - £5.00 a trade and access to foreign exchanges. No other admin. fees so easily the best value around. The research is quite good as well; it links to Digitallook.com. I'm impressed by the general high level of risk advocated by most recommendations. Investing in Zimbabwe? A great way to lose money, methinks. However if you want an African flutter you could try Fastjet or Botswana Diamonds or even good old Lonrho. They should all lose money pretty quickly! Possibly a more sensible suggestion for those of a sporting nature might be Iomart. I'm up about 80% on this but I think it's got further to go.