Ric

Thanks - I wasn't going to touch PC World or Currys with a bargepole. Not even someone else's bargepole. I'm after something a little more than bog standard spec... I'm pretending that it has everything to do with starting an OU course, and nothing to do whatsoever with wanting to play rFactor 2

I'm thinking of getting a new desktop PC, and I'm debating whether to by a complete unit off-the-shelf, or go the self-build route. I've never done self-build before, so I was wondering: Does it save that much over getting one off-the-shelf? Where's the best place to head for sourcing the components? EBuyer? Amazon? Elsewhere?

Yeah, but I bet if he asked the same question now he'd get a very different response. Now they're on the brink, and really are facing liquidation. I bet most of them have such short memories that they'd much prefer League 1 with BC than starting from scratch. Oh, and please sir, can you make us competitive? Oh, and that FAPPT that we blamed for allowing the likes of Gaydamak, BC and Antonov... let's just overlook that to allow BC back in. Then we can blame it again when we go back into administration in a couple of years' time.

I can't see the PST bid working out - getting a 90% conversion rate from pledges to full funding is definitely optimistic. I think it's pretty much nailed on the BC will take them on again, and I can't see him having the interest or enthusiasm to do anything other than bleed them dry for the parachute payments. I'm just left with two questions: Firstly, when will Administration Number 4 come along? And secondly, will that one finally see them toasted? Sweepstake anyone?

But it's their forum, their rules. That's fair enough - nobody says that they have to allow other fans on their board if they don't want them. It just demonstrates that they're unable to have civilised discussions or banter without their knuckle draggers getting ferociously angry and upset. Or their board owner going off in a huff...

That's because a car-crash is compulsive viewing, as TV execs know only too well (BFGW, Come Dine With Me, Celeb BB, and many others). PFC is the biggest, most f()cked-up, longest-running car crash around at the moment.

Cool! I've got a day off on the 10th of August... might have to have a BBQ and beers to celebrate

It's Tag Team Football...

Hmmm... it seems like they've got away with it for this race, but I expect the rules to get "clarified" in the new few days. I also wouldn't be surprised to see an appeal from some rival teams against them getting away with it.

They could be in big trouble... if found guilty, it's a pretty cut-and-dried case of cheating. I'm more confident that cases are dealt with fairly and equally these days, now that Max Mosley is no longer in charge (horrible little weasel of a man) - but I still have no idea what kind of penalty might be applied. If the dodgy engine map has been applied at only this event, then I expect them to have their results from the race expunged. But if they've been cheating all year, then there's no predicting what the penalty will be. The words of Jo Bauer suggest it may be a German GP-only issue: http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/101403

The Parkes Library is part of the University Library's "Archives & Special Collections" section, based at the Hartley Library. It's main area of interest is in Anglo-Jewish relations and the like. http://www.southampton.ac.uk/archives/

Put me down for Monday 13 August, please

There must be a recreation ground, park or bit of scrubland somewhere in Portsmouth that they could use?

I expect so. It's pretty much standard practice these days for many teams. When was the last time we had a two season kit? It's a few years ago now.

Every time a new player is linked with us, we get the obligatory YouTube video - and none of them could touch that for the quantity and quality of Matt's goals. We'd be creaming our pants if we were linked with a player and their YouTube video had just a fraction of Matt's goals there... and the wonderful thing is that we had him, for his entire career. It almost defies belief that we were so priviledged to have him play for us for all that time. "Legend" is an over-used word in football, but there are few better deserving of the title than our Matty.

It's refreshing to hear a player putting first team football ahead of a move to the top flight. If he keeps true to his word and spends this year getting first team games in the Championship rather than reserve league games in the Premier League then I'll have a lot of respect for him. I've criticised players for chasing the money ahead of first team football, and even though it might be a loss for Saints, I'm not about to be a hypocrite: I wish more players would do the same. (Which is not to say that I won't be happy if he did sign for us, of course!)

I find it fascinating that TBH gets villified for not compromising on his wages, with no club interested in buying him... yet Lawrence has interest from Cardiff supposedly, but the move won't happen until a compromise can be agreed with him. Surely this ought to be a very quick win for them, so every day's delay to getting Lawrence out of the door is wasting money they can ill-afford to lose. Where's the pressure on Lawrence from Trevor Birch and Neil Allen to do the "honourable thing"? Not that I expect anything sensible, logical or fair to come out of that lot, mind...

As far as I'm concerned, that kit still was essentially red & white stripes - this kit isn't. I loved the Rank Xerox/Air Florida kit, and if they'd done something based on that I'd buy it in a second. But this? No thanks. I didn't mind the sash kit because (a) it was a special commemorative kit for a good historical reason (though making a big deal of 125 years as opposed to 100 or 150 was a bit ropey), and (b) it was unlikely to get confused with anyone else. We have no historical precident for playing in all-red, and absolutely no non-Saints fans will see the shirt and associate it with Southampton. Liverpool, Forest, Barnsley, Bristol City, Accrington Stanley? Yes. Southampton? No.

Utterly awful - can't stand it. But on the bright side, that's £40 or so that I can spend on something else

To be fair, the actual "story" is that Appleton has texted two players he had on loan last season a couple of times. And that's about it. Mind you, I'd have thought that Birchy-boy would have been on Appleton's case not to waste money on pointless texts... that's 48p that could have been better spent on TBH's salary

I don't think technology would spoil the game - just so long as it's extremely quick to come up with the result. Hawkeye is fine in cricket, where you can quite happily wait ages for the 3rd umpire to make a decision, but in football it has to be a quick - almost instantaneous - ruling. If they can do that for goals (and even for offside decisions, which has been mooted) then it has to be good. What I'm completely, utterly not in favour of is these extra officials. In all the games they've been used in, they've been needed to make a tiny number of decisions - and have got about half right, and half wrong. That's nowhere near good enough for them to be worth it.

Takes the ****, doesn't it? They just don't understand how that got themselves into this position, and how they need to avoid repeating the same mistakes. I'm not convinced they will be put down, and if they are given a stay of execution then it's blindingly obvious that they are going to do their damnedest to put themselves right back in the same situation again.

Indeed. But given that it was suggested earlier this week that the next big for seeing if PFC lives or dies is in about four/five weeks time - if they leave it that late before pulling the plug, is there any league that will be willing and/or able to take them? Well, beyond Sunday morning park football I guess?!

If it's true, no doubt the US will find some way of needing to "liberate" the Falklands from the occupying Falklanders/colonial Brits/invading Argies/terrorist sheep (whoever happens to be in control at the time)

That's superb - thanks!