Joensuu

(I know this is jumping the gun, but...) If we are ever lucky enough to return to the Premiership we might need to comply with the 'home grown player' rules that they seem to be introducing for next season. All the headlines around the new rules have focused on how tough the biggest teams will find it to comply; but I think the newly promoted teams might find it more of a barrier. Newly promoted teams might really struggle to find 8 'home grown' players, so might be forced to 'promote' members of their current youth squads. As there is a cap of 25 squad players, this could see newly promoted teams effectively having to restrict their squads to 17 players (and supplement it with 8 from their youth team). I imagine that 'home grown' players will start to attract a premium, i.e. if we were to try to buy back any 'premier' quality players who have moved on from our youth squad (Mills, Bridge, Surman, Bale etc), we would have to pay over the odds (the 'home grown players' rule might actually cause prices to increase, as the selling clubs would know that the buying club's options are limited). Of our current players who meet the 'home grown' rules only Lallana looks like he might ever be of 'premier' quality. Surely this should mean we should value him ever more than we would have otherwise, and hang onto him at all costs (firmly and publicly rebut any offers; and ramp up his wages beyond his current ability)? Can anyone see any of our other current 'home grown' players ever making it? (James? Mills? Holmes? Gillett? McLaggon? Gobern? McNish?) I can't see it... (Is Paterson even eligible, or does he count as home grown for Bournemouth? [Edit: Strike that one!] Likewise Molyneux counts for Everton)

Attracting some of the ex-youth team back would help us meet the home grown players rule too.

Agree. Think Best and Blackstock would look completely lost in the Premiership. Honestly believe Lambert is better than either ever will be. But I think both Mills and Crainie could easily have a roll to play for a mid-table premier club, and would love to have them back...

Jealous IMO

I agree, but then if he did turn down a loan offer (as rumoured), then we don't really have any options. Just hope we are negotiating a clause giving us a large percentage of future transfers...

It sounds like Southend have responsed to one of our Barnard bids by pointing out that they will be left with little quality up front (wouldn't that leave them with Laurent as pretty much their only playable striker?). It only stands to reason that they would enquire about a part exchange. The asking price for Barnard is rumoured to be around £250K. With Paterson still having time on his contract I'd expect him to fetch more than that, perhaps even £400K or more? (any ideas on a valuation?). Might we not offer a direct swap, with no cash involved, but with a massive % of any future transfer? Could suit all parties, with Paterson getting first team opportunities, Southend retaining a strike force, and Saint getting both a proven striker a having a gamble on a future payday at the same time...

Oh dear, the nasty FA imposed transfer embargo has made key January signing Onismor Bhasera look for employment elsewhere. Of course the lack of two pennies to rub together has nothing to do with it, not one bit. http://www.skysports.com/story/0,19528,11711_5876117,00.html

Didn't this thread start life on the main board? (If it did perhaps it should have remained there? If it didn't, perhaps it should be moved there! I think an exception can be made...[or do Admin's stick to the rule book like the ref did tonight?])

It might not seem fair, but he raised his hands to the opponent's face... there can only be one outcome

Didn't that need one of these?

Davis ran a long way to get involved in the handbags. His push looked like was to the player's neck... think he might be a bit lucky to escape with a yellow...

Or better still, can we play like this in some league games please?

So there are three theories: 1. Chainrai et al. are working against Gaydamak in an attempt to stake claims on one of his assets. This serves to both twist the knife, and possibly suck some money out when the administrator/liquidators start carving up the corpse. 2. Chainrai et al. are working with Gaydamak in an attempt to move money out of frozen Israeli bank accounts, via Skatesville, back to the safety of Moscow. To cover your trail, simply hide the whole laundering business behind a fake sheikh. 3. The 'Official' theory. A well meaning citizen of Dubai, buys a football club he can't afford, then sells it to another well meaning, rich and benevolent sheikh. The new owner, doesn't want to distract from the football, and attempts to stay in the background. A series of unfortunately blunders and bungles with money transfers (all outside of the clubs control) sees them in a lamentable position, but the new investors are just around the corner... All former employees have never, ever been involved in fraudulent activity of any sort, ever. All current employees have never, ever been to Horton Heath, especially not after dark.

And the person who edited it (62.173.112.130) also changed the Artic Monkey's page from: "'''Arctic Monkeys''' are an English" to: "'''Arctic Monkeys''' are a droll English Obviously not a spammer then...

Euthanasia should be decriminalised in every society that claims to be liberal. Obviously individual cases would need to be monitored to prevent abuse.

I wish Trotman all the best. In several games early on in the season his workrate made him stand out. One game (Colchester home?) he was IMO the best player in our team, trying to get the others organised and to keep pushing. He has all the basics (except pace) for being a good centre back. If he works on his reading of the game, positioning and reactions, while gaining a more years experience, I feel he could become a solid Championship defender.

Our GDP is about £1640 billion. (vs goverment spending of £586.35 billion). MoD £35.6 billion (or 2.1% GDP) Edit: might even be a £42 billion budget (or 2.56% of GDP) Schools £41.2 billion (or 2.5% GDP) Not a lot in it. It's not like you can make a fair comparision between the two though, it's results that count: It's fairly clear that our education system isn't working as well as it should, while our military has one of the largest budgets in the world to play with... (considering the numerical size of the US and Chinese armies, our servicemen/women must have one of the highest per capita budgets!) Mind you what I find more shocking: Benefits £125.3 billion (or 7.64% of GDP) ouch...

Yup, you're right. I was using 2006 figures. What's more interesting is that China has not just leapfrogged the UK and France (in 3 years), it now outspends us by a huge amount... Anyhow, my point still stands. We have chosen as a country to prioritise spending on 'defence' over spending on education. We share this priority with such honourable countries as Iran, Saudi Arabia, Myanmar, Oman, Chad, North Korea, Angola, Russia, Libya, Columbia, Pakistan, Syria and the USA. Whereas the crazy axis of countries who prioritise their own people above being aggressive include the notorious Canadians, Swedes, Kiwis, Japanese, Danish, Norwegians, Irish, Thais, Icelandic, Belgians, Dutch, and Swiss...

They absolutely destroy the local rag in the 'best goose-step' category...

http://www.portsmouth.co.uk/newshome/Peter-Storrie-appears-in-court.5997418.jp http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/hampshire/8469860.stm Another one for the diary... 15th April will be a fun day (of course the odds of the club still being around to receive a points penalty by then are looking pretty slim...)

http://www.portsmouth.co.uk/newshome/It39s-now-or-never-as.5996541.jp er... don't you mean string John?

Number crunch: 5th largest economy in the world. 2nd largest military spending. 24th in world. The rank of the UK education system... Good to see we've got our priorities in order

HP?

Ha, what lawyer would have agreed to that? Skate: 'We want to sue the taxman' Lawyer: 'Sure thing, no win, no fee, subject to the usual paperwork....' Disclaimer, at the outcome of the legal action, result irresepective, and hereforth negating, and superseeding all other claims of ownership, or loans secured against, the property, known and agreed by all parties to be 'Fratton Park', and all surrounding land which is still owned by the represented party, irresepective of any other claimants, or securites against the aforementioned possession, will, subject to English Law, become the sole possession, of Conartist and Co Solicitors.'

On a personal taste preference Alps I'd choose a high quality dark chocolate over anything Cadbury's (or Hershey's) make. Country is irrelevent, as I'm sure each western country has plenty of very high quality chocolatiers... A higher percentage of chocolate solid's doesn't make for a better taste (too much and it will be far too bitter). However, subsituting cocoa butter for (cheaper) palm oil (or other vegetable oil) will always make your product taste worse. Subsituting quality for polyglycerol polyricinoleate is not an acceptable way to make chocolate IMHO.