I like this man. If it turns out to be Allardyce I feel better for reading that post.

Yes "magnificent" was too good an adjective for United. I would argue they have a proper history, certainly as long as I've been watching football, which sadly is 43 years, even as a schoolboy in the south we had to put up with Utd supporters in the mid 60s. I feel the club do have a proper history in the same manner as perhaps Blackburn Rovers, Arsenal, Liverpool othe PL clubs have and many, many lower division clubs also enjoy - I've only ever read about Huddersfield's exploits in the late 20s but it's a good example. I think we have to be careful with Munich. Clearly it was a terrible event but there is a strtong suupport world-wide for United which has grwon out the tragedy; it's tempting to say that is foundation of the popularity but we should be very careful not to "deride" (and I'm not sure that's the right word) their popularity / history because it is founded on the loss of life.

He's been very consistent about this. The financial model MU are using is very, very difficult to sustain. Vast sums of money have been borrowed to purchase the club and fund it's operation. United are in the position of having very large debt which cannot be funded by the annual earnings. In simple terms it's this, take out a short-term mortgage to purchase a buy-to-let property, rent the property at sufficient to cover mortgage, two years later mortgage deal ends, rates increase while rental values drop. End result mortgage company ask for their money or hand over the property. It's happening all over the place. United are not spending on transfers in the season / financial year when the deals take place. Although the headlines where "Utd spend £100m" or whatever it was last summer, most of the money was deferred or spread around the accounts in clever ways Philip can describe better than me. The actual direct outlay (money out the bank) was about 20% of the headline total. They are living on the never never which is fine while you have a job................. As for the demand for season tickets. There is no waiting list. I know a lad who was put on the waiting list the day he was born, that's 1986, he got an ST last year as he's fortunate his Dad can fund the cost. Working in Manchester I know a lot of long-term ST holders, people in their late 40s and older, some who come from the time when you watched City one week and Utd the next. The cost of an ST is doubled by the cup ticket scheme. Many of them share the costs between 2 or 3 fans, and draw straws for the PL games they watch. I know others who are only able to fund the ST because they can sell on the cup tickets etc. and who are deeply unhappy about prices. Several say they will stop going when the kids leave home. I also know several who are Utd fans, Manchester born and bred who never go to OT, never buy merchandise and watch FC Utd every week. That's not much of a basis on which to plan for the future. Like philip I shall be delighted if / when it implodes. The Glazers represent much that is wrong with the modern game, and it's a shame they chose to buy a club with a magnificent history which should be respected throughout the game as such.

Seems I'm the only one doing any reading right now! Finished this last night and what a good read. The "plot", if you want to call it that, is based around a fictional Columbine style killing in the US. Told through the eyes of the killer's mother each chapter is a letter written to Kevin's (the killer son) father examing the marriage, the mother's feelings about being a parent, herself, the family as a unit, Kevin and I suppose to some degree modern America. A very good read in which the author manages to switch the reader's support and emotion towards the different characters around as the book progresses. This will make you think, the outcomes are not what I expected and I was surprised by the way the story twisted through the book, there were few hints of such twists and turns until the page was turned and it hit you in the face. A good and rewarding read, hard work but worth it. I'm reluctant to expand to much on the plot line as knowing any part could spoil one's enjoyment of the previous pages.

Not had much chance to read of late but managed to finish Nick Hornby's "Slam" over the weekend. Seems like a good book to give 15 year olds to warn them about the consequences of unprotected sex. (My youngest read it in two sittings). I thought Hornby did a reasonable job of telling the story from a 15 / 16 year olds perspective, I didn't feel any attachment to any of the characters but did find I had to finish the book to know what happened to them all. Not the best read I've had, anyone else read it? I'm just starting "We Need to Talk About Kevin" by Lionel Shriver.

Have you also considered all the major UK retailers who are also shafting you and millions around the world on this issue? It isn't just government you should be worried about.

Still is and for "the foreseeable future" according to the Highways man on the radio. Seems a bit dramatic, surely he meant till the wind dies down!

Been up since 3.30am thanks to the weather and a very weird power cut. Awoke to a high pitched noise somewhere in the house, found everything electrical was working but as though it was being run of a single, run down AAA battery. Eventaully tracked the noise to the microwave by which time I was too wide awake to sleep. Listening to the radio on the way to work I was struck by the complete lack of excitable young women reporting from storm lashed coasts and flood threatened communities in the north-west. I can only imagine they are all still stuck in the south-west........or perhaps we're just having a bad day???

I was at college in the area, so I know of Friar Street - at least where it is. we will take a wander down it one evening. Thanks

I suspect I know what yoing Ricky has been up to

While we're on the subject. I have two nights in Worcester next week. Anyone got any recommendations in the area, I'm going to need at least two? I do love fish if you know of anywhere good.

Livebait, Lloyd Street, in corner of Albert Square Only been once with some very old and dear friends who are very into their food. I wanted to be sure tbey had a meal to remember so had spent a lot of time looking at different fish restaurants. We went early evening, before theatre, and almost had the place to ourselves. Food was excellent, great choice but not so much as to turn it into a lottery, wine list is comprehensive with a bottle to suit most pockets. I can't remember what we paid but do recall that for four people, and we had everything we wanted, it was very reasonable. I didn't feel I'd paid over the top and had had good value. I think there is a before 7.00pm offer of something around £13 per head for two courses. i would definetley go back. PS - the online booking system is odd and may well tell you the place is fully booked. If it does call them because the online system only books a certain % of the restaurant. You're right about Cafe Rouge, very reliable wherever you find them

This book has been kicking around our house for a while, I think it's just me who hadn't read it. I may have started once and fallem asleep as I felt I'd read the opening pages before. Aftre really enjoying "A Spot of Bother" by the same author, I decided I must read this one. Colin describes it well, the book drags you in and the need to know what happens next is almost compelling, but I was on the verge of giving up when the major turning point happened (not to give anything away). From there I just read to the end, which arrived very abruptly, but I suppose that is an aspect of Asperger's Syndrome? * It's good, different, drags you all over the place, there's no nice comfy, settled pattern and it's very, very literal, which I imagine is one of the major aspects of Asperger's? People should read this, it's uncomfortable, a lot of books are uncomfortable for a variety of reasons, this one comes from a direction most of us are unfamiliar with. If I had read The Curious Incident first I'm wondering if I would have read A Spot of Bother? I hope so but might not have done. Mark Haddon deals with people and relationships in a fresh way for me. I can now see why CS found the characters in A Spot of Bother irritating, I'm just wonderng if that is exactly what Haddon had in mind? Perhaps he is just holding up a mirror to what he sees in the world? * The book is written, fictionally, by Christopher Boone, the central character, who has Asperger's Syndrome. To say he sees things as black and white hardly describes it!

Here's another one for the middle-aged! The Secret River by Kate Grenville is the story of William Thornhill's early days in London and then his family's struggle in the emerging Australia following his, and so their, transportation to the Colony. It's an excellent read providing an insight for me on the early settlement of Australia bringing to the fore the struggles of the pardoned convicts, their families, to settle the wild continent. More importantly it deals with the enormous impact on the Aboriginies, their understanding of the land they occupy, the relationships that developed between the native and the newcomer which ultimately resulted in a terrible cost for the native people. The writer brings early 19th century London and Australia alive with her excellent descriptive writing, often the sunlight is the only thing to lift one's heart when reading a book in which hardship is ever present and unspeakable violence simmers just below the surface for much of the narrative. I imagine the historiacl context is well researched and accurate. For me it underlined things I was vaguely aware of but had never read about.

Must be a middle-aged thing!!!

Just finished reading "A Spot of Bother" by Mark Haddon, who also wrote "The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time", which I haven't read.......... yet. Thoroughly enjoyed A Spot of Bother. The plot centres around George, 57, who has recently retired, thinks he has cancer, it's actually ecezma, and is going quietly insane; his wife, their son and daughter and all the various relationships these people are involved with - engaged, married etc.etc. On one level you can take this as a jolly good, romping along, at times laugh out loud, read. On a deeper level it's a very sad book, but don't let this put you off, while you're enjoying the romp you'll get momentary twinges of real sadness and empathy with George, quickly followed by a loud chortle or quiet smile to yourself. The characters are well developed and the descriptive writing, while often very brief, so good you can see the house, the garden, street or town in which the action is taking place in your mind's eye. A really good read - don't miss it.

and just for consistency page 1 is quite good in this thread

Page 1 makes interesting reading

Loudest cheer of the night came from the Sundreland fans about 7.55pm. I was still in the Albion Mill car park and the cheer was so loud I thought I had got KO time wrong and they had scored. Generally both sets of supporters where quiet, presumably because of the cold and the poor match. Sunderland sang little more than Keano, Keano. The drummer was very quiet, in fact I didn't notice him until the 90th minute when the added time was announced.

Didn't think it was that bad and it adequately filled in a wet Saturday late afternoon when everyone was starting to climb the walls in our house! It's a complete rip off of 28 Days Later, but not as well done - and lets face it 28 Days Later wasn't too clever. How do the makers get away with it? Don't the makers of 28 Days have some sort recourse for their work being ripped off? Emma Thompson as Dr Krippin was amusing - typical Hollywood. We were mildly entertained for a couple of hours, which was all we required..........film buffs would probably do better to spend the £20 on a decent bottle and a favourite DVD. Come to think of it.....

Nothing new there in my book! According to philip's China link the cost there is £39 pa. Now that I would say was reasonable, in fact at that point I'd be tempted to buy Sky. The difficulty is the product is worth what the market will pay. Clearly in the UK people are prepared to pay an extortionate amount while it appears the Chinese won't pay a reasonable price. Obviously levels of disposable income will be very different. I feel the Sky price will only drop when it becomes very simple for people to receive a non-Sky signal. No doubt technically minded people will say it already is, but for the majority learning how or where to rip-off a satellite broadcast is not an easy task. If someone starts to sell a plug in, self tuning receiver Sky will have a problem.

When we watch away games in our local it's always Albanian TV with English commentators. I recognise the voices but can't name them, it's clearly aimed at a UK audience. Surely Sky should have some arguement with those companies?

I talked to a couple of young people about this. They both said if you've recently read the books the film is probably going to be a disappointment, if, like me, you read them 8-9 years back and don't really remember the fine detail then the film is a good holiday thing to take the kids to.

The Golden Compass - good film, been sanitized somewhat but still a good film, especially if it's a long time since you read the book (Northern Lights). The armoured bears are excellent.

No all I've done is given you a perfectly simple explanation of how CO2 levels increase after a period of warming. What is a CO2 lag? I don't know.