All I want for Christmas is a Dulka Prague away kit

...cos I'm not sure you'd want this one!

This what the Saints will be wearing next season. My problem with it? The socks, they are horrible, horrible, horrible! They should be red in my view any way (or black?) but if they have to be white then white is what they should be not red and white hoops.

On related news, now that we are signed up to Umbro, we will be having a new kit every season, so parents better have deep pockets. (who shouted rip off?)

You can see more pictures of "the candy man" here.

The Great Escape

My pulse rate has just returned to normal and the great news is Saints will NOT be playing League One football next season.

It was, however, very tight, and with 23 minutes left we were going down.

The afternoon went :-

1. Sheff Utd score 0-1 (relegation beckons)
2. Saints equalise 1-1 (still relegated Leicester drawing so not good enough)
3. Saints take lead 2-1 (safe)
4. Sheff Utd equalise 2-2 (relegated)
5. (2 mins after 4. above) Saints take lead again 3-2 (safe again!)
6. Final whistle (definitely safe)

There were 21 finger chewing minutes between 5 & 6. Had Sheff Utd scored to make it 3-3 then we would have been relegated, yes it was that close!

Now we need to sort out the ownership of the club and then probably get a new manager. The later because the owners will want their man. I do not want to be threatened with League One football ever again!

Vultan's Theme (attack of the hawk men)

Last night's "Have I got news for You?" (Hignfy) was hosted by Brian Blessed and it was a corker!

He played the whole show as if he was Prince Vultan from the film version of "Flash Gordon", including a very early joke about Gordon Brown's political career not being over which finished with Blessed shouting (and I mean shouting!) "Gordon's alive".

Ian Hislop and Paul Merton, the usual team captains, were completely thrown by his antics and spent the whole show either in hysterics or with a bemused look on their faces.

The whole episode is on the BBC iplayer or you can see out-takes here.

I could be happy

The mighty Word podcast have pulled off a magnificent coup by having Clare Grogan as this weeks guest.

She is great fun and you can hear Dave Hepworth, Mark Ellen and Matt Hall are all enthralled by having her in the studio/pub/office or where ever they record it!

At one point David Hepworth comments on the fact that most men of a certain age have a crush on her, which she knows but still tries to deny.

You (that means you Steve!) can find it here!

The Tommy Steele story is awesome!

Happy Birthday

Will, my youngest son, was 12 yesterday and so this has been a weekend of celebration.

Friday night we went bowling with my work colleagues at Tower Park in Poole. This was the first time that we had done something like this and it was a test that the boys passed with flying colours. They were just themselves and we had a great evening with my bowling even managing to win me both games.

Yesterday we had the traditional present opening and then after breakfast we went to clean the church! (Will was not impressed but as his Mum puts the rota together he couldn't blame me for that one!) This also enabled him to see one set grandparents so that offset the cleaning to a large extent.

Lunch was held at TGI Fridays in Southampton, which was great but I haven't been for a while so when the waitress did her talky bits all I could think of was The Catherine Tate show sketches.

The day finished with a quiz night at Church during which everyone sang "Happy Birthday" to Will who went bright red!

Today was Will's party day! Quaser at 10Pin in Southampton, Will, Matt and 6 of Will's friends with food and cake afterwards. What more could a boy ask for?

Weekends like this are always special.

Ready an' willing

While browsing the Classic Rock website I came upon an entry entitled "see David Coverdale on Loose women again"

Now given the aforementioned Mr Coverdale's reputation you could be fore given for thinking that the link took you to some kind of home made video that only over 18's could view.

But there is on ITV most lunch times a chat show called "Loose Women" and it was on that that he appeared. Boy he must need the album sales!

You can watch it here.

I'm still standing

I had to go to Bristol today on business and being the good son of a Railwayman, I took the train.

At 3.22pm I boarded the FGW train ( comprised of two coaches) to Portsmouth at Bristol Temple Mead station for the return journey. In fact boarded is probably not strictly true as that description gives the impression of striding on board whereas I shuffled on with the dozens of other people as we struggled to find a space to stand for the journey. (Yes you did read that correctly). I then stood all the way from Bristol to Salisbury! That's a 70 minute journey. I did get a seat finally at Salisbury for the final 20 minutes.

Some facts :-

• It was Friday afternoon at the end of the school holidays
• Students were returning to University after the Easter break, the train passes through Cardiff, Bristol, Bath, Southampton and Portsmouth - all have Universities
• A good third of the available seats had reserved tickets on them. (although you had no chance of moving through the train to find your seat so you must ask "why bother?")
• The train to Bristol in the morning had three coaches.
• FGW bought some five coach trains, but mothballed them "as they were unreliable?!?"
• My ticket only gives the right to travel not to have a seat.

My e-mail to FGW has just been sent to express my unhappiness!

After all, as I said to them, next time I'll take the car, I always get a seat in that!