Jimbo

I got up at 1:30pm and had a bowl of Cherios, I guess that's a late Brunch.

American. Because then I could live/work there without needing a visa, and living/working in Aus is a piece of piss anyway - they're so desperate to import intelligent labour, having spend the last 100+ years producing thickos. The Safety Raspberry wasn't required.

I think the key to happy retirement is having something to do with your time, I know several people that have retired recently and a good few of them miss work a lot, for the banter and the friendships.

Glad you liked it, but could have been so much better in my opinion.

I'm glad Ally disagrees, his seal of disapproval is almost a surer sign of quality than Brock's.

I've often thought of this, and in an unemotional, sober frame of mind I'd like to think I would leave it to the courts, but if the red mist descended I think I would be very capable of dishing out my own form of justice if I felt justice had not been delivered.

I thought it was superb, full of twists, predictable ? well there were only ever a couple of possible outcomes and they kept you guessing to the very end. Just Fucking Brilliant !

I think with the design of the back of that shirt, it would look daft without a name and number.

Mine too, now finishing the 1st of 3 nightshifts.

Superb, well worth the yellow card.

It was a far cry from that famous heart-pounding moment against Argentina, or his hat-trick in Germany, but Michael Owen scored one of the most pivotal goals of his career yesterday. The venue was Newcastle United’s training ground and the opposition was provided by Gretna, but after a ten-month absence through injury, the centre forward did not care one jot. Having undergone surgery in the United States to repair the anterior cruciate ligament damage he suffered during England’s match against Sweden in the World Cup finals last June, having expended litres of sweat and hours of frustration in the gym, Owen has almost completed his rehabilitation. He played for 75 minutes against Newcastle’s Scottish opponents behind closed doors, apparently suffering no ill-effects. His goal, in a 4-1 victory, was described by observers as a dipping shot on the run, struck from a distance of more than 20 yards; Newcastle supporters will be drooling. He also turned provider for Shola Ameobi — whose return from a long-term hip complaint is also well ahead of schedule — who snapped up the rebound when another Owen effort was repelled. While Glenn Roeder, the manager, has consistently refused to put a timescale on Owen’s recuperation — announcing on Monday that plans to field him in a reserve-team match this week had been shelved — the 27-year-old remains on course to play some part in Newcastle’s home match against Chelsea on April 22. He is unlikely to be considered for this weekend’s match away to Portsmouth. Provided that he suffers no setbacks, Owen could have four matches to establish his fitness before the end of the season, raising the prospect of him being selected for the European Championship qualifying match in Estonia on June 6. He could also be involved on Thursday May 31, when England — the FA has continued to pay a sizeable chunk of his £110,000-a-week wages during his recovery — play Brazil in their first match at the refurbished Wembley Stadium. That prospect remains some distance away, however, but the initial reports of Owen’s comeback are hugely promising. Gretna, whose director of club development is Mick Wadsworth, who worked for Newcastle under Sir Bobby Robson — a spectator at their Scottish League first division game against St Johnstone on Saturday — were invited to Tyneside when Hartlepool United were unable to comply. “He didn’t look rusty at all,” Erik Paartalu, Gretna’s Australian midfield player, said. “In fact, he looked very sharp. He was going past defenders and it didn’t seem that he had been out for so long. We knew on Saturday that we would be playing Newcastle and that it was Owen’s comeback. It was a buzz. We didn’t get too stuck into him, but we did with the other lads. He combined well with Ameobi.” Albert Luque, Titus Bramble and Charles N’Zogbia also took part in a 90-minute match split into thirds. “If that’s what he’s like after ten months out of the game, I’d hate to play against a fully fit Michael Owen,” Gavin Skelton, the Gretna full back, said. “The goal was the hallmark of a great striker. It was just a half-chance, really, from the edge of the box, but in a flash he’d buried it in the bottom corner of the net with a right-foot shot. He didn’t smash it, it was just very clinical, brilliantly placed. “He looked very sharp throughout and while I can’t recall him having many more chances, his link-up play was excellent. And I didn’t notice him breathing heavily, either. Stamina-wise, you wouldn’t have thought that this was his comeback game. Obviously, he’s not going to be match fit, but to me he looks ready for the Premiership. “We’re not a bad side in our own right, but he’s the best we’ve played against. I’m glad I don’t come across forwards of his calibre every week.” Owen’s two years at Newcastle have been plagued by injury. Since his club-record £16 million signing from Real Madrid, he has started only ten matches in the Barclays Premiership, scoring seven goals. Owen will hope that yesterday represented a change in fortune.

Aye managers usually get the bullet in September don't they ?

How much detail do you have to go into ??

Not at all surprised.

Keep an eye out for Hoof Hearted, worth a punt

Adu got his passport from the same place Martins did tbh.

This isn't some 17 yearold fledgling talent Zath, the "kid" is nearly 25, he's either good enough or he isn't. He's nearly 25 but the American player develops a lot later. They don't generally become professional players until age 22 at least. Look at McBride; his best years have been the wrong side of 30. Thats hilarious ! So we'll see a world class Freddy Adu by the time he hits 50 ?

I think its the best thing the BBC have done in years, well worth catching up with in my opinion.

Tim Krul has set his sights on a place in the Holland Under-21 squad for this summer's European Championships after stepping up his comeback bid. The Dutch stopper has not played since his man of the match display during the 1-0 win over Palermo in November, the teenage keeper making a string of magnificent saves to deny the Sicilians. But a cartilage injury sustained during the warm-up before the Carling Cup tie at Watford has kept Krul sidelined for what he admits has been a frustrating five months. The 19-year-old told nufc.co.uk: "I'm happy that the injury happened after Palermo because that experience was unbelievable, but it was disappointing because I had a chance to try and break into the team.

Final episode tonight, I've enjoyed both series, but the star of the show has been Gene Hunt, what a character, its got to the point where I couldn't give a toss about Sam Tyler, a spin off series about Gene Hunt set in the 80's is planned, can't wait !

I think one Poll is more than enough in this case

Graham Poll has been backed by the Premier League and Charlton boss Alan Pardew for preventing Alexandre Song from being sent off against Reading. Referee Poll gave Pardew the chance to substitute Song during Monday's game before he earned a second caution. A Premier League spokesman said: "It has got to be beneficial to the game that referees keep team captains and management aware of any issues." And Pardew said: "Full credit to the referee. He did the right thing." Song, on loan from Arsenal, had been shown a yellow card for a rash challenge on Steve Sidwell during the first half. And Pardew had been to see Poll during the break to ask for a "signal" should the young Cameroon player walk the tightrope again. Pardew claimed he received such a signal and subsequently substituted the midfielder. The Addicks boss added: "I went to see Graham Poll at half-time and I said to him 'I need to have some signal if it is getting close', and he sent me that signal, so Alex had to come off. "He gave me a look - which more or less said it all. The referee did the right thing - no-one wants to see a team go down to 10 men. "And if there was that communication and a better relationship between us and the referees, then we would have far less incidents on the pitch."

He's been expected to hit the ground running, which might be unfair to any new player to the Premiership, and Roeder's team selection hasn't helped him one bit, I'm not convinced either way, but I'll be pissed off if he stays in the Premiership with another club and is a sucess.

The former boss of a no-win no-fee compensation firm which told its 2,500 staff by text they would not be paid has been killed in a car crash. Mark Langford, 43, from Cheshire, fled to the continent after Manchester-based The Accident Group (TAG) collapsed with debts of £100m in May 2003. Mr Langford's car was involved in an accident in the Spanish resort of Marbella on Monday. He was being sought by HM Revenue and Customs for £4.1m in unpaid tax. It is thought the businessman was at the wheel when his car went off the motorway near the resort. He died in hospital later. No other cars were thought to be involved and police have started an investigation into the cause of the incident. Bankruptcy hearing Mr Langford famously informed TAG staff that they were out of a job in a text message which read: "Urgent. Unfortunately salaries not paid. Please do not contact office. Full details to follow later...." In March, a bankruptcy petition hearing against Mr Langford was adjourned at London's High Court and was due to resume on 1 May. In addition to this action, The Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) was seeking to disqualify Mr Langford as a director. His wife Deborah was also included in the DTI action. Three other former directors are already disqualified.