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If by :censored: you in fact mean rapist then yes, he is. It must follow from my faith in the verdict that I should also have faith in the punishment handed and served. However, in cases like this I believe the FA/Football League should have a clear policy that if he returned to football he would for the remainder of his career bring the integrity of the game into disrepute. The role of a sports person or athlete carries far greater responsibility than performances alone.

My dad bumped into Guy Branston not too long ago actually. Said he loved his time at Latics and has only ever said good things. Fair play to the man for making a career doing something he loves. I'm sure many of us would snap a hand off just for a year as a professional footballer, never mind sixteen.

Still better than Wirral Rubbish.

OldhamAthleticAFC ‏@OfficialOAFC 5m #OAFC TEAM NEWS: Rachubka, Brown, Lockwood, Wilson, Worrall, Dayton, Byrom, Smith, Harkins, Kissock, Clarke-Harris. Grounds, Wes notable absentees. Go on then, I'll be the first. Have they told LJ that they're off?

I would have thought a deal of this magnitude would be headed by Simon himself. If this goes ahead, the money being used to fund the stand or pay off debt not withstanding, it will still count towards revenue and ease the FFP burden should investment in the playing squad be a priority; or indeed a necessity if we find ourselves in trouble again.

Unless your midfielders contribute goals too.. I think this is what we have missed for a number of seasons now. If our strikers have a bad day, which has regularly been the case, then we've had to bank on nicking one from a set piece or something extraordinary. I'd quite like to see a winger arrive that will get into the box and give defenders something extra to think about - it would ease pressure on the strikers, and create an extra target for Dayton/Harkins or whatever combination of players we are left with to cross the ball to. This, in addition to Wes/A N Other having more freedom from midfield as we have seen, I think would be the most plausible way of boosting our goalscoring potential without over-utilising the budget on one area.

Don't know the man, but wish him the very best. Worth a moment also to pass similar sentiments onto other Latics fans whose family's may be going through similar scenarios that we won't hear about.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/football/teams/manchester-united/10726051/Manchester-Uniteds-Class-of-92-in-talks-over-Old-Trafford-takeover-bid.html The above implies it is United that they're looking to takeover. Mind you the Telegraph cites the Sun as its source, so it could just as easily be crossed wires.

Well, in line with my interpretation at least, it would still be handball as his arm was out - even if it wasn't his primary intention to handle the ball, and unavoidable, arm out would still constitute deliberate handball. It's akin to sticking a foot out for the ball, knowing you might miss and instead commit a foul.

I don't think this is correct. I stopped refereeing about five years ago, so I am happy to be corrected on this - but, it is only handball if it is deemed deliberate anywhere on the field of play, i.e. accidental handball is not an offence. Deliberate generally extends to having hands out, in the air etc. and not necessarily just the intent to handle the ball. So for example, if a player has his hands across his chest, and it hits his hand - it shouldn't be given as handball regardless of the situation in the game. With regards to the red card - quite rightly, it should only be given if a goal (or an "obvious goalscoring opportunity") has been denied. The referee made the decision assuming the shot was on target. As replays have since shown that the shot was going wide, a goal has not been denied and a penalty should be awarded for deliberate handball with no further action required - as there wouldn't be anywhere else on the field if the ball was going out of play. A player can be cautioned if he "breaks up play" or otherwise with a handball, the same way he would be if he had committed a foul in the same situation. So there may be an argument for a yellow card, but only if the referee had thought the ball was going to hit the post and rebound out for example. So as I say, unless something has changed, which it could have - I have vastly cooled my relationship with football in all regards - I often question where the notion of a caution for deliberate handball originated from. It is a particularly popular assertion among pundits, notably Souness. I do agree though that situations like this highlight the need for clarity where the referees judgement of goal scoring opportunity or not is the difference between a penalty and a red card, or just a penalty. It is the same judgement that is made when assessing whether to give a red card for denying an "obvious goalscoring opportunity" through a trip or push - or as I like to call it, the "last man" fallacy. Pundits; Souness, again.

Can both "keep hold of it!" and "get it forward!" at the same time.

On another - perhaps depressing - note, the future looks bright for Brentford... http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-london-26577915

Doubt it. Has he not fallen out with Johnson Snr? Can't see him agreeing to play for Johnson Jnr. instead, or indeed Johnson Jnr. being willing to take him on.

Independent academies followed by a draft..?

Can't help but like the guy and what he has to say. Same could be said of Dickov; the difference being that Johnson's talking about how we were a bit unlucky on the back of a 1-0 victory. Quite a contrast.