Hands on

We missed Croft, gave away two soft goals and Barnard couldn't do anything right. Simpson was under far too much pressure so the booking and his absence from the next two games inevitable. Changes at half time put a solid Mellor in front of the back 4, Smith up front to win almost everything and a player called Millar who can't possibly have been the player we used to play as a winger called Millar. Another might have been. Looks like we are going to have to rely on Scunthorpe being worse than us if we are to stay up. Would like a three point gap however to protect against Portsmouth being expelled.

Standard letter when you write on a planning application. I have one but will let the professionals do the talking.

The three month option was interest 'free' but you have to pay an administration fee. £362 would not be well received after the leaked £200 plus VAT plus a shirt. If the club is serious about getting more people in they should offer interest free payment by direct debit over say 10 months starting May. Somebody buying a ticket in July could then be asked to make the May and June payments with the July payment and so on. Once people get used to this the club should be able to increase the number of season ticket sales.

Pompey Supporters Trust (PST) have exchanged contracts to buy Fratton Park from the administrators but Chanrai has a charge on the property and is blocking the sale. The application seems to be that PST are offering a market price so that Chanrai has to allow the sale. Their case is said to be strong! The football league will only allow PST to take over the football club if the can buy Fratton Park. They have until the end of the season which for them is defined as 27th April - their last fixture. As I see it PST has to force the sale to them of Fratton Park by 27th April or they will be expelled. If the High Court refuses the application this does mean that we could lose six points. In theory if Pompey play their final fixture we would keep the six points, if they don't we won't. However if the matter is not decided before the final fixture in their favour they should be expelled and Scunthorpe could seek remedy in the High Court if we don't have three more points than them.

I see no reason to single out any particular group other than the usual child, student and oap. My view is that season tickets should be no more than £300 for an adult with payment by instalments but no interest say 10 @ £30. I'm sure this would encourage more people to buy season tickets and the discount they are getting would make it fare to offer certain gains at a discount to all non season ticket holders. You could even ask just £5 when there is little away support so we don't lose out on that. It is not only the unemployed who are struggling to make ends meet - many low paid workers have had their pay frozen for years and others less than inflation increases. The desired outcome would be to allow some people who can't usually afford to attend see a match and others to try out the match day experience. It would also be good PR.

But if the HIgh Court refuses the application and there is no appeal or an appeal is heard and refused before 27th the Football League should expel Portsmouth forthwith. If they fail to do so and we don't have three more points than Scunthorpe, Scunthorpe might take action to have us relegated instead. Best thing is to get three more points than them or rather hope they get three less than us. After seeing their fans at Boundary Park I very much hope they do survive.

The answer to my own question is err not that simple. It is a matter of timing. Hopefully if the High Court says no there will be an appeal and Portsmouth will be allowed to carry on until the date of the appeal which I hope would be after 27th April. 12.2 Cessation of membership. If a Club (or Clubs) ceases to be a member of The League for any reason (including, without limitation, pursuant to Article 4 of the Articles of Association or by way of relegation or expulsion for disciplinary reasons): 12.2.1 during any Normal Playing Season, its playing record shall be expunged and the number of relegation places from the relevant Division for that Season shall be reduced by the number of Clubs ceasing to be members; 12.2.2 during the period between the end of the Normal Playing Season and the conclusion of the last Play-Off Match for that Season, its playing record shall not be expunged but the number of relegation places from the relevant Division for that Season shall be reduced by the number of Clubs ceasing to be members; or 12.2.3 during the period between the conclusion of the last Play-Off Match and the start of the following Season, its playing record shall not be expunged but the number of relegation places from the Division in which a Club would have played but for its cessation of membership, shall be reduced by the number of Clubs ceasing to be members and, during that Season, the relevant Division shall operate with a reduced number of Clubs.

There is therefore some doubt as to their survival in the football league - the High Court might not force Chainrai to sell. If instead of relegation they are simply chucked out we have a problem, assuming the points from Portsmouth games are deducted, because we are the only team in the bottom 8 to have taken 6 points. With only Shrewsbury to play them the second time we end up with Shrewsbury 48 Preston 46 Carlisle 44 Colchester 40 Scunthorpe 38 Oldham 35 Bury 31 Hartlepool 29 Portsmouth 0 Which means that to be certain of safety we have to finish 3 points above Scunthorpe. So my idea of 7 points for safety becomes 10 to guarantee it. Which just goes to show that TP was right when he said we needed 51 points to survive!

I would like to think we are going to stop pissing about with loan players and build a team. Obita would have been a good player if he was ours but most of the time he couldn't be bothered.

I would put the away fans in the Chaddy end and designate the small part of RRE as the family area. Then when 'it' happens close the top section of the main stand but put the cameras and press in there.

And a pint in the Angel on the way - heaven!

Can we please have a blue with white kit and a decent collar. We need to consign the drab blue to history. Drab blue for a drab year. Lactics blue for next years charge up the league.

Most of the players won't be here next year. Most would rather end the season injury free. It doesn't matter to most of them if we get relegated. Most are unfit. Most don't seem to realise that they should give 100% because the club pays their wages. Most are probably too thick to understand a simple instruction. Most of the game their efforts were laughable. On the plus side LJ seemed to get them playing better in the 2nd half and the substitutions and change of tactics worked. Carlisle, Preston and Shrewsbury now look safe and Colchester need just 4 points from 5 games to join them. Latics need to stay above Scunthorpe who will do very well to get another 7 points. So it is a point a game for us. Simples!

It is now a race against Scunny when it could have been Scunny and Colchester! Can't see four wins but we won't need four wins. 7 more points will keep us up and after half time they at least looked like they wanted to win. So LJ did his job at half time and made the tactical change which resulted in the draw.

Just need three wins out of eight. Doesn't matter who because we don't play Scunny and I can't see then getting more than two wins from their last six. The great thing is that a win and a Scunny loss puts two teams behind us. Could even get over confident!

This was never a game we needed to get anything from other than a team performance. 1 point and our better goal difference could make all the difference. If we go after Colchester like we did Hartlepool then come Monday night things will look much brighter. I hate to say I've won a bet with my son that we would be in the bottom four at the end of March! However, I didn't think we would be in the position to jump out three days later. I'm certain that with LJ we won't be in the bottom four again after Monday.

It is unfair to suggest Dickov only had one plan - he had two distinct ways of losing a game: Plan A - score a goal and then sit back until the pressure mounts so much that the opposition score and should go on to win. Clearly Roy has seen this plan but didn't explain it properly. Plan B - don't bother to score first but once behind throw M'voto up front so that they can easily score another and put the game beyond us.

Coventry City Football Club (Holdings) Ltd have, they think, arranged things in such a way so as to avoid the 10 point deduction from an administration due to non payment of rent. It seems likely that 10 points will be deducted because there is an administration (of Coventry City Football Club Ltd) and possible that more than 10 will be deducted to make an example of them for trying, possibly succeeding, to be clever. It is suggested that CCFCLtd, the company now in administration, does in fact own the Football League's Golden Share, the document which makes you a member of the Football League, and therefore CCFC(Holdings)Ltd isn't a member so you can ask why has it been playing a team in the Football League.

Forecast is now worse but prospects for game improved! The High is here to stay over Easter so little snow and 4/5 degrees during day and -1/-2 at night. Oh dear that puts Easter Monday at risk given the frozen patch in front of the main stand!

Yes I've seen this. Could be worth arranging an alternative date for Wednesday 3rd April, or having Shrewsbury that day, as best option. Also makes two loan players better than one. Paul Murray might get a game! Even LJ could get a game! Man Above give us a break.

Seems right - also now looks like 3 wins will keep us up!

Watched 6 but interestingly he hadn't decided to be our manager until after the Bournemouth game. Swindon is a game which we could win but are likely to lose. A draw would be a great result and a win magnificent, the first against a team in the top 12 when we play them, but a loss as long as we play well not a disaster. With nine games in 30 days with an unfit squad playing high tempo there will have to be rotation of players to get the best out of them. We don't want to run out of steam as in 94. I would start the rotation against Swindon as a win against Colchester is much more important. No doubt LJ will have carefully assessed who can and who can't play every game so we will see.

Can't see it being on next week given the forecast for Monday and Tuesday. The problem is the people who can't walk or drive in snow because they expect everything to be cleared for them. Little John will just have to use the whole squad because high tempo with people who are 80% fit is going to make April a very long month for the players.

Let us hope Furman and Co do the business at Glanford Park.

The forecast suggests Shrewsbury will be getting what we now have in Uppermill and if true I can't see how the game can be played as the lines will be obliterated. If the heavy falls come this evening they could clear it tomorrow morning but I suspect they might just give up. We need the game tomorrow more than they do.