You , obviously, don't try to get a beer in Carr's Bar !     What bugs me more than anything is that lots of people suggest ways for NTFC to take in more matchday revenue only to be totally ignored. We are the people who use the facilities, or try to use them, and to say they are anything but a shambles is untrue.

This was discussed at some length last night. It basically comes down to it being financially worthwhile. It was acknowledged that Carrs isn't what you'd design if you were starting from scratch but we have to work with what we've got. The cost of expanding it wouldn't warrant the ROI it would yield.

There were a couple of bits last night that didn't make it into the write up on the official site.

KT made a throwaway comment that they had to find between 5 and 7m in the next couple of years to finish "that" (accompanied by a waft of hand in the general direction of the East Stand).

We know the land is going to cost just over £2m and I think it's reasonable to say there's another £1m or so in admin costs to go with that. From that we can make a reasonable extrapolation that they are probably thinking of spending somewhere between £2m and 4m on finishing the stand.

There was also a question about car parking when the gravel car park is redeveloped. The thinking seems to be that we will use the Saints and university parking and they don't believe it's much farther for people to walk than the current car park. They've had some initial talks with the University about this already. They also said there will be a significant amount of new spaces created behind the East stand when it's finished.

Interestingly KT added that it's likely to be between 3 and 5 years before we need to worry about losing any car parking, longer if the market isn't right, so any warehouse build is a fair way off.

Oh, he also said it's not set in stone that it will definitely be warehousing, that's just the current thinking.

What Sc***horpe did that day at Bristol Rovers was awful but I do feel sorry for there fans now no fan should have to go through this

Indeed. I'll admit I laughed my arse off when they got relegated again last year but there's a world of difference between relegation and liquidation.

why put the new community pitch so close to the back of the main stand when there are 22 acres of land to the left of it.

Doesn't putting there..

1. Restrict any future expansion of the North stand

2. Total underline that you have no intention of using the 22 acres of land to help develop NTFC for the future

The proposed plans for the rest of the site are in the public domain. It's all warehousing apart from the nearest half of the athletics track which will become a car park. Unless we lose even more car parking there isn't really anywhere else to put it, is there?

The conservatives are firmly moving to an election footing. They always get the vote from the wealthy and their election success depends on how many (for want of a better way of putting it) poorer people they can persuade to vote for them. Last time they had Boris ("Good old Boris, he's a laugh, ain't he?")

This time around I think they are aiming at the sort of targets that poorer people often blame for their lot - immigrants taking their jobs and benefits and tree huggers telling them what to do.

I think a lot of what they are spouting will probably land, too.

Looking at the various forums it seems apparent others are coming round to my early season thoughts that JB has assembled a squad weaker than last years, particularly in an attacking sense. I know some on here thought Simpson would have a massive positive impact, but let’s face it he just looks like a squashed version of Yengi thus far.

Out:
King
Maxted
Norman
Osew
Harrop
Cross
Eppiah
DWP
Yengi

In:
Simpson
Thompson
Brough
Monthe
Dagde
Tomlinson

Any chance of a free signing or two!?

I disagree there. Of those you've listed as "outs" the only one I rate is Eppiah, and he's of no practical use because he's made of glass.

Of the "ins", I think Brough and Monthe are both far better than any of the departures. I've not been impressed with Thompson but he was only really emergency cover while Burge was injured.

Simpson I agree is a massive disappointment so far. He looked really good in our first game but clearly wasn't fully fit. Since then he hasn't looked any good while still looking unfit!

Perhaps he’s working from home …

Kenilworth Road?

I don’t see an issue with him supporting and posting about another club, he’s human after all. They’re not exactly rivals etc.

What I do have an issue with is assuming he’s on about 2/3 grand a week, we’ve paid him 400 odd quid to go and watch the team he supports rather than doing something useful for the club.

Exactly. I'd imagine most players have a different team they support and there's nothing wrong with that. There's nothing wrong with going to see them if your current team has a blank game day for whatever reason either

When you are never fit and seem to spend every game off watching the team you support and constantly tweet about them while seemingly never watching and never mentioning the team that currently pays your wages then it's a case of completely taking the piss!

All players should be contractually obliged to be at our games when they aren't fit, as long as it doesn't interfere with their recovery.

Even if they can't be on the pitch they can be mixing with fans in hospitality, engaging with the kids on the family zone etc. We are paying them, after all.

If they don't want to do that or, for whatever reason, we don't want them around doing those sort of things then we should absolutely be trying to pay them off because they are adding zero value to our club.

Over 2 months since JR and nothing much happening despite KT (and others) previously chomping at the bit to get go but finding convenient scapegoats (mainly the Trust) at every turn.

Now, as some have said, they have run out of excuses and people to blame (although now it in the hands of lawyers and phantom builders) and it's all very quiet.

The thing is, Derek, these things take time, doubly so when you are dealing with a council and triply so when that council has previously been very publicly stung in a previous deal.

The deal has to be right for all parties, and that includes the tax payers, so there's going to be a lot of toing and froing to get to where we need to be.

In recent months you've questioned where the new signs were and suggested they weren't really being done.  They are now there.

You've also questioned where the new training facilities were and insinuated they weren't really happening and now they are nearly ready.

So when you suggest the stand isn't going to happen either you aren't coming to that on the back of a great track record.

We need to just chill and wait for things to take their course.

The company I work for are actually keen to move to EV vehicles as part of our sustainability strategy but we only have 3 DCs and a few outbases to deliver from. This coverage makes our delivery routes quite long and the  current range of the size of vehicles we need to make our deliveries means they just aren't a viable option at the moment.

Technology has quite a way to go before EV becomes a viable option for everyone.

When my mum was taken into care, after being discharged from Turn Furlong, I was given 12 weeks to sell her house, before I became fully responsible for the Burlington care home fees. (eye opening expensive  ). I managed it with the help of Jackson Grundy, and some incentives. A shed full of garden tools, lots of furniture and white goods included in the sale. It took some doing, but it was just achieved in time, before the council started to invoice me directly for over four grand a month. So, in answer to your question mate, it can be done by the skin of your teeth. .

That's outrageous, isn't it? It doesn't pay to have any sort of savings or assets as you get older, does it? Should you find yourselves in this situation you are basically screwed and all the stuff you planned on leaving for your kids just gets hoovered up.

I think you should engage your brain before you write.

Wouldn't hurt, would it?

Personally, I think Russell Brand is vile and that's not based on any recent disclosures. He's very bright but he's a complete bottom feeder; a sleazebag who has always used his fame and dubious talent to sleep with as many women as possible and then brag about it.

Of the cases discussed on Dispatches, while morally questionable, I'd say there was no criminal offence in any of them (with the obvious exception of the alleged rape, and I suspect that would be virtually impossible to get a conviction on). Of course there's also the subsequent sexual assault allegation and I've no idea about that one.

The thing for me on this is I'm not sure how it comes as news to anyone. He's a scumbag and I'm certainly not excusing his behaviour, but he's made a career out of it!  It's not like he's been going around doing all this in secret, they even used footage of him talking about some of the nasty stuff he said to one of the women in his stand up act.

If he's charged and found guilty of something that was a crime at the time he committed it then good, I hope he gets what he deserves. Initially though,  I think there's a big element here of retrospective moral judgement. On the one hand I'm quite uncomfortable with that but on the other.. isn't it nice to watch him squirm?

On the plus side, at least the whole Russell Brand affair has meant there's finally something worth watching on GB News....

https://www.thepoke.com/2023/09/18/andrew-pierce-took-fellow-gb-news-presenter-bev-turner-to-task-for-calling-russell-brand-her-hero-and-its-an-extraordinary-watch/

In the immortal words of Sir Bob Geldoff: "Russell Brand. What a c**t."

I tell you what will be absolutely rammed in the few weeks, the new Wagga’s.

That reminds me, I need to update my list on the Port Vale thread.

The worst food I ever had at a ground was a burger at Valley Parade. It would have been better if it was greasy because at least there would have been some moisture!

It was like corrugated cardboard. The cheese was like a lump of rubber and I think the bun must have just been defrosted because it was freezing cold. I only managed a couple of bites before it went in the bin.

Nailsworth and Stroud both really good places - the Old Man of Coniston fell walk up to the ground aside!

Problem is, those on coaches rarely if ever get a hint or sniff of what the cities, towns (or villages!) are like, other than the immediate environs of the ground!

That's true. I always hated going by coach, I like to be able to explore a bit.  

I did a coach holiday once. Never, ever again. f***ing awful experience!  Trapped on a bus with some of the worst people on earth, stopping for 5 minutes a time at some really interesting stuff before rushing you back aboard but deciding to stop at a service station in the arse end of nowhere for a couple of hours. I still shudder thinking about it...

In case I sound like a bit of a food snob in my last couple of comments (the very idea of which would make my wife piss herself), our order of preference on away trips was always:

1 a nice pub that did food
2 a bog standard chain pub
3 chain restaurant (TGI sort of thing)
4 independent cafe/restaurant
5 McDonald's/Burger King
6 chippy
7 burger in ground
8 nothing
9 KFC
10 bucket of dog vomit
11 Wagamama