Presumably lifted from Saturday's programme! Ferencvaros sounds impressive but they're not what they were, towards the foot of the table and having games abandoned due to fan riots. It will be a challenge but that's when you usually get the break to be a manager.

Spot on Oz. I knew there would be at least someone on here who would pick it up. They used to let their support of Tranmere get in the way of possible rock stardom. They famously refused to appear on a popular music programme in Newcastle one Friday night (The Word?) as it clashed with a Tranmere home game.

I see from yesterday's match programme that Craig Short is the new manager at Ferencvaros. Of no interest to me as I was a teenage armchair Honved fan

I too am ambivalent about Wagamama - it's Ok but doesn't fill me with enthusiasm. Tampopo, on the same model in Albert Square, is better in my view.

Apologies if this is somewhere else on the thread but Simon Barker is now Head of Delegate Liaison (?) at the PFA and is a trustee of the National Football Museum in Preston - for those fans who remember the last time we had to sell our best players to survive.

Hughesy - how about following the link and reading the menu?

Mike, if you need to be in the centre of town then Mr Heathcote's place would still be the best option if you want a good meal in quality surroundings - it's been rebranded as the Grill Room at the Olive Press but is little changed otherwise. If you can move a little out of town Inside Out on Higher Walton Road in Walton-le-Dale has been good the few times I've been there, although it's been a while. There's Thyme at the Sirloin, (which you could walk to from home!) and Gordon's recommendation of San Marco in Much Hoole is a good one if it's not too far out and quality Italian is OK.

I'll have to diagree with you about Northcote Manor. I've only been to Stanley House once and that was a while ago so I may be out of date but it seemed good but not great value for the price. On the other hand we were at Northcote on Monday for the wife's birthday and it was almost faultless, if breathtakingly expensive. I found the staff pretty relaxed, certainly no pretensions of grandeur that you often get at Michelin places. The tomato comsomme, ostensibly the filler course to make his Great British Menu into 5 courses, was simply outstanding.

Not really for this thread but I can't think where else to put it. I got a mailing from Northcote Manor the other day with some lunch offers and there is a location map which shows everywhere within 30 miles but completely misses Burnley - hats off to Nigel!

I've been to the San Marco a couple of times - both excellent - and it's only 10 minutes from home for me!

The key is whether the Geordies can sack him or not. They should be able to because they should have amended his contract when they agreed to keep him after prison to allow dismissal for a further transgression but this is Newcastle we're talking about so god knows. If they can sack him I would have thought they would do so that they can save his wages for the remainder of his contract. That number would be a lot bigger than his transfer fee, which I suppose they could try pursuing him for through the courts a la Chelsea and Mutu, but I suspect that would be difficult. If he's sacked and out of work he's suddenly both a hell of a lot more affordable and a club could write his contract such that it's ripped up with any further offence.

Given Newcastle are currently looking at ways of sacking him I would think his current salary is completely irrelevant. I don't think I want him either but I don't think not being able to afford him will be a problem.

It's excellent - I've been a few times. Modern British, similar to Heathcotes. Not cheap but decent value for the quality you get.

You were a long way out there Oz! These days I only really seem to listen to world music, although that said that's a hell of a broad church. I'll listen to pretty much anything out of west Africa in particular, especially Tinariwen, Amadou & Mariam, Baaba Maal, Bassekou Kouyate etc. Still have plenty of time for the likes of Ry Cooder, Van Morrison, Brain Wilson and Leonard Cohen as well though.

I'm off to see Ojos de Brujo tonight in Liverpool - possibly the worlds' only Catalan flamenco/hip hop fusion band. Looking forward to a serious party night.

In The Loop, from Armando Ianucci, the maker of the satirical political TV show The Thick of It. Completely hilarious and featuring Peter Capaldi's Malcolm Tucker, the world's most inventive swearer. You might have to search around for it though.

I think it was Austin Mitchell, then Yorkshire TV presenter, now maverick MP for Grimsby.

I've not seen the film yet but have read the book. The book is very dark and it's understandable that the family do not approve. I understand from reviews that the film is much lighter and kinder to Clough. In any event it's important to remember that both the book and the film are fiction, although based on real events - neither is claiming to give a true account.

You can keep control of the bill at Yang Sing by asking them to choose the dishes for you - you just give them a per person budget, tell them what you like and don't like and leave it to them. You will get stuff you would not have tried otherwise - we had razor clams last time which were amazing.

Whilst you're right about the disgraceful way the major supermarkets deal with food suppliers in the UK, Le Chuck is absolutely right about FairTrade. This is a specific term which can only be used for products approved by the FairTrade Foundation. It relates to products from Third World countries which carry a guaranteed fixed premium over world market prices and also a small social premium, both of which are used for community development. I have been to Cuba to see the operation of FairTrade in orange juice production and am off to Southern India in four weeks to meet FairTrade tea producers. It's still relatively small scale in world market terms but it does work and should be supported.

Great post Paul and I agree with the majority of your points - buying locally, in small quantities and often, preferably from as near to the grower as you can get, will generally be far superior. Even better, grow it yourself where you can. I thought the same as you regarding air-freighted vegetables from Africa until I read Fred Pearce's book - Confessions of an Eco Sinner. The bookn is about travels to find our where his food and clothing comes from. On one trip he goes out to Kenya to see the green beans operation and comes back convinced he should buy more! Not enough space to go into the full reasons why but in a nutshell the extra carbon foorprint of the air freight is greatly outweighed by the benefits to the local communities that are growing the beans - it's proper development, allowing people who were previously at subsistence level to become self sufficient and set themselves on the road to proper economic development. There are much the same arguments to be made about fairtrade products as well. The majority of fairtrade foodstuffs on sale in the UK are crops that cannot be grown commercially in the UK and the fairtrade premiums provide a way for poor farming communities to get themselves out of poverty. I have met orange juice producers in Cuba so can be rather boring on the subject if you want! At the other extreme, my wife treated me to dinner at Northcote Manor last night for my birthday - extraordinarily wonderful but not a regular event unless you have shedloads of money. Last night was a mystery gourmet and wine evening where we had to guess what we were eating and drinking - we were hopeless but it was terrific fun. We ate food we would probably never have tried if choosing from a menu but it was excellent - arctic char from Loch Ness, beef sweetbreads and goat from Cockerham!

It's the Sirloin Paul.

Just back from Glastonbury. Didn't really see Winey Amehouse as I was working in the WaterAid tent as a volunteer at the time. Thought The Verve were very average, but it might have been the comparison with Leonard Cohen who was on immediately before - his set was extraordinary, although I believe armchair viewers couldn't see him. Outstanding sets also from Balkan Beat Box, The Blockheads, Martha Wainwright, Cerys Matthews and the Handsome Family - probably none of these on the tele either. I was curious about Jay-Z - whilst it's not really my type of music he is a great showman and the first 5 minutes was a brilliant response to Noel Gallagher's ridiculous comments. There is a pretty good rule of thumb for most years - the best stuff happens miles from the big stages. You just have to be there - come along next year!

Tony Allen comfortably.

I've read an article about him in the last few months (can't remember where). He seems to be completely committed to sailing now. As well as the Windermere stuff he has been taking boats around the Med and even across the Atlantic.