OK, it's not going to be up there with "The Greatest Films Of All Time" but the daughter & I went to see "Hancock" yesterday. A new look on the super-hero theme and very well worked too. Without giving too much away - Hancock has super-powers but unfortunately a lifestyle of an insular & drunk slacker. As you might expect the ending has him being redeemed. You can go and search www for exerpts & trailers. Cracking good entertainment.

Reads like a further argument for changing the laws to me , Philip ......

List No 9 Here we go - a quick summary of the most recent recommended reads for the most well-read set of football supporters this side of the Booker Prize 'Cadbury's Purple Reign' -John Bradley, recommended by Exiled In Toronto "just appeared in Waterstones All you chocoholics out there would definitely enjoy." “We Don’t Know What We’re Doing” – Adventures with the extraordinary fans of an ordinary team.” - Adrian Chiles recommended by me "Many people will Know that Chiles is a Baggies fan, but what most will not know is just how much of one he is. He goes to as many games, home and away, as he can fit in. He is in fact, a real committed fan. This book is the story of the 2005-2006 season, unfortunately for him it was the season they were relegated." "The Widow of the South" - Robert Hicks recommended by Rovermatt "a beautifully written and affecting Civil War novel. I would recommend it to anyone interested in this period of history." "The Damned United" - David Peace recommended by Mr Creosote. "it's a fact based novel based on Brian Clough's ill fated tenure at Leeds in the mid seventies written from the perspective of the man himself. A real "page turner" as the airport paperback blurbs like to say. " "A Passage to India". - EM Forster recommended by Rovers6 "I really like it but I'm not sure why. Not that I didn't want to like it - but it isn't a particularly exciting book in the orthodox sense but there's something profound about it that is hard to put my finger on. " Notes on a Scandal - Zoe Heller recommended by Four lane Blue "...which was recently made into a film. Interesting take on a middle aged female teacher having an affair with a student and then the media frenzy when it is found out. Very good narrator as well...a bit creepy and very voyeuristic." Sunday at the pool in Kigali -Gil Courtemanche recommended by Four Lane Blue "..which is about a Canadian expat in Rwanda during the days leading up to the genocide in the nineties there. Eye-opening and brutal...it has plenty to say about Africa and the role of the white man there...as well as just how messed up colonialism has left some places even to this day. " The Bounty - Mary Alexander Recommendeed by Blue Phil "This is the definitive account of the mutiny on the bounty - one of the most fascinating episodes in our history - and takes in the build up to the mutiny itself , and the nigh on incredible tales of Bligh and the mutineers in the years after . I can assure anyone that the range of remarkable characters involved in this whole episode go far beyond that of the cliched Christian and Bligh and include more or less the whole ship's company . The story of the colony that evolved on Pitcairn island and the merging of Tahitian and British culture is fascinating . " "As I walked out one Midsummer Morning" - Laurie Lee Recommended by Rosie "an outstanding book - I would recommend this to anyone. I deliberately took ages to read it because I didn't want it to end. I want to go out and order everything he ever wrote now." "If this is a man / The Truce" -Primo Levi Recommended by Rosie "Depressing, but eye opening and brilliantly written, I'm currently reading by which is about living in Auschwitz as an (Italian) Jewish prisoner of war in WWII. To say it is harrowing doesn't do it justice. Suffice to say it's taking me a long time to read, but I would totally recommend it. " "Home Run" by John Nichol and Tony Rennell. Recommended by Bryan It's a great piece of non-fiction, the story of war-time evaders in occupied territory. something that's quite close to home for John Nichol (one of the RAF pilots caught and tortured by the Iraqis and put on TV in Gulf War 1). Evocative is definitely the word, it brings it all remarkably to life with the help of the accounts of the people who were there. You feel like you're there yourself, it's that good.One account in particular brought a tear to my eye, it was quite affecting, but I shall say no more, and let you find out for yourself.Best book I've read in many a year. Gripping, informative and most of all, very humbling. "Sing When You're Winning" Football Fans. Terrace Songs And A Search For The Soul Of Soccer (Soccer?) - Colin Irwin Recommended by me Another football book: funny & enlightening. Irwin travels from Stamford Bridge to Wick to (gag) Turf Moor to Lllansantffraid (the home of "Total Network Solutions") as they play against "Airbus UK." he takes in everything from the fans' point of view and hates the commercialisation of the game.The Bovril & Wagon Wheels theme keeps going, he even reports on games that he can't get into because he doesn't have a ticket. The book makes me go "Hey, I think exactly the same way about that too." Which is a good thing & apologies for those I have left out. It was getting a bit too busy. I'm going to ask the mods to tighten this up a bit.....

"Sing When You're Winning" Football Fans. Terrace Songs And A Search For The Soul Of Soccer (Soccer?) Colin Irwin Another football book: funny & enlightening. Irwin travels from Stamford Bridge to Wick to (gag) Turf Moor to Lllansantffraid (the home of "Total Network Solutions") as they play against "Airbus UK." he takes in everything from the fans' point of view and hates the commercialisation of the game. The Bovril & Wagon Wheels theme keeps going, he even reports on games that he can't get into because he doesn't have a ticket. The book makes me go "Hey, I think exactly the same way about that too." Which is a good thing

Only a sixteenth - I like to think that's my left arm

I've recently been introduced to The Dropkick Murphys A bit like The Pogues on steroids, so if you can imagine likeing that sort of thing then Bob's your uncle

Vintage, Do you not have a kitchen in your house?

OK, back to the top for this. A few years ago that I wrote one of the match previews for one of our games v West Bromwich Albion. More in hope than expectation I sent an e-mail to Adrian Chiles, 5 Live presenter and anchor-man for MOTD2, asking him if he would do a Q & A. He agreed, and sent me a great one. Last year he had a book published by Sphere Books “We Don’t Know What We’re Doing” – Adventures with the extraordinary fans of an ordinary team.” Many people will Know that Chiles is a Baggies fan, but what most will not know is just how much of one he is. He goes to as many games, home and away, as he can fit in. He is in fact, a real committed fan, not, as you may expect, a part-timer surviving off freebies from the MOTD office. This book is the story of the 2005-2006 season, unfortunately for him it was the season they were relegated. And yes, Rovers 2 (Kuqi 2) v 0 WBA & WBA 2 (Cambell, Greening) v 0 Rovers are both in. The book is not about the games themselves, but more about the Baggies fans who he meets during the season. As the blurb on the back says he: “meets the fan who’s only missed five games since the second world war, and the woman who narrowly survived finishing on the losing side in the second world war, only finding herself in West Bromwich supporting another team that seemed to make a habit of losing. Then there is the woman who has never seen a side concede a goal because she always covers her eyes; the bloke whose leg fell off against Wolves; the Sikh woman whose parents banned her from going, who now bans her children from not going; and the octogenarian who, relegated or promoted, weaves a rug to celebrate.” As you’d expect from a season which ends in relegation, there’s a fair bit of gloom about, but this is one of the reasons why I like this book. Anybody can (& has,) written about a team’s “glory season,” but Chiles perfectly describes the abject misery of seeing your team put in a shocking performance. He describes it just as I feel it. He perfectly reflects how l felt after Rovers 1 v Coventry 4 (FA Cup.) There are lots of little detail about all kinds of things, covered with brilliant humour such as being near a youthful ###### up Baggies fan who has already puked, away at Highbury. “If we lose and he throws up on me it will be a disaster.” “Yes but if we win and he throws up on you it’ll be worse. You’ll have to get him to do it every other game as a good luck symbol.” So, it’s not really about football, and it’s not particularly about being a Baggies fan. It’s about being a football fan and about other football fans who support the same team as you. One thing struck me: many of the people he describes have their sort of opposite numbers on here. There’s a Baggie’s version of “Jordan,” a “Waggie,” a “Revidge,” a “Fife,” a “Jan,” & a “Roversmum.” There’s plenty of ex-pats in the story to reflect the ones on here and, no doubt if you read it, you’ll find some more. I’ll finish with more book-cover blurb: “The story, just like supporting a football team is by turns hilarious, heartwarming and heartbreaking." Unreservedly recommended.

Using the bridge at Dinkley, it'd take him about 10 minutes, probably faster than driving round via Whalley. He could spend more time in bed!

Just to add a bit more to Darth Paul's post.... This little list has been sat on my comuter for a few years. It's always good to get it out and give it an airing every now and then: The fifteen players who played the most league appearances in that season (in brackets) are listed below, along with their transfer fees. Alan Shearer (42) £3.3m from Southampton in 1992 Henning Berg (40) £0.4m from Lillestrom in 1993 Chris Sutton (40) £5.0m from Norwich in 1994 Graeme Le Saux (39) £0.65 from chelsea in 1993 Tim Flowers (39) £2.0m from Southampton 1993 Colin Hendry (38) £0.03mfrom Dundee in 1987 Tim Sherwood (38) £0.5m from Norwich in 1992 Stuart Ripley (36) £1.2m from Middlebrough in 1992 Mark Atkins (30) £0.04mfrom Scunthorpe in 1988 Jason Wilcox (27) £0 from the youth team Ian Pearce (22) £0.3m from chelsea in 1993 Paul Warhurst (20) £2.7m from Sheffield Wednesday in 1993 Tony Gale (15) £0 from West Ham in 1994 Robbie Slater (12) £0.3m from Lens in 1994 Jeff Kenna (9) £1.45mfrom Southampton in 1995 That's a total of £17.87m over roughly three years.

Just to take this off on another direction... Smithy, Turton is NOTin the green belt. I was only trying to stop you making a fool of yourself, looks like I failed.

List No 8 Milestones by Sayed Qutb recommended by Bazaanotsogreat Only 160 pages, very quick read indeed After the attempted assasination of Egyptian President Nasser in 1954 by Muslim Brotherhood operatives, a number of Muslim Brotherhood leaders, including Sayyid Qutb, were imprisoned. While in prison Qutb wrote a 30-volume series on his interpretation of the Quran, "In The Shade of the Quran", as well as this book, "Milestones". Milestones is at its core a treatis on Political Islam, After Qutb was hanged for subversion in 1966, his brother Muhammed Qutb went to Saudi Arabia, where he taught Islamic Studies. Among his students was Ayman Zawahiri, teacher of Osama Bin Laden. +++++++++ 'I Am Legend' By Richard Matheson Recommended by Starscascade Just finished. Thought this was truely amazing and extremely chilling at parts. Nothing at all like the film except that the Vampires bare the resemblance that they come out at night, and that the protagonist is the last man alive....as expected really. But thats all really you can compare between the film and book. +++++++++++ Colin Bateman "Of Wee Sweetie Mice and Men." Recommended by Hypo-Luxa Well at the recommendation of Colin(?) I picked (this up) Was enjoyable and pretty funny in parts as well. I'll be picking up more from him. It takes the mind off of the more heavy history books I immerse myself in. +++++++++ Frederick Spotts' "Hitler and the Power of Aesthetics" Recommended by Blue Phil Incidentally , anyone wishing to get the best insight into Hitler's psyche should try reading Frederick Spotts' "Hitler and the Power of Aesthetics" . An outstanding book in a very crowded field of biographies +++++++++ The Damned United Recommended by ozziejones I am about half way through The Damned United, a rather unusual piece ostensibly based on Brian Clough's short spell at Leeds United. It is fiction I suppose, but based on very well researched facts I reckon, and the first person narrative is interrupted by italicised psychotic flashbacks from his early playing demise in the North East to his rise through managing Hartlepool and Derby to succeeding his nemesis Don Revie. A real page turner and I fully recommend it. +++++++++++++ The Red Dwarf Omnibus (Infinity Welcomes Careful Drivers, Better Than Life, Backwards, etc) Recommended by Wolverine That reminds me, Colin. The Red Dwarf Omnibus is superb stuff . Expands on the TV series and provides some background info from your favourite (if you like the show) characters. I don't know if it is still in print or not but it is bloody good. +++++++++++++++ World War Z by Max Brooks Recommended by Nelsta It's set a few years after the Human race was nearly wiped out by a horde of Zombies It's based on interviews with survivors and key players in the 10-year fight back against said Zombie horde. It's funny, Scary, Gory and really enjoyable......If you like Zombie type things. He also wrote Zombie Survival Guide.Wich is another well worth a read...Again if you like that type of thing. ++++++++++ Terry Pratchett's latest "Making Money." Recommended by me It's up to his usual standard with the usual twists & turns, wry observations, taking the mickey out of modern day society, funny, compassionate and he always has a happy ending with the little (good guys & gals) winning over the baddies whoever they are. +++++++++++ A Thousand Spendid Suns by Khaled Hosseini Recommended by Wiggy I have just finished (this. He) also wrote The Kite Runner which was recommended earlier. This is a fabulous, heart rending tale following the lives of two Afghanistani women from the period prior to the Soviet invasion through to the fall of the Taliban. Even though it's fiction it gives an insight into what our troops are up against in this much troubled country. Highly recommended. +++++++++++ Nick Hornby's "Slam" Recommended by Paul Not had much chance to read of late but managed to finish (this) over the weekend. Seems like a good book to give 15 year olds to warn them about the consequences of unprotected sex. (My youngest read it in two sittings). I thought Hornby did a reasonable job of telling the story from a 15 / 16 year olds perspective, I didn't feel any attachment to any of the characters but did find I had to finish the book to know what happened to them all. Not the best read I've had, anyone else read it? +++++++++++ "We Need to Talk About Kevin" by Lionel Shriver. Recommended by Paul Finished this last night and what a good read. The "plot", if you want to call it that, is based around a fictional Columbine style killing in the US. Told through the eyes of the killer's mother each chapter is a letter written to Kevin's (the killer son) father examing the marriage, the mother's feelings about being a parent, herself, the family as a unit, Kevin and I suppose to some degree modern America. A very good read in which the author manages to switch the reader's support and emotion towards the different characters around as the book progresses. This will make you think, the outcomes are not what I expected and I was surprised by the way the story twisted through the book, there were few hints of such twists and turns until the page was turned and it hit you in the face. A good and rewarding read, hard work but worth it. I'm reluctant to expand to much on the plot line as knowing any part could spoil one's enjoyment of the previous pages. +++++++++++++ 'The War of Don Emmanuel's Nether Parts' by Louis de Bernieres Recommended by Four Lane Blue Recently finished (this) which was a interesting and particularly good at the start. It went on to drag in parts and is of the magical realism style. Much better than his 'Captain Corelli's Mandiolin' which I couldn't bring myself to finish. +++++++++ Jon Snow's (the Channel 4 news chap) autobiography 'Shooting History' Recommended by Four Lane Blue ......a rip-roaring read as he covers locations as diverse as Nicaragua, Vietnam, the US, Iraq and meets the likes of Idi Amin in Uganda during his roving career as a journalist. Snow is rather a man of principles and was a passionate opposer of the Apartheid regime. Recommended. ++++++++ William Woodruff the Historian recounts his Blackburn childhood and more in his book The Road to Nab End. Recommended by Roversmum I had seen this book around for some time, and, interested on the links with Blackburn, on being made the present of a book voucher decided to treat myself to it. Woven into the tale of the everyday life of a boy born in 1916 in a cotton mill is a fascinating insight into how a Blackburn family survived in those times. Blackburn Rovers has a mention. and the excitement in the town when Rovers went to Wembley in 1928 and came back with the FA Cup. For the first time the match was broadcast on radio from Wembley. No doubt many of you have already read this book, but for those who have not you have missed a treat. (I've read both his books Mum, they are both highly enjoyable and give a real sense of history to the town, the second one is more based on what he did after he moved away though - Colin)

Fair point, but all government ministers will claim an entertainment allowance for buffets & hospitality for visiting guests, be they foreign government officials or perhaps local government representatives. I think you'll need to nail down which part of the £4k he spent on food that he specifically bought for his own use and then pewked up down the bog if you want to take this further. "extraordinary claim on the public purse" Is it £50 billion that was used to rescue Northern Rock?

Was it though? Is there anything to show that he claimed food on expenses? And if he did claim food on expenses then at least he was ill while he did it. I'm no great fan of John Prescott, but that Daily Sport headline is an insult to anyone who has ever been ill or disabled. It's a shame Bunkett isn't around so they could have a go at him for being blind.

I don't think you need to worry on that score, I think I can safely say that "a significant amount of our money was probably going on filling up Prescott's belly" has not had any effect whatsoever on the British economy. If you would like to put forward a lucid arguement why an extra portion of chips for Mr P has increased your tax bill then fire away old chap. Sleep easy Smithy: Prescott's bulimia (a well known & accepted medical condition) has probably not done much to threaten England's green & pleasant land. But well done for raising this matter, we must all be alert and keep out powder dry just in case the balloon goes up. In this case I think you may have fired your musket a bit too early. But well done for your vigilance. I've heard through the grapevine that there maybe someone in power may have a sight problem, something about a glass eye. Report back to us if you can unearth anything more.

Just about puts into a nutshell what I think about MOTD. It's a programme about football that is not actually made for real football fans. It's made for people who sometimes would like to watch some football on TV on Saturday night but otherwise have no real interest on the game. Which is why it concentrates on "the big four." The fact that Rovers weren't on last was solely down to the fact that The Red Scum were in town. The footage was edited to be "The Red Scum" are playing away from the Theatre Of Dreams this week in their quest for the title, and so let's follow how they got on. Their opponemts were (cue rustling of paper) oh...yes..Blackburn Rovers. It could have equally been Boro, Wigan, Big Club... Hanson, Shearer Lineker & the rest of them are a bloody disgrace to the game. Inarticulate, Pringle-wearing morons who repeat the same meaningless rubbish week after week, careful not to upset the status quo in case Rat Faced Whinger bans them from the annual golf competition. They haven't an original thought, comment or observation between the lot of them. Rooney was a bit of a pillock on Saturday and probably deserved to get sent off, but do they have the guts to mention it? Shame he wasn't a Johnny Foreigner or they might have. MOTD is turning into a parody of itself. Rather like The Fast Show's "Smashey & Nicey" did for some self-satisfied and complacent Radio DJs, we really need Alan Partridge to really have a pop at MOTD. Mind you, I have a feeling that no-one would notice the difference.

I don't suppose he's after any sympathy. He has an (auto?)biography coming out in the near future though...................

Mmmm, strange to me too. Care to comment AESF?

"Friday Night Lights" by H.G. Bissinger. recommended by Rovermatt A brief description: It's a brilliant study of small town America and the obsessions and lives of the people who live in places like Odessa, Texas. Back up to the top. I'm now half way through this. A weird & wonderful tale of West Texas, school (American) football & small town attitudes. Gripping read.

I saw "Meet The Spartans" yesterday. The four kids found it funny, the three adults were left for dead. Attempted Mel Brookes but without the humour & a budget of about $5,000.

Just finished off Terry Pratchett's latest "Making Money." It's up to his usual standard with the usual twists & turns, wry observations, taking the mickey out of modern day society, funny, compassionate and he always has a happy ending with the little (good guys & gals) winning over the baddies whoever they are. Pratchatt has recently be diagnosed with a form of Alzheimer's here Part of me feels that it might just make his writing so much more interesting. Another part of me hopes that a bloke who has given me so much entertainment over so many years: "Do not go gentle into that good night, Old age should burn and rave at close of day; Rage, rage against the dying of the light."

"British Sea Power's" "Do You Like Rock Music?" is growing on me. Must listen to it on the Sennheisers while talking to Mr Natural to fully appreciate it. Maybe tomorrow night.

Indeed we do. It's a bit sad really. 5 out of the last 6 posts just about sums it up.

Thank you AS, that is the best, sharpest, & funniest post I have read on here for many a year.

Just waiting for it to be delivered..................