MikeO

I was on my knees in the shoot-out. Felt totally isolated because my internet was down but just incredible result. United probably should have got the penalty, but the "shoulder to shoulder" on Ossie from one of the twins was plainly not...they get given. Massive respect to the crowd, kept us going when some of the lads looked out on their feet. Couldn't believe Pip stepping up for a pen, he said his last one was as an under 11 and he missed it so vowed never to take one again. TC respect for going first, Baines I had great faith in and he didn't let us down....immense from JV and then Jags got his Stuart Pearce moment. Total legend. Tim Howard, two saves...not difficult ones but you often see them go in. Davey Moyes. What can I say, a step from Blue immortality .

Mate of mine's a big QPR fan, apparently Briatore is playing the "I pick the team" card, even phoned from Malaysia at half time a couple of weeks back to instruct the manager on substitutions . Brawn would have won a dry race yesterday, but I like Vettel a lot so good for him.

I put it on youtube but it was deleted, got it still so I'll try to find somewhere less concerned with copyright and put it up again. May take a while, my connection is fucked . Can read stuff occasionally but every time I log on I lose it before I get to post....feeling very isolated . Anyway have a great day wherever you're watching. Do us proud lads!!

Quite right....though mine's more of a chocolate digestive belly these days . And real men can wear pink....I quite like both of them .

Nice "Where sre they now" bit on the Beeb. Joe Parkinson season ticket holder. I like that . http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/fa_cup/7939980.stm

That's what I was talking about...hence.. Pay attention people

April 9th 1995 I had to work, was one of two on duty at an addiction counselling drop-in center. Luckily we had a TV there so I was able to watch . Hopefully no-one died in a skip as a result of missing out on my services that afternoon . It was a great day and we were underdogs that time as well. I heard the goal in the final on the radio driving round a roundabout in Bristol, but that's another story .

I really don't think we will. It can't possibly be more pressurised than the Liverpool games were and we came through those with flying colours. I'm optimistic (which is a little worrying, because the last game I was optimistic about was Pompey ). Great to be in there fighting, really looking forward to it.

Not a bad result for us tonight, United still in so the FA Cup remains their third priority but they were taken the distance by Porto. Just a shame it didn't go to extra time

If DM wasn't a football manager he could go into the diplomatic service. Said it all without putting a foot wrong....kudos Davey!

I'm sorry Iggy but someone had to do it :| .

Won't do any good, counter-productive if anything by bringing more attention to it....and there's no doubt he does it.

Gladly swap seat with you Iggy mate. My sofa is very comfortable....I'll even throw in the beers for free !

But then again appearances can be deceptive....thankfully . http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/motorsport...one/7996698.stm

Completely respect your point of view JD, and if every religious person had the same doubt, tolerance and humility you show I'd have no problem with religion and neither would the world. Sadly that's a million miles from being the case.

Ross Brawn not looking a happy man after coming out of the diffuser hearing today.... Reporter "Did you get a fair hearing?" Brawn (stoney faced) "No comment I'm afraid." Hmmm....can understand him not commenting on what he thinks the verdict will be but to refuse to acknowledge that it had been fair is mighty worrying .

Thanks all. I have decided this will be my last birthday for several years. I "stuck" for a long time at 29 and 49 seems to me to be another good point at which to take an extended moratorium. Bring on the dancing girls .

So anyway. You decide you believe in God, maybe it comes to you in a dream or you're brought up with it or whatever, doesn't really matter. First pick your religion, many to choose from but we'll take Christianity because it's nominally the religion of the UK. Next what church? Again many to choose from but for the sake of this I'm going for the Baptists (because they're the only ones I have any direct experience with...another story). Now what sort of Baptist would you like to be? Anywhere from happy clappy hippy to those lovely Westboro people in Kansas. You make your decision based on what your faith tells you (as JD says and I've no reason to doubt him) and you immediately find yourself in a minority, but your faith tells you you're right, and so everyone else must be wrong. That I find arrogant....an exaggerated view of your own importance...it may not be a conscious thing but to believe so totally (faithfully) that you are right and everyone else (the vast majority) is wrong is for me is an arrogant view. Is Brad Friedel a Christian? If so did God make a snap decision when the ball left Pienaar's foot who was currently the most devout? Maybe I'm misinterpreting what Pienaar's trying to say, and Lewis Hamilton when he claims God's in the car with him (which he's actually stopped saying for some reason), it's very possible but the impression I get is that people are thanking God for helping them win/score....you don't hear them thank Him when they lose do you? So I find it embarrassing, can't help it, just do. Another thought, if you have absolute faith in your own beliefs is it not a bit patronising to be tolerant of alternative views? You know they're wrong, shouldn't you be true to yourself and tell them rather than humouring them? Perversly in that respect extremists like Westboro are more honest aren't they? "....you don't agree with me, you're wrong and you're going to hell." I like to think I live a good and decent life because I believe it's the right way to be. If I get to the gates and St Peter says, "OK Mike you've been a real good guy but you didn't say 'God is great' twice a day so you're going to burn" then so be it. I don't really think I want anything to do with a God who works that way anyway. I want my kids to love me but I don't need them to shout about it constantly to prove it. Think describing myself as an athiest was a bit wide of the mark...I don't think the existence of God to be impossible, just hugely improbable....as to the superstition thing I've always had it (never claimed to be sane). Raced cars to lamp-posts as a kid, had to be in another room in the house before the toilet stopped flushing....not at all sure of what would have happeed if I failed. That's where I am at the moment. Please consider any questions I've asked in this as rhetorical, don't expect anyone to agree with me...I'd be amazed if they did. Anyway I'm done with this thread, it hurts my brain . As long as you're content in your own skin and your beliefs don't hurt anyone else good for you. And I'll take as much embarrassment as Steven wants to heap on me next Sunday and for the rest of the season with a huge smile on my face!

...you believe. I don't. No problem (not "pulling you up," just having my own opinion ). No falling out here Jim. You're completely entitled to that viewpoint (see how reasonable we athiests can be )....I'll clarify why I use the word later, but no time now because I have to go to Bath to watch my kid brother get shackled to his better half .

1. Because that's what we were talking about. 2. Don't I? I didn't say that anywhere. 3. Yes. 4. I haven't. 5. Didn't say that either. I've only offered my opinion. I've not suggested anyone's wrong (or uneducated) for what they believe, no-one needs to go and look at themselves in the mirror. I'm sorry if my views offend you, yours don't offend me....and nor do anyone elses (that have been stated on here)...I thought Christians were supposed to be tolerant . And point taken JD, you can't argue with faith and I gave up trying many years ago.

I'd have a lot of respect for him if he had a, "Well God made a right pigs-ear of that one!" layer on underneath for when he misses . Or maybe the keeper could have a, "My God's bigger than your God!" one for when he makes a stunning save in the top corner. The possibilities are endless.. "God should have made me play it square for TC because Jo was unmarked at the near post." "Sorry for the miss, God's carrying a slight hamstring strain." Sorry .

Luton out of the football league today only seventeen years after dropping out of the top flight. A fine example for Newcastle to follow .

Fully appreciate your position on the matter JD and your research is proven time and again to be second to none. My "research" was a quick glance because I felt Jim was being a bit dimissive of Maghull's point. But, in the true spirit of one man's ceiling is another man's floor, "theological writings of dubious accuracy" and "'facts' based on sketchy or non-existent evidence" pretty succinctly sums up the Bible in my opinion , so to use it as a basis of fact to disprove another theory is fairly meaningless for me. Incidentally, "people taking claims that are totally unsubstantiated and accepting them as if they were undisputed facts" nicely sums up religion for me. But there we are. Maybe I'm missing something, maybe not....I'll find out soon enough. And I don't find anyone elses beliefs embarrassing, just occasionally the way they express them....the same could as easily go for other's sexuality, gay people are fine with me but I'd find excessive public displays of affection embarrassing, just as I would heterosexual ones come to that.

With all the horrors in the world I find it toe curlingly embarrassing that any sportsman (American sprinters thanking god for their medals started it all off) feels it appropriate to thank god for their meaningless and pointless (in the grand scheme of things) effort. If the supreme being is wasting his time looking after his followers as they hop, skip and jump to world domination then he's a pretty piss-poor deity imo....one or two other little matters he may want to attend to first; war, famine, disease, starvation....that sort of thing. The arrogance of christians thinking he's on their shoulder giving them a hand I find embarrassing because for it to be true you'd have some horrifically laughable heavenly nepotism going on and any god involved in such behaviour should be the one taking a good look at themselves . Priorities you hugeness!