A look at Chelsea’s Champions league opponents Fenerbahce.
Rod Liddle on Gretna’s implosion and with a wonderful
description ….”the artificial club kept afloat by a man’s ludicrous,
market-distorting largesse, trampling over those whose existence is down to
hard-core support”……that applies to more than Gretna.
Tony Cascarino on how to take penalty kicks. It seems to me
that we are seeing more gutsy penalties – scooped down the middle or just
waiting for the keeper to blink. How many of you have taken a penalty in a shoot out, how did you approach it and did you score? Or any goalkeepers with secrets?
I read this article a few weeks ago and now seems an
appropriate time to post the link. Israeli researcher Ofer H. Azar compares the action bias of goalkeepers on
penalties with business decisions.
Two decades after Wimbledon pulled off one of the greatest
surprises in the FA Cup Final two related teams are off to Wembley.
It’s only mid-March but East Fife became the UK’s first championship
winning side of the 07/08 season. Anyone else ever been to Methil? There has been a lot of chatter about lower flight teams winning the FA Cup. East Fife is the answer to the trivia question - which is only second tier team in Scotland the win the SFA Cup?
The Sunday Times takes a trip back to the Chelsea–Leeds FA
Cup Final of 1970.
It looks as if UEFA are moving in the direction of changing the finals to twenty-four nations but not until 2016 at the earliest. I hate to see them move from 16 which is a perfect number.
Ian Herbert on a player who turned his career around – Richard Dunne.
Brian Reade tries taking a look at the Newcastle situation from the ordinary fan’s point of view.
Louise Taylor on the role being played by former Spurs director Paul Kemsley.
I missed this one from last Monday. Gabriele Marcotti on why Dave Kitson should care about the FA Cup.
A class action claim against Dave Whelan’s JJB Sports over replica football shirts has been settled.
Roy Keane does not think much of the FAI’s search for a new manager – either that or he thinks a great deal of Big Brother. It seems surreal that Mick McCarthy’s name is even being mentioned let alone a strong second choice.
I know there were a number of questions asked last week on the response section and weekend preview that I was not able to get to. Although I try to chip in on the blog throughout the week the best time to get a response to your question is by posting to Monday's Speakers' Corner.
Mark Lawrenson says that Newcastle Chairman Mike Ashley reminds him of David Brent.
And given that there is a shortage of good articles this week here is some stuff from Rick Gervais.
The first piece is with celebrity-Chef and former player Gordon Ramsey. The second bit I am sure most of you have seen but it is well worth revisiting. It's from the 2006 World Cup.
Michael Grant pays tribute to Motherwell’s Phil O’Donnell.
With the transfer window opening tomorrow Richard Gillis report’s that baseball’s Billy Beane made a presentation on his talent evaluation model at the “Future of Football” conference last month.
Phil Ball takes a look at how things are going for Chris Coleman in Spain now that his washing machine has been fixed.
A Times article on the reality of playing football abroad for three African players. Pele is often quoted as saying that an African country would win the World Cup by the turn of the century – 2000 that is – but it was the former England manager Walter Winterbottom who first said it many years before.
Stewart Fisher questions the wisdom of Celtic captain Stephen McManus playing against Benfica only four days after being knocked unconscious against Rangers.
I just have to had two more. Gabriele Marcotti and Nick Webster chime in with thoughts on the BPL in the USA in light of the NFL circus arriving in London.
Scotland may be sitting top of their group in Euro qualifying but there is an anthem problem.
Paul Wilson asks the question that if Manchester United fans have to buy tickets to Carling Cup games then shouldn’t United field a top class team. Buried in the piece Wilson also takes to task people who quote Bill Shankly’s “matter of life and death” comment. Wilson’s right – the vast majority of people quote Shankly as if he was serious which he clearly was not.
My favourite Shankly quote was from the late Emlyn Hughes. Hughes told a story that Shanks loved training and joined in all the time. One day Shankly turned round to Hughes and says to him "When I die I want to be the fittest man to ever die."
An interesting and informative website created by a regular blog visitor www.billsportsmaps.com Something obviously close to his heart. Check it out.
I received an e mail last week taking me to task. Apparently I have yet to publish my Champions league picks. So here goes – Group A, Liverpool and Porto; Group B, Valencia and Chelsea; Group C, Real Madrid and Werder Bremen (would not be surprised if Lazio qualified); Group D, Milan and Benfica; Group E Barcelona and Rangers (bring on the “are you on crack McMahon” e mails); Group F, Manchester United and Roma; Group G, Inter Milan and PSV; Group H, Arsenal and Sevilla.
Just a reminder that if you have questions you would like my take on, then the best idea is to post them on Monday’s Speakers’ Corner Blog. If they are posted any other time then there is a very good chance that I will miss them. I try my best to keep up but sometimes questions slip through the cracks.
And finally Winnipeg Thistle lost their Winnipeg Old Timers crown after losing 2-1 to Portuguese in the final on Sunday. A lack of polish in front of goal cost us dearly. It was a great game and I am glad to say that I am at the stage in life that I prefer to play in a good game and lose, than play in a bad one and win. To all the players and officials that make it possible for old guys like me to continue to kick a ball and love it a massive THANK YOU.
If any of you have ever watched “Survivor” you will know that near the end, once the competition has been reduced to the finalists, they reminisce over the other contestants have been backstabbed and lied out of the game.
The FA Cup this season may be low on the backstabbing and lying quotient – better left to the Premiership – but a lot of teams have fallen by the way since the Extra Preliminary Round was held last August.
A little under 700 clubs entered the competition and now it is down to the top two teams in England to battle it out for the FA Cup. But rather than focusing on Chelsea and Manchester United, now is the chance to look back at some of the teams that took part in the competition.
The majority of the extra preliminary round games got underway on August 18 of last year. I randomly chose the game between Jarrow Roofing Boldon Community Association and Billingham Synthonia and to follow the winner until they were knocked out and then continue with their conqueror.
Jarrow Roofing Boldon Community Association made it through to the First Qualifying Round beating Billingham Synthonia 5-2 and Thackley F.C. 5-4. According to the FA Cup website the first round win by Jarrow was the upset of the round.
Both Jarrow and Billingham Synthonia played in the Arngrove Northern League Division 1 and although Jarrow won the FA Cup game, Synthonia finished well above them in the league. The teams finished 7th and 15th respectively out of 21 teams. Thackley F.C. finished third from bottom of the Northern Counties East Football League Premier Division and only avoided relegation by one point.
Fleetwood Town dispatched Jarrow 3-0 and made it through the next three rounds beating Goole AFC 4-2, Warrington Town 2-0 and Wisbech Town by the same score. Fleetwood finished 8th in the Unibond League while Goole AFC were 7th in the league below. Playing in the same division as Goole AFC, Warrington Town were fifteen spots lower at 22nd.
Wisbech Town of the Ridgeons Premier League (Eastern Counties) settled in a mid-table position. Salisbury City of the Nationwide Conference South took care of Fleetwood Town in the First Round 3-0 and earned a second round tie against former European Cup holders Nottingham Forest. After a 1-1 tie, Forest won the replay 2-0.
However, it has turned out to be another successful season for Salisbury under the management of former Southampton FA Cup winner Nick Holmes. They gained their second straight promotion. Last season they moved up from the Southern League Premier Division and next season they will be in the Conference National after winning the play-off final.
Forest went on to pull off one of the shocks of the third round when they comfortably beat Charlton Athletic 2-0. It was traumatic season for Charlton that finished with relegation to the Championship.
Forest then drew Chelsea at Stamford Bridge and from that point on it was all Chelsea. They beat Forest 3-0, Norwich City 4-0, Tottenham 2-1 in a replay after a fantastic 3-3 draw, and finally saw Blackburn Rovers off 2-1 in extra time in the semi final.
Forest are currently embroiled in the League One play offs – they beat Yeovil 2-0 in the first leg of the semi and the second leg is May 18. Norwich City could do no better than 16th in the Championship while Tottenham had to again settle for 5th in the Premiership. Blackburn saw their form slip late in the season and eventually finished 10th.
So there you are five degrees of separation between the multi millionaires of Chelsea and Billingham Synthonia who lost the extra preliminary round game nine months ago in front of a crowd of 67 paying spectators. On Saturday we will find out if the FA Cup conforms to 6 degrees of separation when the Cup Final is played out in front of 90,000 spectators and a TV audience in the tens of millions.
What was the best game you saw this season in the FA Cup and what individual performance stands out in your mind?
Flashman - A lot of Toronto FC fans, many still waiting to commit their first dollar, are hoping the club can attract big-name Canadian players and bring in quality opponents for international friendlies. But the club plan to play on plastic turf - they and FIFA claim it's very special stuff - but many reactions to that have been negative. I thought the Spartak-Inter CL game, played on this turf, was a very sterile affair. Paul Stalteri and Dwayne De Rosario have trashed it, as has Charmaine Hooper. Since we're still golfing in mid-November on pretty decent grass an hour north of Toronto, it makes the club's claim that grass won't work sound like the accountants are running Mo's show. This is a team that isn't likely to see a home playoff game for many years. And its playing style is likely to be more shillelagh than stiletto, so wouldn't grass suit the sort of game they'll need to play in the early going, attract quality clubs for friendlies, and keep fans interested? Also, the playing surface is not likely to see, in the short term, heavy multi-purpose usage, such as the CFL, though rugby would be a nice event to add. This seems like a penny-wise, pound-foolish approach in their early going. A warming climate is hardly hurting the southern Ontario sod industry. What's your take on it?
Bobby – Up to now MLSE have shown that they are good business people but they are not in the trophy winning business – the Maple Leafs a prime example. However, I would not be blaming MLSE for choosing the artificial surface – that was a CSA decision that was made from the outset. The CSA has been a proponent – despite players’ objections – for a long time now. Over eight years ago a member of the Canadian Soccer Association told me that FIFA would approve artificial surfaces within a month and that Winnipeg should spend over a million dollars installing the to-be-approved artificial surface in Winnipeg Stadium for the Pan American Games soccer tournament. The same person also told me that the Pan Am soccer tournament would attract crowds of 40,000. The approval did not come until many years later, the surface wasn’t installed and the average crowd for the soccer tournament was 2,500. I mention it as an illustration that major assumptions –international friendlies is a good one – sometimes are flawed and just don’t pan out.
Henry 14 - Bobby what do you make of Pompey and lastly how do you rate Hleb amongst Wenger's best midfielders at Arsenal?
What do you make of Spurs striking combinations, Martin Jol just spend $20m on a 20 goal a season striker, he has Keane who averages 16 goals a season and l do not see why he does not make them his first choice pairing, what do you make of the basic Martin Jol team selection?
Bobby – I think Portsmouth will settle into an upper mid table position with a reasonably good chance of grabbing a UEFA Cup spot. But I think a Champions League spot might be beyond their reach. Hleb is improving every game and based on what I saw while he was at Stuttgart we have still not seen the best of him.
Obviously Jol believes that rotation is the best policy and I think it is too early to say that he is wrong. He has to keep all four happy at some level because he will need all four during the rest of the season. Spurs are facing a much heavier load than last season – only 40 games – with an extended and deep UEFA Cup run a strong possibility plus the FA Cup starting in January. Managers need to look at the larger picture and cannot just pick the best team for every game. Whether Jol is right or wrong will be judged at seasons end rather that after a 1-1 draw with Blackburn.
Neophyte - Pressley is getting such a raw deal. Watching the happenings at Hearts is the equivalent of a manly soap opera. Where do you see him going? What did you think of Giggs' service into the box? He looked rushed and completely off target---to much confidence? Poor form? Lack of patience? What do you think?
Bobby – There has been talk of Pressley going back to Dundee United where he spent some time after moving back to Scotland from Coventry. With Craig Levein now in charge at Tannadice it is a move that makes some sense given that Pressley is now 33 and apparently interested in a coaching career. However, what might be a good move for Pressley and Dundee United might not be a good move for Hearts and the supporters. As for Giggs, I didn’t think he had a particularly poor game against Sheffield United.
Bmax14 - I had a question and comment on the article from Marcotti on formation of new leagues. I know his article is not about any "super league" but over the years I've heard speculation on the "Super league" and Uefa's ongoing fight against such a proposal. Do you think something of this nature (Euro league with 20 biggest clubs) will ever come to fruition and if so, do you think it's good or bad for the game? From a fans perspective, it seems the most anticipated games of the year are the occasional great matches in the Champions league so I would expect a weekly slate of games between the likes of Man U v. Barca or Chelsea v. AC Milan would be great. All of the top leagues are dominated by 2-3 teams anyways so I see this Euro league as natural progression of the game. Ideally, I'd like to see the domestic leagues more competitive but under the current system I don't see this happening. I also don't mind Marcotti's proposal to try and get the smaller leagues up to par with the Big 5. It is a bit ironic though that as Europe becomes more integrated politically and economically that Uefa seems to want to stick with the domestic approach.
Bobby – A full European league will come – but it will not be anytime soon as long as things stay pretty much the same. UEFA has acted very astutely in how they have managed the G14 and the money on offer from the Champions League. As it is the G 14t eams in the big 5 leagues have the best of both worlds with big domestic TV deals (Bundesliga might be considered an exception to that) and a very good prospect of big Champions League pay days each season. The one thing that is on the horizon that might set off a rebellion and that is if Platini wins the UEFA Presidential race and cuts representation for the top three countries from four to three teams.
I came around to seeing the Atlantic League proposal as a positive one when it was suggested a few years ago and I think the idea of a series of super leagues is even better. As it is England, Italy, France, Spain and Germany have big enough domestic markets to generate significant television and ancillary revenue so these leagues can take care of themselves. It is the “big” teams in the small markets that need to be taken care of and it would seem to me that if larger league markets can be created then there is a better chance that the “second-tier” teams can compete on a more equal basis in the Champions League and that would make it an even better competition. The Champions League needs to remain as the “cherry-on-top” and not become a replacement for regional or national leagues.
Davard - With the talk of super leagues and the EU and political integration, why not a Great Britain Premier League?
I was thinking about this the other day, considering a baseball team like the Seattle Mariners traveling 3,000 miles to play The Tampa Bay Devil Rays, for example. Celtic traveling to London is about 1/10th that. (give or take, for all you exacting readers)
Keep the cups in place (FA, Scottish, Irish [if there is one, I am ignorant of Irish football]) but unite the leagues into one super British Isles league! You can even keep the individual continental leagues for those who do not qualify. I'm sure there's been talk of this in the past - More Champions league places for the one league, less boring fixtures, No more Watford, Sheffield United, etc, unless they are truly a great team. AND it makes domestic football (for GB) even stronger, and more unified. I'm all about the political unity, we're all brothers on this planet - let's let football lead the way!
I want to know where you stand on an idea like this and why it would or would not work.
Bobby – Davard you are making some large assumptions here. More Champions League places? – do you really think that the rest of Europe would sit back and allow a GB league to just add the existing SPL and Premiership CL places together? Do you think the likes of Watford and Sheffield United are going to vote themselves into the Championship? How many turkeys think Christmas is a great idea?
USAenglandfan – I was speaking with a family friend and former editor-in-chief of a kid’s soccer magazine here in the US, and he had an interesting take on the potential for success here and in other parts of the world. A lot of what he said had to do with economics. He said that in many cases the more wealthy your country is, the harder it is going to be to compete in the world's sport. The discussion was much more detailed, but this was the general idea. There are obvious exceptions (Pirlo, who was raised upper class, comes to mind), but I think it makes sense. You have your Brazils of the world where kids cope with the harsh reality of the favelas and soccer is not only woven into the culture, but is also seen as a 'way out'. I'm sure some of you have heard/thought about this, but I'd like to know what you all think.
And finally, cast your votes: Rooney with beard or without beard? I vote 'with'
Bobby – I’m not sure that I would agree with entire notion that wealthy countries have a harder time competing in the world’s sport – I assume you are limiting this to soccer rather than world sport. Certainly the wealthier the economy then the more choices that kids are likely to have within a broader range of sports and that means – I would think – that more kids would be lost to other sports. However, if you flip the notion – poorer nations find it easier to compete in the world’s sport – few would agree.
As for Rooney - it is one thing to lick up to the owner, it is another thing to try and look like him.
Blueblades - Do you think Everton has any chance of finishing in the top four this season? It seems to me that the fourth spot is up for grabs especially with Liverpool be so inconsistent.
Bobby – A number of teams – Everton included – have a shot at fourth place. Despite their inconsistency I think Arsenal will slot in at number 3. Andy Johnson needs to get going again though – I think this is his driest spell in the Premiership. Cahill will be a big loss and if Arteta was to go down then all bets would be off.
Henry 14 - Did you see the Arsenal Champions League game, l have to say Hleb is a genius, a highly creative player. You were laughing at Gallas the other night l hope you would laugh at the Hamburg defense, because the guy went on a one man dribbling expedition that if he had score surely it would have been goal of the year for the last 3 years+
Bobby – I didn’t see the Arsenal game. I was laughing at Gallas – why would I be laughing at Gallas?
Hawkman14 - Do you see any current EPL players as top-flight future managers? If so, who?
Bobby – I did an article last season and suggested that Gary Neville and Jamie Carragher might be prime managerial candidates. Given the number of managers who have at one time or another come under the influence of SAF then existing United players would seem to be a potential pool of future recruits. Carragher is supposed to be a real student of the game and given the position that he plays it makes him another player who may choose the dug out after his playing days are over. Look for defenders and hard working midfield players to make the move.
Fleetwood Town march on to the Fourth Qualifying Round of the FA Cup and plays Wisbech Town of the Ridgeons Premier League (Eastern Counties) tomorrow.
Fleetwood won their third straight game in the FA Cup when they beat Warrington Town 2-0 a couple of weeks ago. Wisbech Town will be playing their fifth FA Cup game this season after beating Mildehall 4-1 (h), Bury Town 2-0 (a), Redditch United 3-2 (a) and Solihull Borough 2-1 (a).
Wisbech – nicknamed the Fenmen – are from Cambridgeshire in the east of England. They are currently sixteenth in their league and appeared to have kept their good performances for the Cup. This is the first time in four seasons that Wisbech has reached this stage of the FA Cup.
The Nationwide Conference National sides entered the draw at this stage so more recognizable names such as Cambridge United, York City, Rushden & Diamonds and Yeading now appear on the fixture list.
Fleetwood will again start as favourites given that they play in a league two levels above Wisbech. The winner will go into the draw for the First Round proper to be made on Saturday after the games have been completed.
Featured Games to date. Extra Preliminary Round Jarrow Roofing Boldon C.A. 5-2 Billingham Synthonia. Preliminary Round Jarrow Roofing Boldon C.A 5-4 Thackley F.C First Qualifying Round Fleetwood Town 3-0 Jarrow Roofing Boldon C.A. Second Qualifying Round Fleetwood Town 4-2 Goole AFC Third Qualifying Round Fleetwood Town 2-0 Warrington Town
The First Round Qualifying of the FA Cup is set for this weekend. Jarrow Roofing Boldon Community Association who have successfully negotiated two rounds so far have their work cut out again this weekend. This time the opposition is Lancashire side Fleetwood Town.
I can tell that Fleetwood is a cut above the other opposition seen so far in that they tsit at the top of one of the league tables shown on Sky Sports News.
Nicknamed the “Fisherman,” Fleetwood Townare members of The Northern Premier (UniBond) Football League and play their home games at Highbury Stadium – no not that one.
They finished as league runners up last season and were sitting top of the league after winning both their games this season. The Northern Premier League is at step 3 in the English pyramid system which places it six divisions below the Premiership.
Fleetwood have a number of former Football League players as well as Stuart Barlow who played for Everton between 1990 and 1995.
Jarrow Roofing Boldon Community Association were involved in an absolutely cracker on Saturday when they came back from 3-0 down after only 10 minutes to beat Thackley FC 5-4. The match report can be found here.
Jarrow Roofing Boldon C.A. now play away against Fleetwood Town in the FA First Round Qualifying on September 16 - not to be confused with the First Round that doesn't take place until November 11. There are four qualifying rounds before we get to the first round proper.
The Preliminary Round of the 2006/07 FA Cup is set for this weekend with 268 teams fighting for a place in the First Round Qualifying in two weeks time. We started with the match-up between Jarrow Roofing Boldon Community Association and Billingham Synthonia that was won by Jarrow 5-2 in front of a reported 67 paying spectators.
Some background on Thackley – “Thackley F.C. are a football club based in Bradford. They were established in 1930 and joined the Yorkshire League Division Two in 1967”.
Thackley beat Ramsbotton FC 1-0 in a replay before a crowd off 77 after a 1-1 draw in the Extra Preliminary Round.
The winner will play Fleetwood Town on September 16 in the First Round Qualifying.
Here goes with week #2. There was no shortage of topics last week and it does not look as if the pace will slacken anytime soon. This is the place to post your questions or thoughts on any subject – except why isn’t your team on FSC – and I will do my best to respond later in the week.
I am also including links to a couple of articles I read over the weekend which you might find interesting.
The Sunday Times ran a story over the weekend about Premiership players storing their children’s stem cells as a potential source of treatment for their own career ending injuries.
In light of the Ben Thatcher attack on Pedro Mendez last week Rob Hughes takes a look at the “Rise of the Elbow” in the game.
Roy Keane’s dramatic return was the inspiration for this article which was written by Simon Barnes last Friday.
You can also enter the FSC Talent Challenge over at http://fantasy.foxsoccer.com . I understand that we provide the FSC and challenge parts and you provide the talent.
Once you have logged in and entered your team, click on the 'My Leagues' link you can find on the left of the page. Then enter the code 24-176 to join the FSC Talent Challenge League.
Later this week I should have a preview of the next round of the FA Cup so you can check on the next opponents of Jarrow Roofing Boldon Coomunity Association after their Extra Preliminary Round win over Billingham Synthonia a couple of weeks ago.
I am also planning a preview of the qualifying groups for Euro 2008 which really gets underway this coming weekend.
And once again thanks to all of you who take the time to visit and post.
The FA Cup site did not have all the results but I found out that Jarrow’s opponents will not be known until after a replay on Tuesday. Thackley and Ramsbottom United played to a 1-1 draw in front of 80 people on Saturday.
The FA Cup is not just one of the most renowned sporting trophies in the world but also of the most copied in terms of format. Since the first tournament in 1871-72 the knock out format has become one of the most recognized systems for deciding sporting champions. However, the competition did not get off to the most au####ious of starts. In the book “The FA Cup The Complete Story” by Guy Lloyd and Nick Holt the first competition is described as a shambles. There were numerous walkovers with Scottish club Queen’s Park making it all the way to the semi final without kicking a ball. After drawing the semi final 0-0 Queen’s Park had to withdraw as they couldn’t cover the cost of the replay against Wanderers. Wanderers went on to beat Royal Engineers 1-0 in the final.
Other oddities from the first final include:
Players were distinguished by their cap or garters rather than by their jerseys.
Throw-ins were taken one-handed.
The only field markings were the touchlines.
Teams changed ends each time a goal was scored.
Despite the problematic start the FA Cup prospered until the arrival of the Premiership in the early 1990’s. Since then the glamour of the event has been dealt numerous blows, often from the Premiership clubs treating it as an inconvenience – unless of course they had nothing better to play for!
However, anyone who saw last seasons FA Cup final between Liverpool and West Ham United can vouch for the fact that there is life in the old competition yet - and not only in the late stages of the competition. It is the magnitude of the competition and the “David vs. Goliath” contests that the random draw routinely throws-up that is the real magic.
You can read more about Jarrow – founded 1987 – at their website highlighted above.
Billingham Synthonia has a more extensive history having been formed in 1923 but I could not find a dedicated website. According to a wiki entry - “Synthonia have at least two unique records, the only Football Club in Great Britain named after an agricultural fertilizer and the only Northern League side to play an entire season without conceding a home goal. Connected with ICI Billingham until 1994 when the ground was sold to new owners, the club shortened its name from Synthetic Ammonia, one of ICI’s main products. Synthonia’s second distinction came in the 1950-51 season when they played 13 home league games, winning 12 and drawing one, with a goal tally of 44 for and none against. This was achieved with Goalkeeper Harry Armstrong saving a last minute penalty in the final game of the season.”
Apparently the great Brian Clough was a former player in the 1950’s.
Both clubs play in the Arngrove Northern League Division 1 which is rated step 5/6 in the English pyramid system. The Northern League is touted as the second oldest football league in the world having been formed in 1889.
I also discovered that the company that sponsors the league – the Albany Group – is owned by none other than Brooks Mileson the owner of Gretna. Mileson has guaranteed sponsorship of the league through his lifetime and through his sons’ lifetime by way of a trust.
If anyone can shed anymore light on the two teams it would be appreciated.
I am the soccer analyst for the Fox Soccer Report and appear twice a week - every Monday and Friday at 10:00 EST. I have also been a regular contributor to the Fox Soccer Channel website since the summer of 2004. Over the last twenty years I have contributed to various radio and television programs throughout North America as well writing about the game for newspapers, magazines and websites.
Thank you to all who take time to visit this blog and especially to those of you who post your comments and thoughts.
PS - If you have questions please post them on the regular Monday blog. I am unable to answer e mails posted to the inbox on this site.
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