Ingenuity

Erm...Mick McCarthy....in a word....nope. Now if you'd said Danny Wilson (no not the singer)... that's a different matter. And Alan, thank you for the endearing affectionate welcome. One i think should be recirpocated with a "Barnsley kiss" ;-)

Haha! Oh the world is such a small place and colonised by Barnsley people! Well i don't think i'm you...not that i know who you is. And despite stereotypical london opinion i don't own a whippet.... eat lard sandwiches.... and only ever wear a flat cap on the very grandest of occassions. I don't have a shrine to Michael Parkinson, Dickie Bird isn't the extent of my biography reading and i've never been down a pit! There, got that off my chest! BBS, am i right in thinking that was the old Barnsley e-mail subscription list? If so was on it years ago before i got shunned by suggesting John Hendrie was a useless manager... despite us beating Huddersfield 7-1! Ah well... have to have your say don't you? I did used to travel with London supporters group way back at the turn of the century! Jimmy Viz, Stu K, Craig and Sue.... know any of them?

Living right round the corner from the ground i've still not been after 18 months of "going to." I hear watching the hamlets is as exciting as the drama of beating Liverpool at home with a last minute winner and then dumping Champions League finalists Chelsea out of the FA Cup (yes i'm a Barnsley fan!).......is it true????

St Francis Road still voucherless.

On a good day it's a leisurely stroll down the stairs, plonk my behind on the sofa and i'm in the office! (Good old wireless!) On a bad day (which is every 2 weeks!) it's a hefty commute. Up at 4:30am, drive off at 5am, up DKH to London Bridge, skirt up Bishopsgate, Old Street, through Islington etc. and onwards picking up the A1 to Jct2 of the M1..... then after about 180 miles i'm there. The holy land of Sheffield...hmmm.

I'm actually really surprised how many votes the BNP received in London. Especially when you consider how low the vote was for the Lib Dems and the Green party (after the Ken and Boris head to head). I wouldn't expect BNP supporters to share views openly in here. There was a whistleblower type programme about them some years ago. Someone joined them and saw at close quarters what the leader and regional candidate said in public and to potential voters. Then behind the scenes and with those in the inner circle, there views were very different. Instead of suggesting they were fed up with a lack of jobs and resources for "english" people... which seemed to be white english people not english born people, and what they viewed as a pressure of immigration, instead they were inherently spouting aggressive racist views. No other explanation or description. Like others have said i do hope they are not here to stay. However you can understand why people in less affluent parts of the country who are out of work or are finding it hard to find work because of an influx of immigrants whether Romanian, Bulgarian or African might just think someone is on their side. And if politicians feel the way to stop people putting a vote in the BNP box is to tell them not to, they are showing a distinct lack of understanding to the problems some people are facing. For many i believe a BNP vote is a misplaced cry for help, not a racist undercurrent. (i voted labour, green and lib dem in that order by the way!!!! Maybe that deserves more stick we'll see!!!)

I wondered how many people have gone into the Post Office on Melbourne Grove? I live just around the corner from it and use it fairly infrequently. I've never seen it heaving either. The reason I tend to use it infrequently though is that it's more like a corner shop, there is a nominal range of post poffice services and the customer service is beyond abysmal. Often you go in with no other person in there and have to wait for 5 minutes until one of the people at the desk finish having a chat with the other or are having a sandwich. I'll happily walk an extra 10 minutes and have a bit of a queue to wait in if at least somebody is remotely bothered and efficient.

It's a few weeks back now but i had what sounds like the same guy pester me for money. He was outside the Domino's pizza place on Grove Vale. He was very persistence and had a bit of an edge to him. When i said i didnt have any cash he suggested i go to a cash machine and get some for him. Not one to be reasoned with and i was quite worried as i live not far down the road by the station and didnt really want him watching and seeing where i lived. I've not seen him since but he's certainly not the sort of person i want hanging around. And i'm a tad under six foot and a bloke so i don't think he discriminates!