BTRFTG

If that's the case then FA, EPL and EFL are responsible, though I suspect there's more to it than that. I imagine they were faced with the prospect of some games on, some games off dictated by the emergency authorities, so acted first.

The fact you don't consider it valid is your choice, but you're not tasked with ensuring public safety at risk if you get it wrong you could end up in prison. They take calls based on intelligence and risk, not desire and supposition.

That's a call for police and is not so simple to predict. Some of the biggest offs I've seen in recent years have been at games one wouldn't necessary have predicted (given they're mostly pre-arranged affairs.) They're policing whole journeys, not just the streets around BS3. That's why there's a Football Intelligence Unit but not for other sports.

Two things: Risk. Football fans reputations are there for a reason, as are egg-chasers. We reap what we sow. Resource: could be the A&S contingents start getting shipped out/deployed en masse from Sunday. It'll be in the plan. Maybe Eggers don't require all the horses football fans do

Amazing how little folks appreciate how they are governed and constitutional Requirement. The official 'period of mourning' has nothing to do with how folks are expected to act or what they do. Its a constitutional requirement to allow a vast reset of the very fabric as to the state function. Recall every civil servant is that of the monarch (albeit via the monarch's Government.) Department & Agencies are the monarch's. The judiciary acts on behalf of the monarch. All those things are in the monarch's name and as the monarch changes so must the documentation via which we are governed. To give you an example of the scale of change. I worked on the implementation of the Marriages (Same Sex Couples) Act 2013. So what you say? Well, over a thousand years of legislation had passed using terms such as husband/wife, man/woman, he/she. We identified around 700 pieces of primary legislation (the really important stuff,) that would all require redrafting as the new act ran contrary to that on statute and (theoretically at least,) be subject to Parliamentary approval (we estimated if Parliament did nothing other than change what they needed to for this one Act it would occupy the next 27 years of the parliamentary timetable, with nothing else debated during that time.)

All those moaning about cancellations are exactly the same folks who'd be up in arms were an incident to happen at an event because emergency response was deployed elsewhere. Why oh why oh why, finger of blame pointed, where's my compo... Between the 7/7 London bombings and my leaving work there were 29 serious incidents averted by UKIC ('serious' denotes the anticipated deaths of 10 or more individuals.) For obvious reason none were widely publicised. You can probably add a dozen more to that total and don't ignore the incidents that did occur, those which the 'why oh whyers' love to highlight. So for the next few days throughout the land wherever people will gather, manholes and conduits are being lifted, checked and sealed, ditto street furniture, vacant properties, properties of significance and more. Subjects of interest require extra close scrutiny. The normal course of events sees ALL items into the Palace of Westminster first delivered elsewhere, where they are subject to checks then monitored all the way until delivered within the secure perimeter of the Palace. Imagine how much more will be going there, Westminster Abbey and surrounding buildings over the next few days? The hundreds of dignitaries and VIPs attending the funeral, all their itineraries, lodgings, movements to be assessed and triple checked. The volume of human resource required is phenomenal which is why much of it is shipped in from around the country. It has nothing to do with whether or not Royals or Government wish to shut things down. They don't, but in the messed up world we live in they must.

Its this causing the cancellations as all emergency services (not just police,) switch to an emergency rota to cover public events over the next fortnight. Sadly, such is the state of the world this has to include large scale response measures should scumbags and terrorists decide to play their dirty hands at mass gatherings (given broadcast coverage they're classed as prime targets for attack.)

Ha, awful mullet. Never heard anything else. He occasionally does radio work on the football shows up here.

Possibly, but it was definitely about money and with spare time on my hands today I've an update for archie andrews who it looks like was correct first time around..

Awful news. City through and through. I grew up with his dad and uncle and as a young kid Marcus lived behind my folks.

The game itself was a non-entity but two incidents live long in the memory. We stood directly behind their dugout and they had a Mike Brolly lookalike winger by the name of 'Jamie', I recall. Their very loud (and friendly) manager started by trying to direct all traffic through wonderkid Jamie. "Jamie take a touch...Jamie come inside... Get wide Jamie." It was relentless. Problem being Jamie wasn't all that and not long in made a total rickett, the first of many as it transpired. At the time I was somewhat known for being able to 'get into' players heads. Insults and abuse are water off a duck's back to most players but be polite, give them something to think about and you'll have their ear. "I feel sorry for you Jamie, doing that on your big day....occasion getting to you Jamie...Jamie, shall I ask them to turn the cameras off? Their manager seeing what was happening upped the ante lavishing ever more encouragement and instruction Jamie's way. Reciprocally, Jamie screwed up and I upped my game. One ball was coming wide to him, Jamie alone in acres of space, when at full volume and with much urgency I screamed " Man On!" Jamie jumped a couple of feet in the air, nearly followed through and mis-controlled the ball into touch. City fans erupted with laughter. The manager turned to us, half laughing, and asked, "Come on, give the kid a chance, he's only young.." To which the obvious response was, "No, all's fair in combat so to protect him you'd better sub him." Several City choruses of "Taxi For Jamie," subbed he was. The other incident related to a seemingly nasty injury incurred by one of their players. After much head scratching between the physios and St John's Ambulance a stretcher was called for, which took some time to arrive courtesy of the groundsman. As the player was being carried off you could see (and hear) the fella at the front cotton on to the fact the keys to the locked changing rooms were in his trouser pocket. Those following appeared oblivious to this predicament. Entering the goalmouth the bearer at the front attempted a deft slight of hand in trying to hold both stretcher AND extricate the keys. As they say in entertainment, with hilarious consequence, he secured the keys but not the handle of the stretcher, the injured party rolling sideways from height onto the pitch. Gasps and giggles throughout the stadium and I do believe the injured player thought it safer to struggle to the changing rooms on foot rather than risk further injury at the hands of the medics.

No. RMT announced dates after Norwich match tickets went on sale, before the Burnley tickets went on sale , but not before many of us had purchased rail tickets for both fixtures. RMT targeted a Saturday knowing the disruption and publicity it would create amongst the football community.

You're on fire today NTTDS. Firstly, there's only 20 of us using trains to see City away. From Parson Street maybe, but there's a whole bigger universe with stations out there if you dare venture. Secondly, modern train carriages accommodate between 125-145 passengers (cattle class) each. That line usually uses 4 carriage trains as most stations have short platforms (Falmer's was built extended.) Hence if everybody took a 'service' train it would require around 55 trains to empty a sold-out Falmer, not 3 or 4. They don't operate that many in a day. That's precisely why the club has to operate the additional 'football specials', with extra carriages, shuttling folks mostly back to Brighton where the longer platforms match those at Falmer. We've never had an issue getting away from the stadium as an away supporter using any of the trains supplied. The BTP prefer getting away fans into and out of Brighton Station asap so prioritize those specials. Personally, coming in via Lewes is the better option.

I know of a fair few with tickets who won't now be going given the lack of trains.

Possibly. I recall getting to the game to be told they were 'playing their big match tomorrow' and thinking they'll only put out the reserves against us, which they might as well have done for all anybody knew of Russian football.

Not I, we arrived in good time for that one doubtless due to an overly early start and active satnav. The issue is there are no 'back doubles' any more what with LTNs and cycle lanes. One just has to sit and suffer, hence I go via M25 & Bracknell.

Structures with quoted life expectations tend to fall into two categories, those whose structural components or facades are known to degrade and where rebuild cost and convenience is preferable to repair and those for whom the services they contain are no likely be supported by the structure's design in the future (function outgrown design.) In addition, one factors in environmental conditions and frequency of use. The figures quoted are usually for insurance and budgetary purposes. Folks also need to understand what's important in a building (the bits that support its structural integrity and hold it together,) and the bits that are veneer and may be changed (in modern buildings you see all around that extends as far as the curtain walling most think ARE the building which in reality are glorified windows.) Steel, if maintained, will easily last a minimum 100-150 years and that assumes a decent amount of weathering and constant usage. Note much of the Dolman's structural support is new and supplemental to original. Its concrete steppings will last far longer than might be first assumed as they're mostly under cover (concrete hates water,) and, importantly, are subject to variable stress only a few hours each year cf a concrete road surface under constant stress variation.

City have had more than their fair share of personable if not successful managers. Like Smith in Pisa before him we spent time in Johnson Senior's company during that pre-season in Latvia and a jolly decent and popular fella he was. John Ward via the infamous 'Priestfield' incident showed, too, how much fans meant to him and the club, treating us with utmost respect and giving of his time in a calm and approachable manner. But there's no correlation between popularity and longevity, its a results business. If there was our longest serving manager would have been Jimmy Lumsden. Nicer bloke you couldn't wish to meet. Hugely respected in the game, though perhaps better as an assistant than in the glare of publicity. A decent man wholly broken by tragic personal circumstance and who could blame him?

I've a feeling it was a type of 'Harlem Globetrotters' money raising exercise where they visited these shores for a week or two and played loads of 'exhibition' matches. I believe we were the 'warm up' for them playing one of the big London clubs the following evening. So ,as with The Premier, things haven't changed.....

Ah, that's the kidder!

No, not him. In my mind he was an old man (aka no older than 25,) Brillianteened barnet (aka Jantzen), played with swagger and arrogance. May well have been their captain at the time.

You what? WeeLee was the manager. Two ways to look at it: If, as you suggest, WeeLee was a passive manager who simply selected from that he was dealt, what type of gutless, spineless and subservient individual must he be and who might possibly take him seriously let alone appoint him in any position of authority? On the other hand if he was instrumental in identifying those he wanted in his squad, tasking Ashton to acquire them, what a useless judge of a footballer he is. Which is it?

I was knee high but recall going with my dad and uncle but rather than the Jules Rimet I was told to focus on the 'best player on the park'. Not one of those involved in the World Cup rather an Atyeo type goalscoring machine who led the line for Leeds and set them on the road to glory. Cant for the life of me remember his name but think he was a Scot. Could be wrong but whilst I recall Jackie Charlton playing i think a young Norman Hunter might also have been there.

Amazing game but apologies for the abiding memory being that at Derby station. After we'd won there were a couple of Derby thugs on the stairs of the platform bridge at the station tooled up and looking for young City lads to slash. I clocked them straight away, you don't grow up in BS13 without knowing how to look after yourself. But as now a professional grown up I first thought to engage the services of the BTP, only to be told there were none on duty Sundays and to report back Monday. A couple of us fronted up and put the gutless thugs in their place, seeing them scurrying for cover. Hopefully saved others facial scars for life but first time I'd witnessed Stanleys pulled in anger at a match.

As for Saturday nights! There was one game last year when we went for a beer and ruby after the game as I was taking the train home. Headed to TM for 9:30pm. Quickest public transport home got me in my bed 4:10 am on Sunday morning. Its not even as though trains are reliable.