Octopus of Odstock

Well, obviously all the talk at Reading is not the 1-0 win over Newcastle that sent us back into European positions, but Kingsley's sending off. For those who don't know, here is a picture of Kingsley: Here is a Reading player who was in action last night Yep, easy to get them mixed up.......... Kingsley will now have to serve a one-match ban & may be fined by manager Steve Coppell, but the club will appeal to the FA. and the referee is one of England's best apparently....

Racing drivers Dickie Attwood & Dick Gibson are still alive, as is child star actor from the 1930's & '40's, Dickie Jones.

He's taken part in the 'masters' series. If you stick around you'll soon suss that OoO and M.Lawrenson have forgotten more about motor racing than the rest of the world ever knew, and can bring you up to date on De Crasheris' latest doings. Ta MPFC. Quick answer - yes - but only in the historics/GPM type events - nothing serious or full-time. He works as a currency trader most of the time or windsurfs. By the way, that reminds me. Alessandro Nannini was back in a racing car again, driving in a one-off GT race last weekend.

I will, but you can also wish him well on his guestbook at his site. In an interview on his site, he said that if he hadn't had the HANS system, he'd be dead. I also think I mentioned last year John Rhodes, the ex-F1 driver, and mini racing legend had a huge crash, which he was lucky to survive. He is recovering, but has lost the sight in one eye, sadly. Oh... Rhodes was 79 when he had the accident, during a race, against some competitors 55 years younger than he! They don't make them like that anymore..... Oh, one racing fatality I forgot to mention - From Autosport, 26th April 2007, pg 21 "Argentinian Guillermo Castellanos was killed in an accident during last weekend's [21st-22nd] Turismo Carretera touring car race [TC2000] at the Comodoro Rivadavia circuit. The 40 year old, driving a Chevrolet Coupe, collected the spun Dodge Polara of Pedro Dandlen and suffered fatal injuries. He was taken to hospital, where he was pronounced dead shortly after arrival. Dandlen suffered a broken leg in the impact."

Hans-Joachim Stuck, former F1 driver & sportscar ace is a lucky man after a mammoth crash over the weekend. The link isn't the best, but it does explain, in English, some of his nasty injuries, including bruising to the heart! As a good friend of mine, I'm glad Hans is well & should pull through fine. Stuck becomes Unstuck

A little while back we were discussing (well me & MIB were!) footballers still alive from the 1970 World Cup. Well, Romania have one less, meaning they've now lost three. Florea Dumitrache, one of their best footballers of all time, no less, has died from a digestive disorder which caused haemorraghing.. Link in Romanian.

[childish voice on] Sorry Mr Wait, I won't do it again. I proommmmissssse. I weally weally do. [childish voice off] 'arry, me son, as they say everywhere, the wonderful world of Iain/Dave/Smithy/Stan is almost too weird & wonderful for words. How best to capture this engimatic, perhaps mistaken genius (some say a true cult hero) in a few choice words? Nay, it's impossible. All I can proffer for your bedtime reading, to supplement a warm cup of cocoa & a hobnob biscuit is this, this & the entire works of iain here. Always brings a chuckle & a smile to my day. PS Thanks Mr/Mrs/Ms/Dr/Prof etc Guest.

Iain also made appeals to the moderators to ban or warn other people. Iain also has appalling spelling & grammar skills. Iain also killed off celebrities & started threads making us think people were dead (The Death of Tony Blair, recently, may I add) Iain also made outrageously silly predictions which never come true & waste peoples time. (2 dead DL'rs by today) Iain also was obessed with Dr. Who & Prisoner Cell Block H. Iain also reported the death of people a number of days after their death. (Les Jackson) Iain is also obessed with the death of Michael Foot. Iain is also somebody who thinks the death of a fellow countryman will result in a member of DL's death. (Rostropovih/Solzhenitsyn?) Iain also had his name signed in as iain. You have your name signed in as dave. 4 letter words, no capitals each time... Iain also contributed nothing to the forum. Hell of a lot of coincidence there, eh? Unless you are his stupid twin brother. and the biggest clue that you are Iain is that you keep responding to the name Iain when we moan about you! Sadly, Iain is not dead. I will happily accept any warning from the mods, but when the mods themselves (Anubis The Jackal & Notapotato frequently insult you Iain, but in a far cleverer way, above your head, of course) insult you, I am not expecting any action. On topic, a baseball player that won the World Series last year for the St. Louis Cardinals, Josh Hancock, has been killed in a car crash. Considering the amount of news items already, I presume he was a reasonably famous baseball pitcher over there.

Could be a hit for MPFC in the CPDP with Hughes if the obit comes.. the first since Inman, I believe? Somewhat surprised we all missed Yeltsin on this DP...

That was Gordon BURNS. P.S. I voted for Cohen as well.

Lindsey Hughes, a perennial MPFC favourite, and chosen on a number of DP's has lost her fight against cancer. It now remains to be seen if she will get an obit - this blog is the only mention thus far, but there might be something in the broadsheets soon.

That was mentioned in this thread on Wednesday, a full FOUR DAYS ago, you blithering idiot.

LEEDS UNITED RELEGATED! Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha HaHa Ha Ha Ha Ha HaHa Ha Ha Ha Ha HaHa Ha Ha Ha Ha HaHa Ha Ha Ha Ha HaHa Ha Ha Ha Ha HaHa Ha Ha Ha Ha HaHa Ha Ha Ha Ha HaHa Ha Ha Ha Ha HaHa Ha Ha Ha Ha HaHa Ha Ha Ha Ha HaHa Ha Ha Ha Ha HaHa Ha Ha Ha Ha HaHa Ha Ha Ha Ha HaHa Ha Ha Ha Ha HaHa Ha Ha Ha Ha HaHa Ha Ha Ha Ha HaHa Ha Ha Ha Ha HaHa Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha What do The Championship & a cordless drill have in common? Neither have any Leeds and in their mindless, hooligan attempts to abandon the match yesterday, any sympathy anyone had went for them, especially attacking defenceless Ipswich fans, some of them only kids too. If that's how they're going to be, then f**k off Leeds & don't hurry back. Join Scarborough in oblivion. Olveres got what he wanted - Bradford down, Halifax survive. Monoclinic's Southampton in the play-offs, MPFC's Carlisle f**k up right at the end after a storming final third of the season & good luck to DDT's Exeter City as they play Poxford. The entire football world is on your side, Exeter... Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha HaHa Ha Ha Ha Ha HaHa Ha Ha Ha Ha HaHa Ha Ha Ha Ha HaHa Ha Ha Ha Ha HaHa Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha at Leeds once more. Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha HaHa Ha Ha Ha Ha HaHa Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha

Drnovsek not seeking re-election Not sure if this will aid or hinder his recovery...

Sihanouk back in Cambodia

Finally some Demjanjuk news!!!!!!!! Er.. which is no-one in the whole world loves him.

Teri Garr at awards function. Seems to be looking well for someone with MS & a recent brain aneurysm. Clearly made of stern stuff...

In a recent interview, Aziz says he's gonna move to Rome. No news of his health, but he sounds far more sprightly, and the fact there's no mention by Aziz at all of his health, suggests a bit of lawyerish poetic licence.

Mohammed Guendouz is Algerian. Morocco weren't in the 1982 World Cup, Algeria were. And, yes, Guendouz is still alive. Bit rich to tell me to "get a life" when you remember Adam Ant lyrics from 25 years ago.... On your other point, Rostropovich's health really only detoriated this year, so once again, I really don't think the DL can be held responsible for missing his death. Next someone will be saying Alan Ball should've been on the DL...

Sorry I'm late but happy birthday Olveres!

Oh, it's one of my life-long interests - the football World Cup. I was fascinated as a small boy & am still fascinated by it now. About 10 years ago, I pondered on how many players were still alive from each tournament & have kept tabs ever since. The internet is then most useful for checking up on this type of thing. Hence I can come up with random shite like the above and:- * Only two players survive from the first World Cup in 1930 * There are more dead players from Costa Rica's 2002 squad (1) than Iran's 1978 or Holland's 1974 squad. * Despite all the upheavel & constant early deaths, NONE of Iraq's 1986 squad are dead. * 7 of North Korea's giant-killing 1966 squad are dead already (the worst total from 1966) * Just 4 - yes 4(!!) of the USSR's 1962 squad are still alive. * 13 members of the UAE's 1990 squad had a name Mubarak somewhere in their name. All are still alive. * To keep it DL-based, only 2 of Uruguay's 1950 winning squad remain.

Chile in 1962 was hardly played at night in a frozen tundra, MIB..... Of the other 1970 teams: 0 deaths: Mexico, Morocco, Israel, Uruguay 1 death: Italy (Facchetti - cancer), West Germany, El Salvador 2 deaths: Belgium, Brazil, Peru, Romania, Sweden 3 deaths: Bulgaria (one of those was a car crash), Czechoslovakia 6 deaths: USSR 7 deaths: England Still a rather unusual amount.... Of course, not all the deaths above are heart-attacks & of England's, Moore, Hughes & Newton of course died after cancer battles.

Indeed so, that's why I distinctly put "in follow up" to his previous treatment in the post. But any hospital visit for blood clots is still worthy of at least passing mention.

Two Arsenal & England players dead in a day - and, of course, two England International cricketers dead in a day. Milton played for Bristol City, Ball (briefly) for Bristol Rovers - but there the coincidence ends as Bally loved his golf and wasn't so fussed about cricket. Just noticed a quote on the BBC website, by the way, which has pushed up Alan Ball even further in my estimation: A man of great taste, clearly.

The 6 to have died of the 1970 squad that PLAYED are Bobby Moore, Peter Osgood, Jeff Astle, Keith Newton, Brian Labone & now Alan Ball. Emlyn Hughes, who didn't play in the tournament, is the 7th deceased player. That's almost a third of the squad gone in just 37 years. Compare that to other England World Cup Squads - 2 dead of 22 for 1966, 3 of 22 for 1962, and 5 of 22 for 1958, you start to see how unusual the high attrittion rate from the 1970 squad is.