Octopus of Odstock

The Good News (or Noose) for us is that two more of No Noose is Good Noose's team appaer to have been executed with no UK mention. The bad news for us, and good noose for him is that James Filaggi has been executed, and not only got a mention in the Guardian as per usual, but in the Times as well (which I've passed on to SB & RK) Perhaps time for the likes of Messner to show their hand to stop NNIGN winning.

What a game that was! - most fans still remember that fondly, even in this shiny new Premiership mode we're in. We expected a tough game, which we got, but to score 6 away from home! Quinn, Lovell & Taylor two each. Happy days...

I met Alan Ball & his wife Lesley in 2003 & it seems inconvenciable that they are both now dead. The youngest member of the 1966 squad (2nd to die), but what isn't being mentioned is that he is the 6th member of the 1970 squad to die (and on the same day, one year on, as another of the 6, Brian Labone, died. That seems amazing when you contrast that to earlier teams & nations (say France 1958). An excellent player, lest we forget, both internationally, and for many more years domestically. A decent manager too, bit unlucky with Manchester City's relegation. Because he was seen as a squeaky, ginger shortarse, this made him a figure of fun, but he was a good, genuine guy, who utterly adored his wife & was devastated when she died. That's the only comfort, that he might be with her now. More recently, he was seen on the BBC's World Cup coverage in 2006. One of the last things he did was watch the Man U-Milan game last night and then.. gone, of a heart-attack, just like that. Very, very sad.

There's only one way to solve this condundrum. Get me Mark Chapman/Heather Mills on the phone.

Top North Korean general & one-time envoy to the USA, Vice Marshal Jo Myong-Rok, is criticially ill & possibly "dying" of kidney & liver disease. According to the report, he has two months "at the most" to live. You may well think, well so what? But, as the report concludes, Jo is effectively the second most powerful man in North Korea, so he'll probably get an obit somewhere.

Roger Milward is a tough old guy. 4 broken jaws, a rare heart condition & now it appears he has beaten off cancer. More here. One to still think about though.

In follow up to the above;- Cheney in hospital again.

*Ahem*. I would like to point out, in my defence, that I don't know much about modern snooker except everyone seems so terribly dull. Bring back Bill Wernebiuk (RIP) & his like.

Yes, but as the other two Beatles are alive, surely they still count as survivors of the "Any One"? I mean, they're not dead, after all, so they must be survivors of some sort?

I think the accusations that Yeltsin is a huge miss is a bit unfair. After all, this is from Bridget Kendall at BBC News: Whilst it IS fair to say Yeltsin wasn't going to make 90, it wasn't that certain when he would go. As it was, had he not picked up a viral infection on holiday, he may still be on the planet & perfectly fine.

Well Iain is known for his outlandish statements but is he right? Well, half & half really. A LOT have gone, but virtually all? Probably just a tad over-the-top (again)... Time for an updated list: 1987: Dunn, de Cesaris, Wing, Saville, Osbourne, Beatles (6/31) 1988: A mystery......... 1989: Melly, Bruno, Robson, Mandela, Ditka, Paisley, Kendall, Osbourne, Wilson, Dunn, Smith, Jenkins, Cole (13/32) 1990: Dunn, Noriega, Aznavour, Waldheim, Alliss, Ditka, Rex Williams, Winfrey, Smith, Aquino, Waite (11/42) 1991: Willis, Smith, Moore, Manning, Mandela, Dunn, Gabor, Beenhaaker (8/40) 1992: O'Brien, Cronkite, Finney, Ryder (4/37) 1993: Dunn, Bennett, Curtis, Waldheim, I Paisley, Demjanjuk, Kissinger, Ray Kennedy, Moore, Lineker, Sykes, Foot, Lewis (13/56) 1994: Castro, Demjanjuk, Kirkbride, White, Shamir, Dunn, Johnson, Thorpe, Shilton (9/50) 1995: Curtis, Hillary, Demjanjuk, Castro, Johnson, Clarke, Moore, Forsyth, Connery (9/50) 1996: Hagman, Demjanjuk, Mr T, Thorpe, Domino, Waldheim, Castro, Deedes (8/50) 1997: Wisdom, Rooney, Domino, Waldheim, Clarke, Douglas, Dunn (7/50) 1998: Rooney, Solzhenitsyn, Jaruzelski, Sykes, Waldheim (5/50) 1999: Knievel, Havel, Leeson, Simon (4/50) 2000: Havel, Farrakan, Dunn, Foot, Jaruzelski, Biggs, Solzhenitsyn, Malden (8/50) 2001: Tutu, Minelli, Jones, Pincher, Wallach, Wouk, Rooney (7/50) 2002: Biggs, Hofmann, Yogi, Brady, Foot, bin Laden, Malden, Higgins, Levi-Strauss, Douglas, Waldheim, Suharto, Kendall, Niemeyer (14/50) 2003: Hofmann, Biggs, Deedes, Jones, Foot, Malden, Morgan, Wisdom, Shamir, Cronkite, Waldheim, Rooney, Gabor, Suharto, Sykes, Havel (16/50) 2004: Biggs, Foot, Hofmann, Levi-Strauss, Yogi, Deedes, Solzhenitsyn, Brady, Shamir, Musharraf, Wallach, Mintoff, Douglas, O'Brien, Clarke, Waldheim, Michelmore, Rooney, Mugabe, Dunn (20/50) 2005: Biggs, Moore, Astor, Hofmann, Niemayer, Levi-Strauss, Wisdom, Taylor, Solzhenitsyn, Yogi, Rayner, Karzai, Maradona, Deedes, LaMotta, Foot, Martin, Wyman, Wallach, Paul, de Havilland, Cronkite, Ford, Waldheim, O'Sullevan, Castro, Lewis (27/50) 2006: 36 survivors at present. 2007: 49 survivors at present.

Well, I lucked out on Castro, looks like I might luck out on Doku Umarov. According to Putin's man, "he might be dead". However, firstly the statement has not made any news outside Russia - secondly, Umarov may become a Bin Laden figure where knowledge of if he's alive or not is sketchy. I hope he is dead, and they find proof & then tell the BBC. I'm certainly not including him in next year's DDP, along with Castro.

Judging by the replies, it seems you need some kind of criteria as to what defines unsuccessful. And are we talking about former league clubs who were in the football league for a while before? I mean, it can be argued that Reading haven't been that successful, considering how long we've been in the league, as we have won lots at lower level, but not much at higher. But if you're referring to current league teams that have never won a League Championship of any sort:- Accrington Stanley, 42 seasons, 0 titles Barnet: 12 seasons, 0 titles Boston United, 5 seasons, 0 titles Cheltenham Town, 8 seasons, 0 titles Chester City, 72 seaons, 0 titles, 1 Cup (Debenhams Cup) Colchester United, 56 seasons, 0 titles Crewe Alexandra, 90 seasons, 0 titles Hartlepool United, 86 seasons, 0 titles Macclesfield Town, 10 seasons, 0 titles * MK Dons - but their records are counted under Wimbledon* Rochdale, 86 seasons, 0 titles Torquay Utd, 80 seasons, 0 titles Wycombe Wanderers, 14 seasons, 0 titles Other Candidates: Bournemouth, 85 seasons, 1 title (Div 3), 1 Cup (Associate Members Cup) Gillingham, 75 seasons, 1 title (Div 4) Exeter City, 75 seasons, 1 title (Div 4) Shrewsbury Town, 56 seasons, 1 title (Div 3) Tranmere Rovers, 86 seasons, 1 title (Div 3N), 1 Cup (Leyland Daf) Walsall, 94 seasons, 1 title (Div 4) Halifax Town, 69 seasons, 0 titles Aldershot, 52 seaons, 0 titles Barrow, 44 seasons, 0 titles Gateshead, 34 seaons, 0 titles Then there's a whole load of former league teams who have played less than 30 seasons in the league & won nothing, but the worst culprits are above. So, if Hartlepool win their title, and considering Crewe have been at a higher level, it's probably fair to say Rochdale are the least successful club, given time & success.

Maybe a little histronical, Paulie, as he still looks a very healthy old man. If anything, losing a bit of weight can't hurt. For the DDP, I don't think it's worth adding him on any list. The DL never listens to my suggestions anyway so I suppose it doesn't matter if I say he should be taken off the list next year.

No. From joining the league, all the ten top teams have been in a league that is counted as either the 1st or 2nd tier at that time. Boston have only been in the fourth tier as a league club. None of them have been in Division 3, Division 3 (s), Division 3 (North), League 1, 2nd Division etc etc etc. Timeframes don't even come into it.

Ah.. but MIB, you've shot yourself in the foot here... There is one league team, who after being promoted from the non-league, has also not been in the third tier, having stayed down at the 4th So the list is: TOP TWO TIERS ONLY: Arsenal, Chelsea, Everton, Leeds United (not for long), Leicester City, Liverpool, Manchester United, Newcastle United, Tottenham Hotspur, West Ham United. FOURTH TIER ONLY: Boston United I await my prize in the post. PS Thanks to Rothmans Football Yearbook

Yes - what a result, but trouble is we're now heading for Europe when we didn't want it... sh*t! Ah well, i think we should just enjoy the ride. Only just got in so only taken a quick glance but looks like Leeds are doomed & Colchester & Jamie Cureton have done it again! MPFC may be weeping in his cornflakes as Carlisle's recent rapid play-off chase was dented big-time by Bristol City...

Latest is: Ozzie Whingers: 1 Canucks: 2 Frogs: 5 Krauts: 4 Eyties: 6 Polish scroungers: 2 Slippery Finns: 2 Yanks: 9 (But only 3 confirmed) and of those brave soldiers of the glorious motherland of Great Britain & Northern Ireland: 8. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Surviving_vet..._of_World_War_I

Phil is 80 today! Phil is having a relatively quiet day at home, I understand, to celebrate his birthday.

Turkey's last died a few years back. Japan has none left, all colonial troops are gone apart from one Australian and two Canadians. All the New Zealand lot have gone, and all those from the West Indies & North Africa. However it is possible that there are some Arabs & Indians (indeed there was such a claim in one of Michael Palin's travelogues) alive, but finding evidence & tracking them down is virtually impossible. Similiar to the Russians, but remember they had the revolution & a war in Finland as well, not to mention Stalin's purge, so it's certainly possible that they have none. The last two KNOWN ones died in 2005. There MIGHT also be some Cubans etc, but it's virtually impossible to confirm. The trouble is the language barrier, and evidence, and the werewithwal of the veterans themselves to make themselves known. I reckon there's more out there from the above countries & the countries we already have but, it's proving it that's difficult.

It seems like Germany's turn to lose most of its veterans - Albin Kaiser has died - pushing their total to just 4. Even allowing for fakes & those that are WWI era veterans, the total is under 40. Those that actually FOUGHT in the war itself is extremely low now, no more than 15 of those left now.

Hans Koning, profilic author, is dead, at the age of 85. Obit. "A Walk with Love & Death" adorned the bookshelf at home for many years.

Doing "Okay" after treatment

*** Apologies to Olveres too.*** (But I thought you lived in Bradford, which might actually be a bigger insult.)

Well, this kind of rubbish doesn't endear me to Leeds any more, but considering I hate Leeds anyway, it doesn't change anything. In fact it's almost typical that such a rant comes from this hell-hole of a place. Leeds after all, is home to Jane Tomlinson, Dennis Wise, Ken Bates & Leeds United, the most hated team in the entire football league & thousands of sad chav wannabee muppets **** Well, Jon, there may well be some that live with their parents (nope, not me) & have limp wrists (of which I have neither) but at least none of us are sad, stupid & pathetic enough to still be living in Leeds. *** So, as NAP says, whose the pathetic one here? As for the snooker, maybe worth a punt on veteran Ken Doherty if he sorts himself out & plays to his ability. ** (Apologies to Vinegar Tits, the exception of course, to the rule & I'm sure it's not as bad as all that.) PS Come on Hull City, Barnsley, QPR, Leicester & anyone else in the Championship relegation fight.