trivial things that make you smile,or make you feel good

[Reg Smeeton]

If the off-the-field uncertainty is getting to anyone, just spare a thought for our near neighbours.  It could be so much worse.

Oxford: Cutting their wrists after failing to make the League 2 play offs.  Despite being a self-confessed massive club at that level, they have failed to make it tell.  Again.  The Christmas Curse is alive and well.  And to cap it all, the reviled manager they hounded out shortly before the end of the season - who, incidentally, took them back in to the League just a few seasons ago - had the satisfaction of celebrating in their faces as he kept Northampton up by turning them over on the final day.  Gary Waddock, thank you.

Reading: Having recently swapped my daily commute in to London on the train for a shorter drive to work, I have the dubious pleasure of listening to BBC Radio Berkshire most mornings for traffic updates.  I've had to turn over for the last week, however, as the station has gone in to Reading FC overdrive - led by none other than Adi Williams.  The 7 day 'build up' was farcically OTT, but ultimately satisfying as 'the Royals' (parrotted every 5 seconds or so) fucked it all up on the final day and gifted the final play off spot to Brighton.  Entertaining stuff.  I will be tuning in on Tuesday with interest.  Adi and 'Peachy' not quite so chirpy on that occasion, I'll imagine.

Bristol City: Mid-table Division 3.  Massive.

Bristol Rovers:  RIP.  See separate thread.

Cheltenham: I almost forgot they existed, but apparently they still play football there.  Close cousins of FGR.  Of the 92, a huge 7 clubs were even more shit than they were this year.

I think that's it.  See.  It's not all bad.

The Scummers really are a strange lot, they've just achieved their highest position in 10 years...coincidently the same position as us in the relevant league....OK they missed the PO's, but this is a club that has never been in the PO's since they started in 86/87 season....but for some inexplicable reason, because they had a short Pompey style success when Capn Bob, funded them on the Mirror Group's pension fund, they think that's their natural status.

They had a very decent lower league manager in Gene Wilder, who they hounded out and a model owner in Lenagan, who they now want gone as well.

Compare to Town fans...we also finished 8th outside the PO's....we've had 7 PO finishes, all at this level or higher, so maybe might think that's where we should be, and rue a failure to do so.  But no, the fans have been largely supportive of the players and consider it a decent season.

[Peter Venkman]

TBH I wouldn't say we are West Country

According to Wiki we are west country.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/West_Country

[kerry red]

Wiki pricky - that map puts Swindon a gnat's nob in the area.

Although I hesitate to say exactly where we do actually belong

[Red Frog]

Without changing location, we seem to be a lot less west country than we used to be. Is that to do with an influx of out-of-towners, or a sense of shame about being associated with the wurzel image, especially among younger people? For whatever reason, you don't hear as many Wiltshire accents, and the old "west country…" and "I can't read.." chants are all a thing of past, more's the pity. Being west country linked Swindon with its agricultural and railway past. Lose that and we don't know where we belong, as Audrey says.

[fatbasher]

Without changing location, we seem to be a lot less west country than we used to be. Is that to do with an influx of out-of-towners, or a sense of shame about being associated with the wurzel image, especially among younger people? For whatever reason, you don't hear as many Wiltshire accents, and the old "west country…" and "I can't read.." chants are all a thing of past, more's the pity. Being west country linked Swindon with its agricultural and railway past. Lose that and we don't know where we belong, as Audrey says.

"Without changing location, we seem to be a lot less west country than we used to be. Is that to do with an influx of out-of-towners"

Pardon me for bringing this up but we're a lot less Swindon, Wiltshire, English & British than we used to be.

I kid you not I took Friday off as a days holiday and popped into town. I don't know about you folk but I rarely go into town. One reason being I work out of Swindon during the week so it's a saturday or Sunday if i do but that's probably three times a year at most. However, two things struck me 1) What were all these people of working age doing in town at three PM & my guess is 60% were of working age 2) Where were the English speaking people I used to hear in town a few years ago? It really, really surprised me. BTW It's an observation before the usual suspects start to have a dig & hurl accusations at me. Maybe it's always been like that but i saw a big difference.

[chalkies_shorts]

John Terry blubbing his eyes out for the 2nd time in a week. Great to see.

[Simon Pieman]

"Without changing location, we seem to be a lot less west country than we used to be. Is that to do with an influx of out-of-towners"

Pardon me for bringing this up but we're a lot less Swindon, Wiltshire, English & British than we used to be.

I kid you not I took Friday off as a days holiday and popped into town. I don't know about you folk but I rarely go into town. One reason being I work out of Swindon during the week so it's a saturday or Sunday if i do but that's probably three times a year at most. However, two things struck me 1) What were all these people of working age doing in town at three PM & my guess is 60% were of working age 2) Where were the English speaking people I used to hear in town a few years ago? It really, really surprised me. BTW It's an observation before the usual suspects start to have a dig & hurl accusations at me. Maybe it's always been like that but i saw a big difference.

Probably the same reason you weren't at work.

[Samdy Gray]

fatbasher is fast becoming the new chalkies_shorts

[sonicyouth]

Yeah, I never see any English people in England. It's literally like we're a minority now.

[Reg Smeeton]

"Without changing location, we seem to be a lot less west country than we used to be. Is that to do with an influx of out-of-towners"

Pardon me for bringing this up but we're a lot less Swindon, Wiltshire, English & British than we used to be.

I kid you not I took Friday off as a days holiday and popped into town. I don't know about you folk but I rarely go into town. One reason being I work out of Swindon during the week so it's a saturday or Sunday if i do but that's probably three times a year at most. However, two things struck me 1) What were all these people of working age doing in town at three PM & my guess is 60% were of working age 2) Where were the English speaking people I used to hear in town a few years ago? It really, really surprised me. BTW It's an observation before the usual suspects start to have a dig & hurl accusations at me. Maybe it's always been like that but i saw a big difference.

Your "60%" is a mixture of people on zero hours contracts, shift work, and agency work....throw in the long term unemployed, youth unemployed, those on invalidity benefits and the feral fringe who operate in the drugs and petty criminal market and you have a representative picture of Swindon in the early 21st Century.

Swindon is pretty much average for the country....so some places are "worse" some are "better"

As for English speaking, many immigrants are bi or multi-lingual, so will tend to speak their mother tongue with each other and English when necessary.

Swindon since the railway, has always been a place of in-comers....at the 2001 census 95% of the population was white British of whom 70%+ claimed to be Christian....undoubtedly since 2001 the numbers of white Europeans has increased, notably Polish immigants due to Swindon's historic links.

[sonicyouth]

Your "60%" is a mixture of people on zero hours contracts, shift work, and agency work....throw in the long term unemployed, youth unemployed, those on invalidity benefits and the feral fringe who operate in the drugs and petty criminal market and you have a representative picture of Swindon in the early 21st Century.

Swindon is pretty much average for the country....so some places are "worse" some are "better"

As for English speaking, many immigrants are bi or multi-lingual, so will tend to speak their mother tongue with each other and English when necessary.

Swindon since the railway, has always been a place of in-comers....at the 2001 census 95% of the population was white British of whom 70%+ claimed to be Christian....undoubtedly since 2001 the numbers of white Europeans has increased, notably Polish immigants due to Swindon's historic links.

There's a newish Polish delicatessen in town I noticed and I've noted that it's always very busy; as a man of varied tastes is there anything from there that you would recommend? I've never (knowingly) tried Polish foods.

[Red Frog]

My point was only about the football club, which will typically be more representative of the traditional population of the region. Is the loss of its west country identity to do with Swindon's disconnect from its historical and geographical context, and/or the increasing drift of southern England towards the Thames estuary?

[chalkies_shorts]

fatbasher is fast becoming the new chalkies_shorts

I feel sorry for fatbasher

[Reg Smeeton]

There's a newish Polish delicatessen in town I noticed and I've noted that it's always very busy; as a man of varied tastes is there anything from there that you would recommend? I've never (knowingly) tried Polish foods.

Sausage is the way forward....mysliwska is my fave.  Best thing to do is just try them out. Some are ready to eat...others require a bit of cooking so beware if you want something fast.

I also always have a jar of picked cucumbers, gherkins etc in the fridge....less keen on the pickled cabbage though.

Maryla's in Groundwell Road has been there since I was a kid at Clarence Street in the 50's.

[fatbasher]

Probably the same reason you weren't at work.

  I doubt it.