Good news for Chris

Your local cricket side,Durham, are in the 20/20 finals day at the Rose Bowl this coming Saturday. They have just beaten Glamorgan in the quarters. They play Middlsex in the semis. Essex play Kent in the other and the two winners play the final at 7 on Saturday evening. Durham have a good side which includes the West Indian Chanderpaul SA players Pollock and Bekenstein, England players Harmison, Collingwood, Mustard and Plunkett. My money is on Durham to win the whole thing.

Thank you mori, it's good to see Durham progressing, just need some quality signings for the football team t'other side of the A19 and we can claim an area of sporting excellence. Not sure a few Spurs reserves are the answer but we will see how Keano spends his cash

Chris, any thoughts on how your boys will fare this season? Hopefully they can get off to a flyer and take some points on the road!

Much depends on new signings Brent, Taino signed yesterday and sounds like Chimbonda is next. That will improve the squad but we aren't to badly off in those positions.

Kenwyne Jones injured till either side of Xmas and "our" best central defender Johnny Evans has returned to his paymasters at Old Trafford so as it stands now we will struggle imo. We must fill those gaps with proven quality.

Saving grace is there is plenty in the transfer kitty and can you beleive Stoke have offered something like £6 million for our reserve goalkeeper who has played twice in 2 years...!! So Keano must use it wisely, if he does I will spend most of the season on a knife edge wondering whether we will finish 11th or 12th and perhaps we can go as far as the 1/4 finals of the Council Cup before slipping out gracefully rather than being hammered by Luton.

I'm ever the optimist.