Harry

Phew!! Glad I’m in South Glos!!! *joke, by the way ?

Fair play mate. Yeah, you’ll hit the 1500 easy

Yep. Still cracking on. After my running took a hit with Saturday football, since lockdown 2 I managed to step It up again and have done 120k in the 4 weeks since LD2. Back to 5 a side and football training this week though, and already feeling stiff again this morning!!! Our team aren’t returning to playing full games until 9th Jan though, so I’ve got a good few weeks before I start to suffer again ? I don’t mind the cold. Did a 10k in the country lanes between Wickwar and Hawksebury on Sunday morning. It was 1 degree when I started. Bloody cold for the first 10 minutes but you soon warm up ? I love it like that, a beautiful, crisp and fresh sunny winter Sunday morning. Mate, you are putting some serious miles in. Brilliant. I don’t like it above 16. It’s why, in the summer I prefer to go out early before it gets too hot. I’d much rather run in 3 degrees than 23 degrees.

Question. Is part of the covid regs to allow fans back in, that they should be ‘discouraged’ from singing? I’m not sure but thought I read it somewhere. If so, why were Liverpool allowed to play YNWA, encouraging the fans to sing?

Ha ha. Yes mate, I remember that, you belter!! Sadly I wasn’t able to enjoy the evening in Bath afterwards. I got arrested when we were 3-1 up and carted off to the station. When released at about 8pm, I got the Badgerline bus back to Longwell. I was singing “we beat the Rovers 3-1” all the way home on the bus and was getting some funny looks. Twas only when I got off the bus and met some mates in the Crown at Longwell that they told me we’d won 4-2!! ?? I’m sure it was the same night that we ended up at my mates at 4am watching the Bruno-Tyson fight. I must’ve been absolutely wrecked that night!!!

Absolutely, I agree on the premise that the partner should be aware of the flicks, but you started with the comment that it is Fam who can’t form partnerships, which I thought implied that it was his fault that his flicks weren’t being picked up. I agree that Fam is a difficult one to find a partnership with - he’s not a target man but is often used as one. He’s hard to pigeon-hole into one style.

That’s the partners responsibility, not Fam’s. The partner needs to read the flicks better, and knowing it always goes one way, you’re right, whomever the partner is ought to be heading that way.

Basically, the 4-3-3 suits him better than the 3-5-2

When we think of spending some time with close family at Christmas, do we also think about that VE Day back in the summer, when we were having a party with the whole street and doing the conga with strangers?

I think we’ve discovered their expectations. That chance is apparently finished 9 times out of 10. ?? More like 99,999 times out of 100,000.

Yep. It’s been a slow process mate. I’m expecting Walsh & Williams to be fit before I get the 3rd kit delivered!!! ?

The white 3rd kit which will have my daughters name on it, that I allowed them to keep my money for back in the summer, which I ordered in September, only to later discover I might not receive it until December.

Yes, interesting points re the tiering and different areas. On a sidenote, my Mrs works is a restaurant in Gloucestershire (technically under Stroud council), but we live just over the border in South Glos. At current rates, I’d imagine South Glos would be Tier 3, but Stroud Tier 2. So if the restaurant re-opens in Tier 2, can my wife travel and work there from a Tier 3 area? Lots of uncertainty over it all still.

Mental to think that I might be allowed back in the ground before I receive my replica kit I ordered in September!! ? ?

I know we ought to be taking the piss on this thread, but I actually think that ‘could’ be a very good appointment. People look at Tisdale’s record but don’t look at the limitations under which he was working. At Exeter, there was a specific requirement to keep the club sustainable through the sale of their best young players. It’s a brave manager who plays 16 and 17 year olds, regularly, in the knowledge that by exposing them to first team experience, as well as ‘shop-windowing’ them, is in the best interests of the club versus ‘getting a result’. Playing the likes of Grimes, Watkins, Ampadu etc over the years, and having little budget to buy players of relevant experience and quality to complement them, was a tricky balance, but one which was necessary for the club to survive. People will argue that the academy at Exeter was all Perryman’s work, but you have to have a 1st team manager who buys into it and gives the players the exposure. Sticking 16 year old into your team, no matter how talented they are, is always going to mean a mixed set of results. So, there’s 2 things that the blue few need to get into their skulls re Tis. 1) He’s not a shouter, a ranter and raver, and he won’t give them any ‘anti-city’ sound bites and sing ‘Irene’ down Glos Road. He doesn’t necessarily fit the personality that the gas fans seem to take to their hearts. If they can handle a non-partisan thinker, then they’ll reap the rewards. 2) He will have a long term plan. He’s not a short term manager. This means he may not get instant results but he’ll be doing what he thinks is right for the future sustainability of the club. He’ll give youth players a chance, knowing they can potentially be an ‘asset’ for the club. He’ll want the right culture, etc. It’s actually a bit of a SOD comparison when he was here. There’s lots of important stuff being done behind the scenes to get the club in a good position for the future, but there’s little budget and results might not be great initially. If the fewers give Tis time, I think he’ll do well. Problem is, on both counts above, it’s not the Rovers fans ‘dna’ to be patient, particularly with a bloke who won’t get involved in their partisan ‘we’re the best supporters in the world and **** city’ attitude.

Ha ha. That keeper is 6 feet 7 inches. How does a bloke that tall get lobbed from 30 yards when he’s pretty much on his line. What a hero ?

They are well reknowned for their exceptionally out of date catering - maybe it’s THE Cook?

On a serious note, Jurgen Klopp would be good. See. We can all play that game. Easy.

Doesn’t one of Wally’s brothers already work in their recruitment team? Perhaps he’s in line for a promotion?

Sounds good in theory. I know Silvio’s had his injury problems recently and with me back playing football (with multiple niggles resulting) my running has really taken a hit. Definitely up for it one day though when all fit and available.

Yep. Love running in the rain too. Wind can do one, but rain - yep, love it.

Controversial opinion of mine, but I’d much prefer running events, gyms, swimming, badminton, tennis, football, cricket etc etc continued as normal and instead all the pubs were closed. With covid a particularly high killer amongst the unhealthy, surely we ought to be encouraging exercise and fitness and discouraging boozing. I’d rather run a 10k with a couple of thousand people than I would sit in a dark & dingy back street boozer with a dozen borderline alcoholics. Surely it’s better for people to engage in exercise than drinking.

Ha ha. How wonderfully ironic that they got relegated the next year ?? Get to Champs League semi. Buy fish for good luck. Get relegated and spend the next 2 decades out of the top flight

Fair play Marcus. That’s bloody impressive stuff. Well done.

Yep, I can definitely confirm that playing football again has severely hampered my running. Played my first proper 11-a-side game for 9 years this afternoon. I knew I shouldn’t have attempted a comeback at 46 and a half years of age!! Did 15 mins, had to make a sharp turn and full pace sprint, lo and behold the groin went!! And that’s me done for a couple of weeks at least. Ah well. I’ll see how the recovery goes and maybe try some gentle running again as soon as it feels up to it. How did the ultra run go @MarcusX?