Tom

How sick, have you got any data?

It seems that there are structural problems that run deep in the Spanish FA. 15 players refused to play for Vilda due to the way he treated players. They won the World Cup with a weakened team. Vilda survived because of men like Rubiales standing up for him, simple as. When it became clear that Rubiales could not just bluster this out, then they are systematically dismantling this, but it's all a tad late.

There is good evidence in this thread that we should be teaching Critical Thinking in all schools.

It will, legend. I'll set an alarm

Just got back home (my new home in Sydney), what a game! Frantically trying to get a ticket from the resale platform, I've seen a few, but not been quick enought yet.

I had a fab time at the game and also have tickets for Wednesday, haters can tell the 75k+ in the stadium having a great time. Fab and friendly atmosphere, the 'quality' gang always miss the point. Bore on somewhere else.

Did you not read what I said? I said he might yet come good but I haven't been been impressed with what I've seen. I'm sure Cornick would feel similarly about the second half of last season and his pre-season. We are allowed to be disappointed with disappointing performances. We don't have to polarise ourselves to be be supporters or haters. It isn't that simple.

Had we been talking about games last season perhaps, but we've been playing teams from lower leagues - if he's still not impressing. Well... But it's preseason, and he may yet come good.

Were Lois (Diony) and Gustav (Engvall) disguised as Italian players? I would hope we wouldn't fall for that.

Why did a Palestinian city want to attend the game?

You're making him sound like one of those player to manager coaches like Lampard or Gerrard, but he's already had managerial success and was playing good football at Vallecano last season (they wanted to retain him) finishing in 11th. He was also Leeds' preferred candidate, but Vallecano refused the approach (hence refusing the contract offer from Vallecano). He also got Mirandes (A newly promoted Spanish side into their second tier) to the semi-final of the Copa-del-Dey, which would be like Plymouth doing it in the FA Cup this season. It's a great appointment, but the treatment of O'Neill is undoubtedly foul in this case.

Because if the interest comes to naught, he signs and they are then on the hook for a contract for a player they have no intention of giving game time to.

Another thread about to be derailed.

For Football, Spurs has something like that (albeit in sections). Real Madrid are planning a system to store the grass underground, to allow for concerts etc in their new stadium. In terms of a full pitch sliding situation, the Las Vegas Raiders new stadium (Allegiant Stadium) has one.

Care to enlighten me as to what I've missed? Other than someone obviously baiting the forum and obviously having a good time (fair enough)? Might be a forum in-joke or something, I'm not here that much lately.

Is that a threat? If you post things on a forum (especially if they are questionable) you are going to get a response.

Yeah that's fair, BOS has solved it, let's give up! What point are you even making, things sometimes go well and then go bad? If a football team isn't playing to better itself and move up the divisions if possible, what's the point? I certainly wouldn't want to support a team in a franchise league like the MLS or the A-League where there's no jeopardy, or chance for lower teams to improve their situation.

Well it might have been an older one without the sensors. I am thinking that the sensors are a bit of a yarn, anyway

Good to know, and I imagined it was tracked somewhere. I mean more the masses who focus on just goals and assists :). e.g. a 'second assist' in hockey is counted in the stats as indistinguishable from a regular assist.

Try it out and let me know how it goes. I couldn't work out which bit was the sensor, so I assumed it was a lie, but hey maybe it isn't!

I was on a new National Express bus last weekend and the driver said that there were alcohol-detecting sensors above each seat. Didn't sound massively likely, but part of a wider trend.

He definitely plays that role that people used to call a "quarterback" sitting deep and dictating tempo, but as much of a creative outlet as players playing further up.

Good to see Alex pick up a 'hockey assist' i.e. an assist to the assister. Even if that's not a stat most track in Football!

"Oh this thread looks to be very active, surely there'll be some up-to-date developments on this signing" *click* No it's just OTIB going off on another massive tangent.

Also, it is glossed over that Joe Bryan is a successful Bristol City youth product. What better example for those coming through? If we shed Dasilva which looks increasingly likely (I am sure his offered contract is much lower than he was on previously), and perhaps we've decided that Joe Bryan has more upside than Currie. Having Bryan and Pring for LB (with maybe Currie as cover) is good. Competition is vital and having a healthy squad size - that Pring can play CB in a pinch and Joe Bryan can play further up the pinch successfully too (look at how Mark Sykes has been used by Nigel, he likes those sorts of players) then I think that there is no way in which this doesn't make us better.