PHILINFRANCE

Indeed, a great shame. Unfortunately, he was playing for Norwich in the Premier League and then, when they got relegated, starring to help them get promoted back again at the first attempt.

In any event, I thought it was contractual that semifinals, finals and England internationals had to be played at Wembley for a certain number (I’m not sure exactly how many) of years.

I thought that he only used one agent anyway and that, effectively, was the main problem with our recruitment.

Good Luck this afternoon, if you are going. I shall be interested to hear what sort of reception DC is given by your travelling fans, both before and after the game.

They also did a sketch about catching children for the Rolf on Saturday show.

Surely you know the dates of your children’s birthdays ?.

I feel very disappointed with and for Taylor Moore. Whenever I have watched him, he seems to have played some nice football, but, almost every game, there has been a costly mistake. I can’t remember the specific games, but, on more than one occasion, he brought the ball out of the defence elegantly, beating a few opponents on the way, only to lose the ball and find himself stranded way out of position in the opponents’ half. I also seem to recall two defensive blunders, both against Middlesbrough if I am not mistaken. Once he mistimed a defensive header, the ball glancing off his head, thus playing Assombalong (spelling?) onside and allowing him to score, and then looking the other way when Bentley rolled the ball out to him, costing yet another goal. Unfortunately, too many potential defensive blunders for this level.

Hmmm. Apart from the fact I think ‘He’ was actually a ‘She’, I assumed the red card was for stopping a clear and obvious goal scoring opportunity. The goalkeeper took a first touch by rolling it to her teammate, who, for some inexplicable reason, recoiled from the ball. The opposing forward saw that the ball was in play and loose, so ran in to tap the ball in to the empty net. In order to prevent an almost certain goal, the goalkeeper played the ball again, two offences - playing the ball twice and the prevention of a goal scoring opportunity - and, quite rightly, was shown a straight red card.

A new word for me as well, and I didn't get it, meaning I failed to complete QUORDLE for the first time ever ?. Apparently, it's a North American noun ?.

This was during the 2016 Euros in France. Very interesting, the Irish fans. I came across both Irish and Northern Irish fans in Paris and, by chance, some Northern Irish fans in Lyon. Almost without fail, they were in various states of drunkenness, laughing and, of course, singing, but most importantly, extremely good humoured. One would fall over and his mates would just laugh and take the mickey, but never a hint of any violence. The various French people I met during the tournament had nothing but praise (and amazement) at the combined Irish fans' behaviour. A shame that the English fans couldn't have left a similar impression.

Oh, I don't know. It can be done.

Oh, come on Major. There is absolutely nothing wrong with reading girls’ comics, so there was no need to claim it belonged to your cousin ?.

I was going to post something very similar ?.

It’s not only Halifax. Several years ago, I was shopping In Sainsbury’s when my toddler daughter, just three or four years old, told me she absolutely had to go to the toilet - she was no longer wearing nappies. I tried initially to use the ladies toilets, but, unfortunately if perhaps understandably, I was told in no uncertain terms that I was not going to be allowed in - this was by the female clients, not security. I received the most awful comments and threats when I chose the men’s toilets, but persevered, only to receive exactly the same when we left the (filthy) cubicle, and was abused and spat at whilst I was helping my daughter to wash her hands, and this by men who were leaving the toilets without so much as a second glance at the wash basins. Very difficult to explain such behaviour to a young girl.

I should think so, too. Shame on you. Seriously, though, I had the same thing happen to me some years ago in what was then the Williams Stand against Leeds. There was a lot of ‘movement’ in our far right hand side and the lower left corner of the East End, and the usual idiots were standing up in front of and behind me threatening this, that and whatever (I was sitting by the half way line!), whilst I was moving my head left and right trying to watch the match. That in itself invited disapproving looks and comments (Sorry, I was just trying to watch the main event) and when I declined to stand up and join in with the ‘ If you hate the gas chant’ - I was still more interested in the game - I was accused of being a closet Rovers fan. Very disappointing.

60/8!!!!

And so did I, although I added the proviso that this was only if he was played on the wide left, as he was utilised when playing for Newport ?.

I well remember Jimmy Savile when I was growing up, and whilst I was totally, and blissfully, unaware of his paedophilic tendencies, I just found him horribly creepy.

Several (justified) comments questioning why one would choose a captain who can’t even get in the team. A fair comment, but I rate James Vince as a batsman.

I don’t follow darts, so, perhaps not surprisingly, had never heard of this particular Nigel Pearson. What will not be surprising, therefore, is the awful feeling I had when I saw the heading ‘Nigel Pearson is dead’. It really wasn’t very clever, and was most certainly not very respectful of the now late Mr Pearson, and I can’t help but think how regrettable it is that a thread that should have been remembering a deceased sports commentator now appears to be more focused on your crass opening post.

I suppose one becomes blasé after so many years of seeing the same buildings, but La Défense has never really done much for me, just a collection of skyscrapers. La Grande Arche is certainly impressive, and the sightline from the roof (L'Axe Historique) equally so, but apart from a reasonable lunch (I prefer the lunch in the Eiffel Tower), it has never impressed me.

James Vince would be a reasonable choice.

Are you still living there?

I remember vaguely, back in the 1960s when I was aged about 5 or 6, going for a walk in Eastville Park one rainy afternoon with my father, where a men’s football match was being played. The match ball was kicked out and rolled in my direction. My natural reaction was to run to kick the ball back, but, despite kicking with all my might, the ball was so hard it barely moved and I started crying as my foot hurt so much.

A good start, but Ben Green has just been caught for 15 (three fours), the only batter ? to score.