BTRFTG

Indeed. Bloody frustrating to hit the elevated section and realise I'm half way home (by time.) Past couple of years to head west I have first to head east, sounds stupid but its quicker thanks to successive London mayors, even though its 50 odd miles longer each way. I used to leave Hotwells on a Saturday and be home by 8 (through town.) Same route today I'd be lucky to make 9 thanks to cycle lanes and revised traffic schemes. Picking other fans up en route as I used to from The Embankment is a non-starter. That's car sharing inefficiency for you.

I don't believe you may record the red button games, unless its via screen capture.

I've got to admire your BS3/Parson Street centric view of the world NTTDS , but with the last midweek train to London being 22:00 these past months and to Brum at 22:10, for the reverse fixtures listed you'd be pushing it to make any of those trains after final whistle, particularly if the OB held fans back for the usual 5-10 minutes. Personally, (if watching the end of the match) from getting out of my Dolman vantage I'd have around 12 mins to board the train at TM. Junior Bent couldn't make that, hence I drive. Ditto your conservative driving estimates. Millwall, for example. If driving through London it takes as long for me to drive Hotwells to the end of the M4 as from Brentford to home in SE3. Same applies if I go around the M25.

Exactly how has the EFL made it difficult to see City in action at Norwich? Somebody has to play there midweek so why not us? Might as well argue AG is impossible to attend midweek given one can't even get a train back to London after the match these days, certainly not with the plethora of subs now permitted should one wish to watch until the final whistle. RMT have scuppered any chance to get to Carrow Road by rail, but other public transport is available, as are private vehicles. Its also on Sky's Red Button.

Explain then the mountain of debt he left in his wake? Its been done to death on here dozens of times before. 2015 is spot in his comments.

I put it to you that being eligible to participate in such competition is, of itself, evidence of wholesale failure* * Ex [Bristol Rovers FC V Reality] (Quotannis)

The Moscow Dynamo programme brings back sad memories, it being the game that did for Gary Collier's career.

M'Lud, I present in evidence Mr Wilson's managerial successes post departing Ashton Gate. There is no label on the exhibit. I rest.

Absolutely no way to underestimate Conway's threat upfront opening up opportunities for others, notably Wells. Conway has effectively given us a new signing, for as brilliant as Wells has been these past games he was dreadful under the previous regimes. Dropping Weimann deeper allows us to hold the ball, provide a threat to the opposition and give mids and defence a chance. For the first time in years, certainly pre Johnson, you can see defenders concerned that they're going to have a battle on their hands. Conway changed it, others are stepping up to the mark. Brilliant.

Signal difference between Nige & Johnson's regime is when introducing a youngster he gives them a chance. He's not afraid to pull them quickly if they're struggling but, more importantly and unlike Johnson, he doesn't pull them for the sake of pulling them after a couple of decent games where they've thrived. I think we've missed out on one or two who, when given a chance AND performing, were summarily benched by Johnson to give them a rest. Try dropping Scott or Conway and hopefully they'd tell the manager where to go. That's how it should be.

Amazing how mobility upfront transforms players and the whole set-up. Finally, with somebody to play alongside more centrally, Wells looks a man transformed. Zero to hero and long may that continue. Conway looks as though he could be the real deal. Weimann deeper also helps both shape and press. Folks last year were suckered into the belief that we didn't have problems upfront, citing the number of goals we scored. Ignore that most were notched on the break, that we had zero ability to hold the ball in the opposition half let alone final third, or worry defences in thinking we might be a threat, allowing the opposition to bully our mids and defence at will. I don't want to put it all on Conway's shoulders but he IS the catalyst for change. He bothers defences, they worry where he is on the park, he doesn't allow them to compose themselves and this allows others to transform their game. Bloody great to watch.

Too far gone & Clough called it right. Live football should only be available to those in the ground.

Folks are also forgetting that in the good old days when TV rarely covered matches and dictated how and when games were played, football continued to be played in very gloomy conditions. When the lights did eventually come on (usually late in the game,) it took them about 10 minutes to warm up. Nobody moaned about safety around the ground or any of the other BS that does the rounds as to why there must be ultra bright lights and loads of them. Then again I survived 3 of the coldest winters on record and not once did any doomsayer forecast I'd die as a result of not putting the central heating on, for simple reason nobody knew what central heating was let alone had it installed.

Likewise. I was just about to set off when I saw it advertised. Been the case for years that clubs couldn't give a stuff about fans, but the level of contempt now is beyond a joke.

Thanks, but only weeks ago EFL were saying something about midweek domestics (I think 8 weeks) were potentially for Sky coverage Red Button but only 'displaced' games were for what was once i-follow and then only at the Home Club's discretion. If game was originally midweek scheduled and not on those dates it was international coverage only. Pretty much makes a mockery of buying STs these days. We'll not bother again.

Is it the case that the Robins TV pass is available for UK viewing, as its not clear on the website? When I checked the other day it wasn't listed and neither did it appear to meet the criteria for the 'new games' available at club discretion for streaming, but it wouldn't be the first time odd things have happened with what's available and what isn't. I was just about to get in the car and drive down, but what with the price of petrol and the prospect of 8 hours driving today, watching on the box is a no-brainer. Looks as though our STs this year may get used only a couple of times the way things are going.

Sad news. Decent player. Correct call. Best wishes to him and his family for a long and healthy retirement.

As in Stoke made illegal approaches to (and appointed) Lousy Pint for which he had them over a barrell , as did, er, .....

Agoraphobia: etymology being 'fear of the marketplace'. I give you Andy Tilson, 1992. Perhaps Wael might name it 'The Agoraphobics Arena'?

In the case of McKay senior and Dalman that's a bunch of 'he said, she said'. Typical Grauniad article in it leaves more questions unanswered than answered: 1. Why would McKay senior pay for at least 3 return flights out of his own pocket if he wasn't getting a cut of the action (or perhaps his generosity evidences why he's bankrupt?) 2. Possibly in answer to 1, who was the agent representing the purchaser (Cardiff have remained silent on this?) 3. Again and possibly in answer to 1, did Cardiff not have concerns as to the 'close' relationship between McKay senior and Warnock, that their manager had requested the unlicensed McKay to assist in the acquisition of a couple of other french players he fancied, that manager having only recently signed two of McKay's sons on playing contracts? Quelle surprise it later emerged neither Warnock nor Cardiff appeared to have have conducted due diligence on Sala's valuation and level of market interest in him - what was the purchaser's agent doing unless, perhaps, they thought that to be McKay? Remind, too, the number of ex-players who've subsequently explained Warnock's understanding of 'pay to play'. 4. There were at least 7 other 'grey charters' undertaken by Cardiff employees in the preceding weeks, some of which may be related to the transfer, so who arranged and sanctioned them? (NB for at least 3 of them high-quality journalism discovered that post Sala's death one of the planes involved was re-registered to Guernsey possibly in an attempt to disguise the fact it had been used contrary to its authorised registration.) 5. Dalman's suggestion Cardiff knew nothing of the flight contradicts other reports, including those in the Grauniad, in which Calum Davies (the club's welfare representative who was looking after Sala) reported that he'd warned Sala off taking the 'charter', had offered the commercial trips via Paris, but reinforced to Sala he needed to be back in Cardiff for publicity on the Monday (Sala declined the commercial flights as they gave him only half a day in Nantes instead of the overnight stay he wanted.) 6. If Sala wasn't Cardiff's player, as they'd argued, and his registration wasn't due until the following week, why all the pressure to have him in Cardiff on the Monday? Tuesday he'd have been able to avail himself of Cardiff's offer of flights, trains and taxis.

As a close neighbour I can attest that his kids are as decent and polite as they come, which is as odds as he's a hypocritical, curmudgeonly and rather objectionable tw*t of the first water. As for pathological lying, well he'd know a thing or two about that.

I get the distinction but don't follow your argument. Cardiff throughout refused to pay on the basis Sala's transfer had not fully completed, which CAS have now adjudicted as incorrect. I've seen nothing to suggest Cardiff have sought nil or reduced liability on the basis of Nantes' behaviour & action. Perfectly reasonable they might so do provided they've substantive grounds on which to evidence their claim(s). Had they suggested Nantes forced Sala's return, or it was a condition of the transfer, or Nantes was in someway responsible for the commissioning and execution of the travel arrangements I'd get where you're coming from, but to date I've seen nothing of that form. Its always been couched as the fallback, 'nuclear' option should their substantive claim, that the player wasn't theirs, fail. Perhaps that's why they're desperate to up the ante by threatening to massively increase damages sought?

I saw the link you posted from their forum in which somebody with a supposed 'legal background' (sic) makes all sorts claims & conjectures, many of which are unsubstantiated or straight conjecture. He suggested should Cardiff lose the CAS appeal then they might sue Nantes for a failure of 'duty of care' to Cardiff. He uses rank analogies, likening Sala to clothing, claiming Nantes failed to 'safely deliver the goods' Cardiff had purchased. Strikes me there are a number of issues with his argument. Firstly, Sala was already Cardiff's asset, in Cardiff, safely delivered prior to his returning to Nantes for personal reasons. Cardiff acknowledged as much by attempting to arrange Sala's round trip to say his farewells in Nantes via commercial airlines, Heathrow to Paris. Sala (Cardiff's asset,) declined their offer. Secondly, I've seen no suggestion Nantes had any involvement in chartering either flight taken post his transfer. My understanding is it's still open to debate who actually commissioned the flight and on what basis? Its known that McKay senior requested the flights (not yet proven to be a charter) and was requested to pay a £4k deposit to the now convicted Henderson, though I don't believe any money changed hands by the time of the accident. The AAIB accident report goes into great detail as to why the US registered plane should not have flown commercially (both plane & pilot not authorized.) The plane however might have been flown and occupied should both pilot and occupant agree to share 'not for profit' costs for the sheer love of flying (much like sharing petrol costs with a mate when travelling to see City.) To note the only occupant on both journeys other than the pilot was Sala (Cardiff's employee,) so difficult to understand Nantes involvement? Thirdly, there's evidence that in the weeks preceding Sala's transfer Cardiff employees (presumably paid for by Cardiff themselves,) undertook upward of ten flights (including to Nantes,) using what are known as 'grey charters', either using planes & pilots not authorized for commercial purposes, but also using commercial air charter operators who used planes and pilots for flights between countries who were not authorised for that purpose, rather were only authorised within their country of registration. Presumably, should Sala be considered as to personally have agreed the 'cost share', non-commercial option, Cardiff wouldn't stoop so low as to sue his estate, would they?

I think claiming Sala wasn't yet their player when he clearly was from the outset ranks somewhere toward the ar@e end of the wrongdoing spectrum.

If memory serves I'd be careful making such accusation. Didn't the rugby club directors and members consider raising a legal challenge given the deal that eventually saw them lose their asset was never put to the board or members, rather was approved by an individual tasked with running the club? The Rugby Club were done for by a lack of governance, as demonstrated throughout the stand construction fiasco. Notwithstanding there was something very dodgy about the terms of the relationship with Gas directors, specifically the relatively small amount of investment required to obtain substantive 'step-in' rights plus the 'adjacency' of contract to 'step-in', I recall both rugby members and directors protesting that they'd been 'robbed'. Recall the 'Memorial Stadium Company' was established by 'The Milkman' and used as a conveyance when later issuing shares to the Rugby Club as cover for his investment in the stadium with the all important ability to buy those shares back at issue price should a 'relevant event' occur. That deal was recorded as having occured in the front room of a house in Thornbury, those present being directors of The Memorial Stadium Company, not Rugby Club.