Erithacus

Really encouraging news! Keeping the jewels is something the club (as a whole) tends not to do, so pleased to hear this. Promotion might not be that big on the horizon at present, but good that the team is securing the future regardless.

The speed of this move strikes me that Roman is looking to convert his substantial shareholding in the club into ready cash or other collateral. Then he might be able to get out of town. If so, where and what is his next move? Of course, we can only speculate whether he is a Putin associate or is turned against him. Either way, a Russian oligarch with that sort of money is likely to attract the attentions of various agents and shadowy figures. He will be used to looking over his shoulder, but it'll be worse now. Part of me wants the British government to stop the laundry, but perhaps the most effective method will be to stop him selling up - that'll keep his money locked into the system in this country. Anyway, the game goes on...

The insidious nature of the way Modern Football is going: am I alone in noticing that at the Etihad and Molyneaux recently the advertising boards are now double height? Was the intrusive and distracting use of the single boards not enough? Will it not be long before the whole pitch is covered in adverts and the players confined to a sideshow around the touchlines? Harrumph!

'Not another one!' to quote a local lady. It reminds me of the winter of early 2014 when we had a string of rain storms that drowned Somerset, like we're in the firing line of a meteorological machine-gun.

Tree opposite Keynsham Town's ground came down on the footbridge.

That's inflation over twenty years for you.

Well that didn't go quite as expected perhaps. Maybe the non-call of a facemask against a defenceless defensive back was matched by some flags late in the fourth quarter. Either way, the second half was dominated by the D of both sides. The Rams managed to crack the Bengals' porous O-line in the end and got the last score, despite running out of elligible receivers. Kupp remained the last man standing in the end zone and down comes the blue and yellow confetti. For Stafford, it may be the summit of a long and painful mountain; for Burrows, he'll be back one day. Oh well, I guess Sundays will be empty now until September again. When's Draft Day...?

An even enough half, with the Rams taking a quick lead but unable to keep the Bengals from replying with an option halfback pass. OBJ does a knee - always a worry when a player goes down without any other contact. Still the Rams have plenty of talent to take them forwards. All to play for in the second halk now.

Telly on - tick Pizza smashed - tick Central heating kept on - tick Lights down - tick Monday morning cancelled - tick Other things to do during the Half Time Show - tick All set for the Big Game!

Back to winning ways, and didn't give Palace much of a sniff on a blustery day. Good performances throughout which were helped by early strikes. Have to say I thought the midfiled was almost entirely Aimee Plamer's zone; agree with the thought that she could do with a little more support as there weren't many short passes on at times. Maybe Kukyen? A tad disappointing to see a smaller crowd today - maybe the weather was unappealing or they are still in Blackpool.

You can do your own POAs online if you can get your head around the aspects of an important set of documents. I did both for my Mum, who had been diagnosed with Alzheimer's. In our case it was just the two of us (no siblings, Dad was already gone) and the circumstances were pretty simple and straightforward. All done online with the help of a certified set of copies done at a Job Centre, and only cost a little over £100 each. Just make sure every detail is correct or they will discard it. Of course, you can tailor the details as you wish, with the caveat that you need to name other people who will act as overseers and check that it is in order. Kind of non-exec directors on a company board. If you have many people who want to have a say in your Mum's care and affairs or there are other disagreements then clearly a solicitor would be the better path as the legal complexities increase rapidly the more are involved. These are weighty legal commitments and you must make sure everyone knows the deal. Best of luck with that and hope your Mum is as well as can be expected. If she still has mental capacity then it's a race against time before she is legally prevented from agreeing to POAs.

Like to do a lot of stuff myself, within my limited skills and kit. Signature dish is a pizza, which is better if you don't count calories. Agree that there are lots of good cooks on You Tube, which help. I did come across a new bit of kitchen equipment recently which is Thermomix - a computerised food processor on steroids. It does so much at the touch of a button. Cost? £1100. I'd want a new car for that...

I thought the Niners-Rams game fluctuated badly at times. There were some great plays, well-crafted and executed on both sides. There were smothering defensive efforts and special teams generally got the job done. But interspersed with them were a number of terrible calls, bad reads and bizarre coaching. It made for a really unsettled game (or really finely balanced if you prefer) that didn't inspire a huge amount of confidence. Either team could have made the decisive play to win it but neither did until that last Jimmy G flipper and the tipped interception. It was a close one all right. Yes, it was another absorbing watch but also a crazy one. Having seen both Conference Championships I can't see the Rams doing the same and winning again.

Shooter MacPherson notches yet another FG to bring the Bengals from way behind to send them to the big show. Wow.

Mahomes hanging around like he is waiting for the last bus home on a Friday night - and then he gets flattened. The Bengals' secondary is suddenly looking unplayable. What is going on? NFL delivering the finest of thrills once again!

Check your options for charging at home. A wallbox will be far the best way to live with a BEV. Your expected use will rely a lot on that. Currently, (see what I did there) the Ioniq is well regarded by the media, the Taycan is good but costly.

Not sure as yet, but the Bengals are starting to gain some traction after a poor first half. Could it be? Either way, I suspect that Superbowl LVI will be won by the winners of this game, providing the squad remains healthy. Both sides are showing some mettle.

Real heart-stopper at Arrowhead. Great effort by two of the league's best QBs, but only Mahomes will be playing next week. I get the feeling these two will be part of the New Generation once Brady and Rodgers hang up their helmets.

Another crazy game that was heading in any which direction. Great viewing for the neutrals. So far all three Divisional games have been settled by a field goal, and late ones at that. Fabulous to watch.

Have to say the better team won this afternoon. Charlton looked a touch sharper, faster, keener and were more organised than City. It may well have been fatigue after the midweek game but there was a distinct lack of spark. I trust the injuries will be minor. Charlton seemed to have done their homework on us and strangled the movement from midfield to the front. When they got a chance they took it, whereas I don't recall their keeper having to do too much. It was good to see fans around the sides of the ground as well - shame that the big crowd didn't have much to cheer.

They say this is an unpredictable season as the NFL has had for ages. At this rate even the Jags might win. Actually, scrub that last thought. Get the feeling that some big names won't be in the big game this time and might consider their futures. Brady? Rodgers?

Bengals knock out the #1 AFC seed Titans in a crazy game. It was all or nothing every down, with big plays on O and D and chunk plays at a premium. Loads of great action matched by an equal dose of disasters. Good to see Cincy in the Conference game (first for many years) but I can't see them keeping the momentum going with Burrows racking up sacks like that. The O line survived by the skin of their teeth tonight - their next opponents will give them more than they can cope with.

It comes down to the definition of a club. On the one hand it is a clearly defined and legally-binding organisation, with rights and responsiblities apportioned to those who are the legal owner/s. This is a well trodden path. The other hand: a club is a gathering of people with like minds, hearts and souls. It makes little legal sense but it is nevertheless also a well-trodden path that we all feel is truth. We all feel a kinship, a comradeship and common passion, despite having no real legally accepted substance. Which aspect of a club you deal with depends on which end you look from.

Big Ben takes a Bow. Won't be a Steeler championship to round off the career - unless he sticks around for another year? One of the youngest QBs to hold the Lombardi, but that seems such a long time ago now.

Crazy finish at AT&T! Talk about don't give the officials a chance to ruin your day. Cowboys were giving away penalties all game but in the end they made it difficult for themsleves with some amateurish plays. Sort of redolent of the nonsense that took out the Raiders earlier.