Holmes_and_Watson

Italian And don't think we're not noticing... 🙂 Although, it will be more of a surprise when it turns out this applies to your posts everywhere else. 🙂

That might be the starting price. But we'd have to offer a discount for any team that would take BBD or Downs as part of the deal. 🙂

8 out of 10 is my all star team. 🙂 So that's mainly Lawrie's team. I'd have had Telfer in the above. And I'd not have had Claus or Oakley. Obviously, I'd have Holmes in any team. 🙂

Very modest, with a bit of self depreciation, which always endears him. Noted about how he'd practice a lot of what seemed sensational to everyone else.

0-0 That was grim. The highlights at the end make all the poor touches, passes and decision in between much better. VA did get the ball in the net in added time. The ref blew before it got there. Either for a very soft foul on their keeper, or for comedy diving from a VA player to try and get a penalty. Moments later, their forward heads the ball past the high VA defence. He's got a long run, one on one with Louchet, who blocks it. Louchet had another decent block in the first half. He gets my VA player of the match. His falling over is on purpose. VA missed a good chance when a player fell over his own feet rather than cut the ball back into the box. Courtet also tripped himself up trying to get a ball up from midfield. Aubagne had fallen further and further into their defence in the second half. But VA offered no real coherent attack. The visiting keeper spilled a tame effort on 55 minutes, that VA didn't capitalise on. Other than that, it was snapshots. Appuah and Niakate had moments where it looked like they might link up. Passi looked the most likely to do something. He's the central defender, which says a lot about VA's attack. Diomande was versatile, but was easily snuffed out tonight, and got subbed. Courtet was his usual, lonely frustrated self across the pitch. VA may look at it as a point gained, ensuring their safety. But it was another disjointed effort from a tired looking side. Those 3 absentees were missed after all.

Times

Motherwell’s Callum Slattery has been issued a four-game ban for simulation that resulted in a red card for St Mirren defender Richard King.

How come they had so many listed as starting, before "substitutes"? Preemptive strike, before several of them return to the bench? 🙂

The Westminster assisted dying bill isn't going to get through. "in this parliament" leaving the door open for it, in the future. And for more painful debate and a possible I fortunate outcome, in my view, of it passing. On the Scottish bill that also failed, the headline was that the MSP who raised it, wouldn't be pursuing it in the next parliament there. However, that could just mean that anyone else can start it up again. https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/ckg97ze4jx9o Opponents of the bill said the proposal "does not sufficiently guard against coercion or protect the most vulnerable people in our society". The peers also argued that a backbencher's bill was the "wrong vehicle for a change of this scale and sensitivity" and expressed concern that supporters could try to "force" the bill through Parliament. The Scottish version got so far down the track based on a nod and a "fill in the details later" approach. Not uncommon for bills. But an approach I've never liked, and one that's terrifying for something like this. Backers of the bill blame the 1200 amendments. I've heard politicians talk about other bills with similar numbers. They groaned at the memory of them. But said it's due to legislation having gaps when it gets to them. I'm relieved this has gone, but it's not been defeated.

Unfinished business for Roy. From wiki on his first spell as Bristol City manager in the early 1980s "Bristol City was nothing short of a disaster in that we had only been there for a matter of weeks before the banks started to pull the rug from underneath the club. My job when I eventually took over, as caretaker manager, was quite simply to carry on in the aftermath of all the players leaving the club and just fulfilling the fixtures."

Call

Bright. Energetic. Bounces off the physical defenders at this level, making him look lightweight. VA don't play him as a finisher. He's part of a front three. As you say, he's very young and still developing.

Given that Abi and Rento have been coming on as subs, it's really just El Hadary to replace. However, it has been the volume of attack VA have managed to field that have got them over the line. So, opportunities for Osman. Especially if the coaches have already worked with him.

After the first of which, we'd be saying "he really is better than Downs." 🙂 Besides, he should come on for Tiss, for old times sake.

Lark