Gloucester Saint

Asylum seekers are a certain and distinctive category of immigration. Cities with major hospitals and universities have skilled professional immigrants ‘dumped’ on their doorstep for years and appeared to be doing well from it. Most people bar a very small segment on the far left headed by Polanski (getting smaller poll by poll) want the small boats or blokes hiding in lorries, or vape shops. Genuinely helping skilled and decent people escape a war via legal routes, as I did with Ukrainians who are now living in the Midlands, earning money, paying tax and contributing to our society until they can return home - that being a subjective term because the Russians bombed the shit of their village. I make no apologies for doing it either.

2-3 to us, David James nearly decapitating an onrushing Matt Oakley for a penalty first up. Hirsty scored the spot kick and then got a very late third with Owen getting a consolation. Was 1-1 on 85 mins then Egil put us 1-2 up. Forgot how good that goal was. Great flick from Hirst. Build up to the penalty was very good, slick football too despite being clogged twice. Good advantage by the referee played.

Agree with you on Grealish, also in addition to the above names you could add Teddy Sheringham. Decent in the air but not mega tall at around six foot and never quick. But superb touch, awareness, linkup, finishing and vision. Played for West Ham in the PL at 40 and still looked a quality footballer.

10000000% this, legal routes to be brought back but made clear those who come in small boats or lorries are straight out after cursory and health checks.

If he joins, I presume the club will make some form of Anel announcement?

Struggling badly to get anywhere near through the Senate despite all of his tantrums and trying to demand a recall to pass it.

He does behave like an Infantino.

Good good https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c74gekjgrllo That is now a permanent judgement, nowhere else to appeal.

Any chance of them getting THB for just £20m is Dedic in the water.

Good to see Anglo-German co-operation working from inception in December 2024. Far more practical than wasting Naval resources, German courts need to do their bit now. It reduces the incentive for illegal migration into Germany and on across the channel given the parallel squeeze in N France, Belgium and Netherlands https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cpq809zrvqdo It’s why the boats are bigger it less of them. At some stage one will sink with a lot of hand-wringing. I hope it doesn’t happen but the blood will be on the smugglers and go after them for manslaughter. Any Kurdish nationals arrested who can be deported, then do so.

One of the broadsheets printed a rumour after we moved to the Rose Bowl that the Hedge End restaurant would get a call coming up to the lunch break if Hampshire were at home with order for two buns, fries and no burgers. Shane’s lunch was allegedly a chip butty. 🥪 No idea if true or not. Same article said that during the difficult first season when we were relegated at Northlands Rd, there was a drinking club called Australia & USA = Warne, Udal, Smith and Aymes. When you’re THAT good, it doesn’t matter and what a brilliant player.

Having met him, I can confirm that Sir Steve Redgrave is a) an excellent bloke and b) an absolute mountain of a bloke. Gus Fraser was our tour guide in Barbados for the Test in 2004 - top fella, always liked him as bowler. Not much smaller a mountain than Redgrave. Told us over dinner that Shane Warne used to pay for his own flights to play for Hampshire and that Bransgrove had said Shane was an unbelievable fella as well as cricketer. So lucky to have him play for and captain the county. Met and talked with Sir Colin Cowdrey for about an hour when our local pub re-opened. Asked him about what it was like to face Lillee and Thomson at the WACA having come out of retirement in winter of 1974 in his 40s. Aussies thought he was still a class player and was a world class, stylish batsman in the 1950s and 60s.

Hmmm, someone who never stood or sat on the Chicken Run at Upton Park. Got plenty of Hammers friends, and their club has made huge efforts but to say they don’t have a significant element even still (but less than Millwall or Chelsea’s tbf) doesn’t stack up. We’ve got morons too (see Sala plane chant v Cardiff) plus https://www.thejc.com/news/southampton-football-fans-banned-over-antisemitic-abuse-directed-at-tottenham-supporters-flk7rwov https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-london-63134381 https://www.itv.com/news/2019-04-14/west-ham-anti-semitic-video-fans-life-time-ban-racist-chant-manchester-united-tottenham https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/59197801 https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/47144113

Quite, and West Ham are the Essex team by and large, apart from Colchester and the usual City/Utd/Arsenal plastics.

Fair point, might be time for Tonda to take a break if the case is playing on his mind. Still-like square pegs in round holes today and can’t afford it on -4.