Gloucester Saint

I don’t think he’s shite overall and can be PL level, but has been disappointing this season. Certainly not comfortable as part of a back 5, but with proper DMCs in front of him screening, and some pace with him he could be a good PL centre half. I don’t think he’s that sluggish but partnering Bednarek who isn’t the quickest and gets caught out of position plus the lack of midfield screen is a brutal combination. Adding the pace of Wood didn’t seem to help THB (eg Villa mix up) and Wood isn’t ready yet to be part of a PL back 4. Put Romeo in front of him and he’d have been fine. Congratulations by the way in joining MLG in an exclusive club - the Paul Chuckle confused emoji club

Russell’s loan spell there towards the end of his playing career wasn't too stellar either.

It would be a good appointment for them and him if he’s had time to reflect self-critically on why things didn’t go as well this season. With the exception of 100mph Old Firm games, possession based will work for a big fish in that league and probably in Europe if he adapts it. Big club and profile even if the SPL is weak. In terms of SFC personnel, Aribo is a legend up there but wages would be an issue unless Joe swaps length of contract slightly taking into account the relegation reduction. Manning is likely, but I don’t think Rangers can afford the fee for Downes unless their new owners really put their hand in their pocket. I don’t know what their keeper is like but Bazanu on loan might suit him, Saints and Martin. Fraser likes the south coast of England and could still do a job in the Champ next year.

Yes, I think the new German Chancellor is right to refer to cutting the grass from under AFD’s feet, and that todays issues with the former East will be the 2030s in what was West Germany if there’s not serious action on freedom of movement economically vs asylum. Hopefully he can team up with the UK and lean hard on the EU to develop a more contemporary approach to counter extremism of the white and Islam varieties as well the impact of climate change pushing more people north.

Not a surprise when you look at where the money comes from https://www.ft.com/content/d21a37fc-04d8-11e7-ace0-1ce02ef0def9 and https://www.telegraph.co.uk/business/2017/02/08/property-developer-brothers-nick-christian-candy-accused-threatening/ Aaron Banks was up to his eyeballs with the Russian regime as well https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-61782578

Depends how much the other assets go for. If there’s an auction early on for say Dibling that may change the picture, or Fernandes. Ramsdale will be a late August sale I reckon when a PL side’s first choice gets injured/starts badly. But if we don’t get an early sale then THB’s hand improves.

Yes to 1, 2, possibly 3, and 6. I have an irrational feeling we will get another win somewhere from a mid-table outfit mentally on the beach to howls of disgust from their fans.

It certainly seems that way.

Deserved it, don’t agree with very short prison sentences usually but a line was crossed there. It wasn’t a natural reaction to an object being thrown at point blank range, but a sustained attack on the member of the public with provocation unclear https://news.sky.com/video/watch-cctv-that-led-to-mp-mike-amesburys-jail-term-13316271

Worth reflecting as well on the carnage of it, estimated 120k Russians and 70k Ukrainians killed and the sheer physical destruction. https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cgkm7lly61do All for one man and his inner circle’s obsession with bringing back the USSR.

NZ has an unpleasant little coalition which can have a populist flavour as well. Pity as often the most progressive western democracy. Hopefully the AFD result and Trump are their high watermarks and with the way MAGA is losing the wheels of its car rapidly already I suspect there may be peaks and throughs for the populists but consistency will be their issue. New German Chancellor speaking well, like the sound of him.

Yep, 100%. West Ham and Villa are shopping at that £30-50m level for first choice centre backs, Brighton, Bournemouth, Brentford £20-35m. Not hard to see why paying £20m for THB without a high quality loan signing alongside him instead of kids for the future hasn’t worked. Much as I like Ronnie Edwards, it’s for next season and beyond. We didn’t use our loans well at all.

It wouldn’t surprise me and Moyes pretty much said as much in his interview before taking the Everton role again. Didn’t specifically mention Saints but talked about avoiding relegation battles.

£35-40m, England cap, still young for a CB, and City probably have a sell on clause. West Ham wouldn’t stress about our season, they will know 5 at the back doesn’t suit him and you need pace alongside him. John Terry wasn’t the quickest over ten yards so doesn’t stop CBs succeeding in the right structure.

He’d be first on the team sheet but no chance even if West Ham funded half of the wages. Potter is using him more and I suspect he’ll feature in their squads over the next 18 months. Good luck to him and I hope he regains his place there going forward.

Decorative only, a sop to the MAGA crowd. Whilst Kash Patel’s history and record is less than ideal, I was quite impressed with how he swatted away Musk and his McDonalds teenage weekend crew’s email to FBI staff on Saturday, which has put a big nail and puncture in DOGE’s tyres. If he carries on like that I’ll be impressed.

I’d say judging by the amount of well-attended and vocal cross-partytown hall meetings being convened around their country, many hosted by Republican Senators, about mitigating the impact of DOGE and the haphazard and unaccountable methods/team of kids used to slash roles in nuclear, FAA, veterans and access highly personal data, that process is underway. 81% of the US public believe that Putin should not be trusted and 56% disapprove of Trump’s behaviour over Ukraine. The FBI appointment is decorative, if I was American I wouldn’t welcome it but I suspect they’ll get bored and flounce off after 6 months when they’ve leaked all sorts of information and undermined investigations and court cases, not to be replaced.

Somewhere inbetween IIRC. Mali Group was Markus and you are right that the main Liebherr Group was owned by the overall family. Markus’s fortune was still worth £2.5-3bn according to figures at the time of his sad passing which is still more than Dragan Solak who isn’t exactly skint either and Tony Bloom who has funded Brighton. It was a quantum leap from Lowe and Wild and was big bucks then in PL terms let alone the EFL.

Interesting to see https://www.cbi.org.uk/our-campaigns/driving-green-growth-and-the-transition-to-net-zero/

Elon has messed up with Saturday’s email, condemned and being opposed across the political spectrum https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cj0qrj20g5vo https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cly25yny3ego

£40m and it’s done. JWP wages unaffordable even @50% subsidised great as he’d be in the Champ with some pace and power alongside him.

Tennessee learning the hard way as the UK has done that Xenophobia and nationalism are very expensive to your economy. £20bn tourism economy with Canada, #1 visitors to Nashville and 150k jobs locally depend on Canadian tourism, down the toilet with the national boycott Trump’s behaviour has caused. Whoops, that MAGA vote felt good in the booth for a lot of those 150k but it bet it doesn’t now. Trump has done what he said he would and it’s impacted you.

I’ve got the perfect song for that clip

As another poster would say, noddy behaviour.

JWP was a great servant but it highlights how one dimensional/one paced/lacking physical presence we’d become as a midfield unit. He will do a job as a squad player for the Hammers but his peak was with us and briefly with them at the start.