Hamilton Saint

Because we need to keep being reminded that in this modern world there are still bizarre people like this - people who still believe in an Old Testament-styled Creator who would adjust the weather in the UK in order to punish the entire country because of a minority group's sexual orientation.

Order Dave Merrington never to start a sentence with "What Saints must not do now is ...".

Digging for dirt, eh? Now I can make sense of your name!

Right, that's what I meant - as opposed to CEO.

Unlike Cortese? She's Executive Chairman, not goalkeeping coach.

Thanks for adding something real and interesting to the thread!

Rumours = truth?

So you're in Inner Mongolia, not Outer Mongolia?

Wow! OP asks a question in the thread title. In the post itself we get two questions, two rhetorical questions , and four assumptions (disguised as questions). Are you actually asking a question (questions), or merely presenting a set of assumptions?

Indeed! Some people just talk too much. Even when they have nothing sensible to say. Hey - give it a rest!

Lawrenson's "competition" this week with the predictions is comedian Vic Reeves. So we get predictions from him of 400-1, 11-12, etc. This was amusing the first few times, but it's getting to be a regular feature now, so not funny at all. Is Lawrenson really that desperate to win?

Here's my "sanctimonious, moralising, politically correct tart" view of this: there is a small minority of knee-jerk, over-emotional, rather irrational drama queens, who - in addition - also suffer from a case of male chauvinism. They also seem to believe that all football fans share some sort of old-fashioned, adolescent, class-conscious, tribal, mob-mentailty (and misogynist) attitude to the life of a football fan. And they seek to impose this "lad" attitude as the only approach to life as a football fan. Quite sad, really. All in my humble (adjective-laden) opinion.

This is based on what exactly?

Why are you laughing at his post? It's a legitimate point. And his criticism of the insulting behaviour is valid.

Agreed. And even if she were not the owner of the club - just an ordinary person, going about her day - what on earth gives these ignorant, immature and amoral goofs the notion that it is OK to insult people they have never met (and know nothing about) because of their physical appearance? It's at times like these that you wish Facebook, Twitter, and these sorts of internet fora would simply drop off the face of the Earth. Simply disgraceful.

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Nicotine is addictive; THC is not. If you took up smoking joints again, that would not prompt you to also take up cigarettes - unless the "oral fixation" was an important component in the reason for your smoking.

Correct - and, in the reverse process, this pagan festival (called Boxing Day Sales) has been moved one day away from December 25th. to indicate its irreligious nature!

It's an example of taking a pagan celebration (Samhain) and institutionalizing it into the dominant (Christian) cultural tradition. Part of that process requires shifting it by several days, in order to hide its pagan origins (November 1st to November 5th, in this situation; and Christmas is on December 25th, instead of December 21st - the winter solstice).

You've fearlessly covered all the bases - we'll lose; we'll draw; or we'll win.

No, you're certainly not alone. It's great to be in an era now where I don't approach most games with an underlying sense of dread. Now, I seem to be full of optimism about our short-term and long-term outlook. And that's exciting. Long may it continue!

Your key point (which I highlighted) was that we were "stuck in a rut". My key point was that we are not in a rut (which implies no change ahead), but things were about to change as our injured players come back into regular service.

No, I reckon we're about to emerge from a significant dip in form caused primarily by a few key injuries. And the return of those players (Boruc, Wanyama, and Clyne) coincides with a much better run of games in the next two months. I expect a consolidation of our position, at minimum, but possibly a push for seventh or sixth place - if a team or two above us have their own slide.

Yeah, if we turn up, we could get three points; but if Man City take to the pitch, instead of Saints, we're sure to get nothing from this game. Likewise, if some other team emerges from the tunnel, instead of Sunderland, it probably means we're at the wrong stadium - which also means zero points.

Or a revelatory form of weltanschauung?