Some of the young people in this country are absolute idiots.
This is why we need actual rules and why the Swedish model would not work.
They're not idiots. They're young. They've given up six months of precious young life already, and now they just think Fuck it, I'm not going to die of it, I refuse to have a living death because of it
The idea you can stop young humans drinking, dancing, kissing, embracing, socialising, falling in love, for month after month, is nuts.
If the under 25s, and in particular students, WEREN'T breaking covid regulations left, right and centre it really would be something to worry about. They are probably doing a lot worse than that in fact, and good luck to them
I must admit I’m starting to feel very lonely now, as an adult living on their own. Sad times.
Ah, sympathies.
I am hearing similar sad stories everywhere now. This is really impacting. Marriages cracking. The works.
And I agree with iSam, get as much fresh air, outdoor exercise, and weak autumn sun as you possibly can. You can still do things like yoga indoors with social distancing, which might provide some company.
On Allegra Stratton, I think it's a really interesting appointment. She's extremely able. She is also part of the (liberal) metropolitan elite: educated at Latymer then Cambridge, lives in Islington, worked for the BBC among others, married to the political editor of the Spectator (with Sunak his best man). She's part of the Islington establishment, and I reckon she's a bit of a centrist and not very right wing, unless she's changed. So it's brave of her to take the job, but it may end in tears. It suggests Boris does want to communicate a 'softer', more liberal, modern take, which may not please folk like Patel, Cummings and the ERG wing of the party. Watch this space, I reckon.
Boris is part of the metropolitan, liberal elite! It isn't a surprise he appoints similar people - Political tribalists don't like to admit this because it means acknowledging to themselves they are on the same page as him a lot of things, and it feels better to have someone to project their hate on, esp if you can throw in a bit of class war.
I don't agree with Johnson on basically anything and I am part of the "liberal elite"
Lockdowns? Financial support for people effected by COVID? International aid being spent on COVID vaccines for poorer countries?
One thing about adversarial politics is that it is very easy to ignore the things you agree with your opponent on, and concentrate on the differences.
Johnson isn't in favour of a lockdown now, I am.
Johnson isn't in favour of extending the furlough scheme for specific sectors, regardless of lockdown - I am.
Is he big on international aid? Wasn't he just recently leaking about cutting it.
He's now big on vilifying immigrants and asylum seekers, he supports Brexit and he's in big support of the bankers (his words, not mine). I don't support any of those things. Bearing in mind he got elected on "get Brexit done", I don't agree with him on his main platform.
I didn't say we didn't agree on anything, I said we don't agree on very much. I stand by it.
Realised at 9 pm last night I'd been coughing for a couple of days. Internet offers drive through test 10 miles away in Plymouth, half hour time slots available any time today. Just been along, two cars in front of me in the queue, all done and dusted within 15 minutes.
A colleague tested positive this week, seemingly caught it off his kids. Next door neighbour has 1 kid at Leeds and 1 at Nottingham University down with it too.
You'd be lucky to not get it at Nottingham uni.
My old stomping grounds. Main part of social life there was a challenge called Campus 14 ... A challenge to in 4 hours do a bar crawl of the 13 bars on campus and have a drink in all of them, 2 in the final bar which was formerly 2 bars. The challenge was "officially" banned in my second year but everyone still did it.
I wonder if people have still been doing Campus 14 this year? Besides the usual alcohol concerns, nothing could encourage the spread of COVID more.
My disdain for such japes is restrained by the recollection of being every bit as bad when I was a student at Leicester University in 1970. One wag devised for rag week a drunken driving competition. A course was laid out in the car park and you had to drink eight pints of Guinness before attempting it. It is to my eternal shame that I won first prize by virtue of being the only competitor who managed to get his car started.
On Allegra Stratton, I think it's a really interesting appointment. She's extremely able. She is also part of the (liberal) metropolitan elite: educated at Latymer then Cambridge, lives in Islington, worked for the BBC among others, married to the political editor of the Spectator (with Sunak his best man). She's part of the Islington establishment, and I reckon she's a bit of a centrist and not very right wing, unless she's changed. So it's brave of her to take the job, but it may end in tears. It suggests Boris does want to communicate a 'softer', more liberal, modern take, which may not please folk like Patel, Cummings and the ERG wing of the party. Watch this space, I reckon.
Boris is part of the metropolitan, liberal elite! It isn't a surprise he appoints similar people - Political tribalists don't like to admit this because it means acknowledging to themselves they are on the same page as him a lot of things, and it feels better to have someone to project their hate on, esp if you can throw in a bit of class war.
Yes, I know Boris is. I just find it slightly amusing that the Tories spent so much time denigrating the out of touch, Islington metropolitan elite crowd of Starmer, Corbyn, Abbott and so on. When, surprise surprise, many of those running the country now live in, er, Islington (including Cummings I believe). Not many key government postholders up t'north, are there?
Man Utd and Liverpool put forward a joint proposal to reduce the Premier League to 18 teams and the clubs to have much more say on matters including the league cup and in return will support the lower leagues with 250 million
Seems it has support and looks like the start of something good for all football
Well done to the two of them
Yeah. Liverpool don't want to be thrashed by Villa too often after all do they?
Fundamentally Boris Johnson is a Tory (a populist Tory but he's a Tory) - and I don't agree with Tory ideology, so I don't agree with Boris Johnson.
I can however separate ideological differences from competence. Cameron was competent - I disagreed with his ideology but I could see he was competent. Johnson is not.
I forgot austerity, which Johnson was a huge supporter of before he did another 180 and changed his mind. Of course I disagreed with much of Labour at the time as well.
Man Utd and Liverpool put forward a joint proposal to reduce the Premier League to 18 teams and the clubs to have much more say on matters including the league cup and in return will support the lower leagues with 250 million
Seems it has support and looks like the start of something good for all football
Well done to the two of them
Sorry, but you're wrong. What these scumbag owners are proposing is disgraceful. I'm unlikely to be able to go any time soon, but if Arsenal are supporting this, I will no longer be supporting them.
My serious expectation is that by 2024 President Harris will be in office and unchallengeable on the Democratic side. I simply don't see Biden being able to do 4 years of such a tough job at his age. That make Buttigieg a non starter (although he may well be VP by then). On the Republican side you'd like to think that a wave of moral revulsion would overcome the Republicans as has happened for at least some in Labour post Corbyn. But maybe not, there is something in the symptom and not a cause point. But if they go down that road again I don't see them winning in 2024.
I think there’s a chance if the party engaging in civil war, especially as there is no obvious strong unifying candidate.
I presume you mean the republicans? And yes, small state, low tax, pro business, moderate Republicans must be feeling as politically homeless now as sane centre left voters did with Corbyn. If the Republicans are going to carry on down the racist, xenophobic, gun crazy, chaotic path that Trump has followed a new party may well spring up.
The problem with the 'small state, low tax, pro business, moderate Republicans' is that they were rarely moderate.
Rather they were extremists for low taxes (and regulations) on the rich and big business plus a liking for Middle Eastern warmongering.
Not always, Bush Snr raised taxes on the rich as President to close the deficit and only took action to liberate Kuwait with UN support
That was thirty years ago.
For decades after 1945, and arguably 1918, right wing parties in the western world did not pander to the rich and big business and high finance and were reluctant to embark on military escapades.
Rather they preferred a more widespread increase in wealth - increasing home ownership being a key feature.
The fall of communism unleashed the shackles with the 1% taking most of the subsequent gains.
Note the Blair government was as bad as any government for allowing this to happen.
On Allegra Stratton, I think it's a really interesting appointment. She's extremely able. She is also part of the (liberal) metropolitan elite: educated at Latymer then Cambridge, lives in Islington, worked for the BBC among others, married to the political editor of the Spectator (with Sunak his best man). She's part of the Islington establishment, and I reckon she's a bit of a centrist and not very right wing, unless she's changed. So it's brave of her to take the job, but it may end in tears. It suggests Boris does want to communicate a 'softer', more liberal, modern take, which may not please folk like Patel, Cummings and the ERG wing of the party. Watch this space, I reckon.
Boris is part of the metropolitan, liberal elite! It isn't a surprise he appoints similar people - Political tribalists don't like to admit this because it means acknowledging to themselves they are on the same page as him a lot of things, and it feels better to have someone to project their hate on, esp if you can throw in a bit of class war.
I don't agree with Johnson on basically anything and I am part of the "liberal elite"
Lockdowns? Financial support for people effected by COVID? International aid being spent on COVID vaccines for poorer countries?
One thing about adversarial politics is that it is very easy to ignore the things you agree with your opponent on, and concentrate on the differences.
Johnson isn't in favour of a lockdown now, I am.
Johnson isn't in favour of extending the furlough scheme for specific sectors, regardless of lockdown - I am.
Is he big on international aid? Wasn't he just recently leaking about cutting it.
He's now big on vilifying immigrants and asylum seekers, he supports Brexit and he's in big support of the bankers (his words, not mine). I don't support any of those things. Bearing in mind he got elected on "get Brexit done", I don't agree with him on his main platform.
I didn't say we didn't agree on anything, I said we don't agree on very much. I stand by it.
On lockdowns - the anon briefings are all upset that he is wanting to lock stuff down again, and is listening to Whitty et al rather than local politicians and MPs.
The furlough scheme in the first place - there was some opposition to that. and it's generosity, if you recall.
There was a big international conference not long ago - where the UK was contributing and pushing for a big pile of money to help with COVID vacancies for 3rd world countries.
On Allegra Stratton, I think it's a really interesting appointment. She's extremely able. She is also part of the (liberal) metropolitan elite: educated at Latymer then Cambridge, lives in Islington, worked for the BBC among others, married to the political editor of the Spectator (with Sunak his best man). She's part of the Islington establishment, and I reckon she's a bit of a centrist and not very right wing, unless she's changed. So it's brave of her to take the job, but it may end in tears. It suggests Boris does want to communicate a 'softer', more liberal, modern take, which may not please folk like Patel, Cummings and the ERG wing of the party. Watch this space, I reckon.
Boris is part of the metropolitan, liberal elite! It isn't a surprise he appoints similar people - Political tribalists don't like to admit this because it means acknowledging to themselves they are on the same page as him a lot of things, and it feels better to have someone to project their hate on, esp if you can throw in a bit of class war.
I don't agree with Johnson on basically anything and I am part of the "liberal elite"
Lockdowns? Financial support for people effected by COVID? International aid being spent on COVID vaccines for poorer countries?
One thing about adversarial politics is that it is very easy to ignore the things you agree with your opponent on, and concentrate on the differences.
Johnson isn't in favour of a lockdown now, I am.
Johnson isn't in favour of extending the furlough scheme for specific sectors, regardless of lockdown - I am.
Is he big on international aid? Wasn't he just recently leaking about cutting it.
He's now big on vilifying immigrants and asylum seekers, he supports Brexit and he's in big support of the bankers (his words, not mine). I don't support any of those things. Bearing in mind he got elected on "get Brexit done", I don't agree with him on his main platform.
I didn't say we didn't agree on anything, I said we don't agree on very much. I stand by it.
On lockdowns - the anon briefings are all upset that he is wanting to lock stuff down again, and is listening to Whitty et al rather than local politicians and MPs.
The furlough scheme in the first place - there was some opposition to that. and it's generosity, if you recall.
There was a big international conference not long ago - where the UK was contributing and pushing for a big pile of money to help with COVID vacancies for 3rd world countries.
Well then that's fine, if he does a full lockdown I agree with him on that. Of course this is down to his incompetence but that's a separate issue.
I was referring to furlough now, which is not being continued to support sectors that need support. So we disagree on that. I don't recall anyone being opposed to the original furlough scheme.
That doesn't mean he isn't still pro cutting foreign aid. If he's U-turned on that, good.
As I said, I didn't say I disagreed with him on everything, I just said most things.
Fundamentally I don't agree with the Tory ideological basis as I am a social democrat.
Man Utd and Liverpool put forward a joint proposal to reduce the Premier League to 18 teams and the clubs to have much more say on matters including the league cup and in return will support the lower leagues with 250 million
Seems it has support and looks like the start of something good for all football
Well done to the two of them
Sorry, but you're wrong. What these scumbag owners are proposing is disgraceful. I'm unlikely to be able to go any time soon, but if Arsenal are supporting this, I will no longer be supporting them.
I think most of the big clubs are and it looks like it is gaining traction
On Allegra Stratton, I think it's a really interesting appointment. She's extremely able. She is also part of the (liberal) metropolitan elite: educated at Latymer then Cambridge, lives in Islington, worked for the BBC among others, married to the political editor of the Spectator (with Sunak his best man). She's part of the Islington establishment, and I reckon she's a bit of a centrist and not very right wing, unless she's changed. So it's brave of her to take the job, but it may end in tears. It suggests Boris does want to communicate a 'softer', more liberal, modern take, which may not please folk like Patel, Cummings and the ERG wing of the party. Watch this space, I reckon.
Boris is part of the metropolitan, liberal elite! It isn't a surprise he appoints similar people - Political tribalists don't like to admit this because it means acknowledging to themselves they are on the same page as him a lot of things, and it feels better to have someone to project their hate on, esp if you can throw in a bit of class war.
Yes, I know Boris is. I just find it slightly amusing that the Tories spent so much time denigrating the out of touch, Islington metropolitan elite crowd of Starmer, Corbyn, Abbott and so on. When, surprise surprise, many of those running the country now live in, er, Islington (including Cummings I believe). Not many key government postholders up t'north, are there?
Yeah, just shows the narrow clique, the lack of choice, we have in who represents us. When people outside of that group started to make inroads (UKIP 2015) their candidates were castigated for not having the same world view as the bubble, when they weren't being lied about.
Look at how Starmer is "reinventing" The Labour Party - throwing out anyone who strays from the corporate, centrist view
On Allegra Stratton, I think it's a really interesting appointment. She's extremely able. She is also part of the (liberal) metropolitan elite: educated at Latymer then Cambridge, lives in Islington, worked for the BBC among others, married to the political editor of the Spectator (with Sunak his best man). She's part of the Islington establishment, and I reckon she's a bit of a centrist and not very right wing, unless she's changed. So it's brave of her to take the job, but it may end in tears. It suggests Boris does want to communicate a 'softer', more liberal, modern take, which may not please folk like Patel, Cummings and the ERG wing of the party. Watch this space, I reckon.
Boris is part of the metropolitan, liberal elite! It isn't a surprise he appoints similar people - Political tribalists don't like to admit this because it means acknowledging to themselves they are on the same page as him a lot of things, and it feels better to have someone to project their hate on, esp if you can throw in a bit of class war.
I don't agree with Johnson on basically anything and I am part of the "liberal elite"
Johnson may be elite - in the sense that he thinks he is untouchable - but there is no ay that he is liberal. He is as self-centred as they make them.
I dunno. He’s pretty liberal with his sexual favours.
Sounds like the Big 6 want the power of veto over club takeovers.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/54499998 It is also planned that, as well as the 'big six', ever-present league member Everton, West Ham United and Southampton - ninth and 11th respectively in the list of clubs who have featured in the most Premier League seasons - would be granted special status.
If six of those nine clubs vote in favour of a proposal, it would be enough to get it passed.
There is no mention of Aston Villa and Newcastle United, both of whom have featured in more Premier League campaigns than Manchester City.
I don't understand why these plans require a reduction in the size of the league. And the voting changes seem entirely self serving and hard to justify.
Abolishing the League Cup would be a shame but given increasing fixture strain it makes sense. To be honest major clubs tend to play reserves until the Semi Final or so anyway.
I don't understand the 'special status' though. I hope that means certain clubs can't be relegated, like in other sports. One thing that is great about football is that it is entirely based on the perfomance on the pitch - a club can theoretically be league champions one season and relegated the next.
Nice clip anyway. Good to see a bit of street cricket rather than any aggro.
Its interesting how the rise and fall of the West Indies cricket team was mirrored by the rise and fall of English cricketers of West Indian heritage.
The pull of big money football and hoops?
Sure, but can you see Viv Richards as a basketball player or Devon Malcolm as a footballer ?
Few sportsmen are professional standard at more than one sport.
Is that the Viv Richards who played football for Antigua and Barbuda? Also quite a handy cricketer, so not the best example.
Athletic ability is more often than not fairly broad spectrum. It's lack of time which means you have to be either one thing or another, not lack of ability. And there's stacks of English and NZ players who have played for their country at both cricket and fitba. for England see https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_English_cricket_and_football_players
Man Utd and Liverpool put forward a joint proposal to reduce the Premier League to 18 teams and the clubs to have much more say on matters including the league cup and in return will support the lower leagues with 250 million
Seems it has support and looks like the start of something good for all football
Well done to the two of them
Sorry, but you're wrong. What these scumbag owners are proposing is disgraceful. I'm unlikely to be able to go any time soon, but if Arsenal are supporting this, I will no longer be supporting them.
I think most of the big clubs are and it looks like it is gaining traction
What do you mean "gaining traction"? Hopefully the rest of PL will tell them to do one - it needs 14 votes to go through.
It's ironic that American owners are pushing for measures to make our sport even less American. Can you imagine if the Red Sox or the Rams proposed these changes in America?
Man Utd and Liverpool put forward a joint proposal to reduce the Premier League to 18 teams and the clubs to have much more say on matters including the league cup and in return will support the lower leagues with 250 million
Seems it has support and looks like the start of something good for all football
Well done to the two of them
Sorry, but you're wrong. What these scumbag owners are proposing is disgraceful. I'm unlikely to be able to go any time soon, but if Arsenal are supporting this, I will no longer be supporting them.
What do you object to so fervently?
Supporting lower league clubs more and giving 25% of PL income to the rest of the football pyramid on an ongoing basis seems like a healthy move.
Man Utd and Liverpool put forward a joint proposal to reduce the Premier League to 18 teams and the clubs to have much more say on matters including the league cup and in return will support the lower leagues with 250 million
Seems it has support and looks like the start of something good for all football
Well done to the two of them
Sorry, but you're wrong. What these scumbag owners are proposing is disgraceful. I'm unlikely to be able to go any time soon, but if Arsenal are supporting this, I will no longer be supporting them.
What do you object to so fervently?
Supporting lower league clubs more and giving 25% of PL income to the rest of the football pyramid on an ongoing basis seems like a healthy move.
I oppose the Big 6 banning anyone else from challenging them.
Man Utd and Liverpool put forward a joint proposal to reduce the Premier League to 18 teams and the clubs to have much more say on matters including the league cup and in return will support the lower leagues with 250 million
Seems it has support and looks like the start of something good for all football
Well done to the two of them
Sorry, but you're wrong. What these scumbag owners are proposing is disgraceful. I'm unlikely to be able to go any time soon, but if Arsenal are supporting this, I will no longer be supporting them.
I think most of the big clubs are and it looks like it is gaining traction
What do you mean "gaining traction"? Hopefully the rest of PL will tell them to do one - it needs 14 votes to go through.
It's ironic that American owners are pushing for measures to make our sport even less American. Can you imagine if the Red Sox or the Rams proposed these changes in America?
The reports are favourable and why not if they are going to support the league structures with 250 million
Man Utd and Liverpool put forward a joint proposal to reduce the Premier League to 18 teams and the clubs to have much more say on matters including the league cup and in return will support the lower leagues with 250 million
Seems it has support and looks like the start of something good for all football
Well done to the two of them
Sorry, but you're wrong. What these scumbag owners are proposing is disgraceful. I'm unlikely to be able to go any time soon, but if Arsenal are supporting this, I will no longer be supporting them.
I think most of the big clubs are and it looks like it is gaining traction
Curate's egg for me. Reduction to 18 good, EFL Cup, Charity Shield gone good. Too much football. Funding for EFL good. Disappointed they didn't go for fewer teams in lower divisions. 20 is plenty. Midweek league two games are a money loser. There are far too many professional clubs. This does not mean they should go bust, but a lot of them should go part time to be financially viable. I would merge League 2 and National League and make them a semi pro North and South. Ludicrous that Hartlepool play Dover in league football. However, overall, this is a big club, more money for us proposal, with the aim of protecting the oligarchy.
On topic, I think there is most value on the GOP candidates on this market at the moment, as the Democrat side is so dependent on the result in November (whereas there is almost definitely a GOP vacancy in 2024 - unless Trump wins but fails to make the distance over the next four years and Pence is an incumbent by then).
Although 66-1 is a little tempting on Pete Buttigieg, I do think he'd almost certainly have a prominent role in a Biden administration (he'd not be surrendering an elected position to do it) and it'd be difficult for him in 2024 to challenge either Biden or Harris (if Biden seeks to hand on the baton after one term). Also, who bother? Buttigieg will only be 50 by the time of the 2032 election at the end of President Harris' theoretical second term, and the fact he's gay is less likely to be an issue given the trajectory of views on homosexuality over many years now.
Whereas someone like Andrew Cuomo is a little more tempting on the Democrat side at 50-1 - he's 62 now and running out of time if he's ever to have a go; it's probably 2024 or never.
On GOP side, I am surprised not to see Tim Scott listed - he gave an outstanding convention speech and has walked the loyalty/distancing tightrope as well as anyone (and infinitely better than his fellow South Carolina senator).
Marco Rubio is also under-rated at 100-1. He's never going to get Trump's endorsement, but I think people overestimate Trump's likely influence in 2024 should he lose - he draws the crowds now, but by 2024 he's potentially an elderly loser with legal troubles on several fronts. It also overplays Rubio's failure in 2016, noting the US may be about to elect as President a man with two notable nomination campaign flops to his name.
Nice clip anyway. Good to see a bit of street cricket rather than any aggro.
Its interesting how the rise and fall of the West Indies cricket team was mirrored by the rise and fall of English cricketers of West Indian heritage.
The pull of big money football and hoops?
Sure, but can you see Viv Richards as a basketball player or Devon Malcolm as a footballer ?
Few sportsmen are professional standard at more than one sport.
Is that the Viv Richards who played football for Antigua and Barbuda? Also quite a handy cricketer, so not the best example.
Athletic ability is more often than not fairly broad spectrum. It's lack of time which means you have to be either one thing or another, not lack of ability. And there's stacks of English and NZ players who have played for their country at both cricket and fitba. for England see https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_English_cricket_and_football_players
Viv Richards was one of the greatest cricketers of all time.
As a footballer he had a trial for Bath City and played for Antigua when they came bottom of CONCACAF group 6 losing all 4 matched with a goal difference of -19 against the mighty Trinidad and Surinam.
Unlike that long list of politicians who are old hands at both!
I think you have missed the point.
No one mentioned experience of dealing with both. The point was Johnson doesn't have the ability to cope. Sunak, for example has not got the experience of dealing with the double edged sword of Brexit and the pandemic, but he may have the common sense and innate ability to deal with those issues in tandem. Johnson's friends don't believe Johnson has those qualities.
I always felt Biden was slightly unfairly treated over that one. It's not like the copyright of a song or book where you're basically stealing income from the original artist. Political speeches do draw on each other, phrases are passed around and so on.
Should he have inserted the phrase "I was struck by something Neil Kinnock, the leader of Britain's Labour Party said, and the same applied to me too..."? Yes. Was it disqualifying? Not really - he was a bit unlucky it all struck in a quiet news cycle with his campaign failing to get traction anyway.
Nice clip anyway. Good to see a bit of street cricket rather than any aggro.
Its interesting how the rise and fall of the West Indies cricket team was mirrored by the rise and fall of English cricketers of West Indian heritage.
The pull of big money football and hoops?
Sure, but can you see Viv Richards as a basketball player or Devon Malcolm as a footballer ?
Few sportsmen are professional standard at more than one sport.
Is that the Viv Richards who played football for Antigua and Barbuda? Also quite a handy cricketer, so not the best example.
Athletic ability is more often than not fairly broad spectrum. It's lack of time which means you have to be either one thing or another, not lack of ability. And there's stacks of English and NZ players who have played for their country at both cricket and fitba. for England see https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_English_cricket_and_football_players
Viv Richards was one of the greatest cricketers of all time.
As a footballer he had a trial for Bath City and played for Antigua when they came bottom of CONCACAF group 6 losing all 4 matched with a goal difference of -19 against the mighty Trinidad and Surinam.
There are many examples of elite sportsmen in the big 3 US sports who were varsity first team in multiple sports. I can only think of a few who then were able to play in 2 or more at professional level e.g. (Jordan - basketball, baseball; Sanders - football, baseball), and none who were truly elite in two at professional level.
So I'd agree - general athletic ability, mindset and spatial coordination underly elite professional athletes in all sports, but it is endless repetition - both physical and mental - that creates the muscle memory to excel at the professional level and there simply is not enough time available to do that to get to elite level in more than one sport.
Man Utd and Liverpool put forward a joint proposal to reduce the Premier League to 18 teams and the clubs to have much more say on matters including the league cup and in return will support the lower leagues with 250 million
Seems it has support and looks like the start of something good for all football
Well done to the two of them
Sorry, but you're wrong. What these scumbag owners are proposing is disgraceful. I'm unlikely to be able to go any time soon, but if Arsenal are supporting this, I will no longer be supporting them.
I think most of the big clubs are and it looks like it is gaining traction
Curate's egg for me. Reduction to 18 good, EFL Cup, Charity Shield gone good. Too much football. Funding for EFL good. Disappointed they didn't go for fewer teams in lower divisions. 20 is plenty. Midweek league two games are a money loser. There are far too many professional clubs. This does not mean they should go bust, but a lot of them should go part time to be financially viable. I would merge League 2 and National League and make them a semi pro North and South. Ludicrous that Hartlepool play Dover in league football. However, overall, this is a big club, more money for us proposal, with the aim of protecting the oligarchy.
I agree with you on North/South lower leagues - seems sensible given the finances at that level.
I agree with removal of the League Cup - it has second string teams put out by top teams and detracts from attempting to restore the prestige of the FA Cup. Indeed, I think they should give one of the Champions League places for winning the FA Cup to really raise the stakes.
I don't agree on reducing the size of the Premier League, though, and do see it as simply about reducing the slices of TV money pie they need to share around rather than a genuine move on fixture congestion and to improve the quality of competitions. It seems the Premier League is pretty competitive (Norwich beat Man City last year, Aston Villa have just hammered Liverpool - although top teams are often short odds favourites in any given match, they don't put out the reserves as it wouldn't work). The top teams with European fixtures can and do have fairly big squads that they rotate, and it doesn't appear to stop English teams competing in Europe given all four finalists were English in 2018-19 (none this year, but that's just how it goes sometimes and not due to the fixture list).
Nice clip anyway. Good to see a bit of street cricket rather than any aggro.
Its interesting how the rise and fall of the West Indies cricket team was mirrored by the rise and fall of English cricketers of West Indian heritage.
The pull of big money football and hoops?
Sure, but can you see Viv Richards as a basketball player or Devon Malcolm as a footballer ?
Few sportsmen are professional standard at more than one sport.
Is that the Viv Richards who played football for Antigua and Barbuda? Also quite a handy cricketer, so not the best example.
Athletic ability is more often than not fairly broad spectrum. It's lack of time which means you have to be either one thing or another, not lack of ability. And there's stacks of English and NZ players who have played for their country at both cricket and fitba. for England see https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_English_cricket_and_football_players
Viv Richards was one of the greatest cricketers of all time.
As a footballer he had a trial for Bath City and played for Antigua when they came bottom of CONCACAF group 6 losing all 4 matched with a goal difference of -19 against the mighty Trinidad and Surinam.
There are many examples of elite sportsmen in the big 3 US sports who were varsity first team in multiple sports. I can only think of a few who then were able to play in 2 or more at professional level e.g. (Jordan - basketball, baseball; Sanders - football, baseball), and none who were truly elite in two at professional level.
So I'd agree - general athletic ability, mindset and spatial coordination underly elite professional athletes in all sports, but it is endless repetition - both physical and mental - that creates the muscle memory to excel at the professional level and there simply is not enough time available to do that to get to elite level in more than one sport.
A major reason that the UK shot up the Olympic medal tables was that lottery money was invested, heavily, in scientific sports coaching.
This included detailed biometric analysis of promising sports people - often at university and local sports clubs.
Part of this was seeing if people had potential in their chosen sport, or whether they were actually more suited for another sport - body structure etc. I understand that quite a few people moved sports as a result of this.
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I am hearing similar sad stories everywhere now. This is really impacting. Marriages cracking. The works.
And I agree with iSam, get as much fresh air, outdoor exercise, and weak autumn sun as you possibly can. You can still do things like yoga indoors with social distancing, which might provide some company.
Johnson isn't in favour of extending the furlough scheme for specific sectors, regardless of lockdown - I am.
Is he big on international aid? Wasn't he just recently leaking about cutting it.
He's now big on vilifying immigrants and asylum seekers, he supports Brexit and he's in big support of the bankers (his words, not mine). I don't support any of those things. Bearing in mind he got elected on "get Brexit done", I don't agree with him on his main platform.
I didn't say we didn't agree on anything, I said we don't agree on very much. I stand by it.
I am not proud of this.
I can however separate ideological differences from competence. Cameron was competent - I disagreed with his ideology but I could see he was competent. Johnson is not.
I forgot austerity, which Johnson was a huge supporter of before he did another 180 and changed his mind. Of course I disagreed with much of Labour at the time as well.
For decades after 1945, and arguably 1918, right wing parties in the western world did not pander to the rich and big business and high finance and were reluctant to embark on military escapades.
Rather they preferred a more widespread increase in wealth - increasing home ownership being a key feature.
The fall of communism unleashed the shackles with the 1% taking most of the subsequent gains.
Note the Blair government was as bad as any government for allowing this to happen.
The furlough scheme in the first place - there was some opposition to that. and it's generosity, if you recall.
There was a big international conference not long ago - where the UK was contributing and pushing for a big pile of money to help with COVID vacancies for 3rd world countries.
I was referring to furlough now, which is not being continued to support sectors that need support. So we disagree on that. I don't recall anyone being opposed to the original furlough scheme.
That doesn't mean he isn't still pro cutting foreign aid. If he's U-turned on that, good.
As I said, I didn't say I disagreed with him on everything, I just said most things.
Fundamentally I don't agree with the Tory ideological basis as I am a social democrat.
Look at how Starmer is "reinventing" The Labour Party - throwing out anyone who strays from the corporate, centrist view
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E_w8qa2sMMQ
(Though in Boris's case, how long until "Innee bold" becomes "Inee bald"?)
I don't understand the 'special status' though. I hope that means certain clubs can't be relegated, like in other sports. One thing that is great about football is that it is entirely based on the perfomance on the pitch - a club can theoretically be league champions one season and relegated the next.
Athletic ability is more often than not fairly broad spectrum. It's lack of time which means you have to be either one thing or another, not lack of ability. And there's stacks of English and NZ players who have played for their country at both cricket and fitba. for England see https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_English_cricket_and_football_players
It's ironic that American owners are pushing for measures to make our sport even less American. Can you imagine if the Red Sox or the Rams proposed these changes in America?
Supporting lower league clubs more and giving 25% of PL income to the rest of the football pyramid on an ongoing basis seems like a healthy move.
NEW THREAD
Playing for Antigua at football is rather different to playing for Antigua at cricket
Reduction to 18 good, EFL Cup, Charity Shield gone good. Too much football.
Funding for EFL good.
Disappointed they didn't go for fewer teams in lower divisions. 20 is plenty. Midweek league two games are a money loser.
There are far too many professional clubs. This does not mean they should go bust, but a lot of them should go part time to be financially viable.
I would merge League 2 and National League and make them a semi pro North and South. Ludicrous that Hartlepool play Dover in league football.
However, overall, this is a big club, more money for us proposal, with the aim of protecting the oligarchy.
Although 66-1 is a little tempting on Pete Buttigieg, I do think he'd almost certainly have a prominent role in a Biden administration (he'd not be surrendering an elected position to do it) and it'd be difficult for him in 2024 to challenge either Biden or Harris (if Biden seeks to hand on the baton after one term). Also, who bother? Buttigieg will only be 50 by the time of the 2032 election at the end of President Harris' theoretical second term, and the fact he's gay is less likely to be an issue given the trajectory of views on homosexuality over many years now.
Whereas someone like Andrew Cuomo is a little more tempting on the Democrat side at 50-1 - he's 62 now and running out of time if he's ever to have a go; it's probably 2024 or never.
On GOP side, I am surprised not to see Tim Scott listed - he gave an outstanding convention speech and has walked the loyalty/distancing tightrope as well as anyone (and infinitely better than his fellow South Carolina senator).
Marco Rubio is also under-rated at 100-1. He's never going to get Trump's endorsement, but I think people overestimate Trump's likely influence in 2024 should he lose - he draws the crowds now, but by 2024 he's potentially an elderly loser with legal troubles on several fronts. It also overplays Rubio's failure in 2016, noting the US may be about to elect as President a man with two notable nomination campaign flops to his name.
As a footballer he had a trial for Bath City and played for Antigua when they came bottom of CONCACAF group 6 losing all 4 matched with a goal difference of -19 against the mighty Trinidad and Surinam.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1973_CONCACAF_Championship_qualification#Group_6
So not similar achievements.
No one mentioned experience of dealing with both. The point was Johnson doesn't have the ability to cope. Sunak, for example has not got the experience of dealing with the double edged sword of Brexit and the pandemic, but he may have the common sense and innate ability to deal with those issues in tandem. Johnson's friends don't believe Johnson has those qualities.
Should he have inserted the phrase "I was struck by something Neil Kinnock, the leader of Britain's Labour Party said, and the same applied to me too..."? Yes. Was it disqualifying? Not really - he was a bit unlucky it all struck in a quiet news cycle with his campaign failing to get traction anyway.
So I'd agree - general athletic ability, mindset and spatial coordination underly elite professional athletes in all sports, but it is endless repetition - both physical and mental - that creates the muscle memory to excel at the professional level and there simply is not enough time available to do that to get to elite level in more than one sport.
I agree with removal of the League Cup - it has second string teams put out by top teams and detracts from attempting to restore the prestige of the FA Cup. Indeed, I think they should give one of the Champions League places for winning the FA Cup to really raise the stakes.
I don't agree on reducing the size of the Premier League, though, and do see it as simply about reducing the slices of TV money pie they need to share around rather than a genuine move on fixture congestion and to improve the quality of competitions. It seems the Premier League is pretty competitive (Norwich beat Man City last year, Aston Villa have just hammered Liverpool - although top teams are often short odds favourites in any given match, they don't put out the reserves as it wouldn't work). The top teams with European fixtures can and do have fairly big squads that they rotate, and it doesn't appear to stop English teams competing in Europe given all four finalists were English in 2018-19 (none this year, but that's just how it goes sometimes and not due to the fixture list).
This included detailed biometric analysis of promising sports people - often at university and local sports clubs.
Part of this was seeing if people had potential in their chosen sport, or whether they were actually more suited for another sport - body structure etc. I understand that quite a few people moved sports as a result of this.