John Boy Saint

Mentioned this before - His problem was he knew how to kick a ball, if school playground football was a professional sport he might have been ok. The hmmmm moment for me was sat in the stand pre season at Palafrugell, Jos and Maya sat behind me schooling Mayuka as to what the team were doing.

Probably the easiest vote of the season - Che worked his socks off. Working in Poland a couple of weeks ago flying home from Krakow, the place was overrun with the Tartan Army. Talking to a few of them, they love Che! With the overriding comment “he never stops working”..

That's how to do it - and up to 5th.

0-0 at Half time

Well that’s where consistency goes out the window - I’ve seen the ball hit the ref umpteen times and the team in possession retain the ball from the contact and the ref stop the game regardless.

We are too bloody nice for our own good, watching the West Ham goal, as I thought in the game the ball hits the ref - the game must stop but he plays on - then on MOTD there a bit of bitching about the ref being in the way for Perrauds goal.. Even if Banks wasn't going to over turn it we should have been right in his ear about not stopping the game for his contact.

I was working in Istanbul a couple of weeks ago, talking to the barmen in the hotel asked about Goztepe, they said that they were an insignificant club that no one notices

Maybe they should go to the British Army Training Camp in Belize "just down the road" from Miami, that'll sort them out - Think the Marines still hold a ridiculous record round the timed Jungle circuit of under an hour , many foreign "crack" forces who have given it a go are nearer to 2 hours. Might have changed as that has to been 5-6 years when I saw a thing about - vicious environment.

There was something on Radio 5 last night about this, and a Lady was talking about her son being a ref, I think in the Stockport area. She said that the local FA group gave good support to the young refs as they know without the refs they have no games. The one thing she said I thought should be made more of at the younger age group games. She was at a game her son was reffing, a few of the parents of the lads playing we’re giving the her son abuse from the touch line. She walked up to the mouthiest one and confronted him, he spouted a few choice words at her, then she said - You see that yellow armband on his arm, do you know what that means - No - it signals that the ref is a minor, he is underage himself. You shouting obscenities at him as an adult is actually you abusing a minor. I think if more parents were made aware of the yellow armbands significance they might just make them think.

I’m on a Golf weekend so no doubt I will be getting stick from all angles - least I won’t be seeking out a dodgy stream.

It’s seeing Perraud stood alone outside the box on corners in acres of space - tee him to have a swing with his hammer of a left foot.

Listening to away fans joyously rejoicing in our “own house” is starting to rub me up the wrong way!

Pitch looks loads loads better……….unless they have done the green sand colouring in!

Nope I don’t - you’re right.

I saw bits of the game - as wisely Strictly Launch Show got priority on the remote - just watched the highlights to fill in some of the gaps. As a World Cup preparation England players will be enjoying the novelty of Christmas shopping and opening the advent calendar with their kids in December. Goodness knows what Southgate was watching listening to his comments.

So now we will be playing against sides made up of Postmen, Milkmen, and Bank Clerks, who we will smash off the park. Whoever has the TV rights will be throwing themselves round the room burning through pallets of Kleenex as Harold Kane gets the England top scorer Badge playing San Marino, Andorra, and Faroe Islands

Reading this I’m bloody glad I didn’t scour Istanbul for a bar with this on and end up drinking tea all night because I found a dry establishment. Following the game on here has been bloody grim

'Tis a strange one - would have been nice to go along and no doubt stand shoulder to shoulder with fellow subjects paying our respects, before watching a game of footie. The Queen was the embodiment of "Keep Calm and Carry On". If there was a horse race to be seen on TV yesterday afternoon as the end drew near, she would have been telling the family to get out of the way and shut up. With the Monarchy being about continuity she would probably questioned the postponement herself. 70 years in the job is something none of us nor our descendants will ever see again: it truly is remarkable. Whatever your view, she was the one constant in all of our lives, with there now being a hole of sorts the next few days are going to be rather strange, and as we are seeing on here throwing up many differing views.

Brilliant sunshine and ours still seem to be on regardless.

They haven’t got a Mané who has to be kept an eye on.

They normally run those over the Chapel penalty box as it gets no sun in the winter, you can sometimes see where they have been as the grass is a slightly different shade of Green. Grass normally stops growing at around 7°c obviously a bit of sun helps. Not sure if the under soil heating can cheat nature should they have to relay the pitch in theWorld Cup window …………..although at present running that might substantially reduce the budget for a striker 😳

Emma Hayes hinted as much on the commentary - the USA game will be a welcome reality check

He’d gone into the bushes out of sight - I guess unlike Jason Puncheon he hadn’t asked the ref for permission to leave the pitch.

This is taking the Piss! https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/62783917 I wonder where this is in the law book?

That’s a bit dark