Sarnia Cherie

Stephens, the gift that keeps on giving.

One of my Dad's favourite programmes was This Is Your Life presented by Eamonn Andrews. A British commanding officer of a Japanese prisoner of war camp was the subject of the programme and my Dad was shocked to see a fellow bus driver come on as a guest. He had never spoken of his dreadful experiences. Let's remember them today.

Nice to know he didn't just have it in for us.

And don't forget how brave he is.

They are none to keen on him now.

Credit where it is due.

I don't know what they see in Stephens. RM shoehorned him in every chance he got. He had a crappy pre-season but here we are again with him.

What? Our esteemed captain? Never.

I don't like to see a football club on it's knees. I really feel for those staff members who have being going in to revamp the changing rooms, relay the turf and are doing their best to keep things ticking over and hoping there will still ( now where have I heard that recently? ) be for a future for their club. No wages have been paid since May so many of the staff have had no choice but to leave. Even a small football club going will take a big part of the community with it.

Childish, I suppose, to get some enjoyment out of seeing RM getting booed after his first game. I was unfortunate enough to turn on Sky Sports over the weekend to hear him bigging himself up. Some say he has lots to learn but not in his mind he doesn't. I had a chuckle when he said that his players had been brave. 😂 Now where have I heard him say that before?

It must have been writing about women that did it! 😂

It's only taken me 77 years, 54 of them as a Saints supporter to get this accolade. 😂 Thanks.

Er, no. Make that the greatest England's women captain of all time, then maybe. I watched Booby Moore and his wonderful team lift the World Cup in 1966. Like the Lionesses, they had English blood coursing through their veins and they dug in against a very good German side and stubbornly refused to lose. Those days were long before the stupid amount of money that footballers get now. After the World Cup, Nobby Stiles said he would happily play for nothing. How many of the pampered prima donnas would say that these days? I am female, adore football and I'm delighted to see young girls having role models like the Lionesses to look up to instead of the Kardashians and their ilk. However, let's get everything into perspective. Women's football and Men's football stand independently of each other, as they should. One doesn't trump (no pun intended) the other in my mind.

I liked it when she 'thanked', sarcastically, those (Man City) who doubted her and made her seriously consider packing in football. Karma!!!

Fair point.

I love football but common sense says to me that there will never be a time when there will be professional mixed teams. No matter how talented and technically gifted a woman footballer is the physical side will always be a barrier. I watch grassroots football quite a bit and even at that level women would not manage with the speed and physical demands. Let's celebrate men's and women's football but accept that although playing the same game there are differences that will never be overcome to enable mixed teams playing in professional football.

Aitana Bonmati was the best player throughout these Euros. Well deserved.

I hope you have the elixir of life handy then.

Sounds like the rubbish Eric Cantona used to say.

I was hoping we had seen the last of shoehorning Stephens in every game when RM went. Clearly not.

That was a major blunder by Margaret Thatcher. She should have insisted that money made from the sale of council properties was ploughed back into building more local authority homes. As it was that money has gone, God knows where. Years back councils in Liverpool, faced with hundreds of derelict 2 up. 2 down, terraced houses, gave local people the chance to buy one for £1. Many of those people secured loans from the council to renovate their houses. I can't see why something like that could not be done today. It provides people with a home of their own, improves an area and often, reduces crime.

I rest my case.

As soon as women's football is on here come the usual suspects with the usual remarks. Women's football is women's football and men's football is men's football and never the twain shall meet. Vive la difference.

It will just be me. I am way older than my Dad was when that news was announced.

I stand corrected. Wrong Johnny!