Holmes_and_Watson

With the caveat of assuming he wants to stay, and is as hungry to do well for us, then AA gets into my first XI pretty easily. I'd be happy to see movement on a lot of the rest of the squad before him. It wasn't just the goals and assists the last time we were in the Championship. His work rate lifted the energy of the team. It also stopped any number of opposition attacks. Where he got goals was key, with him putting in shots from narrow angles from cutbacks. That gave us momentum in games that really helped with the season. As it stands:- Ramsdale, Bree, Welington, Bednarek, THB, Charles, Downes, Fernandes, Armstrong, Edozie, Stewart. We really need a Romeu DM and Adams Forward in there. Ideally, someone a bit more powerful than Edozie to balance out Armstrong on the other side. Charles, Edozie and Stewart would be getting plenty of minutes across the season. Squad:- McCarthy, Sugawara, Taylor, Edwards, Quarshie, Stephens, Dibling, Fraser, Archer Loan or Depart:- Bazunu, Larios, Manning, Wood, Bella-Kotchap, Smallbone, Sulemana, Juan, Aribo, Onuachu, BBD Youth to fill out the squad:- Bragg, Akachukwa, O'Brien-Whitmarsh, Robinson, Ballard

A few Yes and No questions. Were the vaccines risk free? - No Is "risk free" the same as "safe"? - No Were the vaccines "safe" for the vast majority? - Yes Did governments push how "safe" they were? - Yes Do they feel obligated to do so for the benefit of overall public safety? - Yes Did "safe" and "risk free" get conflated? - Yes Were risk based decisions made without testing all age groups here? - Yes Should the data have been easier and up front? - Yes Would that have affected take up? - Yes Was there a push to roll out vaccines - Yes Did that affect normal research and testing cycles - Yes Was there a lot of parallel, crossover testing reducing the risk? - Yes Did individual Big Pharma companies push their own products to be the ones to corner the market? - Yes Did politics play a part in vaccine decisions and distribution? - Yes Did that have an impact on which ended up being considered safest? - Yes The science underpinning the work, in a developing situation, meant there was plenty of data up front and available to make an informed decision. I don't trust politicians to make decisions on my behalf. I don't trust companies with vested commercial interests to make decisions on my behalf either. But the widespread data on risks and rewards was there (or enough for me anyway) Fortunately, Covid hasn't impacted me, and I'm glad I got the jabs. I think people are quite correct to question what they are being told. There are enough groups involved with an interest, well meaning or not, to distort information that can have an impact on lives. However, that information has to be countered with equally rigorous data and investigation. Then you can make a decision. On the Chemo issue, I've known a few people now who are choosing not to go through it. It seems like an increasing number, but that could just as easily be making more connections going through life, means I'm just seeing more of what was already there. Decisions are based on the type, severity and chances of success against the quality of life they feel they will get. Like @Turkish (belated condolences), it's not always going to work, and that can be devastating too. That's not to say it doesn't work full stop, or that it can't improve the quality and duration of the lives of people.

Football Manager and it's researchers such as @Matthew Le God A book review of Football & Racism in When Saturday Comes, contained the following. "...Ronny Blaschke has delivered a fascinating examination of racism within football, exposing the links to colonial attitudes of the past that still influence thinking today... A significant theme in the book is the common perceptions of footballers from such backgrounds, and the way they are portrayed in the media and beyond. Black players are valued for their athletic prowess - typically big, strong and blessed with pace - and their representation is top heavy in areas such as attack. By contrast, their white counterparts are deemed more intelligent and pivotal playmakers in midfield. This is particularly evident in scouting reports then reinforced by media narratives, in both commentary and punditry, which in turn influences public impressions and perpetuates certain stereotypes. You only have to take a look a player stats on games such as FIFA and Football Manger to see such thinking take subconscious shape."

Rename

That's not due to this thread, but from the increase in xG adherents on the site. 🙂

MLG takes a tour group around the new retail city that demolished the postcode around the stadium...

Hopefully, some of that will filter down to the SR teams not in their top divisions. 🙂

I've seen him a fair bit, Nd his game has improved season on season. Obviously, he does even better when he's got creativity of a Sainz or a Buendia around.. But he does well when given the chances.

My relatives still talk of the child miners going on strike for more spangles, resulting in an energy crisis and a 3 day week. Merrington by a mile for me.

Sometimes spending hundreds of magic millions to gentrify an area can work against you. Just wait for the first complaints about our world class light shows disturbing residents. At least they can't complain about noisy football. We can go whole seasons without playing football, if last season was anything to go by.

I'd forgotten he'd done so well in the ,on spell. Li'l H&W formed an instant ill-informed opinion of him being a bit lumbering. Based as much on the style I thought we had with Keegan before him, and his spell at Forest having not worked out. And not realising the need for different physical styles to bring success. Getting BBC goal of the season was one thing. But his goal for Norwich v Liverpool was immortalised in a Football Handbook diagram. A brilliant strike even in drawing. He also wore some of my favourite kits.

Ferry

I can't see Paul Williams being up to much...oh, he's used his experience and skill to steady our defence. That's me wrong then. 🙂

My brain cell thought he was with us a bit longer than he was. Just a loan season.

As is well known, the Shirters were a small, but devout sect of replica kit wearers. They were forced to flee persecution in England, during the "No, colours allowed mate" discriminations, setting up a new home in the USA, and becoming pioneers of MLS.

Hard to go past Ekelund. But Berkovic and Ings both made impacts on loan before signing.

Deodorant

Holding on. Doing SOG's Parisian Heat Survival Course has paid off.

I predict he's going to be an insane signing for them. 🙂

Dissenters against Emperor Willo I, will be the first against the wall. Where they will hold an attractive plant in each hand while giving useful tourist information to passers by, in the new urban utopia. 🙂

Rachel Rowe was picked in the Wales squad for the upcoming Euros. I see Alice Griffiths, also picked for Wales, is now listed as not being with us, but will still look out for her too. A really tough group, with England, France and the Netherlands in it.

Very disappointed with the outcome. I can only hope that the safeguards that end up in it, don't allow us to go down the path other countries have taken, and that none of my concerns come to pass.

Now it feels like a proper transfer thread. 🙂

I'm impressed the coastline stays the same and hasn't melted into all that lava on the graphic.

You might find the opening fixtures a laugh, but I'm hoping to start a serious promotion campaign. 🙂