Holmes_and_Watson

VA got one back, with easily their best move, on around 84 mins. Our Rento had a nice bit of skill in their box, but with a tame shot in added time. Prior to that, SB cleared off their line on around 64 mins. 10 mins later there was a close range VA header straight at their keeper. That was followed a couple of minutes later by a looping header the SB keeper had to put over. A much better header than the poor cross that led to it. But don't think VA were all over SB. The home side had got their goals. VA huffed and puffed with few outcomes to get back into the game. Following their goal, I thought VA were going to spend the rest of the game trying to get away from taking throw ins on the far side. They just look far too slow. They look miles away from a higher level side with better intensity and desire than their opponents. It's not as if opponents are snatching points away. VA haven't done enough to earn them.

VA not doing much on a patchy pitch. Finally a ball that cuts through the home defence. Great for an early left foot strike. But a touch is taken and the 'keeper blocks it for a corner. A corner from which the home side get a break from, and get a second goal. Very nice shot, but so frustrating to concede from your own set piece. VA give another chance, but limp into half time 2 down. Not looking good.

Idol

I agreed with both of these within a second, only for the two of you to then disagree about something. Suddenly, I'm Charlie Sheen flying out of a combat zone, conflicted between two influences on his life. So, I'll thank you not to turn my life into the navel gazing bit of a war film in future! 🙂

Still just Mrs Lammy. 🙂

Our time being between a minute before she resigned for tax avoidance and resigning for tax avoidance. 🙂

No, the wooden bit of furniture was in the original. Wait, that's Starmer. Vote Chair! Less wooden and with four legs to stand on, instead of none!

"It's perfectly fine not to be sure if your baby has just kicked, Mrs Downes. The uncertainty is due to it being a soft kick, taking say a ball, in a short side or backwards direction."

Hour eight of the impasse: The waitress doesn't realise I'd already had a coffee and been to the toilet before entering her cafe. My seated position also gives me an advantage, and I can see her will faltering. The coffees will soon be mine, without me having to give a further response.

My first reaction was a bit like that, so only fair to reply to this post. Not so much a blanket "Tory scum" for me. But rather there have been so many scandals under their watch, that it's disappointing to see it continue. Why seeing it continue should make me feel it's a shame is partly seeing a replacement party just settle in to be the same, and partly because for every day they were in opposition, they said they wouldn't be like that. Despite the entire history of parliament showing otherwise, I just hoped for something better on that front. As for Rayner, there's no question she had to go. She had got advice. But decided to accept the first level seemingly knowing about the benefit, rather than heed the full content asking her to get further expert advice. Regardless of the severity, or comparison with others, the result's the same. I had Times Radio on. Their guest, that I thought would be critical, actually said that this dodge was a common one, and she'd also been advised to set up a children's trust to avoid stamp duty. Cue studio pause as they readjusted their positions a bit. As for labour, they're probably already at each other's throats between the left and right to get their preferred candidate in place. The entire history of parliament teaches us that too. Which is also a shame.

Joe Aribo for PM with Edozie as deputy! 🙂

Barbarian

It takes months to get the motion capture for hair pulling just right, hence the delay.

May I compliment you, on your fine set of moobs though, Sir?

Manager Alf Puel turned off a lot of fans in the last year at the county cricket ground, and they had to be won back. 🙂

Those hot mic quotes... Putin: Shhhh! Xi: But let me finish telling how my loyal citizens are proud to give up their organs to the longevity of their glorious leader. Well after kidnapping and sedation. Putin: Will you shush?! Now listen... Listen to them, the children of the night. What music they make! Xi: Ah, I see it is more than the spirit and resources of your people from which you drink.

I practice my Bazunu scowl in the mirror every day, because fun is a serious business. 🙂

Dibling is a professional footballer while Sugar Ray Robinson's profession was boxing. But then, Robinson has been dead for over 30 years, evening things up. I think it will be a points decision.

Strike

Next week lads, it's glitter!

Manning now surplus to requirements. 🙂

Yes, this was crossing my mind as all the various properties and constituency jumping stuff was been dragged out. Also interested to find out why Starmer said she was from a working class family in his statement. Did he get muddled trying to say she worked hard for her family? Is he telling us he thinks the working class are too thick to understand stamp duty? We have no idea if she asked for advice on anything other than "Here's the situation. What are the steps please?" There's nothing to suggest there was any tax evasion. And the narrative provided doesn't even show any willfulness to avoid tax. Although, as egg said, it's odd on the source of the advice on trust matters. But we don't know all the details of that really either. We also don't have the timeline on when she knew, when she sought further advice or the details of and source of initial advice. She's referred herself for an independent investigation. Whatever that outcome, people will just remember housing secretary avoided property tax. The opposition will remind her often enough. Just as she would have done in opposition, while she demanded a resignation. While it's not something, where it was a genuine error, someone should lose their job over, it's a bit different when you're overseeing housing. Hasn't Starmer just done some reshuffling?

Rise

Politically, it's a big stick to repeatedly hit Labour with. Not only on housing or tax matters. They will use it on integrity and double standards too. Your Housing Minister caught avoiding property related tax is a rubbish look. Behind this, she did receive legal advise. Due to unusual circumstances, trusts weren't correctly factored in. I've no idea if she went to get the advice cackling about her avoidance plan, or simply trusted her legal advisor to sort it out for her. The benefit of the doubt indicates the latter, unless there's evidence to the contrary. Sadly, her party have done little to impress on integrity after preaching about it in opposition. Not to mention having common decency to represent without troughing. So, it's a mark regardless of the circumstances.

I don't disagree that any/all of our new signings could be excellent for us. A couple were already good at championship level. Mads has plenty of PL experience. I think I've a post saying as much a few days back. It's a rating subject to change. But we have lost players, since or last promotion, who were among our better players at PL level (regardless of how low a bar that might be). It would be very difficult to replace those, and the rating is a reflection of that. We still end up with a squad pretty much everyone else is envious of, at our level. That said, we drifted away to 4th place last time, and needed a record run, with those PL players. Even with the resources and incomings we have now, it will take a lot of effort to better that. Hopefully a season from now, I can look back and say it turned into a 10.