Gloucester Saint

Magdeburg Christmas market - lunatic driving into a crowd. One confirmed deceased but given some of the reports are saying around 60 struck in total, that tragically appears like to increase. Driver arrested, identity should be released shortly I’d have thought https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/live/c1j08p44w9kt

Family member won’t use air con, even in a 90 degree heatwave. Old School.

That’s right https://www.gov.uk/faster-decision-visa-settlement

I’d stick with the Fiat! Still remember the ‘built by robots advert’ in the 1980s. Hopefully they don’t rot like they used to.

Exactly my thoughts on it as well. Would like to see the current government repeal and amend it - I can see what it was trying to do in limiting abusive behaviour of the most revolting kinds especially against children and young adults but misses the mark on any prospect of enforcement. Bit more context about the legislation and its origins https://news.sky.com/story/why-the-online-safety-bill-is-proving-so-controversial-12757804 Both the Conservative right and Labour left had a rare moment of consensus in opposition to the Act.

Not ideal to be advocating for extremists in a major international partner like Germany and interfering in a delicate domestic situation https://www.theguardian.com/world/2024/dec/20/elon-musk-claims-only-afd-can-save-germany Not making friends amongst UK Tesla buyers either https://www.telegraph.co.uk/business/2024/12/19/tesla-sales-crash-drivers-snub-trump-supporter-elon-musk/ This could go the way of Boris-Cummings quite quickly, Trump is even less content to share political spotlight than Boris was https://newrepublic.com/post/189580/trump-reaction-pissed-elon-musk-spending-bill Trump might be cutting him loose not long after inauguration and Musk is x10 more dangerous than Cummings was to Boris. Although Elon is the out of control shopping trolley to use Cummings famous analogy rather than Trump.

BBC saying break clause in the summer. Breakable by who it doesn’t say. https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/articles/clyv9lypereo

Amazing, bet that was brilliant. 🤩

Two sets of charges in Manchester Airport incident and no charges for coppers involved https://www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk/news/greater-manchester-news/manchester-airport-incident-no-police-30629333 20 year old lad charged with ABH, assaulting police and common assault, 25 year old with ABH. Overcrowding or not, they’ll do well to avoid HMP if found guilty.

Hard to say, GDPR also has some quite draconian potential penalties but rarely used to anywhere full extent by the ICO unless there’s been a wholesale and totally foreseeable issue/breach. Suspect this similar and aimed at the very worst/radicalising/grooming behaviours and activities. Not the same thing as someone posting on a football forum say a piece of YouTube shit by Laurence Fox about cloud seeding. Home Office, right to work and recruitment - different story and will revoke licences to hold and apply for/fast track visas if you slip up on running your checks and hire someone ineligible. Some activities with Chinese/Iranian partners in commerce and R&D if they are on the UK/US sanctions list or Australian Chinese Defence list is also a no-no and this government and the previous one are hot on it. Especially if nuke or weapons production is anywhere near it.

Good photo from the 1970s by S36 Owl https://www.owlstalk.co.uk/forums/topic/180785-old-pics-of-hillsborough/page/4/ I think the Holte End might have beaten it for capacity, although that was a more conventional shape. Biggest terrace of the lot was at Charlton with their huge side East Terrace https://www.followfollow.com/forum/threads/picture-of-charltons-ground-they-valley-when-it-was-abandonded.105108/ Did anyone on here see those terraces in the 1960s/70s? I’ve seen Saints a few times at both grounds but after the Kop was covered and Valley had closed/re-opened.

I’ve been a bit quiet on this thread with travel, not being so well and getting work deadlines tied up before Xmas. Went to this excellent establishment recently https://www.thewellingtonrealale.co.uk They are 5 minutes walk from New Street, so hence have both a rail departures board and this live board for the ales in the pub itself http://wellington.dns-systems.net/pages/beerboard2.php I opted for the Facer’s Plum Porter which was wonderfully jammy and the Titanic Plum Porter upstairs which is slightly richer but still fruity. Both marvellous, finished with a BFG.

That and it’s early on in his management career, better for him to build them for top 6-10 and see if their unpredictable owner will buy in further over the summer. Big club and stadium, potential is there.

Didn’t we buy Osvaldo from there? Something in the water in Roman football as Lazio are a crazy club as well.

Badger will be happy about that.

Will you ask him to autograph it in May if he pulls off the greatest of great escapes?

Lots of legislative practice eg will vote for it but subject to building a water treatment works in my state. Will be hard to stamp out entirely in their system. Mind you, the Federal Government retaliated with Unconstructed Mandates eg you must build X or provide Y in your states and localities with no additional funds.

Steve Grant as far as I’m aware is still running the site, no idea if Baj still involved.

Porkbarrelling is the phrase used in US politics for that practice IIRC, been going on for donkey’s years.

Pretty sure if Leicester were getting deductions it would have been last summer when the breaches were more obvious. Everton unlikely and with City the can will carry on getting kicked down the road.

Came in pre-Election on statue book https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/online-safety-act-explainer/online-safety-act-explainer I wouldn’t get too concerned though, OFCOM struggles to deal with GB News and a bit of language on Channel 4, they hardly have capacity to be closing loads of websites. There’s not much posted on here that would bother a regulator. You see far worse on Next Door apps! It won’t be football sites, it’ll be websites promoting suicide pacts, extremist ideologies covered by existing legislation eg Prevent. At most, the site admins might need a minimum age limit of 18 to register accounts.

The only manager since Ronald to stand up to the board was Ralph, and did alright, so hopefully an omen. Puel was dignified towards Les despite allegedly not wanting Forster’s extension and some of the tat Reed brought in, but Les shat all over him anyway. Pellegrino was his poodle and then shat on Hughes summer 2018 with more players Mark didn’t want. Rasmus brought Jones in and loaded the club with all of the January 2023 window tat. Post-Wilcox he and Martin were not a positive combination for SFC. So a bit of challenge to the board might shake things up a bit.

I’d assumed that with majorities, albeit slender, in the House and Senate that most of what Trump wants to do would proceed with less drama. Clearly not so and could be a very bumpy ride. This grouping hasn’t come up on my radar so much but perhaps in the context of the next two years they will now https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Freedom_Caucus#:~:text=The Freedom Caucus%2C also known,right bloc within the chamber. Ideologically, they sound like the former Tea Party sect of the GoP but with the nutty evangelical social and health stuff added on. Supposedly loyal to Trump but might flex their muscles as they’ve done here. Trump is a spender rather than the dry fiscal conservatism this mob wants so might be an early attempt from them at playing Conservative pick and mix. I suppose it’s like assuming the unions will always play ball with a Labour government here - not necessarily so. Trump might have reach across to the Democrats to build some alliances issue by issue if this Freedom Caucus are going to become a regular pest to him.

My expectations after the season so far are zero, so Juric can’t really fail. Conceding 3/4/5 goals at home and numerous unforced errors. Something in it for him as if he does really well, other PL clubs who think they should be top 10 and finish lower down will want him in the summer. If he does OK and he feels comfortable as well as the club, then have a tilt at going up next year with the Champ’s biggest budget. If it doesn’t work out - what’s been lost?

I’m not sure Moyes will take another PL head coach job at this stage. Celtic maybe if they get fed up with Rodgers/he with them but they’re romping away with the league and just won the league cup. Whereas I think a role like Rasmus’s overseeing a multi club model and managing younger head coaches would probably more his thing now.