Gloucester Saint

Susan Hall criticising that is like living in the Crystal Palace and throwing rocks at the glass houses of others. Starmer grabbed the opportunity to move on the left wingers on though, won’t be too upset.

Fucking useless signing and a lot of us were rightly astonished that the club spaffed £10m up the wall for a player injured for a year who was out of contract in a few months. Meanwhile Sunderland have rebuilt with the money and are competing at the top of the Champ. It doesn’t matter whose idea it was - Rasmus or Russell, they are both the Frank Spencer of their roles. Wilcox should’ve know better than to sign it off as unlike dumb and dumber he has actually got some common sense.

The southern border is their biggest problem in terms of what he’s been elected on immigration-wise, so less surprised he’s picked a fight there. Canada seems a less obvious one and they also have the means to push back. I think his main focus is Chinese economic expansion tbh. I’m not fussed about Americans paying more for their household goods and electronics, that’s their choice. But inflation usually follows major trade disputes which ripples globally. As you say, a few weeks until he’s inaugurated and seeing what’s rhetoric (most) and actions. An interesting break from the main board where there’s conflict aplenty.

America has a significant issue with the import of steel for its car manufacturing and cement for housebuilding which they are fairly reliant on Canada for after Trump put tariffs on Chinese steel and Biden extended them. It caused job losses last time.

What is most astonishing is that despite having been a PL defender not that long ago, his teams concede an average of 2.5 goals a game. And he doesn’t see not being able to set up the basics of a defence as problem. For a promoted side to concede 60+ goals is shocking, even with Bognor Regis Town’s goalkeeper for most of the season. I don’t have anything against him as a bloke, I just don’t rate him at all at what he gets paid for, same as Branfoot and Pellegrino. Nathan Jones was dislikable but his teams’ defensive records are miles better.

Why would they if Trump did? Would relax fears about NATO and one in the eye for a vile dictator like Putin who has killed and imprisoned thousands of his own citizens, probably tens of thousands. I’d praise him for it. Rumours as it is that his camp are getting fed up with Putin’s delusions about Russia bringing a full size USSR back. It’s the isolationist wing of the GOP who would cry foul.

There’s a bit of Dominic Cummings and Boris about Musk and Trump. Huge difference in the financial aspects but given both of their habits of falling out with people very quickly, especially Trump, Musk could well become a thorn in his side rather quickly if it goes. I can’t see the tariffs sitting well with an electric vehicles manufacturer for starters.

Classic human systems at play - spend millions on technological security but a simple scam/tailgate on a staff pass or a fire exit propped open in a warm summer undoes it all. I have seen at another employer who had a phishing problem the IT function send their own versions out with an unlikely but not totally improbable narrative to hook staff in - and when a handful clicked on the link/attachment fell for it, apparently it reminded them they’d just clicked on a spoof and next time it could be their payroll details or confidential commercial information and IP compromised with the disciplinary risks associated. I’d seen it done before so deleted mine but it did strike me as a good idea.

Great post, exactly where I’m at. Not overly bothered by defeats or goals conceded. Sooner SR are gone the better.

And Branfoot, even Mauricio Pellegrino based on the PL results and GD

We won’t with Martin there - remember how streaky we were last time and the crowd won’t have the comparative patience from last season. Would be huge losses for Dragan to underwrite but it’s his problem and liability not mine if he continues to listen to the Danish bullshitter.

At one of my former workplaces, there was an issue with this. Colleagues in Badger’s type of role in IT analysed what was going on and there were 20 or so long-serving individuals who were ignoring over a period of time system and IT security updates and upgrades. The employer actually told them to bring in their laptops and take a couple of days AL - project deadlines or not - whilst the updates were installed, ransomware and other security issues tackled and security rebuilt. I’d imagine HR had a chat as well knowing that employer.

It’s a good point, even before Sunday Flynn has been poor this season and he’s supposed to Martin’s fulcrum (which is ridiculous pressure to be under, but that’s Russell for you).

SR had better have deep pockets because 14k gates financially killed the club in 08/09. And make no mistake, there will be a boycott if Martin is anywhere near the club at that stage.

Ironically border crossings are now the lowest they’ve been since 2020 and at the same levels as during Trump’s first term https://www.cbsnews.com/news/illegal-border-crossings-on-track-to-reach-biden-era-low/ His mass deportation plans will need an estimated extra border and civil officers in the magnitude of 200k. Yet Musk has been mouthing off about mass public sector posts to be axed…hmmm. In his first term, Trump deported less illegal migrants than Obama did in his first term. Rhetoric vs reality.

Bot’s going on?

But he will about his pride and reputation, which won’t be good with his media rivals showing the PL highlights in Serbia and his outfit making the same weekly mistakes playing out from the back and rooted to the basement laughing at him. I don’t imagine he’s too happy about that at all. If our fans and Valenciennes start protesting, he’ll be in an even worse mood. Given what he paid for SFC, I can’t imagine he’ll be pushing the panic button yet. However, I imagine Rasmus is having to bullshit and backpedal at speed under scrutiny, covering over his mess. The summer transfer activity wasn’t actually so bad it turns out but he’s retained a manager who is tactically the worst the club has ever had.

I was out as well the night of the Leicester game and only realised when texts were flying in at half-time taking the piss. I’ve still never watched the highlights as a whole.

What you say isn’t unreasonable and were he to show the type of pragmatism he did in the play-offs I don’t think he would be in the position of peril he is. We all knew this season would be bloody difficult but we’ve thrown away 10+ points with blatant errors from his insisted style or self-confessed own tactical brain farts (Newcastle, Forest, Brentford, Bournemouth, especially that astonishingly idiot formation, Leicester, Ipswich, yesterday). Yesterday was similar to the opening day, we’ve also seen teams repeatedly score when the D isn’t covered late on. In any organisation as a senior manager, if your staff keep making the same basic mistakes, you won’t be allowed to keep putting it down to a philosophy for long, you’ll be out of the door. The other issue is how abject we’ve been against non-top 4 sides, conceding 3 goals in many of them. And his teams over a decent sample size by now concede 2-2.5 a game. No manager in present day football should be managing at the top level unless they’ve fixed that, and even those with a prestige playing career (Gerrard, Lampard, Rooney) don’t get slack on that, Beale just joined Gerrard in Saudi again because he struggles with that aspect. Russell has some of the makings but needs to re-do his badges and understand the fundamentals of defensive organisation and team structure before he takes a new job. Serie A would be a good place to learn and observe that post-SFC.

Not a bad analysis. They’ve still got the COVID repayments which might deter a buyer or reduce the asking price, but it’s still a lot of club for the money after Gao lost his shirt. 👕 The protests are starting to bubble away after yesterday, unless there’s a huge change in methods, results and style from Martin that’s a certainty to escalate. Criticising or mocking the paying fans never works well (see Ian Branfoot and the Leeds and Oldham games) either and tends to add petrol to a rising temperature. And Dragan will not want the Belgrade Mirror or Telegraph with his political opponents rubbing his nose in it about SR and their flagship brand’s abject failures. Rasmus is on thin ice I reckon, not just Martin. Rasmus might not be an employee as Russell is but Dragan holds the clout and could restructure SR to be rather less Danish than it is now. Remember, Lowe had Wiseman and others removed from the board when it suited him/felt challenged and Rupert had less financial and political clout than Dragan has in his region.

Club’s PR partner. Other PR firms are available of course…

They’d be like Euston on a Monday morning if he did.

Not sure Flynn has shown enough to be consistently PL calibre. He could be in a better set-up where so much isn’t resting on him. New keeper as well. Bazanu is a bust and AM OK as back-up if the club were sensible enough to put a relegation clause in.

New keeper (and obviously new manager) and I’d agree.

Plus we know KWP leaves and we didn’t pay a lot for Sugawara. A good season in the Champ in a more organised and professionalised set-up and he’ll be an asset (which is what SR cares about without realising the professionalism bit).