leesaint88

I thought it was 'De-nazifying Ukraine and saving those in the East?'. To Russia, Ukraine is the last country it can have any control over. If it pivots to the West then the last bastion of Soviet Union is gone..

I totally understand the issues with territory and one can argue that Crimeans have always been sympathetic with Ukraine and in large parts see themselves as Ukrainian. The Donbass is a totally different entity all together as it's always had a large Slavic population which has always looked east rather than west, that said there is still a large proportion of citizens (especially in southern and western parts) who see themselves as Ukrainian rather than Russian. Either way Ukraine is going to lose territory and probably as mentioned the Donetsk & Luhansk regions along with some areas north of Crimea (along with Crimea itself). But at the same time Russia knows it's going to lose out too, it's highly likely Ukraine will get strong security guarantees along with the possibility of boots on the ground along with air support. I'd imagine the degree of loosening sanctions will depend on how Russia behaves over a period of time, because three years on we are starting to see the effects of these on the Russian economy particularly with inflation still operating at wild rates. Another factor on how the US is behaving is based on their own objectives in South America, there is a strong possibility that the US will use military force in Panama and they might be softening the approach to Russia's land grab to justify any future US operations.

What Russia wanted from Ukraine has been known for years, certainly working within the defence industry it came as no surprise that they launched a large scale invasion back in 2022. Probably the only surprise was how poorly the Russian military performed especially when it came to logistics and how quickly morale dropped in certain 'elite' units. Below is what I've always understood Russia wanted: - Land bridge to the North of Crimea - Access to fresh water supplies for Crimea - To have the Donbass & Luhansk absorbed into the Russian federation or as separate republics like South Ossetia etc. Personally I don't think the Russians are too bothered about Ukraine being in NATO, they didn't grumble much back in 2008 when the Ukrainians first floated the idea on the back of the Georgian war. But now Trump has decided it won't happen it'll be something they can push in the negotiations.

That could have a huge move forward too, as the previous stumbling blocks have been on food stuffs for which the regulations are too far and wide to ever meet. RFK seems to want the US to at least mirror the same standards we have in europe regarding additives etc. If he gets that through then it would bring a trade deal a whole lot closer.

This, i'd be worried regarding any new owners....it seems the only ones interested in English football at the moment are the Americans and they are never in it for the long term. Let's see how the summer goes, got a good chance to shake things up a bit.

Agree with this, he needs a bit of work on his positioning but if he can get that right he'll be half decent.

Positives....We won't be in the top flight, but my biggest concern is the playing squad as it's arguably weaker than the relegated team of 2023. Will the board bring in a new manager early enough to make sure we're settled for the start of the season or will we be playing catch up and end up aimlessly bumbling around the mid to lower table in the Championship....for me it's the latter.

Yep - we had agreed a fee but Ipswich smashed us on wages. Simples.

Enciso looks like a handful. Surprised Brighton let him go out on loan..

I still think Archer will leave even if we go down. With all indicators pointing towards Juric staying next season I don't think he's a player that he really rates, which is a shame as he's been very good in the past with Preston and 'Boro.

I think we'll be alright next season but it'll all depend on who comes down with us. I'd fully expect Ipswich to win the league as I think they'll keep most of that squad together and then its Leicester or Wolves, not sure how either would fair to be honest. Wolves would probably suffer with more departures but would probably spend a fair bit too.

I think he's happy based in the north and a move to Leeds would probably suit him. He might be decent for the Championship, but you would also want someone who is committed to play for the team too.

Kaunas? Enjoyed my visit there.

What's your favourite brand of almond milk?

Agree. Solid player, his career after Saints shows he was PL level.

I'm not against Juric being in charge next season. He spoke recently about having the right player for the right role, sounds simple but it goes back to some of the old school managers bringing in a tall CB to ensure domination in the air. I think if he has the freedom with transfers then we could have a very efficient team next season.

Nah we need that record, at least nobody is going for forget us! I think we might pick up another couple of points but we won't make it to double figures.

Could be. I imagine it could be something such as further clarification on tax etc. In my industry we get the occasional delays on work permits for some very straightforward reasons.

It's very odd - I assume he meets the standard quota of having a job offer and stable finances. I can only assume there has been some errors on the paperwork, or they've missed any of the deadlines.

Football insider are stating that quoting a home office source. Interesting what the club does now, whether they go down the appeal route or revert back to previous candidates.

Could be the reason why Cornet has gone to Genoa, done us a solid to free up a loan slot.

I still firmly believe Wilcox was destined for United, but used Saints as a middle stop so he didn’t go from one part of the city to the other. I don’t think it’s SR, but the recruitment around football data/scouting is pretty ruthless and fast moving. If you do a decent job, then one of the bigger clubs will be making moves quickly.

Pretty sure he was at QPR for a bit? He's a bit meh, but has European experience at Fener.

He's been heavily linked with West Ham.

You could. What's annoying is rugby managed to see this and forced Exeter Chiefs to sell off privately rather than to themselves, and yet the Premier League seem perfectly happy to let this kind of thing go on.