Sheaf Saint

http://newsthump.com/2012/12/24/van-persie-rushed-to-hair-salon/

Well I'm loathe to speak out against our talisman and the man who almost single-handedly got us to where we are now, but I can see where Saint Fan CaM is coming from. He's been found out in the PL I'm afraid. Every game I have watched recently has seen the opposition doubling up on him, so when those diagonal balls come into the box he is marked out of it and becomes completely ineffective. When was the last time he won a header in the box that lead to a goal? I can't remember. Opposing managers have all done their homework on this and have effectively snuffed out our biggest attacking threat. Without that option we appear to be pretty toothless in attack. I was his biggest fan and defended him fiercely before this season started against people who claimed he wouldn't make it in the PL, and he showed in some earlier games that he can still hit them given the right opportunities, but the level of ability among PL defenders means those opportunities have become way too few and far between for us to continue to rely on him as our main goalscoring threat. If someone like Leeds offers us silly money for him then, as long as it is re-invested wisely, we would be foolish to ignore it. I fully expect to get flamed for this but that's my opinion.

Yep, agree with everyone so far - thought it was brilliant. Saw it in plain old 2D (because the 3D screens give my girlfriend a headache) and found it immensely enjoyable. It had all the grandeur of the LOTR films without any of the sickeningly sentimental stuff that blighted those films. I thought Martin Freeman was excellent as Bilbo, as he is in everything, and managed to get Ian Holm's mannerisms spot on to make him totally convincing as a younger version of him. Really looking forward to the next two now.

She also played Deanna Troi's mother in numerous TNG episodes, and was the voice of the ship's computer in TNG, DS9 and Voyager.

He always wants to take on too many defenders when he has better options. And those pathetic little lofted diagonal balls into the position where Lambert is inevitably being marked out of it by two players will never, ever produce anything. Very frustrating player. Undoubtedly talented and we have yet to see the best of him I have no doubt, but so far he hasn't earned his price tag for me.

Lacking in quality all over the pitch today. Deliveries, not just from set-pieces, were just never going to trouble them. The only decent cross I saw all game was ironically from SDR from that corner to set up Fonte - whose header was wide anyway. We clearly miss Lallana.

One word: crap.

Absolute crap from Guly there. That ball should have been ripping a hole in the back of the net. Pathetic. Sums up our afternoon.

Yep, agreed.

Could easily have been a pen that. Looked like a foul to me.

Fecking ballbags. Totally undeserved. Looked like an offside in the buildup there as well.

Our defensive organisation has been excellent today. Just need to do something more with it up the other end now.

I really hope to be shoving that back down your throat at FT ;-)

Played som OK stuff so far and contained Sunderland effectively. No real clear-cut opportunities yet though except for one tame shot from the edge of the box from Mayuka.

Where is everyone today? Out xmas shopping?

http://cricfree.tv/setanta-canada-live-stream.php Not great quality but at least it's stable.

I'm with you on this. I just watched the season finale lastnight and thought it was a very good episode. But I really can't see where it's going to go next season, and you're right about the plot holes as well. Far too much stuff just glossed over to make it even slightly believable. I doubt I will be bothering with the 3rd series.

Remind me of the full title that your esteemed leader insists on being called by? My brother has tried to explain it to me a few times as he lived there for a while.

I can't give you a reference off-hand but give me some time and I will find one. I know I read it somewhere though. The point being, in this instance, that you were trying to use the example of Nazi Germany as an example of how evil can be carried out by secular societies, not in the name of god, which is a false assertion because Hitler was in some way influenced by his belief in god.

Actually, Hitler believed that he was carrying out god's work in exterminating the Jews, so we can discount that one immediately.

This. The barmy pricing systems in this country are just ridiculous and the only winners are the PLCs that operate them. Train travel in mainland Europe where they are mostly still run by the state are cheaper, more efficient, and just generally a more pleasant experience. Even Slovenia has a much better and cheaper railway network than we do. Admittedly they don't have anything like the population we do but even so, given the economies of scale it should surely cost less for everyone if more people use the service, not more.

Yes of course, because the current extent of scientific knowledge can describe and explain every possible phenomena known to man can't it. Or... not. The OP is not talking about the wild claims of psychics and mediums to predict the future and commune with dead souls. You're right that has never been proven in a scientific environment (although if the ability did exist I don't know how our current knowledge of science actually could 'prove' it - otherwise we would already know the science of it, which we don't). I may have already mentioned this on the 'computer simulation' thread, but I read not long ago that a British team of neuroscientists have identified areas of the brain that activate a fraction of a second before we make conscious decisions, which brings into question the very idea that we actually have free will. Studies of this are ongoing and far from conclusive, so if the world's best brain scientists can't even prove definitively that we have free will, then you can't say with 100% certainty that we can't possibly experience the feeling of knowing the outcome of things before they happen.

Well, I keep hearing that Jesus saves, so perhaps he could be the answer to our GK problem? Although, something tells me that he wouldn't be that good at dealing with crosses

And of course religious groups have always been a shining beacon of purity and truth I suppose? Oh, hang on... The Catholic Church is undoubtedly the most evil and corrupt organisation the civilised world has ever known. Its leaders have used murder, oppression and destruction of countless cultures in order to further their influence around the globe. Even to this day we have a pope - a man who claims the highest moral authority on Earth as god's chosen representative - that knowingly covered up the habitual rape of children by members of his organisation. And still we are expected to listen to his 'wisdom'?