Jimmy_D

Playing well, should be winning this.

Obviously Wikipedia itself isn't a good source, but you'll find the information here is based on more up-to-date and scientifically based sources; https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lineage_B.1.1.7#Transmissibility

Like I said, at the time, that's what it was easy for people to put it down to, and of course the lockdown easing contributed to how far and fast it spread, but there's more than enough worldwide data now that's there's no doubt it's far more transmissible, hence it becoming the dominant variant in so many different places.

The massive surge we had over winter and the start of this year was mostly caused by the UK variant being far more transmissible than we'd seen before. At the time as the numbers were starting to get worse, everyone was putting it down to people being stupid and lockdown fatigue, combined with restrictions being eased. We didn't imagine it could be as bad as the first wave because numbers were so low over the summer, and the country knew what it was doing after the first wave, as bad as that had been. Then before we knew it we found that everything we'd been doing up to that point wasn't enough, because of a variant, and we were back to a worse position than we'd been at the height of the first wave. Since then, despite the data that the UK's provided on it, and the forewarning that provided, that variant has caused surges in the US and the EU. The situation in the UK is looking pretty good now, but at a worldwide level, the pandemic is still worse than it's ever been. Because vaccines are targeting the spike protein, there's a lot of hope that any variation that allows it to completely escape a vaccine will also mean it's not as infective or deadly, but right now the worldwide situation means that by sheer weight of numbers more variants are being randomly formed than ever before. Hopefully it won't happen, and it's probably unlikely, but if one of those variants escaped the vaccine completely and was still infective, and was still as deadly, it's possible we'd effectively have a situation where the population isn't vaccinated. Like before the vaccine, our only effective defence against it would be to lock down again, as hard as that would be for everyone to accept. Right now there's nothing emerged that will stop us lifting the lockdown and restrictions here in the UK, so we'll continue with that plan, but there's no doubt that we're lucky that that's the case here. It's possible that that situation could be undermined by a variant, and it's possible we'd need to put measures in place to combat that, as well as re-starting the vaccine program with an updated vaccine, should the worst case occur. No-one wants to see that happen, and hopefully it won't happen, but it is possible, so if you're going to go looking for people watchful of that possibility, and talking about what would need to be done in response, then you're going to find them.

Football always has ups and downs. We might have had a run of horrendous form, but the season certainly isn’t the complete write-off that some are trying to make it out to be. Last calendar year our results WERE among the best in the world. https://www.transfermarkt.co.uk/premier-league/jahrestabelle/wettbewerb/GB1/saison_id/2020

Not to mention reaching a Wembley Semi-Final.

We’ve gone top of the league this season as well.

Could end up that this season, we’ll have beaten the reigning Premier League champions, knocked the holders of the FA Cup out, gone unbeaten against this season’s FA Cup Winners, and gone unbeaten against this season’s Champions League winners.

Well done Saints, fought really well for that one.

Jeez... if we'd just had a break go for us like that in the semi-final...

If you're going to go that far back, you should probably mention the league that started in 1891 instead. In any case, it wasn't until 1992 that Wales had a FIFA affiliated league.

Welsh teams are in the English leagues because the Welsh league didn't exist when they were created. If it had existed they wouldn't have been allowed to join. As the biggest potential Welsh fanbases are covered by the clubs in the English leagues, it's probably had quite a significant impact on the size of the domestic Welsh league.

https://www.skysports.com/football/news/11095/12283442/european-super-league-real-madrid-president-florentino-perez-says-plans-are-not-dead-despite-withdrawals

Vestergaard's arms were in a natural position and he didn't have time to get out the way. Alderweireld had the same time but his arms aren't in a natural position. We've been shafted. Again.

Moss shouldn't be allowed anywhere near our games.

Robbed. Again.

Handball by Alderwiereld before the foul?

Had to be.

Surely offside? He was right in front of the keeper's eyeline...

Cheating ****

Would have been soft but seen them given. More disappointed that Moss is involved with our games at all again.

Moss on VAR >_<

Damn. Tweaked hamstring by the look of it.

Playing well, looks like Ings is finally starting to get back to match sharpness.