egg

The back 4 has been worse, and people have been calling for Stephens and THB to be replaced and they have been. We'll get smashed whatever team we put out, and I'd rather we tried a different combo at the back in a game that doesn't matter. It's midfield that bothers me more.

The details of her appeals are irrelevant. The US process has been followed. As a result she has overstayed her welcome. Her age and circumstances are irrelevant. People either respect legal systems or due process or we don't. I do.

As chancellor?

I wish I shared the faith. I think back to the Tories cleaning up in the north and think that anything is possible, sadly.

I'll comment just on smashing the gangs. Essentially, that's a big part of the Reform policy. Stopping people coming here is impossible. Reform are no more able than anyone to prevent people landing on our shores, and being able to return them to France or anywhere else. We'll end up with a government elected on one issue that won't be able to deliver on that issue, and who'll mess up everything else. Reform people can't say that all governments break promises, then proceed to elect Reform on an undeliverable promise. It's madness.

Donny addressing the UN general assembly today. Netanyahu saying yesterday that he'll give his response to the recognition decisions shortly. Gut feeling is that Donny will scorn us and France etc, explain that it'll lead to reciprocal action from Israel, which they'll take as a green light to annex the west bank (badged as reclaiming their sovereign land or some such). It won't end there. I still think Turkey will get drawn in causing all sorts of fall out.

SoG, the old girl has been processed, had her appeals, and lost. It's no more complicated than that. Forget the emotions of her age and family status, that's just pulling at your heart strings. If she was 52 you'd think differently, but the principle would be the same. Anyways, you agree that the immigration service is allowed to to do what they're doing, so I'm unsure what you're actually arguing now.

Promises from politicians are rarely more than a hopeful intention. At the end of the day, people have got to be pretty daft if they can't see that we're screwed and need to increase our revenue. People have also got to be pretty daft if they vote for a 5 year government based on one solitary issue. Many aspects of our lives are influences or impacted by government decision and policy, whereas immigration rarely impacts our lives (well unless the lack of immigrant workers means we can't access services, or we let it wind us up). I just find it mental that we'll end up with a government based in one issue, who in reality won't be able to close down the channel, French beaches, or send people back anyway.

My politics are lib dem, and although this bloke seems thoroughly likeable, he's far away from being a credible leader. Politics shouldn't be a popularity contest of the leaders, but, it's gone that way, and he's not doing anything to sway voters towards the lib dems.

I can't believe anyone is arguing that our squad isn't capable of being turned into a very good team at this level. To answer your first question, yes, it's the managers fault that we're not maximising our potential. Sure, he's stuck with Baz, and doesn't have a battering ram CF at his disposal, but Still's job is to make a team out of what he's got. Decent ingredients, poor chef.

He's a carthorse, but it's mind-blowing that we've spent good money replacing him with the inferior Downs. If the choice was either, it'd be Onuachu, but the correct answer is to play tactics to suit the players we've got.

That's a terrible point. They haven't got our players.

Same here. 3 more league games for me. Liverpool is a free hit and I won't judge him by that, unless we get utterly embarrassed.

Yep...that's management. Someone with gravitas makes those calls.

They don't seem to positively influence us imo, and so many at once feels disruptive. To me, they just feel like a desperate roll of the dice rather than part of a plan.

Why shouldn't the US authorities be allowed to enforce a decision from it's own judicial system? Don't get me wrong, my heart says leave the old girl be and it must be heartbreaking for her family, but, due process has been followed.

Bringing in Downs shows a complete lack of judgement imo. I'm not saying to sack him now. I've said that I'd give him until the Derby game to see how he goes. What I've said is that you're making excuses for him, and that management is more than coaching. It's also about managing the mentality, fear, motivation, etc. These players look like rabbits in headlights. Properly managed, they shouldn't, and properly coached, they should be competitive as individuals and as a team.

Biodiversity credits?

You've not read what I've said. If the boss can't get a tune out of the new full backs or wingers that's absolutely on him. It's academic whether they are better than what we had. They are good. How the players are organised and set up is 100% on Still and his coaches. Ditto how they are motivated. Ditto how they are managed if they underpeform. Ditto if they don't follow orders. It's also on Still how he manages during matches. Not reacting to how the other team is playing and switching things up is 100% on him. Just throwing on random subs without any real change to how we play is all on him. Stop making excuses for him.

I was close to that but I've abstained because I think now is just slightly premature. I'd give him til the Derby game, but there's some benefit of the doubt in that.

Proper management should address that. I'm not talking about coaching, that's a different issue, although proper coaching should address that. People can't keep bleating about issues running through the club as a barrier to progress. That's absolute BS. If there are those issues, again, it's a management issue. Sure, there may be issues beyond the football side, but a decent football manager should focus himself and his players on just the football side. On that front, Still looks pretty inept I have to say.

Yep. Proven experience is vastly different to a bit of it. I genuinely think any half decent manager who's been around for a wee while would do much better than this lad. It's embarrassing how badly we've been set up compared to most other teams we've played this season. Pompey's manager showed himself as being far more capable of organising and motivating his team.

I'm in the needs a tiny bit more time camp - until the Derby game, but there's a case to call it now.

Ha...but...imagine how that Pompey game would have gone with a Ralph team pressing and counter pressing... imagine yesterday with their lads being pressed and closed down so that couldn't ping balls into the box. Fortunately we don't need Ralph to be set up to do those basics. But we do need a manager capable of doing it.

Absolutely this. Proven experience brings gravitas, which gives authority and proper leadership. No manager has has that this early in their career. To put it another way, this job feels too much too soon, and what we need is exactly what you've said.