Baird of the land

I'd vastly prefer PR to these sort of results. Not least because your far less likely to have these landslides. Anemic oppositions and massive majorities don't tend to lead to good government in my eyes.

You can’t really be using smallbone as an example, somebody we gave a chance because we got relegated and had impressed at that level for stoke. There’s little evidence of if they stuck around they’d have opportunities. (Actually Harrison reed shows path smallbone likely would have gone without relegation) ward prowse is the previous success story 10 plus years ago. Recent evidence is that you are more likely to get a chance to play for Southampton by signing for a Man City/chelsea. (Edozie goes from millwall to city, doesn’t playa minute, bought for 10million etc).

Let’s be honest they getting any real opportunity at saints so we can hardly complain if they prefer to not get one at a bigger club for more money.

Hadn't realised he was 30. Still a shrewd pick up for a couple of years.

Curious too as what i saw in the playoff final looked decidedly average. Was that just a complete aberration?

Guess it’s better to be a lucky manager than a good one. Why wait till injury time to add toney?

I think privately Taiwan would be told it was a complete non starter. So yeah I think they would be told no if they ignored the back channel response and tried to publicly push the issue.

I don’t think that at all. Putin is ultimately at fault for decision to go to war. More a case of poking a high unpleasant bear with nukes. For instance if the west proposed Taiwan to join nato that might lead to unfortunate consequences in regards china’s response. Hence why there’s a delicate diplomacy about how much support to give Taiwan without triggering a superpower.

Can we just get him for £4m, at least having claim to fame of getting father and son for the same price.

I have quite liked mccarthy in past, even when he was getting criticised on here. That said this feels like a backwards step to me. He feels at this point in his career to be a solid championship goalie but fear he’ll be exposed again at prem level. Feels like an admission of a lack of ambition too.

Personally, find it odd that discussing Nato expansion to be a factor in putin going to war is considered controversial.

Honestly to me it's more on the people around him not being willing to have the tough conversation with him.

Shame for Biden that nobody stood up to him about running 4 a 2nd term. Trump 2nd term incoming.

If that's the case that might make Dubravka available, who would be a quality upgrade on Mccarthy/Bazanu.

I get that odds are lower based on the side of the draw but weird how much more favoured than likes of Italy/Holland(who are on that side of the draw).

Personally i prefer it. Virtually all the teams have something to play for till the end which means competitive games. Some of the smaller teams have been much more fun to watch too.

i did enjoy seeing gordon's first touch being a horrible miscontrol out of play.

Gallagher so abysmally bad, even worse than a right back out of position. A team with more attacking threat would have punished all those mistakes in the 1st half. Thought england were somewhat better in 2nd half. Mainoo was at least competent. I'm sure JWP is at home thinking, if i played for Chelsea or man u i'd be in this england squad though. Fortunate that Denmark also are poor otherwise they would have got Germany and then their tournament would have been over imo. Likely to make at least the quarters now you'd think.

Really curious about this game. Slovenia have been very competitive so far and England not exactly impressive. Can England actually turn up or will it be a third scrapfest.

Hungary won their group, so would have been there regardless of the format.

Should have been a penalty imo. Armstrong was clever in getting his body across and was caught in the back of the knee.

I was expecting a frantic game with both teams needing to win. Curious if hungary get through, thought they’d need more goals with a negative goal difference.

You’d think these 2 teams were playing for a draw, given the lack of intensity for the most of the half.

Is he even fit enough to start?

Southgate does seem intent on getting the sack First it was if only we had a CM like K-Phillips Now its our players are too unfit to press.