sadoldgit

It seems to go way over the heads of those of a far right persuasion, but I am sure that most rational people would see being “woke” as a good thing given its widely accepted definition and being seen as “racist” as not a good thing. It summed up perfectly by those who boo at people taking the knee. Why boo people taking a position against something that most reasonable people find abhorrent? If you were walking down the road and saw a person from a minority group being harangued by another person because they are different in some way and another person calling the abuser out for their behaviour, would you call out the person confronting the abuser for their actions? People like Duckie and my internet stalker ought to ask themselves why they have such a problem with people who believe that we should live in a fairer and more inclusive society. They should also think about why they spend so little time attacking divisive attitudes in society (like racism). Could it be because they have more sympathy for those of the likes of Nigel Farage? We know where Duckie stands on this as he openly admits his support for Farage and UKIP. What these people seem to be trying to do is to drag down normal, non divisive people to their level so that being woke is as bad as being racist. Crazy isn’t it? As you say, if you are going to be slapped with a label, there are a lot worse labels than being called “woke.”

It’s been an absolute joy watching Morocco and that was a cracking semi final. I hope they go on to beat Croatia as they fully deserve a third place in this competition.

Which is exactly the point being made on the James O’Brien phone in this morning. “Woke” is only a term used by the right to denigrate those with a different opinion. Musk is saying that it will cause the end of civilisation if not dealt with. WTF? A caller later on in the programme said that he has plans to sell 2 million pick up trucks a year in the US and suggests that he is now trying to ingratiate himself to the Trump demographic.

Ok, so what is it? Elon Musk is railing against this supposed condition, but what is it? There is a discussion about it on LBC this morning. When trying to get to the bottom of the meaning they have been trying to define “woke”. The best example I have heard is “not being an arsehole” but they have quoted some other examples, “wanting to make the world a better, fairer place,” “recognising systematic injustices and wanting to change them.” Not unreasonable definitions. People who rail against “wokeness” seem to have a problem with people who speak up against things like racism, homophobia etc. So the question is, if being “woke” is seeking a better, fairer world, why do people like Musk try and turn it into a pejorative term? Since when has being, or trying to be a decent human being been a bad thing? ………………………………………………………………… As an aside, since Musk has taken over Twitter my email inbox has been full messages from Twitter from well endowed young ladies displaying their wares. I don’t use Twitter although I did open an account several years ago and until recently I used to get emails advising me of Tweets from Gary Lineker and MLT (don’t know why) but now I also get floods of unsolicited messages containing soft porn. Is this Musk’s way of kicking back against “wokeness” perhaps?

Semi finals, finals, quarter finals would seem to indicate a regression. We still get beaten by teams around our standing and that is something Southgate has never been able to sort. We don’t have a winning mentality and haven’t since 1966. Even then you have to wonder if we would have won it if it had not been played on home soil. Tony Adams is right. We are too nice. The French, for all of their technical ability, were quite happy to kick us throughout the match. Southgate has many qualities, but winning is not one of them and if he stays we can expect more of the same. If people are happy just to get out of the group stages and maybe a round or two more depending on a kind draw, he is your man. If you want someone to finally bring it back home, we need to find someone who can instill that winners mentality into our band of constant plucky losers. Can’t blame Harry Kane for the overall result, but that second pen sums up everything about the England football teams for the last half century. Keeping Southgate because we can’t think of someone better is hardly the answer. There are plenty of people out there who have built teams that win things. It is the FAs job to employ one of them.

Because some people get their jollies by slagging others off, especially at the club they are supposed to support. It takes a special type of “supporter” to slag the club off for supposed inactivity (and none of us knows what is going on behind the scenes) well before the transfer window has actually opened. 🙄

Southgate ticks many boxes but the one he doesn’t tick is “winner.” He is a typical Brit, the plucky loser, gracious in defeat because that is what we do. Lose well. I expect they will keep him on until the end of his contract (the end of the Euros) but if we are serious about winning it we should probably try someone new. Pochettino would be an obvious candidate but it is a moot point as I can’t see him resigning or the FA sacking him. Two well matched teams last night. France better in the first half with us finally putting a performance in the second. I’m not convinced that we would have gone on to win if Kane had scored his second penalty. The French seem to find a bit of extra quality when needed whereas we, as we pretty much nearly always do, choke. I am pretty sanguine about the result today. Although it grates to lose a match full of poor decisions, having watched England and Saints for 56 years I have learned not to expect too much from either!

No. Apparently the Delap deal was dead before they went for Ramos. He played well tonight but he won’t be up against defences as poor as Switzerland’s every week. Dont know what happened about the post above, it suddenly appeared in my window when I thought it had been sent earlier in the week. Anyway… Plenty of drama yesterday even if the football wasn’t great. Croatia did a number on Brazil so fair play to them for getting to the semis, but they have been a hard watch and I can’t say I am looking forward to watching them again. We have seen some great attacking football in the WC at times but to see teams progress due to organisation and nullifying the opposition seems to be a step back in time. What happened to the Netherlands? They didn’t look a shade of the team who played earlier and only provided a goal threat when they reverted to the big man up top/put it in the mixed tactics. Having got them back in the game, why not stick to those tactics? A poor game in the main but made interesting by the needle between the two sides and Argentinas weird decision to stop playing football when they could have put the match to bed. Looking forward to Morocco putting out Portugal this afternoon and potentially the match of the competition tonight, so long as both teams play to their strengths and give it a go. I have a feeling that we will see another cagey game though with the likelihood of another penalty shoot out 🥴

Of course it isn’t. He wasn’t an EPL player when we signed him but he became a proven goalscorer and international player when in the EPL. Not all players can make the step up but some do. Just because Armstrong hasn’t (yet) doesn’t mean to say that others can’t or won’t. Given you have the residential WUM on your side now I suggest you leave it 😉.

So you don’t think that any Championship players could be successful in the EPL? Makes you wonder why we bothered to sign Rickie Lambert.

Just because Armstrong hasn’t been a success here doesn’t mean the next player we sign from the Championship won’t be.

I thought I had read that Kraft said we had agreed terms with two players (who were both involved in the CL) but both deals collapsed late on leaving no time to bring in anyone else?

Yet he agreed personal terms (apparently)?

No. Apparently the Delap deal was dead before they went for Ramos. He played well tonight but he won’t be up against defences as poor as Switzerland’s every week.

Probably because he is trying to work out which 5 year olds we have signed. If being under 20 is the new 5 it would appear that Gareth Southgate has thrown a 5 year old into the World Cup 😉

I received several emails from William Hill today thanking me for signing up to their online gambling site and offering some free bets. Only I didn’t sign up and I don’t gamble! They even quoted a user name which I am supposed to have chosen. Either it is a scam or some very dodgy marketing practice. F*ckers!

Gutted for Japan who played by far the better football. Croatia have been poor throughout and won’t go any further. You could tell that all of the Japanese players who missed their penalties didn’t fancy it. Minamino looked terrified. Even a seasoned pro like Yoshi fluffed his kick and didn’t look up for it.

If the USA could finish the result could have been very different. They missed some glorious chances.

Surely though if the ball isn’t 100% over the white line at that point it isn’t out of play? It’s the same with Hawkeye in tennis. It doesn’t matter what % of the ball is on or over the line, even if it is 0.1% it is in. That is the point of VAR isn’t it? To give the officials a better view of situations where it is difficult to judge it accurately in real time. In this instance technology has meant that a perfectly good goal stands. I speak as someone who was convinced it was out of play originally until I saw the various angles later.

Like you I am happy that Japan and Yoshi are doing well in the WC, but there is a reason why he doesn’t play for us any more. He is a great guy but he really wasn’t that good a player in the EPL.

She passed away today aged 79 after a short illness. I was never fortunate enough to see Fleetwood Mac with Peter Green but did see the Buckingham-Nicks incarnation several times and they always put on a great show. She wrote some of their biggest hits and was an integral part of that incredible sound. Going way back to my youth I remember her in a band called Chicken Shack. Very sad news. RIP

Keep off the weed Duckie, it really is addling your brain.

We look so much better when we play on the front foot and let teams worry about us. I worry that now that we are in the knockout stage that Southgate will revert to type and be more cautious when it is clear we have enough firepower to scare anyone in this competition. We also look far less potent when we sit back more. There is no stand out team so far. Several look good going forward but also look to be vulnerable at the back. I didn’t fancy our chances at the start but now think that it quite an open competition and we are in with a decent shout depending on how Southgate approaches the knock out rounds.

Cody Gakpo opens up on Louis van Gaal's role as his Man Utd transfer collapsed Manchester United were reportedly just one Premier League side who were chasing a deal for Cody Gakpo, but former United boss Louis van Gaal deterred him from moving to England Cody Gakpo has opened up on the collapse of his Man Utd transfer(YouTube/PSV) By Dan Marsh 13:50, 2 Sep 2022UPDATED14:14, 2 Sep 2022 Cody Gakpo has revealed that he decided against a move to Manchester United after speaking to their former manager, Louis van Gaal. Gakpo was in demand this summer after dazzling for PSV Eindhoven last year. The 23-year-old registered 36 goal contributions for the Dutch giants during the previous campaign and has already plundered six goals in just four Eredivisie games so far this term. Unsurprisingly, a whole host of Premier Leaguesides have been credited with an interest in Gakpo's services in recent months, including Arsenal, Southampton and Leeds. It was revealed that Manchester United were also keeping tabs on the Dutch forward in the wake of complications in their bid to prise Ajax forward Antony away from Amsterdam. READ MORE Bruno Fernandes denied his Man Utd midfield wish by deadline day transfer decision Erik ten Hag confirms Cristiano Ronaldo's worst fears with his plans for Man Utd A report from The Athletic last week even claimed that there was a slim chance that United could opt to pursue deals for both Gakpo and Antony if they were able to strike a deal with Ajax for the Brazilian before Thursday's transfer deadline. But Gakpo, who was presented with the opportunity to pursue a deadline day move to Southampton after the Saints tabled a last-gasp bid for his services, has now broken his silence on Premier League interest. And Gakpo has revealed that a conversation with former United boss Van Gaal, who is the current head coach of the Dutch national team, helped him decide against making a move overseas. Gakpo told PSV's official website: "I asked the national coach [Louis van Gaal] for advice. He thought I should follow my gut feeling, but also said that a transfer in a World Cup year would not really be ideal, also because of adjustment. I agreed with him."

I thought that the quality of the Korean crosses was excellent throughout the game. Probably should have done better with the first but the second was a superb cross for the guy to run on to.