Alex

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-29595164 Heard about this on the radio on the way into work.

He lives in a shed called 'Mohammed'.

You see that Thorne Travel ad? That's you that is.

Partnering who?

Eric Gates Gary Bennett John Kay Marco Gabbiadini Gary Rowell Kevin Ball Sewper Kev Niall Quinn

As usual, you're talking shite. However, the comparison with Tomasson is apt (albeit not in the way you intended) because he suffered by being played out of position (as a lone striker, due to Shearer's injury). Similarly, Mbiwa looked decent when he got to play sweeper alongside a marking centre-back, i.e. Williamson.

When's he ever done the business and been injury free for a full season? I think £10m would be a big gamble.

That is fucking awesome

Aye. And I bet he can't stand Dennis Wise either. It's a shame Keith Barrett used that 'Cockney Mafia' phrase as its been used as a stick with which to beat the fans ever since. That said, they'd use something else anyway. Wise probably would've claimed we demand to be challenging for the league every year or some other bollocks instead.

Anyone seen this, btw: Gilchrist batting to Shaun Tait at the MCC v Rest of the World match to celebrate Lord's 200th anniversary this summer via a GoPro camera in his helmet (f'narr, f'narr).

More like, as I think Andrew was alluding to, we were employing a shit coach who no one else is interested in employing. I wouldn't have thought he'd have loads of money either.

Think that with the introduction of Stokes and Buttler and the possible introduction of Alex Hales at the top of the order in the test side then scoring at a decent pace shouldn't be much of a problem. The latter looks to be a good player in the longer format of the game now. He scored nearly a thousand first class runs at over 50 (despite missing a few Championship games for Notts) and we obviously know what power he has. Root isn't going to score at the same rate but he gets his runs at a quick enough lick at test level too. You'll probably see Moeen at 8 if Stokes is back in the side too. @@luckyluke Fair assessment. Re: the bowling side of things hopefully Finn will come back into the reckoning as he provides something different. If Stokes is in then it takes the pressure off Finn a bit having that extra seamer. I think a lot of Finn's problems stem from Flower and co. trying to make him into a Glen McGrath clone instead of allowing him to bowl quick. Ironically Plunkett, who has done well for Yorkshire but really isn't in Finn's class has been picked as 'shock' rather than 'stock' bowler.

Cheers for that. Depressing read like.

He was 3rd in the batting averages in the 2013 Ashes series (and 2nd if you discount Woakes, who only played one test). In the winter series, he topped the averages. Therefore, on form alone he deserves a place in the test side. Or he did when he was discarded anyway. If he was dropped for being a twat that's one thing but he clearly was performing better than almost all of his team mates.

Innings in Mumbai was one of the greatest ever by an Englishman and if he was nowt special last winter he still topped the batting averages so it tells you how shite the rest of them were. Carberry was treated badly too. And there's no way Finn would have been publicly humiliated in the same way if he was one of the clique. Not saying KP is without fault but he makes a few salient points about the set-up and certain members of the team imo.

Nah, heard about it though and it's meant to be good. I know every one of them tested positive for drugs at some point in their career though.

Totally admired Lewis as an athlete mind. Having said that, his pouty face just after Johnson beat him in the 100m in Seoul. Think that race was on at something like 6 am UK time but I was still up an hour before it happened. Probably the most hotly anticipated race of all time.

The interview was canny actually.

Meenz, bit of a long shot but were you at that athletics meet at Gateshead in '86 when Allan Wells beat Ben Johnson (the latter had been recently crowned as Commonwealth Champion in Edinburgh and loads of the stars of the games were there). Wells was doing his lap of honour and all the British athletes were congratulating him. In the home straight a few hugged him including Tessa Sanderson iirc but Daley Thompson just sort of slinked away and avoided him. I always got the impression Thompson wasn't exactly the cheerful chappy he would have you believe. And that t-shirt was obviously bang out of order (even if Lewis was a proper diva).

I was only 9. Although, to be fair, my recollections of Moscow are pretty sketchy.

Yeah, I suppose you're right given Arsenal were the only ones who seemed interested and they wouldn't pay his current wages. I actually think that when he moved he would've been a good signing for Man Utd but that ship has sailed.

"Is the world's 2nd greatest athlete gay?" Remember that, Meenz?

To be honest I wish it had worked out because he'll probably end up playing against us now.