Alex

How do they work though?

I've asked him. He says he doesn't know how they work either.

I want to know how it works though. Edit: Actually, the bloke at works got some. He's tighter than a bad chest so there has to be some financial reward in it. I can ask him if you like.

If I was there I'd probably catch the train to Ghent tbh.

Lille should've just let their established French international walk for next to nowt I suppose. It's well-known Ashley's drives a hard bargain so the fact Lille didn't just roll over doesn't mean they were the ones taking the piss. And since Debauchy wants the move, his comments should be taken with a pinch of salt.

That's probably as good an assessment as any tbf.

Jesus' blood is canny. Also the Jerusalem Kirk is worth a look and it's creepy as fuck. It's nice just wandering round though tbh.

Largely agree but I blame Ashley more. To use a well-worn phrase he didn't 'back his manager' adequately and Pardew's performance last season deserved to be supported with more signings. I also think a lot of it is down to the Ba situation and keeping him happy. I don't really blame Pardew for that though. He didn't negotiate the contract with the clause and Pardew is also in a tight spot because he knows that if Ba leaves in January he's unlikely to get the funds needed to replace him properly (given how little a sale would raise) plus the already badly needed areas where we need to strengthen. The manager is having to do his job with one hand tied behind his back so I see him as trying to be progmatic rather than being a coward. Agree about certain players looking to leave if we don't build upon what we've done in the last couple of years. That said, he might splash the cash in January since players will have 6 months less on their contracts etc. So long as the deal is what he considers 'good value'.

I'm not exactly panic stricken because I thought last year was a bit of a freak and only bringing in a few more players was likely to sustain our position but I think that's, while perhaps a touch OTT, not far off the mark, CT. I still think something like 6th place is very achievable however. Which is all Ashley is aiming for basically (at best, all things being equal).

Aye, it's results like that that are a massive part in making football the fascinating game it is.

It's about the context. Saying "Fuck's sake" or whatever I'm not bothered about at all but telling the ref to "Fuck off" as you often see the likes of Rooney do should be unacceptable / a straight red imo.

Rode a hell of a lot of winners

Fantastic

He looked about 70 about 40 years ago. RIP, love a bit of Dad's Army.

Clash of the Devil's advocates here like

Coca Cola invented Xmas as well.

Btw, was at the Living North Fair at the weekend and picked up a couple of bottles of Allendale Pale Ale. Very nice. Not sure but Rehills probably do it.

TL/DR

There was a flat-Earther called Wolfy, Who was fond of espousing a theory, Confronted with proof, He hid from the truth, And kidded himself he was worldly

Atm, I've got a bottle of Lagavulin 16 y.o., a bottle of their Distiller's Edition, that 15 y.o. Glendronach and that's it. I probably buy one about every 1-2 months and if people ask what I want for Xmas / Birthdays I always just say a bottle of whisky.

Same vibe, aye

Wor lass gets stuck into my brandy enough so I'm quite pleased she's not a fan of whisky tbh. She likes the smell of some though, not the peated ones but the rich, sherried ones especially.

Love Arrabbiata like. Especially nice to have a taste of the Med on a cold winter's night. Having some of my homemade stuff tonight as it happens.

Redbreast is nice if we're talking about whiskey of the Irish persuasion btw. Sainsbury's do an 8 year old Taste the Difference Irish Malt which is very nice too. And I wouldn't say the standard Jura isn't a pleasant enough drink but it's just a bit meh imo. You should obviously just drink what you like though. Trying to be connoisseurial for the sake of it is plainly ridiculous and can lead to comparions between Special Brew and Trappist ales in the wrong hands There's a whole world of whisky out there for you to explore though, that's the beauty of it and, unlike e.g. Cognac, there is such a wide range of flavour profiles, which makes it such an interesting drink imo.