PaddockLad

Not complaining tbh, just came out of nowhere. And @@The Fish said he wanted cover up front, so, you know, he gets what he asks for usually....

Peter Crouch?

Isn't she the "reverse Boris" though? Or a bit of a "shy leaver" like Cameron?....hard to tell with these Tories, it's almost as if they just want power for powers sake, or possibly for the sake of being in power?

Our population is large though strawb, we still produce lots of footballers, they just don't seem to have "it" in sufficient quantities on the international stage. Ali and Sterling have huge talent, they're as talented as anybody in that Portugal side apart from Ronaldo. They've come through the English system, with the poor coaching you describe. I think you're right about it up to a point, but the very fact this country has produced them proves that it's not all poor coaching, but you just know they won't do it at a summer tournament. There's something that goes missing once they get on the big money, that desire to really kick on and achieve something.

6 mill for a divi 2 centre back?....fuckin hell, Ashley must be under sedation

Good post that, the thing about Gazza and Pedro is interesting, but they're two and three generations ago. Will Alli take games by the scruff if the neck and dominate them like Gazza did by the age of 21? Will Sterling be able to play complelty and utterly off the cuff, to know when to give it and when to go himself, and have the end product in a couple of years time? I think all the evidence points to no, especially in Sterlings case because the jumped up pricks salary tells him he doesn't have to try any harder to "succeed" If Klinsman becomes involved with the FA we may see more qualified coaches in the future, iits the road Germany went down in the early 2000s

Her voting history doesn't really tally with what she's said today, but tbf she wouldn't have lasted long in the cabinet if she kept on voting against the government http://www.independent.co.uk/voices/theresa-may-prime-minister-andrea-leadsom-policies-voting-record-human-rights-what-did-she-mean-a7130961.html It looks a bit if a stretch that she's suddenly become a socially conscious moderate in three weeks tbh. But she did challenge the police on stop and search, she voted for same sex marriage and brought legislation in on modern day slavery. Mixed bag, but best to file under "vile Tory bigot" until proved otherwise.

I think he was brought up in Portugal, learned the game out there, didn't come through an English academy. Maybe these Iberian mackems know something...

It's not about combining the two, it's being doing well enough at school for it to be an option. In saying that, James Beattie chose Blackburn instead of uni. I've met him and, being charitable, he struck me as probably one of those who acts thick to fit in They all had football intelligence though, they were talkers who knew the game and would get a message across. They cared enough and had the confidence to do it. I don't see any of that in young English players. It's gone from our game. That's how it appears to me too. The point Henry made about Deschamps last week was spot on. A leader and thinker, mostly the first name on the team sheet. Not everyone's cup of tea, Cantona's "water carrier", but he knew what it took, mentally hard as nails. Roy Keane was the same, and a better player. English Players today want to leave responsibility to others, and if you've got three or four of them like that in your national side at tournaments then despite any ability they may have you're not going to achieve anything. English players have their ludicrous salaries to cushion any criticism they may get for that though so why should they give a fuck? The money tells them they've "made it".

Andrew Neil has better hair tbh...

Obvious is it? He may have backed the wrong horse in the referendum but, but ffs so did the new PM and it's just over a year since he helped deliver an entirely unpredicted majority for the Tories. Now, as you've pointed out, with the Tory party machine showing just how effective it is in circling the wagons and fighting off the attackers, why would they change what their vote appears to pretty much agree with? Seems a bit wreckless when markets need calming etc. His mates in the city seem to like and trust him, he does exactly what they tell him for a start...

No? does the conservative home website tell you who'll get his job?....

Cricket has amongst others Atherton and Hussain, both uni graduates. Rugby is a bit different, but you're more likely to find someone with an education in that too, Wales and Lions great Jamie Roberts is a fully qualified doctor ffs Is it fair to say most footballers don't come from a background where uni is often an option they'd never even think about, let alone be intellectually an option? Simon Kuper says in his soccernomics book that the game in England is still run largely by the working classes and hes mostly right about that. With all the millions of offer at a very young age in their country am pretty sure it will be very difficult to change this. In saying that, we've had decent national teams and managers who used to at least hold their own, the 1990 England side spring to mind, so do the lads from 1996. The academies attached to top English sides don't seem to be producing either leaders or thinkers, and without them England will always struggle when it counts.

Osborne keeping a low profile in a bid to keep his job, which he probably will do for the short term anyway. Am wondering how that equals less austerity?

There's obviously something am missing here

Pre ordered for August delivery...

Think there's a lot in this... http://www.football365.com/news/are-england-too-thick-to-win-anything Leading to this, which may be a tiny bit unfair on Kane, but does sort of illustrate the point... http://www.101greatgoals.com/news/harry-kanes-comments-brexit-compared-giorgio-chiellinis-laughable/

Get your money on him going on lon to Leicester at 2357 on deadline day

This sort of thing is what has been preoccupying me tbh. We may get an end to the type of freedom of movement we've seen in the last decade. But will that properly stop people from actually coming, or indeed desiring to come? Will it stop recruiters setting up offices in Kraków or somewhere and recruiting a purely Polish workforce for some shitty SD type warehouse operation? Is employment law in the UK on this some sort of legislative grey area between uk law passed by parliament and EU instructions? Are we looking at (more?)people smugglers in Calais and Zeebrugge? ....

With all leaves main players ironically all erm "leaving" for one reason or another I wonder how the negotiations with the EU will pan out?.... If it is a major conspiracy by the (slightly) saner part of the Tory party to get a remain figure in as PM for that particular gig then well fuckin played folks

Donald Simpson Bell VC http://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-tees-36192097 NUFC under 21s are playing Bradford Park Avenue today as part of the commemorations of his passing during the battle of the Somme 100 years ago, he played for both clubs.