Vancvillan

"Might be a famous politician but still don't want him going in my daughter's bathroom."

Agreed. Having to Google what something means after seeing it five times should only be a requirement for Christopher Nolan movies.

I was being a little flippant about the hypothetical. But I don't know that snap election every time a leader gets ousted is ideal either. And the Presidential system also has massive flaws. I did not know that about the Tory vote majority. I am both surprised and schooled. Thanks for that.

Don't know, don't live in the UK, but you certainly sound annoyed. That said, the Presidential system that relies on primaries (where only party members vote) and then a head to head for the "least worst candidate" hasn't exactly thrown up better in terms of personal, direction or execution of platform. At least the majority who voted actually did vote for the Conservatives as a party. That there are fail safes to stop an absolute buffoon completing a full term doesn't sound that bad to me.

As someone who can (to paraphrase the Alaskan Bard Sarah Palin) see America from my house, I'd say be careful what you wish for.

You know it's been a quiet couple of weeks in the Villa news cycle when we're debating if one of our midfielders is more like Pirlo or Nigel Clough. Roll on Walsall.

I'm looking to expand my business there in the next year or two. But there's a zero percent chance that I'd move my family now. Would have considered it ten years ago but now it's not even just the guns - it's the general level of hatred and division too. It feels like an absolute tinder box, and not at all the country I remember from 20 years ago. Even a couple of recent holidays opened my eyes to that.

I was sure the next word would be ACL. I guess that makes me a misery guts while you're a dirty perv. My Mum always said never trust a man with a moustache. Was apparently fine if a lady had one...

They literally share the world's largest unprotected border with us up here in Canada, a country with plenty of guns per capita. Most of Canada's school shootings in the last 50 years have been an employee shooting colleagues, or a kid shooting another other kid, typically a classmate. There are a couple of exceptions (École Polytechnique being the most famous and tragic with 14 dead and 14 injured at a college in Montreal in 1989 - shooter was an antifeminist who targeted females), but as horrendous and tragic as Canada's history is, there's no comparison the the US on any level. We have mental illness, poverty, drug abuse and systemic homelessness, we have extreme leftist and right wing groups, we have gangs, we have gun shows. We also have the following that the US doesn't: 1. laws that require a day or two of safety training for a firearms permit (two days is for hand guns and restricted rifles like semi-auto centre fires, e.g. similar to an AR15 which was banned a couple of years ago though you can still buy a semi auto in 223 Remington, so the law wasn't great whichever way you swing on the debate). 2. A mandatory 28 day wait time between passing the course and getting your licence, though with processing and background checks / calls to your friends and family this is more like 7 weeks if you have zero issues (you haven't recently got divorced, been fired, etc). Could be months or more otherwise. 3. A requirement for an additional permit (called an ATT) for handguns and restricted firearms that allows you to transport it only from your dwelling to the range that you're a member of (you can't get an ATT if you're not a member of a range). Want to take the firearm to a gunsmith? You need another ATT for that address. Moving house? You need an ATT. You get the idea. 4. Storage and transportation laws that require any firearm to be stored unloaded and locked. For transporting handguns / restricted rifles it has to be unloaded, trigger locked, then stored in a locked opaque container. For transporting unrestricted (shotguns, non-semi rifles, or rimfires) they just have to be unloaded so I could technically go drive through the city on my way to the range or a hunting trip with an unloaded shotgun on the back seat, but literally no-one I know does that because it's stupid for reasons that should be obvious. 5. Magazine capacity restrictions - 5 rounds for centre fire rifles, I think 10 rounds for hand guns but I could be wrong on that. I can still go buy a firearm today at Canadian Tire (kind of like Target or Walmart I guess) and walk out with it in under 5 minutes. I can go buy ammunition in Walmart right now. I can go to crown land (public land) and go shoot clays or targets as long as I'm far enough from any road or building. I can buy a used firearm off someone in a parking lot if I wanted to. As someone who was bought up in the UK I don't feel like my ability to own or operate firearms is unreasonably restricted in any way. In fact I'd like a little more tightening - I think any firearm should have to be unloaded and locked unless you're somewhere you can shoot it (crown land, or the range). In fact every range I've been to would ban you if you rocked up with an uncased firearm, and you uncase at the firing line and nowhere else. I know I'm preaching to the choir, but I wanted to give some insight from a country that has a lot of firearms and firearms users. The US doesn't have to turn into the UK - just look up and see some common sense laws. Not everyone will agree that they do enough, some will say they go too far. Are they perfect? No. But some in the US want to say there's no other way, when a much better answer is literally living next door.

Apologies, I didn’t mean to offend our Danish contingent with an offhand comment. I was thinking more historically - the likes of a Tomas Brolin or Sergie Rebrov who looks great in an international tournament but less so in the domestic league here. I chose those two (without a ton of thought) as representative of countries that since the 90s have always been decent enough but not top three favourites to win a World Cup. Thus they could get to say a semi-final with a streak of form. Nederland's have typically been something of a footballing powerhouse, and the times they don’t qualify for a major tournament are notable. They’ve also had some world class forwards. I guess over the last 30 years I’d back a player of AEG’s level to get into a Denmark squad vs a Dutch one, and hence pop up looking like a world beater for four weeks one summer.

He's the kind of player that if he was Danish or Columbian (or that level of national team) you could see him popping up in a major tournament and bagging some goals and assists, and looking like a star. If everything lines up he's got talent. The problem is he's streakier than Poundland bacon. He's decent enough, just not for top half in the Prem, maybe based on mentality not bottom either - but as many have said a move to the continent would be more suited to his style of play.

Enda's brother?

When close to half the people don't trust the elections you have to wonder how this ever gets turned around. The point where someone can present a fact and the opposition can just say "that's not true" isn't a great platform for any kind of mutual understanding.

Should have put Big Wes in.

God, Yorke, Grealish. Special mention for Ian Taylor.

God that's depressing. We won't ever win, but we might lose more slowly.

OP said (ignore first blank one, can't delete it and it shows me as saying it) It wouldn't. Your point stands but that's a different question. That said it is a good debate in terms of the value of having a better player vs developing a more raw talent with a higher ceiling. I don't think there's a clear answer without more context as it depends on the game and the score, our position in the league, form, etc.lockquote widget

Old post I know but players born after Jan 1st 2001 don't take uo a squad place. Not sure that he'd be blocking the yoof.

The unstoppable 50 pence piece.

When I lived in England, flights to Rome were cheaper than the train to London. All depends on how much you want to spend though. My wife hates being the centre of attention, so I've done something as simple as a BBQ with friends and their kids (kids play together, you get to drink) but with a ban on presents. Clever friends got around this by instead gifting her a night out with the girls. I've found the thing she most appreciates is not having to organise or do anything. So I usually make a plan that involves zero thinking for her and as little parental responsibility as possible (kids having a good time but she doesn't have to watch them). Even better if her friends partners do the same so she can eat, have a few drinks with her friend's and they don't have to worry about anything.

There's a poignant moment in Adam Curtis' The Power of Nightmares about the rise of fundamentalism in the Middle East. “The main Islamist group in Algeria, the GIA, ended up being led by a Mr. Zouabri, a chicken farmer, who killed everyone who disagreed with him. He issued a final communique, declaring that the whole of Algerian society should be killed, with the exception of his tiny remaining band of Islamists. They were the only ones who understood the truth”

Scoring sir.

Just finished it. Keep going.

Pretty sure that's C-Mac from the Kersal Massive. Audio NSFW...