BangkokVilla

A fair comment. I prefer my goalies to be out dominating the penalty box on crosses, where possible. After all they have the significant advantage of being able to use their hands to assist their defenders in clearing danger. I don't think it is any great secret this is not one of Given's strengths. Co-incidentally, I was just watching a repeat of the 4-3 Manchester derby game (where Owen won it in injury time) and Given was culpable for 2 of ManU's goals by being glued to his line when claimable balls came in. Top notch shot-stopper though !

I accept your comment to a point, but the red card was produced very quickly by Dowd, I know they have headsets but could he not have walked over to the linesman to have discussed the incident a little more- such as what did you think you saw (a stamp), what was the context (a coming together of falling/unbalanced players), was your view impaired (yes, it was), did the person receiving the alleged stamp show any reaction, pain or injury (no he carried on with absoutely no appeal or reaction and challenged for a high ball at the edge of the box 18 yards away about 2 seconds later) etc. For example, I have noticed that rugby World Cup referees who always consult in detail with linesmen when they flag an offence. On a related point the TV audience can also hear these discussions- a bit of welcome transparency...) Perhaps the lazy word removed just couldn't be arsed to walk the 40 yards for a chat.

Very soft and frankly bizarre sending off. Even with the benefit of me watching on TV it took the analysts about 3 reviews to even find the alleged incident- which was a 'stamp' by herd on Olsson. Looked extremely harsh and more like Herd was simply trying to pull his leg out of the tangle as Olsson fell over. The linesman was on the blindside as well so I doubt he had a clear view anyway. There was absolutely no reaction from Olsson, which would be unusual if he was stamped on, he simply got up and ran back out to the edge of the box to challenge with Dunn and Herd for the resulting high ball in. Maybe some clarification from the officials and clearer replays will help understanding the decision, but it looks like a very poor and ultimately match-changing one to me.

Seems to be widely confirmed now, including the BBC What a tragic ending to the tale , RIP little one. :cry:

That Heskey video cracked me up- top effort !

I saw the edited version on the news a couple of days ago, the uncut version is even more disturbing- a truly horrific incident. The mind truly boggles at the peoples' reaction to this, especially the first van driver who clearly must have seen he had hit a kid. Let's hope she recovers.

Well then, thanks to Ireland a guaranteed NH finalist and the Tri-Nations teams are going to be battering each other silly to get to through to the final. Full knockout games as follows with my picks in bold. This Saturday is going to be a cracking day down the pub ! QFs Ireland vs Wales England vs France South Africa vs Australia New Zealand vs Argentina SFs England vs Wales Australia vs New Zealand Final England vs Australia

Agree about Tonga and Canada I don't think they have the talent pool or resources but having spent time in the US I know they are very serious and dedicated athletes over there and I can see them improving in time. I don't think anyone would have predicted Argentina finishing 3rd in 2007 20 years previously. In other news, just read that Andrew Sheridan is out for the rest of the tournament... a big loss for England but the Aussie scrum will be happy.

I know who my money is on.... Note- first minute of the game Note- first minute of the game He was a bit more patient this time...

Please allow me to assist. The Welsh will be playing Western Samoa in the Group stages, I recommend you innocently ask your Welsh friends about the W Samoa games in the 1991 and 1999 World Cup. Once the glazed and traumatised look has disappeared from their faces I expect their confidence will have somewhat diminished :winkold: Seriously though, that is one tough group the Welsh are in- South Africa, Samoa and Fiji. My 'bok mates are very worried about the physicality of the teams, so if Wales do make it through to the QFs they can probably expect to have picked up a few injuries along the way. For the winner, I think it must be time for the All Blacks to put it all together in a tournament, but we live in hope they will f**k it up again. They will surely be bricking it before their group game against their voodoo team - France. I can see England having a run to the final but for me the overall quality isn't there for us to win it.

Same line-up and formation for me as Shillzz. Going to be an interesting game......

Tickets sorted, just booked my flight and I will be getting in to HK on Saturday morning. Hopefully, will be a great day on the beer with Villa beating Chelski in the final !

Only 10 players in that picture....Does the womens game have 10 a side matches? They're so low on numbers the eleventh one is taking the photo.

Damon delivered a truly masterful performance in Team America: World Police, so I have to vote for Affleck, who has never managed anything of this calibre.

1) Yes, it is still pretty cheap especially in Cambodia and Laos. Malaysia and Thailand are more 'developed' so may be a little more expensive overall. If you venture into major tourist areas or cities it will also be more expensive but you should still be able to get backpaper digs for 6-8 quid a night and a basic hotel at 10 quid up. Unfortunately the pound is weak at present, (at least against the Baht) at around 49. It was 75 when I arrived 5 years ago. 2) Travel will not be a problem, it's generally frequent and very cheap compared to UK prices. Travellers will often get booked into mini-vans by guesthouses, these will generally be fine although the driving may be erratic. There are a number of trains running from Malaysia to Bangkok and Bangkok to Laos IIRC. More budget air carriers are running now such AirAsia, Nok Air etc, so cheap flights in the region are more readily available. 3) Thailand and Malaysia are generally safe, even late at night but like anywhere don't leave your brain at the airport and keep your wits about you. Laos I think is largely OK although some rural areas may be unsafe. Cambodia seemed more rough when I visited Phnomh Penh/Angkor Wat about 10 years ago, the hotel used to pull down shutters at sunset and there was a gun fight outside the hotel one night. This was on the riverside area in PP which is one the main tourist areas. All part of the fun though ! 4) Highlights Malaysia- KL, Langkawi Island and Perhentian Islands (Best unspoilt island experience I have had- stunning !) Laos- Vientiene and Luang Prabang (UNESCO world heritage site) Cambodia- PP and Siem Reap (Angkor Wat). Sihanoukville has good reports but I have never been. Thailand - Bangkok (a couple of days is enough for most people), Chiang Mai/Chiang Rai/Golden Triangle, Krabi/Ao Nang, Koh Chang, Koh Tao (Diving mecca), Koh Samui/Phangnan (quite developed now and home to full moon party). I can't say I would really recommend Phuket, it is a mafia-run rip-off centre and too overdeveloped in most places. These are just some of the main ones, if you get yourself a rough guide to SE Asia you can plan in a bit more detail.

Seems I am behind the times...didn't realise she was that well-known. Can't say I recognised her in the photo. Still, happy to provide an opportunity for some 'delapping'.

Dear General K., I hope all is well, good to have you back. As you may be aware, we are expected over at the Premier League Cup in Hong Kong in late July. Being not too far from me, I am hoping to head over to HK to watch the tournament. As far as I can tell, tickets are not yet available and my HK sources indicate they are likely to sell like hot cakes due to the relatively limited stadium size and huge interest in the premier league. Being non-HK resident, I am concerned that I might not be able to get tickets. May I inquire if tickets are available for purchase through Villa ? If so, could you provide some details. Thanks in advance.

Eh ?

Interesting, it looks like we have a contender for our famous fans thread, a top international snowboarder. :winkold: Seriously though, it must be great doing a job-although I guess it may not feel like 'work'- you love and getting well paid for it . Good for you.

Tonight, started off with Federbrau ( http://www.federbrau.com ) for post work beers, following up at home with Southern Comfort and Coke Zero. I am on a diet......

Wow that's nasty, point of elbow crushing windpipe. :shock: Agreed, UFC 116 was a great card. For once we had the replay the day after here in Thailand, normally it takes a few months- couldn't believe my luck. Leben fight was great, those two fellas were out on their feet, amazing they could continue so long. Bonnar was his usual self, big win after a few losses on the trot. Felt a bit sorry for Carwin, perhaps with hindsight he could have let Brock back up to his feet and re-engage in stand-up rather than gassing himself out on the ground. He was oh-so-near though. The way he has been performing, I think he will be back for another title shot soon anyway. It's certainly an interesting heavyweight division at the moment.

Still riles me two weeks later. The commentators on the Stoke game brought it up and discussed it at length again yesterday. Both were scathing of Dowd's decision not to send off Vidic by the way....

Seconded. Looks like a big game on the 5th then!

This...

Ohh Gabby ! Should have been two..