LondonLax

Well - there you have it, the guy is released, despite killing over 100 people.

Nicely done, yoghurt crew.

But we now have access oil and gas reserves without having to be reliant on Russia.

There was an article in the Economist just last week about what Britain is going to do about its power supply. The north sea reserves peaked 10 years ago and are rapidly diminishing.

At some point in the next 10 years we will have to negotiate with Russia for a bigger share of their new gas and oil reserves they have claimed in the arctic but it wouldn't come cheap and Russia would have us over a barrel so to speak, much like they do with the Ukraine.

This deal comes at quite a convenient time I should think.

If you're British you don't really need to learn another language. Maybe if you want to work abroad, but if you plan on living in the UK and going other countries for holidays, theres no point.

Terrible attitude I know, but we British have it made in that most people countries have a good grasp of our language.

There are lots of places where people don't speak a word of english.

I think I need a beer....

Personality tests are stupid.

Much like IQ tests...

I feel really sorry for Where's My Nobby Gone, I really do..

But I don't feel sorry for Newcastle..

Many of the fans who are screaming at the club are the same fans who forced them to sack Big Sam after he built up a strong squad and took them to a very respectable position. Instead they wanted their messiah back and it was downhill from there.

I think Newcastle will be back, but for now a bit of realism to their fans and a new owner who isn't going to let the fans dictate how the club is run will be a benefit to them.

I think they may well spend a long time in the wilderness al la Forest, Wednesday and Leeds myself.

I do like kababs but I always get the shish kabab option.

Doner kababs are just pure filth.

If they don't sell the club before the new season starts they will not find an owner this season. The continued limbo can not be good for the squad motivation trying to play a campaign in the very physical championship.

Kinnars record was better than Shearers and has a lot more experience, especially in the style of football required in the championship. I think it's a good move.

And anyway, any move which pisses off the Newcastle supporters is most likely actually good for the club.

Well I have never actually heard the rhyme but only one of those answers actually rhymes.

Maybe if you stretch out the vowels in a northern accent you can make lemonade rhyme with cake?

One thing I find funny is how the Villa fans with brummie accents have made Agbonglahor rhyme with "he's fast as ****" due to the accent. Even funnier when there is a perfectly acceptable "he's bound to score" which would have actually rhymed...

Who the **** is Xisco?

One of Dennis Wise's wonder buys...

Why is there no London Villa fan club? I would have thought that would be an obvious one?

Any other people in the East London area know good pubs they go to when the Villa are on?

Image rights for Barton

Loyalty bonus for Owen for reaching the end of his contract

Performance bonuses for the team for going down

No wage reduction clauses for relegation

Players getting annual 15-25% salary increases despite relegation

13 players still on over 50k

Geremi on 65k

No manager

A shite squad

Deluded fan base

Financial meltdown awaits... I wonder if anyone would be daft enough to buy the club without completing due dilegence?

I recon some of those things are made up rumours or at very least the standard bizare things that go on in football at all clubs like the loyalty bonuses for Owen/Viduka.

It is very easy for papers to spin things and write all sorts of stuff about Newcastle right now becuase people are ready to lap it all up.

Is eto'o different because you cant say he lacks ambition? he's won pretty much everything he can with barca and city are the only ones sniffing, pretty shit all the same but he's not in barry's/robinho's boat IMO

but a bit of blind faith in dunne & richards at CBs and as i constatntly say hughes as manager and they wont do a thing still next year IMO

It will be Kompany and Lescott as the CB pair mate.

Not bad IMO...

Barry will have a hard time competeing with kompany and de jong, both are very acomplished holding midfeilders and I can't see Ireland not being first on the team sheet. I give til November before he throws his diamond encrusted dummy out of his pram. Wouldn't it be funny if he's on the bench at VP.

Ireland, Barry plus one of Kompany/De Jong will be the midfield 3 I reckon.

Yep, it will be Ireland as creative mid, Barry as the linking passer and De Jong as defensive mid.

Similar to Liverpool with Gerrard, Alonso and Mascherano.

Kompany will be move back to centre of defence again and will be the Rio Ferdinand type ball playing CB.

I also think Barry will be made captian.

Michael Phelps is pretty handy too.

Probably will be up there in another olympics or two.

I wouldn't be surprised if the posters fundamentally opposed to positive discrimination are white, middle class males aged 18 to 45 i.e. the people least likely to need it in British society.

Some people are statistically disadvantaged based on their race or sex or disability etc. Helping them out to give the same opportunities that the group of people above take for granted is no bad thing.

It is also only a temporary situation until the disadvantaged party is brought up to speed. You can call it racist if you want but it doesn't change the fact that some people in our society need more help than others.

The pound is dropping now against euro and dollar too..

Which shows that business has more faith in a Labout gvmt - how ironic. But then again as most are so insular why are they worried about Johnny Foreigner currency

"The UK political situation is rapidly moving from bad to worse which is acting as a major drag on the pound despite more encouraging housing news," said French financial services firm Calyon in a note to clients.

Sterling had been riding high in recent weeks on hopes that the worst was over for the UK economy.

'Difficult circumstances'

Investors think there is a risk that the UK could see a leadership vacuum at a fragile time for the economy.

The limited scope for plausible economic policy shifts in the UK will remain unchanged irrespective of whose hands are grasping the levers of power

Neil Mellor, Bank of New York Mellon

Send us your comments

However, news that Alistair Darling would remain in his job as chancellor was largely welcomed in financial circles.

"It is not really the time to be changing the chancellor," said Howard Archer, an economist at IHS Global Insight.

"Obviously, Darling has had his problems, but he has had to face very difficult circumstances. There has been a lot of criticism, but he has not done that bad a job," he added.

And the EEF, the manufacturers' organisation, also welcomed the announcement that Lord Mandelson would remain as business secretary, as well as Mr Darling's continued role at the Treasury.

"The economic storm has not yet passed and manufacturers need to see the government focusing all its attention on supporting businesses through these turbulent times and into the upturn," said the EEF's director of policy, Steve Radley.

Funny how the people "in the know" see the prospect of a Tory Gvmt as being very weak for the economy - how ironic

BBc

Are you actually that delusional that you think a government in crisis and the pound falling shows that the markets are worried about the prospect of a Tory government??

They are worried about the prospect of no government at all.

It’s unbelievable that you could spin it as a positive Labour story. Are you on the payroll??

we vote for a party

Except we don't, we vote for a person - the representative for our constituency. That is, in FPTP elections.

Now he/she most likely campaigns under a party banner and, therefore, they are in that case following a particular manifesto but they are free to make whatever alliances they so wish.

They are not required to vote with the party of which they are a member, the party of which they are a member is not obliged to keep them in that party through thick and thin and they can always cross the floor.

I know it's a bit pedantic and I understand that 'voting for a party' is the practical outcome of any electoral system which is done on a party basis but that doesn't alter the intricacies of it.

That is undoubtedly true but I would have to suggest it is not the mindset of the majority of the electorate.

In practical terms the majority of voters are voting on election day for who they would like to lead the country and tick the box accordingly.

I would go so far as to say a significant number of your average voters only find out the name of their local candidates when they read through them on the ballot sheet.

For this reason the change of prime minister outside of an election is a significant event for the voting public and a second change will not be well recieved.

BTW its actually Maradona saying Messi can actually be the next Maradona, not just some journalist. The fact that people think Ronaldo is better is a joke, for all the shots Ronaldo had last night i dont think he hit the target once.

The free kick about 2 mins in that the keeper spilled?

Ie lost count of the amoutn of players that have had that sort of expectation. I'm not saying he can't or won't ever be, but I think the chances are very very slim. From the 7 or so hours of football I've seen from him this season, he certainly isnt close to it atm. He's part of a great attacking team and benefits alot from that. Who wouldnt? His goal tally isnt that far beyond two of his team mates either (if you take into account games played also)

Well if Maradona is the greatest player ever,of the numerous players labelled the "next" Maradona, none have achieved what Messi has so far.

I suppose a World cup is the ultimate stage for him to step up to so we'll wait and see what happens.

I think Maradona gets those kind of tags because he was a one man team at Napoli and even made a good Argentina side look like a 1 man team in the World Cup.

If Messi can inspire Argentina and be their star player in back to back world cups people will be compairing him to Maradona but not yet.

Messi has been my player of the season all year and I am still amazed how the powers that be sought fit to reward a cheating, arrogant prick like Ronaldo the title. He's certainly no role-model to youngsters especially.

The world player of the year is from the season before. Ronaldo scored in the final of the champions league and scored a rediculous number of goals for Man U last season.

No problem with him winning it.

Messi will get the next one though.

And at the end of the day, no team has ever or will ever win retain the Champions League during this era. I genuinely believe we can win it next year in Madrid.

Typical Manc arrogance. So just because Man Utd couldn't do then no-one can. Can't wait till Barça do it again this time next year in Madrid.

Yep, I recon Barca have a pretty good shot at it.

Manchester United fan stabbed in Rome

A Manchester United fan has been taken to hospital after being stabbed in Rome ahead of the Champions League final between Manchester United and Barcelona.

Italian police said that a British man was admitted to the Santo Spirito hospital with an injury to his left thigh in the early hours of this morning.

Marcello Cardona, a Rome police official, said the man reported he was attacked near his hotel close to the Vatican by four people. The fan's injuries were described as 'not serious' and he has subsequently been released from hospital. Police are investigating the attack.

Just the first?

The Times

I thought we did better, perhaps not in points, but definatly in performance. Won away against Arsenal. Should have won home against United. In fact with the exception of the trashing Chelsea and RS gave us away, I thought we looked decent. Deserved a win away against United as well, but we lack a bit of experience it seems.

In fact I'm wrong, the points tally was the same in the end, apologies

but still, 6 points from 8 games isnt anything like good enough for a team with any kind of top four aspirations. Needs to be double that imo.

You dont get points for performances, ask Tony Mowbray

Yes I didn't think we did worse against them this season because with the exception of Liverpool and Chelsea away all the others were very tight games that could have gone either way.

I think United will walk it.

They defend as well as chelsea but they have an attack to score the goals too.