TheAuthority

I hope Wigan honme lose

Wow this is amazing!!

Good for Kmac!

Can't remember what it's like to feel relaxed in the last 10 minutes of a game

Terrified

Ha - Caught on a boat in Watertown

I saw Glen Hoddle play at the tail end of his career for Chelsea at Villa Park.

He was playing as a sweeper and would ping 40, 50 and 60 yard balls around the pitch and each one always landed perfectly for his teammate.

no width. ever. Delph is an idiot

Fans singing for Martin Laursen.

This is like pub football at the moment. Put your foot on it!!!

Reading are dreadful

He hasnt hit a decent cross for two years

Then he's due to do it soon

Hopefully Albrighton can put in a decent cross or two to Benteke

Pointless from Clark

Laursen on Sky - they just showed him and Carew scoring 4 years ago

Thanks for the answers lads

I have been spoken to two schools about masters courses and have the possibility of doing that. Though it would cost me around $40,000 dollars for tuition and living costs. I have about $20,000 in saving but I am not eligible for loans from anywhere for the rest so I'm looking at partial scholarships but I understand they are a long shot. The authority, what visa did you start with? Can i get a student visa even if i'm not doing a full masters course?

The other thing I should admit is that I have actually met a US lady. That's the reason I want to move there. Weve been together 18 months and it will be over two years by the time we head to America, but I feel scummy doing the marriage thing. I love her but I don't want to say we got married for a visa. I know we would wait to be married if we could chose. Maybe I hold marriage as something too sacred

I'm gonna take a look at that forum for British expats

The marriage thing is your personal choice and I respect your decision. However it's very easy and more speedy compared to the other routes.

I began on an F-1 visa and I'm pretty sure you should be able to find colleges for less than $40,000. Look at CUNY (City University New York) for example. You also don't have to complete the course. After 2 continuous semesters enrolled in a college program you can stop taking courses and move to OPT status - "Optional Practical Training." This is where you can work for a year in your chosen field for anyone anywhere in the US. Then you can impress your employer enough to sponsor you for a H-1 visa (3 years.) After that you can easily apply for a green card or maybe you will be married by then.

People say it's so hard and I disagree. It's actually just a long process with lots of hoops to jump through. But if you're determined and just stay on top of everything anyone can do it. In my experience people just hear it's difficult and that gives them the excuse to not try.

Finally, don't go for a J-1 student visa. With that visa you have to return to your home country and spread what you've learnt about American culture!

I came to the US in '99 and as silly as this may sound, my advice would be to start with a student visa.

The problem with H-1 (work visas) is two-fold:

The US government gives out a limited amount every year and the company which sponsors you has to prove that you are better than any other US candidate in the country.

You mentioned that you work in the non-profit sector (I work in the arts) and the majority of institutions just don't have the financial and human resources to dedicate to finding the best international candidate.

But most smaller community colleges (US equivalent of a polytechnic) have international offices dedicated to dealing with F-1 visas and I-20 forms etc. (You don't need to go to Yale or Harvard.)

If you've already been working then I presume you have some savings and 6 months to a year in a college program does many things. It would start you off in good 'standing' with the department of homeland security and it will give you American accreditation in your field (you could enroll in courses which are broadly related to your field.)

Once you are here, you can begin networking and interviewing. Then it becomes a lot easier to state the case that you are the right guy for the job and you just need a little help "changing your visa status."

Hope that's of some help.

A friend emailed me this - pretty good and just about sums it up.

Dear Red States,

We're ticked off at your Neanderthal attitudes and politics and we've decided we're leaving.

We in New York intend to form our own country and we're taking the other Blue States with us.

In case you aren't aware that includes California, Hawaii, Oregon, Washington, Minnesota, Wisconsin, Michigan, Illinois and the rest of the Northeast.

We believe this split will be beneficial to the nation and especially to the people of the new country of The Enlightened States of America (E.S.A).

To sum up briefly:

You get Texas, Oklahoma and all the slave states.

We get stem cell research and the best beaches.

We get Andrew Cuomo and Elizabeth Warren. You get Bobby Jindal and Todd Akin.

We get the Statue of Liberty. You get Opry Land.

We get Intel and Microsoft. You get WorldCom.

We get Harvard. You get Ole' Miss.

We get 85 percent of America's venture capital and entrepreneurs.

You get Alabama.

We get two-thirds of the tax revenue. You get to make the red states pay their fair share.

Since our aggregate divorce rate is 22 percent lower than the Christian Coalition's, we get a bunch of happy families. You get a bunch of single moms.

With the Blue States in hand we will have firm control of 80% of the country's fresh water, more than 90% of the pineapple and lettuce, 92% of the nation's fresh fruit, 95% of America's quality wines (you can serve French wines at state dinners) 90% of all cheese, 90 percent of the high tech industry, most of the US low sulfur coal, all living redwoods, sequoias and condors, all the Ivy and Seven Sister schools plus Harvard, Yale, Stanford, Cal Tech and MIT.

With the Red States you will have to cope with 88% of all obese Americans and their projected health care costs, 92% of all US mosquitoes, nearly 100% of the tornadoes, 90% of the hurricanes, 99% of all Southern Baptists, virtually 100% of all televangelists, Rush Limbaugh, Bob Jones University, Clemson and the University of Georgia.

We get Hollywood and Yosemite, thank you.

38% of those in the Red states believe Jonah was actually swallowed by a whale, 62% believe life is sacred unless we're discussing the death penalty or gun laws, 44% say that evolution is only a theory, 53% that Saddam was involved in 9/11 and 61% of you crazy bastards believe you are people with higher morals than we lefties.

We're taking the good weed too. You can have that crap they grow in Mexico.

Sincerely,

Citizen of the Enlightened States of America

I've been behind the scenes at US basketball games and the ref's are escorted in by police. The players can't get near them and neither can anyone else. It takes away the possibility of anyone influencing the outcome for gambling or any other reason.

It seems like the ref's in the UK try to be far too 'buddy buddy' with players. They should keep their distance and the league should enforce it. They might get more respect from the players if they did.

Benteke!!!!

Given, Lowton, Vlaar [c], Herd, Lichaj, KEA, Weimann, Bannan, Ireland, Agbonlahor, Benteke

Thanks Tony. We were thinking of heading to Kyoto anyway.

Whales?!? that would be amazing to see.

Thanks so much for your responses.

Have either of you had experience driving through the Wadis?

Worth it? or is it a long way from Muscat?

Good luck with the baby Awol!! Please pm me your number/email when you have a moment. I'll drop you a text when I'm there to see if you're around for the game.

Best I've seen a Villa side play today since the days of Big Ron!!

I've got two trips coming up for work.

The first trip is to Hong Kong, so I decided to take my girlfriend and stop in Tokyo for 5 days on the way. Then on to HK for six days. It's the first time in each city for both of us.

Then I'm going to Oman on my own for 8 days in October again for work.

So has any VT'ers been to any of those places? Any tips on things not to be missed?

I'm obviously hopeful that someone will be able to recommend a good place to watch the Villa games - Southampton on Sept 22nd in Hong Kong & Spurs on October 7th in Muscat, Oman.

Thanks in advance for any info!

He looks fast. When he opened up his stride then he was motoring!

Is it on TV or stream?

Fairly poor stream with dodgy Croatian commentary.

He looks fast. When he opened up his stride then he was motoring!