Redcar Rioja

What worries me is that we do go for "someone more technical". Heaven forbid we end up with a 5ft 8" technical dicky dancer instead of a ball breaking 6ft 5", 18 stone S#ithouse.

I agree fully and I'm OK with him remaining between the sticks as I do think he will improve and be better for the years experience. I'd even wager that was the thinking as well but watching him stood motionless, rooted to the spot at St. Mary's and then the Wembley fumble may have tipped the balance with a few FFS expletives amongst MFC hierarchy as they watched £200m spaffed up the wall.

Smug

I'm inclined to agree but he did concede some poor goals over the season and the recency of that cross that floated in at Southampton and then the farcical fumble to McBurnie probably sealed his own fate. As great as he is with high balls you just can't get away with those sorts of errors at this level, more so in a team that can't score.

Had to laugh last night (actually "laugh" is probably the wrong word) watching The Chase when one of the questions was "According to a Vanity Fair article with a former Wife. Who kept Hitler speeches by the side of his bed?" Meanwhile I believe the Senegal team were searched on the Tarmac when they landed in the US.

Omar Artan a Somali Referee who is (was) one of the 52 Referees for the tournament has been denied entry to the US and is unable to Officiate in the Trump Games. He was apparently turned away at Miami Airport last weekend despite possessing valid travel documents. Meanwhile 12 of the Iranian Teams backroom staff have also been denied entry. Gianni's brown nosing apparently didn't go far enough!

There was a young lad signed from Celtic who was highly regarded before getting injured and wasn't there another young lad with a double barrel surname that shone in pre season last summer?

There are Seagulls who can vouch for that! 😂

I do realise that back when it was awarded it wasn't seen as contentious as it is today. The stark changes in the world over the last year and last few months in particular have climaxed to create the perfect storm. I do still see it as having a lot to do with the World Cup with Infantino's fawning over Trump. I have no problem with America or Americans in general but I do have with the individual who will see this as an opportunity to whitewash and self promote. In much the same way that had I been alive back then I wouldn't have had an issue with Germany or Germans but would have with a particular individual and his politics at the time. It may be that awareness of things in Qatar and indeed Russia at the time was not quite at the level that is is today in terms of TV coverage. That may in part be why some were not as angered as they are with this World Cup. The fast paced growth of the Internet and an inability to control the media to the extent that those countries did/do (and indeed is now happening in the US with TV executives losing their Jobs and certain Channels being nothing other than pure propaganda channels) will also have an effect on mindsets and opinions.

For me it's FIFA in general, Infantino in particular but for this tournament, Trump and what he and his cohorts stand for. I think the entire thing became morally bankrupt a long time ago, Russia, Qatar and even the Brazil tournament (where Health and Safety for Construction workers was a disgrace). Some people can switch off and have a mindset of "it's not my problem", but I can't. I realise that me not watching it will have little to no bearing on anything and me not buying or consuming products from advertisers will have just as little impact but I genuinely find the entire thing repulsive. I used to love World Cup's. The excitement, the pinnacle of the sport being played at the highest level was a joy to behold but now it's an excuse to make money by a very select few at any cost. There will no doubt be games on in Pubs, on News Bulletins etc. so blanking it will be nigh on impossible so I'm not going to pretend that I don't know what's happening and nor am I going to stop coming on here where I'm sure it will be discussed by some. I don't feel that I'm cutting off my nose to spite my face because my love affair with the World Cup ended a long time ago and rather than being drawn back in I am more disenfranchised than ever towards it and getting worse with each tournament. If I can't enjoy something I stop doing it. Personally I can't watch ICE behaviour and showing fellow human beings such disrespect and callous brutality and see Infantino sucking up to the chief perpetrator and just blank it all out NIMBY style. That FIFA are asking for it be restrained and curtailed during the event is exactly a mirror image of what happened in 1936. Having Border Controls and removing people who have illegally entered any country is fine by me but showing dignity and respect doesn't cost anything. However the key word is "illegal" and I know you understand the subtle nuance in that word and that in actual fact it is more to do with people who look ever so slightly Hispanic or even darker skinned as "legals" as well as "illegals" are being rounded up and deported or worse. Using kids as bait is just sick and perverse. Nine ICE Officers shooting to death a face down protester who is fully restrained in cold blood or a woman in her car being screamed at doesn't sit comfortably with me while they riddle her. The pure sick evil enjoyment of it being orchestrated is what I find most unpalatable and why I want nothing at all to do with anything that perpetuates and supports it.

True, there’s already enough work to be done with the squad without giving ourselves more to do The thing with Whittaker is that when he is on form he is a great player at this level. The problem is that it's usually no more than half a dozen or so games over the season. If Hellberg can sort him out he could be a real handful. The lad seems to be very confidence reliant and if he struggles then he seems to revert into his shell and almost becomes a spare part in too many games.

Could swear I recall George Friend when out injured, coaching him from the East Stand because it was the opposite side of the pitch to Pulis and the dug outs. Up to that point he was mainly being used for half a game when he would be on the dug out side so he could be coached through the game?

Not sure if you are on one of your notorious wind ups here but I'll bite! Just imagine games where say Mexico, Paraguay, Ecuador are playing. Do you think ICE will be having a day off. Do you think the atmosphere will be a celebration of the game we all love, or fear of authoritarianism, being kettled and I.D'd afterwards? Trump has already threatened war with co-hosts Canada and Mexico within the last few months and warned Iran to stay away, as well as placing severe travel restrictions on other countries. Travel bans are in place for Haiti, Ivory Coast, and Senegal and fans from Cape Verde and Algeria apparently have to pay bonds of up to $15,000. In March Trump warned Iranian fans to "stay away for their own life and safety". I think that with all that it's reasonable to join the dots and come to the conclusion that it does have something to do with Trump, but I may be giving him a raw deal poor bloke. In October, Infantino wearing a red MAGA cap (nothing to do with Trump of course) pledged FIFA money to Trumps Gaza "redevelopment project" and then two months later awarded him that "Peace Prize". When handing him the "Prize", Infantino declared that it will be "the greatest event that humanity, that mankind, has ever seen and will ever see.” That the head of FIFA is even mirroring Trump's rhetoric should be cause for concern. With that backdrop, I can't envision the tournament suddenly becoming a celebration of global diversity, harmony, and sporting achievement despite Infantino claiming it will be "a unique catalyst for positive social change and unity.” The stench of that hypocritic bullshine makes me retch. In New Jersey and Massachusetts (probably other States as well), fans are being charged $150 for what is normally a $15 train ride. That's on top of the eye gouging that is going on with match tickets and hotels. Brazenly FIFA are "arranging" the local event parking and charging $200 to $300 a vehicle in New Jersey. Capitalism at it's finest perhaps, or just ensuring a safe ride for everyone for the enhancement of their enjoyment. The Athletic reported in April that they understood members of FIFA have asked Infantino to ask his bessy mate to halt all ICE raids during the Tournament, as apparently it would be bad for fans to witness such raids and even worse if they got rounded up! In 1936 similar requests were made to the hosts from the Olympic committee that certain signs were removed temporarily along with “a brief relaxation in anti-Jewish activities” . All in an effort to impress tourists visiting Germany for the sporting event and attract favour among the international community. In Los Angeles the local UNITE Union have warned that their workers at the SoFi Stadium will go on strike unless FIFA assures them that ICE agents will not be present at their workplace during the tournament. Infantino no doubt will have something to say just as he did when the heat was turned up in Qatar when he announced "Today I feel Qatari, I feel Arab, I feel African, I feel gay, I feel disabled, I feel a migrant worker". Yep that'll sort it Gianni! Trump has been provided a global stage to launder his image as a wonderful person once again while FIFA rake in obscene amounts of money, what's not to like about the Trump Games?

When we sold him I was as gutted as anyone else as for so long he had shown potential but nothing else other than "run Adama run". For those last 6 months we finally looked to have unleashed his potential but when we needed him to really step up and deliver, a geriatric Hutton had him in his back pocket. His career since has shown lot's of hope and promise but he never really kicked on and produced and now at 30 years old, like Chuba, non of us have any idea what we would really be going to see. I love the romance of it, but the reality is likely to be something very different, and I still remember far more negatives than positives.

Adama was thrilling to watch as he chased after a ball down the touchline, beating defenders with his pace then running out of pitch. There was never any end product, a Footballing Forrest Gump.