BigWalrus

If he left tomorrow, I would remember him as one of the most talented players I've ever seen in black and white. I feel he has unfinished business though, and the relatively small number of games he's played for us tarnishes my view of him somewhat.

What's your point?

I thought he had a better game last night than he did against Stoke. At least he came looking for the ball last night - dropping deep and working the channels from time to time. He just looked bored against Stoke. I agree that we need to give him better service though as he's shown that he'll stick them away if you give him good chances.

Meh. He'd only get injured anyway.

Marveaux has a shit load of technical ability, but the rest of the side have to work twice as hard to cover for him when he goes missing for 20-30 minutes at a time.

The cross was the only decent thing he did all night.

Strong midfield line up for us - bodes well.

Aye, the one man team aren't quite as good without their one man, like.

The average age of the lads up for election was 70 - with none of them being older than 80. What a load of shite.

Austerity measures budgeted for will have just as much of an impact. If I think we're about to lose a big public sector contract because the local authority has just had its budget for next year slashed, I might put off buying the new car / house / extension. Instead, I'll save my cash until things pick up again. However, if this happens en masse, the companies selling the cars, the houses and the extensions will struggle for sales, they'll have to reduce their head count and the cycle begins again. You can spin figures about the economy any way you want - if you look hard enough there'll often appear to be a correlation between two completely unrelated measures. This is why it's dangerous to rely too much on high level figures to come to a reasoned conclusion. There are so many other factors at play in something as complex as an economy. Exchange rates, the relative strength of the labour market, the trade surplus / deficit, the public / private mix, the reliance on exports for key commodities plus many, many other factors. The best way to look at it is to put yourself in the shoes of a person in a normal job, a person owning a small business or a person running a large business. How would you rationally react to the perception that your job is at risk, your hours are to be cut or your salary is going to stagnate?

First home Europa game I can't make. That said, the last crowd was 95% bell-end, so it might be for the best...

You're making points completely separate from mine! I haven't said that lending is consistent with pre-crash. What I'm saying is that the lending is on consistent terms, but that there is now a lot more risk attached to lending. Companies are not generating the cash that they were pre-recession and can't be relied upon to continue to pay their loans. Banks aren't responsible for growing the economy - they're responsible for generating profits for their shareholders. There is definitely a need for the cautious approach to lending. UK Retail Banking may not have caused the crash, but it most certainly isn't immune to its effects.

Agreed. See the "Is Jonas finished" thread.

As someone who works in amongst lots of different businesses, banks are still very much lending money (after all, that's how they make money). They're just being more consistently stringent with their terms than in the past. Previously, banks would, every now and again, let a business have a loan on very favourable terms, without really doing their sums. Now they're relying on covenants which are not only realistic but also fair - balancing the safety of the bank's funding against the level of risk needed to allow a business to operate profitably. The issues will arise at the lower end of the scale with smaller businesses, as many don't have the assets to secure a loan against. Whereas 5 years ago, they'd have a history of making profits that didn't appear to have any ceiling, they now have a history of tough times and the borrowing is seen as more and more risky. Can't really argue with the stance the banks are taking really. They're assessing each loan on a case by case basis and all but those with their fingers in their ears would admit that the environment is occupied by a hell of a lot more risk right now than 5 years ago.

Shouldn't this be merged with the "Moon Landings" thread?

What he lacks in height, he makes up in squad number,

Tiote is crucial to our side - a brilliant, tireless player who opposition midfielders hate playing against. One of the first names on the team sheet for me.

Marveaux has a heart the size of a pea, and that will always prevent him from being a long term success. A short cameo with an assist is one thing - doing it over and over again is another.

Yeah, silly tackle. Marred an otherwise extremely solid game from him.

Stoke's bus apparently broke down on the way up this evening, so you might have had it relatively easy.

Crotchless?

http://lookatmyfuckingredtrousers.blogspot.co.uk/

Ben Arfa was double marked as soon as he got the ball. Even if he does nowt with it, the fact he kept two players busy is surely a big plus.

Also, when you stand, you're miles away from the bog. Huge risk of shit particles falling from your arse during the wiping process, which could land anywhere. You could end up with them on your sock, which then transfers to your carpet and your settee and your loved ones. At least, when sitting, any loose particles will safely fall into the safety of the bowl, or at worst on to the edge of the seat, where they can be easily identified by the contrasting colours, and dealt with accordingly.

The toilet seat is designed so your cheeks perch on either side, forcing open the anus and allowing the shit to be ejected / slide out. Sitting down to wipe involves using the tilted perch to keep your rectum parted allowing maximum access to the dirty ringpiece. Stood up, you have to either semi-crouch to open your arsehole up, or use the free hand to hold open your backside, risking dirtying the free hand. Standing is a filthy habit. Horrible.