Rayvin

Something a bit self indulgent maybe that I think we're overlooking, is the atmosphere amongst the fans. Some of the earlier wins SJP roared the team on to victory, enfeebled the likes of Everton, and genuinely lifted the club. So yeah the owners have done well, Howe has done well and the players are really giving it their all - but let's also appreciate our contribution in creating a positive energy. This club is unrecognisable from the Ashley era at fan level, but recognisable from the SBR/Keegan days. I hope we keep that. I mean compare this with Sunderland, a fanbase of serial malcontents who hound out managers who have them in 3rd for a single heavy loss and boo their team to consecutive relegations. I daresay it won't last forever and that once expectations aren't being met in some form we'll change to become more of a traditional top 6 fanbase.. but even so, for now at least I really think it has been vital to our performances.

I was at least on the right track for the 3 to go down, fairly early on

I don't even have it in me to be outraged anymore, it's just normal. The scale of the corruption, lying and bad faith acting should be actively exposed by Labour if they ever manage to come to power again.

I think even if we assumed the same level of mass incompetence in all NATO countries (and I'm not sure even the US is as bad as Russia seem to be, on this evidence), they would still overpower Russia. I mean think of all the fronts that would open up across the Russian border. Strategically it is an impossibility that Russia would be able to repel assault from an alliance of multiple countries armed with modern warfare tech. If the fighting was limited to just Ukraine, you'd have to imagine that NATO would commence an intense bombing raid on Russian positions due to their clear air superiority and all the launch bases nearby. I'm struggling to imagine that we would even need to send troops in, there'd be hardly anything left of the Russian supply lines or heavy equipment within about a week. We'd take losses of course but they'd be spread across a number of countries. The only reason Russia is still standing at all at this point IMO, is that they have nuclear weapons. So the good news from this is that we really don't need to worry about Russia other than the fact that they're run by a mad dog. This talk about them potentially invading Poland.. I mean, how? They're barely managing to take one country, hard to see them moving to a second. Imperialism is done and Russia's attempted conquest here has shown them for the middling player they are. They need to sit down, shut up, and start working on pivoting away from authoritarianism and fascism, and into democratic norms. Then they can come and sit around the table as a respected and valued partner.

Fair enough but I was thinking of it more from the optics of Russia claiming what they have. Yes it's not good if they say Ukraine has sunk the ship but I feel like it's actually worse to say they sunk it themselves through incompetence. On the stuff about Britain, I was talking to a friend recently who quite enjoys following the military side of things (not that this means anything per se) and his belief is that Britain gets more attention from Russia specifically because of the naval capabilities we have. No other 'minor' European power can project power to the same level we can, apparently - thus isolating the UK is an important part of the Russia strategic framework for dealing with Europe. Hence their backing of Brexit and the litany of morons we see rising to power within the Tory Party. So with or without Johnson I think we get more spotlight from Russia than the likes of France (who are of course formidable in their own right, but not in naval terms as I understand it) or Germany. I mean saying all of that, Johnson's only interest in this nonsense is around distracting from the domestic shit he's caught up in, so yes, that's clearly not a good foundation for any grand politics. I think for Russia, the great error in this so far is that the world had a very trumped up view of their military capability. and reality has actually landed many levels below what was supposed. I know many within the US and UK strategic defence setups knew this, and you would see analysis along these lines from time to time in special interest pieces in the news, but I always assumed that was propaganda (or rather, false propaganda). To see that it is actually true is rather remarkable. There is no question that Russia would be annihilated in a conventional war with NATO powers, it is simply too weak and poorly trained. Thus nukes become the only way of salvaging Russian pride should that happen - and this alone may explain why NATO hasn't gotten involved. So as not to humiliate Putin into doing something stupid. The lives lost for the fragile ego of one tiny man.

You missed one I got right I'm sure..

That show is both greatly underrated, and very, very good. I'm holding off on the new season until I rewatch the first 4 in advance, but IMO it's a far superior version of 'Vikings'.

I just caught and removed that, thanks for immortalising it But aye.

She should be safe, Number 10 has set the precedent that there are no consequences for politicians breaking the law.

Their responses to this post ranged from educating this Shrewsbury fan about what a big club Sunderland are, and how their rightful place is in the Premier League; accusing him of either being a mag, or sucking up to the mags, or 'can we at least agree that the mags are awful'. Tbf to them, I would say that posts related to us - an entirely unrelated third party - only made up about 50% of all responses. Finally we of course have a fair few of them who are adamant, having spoken to randoms in the pub up and down the country, that Sunderland are not only well liked, they're basically everyone's second favourite team. And their worldwide network of supporters are legion.

Fucking amazing

Has to be said like, I never would have believed that the season after we went down to much amusement at their end, the universe would bitch slap them so hard they would fall right through the championship and into 4(+?) seasons in League One

The CIA seems to think he will go as far as tactical nukes - which honestly I could see as well; it's probably not enough of an action to trigger a nuclear response from the West, but still underlines how serious he is. Very much is just a bully tbh. Keeps pushing boundaries like the little troll he is, knowing that the only option that exists for the rest of us is to try to be responsible about the future of humankind or to go in all guns blazing. Can you imagine the scenes if this had happened under Trump man..

I think you'll find that the diplomatically standard way of saying that is 'Go away'. /Gavin Williamson

That is staggering tbh. Burnley looked even now like they'd make a decent fist of it. Hard to think of anything other than relegation for them now, no matter who they get in.

I love how Russia is trying to claim the damn thing had a fire and sunk, as if it's somehow a better visual that a state of the art warship was taken out by gross incompetence from its crew rather than an enemy missile.

I lost interest in Squires a bit over time but I honestly do think he's consistent with his views so I don't take issue with him pointing the finger at us. His skill IMO is managing to keep on top of all the various micro-developments that occur across the week's football news and fitting them into his comic. I agree he's not the best artist.

I say we let him do it and then all switch to another platform.

How long until the next GE? It feels like we've had an eternity under Johnson now and while I did at one point believe he'd bottom out on lunacy and "populist" trash, I now suspect that what I think the basement level floor of human decency is, is already something he's looking upwards at.

Well that's incredible. I don't understand how that can be an immigration policy but apparently Denmark are doing it (despite being in the EU?? Did they leave and get back control as well??) so it must be ok.

I don't understand this - we are sending immigrants to Rwanda..? On what basis? I mean what is the supposed logic, why Rwanda?

I think Gemmill was the first person to interact with me Can't be sure but he's always tried to maintain this 'heart and soul of the community' vibe (to some success, honestly) and so I was an early outreach initiative clearly

Tbf I think they're consistent on this with their own managers too. It would explain why they hound them out when they're in third and safely set for promotion - made up stats and general nonsense which they goad each other into believing. So I don't think this time it's necessarily that they're plainly and openly biased.. I think they're just fucking morons.

I honestly sometimes think maybe I'm too harsh on the Daily Mail because they have this occasional angle where they seem to stand up for a generally "British" sort of common decency which can at times accidentally align them against the forces of darkness. And then I read headlines like that, clearly intended to save the most insufferable, useless leader we have ever had.. and I'm reminded that they are literally nothing more than the Tory party propaganda wing, populated entirely by the lowest, most disgusting people to have ever walked the earth outside of the Conservative party itself. If I was in a position to impose standards or penalties around lying, misleading information, and disingenuous political reporting, I would go out of my way - make it my life's work even - to see the mail obliterated with those who work for it made to pick fruit on minimum wage as part of a life sentence community service initiative to rehabilitate bad faith actors, supervised by a team of refugees - and I would consider this act to be the single greatest contribution I could possibly have made to human history.

Yep. Agreed. On both paragraphs. I don't mind the idea of people choosing to go a different direction to the one I believe in as long as its based on a well reasoned argument that I can logically follow. I'm not sure that concept enters into British politics whatsoever these days.