Rayvin

everyone's a wise ass...

Do you reckon that's tantamount to some wires being crossed, or just that Ferreyra is bigger news as a firm deal?

Where did you get the info from though, J69? I had a quick scout and couldn't see anything online about us agreeing a fee...

I thought the general consensus was that Williamson wasn't too bad last year? That said, we were comparing him to Taylor for the most part. I can sort of see why Pardew doesn't think it's a priority area though, given that we have two defenders in each position - our best bet is that one of the others moves on, but given Colo will likely be the first of the four to move on, that means we'll end up replacing his side of things, rather than the Taylor/Willo side.

From what I gather, MI6 spend a considerable amount of time on data analysis nowadays. Moreover, if you've tapped a spy, isn't it more beneficial to let them stay that way, feeding them false information and limiting the damage they can do? Otherwise the 'enemy' will just set up a new one that you have to catch. Also, they hire based on linguistic talents as well, not just ex-public school. They appeared at careers fairs when I was at uni for Chinese language speakers. They didn't appreciate my anti-establishment thinking though, and I was promptly told that Tories tend to be better for this sort of role...

Sorry... I just read Fish's post, I must have missed yours. Great minds and all that..

In further news, that ceasefire has broken down again, 2 hours in, because an Israeli soldier has been kidnapped. Back to senseless slaughter we go...

Really helpful post, thanks

Loan deal seems perfect then - limits exposure like the De Jong one. Just hope that we have a buy clause in there in case he turns out to be a formidable player.

That being the case, Israel is acting atrociously. Did they specify reasons for rejecting it? I suppose it's the border opening one.

Good phrasing

Agreed...doesn't seem like we're gonna get that CB though...

That's what I don't get. This isn't going to increase his value, it's going to end up in him leaving for free or going for pennies. I suppose we'll see when the season kicks off what happens. If he's brought back into the first team then we'll know that they just wanted to move him on. If he isn't, it must have been something else. Seems a crying shame though given how good our team could be, that we're not prepared to make this work. That said, I wonder if the key issue is the problems in the dressing room. It might make bringing him back into the fold at this point a challenge.

In the interests of advancing this discussion: http://rationalwiki.org/wiki/Evidence_for_the_Exodus First line states that mainstream archaeology and history claim it never happened and is entirely fictional. Steve, I would just concede the point mate. I know what you're driving at but I think your argument is being lost on this particular point.

Is that just on principle or are we thinking of the Romans here?

They can't just be bad people though, they must be seeing something we're not...

From their own institute of democracy apparently: http://en.idi.org.il/ Not saying it's reliable but it was done by their leading universities...

I'm not saying I don't sympathise, or that I don't feel it's shameful. But at the end of the day, the most humane decision is the one that results in the smallest loss of life. Nationalism, patriotism, history - these things are not worth dying for, they are illusions. I guess I would argue that the people of Gaza are worth more than the state of Palestine. Not that I think for one second that Israel should be acting as it is. If you had to choose between the two here though, you're looking at losing both with a fight, or just one but saving lives. As you say, it's not like they can resist Israel without external intervention.

...I don't get why that GIF is appropriate, but she is hot. That's my contribution to this thread.

Isn't Birdseye stuff something you just heat up in the oven..?

Agree. We'd be like a Chelsea-lite, but without the good defense. To be honest, it's a crying shame they won't try to make this work with Ben Arfa. It's like we resist the urge to actually move forward, we have to absolutely stand still.

Is this now on the cards again, is it? He probably is worth £15m to be fair to him.

What has disturbed me in particular, is that 95% of Israelis back the government's action. This means that Netanyu isn't the problem, he's actually doing exactly what he was elected for. The problem is the way Israel views Palestine, and if you explored that, I'm certain you would see that the average Israeli would tell you this was necessary because Hamas wants to eradicate them. If Hamas stops with that, surely the situation can only improve? Hamas are at the very least providing Israel with every excuse it needs to carry out its aggression - this makes them irresponsible with the lives of their people. How many lives is that history worth, I wonder.

I'm aware of the history, but how does that help us now? How are we supposed to interpret history in order to save people's lives here? The history is irrelevant in terms of finding a solution. As I said earlier, either the solution is that both sides back down and restore normalised diplomatic relations, along with working towards a better future...or Israel just blows the almighty fuck out of anything and everything on the wrong side of the wall until there's nothing left to have diplomatic relations with. Much as it doesn't right the wrongs of the past, Hamas has a responsibility to its people now, not 60 or 70 years ago. They need to surrender for their own people's sake. Saying that doesn't make me pro-Israel, it makes me pro human life.