Dr Gloom

i'm going to a tiny festival in wales this weekend. activating full gremlin mode for 48 hours. doubt i'll get much sleep tonight i'm so excited. nothing beats dipping out of reality for a weekend

problem with getting rid of wilson is you then need to get two strikers in - not cheap. the gamble wih relying on two strikers backfired last season. unless we sell wilson, get someone for right wing, such as mbuemo, who can also cover at CF, plus a young reserve striker for a smaller transfer fee

Railways to be renationalised 👏

lot of the twaterati are saying howe to england then poch to us, given his links with our new dof

there is a danger with pr that you give more of a platform to extremists who threaten democracy - look at the share of the popular vote that reform just got here, and the rise of the far right across europe, where pr is prevalent. neither system is perfect, pr is the more democratic system, where every vote does count, but it doesn't come without dangers. it might force consensus building, in difficult times it might also embolden the far-right, who hope to undermine our democracy, and the bad actors from abroad who finance them

PR almost allowed the far-right in in france. there are pros and cons to both electoral systems. the good thing about fptp is it keeps the extremists out

this is the main issue i have with corbyn and his cult. they'd rather be principled in opposition than do what is needed to be done to win power and change people's lives for the better. the truth is the majority of people in this country are boring centrists. you have to workout how to speak to the floating voters in the middle who decide elections, something which was beyond corbyn's skills as a politician

Biden's Inflation Reduction Act was a transformational piece of legislation, which has used the green transition to create billions of dollars of inward investment and created thousands of skilled jobs across the country, which had previously been outsourced to China and elsewhere. I would love Starmer to be so bold with infrastructure spending, but I'm worried Rachel Reeves looks like a diet George Osborne. I hope I'm wrong, but I'm prepared to judge them on what they do now they're actually in power. You'd hope it's an improvement on the past 15 years.

both of those would be good additions to the sqaud. bowen is going to cost £60m+, you'd think. better value probably found elsewhere

especially as shaw is hugging the touchline and free for an easy ball to recycle possession and start another attack. Pickford’s long kicking was rank all evening

carragher's got a bit of a point - foden didn't really turn up, other than in the first half against holland, nor did bellingham, other than in rare moments of magic, and kane, who didn't look fit. but it's natural to ask why players who are playing for the biggest teams in europe can't replicate their club form for the national team after a tournament where we stumbled to the final without ever really winning convincingly. they appear constrained - often played out of position - and the system which was changed from four at the back, to three at the back then back to four at the back again for the final, doesn't play to their strengths. and for that the manager has to take responsibility. no one is denying that southgate has done a brilliant job, taking over when england were in dire straits then going deep in four tournaments, but as manager he has to be accountable. it's always been the way in football - at club and international level.

aye, exactly my thoughts

i think he fancied taking it to pens, which may have been our best chance of a win. he was also about to bring on trippier for shaw, which i sort of understood. not that trippier has offered much offensively at left back (not his fault) but shaw was clearly flagging as the game progressed and wouldn't have had the legs for ET. gallagher is a weird one. he runs around a lot, but he is he any better than sean longstaff? i dunno. @alex - i had a similar moment of clarity to you last night - wasn't really emotionally invested in the game either. i wanted england to win, but really didn't feel that low at the final whistle. totally different following your cub all season, when every poor result stings for a day or two. i can't wait for a return of club football and supporting the team that really matters again

he is still a great goal-scorer. even in this tournament he bagged three goals, despite being a passenger in every game. he didn't look fit the whole tournament though then southgate admitted as much yesterday after the match. so why continue to play him when he's having so little impact on the game when we have quality strikers on the bench with legs?

We’ve got wonderful individuals who Southgate couldn’t mould into a team. Spain are a team. Every player in their correct position, knew what they had to do and playing on a consistent system with a clear plan.

This has got to be the last tournament for Kane, surely

Elanga feels like a budget option. Not bad, good pace and an upgrade on Miggy but surely there better options

i'm not one of those to keep making chemistry puns, however. can't stand that type - i get mad atom

spot on. not every young prospect does a rooney or a lamine yamal

i don't mind the odd chemistry pun. not too often, but periodically

keep you're head up mate. you're a good person. falling off the wagon doesn't change that