Danny

Conte has multiple Serie A's, a PL title and international pedigree. I highly doubt he gives a fuck about what Abramovich says.

United looking good so far, less like a one man band and more of a unit. Can't see the title being between anyone else other than them and City this season.

Conte has gone up in my estimation, love that response. Footballers can be proper divas sometimes, Costa feels like a criminal, Ronaldo feels persecuted, what world do they live in?

I watched the new episode, its on watch series for anyone interested. It's stream quality but not the worst.

I won't spoil anything, but I do agree that the show has lost its quality of dialogue. The episodes in general have been sped up so far and whilst I get it as they just want to end it soon, I have felt it's just become rushed and is losing the feel that it is actually a "Game of Thrones" and is lacking the tactical nouse and intelligence that it began with.

BELOW IS A SPOILER DO NOT READ

21 minutes ago, Batard said:

Feels like Neal has been around forever. He's all settled in then @Danny?

It's his second goal for us so it's not taken him long, believe it or not he came on as a sub and that was his first touch of the game.

@BatardNeal Maupay looks to have a decent finish on him!

2 hours ago, Dr. Gonzo said:

I liked Breaking Bad immediately. Weird premise, but an intricate plot with very well done character development.

The Wire has to be up there though.

The Wire is straight off the bat better than Breaking Bad for me, series after series of incredible television that is largely as realistic as anything in the crime genre could get. Breaking Bad was good but it wasn't great until the chicken shop guy got involved, before that it was soured by the moaning of his wife and son constantly which I get, but it was annoying television.

16 minutes ago, Dr. Gonzo said:

I think Breaking Bad's still the best show ever. But I do love GOT.

Breaking Bad doesn't get exciting until what, the third series? 

I don't see the issue people have with Dany going mad, it was addressed by Tyrion and baldy. It's most likely going to set up a storyline with Sam getting pissed off with her and if Jon turns out to be the rightful air to the throne then it could see her go even further creating another battle amongst dragons.

Diego Costa is talking about charisma 😂

Mate you're arguing with an Aussie and Englishman over how a German and Croatian are or aren't better than a Spaniard in the Spanish league....Brexit 😂

Busquets is a defensive mid, that is key to his game. Modric and Kroos are playmakers if anything regardless of how deep they may sit. 

St George vs Gold Coast

13 hours ago, Fairy In Boots said:

I find the fawning over Williams creepy, she was introduced as a little girl and her characters a little girl regardless of the actress now being 18. Let's be fair she still looks a little girl too really, I think I'd want some of you not within 100 yards of a school. 

Did the sun not do a countdown to Emma Watsons 16th birthday?

So my missus works in recruitment and for sponsorship in Australia it's essentially a golden ticket. She's been getting on really well in her job (about 2-3 weeks in), impressed everyone etc and her manager has mentioned there maybe a chance of a promotion soon which would mean sponsorship.

So in not so long I could well be living out here permanently, or at least for the foreseeable future. Fucking mental.

I am finally a full convert to Rugby League.

Every night I've found myself watching a different game on tele and wanting to stick around in the hostel kitchen, a restaurant or bar longer than needed so I can catch the end or as much of a game as I can. I could never do that for Rugby Union, if it's not London Irish or England then I don't have much interest and even then it can get boring.

I'm sure my conclusion won't come as a surprise to anyone in here, but it's a massive shame that there's no real professional outfit in London and the south beyond the Broncos because League has everything in a game of Rugby that the general public want but don't normally get from a game of Union. I never got into Super League at home but the NRL has opened my eyes completely.

That episode was fucking magic I think I had a heart attack

Fuck you all and your time zone 

Any spoilers before it airs and I will hunt you down and shit in your mouth 

10 hours ago, RandoEFC said:

They have enough to worry about going into puberty without worrying about whether they identify as the other gender. Spending two years from 12-14 being prepared for such a life changing decision only for them to change their mind after all because they've realised they didn't really understand it all and it was just a phase or curiosity just causes a totally unnecessary wave of extra trauma and potential damage to their mental well-being at that age. 

9 hours ago, Spike said:

Chopping off your cock and taking drugs that change hormones is an entirely different ballpark than being gay. Lumping them together shows a fundamental misunderstanding. Transgenderism isn't as simple as homosexuality, it isn't black and white, it is far more complex, and the worst thing you can do is liken it to homosexuality. You said it yourself 'puberty, emotions and hormones will be all over the gaff you can't tell them what they're allowed to think or feel because you've decided they won't understand it', how do you know they are actually transgender? How do you know they aren't a transvestite? How do you know they aren't simply confused? How do you know that one day they won't have a carthartic moment and realise they are simply gay? It could be curiosity? Going down an irreversible path of gender reassignment is the most cruel and knee jerk reaction anybody could put a pre-pubescent through or anyone through. ONE FIFTH of people that go through gender reassignment regret their decision.There is no clinical data suggesting that gender-reassignment is in anyway effective. 

I've known several transgender people and many more gays and let me tell you through my own experiences, they are worlds apart. The former had a certain level of psychological trauma not just from the cruelness of society and family but from a deep internal struggle that would brutalise anyone no matter how accepting society it. It happens in Thailand! The nation where it is a part of the culture.

To you both, I'm not saying send them into an operating room and change them. My point is that they are teenagers, people who whilst still children, can think and feel for themselves. They should definitely be educated properly on the subject and should be referred to a psychologist because it is life changing and will come with mental illnesses, never mind the bullying etc. But if after all of that and they reach 18 and still feel the same you can hardly tell them they were wrong.

I think the bigger question is if a 12 year old wants to be transgender who cares? If it's a "phase" because they don't understand the psychology behind it then it'll pass, if it's something they want or need then it'll stay. But I don't see the harm, they might be children but they're just starting puberty, emotions and hormones will be all over the gaff you can't tell them what they're allowed to think or feel because you've decided they won't understand it. The same arguments have been made to gay people.

And surely if you have transgender adults then surely they would have wanted to be transgender when kids/teens also?

So Saracens are in the process of a 20m development of the Allianz and Wasps can't afford to pay off their stadium...swings and roundabouts 😂

I'd love the Irish to have a stadium though, can't be doing with the Madejski when I get home, hopefully at least be moved into Lionel Road by then.

2 minutes ago, Smiley Culture said:

I love the NRL. I don't see enough of it anymore but we've got the subscription to Premier Sports, who show all the games. 

The coverage is lightyears ahead of what we have. They have legends of the game doing the punditry, we have a bloke who, as a winger, once went a whole season without scoring a try, and two blokes trying to be funny (and failing).  

The big thing I notice is the intensity of matches. More often than not, games are pretty even and the levels sides play at over in Australia on a near weekly basis is phenomenal, especially when you consider some are playing State of Origin and mid-season a Internationals too. 

The coverage for it over here is great, it's basically like football at home. I always struggled to get into League at home, the broadcasting always seemed a bit amateur (and not just compared to NRL and Football, but to Union too) and it just seemed so northern, and not in a northern monkey way, but just no way for a southerner to get into it. Over here it's completely different even if there is a Sydney vs Melbourne/NRL vs AFL rivalry. 

49 minutes ago, Smiley Culture said:

Yeah, I was reading somewhere a while back that playing at their traditional homes, teams have to pay for all the necessary things like stewarding, policing, catering etc while at the ANZ, the stadium provides all of that stuff without a cost so it's basically all money related. 

It's sad because it's a shun to traditionalism but also fans look lost in the ANZ and the atmosphere suffers as a result. I loved watching Wests at the Leichardt Oval a few years back because it was quite an old fashioned, intimate venue. 

My first game was Souths vs Newcastle at the ANZ with about 10k-15k in there. It was the worst sporting experience in my life. Alternatively I watched Souths vs Roosters there in the final game of the regular season and it was a sell out nearly. Great for finals and games of that importance, not so much the rest of the season.

Ive not been to Leichardt yet so will probably go on September, they're playing there next Sunday but I'll be pissed up in Bondi after a fun run.

Manly is nice and probably tough to beat. I wanna go to Belmore, spend a day in Cronulla and go to Kogarah too. I wanna go see the Cowboys but I'm living in Sydney which make things difficult. They're playing Brisbane at home on the 31st so might sneak a long weekend in and fly up there, didn't go to Townesville before so would be a good excuse.

Whatd you make of the NRL compared to Super League? Ignoring the difference in quality on the pitch.

20 hours ago, Smiley Culture said:

Does anyone play there?

My understanding was that it was/is the Rabbitohs training pitch?

Na it's generally just open to the public, think Souths have one pre-season there a year "Return to Redfern", pretty sure they train there too, top right hand side still has their crest, but the rest of the year they play at the ANZ which is a soul destroying stadium both in location and attendance to capacity ratio.

Wests do as well for some odd reason, it's basically in Parramatta. I guess the suburban grounds don't bring in the dollar but for me the best place to play NRL games out of the suburban grounds is at the Allianz...only problem being there's no public transport other than a bus and what will be the light rail in a few years and the Allianz already has three tenants in Roosters, Sydney FC and the Warritahs. Ironically the best supported of the three are Sydney FC.

Theres lightyears difference between AFL and NRL at the moment, Sydneys over crowded but personally I just don't think the funding is in it for them to stay at their home grounds so the NRL want government funding to turn the ANZ into a primary NRL stadium and the government want to split resources between the ANZ and the Allianz. However less entertaining AFL maybe, the MCG and Etihad are positioned perfectly and they get the crowds.