Reluctant Striker

Good to see Rupa Huq dealt with firmly by Labour. Really seems a problematic aspect of politics of those who imply race determines political wing. I really do think comments like hers are wrong. In itself it just perpetuates racial prejudice. And it's just lunacy to be making racial comments about Kwasi Kwarteng. There a far easier point winners right now. People may privately think what Huq said, but to many people who do not automatically see politics through race tinted glasses, it shows signs of the rules she would probably like everyone else to follow somehow do not apply to her type thinking.

Well I think that's where Southgate goes a bit too far. Thinking of defensive qualities of someone playing behind Kane, Sterling, etc. Like when he took Grealish back off in the Euro's. Sometimes you have to play to win games. And I'm not sure if England did have a true mega star attacking/creative talent, if Southgate could handle using him.

It is a bit odd that Mount is always in the team/squad and Maddison isn't. But I don't see Maddison as someone who would have made a dramatic difference. It seemed to take a long time for Maddison to get back into Leicester's team at 1 stage. And as much as Southgate was questioned over TAA missing out to Walker, Trippier & James.. even Liverpool fans are questioning TAA now. I guess because Southgate's England do not have a set formation it goes against having 2 CAM's in the squad. Utility & defensive seem to be qualities he favours. It's all Villa's fault really. They signed him as a midfielder from Palace. Then played him as the middle CB in a wing-back formation.

Germany, Italy & Brazil are the 3 sides who seem to win regularly. Who very much believe they will be doing so. And even they capitulate spectacularly at times. It's easy to be unaware of, or forget, that Spain & France for many years repeatedly failed despite growing expectations. They were not always in the Argentina division. And that Holland or The Netherlands, were & still remain, the nation described as the best footballing nation never to win a World Cup. When England win, it stirs memories & thoughts of 1966, of 1-5 in Germany, of 4-1 vs Holland at Wembley. Of 1-0, finally, vs Argentina in 2002. All when it mattered. The Dutch 1 giving Scotland every chance. When England lose, it's all the defeats. And more, it'll never work than anything coming home. I don't think England will win this next World Cup. I think this batch of players & manager have peaked. And have done beyond all reasonable expectations. But the nation very much could win, at some stage, with their Zidane, or Xavi, Iniesta, Villa, etc generation. Any side that ever wins a World Cup, it is all about a great many things being in alignment.

Villa 4 - 3 Man City in opening game of the new WSL season. Amazing result. The comparison of the teams has been much like the men's sides. In fact Villa only in their 3rd season in the WSL. England's Euro winning full back Rachel Daly had signed for Villa, as a forward & scored 2.

I'm sensing no matches next weekend either. I read there was booing at Arsenal & Hearts matches. Nobody running football wants the PR of disrespectful fans. Yet football attracts pointless point making fools like no other sport. Although with the funeral being the Monday perhaps they will go ahead? It could depend on how the midweek matches are seen to have gone. Liverpool are at Anfield. They have booed the national anthem & William in recent times. Jeering Queen Elizabeth mourners seems right up their street.

I'm just about shaking off Covid at the end of this week. I had taken up my 3 vaccine doses. Fairly sure my booster was at the start of the year, which makes me wonder how frequent they would need to be to always protect everyone. The start phase of the real thing was so similar to the side effects of the vaccine. After a couple of days in a unique state of sedated fever, I then moved on, quick enough for me, to being a flu / strong cold, with its own different feel.

On the nuclear weapons conversation, the most obvious sensible thing to do would be for the grown ups of the world to put them all out of reach somewhere, like when Superman chucked them into the Sun in Superman IV. And somehow ensure knowledge of them passes.. if at all possible. The sad reality is the 'civilised' world only achieved lasting 'peace' via the cold war & it's stand offs. Ukraine is happening today & it still feels bad to me everyone is standing around just placing financial sanctions on the aggressor. Would I want the world to burn if Russia nuked any other nation but mine? Even a NATO 1? Not really, but living with the world missing a nation or 2 would be a nightmare I'm not sure would be any easier to handle in other ways. And Ukraine is decimated & likely to lose territory. Like a nuke without the radiation. And of course NATO is quite literally all about mutual retaliation agreements. Thanks to Putin it does seem like it would take Superman to end the whole thing.

I have a feeling he will move on from Man United. Can't see him retiring there.

I actually just finished rewatching all Terminator movies. Prompted by Dark Fate being on TV the other week. None of the others have ever really competed with Judgement Day's movie magic. In its era, it really was groundbreaking effects. With a great story & cast. But there are enjoyable aspects of all the others. And most of the bad reviews are just because they're not quite Terminator 2.

There is a Villa Park redevelopment lined up, awaiting final green light. Will be a new North Stand & further enhancements to the Trinity Road Stand. Increasing capacity to around 50,000, currently at just over 42,000. I guess it is nice to redevelop if possible. Apparently some vague idea of getting a piece of Euro 2028.

Others on back row: David Hirst - Sheff Wed John Wark - Ipswich Tim Flowers - Southampton Tim Sherwood - Blackburn Middle row - I can't add any more Front row: Gary Charles - Forest The Oldham player, just feel like I'd know the name if I heard it Andy Sinton - QPR Gordon Strachan - Leeds

Bit of an odd case. He does seem to have potential. Felt like he was keen on doing a Sancho/Bellingham. Then Barcelona, AC Milan & countless others were linked. I don't see this working for him, in terms of any instant improvement in minutes on the pitch. In fact quite the opposite. But good luck to him.

John McGinn has been named as 1st team captain for the 2022/23 season. Emi Martinez vice captain. And Ashley Young as 'club' captain. Tyrone Mings had been captain. So perhaps a significant sign he'll be behind Diego Carlos & Calum Chambers next season.

Latest leaders debate, Sunak vs Truss, on new 'right wing' TalkTV, the host presenter fainted in the middle of a Truss answer. Apparently she is ok, but it was quite dramatic. A few clips on YouTube of Truss looking shocked as clattering & a crash is heard off camera.

The worst bit of how Liz Truss seems likely to move ahead of Mordaunt, and beat Sunak in the members vote.. is that she sees it as a sales pitch of her credentials that she came up with that Ireland bill, which the Irish Nationalists hate, by association the Americans have no time for & the EU intend to take the UK government to Euro Court over. Our list of allies will grow thin.. I was hoping whoever gets in would bring more reasoned outcome to that. But seems Truss just might actually ramp it up even further.

Yes, the ITV Robert Peston show had a chart suggesting that sort of possibility, on estimated popularity. Only surprise to me is Mordaunt, but then I'm not really in tune with what Conservative members are seeing & thinking right now.. just with Peston & Starmer. The odds do seem likely it's a race between Truss & Mordaunt, barring anything dramatic in however many rounds of reducing down to the final 2. Seems very unlikely both could be overtaken by anyone below. And could there be any underestimated popularity of Sunak with the deciding party members? Might they not like the idea of the 1st not white PM being a Tory?

Not really no. I enjoyed Usain Bolt's athletics career as much as any British athlete. I go back so far, I cheered Martina Hingis on more than any British female tennis player. But you could just as easily ask why people are so religious. Or why big brand football clubs mean so much to people. Or why political unions mean so much to people, whether it's an in or out stance. I guess people will always be in groups. I think people enjoy the easy community of sport in particular. Everyone gets to share the buzz. Wearing a t shirt shows membership of the winners club, or the cool gang. And there are no guns & stuff. Usually.

Odd tournament this year. Turns out Norrie was a Kiwi until he got better funding to be a Brit. The winner of the women's title was born in Moscow. And 6th consecutive different winner. As others describe, the men's final was dire, if you like to pick a favourite to cheer for. I'm not sure either especially want to be liked too much. Hopefully the men's will go like the women's soon. I have been a bit bored of the big 3 thing for a while now.

The main difference will likely be style of approach. Whoever is chosen they will surely have a more formal & business like attitude. Boris was fairly unique. More a used car salesman than a negotiator. He's not really a stereotypical Tory. More a representative of the floater voters perhaps. Something of the Englishman abroad about him. But the party were elected on their manifesto. And they had ousted all those who did not want to condone any Brexit of any kind. So it's unlikely anyone with significantly different ideas gets elected as leader. The most interesting bit will be around whether they go with someone seen as close or removed from Boris Johnson.

It really is the most astonishing era of politics I've known of. And I date back to John Major taking over from Margaret Thatcher. And it is all purely on Boris Johnson's character & how his own party, itself renowned for being evasive, deceitful & seeing it all as a bit of laugh.. got rid of him. Rishi Sunak, Liz Truss or Ben Wallace seem the leading candidates. Of all the options the Conservatives have, despite the no clear obvious candidate talk, from their point of view, they could just appeal enough to floating voters to keep them in at next election. Gove, Raab & Hancock probably all realise they'd be demolished big time in an election. And the rest of the party likely realise too.

That running count of resignations is just those with official posts to resign from. My local MP has no such role & had tweeted his support just before the VONC. He has now posted a letter that he sadly & reluctantly could no longer support him. It really does seem unavoidable that Boris is going out kicking & screaming soon as Tories change their own rules to push him out the door. BBC News should be captivating viewing over the week ahead.

I"m fairly sure anyone with that stance within Labour was pretty much seen as Nigel Farage around that time. There's certainly a growing sense of this not being what many expected. And not just the bits about more difficult trade & restrictions on people's ability to move where they want to. It's the level of American condemnation. How New Zealand's PM pointedly was visiting 'Europe'. The inability to get something all Irish & EU can or will accept. Attempts to break the international laws. What direction the sentiments go, I think mid to long term hinges on what Scotland do. If the SNP get their way, Britain will make Ireland seem easy & calm tranquillity. And would likely ramp up an idea that whatever is left with England perhaps is as well to be back in the EU (complete with Euro currency?) fairly quickly. If the SNP lose again. It may settle down to finding a leader that can 'make it work' and so that's why Starmer likely seems to sit on so many fences. He puts too much of a vision & sales pitch, he's either not much better than Boris Johnson, or pretty much in the SNPs pocket. And both would have issues.

Keir Starmer's stance is now making Brexit work. It may not please some, but I could see that working in certain areas of England.

Yeah, on guns, the whole it's not guns that kill take just falls apart for me when you start with a national sense of entitlement to guns. What happens when any member of such a society goes nuts? People start shooting guns. I don't know too many nations to compare to, but in the UK it's not in the slightest bit easy to obtain a gun of any kind. There's no sense of national entitlement to have 1. When people go nuts here, it's with knives & stuff. Or terrorist self made bombs.