Stan

Ironically the good thing about Lords is that it's the only ground in the England (or UK) where you can take in your own alcohol (up to 1L I think).

He apparently went to London for a knee specialist and has returned to the club since. That was approx 2 weeks ago and Rodgers said initially said it's a 7-10 day return, then before last night's game in the pre-match press conference said it's a 'day by day' monitoring. That's another gripe of mine with Rodgers. Countless times he's said a player's injury isn't that bad, or will return shortly, only for it to somehow turn into a lengthy lay-off. I get things can change with physio and doctor assessments etc, and each players' recovery is different, but it happens too often to be a coincidence. The cynic in me says this Maddison injury isn't all it's cracked up to be and it's some kind of smoke-screen to make him unavailable for transfer. I doubt it, though. As I can't see Maddison being satisfied with that. And it actually hinders the squad when we desperately need him. I believe there to be some kind of injury he probably sustained while away in Qatar, but who knows how bad it is...

Looks really nice on the graphic, and a classy idea to honour their past.

True in terms of what we've spent. The net spend is low compared to others, but we've spent some money (which Rodgers has had a say in, either directly or indirectly through his mate Lee Congerton). Several of his players that he's bought used up those funds from the big sales, and then he doesn't even play them regularly - Praet, Daka, Vestergaard, Bertrand, Soumare. Average at best and as for the ex-Southampton pair absolutely abysmal. We don't spend big like other clubs because the revenue isn't there. So while things have gone a bit stale and regressed, it's actually accentuated by the fact other clubs spend big and progress/move forward, and do so in extreme cases like Newcastle. Sadly, because of the recruitment policy since Rodgers/Congerton came in, we've not been able to find those younger/cheaper talents to then sell on for huge fees any more. As much as it's on the owners to take some of the flak, Rodgers is nowhere near innocent in all of this. He needs to take some responsibility but that seems to come very difficult for him to do. Constant moaning and subtle digs about lack of investment/funding/support from the owners, and then has the gall at times to bemoan the fans or his own squad. In his mind, none of it is ever his fault. I'm glad his time is coming to an end. I can't bear how the next 5 months of the season goes if a) he's still here and b) we don't invest in the squad wisely. The one positive that appears to be happening is that the new head of recruitment, Martyn Glover, appears to want to go back to the old model which saw us rake in the big profits and get talent in to the squad. The caveat to that is if Rodgers is still here will he hold back that talent. It's gone past the point where he can point the finger at injuries, too. If he gave a bit of faith and trust and regular game time in to some of the players he bought, perhaps things might be different. But it's clear to see there's some issues/disagreements and low morale and most of it seems to be Rodgers' doing.

Edgbaston is probably the best cricket crowd. Can't remember what order the tests are in but if there's anything riding on that specific test and the day you go on, it'll be a great atmosphere mixed with tension as the game twists and turns. Whenever I've been to Edgbaston I can't fault it - never been let down when it comes to the day experience. Most cricket crowds are welcoming though. Lords is posh in general so you're unlikely to have any trouble there. I've been to Old Trafford, The Oval and Trent Bridge too for all formats of the game and even when it's been a bit controversial in the game, there's never been any incident or animosity that I've witnessed or experienced in the crowd. No matter how pissed up I or any fan gets . Everyone is there for the cricket and a good time usually. I've stayed over at a hotel (I think it was a Gem Hotel) in Manchester when going to Old Trafford. About 10-15 min taxi drive away and its a decent hotel and out of the city centre. As for Edgbaston, I've only ever stayed in Birmingham Travelodge so if you're not wanting a city stay I can't help you there! With the London venues I've always been able to get a train back home - Bedford is approx 40mins-1hr on train from St Pancras. Closer places, but still outside of London going north, are St Albans, Luton, Flitwick. London is so easy to travel in/out of in all directions and easy to navigate so either The Oval/Lord's is a decent location for cricket and for a stay outside of Central London. As for Headingley, one venue that eludes me! My dad has been a couple of times and loved it.

Great to see Haller played

It's a disgrace we've become so amateurish and uncompetitive off the field as well as on it. It's partly on Rodgers, but partly on the senior hierarchy above him that have got us to this point.

Melbourne Victory vs Melbourne City to be replayed in April. Suspended 10-point deduction for Victory for 3 seasons.

VID-20230110-WA0001.mp4

Clint Eastwood says he still has the same poncho he wore in the spaghetti westerns (The Good, The Bad and the Ugly, etc) and it has never been washed in 54 years and it's still sitting in a glass case in his house. Just an interesting fact I learned recently

I heard last night up to 1500 already arrested. Sad sights to see irrespective of how many though.

Hamlin discharged from hospital. Great news and that's some recovery!

What a night! Seahawks had to win and hope Lions beat Packers to qualify for the playoffs. But in doing so, it meant the Lions were eliminated. Lions were watching Seahawks game at Packers, so they must have known the result before they started. Packers had to win to qualify. Lions end up beating them! Seahawks vs Rams had a lot of drama in it towards the end.

When I hit an 80s playlist on Spotify some of the songs are still so good. The standards are ridiculous from back then to now.

Hamlin is making 'remarkable improvement' in his recovery apparently. Good to hear.

Is this some kind of dig at the British public?

2 & 5 as well for the same reasons @nudge mentioned. 5 is probably the most useful.

In a defence that was already struggling, losing your leader in that defence is sure to be a big loss. Konate/Matip CB partnership to come for the foreseeable then?

Yeah it's quite devastating and very sad when you think of his future after this. The good thing being he's young and could have better recovery time and care... I inadvertently saw a clip of it and it's horrible to watch. Sympathise with the players and coaches too that were close up to it and when he was getting treatment on the pitch.

Especially considering how insulting he was to them during COVID. Did they freeze his account at all?

Great to know the current PM has his priorities straight! Don't worry about fixing the economy or the NHS which is literally at breaking point.

Didn't see that one coming