Stan

this is what @SirBalon is like. only ever wears a vest at most.

Jeremy Mathieu on trial at Sporting Lisbon. Looks set to leave if trial goes well

https://www.fcbarcelona.com/football/first-team/news/2017-2018/official-announcement-on-jeremy-mathieu

On 30/06/2017 at 8:06 AM, Tanksie said:

Nope

23 hours ago, Tsubasa said:

Yup.

2 hours ago, Tanksie said:

Nah.

32 minutes ago, Tsubasa said:

Yeh.

absolutely riveting conversation

Looking at going Valencia with the missus in October.

Anyone recommend anything about this lovely city? Places to stay (preferably closer to the beach). Any places of interest - shopping centres/malls, obviously Mestalla, any recommended places to stay near the beach (if so, any particular beaches or areas nearby)...

Lorenzo Pellegrini goes back to Roma after a couple of years at Sassuolo

Does this do more harm than good, when your owner begs fans to support a manager...?

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/40454116

Quote

 

Arsenal chief executive Ivan Gazidis has begged fans to support manager Arsene Wenger and says the club are looking to sign "top-quality" players.

Wenger, 67, signed a new two-year deal with the club in May, despite protests from some supporters, and says Arsenal can win the Premier League next year.

Arsenal won the FA Cup but failed to make the Champions League for the first time in Wenger's reign last season.

"I want the atmosphere to be united," Gazidis said at a fans' event.

"It has been a struggle because we haven't had that. There has been disagreement. There has been a lack of unity and dissatisfaction. The board knows that.

"I beg you, please come together and give our manager and this team support."

Arsenal have agreed to sign Schalke left-back Sead Kolasinac on a free transfer and had a bid rejected for Lyon striker Alexandre Lacazette.

Wenger has also said contract talks will take place this summer with forward Alexis Sanchez and midfielder Mesut Ozil, who are entering the final year of their deals.

"We're looking for top-quality players," added Gazidis.

"We've got three times as many scouts as we had four years ago. I believe that to be a world-class football club, you've got to be world class off the pitch."

 

How long have they been looking to sign 'top-class' players? Maybe it's time to face the reality that they can't attract those 'top-class' players like they used to be able to because there are other clubs in the division (CHelsea, City, Utd mainly) who are more attractive. And obviously many other clubs around Europe who said players would prefer to go to. 

Live cricket to be shown on BBC from 2020 (first time since 2005) and Sky Sports looking to create a standalone cricket channel for their coverage. Glad they beat BT Sport to it.

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/cricket/2017/06/30/exclusive-live-cricket-will-return-bbc-sky-keeps-hold-rights/?WT.mc_id=tmg_share_tw

9 hours ago, Lucas said:

Had a long weekend Stag do in Berlin. Brilliant trip.

Some cracking stories but kid you not, the weirdest thing to happen was have a bloke naked in the park, wanking at us with his thumb up as we went by on the beer bike. Odd.

Don't worry, that's just @Tsubasa. Harmless. 

ah man, Takeshi's Castle was superb. 

got a lot of TV to catch up after being away for a week.

Started watching First Dates USA. 

Got 24 Hours in Police Custody - love this documentary series. Glad they've done it again. Highlights how difficult it can be for investigators to pin enough evidence on an individual(s) to charge them with a crime. Really admire the work that gets put in to that.

Also glad there's a new series of 8 Out of 10 Cats Does Countdown. One of my favourite programmes. 

And definitely will be tuning in to Crystal Maze which has returned with Richard Ayoade presenting. 

Maldini lost on his debut

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/40424320

Quote

 

AC Milan and Italy great Paolo Maldini's professional tennis debut ended in defeat at the Aspria Tennis Cup in Milan.

Maldini and doubles partner Stefano Landonio lost 6-1 6-1 to Poland's Tomasz Bednarek and Dutchman David Pel.

The 49-year-old earned a place at the tournament with Landonio, who is also his coach, by winning a qualifier.

The Milan event is part of the Challenger Tour, one tier below the top-level ATP World Tour.

Landonio, 46, was once ranked 975th in the world, and has coached Maldini since he retired from football.

Maldini, capped 126 times by Italy, made his AC Milan debut in 1985, and played his final Serie A match for them in May 2009, a month before his 41st birthday.

A defender, he won seven Serie A titles with Milan, as well as the Champions League - or the European Cup, as it previously was - five times.

 

A police officer in Venezuela has taken a helicopter and fired grenades and gunshots towards the Venezuelan Supreme Court

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-latin-america-40426642

Quote

 

Venezuela's Supreme Court has been attacked by grenades dropped from a helicopter in what President Nicolás Maduro called a "terrorist attack".

Footage on social media shows a police helicopter circling over the city before shots and a loud bang are heard.

The police officer said to have piloted the stolen aircraft issued a statement denouncing the "criminal government". His whereabouts are unknown.

It comes after mass protests against the political and economic crisis.

The Supreme Court is regularly criticised by the Venezuelan opposition for its rulings which bolster Mr Maduro's hold on power.

What happened?

In an address from the presidential palace, President Maduro said the helicopter had flown over the Supreme Court and also the justice and interior ministries.

Officials quoted by Reuters news agency said four grenades were dropped on the court and 15 shots had been fired at the interior ministry.

No injuries were reported but Mr Maduro said "a social event" had been taking place at the Supreme Court and the attack could have caused "dozens of deaths". One of the grenades failed to detonate, he added.

Mr Maduro has placed the military on alert.

"I have activated the entire armed forces to defend the peace," he said. "Sooner or later, we are going to capture that helicopter and those who carried out this terror attack."

Who flew the helicopter?

The police officer identified himself as Oscar Pérez in video statements posted on the social media platform Instagram.

Appearing in military fatigues and flanked by armed, masked men in uniform, he appealed to Venezuelans to oppose "tyranny".

"We are a coalition of military employees, policemen and civilians who are looking for balance and are against this criminal government," he said.

"We don't belong to any political tendency or party. We are nationalists, patriots and institutionalists."

He said the "fight" was not against the security forces but "against the impunity of this government. It is against tyranny".

It is not clear how much support, if any, the officer has.

Mr Maduro said the pilot had worked for former Interior and Justice Minister Miguel Rodriguez Torres, but was no longer with him.

 

@Anton beat me to the comment I was going to make

Must have had a good view of the fountains as that's the Bellagio opposite you? 

38 minutes ago, Cannabis said:

I can't imagine the comedown of flying into fucking Luton.

haha I've done it enough times so maybe I don't feel the effects of it. Having said that, for about 45 minutes as we approached Luton it was just fucking clouds and rain out of any window you looked  

37 minutes ago, Danny said:

Half of Luton airport is bright orange 

well observed. 

back home from sunny Mykonos. Greeted by torrential rain in Luton.

I don't think it'd be a proper end to a holiday if I didn't come back to rain in the UK. 

Great news for Afghanistan and Ireland. If you look at the success and competition Bangladesh has provided since they got test status then this is only a good thing for the game. 

Mykonos is a lovely and beautiful place, much more than I imagined... 

8 hours ago, Cannabis said:

Piss poor planning that, an absolute shambles. Hopefully you don't get delayed too much by the news.

Luckily only delayed by 20 mins but that was just air traffic and us not being able to get on the runway. A few people must have taken the compensation and chosen a later flight. If we hadn't already booked our accommodation, we probably would have taken it. Compensation offered was 300 Euros plus a meal and hotel stay for the night near Gatwick. 

Meanwhile, when we got here, the hotel got our booking mixed up after a couple of requests were made few weeks ago and they upgraded us without charge to their brand new suite, which has a view like this

At Gatwick Airport now. They just announced that there's more passengers than seats xD. 

Hope there's not another United Airlines situation

1 hour ago, Lucas said:

Hasan was a great find. Four consecutive three wicket hauls. What an impact he made on the tournament.

 

 

so was Fakhar. Used to be in the Pakistan navy but quit to focus on cricket. 

4 hours ago, LaSambadeStGermain said:

Stan I think only you laugh at your own insults.

3 hours ago, Eco said:

 

Nope, that is both funny and absolutely accurate.

19 minutes ago, Spike said:

@LaSambadeStGermain when he sees a post by Teso.

sure  

meanwhile everyone is in hysterics at yours...

@LaSambadeStGermain when he comes crying to admin after an argument with Teso

Well done Pakistan