Smiley Culture

The bubble bursts after one game. I'm not that surprised. People's expectations were heightened after a decent pre-season campaign but our 'hardest' opponents were free-spending Billericay Town. Apart from them, it was pretty poor teams plus a spanking from Arsenal's 23's. I think some people needed a reminder that this is basically a whole new squad, as proven by the fact that just one of today's starting lineup was at the club last season. The National League is no walk in the park and in the circumstances we find ourselves in, a season of mid-table mediocrity would be nothing short of a success.

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.

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.

Does anyone play there? My understanding was that it was/is the Rabbitohs training pitch?

This the new Patrick Bamford?

Whereabouts? I've only really gained a bit of a knowledge about Canada since Toronto started playing Rugby League, but it's a place I'm definitely going to visit in future.

How long in advance do the Spanish set their tv games? @SirBalon

Quite tempted by Bilbao now @SirBalon any experience of going there and tickets?

Just had a quick look at the fixtures and Valencia are at home during the weekend I'm earmarking for a football related break on the continent and I was wondering how easy it is to get tickets there?

Anyone been to a game at the Mestalla?

Dr Who is shite.

The extra preliminary and preliminary rounds of the FA Cup have been drawn. https://www.thefa.com/news/2017/jul/07/emirates-fa-cup-extra-preliminary-and-preliminary-round-draws-070717

Yeah, had to wipe my arse with my left hand

Got a displaced fracture of the metacarpal (a bone in my hand). Did it a couple of weeks ago and had a second x-ray yesterday, where they confirmed there was a break. Originally, they were worried about the scaphoid bone near my thumb but that was clear. Been in a splint for nearly two weeks and have to keep it on for another two-three weeks.

Television.

Sutton away, early kick-off too. Wonderful. I actually don't fancy anything there at all. Meh.

Today at 1pm we get to find out Orient's fixtures for the season. Meh.

Still some I see advertised in London. Or they say they'll cover travel and lunch but nothing else.

Unpaid Internships should be illegal. They're effectively slave labour.

Black people did slave labour in the US till it was abolished. That's basically the same thing as an internship.

There's a website called rugbyleaguevideos that has full match highlights from thousands of games going back years, if that is of interest to you.

Ah, fair enough. I don't know what your level of understanding of the game is but I'd suggest watching the State of Origin games in Australia and the NRL (the elite level of Australian RL) too. We also have the first transatlantic team in sport involved with RL in the shape of Toronto Wolfpack, who play in our bottom division in the UK, League One, which is made up of sides from areas where the game isn't as developed as other areas, such as London, Gloucestershire, Coventry and Hemel Hempstead. Wolfpack are a pro outfit in that league, so it's no surprise they're ten from ten in that league.

A Peruvian RL fan? Weird but cool. Remember that Featherstone are a League below Leeds and also a part-time side, so this will be a pretty large score line.

No internet on the work computers (which limits the amount of work anyone can do to nothing) but we're still sat here.

That little weasel-y looking fella who looks like a smackhead? Marcus Maddison?