Comrade 86

Meanwhile, back in the real world, where no political agenda is necessary to be appalled by events in Gaza, Arab states are demanding a ceasefire to allow aid to be provisioned and civilians to be evacuated without being carpet bombed. Sadly, the grand old US of A has again voiced the opinion that this would be a bad thing as it 'would benefit Hamas'. An easy stance to adopt, you might think, when it's not their kids being scraped off walls. Still, no doubt they'll do a wonderful job of protecting civilians in their own countries when the resulting tsunami of terrorist atrocities reach our shores, unless of course said countries already have a Muslim population, like good old Blighty, where it'll be natives who are blowing s*** up. How, I wonder, will some evaluate 500 deaths on Western soil versus 9,400 and counting in Palestine? Ah well, doubtless any response will be 'proportionate' and that's all that matters. Anyway, here's a pic of the latest 'targeted Israeli bombing attack' which doubtless enabled the IDF to kill yet another 'top Hamas commander'. This commander doesn't have a name, but the Israelis are adamant he was there and also that he's now dead, presumably because they flattened an entire neighbourhood. I don't doubt that Hamas are hiding in among ordinary civilians, so I expect the only viable solution is to kill everyone, which is clearly what the Israelis are trying to do. Talking of a lack of evidence, @Alpha has the clown who keeps referencing 'beheaded babies' provided any shred of proof as yet? Seems even that old fool Biden has now retracted and the Israeli government itself has declared it 'cannot confirm' the stories, which is an interesting choice of words in itself. https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2023/10/12/white-house-walks-back-bidens-claim-he-saw-children-beheaded-by-hamas https://edition.cnn.com/2023/10/12/middleeast/israel-hamas-beheading-claims-intl/index.html https://eu.usatoday.com/story/news/factcheck/2023/10/31/post-falsely-claims-newspaper-reported-no-babies-beheaded-hamas-israel-fact-check/71394076007/ Plus ça change...🤷‍♀️

Beard, tatts, good bloke to have in the building.... Bit short on salient info Anag!

I'd love to see this for Eustace's sake. Was in the middle of doing a very decent job when idiotically removed, though I'd be happier if he went to a club that did not include that window licker, Mr Ploppychops, among their fanbase.

A win against Barnsley and disgruntled voices will quieten. A win playing the same sparkling stuff as last time out and he's good until Xmas and beyond. By the same token, it's fair to say that a return to 'sling it down the flanks' footy will see support ebb further. Each time we've seen green shoots to date, they've quickly withered and died and Warne and his recruits must now show they have the stomach for the fight ahead and that they can add consistency to the occasional good attacking performance. This league is not for the faint-hearted and Warne has to show he is not afraid to let the players take risks against the better sides. He's got a strong looking defence in situ now, so there are noe excuses from here on out. In fairness, the same comment applies to the players themselves. We are regualarly told they are the best squad in the league; if that's true, now is the time to show it. COYR

You've got to do 'em all mate. No good trying to escape now. That's you until the end of the season and you'd best not let us down.

It most certainly is, but it's supply and demand and for any significant game, the latter outstrips the former. Other home nations are cheaper to watch if a trip to Wales, Scotland, Ireland or Paris is doable; we can do the Olympic Stadium in Rome for a similar cost to an England game with flights and accommodation thrown in! Whilst it seems like a lot of cash (and it is!), I love going to the rugby with the lad way more than the money it costs me, so I don't fuss too much over paying it 😋

Thought I'd just create a single thread rather than doing the separate tournament thing. The reason for today being that for any other egg-chasing fans, the Leinster vs La Rochelle European Rugby Champions Cup final is now on terrestrial TV and not just BT Sport - ITV 4.00pm for anyone who is interested. It's going to be brutal!