Never realised before but India has a very restrictive policy on the national team. Players with dual nationality are not eligible for selection, so that rules out the likes of Dilan Markanday and Danny Baath. Seems a bit mad when you look at all the success that Ireland had in the past, and even top teams have no issue with foreign born nationals improving the national side. Maybe another example of the Indian nationalism which is being harnessed and encouraged by Modi? Article below https://www.theguardian.com/football/2023/sep/12/india-can-aid-attempt-to-reach-world-cup-picking-overseas-born-players

He’s been playing very well in Scotland and earning rave reviews. Surprised that he hasn’t been capped yet tbh. It would be good to see him come into the Northern Ireland squad and fulfill some of his potential.

Best of luck DeeCee, I hope the treatment helps.

True, the cycle would probably just repeat itself. The ideal solution would be for a system similar to American football where every team gets a pick at the top players. I believe the NFL is very competitive with different winners every year. But I can’t see that happening after the big boys have spent billions on clubs that are used for sports washing and PR.

I stand corrected, Chelsea also have a higher wage bill. I still believe the gap between the top and bottom clubs is too large though, and creates an uncompetitive league.

Gvardiol was the standout defender at the WC for me, incredibly composed as well as naturally gifted.

I think fans are coming round to the idea. I don’t know about you, but City winning the treble completely passed me by. It’s boring, they have unlimited resources and they’ve used them to win the biggest prize. How long until Newcastle and Man utd join them in being head and shoulders above the rest of the prem? Much as I hate to admit it, it was genuinely exciting when Utd won the treble. Arsenal going a season unbeaten was an amazing achievement but how long until one of the state-owned clubs does it again? The genie is out of the bottle and for a neutral (well me, anyway) top level football has become boring. Edit: So I think separating the clubs with huge resources from the rest would be a good idea. Let the Harlem globetrotters play each other every week and allow the real fans to enjoy competitive and unpredictable football again. The championship is actually an incredibly entertaining league, purely because anyone can beat anyone as each team has similar resources. Man city’s wage bill is probably equal to most of the rest of the premier league. It’s obscene and not sustainable. Nailed it. The only football I ever watch on tv is Rovers except for the last WC which I became completely obsessed with. There was so much at stake, the competition meant so much, all the teams had an equal chance, it was unreal. The contrast with the vastly unequal nature of club football couldn’t be more stark.

For me Blood Meridian was his masterpiece, a brutal and blood soaked look at violence, human nature and the old west. A true master of the English language, I used to look words up in the dictionary as I read.

Do you dream of electric sheep?

Bentley was class in that game. Tbh that’s the only one I can think of!

Show finale last night. Refreshingly the creators decided to end it after four seasons and wrapped everything up in a satisfying conclusion. I wish we could see that sort of sense from other shows. For me Succession has been one of the best acted, most sharply written and well observed shows of all time. The production values are through the roof and the incredible cast wring every ounce of emotion, humour, and pathos from their respective characters. I can’t recommend it enough to anyone who hasn’t watched it yet. For me it’s one of the best ever TV productions 👍👍

I’d like to take you up on it as well 👍

For me it was Dack, Rhodes and Mulgrew who brought some magic back into supporting Rovers. Sadly we’re now saying goodbye to probably the best of them and embarking on an exciting/scary rebuilding project. Perhaps the new talisman for the club will be JDT as he builds a fresh new squad to get us all excited 😬

Very sad day. Dack was genuinely top class before the awful injuries and a beacon of light amidst the darkness and depression of our descent into league one. Seems like he was probably premier league bound at one stage and you never know where he might have ended up if he hadn’t suffered those two injuries. All the best to him, I’ll keep an eye out to see how his career goes from here. He’ll never know how much he meant to this Rovers fan 💙

We all know of players that could have been something if their dedication matched their talent. If dedication and hard work aren’t part of a player’s repertoire from early in their career then they often don’t justify the early hype. I think self-discipline and hard work are as important as raw talent - for every Christiano Ronaldo who trains hard and reaches the peak of his career there’s a ravel Morrison and a jack rodwell who can’t be arsed and ends up pissing it away.

I get your point about naturally talented players not trying as hard but Wharton is 19 and hasn’t got double figures in appearances. Bit much to compare him with generational talents and suggest he should be the first name on the team sheet. He has to earn the right to be seen as a le Tissier or a Tugay that doesn’t have to do anything in training. So far it seems like he hasn’t, and seeing how JDT has gotten the most out of our other talented youngsters do you not think it’s sensible to trust his judgement on Wharton?

Great match so far, Dolan looking bright.

It’s really not. I’m not his biggest fan but I take exception to unwarranted vitriol and boring, repetitive posts about how awful he is. No world beater but far from the worst striker we’ve had in the last ten years, never mind the whole Venkys era. I agree that he’s by no means a top 6 striker and we paid over the odds for him but we could be worse off. Imagine we had Hirst, Vale and no Gallagher.

So now the goalposts have shifted again?How many games are we talking then? Is a season enough? Actually scrap that, not worth engaging with this nonsense 😆

Being forthright and indulging in hyperbole doesn’t make your opinion more valid. Marcus Antonsson Leon Best Nuno Gomes Joe Nuttall Daniel Butterworth David Goodwillie George Hirst Edinho Junior Jordan Slew DJ Campbell Anthony Stokes There’s 11 ⬆️ it wasn’t difficult, and in fact of them has only recently left. Gallagher isn’t a great player but he’s a decent championship striker. The problem is he’s not suitable for a side aiming to be in the top 6. That’s not his fault and it doesn’t make him the “WORST” striker we’ve ever had.

100%. Only the names have changed.

He 100% wrote his own Wikipedia entry. Who else would have the patience to document his moves between the Latvian FA and Taiwan 😂 I see a Rovers fan has now added their own edit to his page 🙈

Pele was sadly before my time and not much footage exists of him in his pomp but his achievements and legacy are without question. One of the greatest to be sure. There’s a saying in Northern Ireland - Maradona good, Pele great, George Best! I’d have Messi as the best I’ve seen, and would argue for him to be one of the five best ever (in no particular order): Maradona Pele Best Messi Cruyff

Yep, to have a recognised striker capable of a double figure goal tally would make a big difference.