That's what I started off doing - both the Beeb and the Gov't for not protecting the so called sporting crown jewels Let's just put it this way - I don't want to put money in Murdoch's pocket in order to watch test cricket !!

Show it - and change it to suit them . Remember when footy used to be a Saturday game ? Who pays the piper calls the tune ...

Well definitely NOT the Marxist model that you support , ES ...

Err ...you didn't ask me the first time , Manc . It might help if you'd direct your "questions" to me if you require an answer ! But now that you have .......the 20/20 is a good introduction for newcomers to be introduced to the "real" game and a moneyspinner for the clubs at county level . You're right there - no problem with that ; Sky has it's role to play . All I'm saying is that it is necessary for the future of the game for the home test matches to be viewed on terrestial TV - a fact that all Govt's in recent years (until this one )have agreed upon . The same goes for Wimbledon , the World Cup and the FA Cup . Will Sky in the future always be willing to devote 5 full days to test matches or will they help kill them off by concentrating on the "easier" viewing of the one dayers and 20/20 games ? You may trust Murdoch with the future of the 5 dayers - I have my reservations . Many apologies if you disagree with me.....

I'd hardly call C4 's excellent coverage a "half arsed compromise" . As far as I'm aware the Simpsons has never interupted the coverage - the only thing that has has been a bit of racing on the Saturdays . Now I'm sure that Sky will do a good job but the fact that the Beeb seemingly aren't interested - or rather , haven't been forced by the Gov't , to be interested - is a disgrace . Another reason why the licence fee is becoming an anacronism . If the Gov't can't or won't protect the national sporting crown jewels as it promised to do when it came to power , then we might as well abandon ourselves to Murdoch completely . Enjoy the revival of the national sport while it lasts because once the Aussies have gone and the terrestial TV coverage disappears it'll be back in the dark ages.

They tolerated Blair's lies over Iraq and voted him back into office ! I suspect standards have slipped to such an extent that the average bloke in the street doesn't care anymore . Don't expect a single resignation over this relatively "minor" affairinvolving a Brazilian.......(Now if it'd been a so called British Asian killed ... )

Very eloquently put , Flopsy ...

So my initial suspicians that the good old British poice are a bunch of bungling , lying incompetents was quite near to the mark ...... When are the British people going to stop tolerating being lied to by the authorities ?

Drowned presumably...

Oh good . Keep me informed , Flopsy .....

A bit pessimistic , Paul ? I reckon there'll be over 17,000 there ....just ..

Unlike their bosses who have took the Murdoch money without a thought for the long term future . Shame on the Government for allowing home tests to go to Sky .

Fair point , FLB . Maybe a better term would have been" post - Christianity" . I wouldn't want to go back to a time when the church held real political power . Secularism has to be dominant and fairly soon , in the historical sense , the state will have to stand up to Islam or cave in to it . The two are incompatible .

Disagree . For ten - fifteen minutes or so the new system worked well and we started to get back into the game . What went wrong was the failure to close down the attacker on the edge of the 18 yard box before the ball went loose to the eventual scorer - in other words , a silly defensive error . The same with Emerton later for the third - daft defending . Prior to all that , you can't say that the 4-4-2 was working - it wasn't . The formation wasn't wrong - it was the personnel at the back who buggered up. Hughes did well to change the formation - a bold move . What he needs to do now is teach the defenders how to defend.....How we missed Nelsen !

Zero tolerance for trouble makers going out of the country ! Pity they don't do the reverse .... (Sorry , Flops - wandering off topic ..)

Now a decent pricing policy for the Espanol friendly last week might just have attracted another 5-10000 thru the gate - some of whom might have been tempted to return to the fold for good.....

I suppose you could argue that Muslim females are abandoned to a life of servitude and inequality from day one of their lives .....Or do you think they enjoy the same rights as Western females ? If you were born in a Muslim country , rather than a modern Western nation , what would you rather be - male or female ? And don't even mention any rights about sexual preference ...

You're joking , Flops . It would be madness not to enforce the follow on . Anything can happen with the weather in Manchester . Keep 'em in and hope for another collapse . And hope that Clarke doesn't recover too quick . Mind you I've got tickets for Sunday - I want to see some action ....

Now what was that 4 letter word you used to describe AESF when last you disagreed with him .....? Pot , kettle .......

Hope I'm not being as pedantic and boring as your good self , Col , but isn't that a racist comment there - I'm glad I never generalise like that .

Nice to know that you accept that throughout history the theory that all religions and cultures are of equal value does not hold water . So if it is acceptable to argue that in the past Islam has been more advanced than Christianity (which at times it undoubtedly has ) , why then are you and your ilk so vehement in your criticism when people like myself and Theno point out the obvious and say that now Islam lags way , way behind Christianity in so many fields of human culture .....for eg , the acceptance of the principles of universal democracy , human rights , sexual and gender equality etc etc ? Time to face the truth ; since the enlightenment Christianity has been fighting and losing an uphill struggle to survive in the face of reason and science . Muslims both in the East and unfortunately here in the West are continuing to reject the values we hold dear and are turning increasingly to the past . Come to Blackburn and watch the kids coming out the mosque dressed head to foot in shrouds clutching their korans and you might get a clue as to what I'm on about . It's brainwashing on a scale that Chairman Mao would have been proud of . Until Islam's followers accepts the principle that secularism is the sole state power ( at least over here )then I'll be totally correct in condemning them as being backward and sub cultural . Just like Christianity once was ......

I went down to the T.O one week ago , booked by direct debit , and received the tickets in five days . No money has been taken out of my account yet . Obviously they had been waiting for me .... Or alternatively the Rev is on a blacklist ...

Running to the teacher ? Not my style , Glenn . And let's face it the mods themselves aren't immune from breaking the rules....

It's nigh on becoming impossible on this forum - board rules are simply ignored half the time ..... ..Stick at it , though

Wrong time of the month , Paul....?