I think they’ll see those off. Still a decent wicket, plenty of time, Ali’s finger, some quality batsmen. Oh for those extra first innings runs

41 minutes ago, Upside Down said:

Not paid any attention to golf for years.

What's the drama?

 

The pga tour sort of holds a monopoly of the elite players and most lucrative tournaments. Not the most prestigious (the open) and not all such as the race to Dubai. A Saudi backed organisation called liv golf sprung up and started offering obscene amounts of money to top players and journeymen to play in their invitational series. More Arab sports washing. 

Outwardly the pga tour were massively offended about the Saudis human rights record and sports washing but in reality it was simply damaging their brand. So they said any golfer who goes wouldn’t be allowed on their tour (effectively 3/4 majors), etc, etc.

Mcilroy as pretty much the most famous golfer and someone who valued prestige of the tournament rather than millionaire golfers just getting richer at nothing events was used by the pga as their poster boy for the anti liv campaign. Got him to challenge and criticise fellow pros publicly, etc. All the while the pga (who were officially disgusted at Liv and their backers) were making a secret deal with them whilst still sending mcilroy to the trenches.

Whilst Mcilroy probably believes everything he stood for he was very much hung out to fry by the pga tour who he was representing 

Wouldn’t begrudge mcilroy a win in the us open tonight. Not least as the Brit surrounded by yanks and how he was totally shafted by the us pga.

20 minutes ago, jim mk2 said:

 

A "positive" attitude is fine .... but not all the time. Sometimes pragmatism is required, such as now when England need primarily to make a decent score in order to avoid defeat. Throwing wickets away with reckless shots with more than 2 days to go isn't positive, it's downright stupid.

England may win the match from here (or may not) but the declaration will never make sense to me. Two batters with their eyes in, tired bowlers after a long day, and possibly 50 runs or more given away

Agreed. In the context of the first innings conditions and root, one of finest batsmen ever produced, already well past 100 scoring freely with Robinson no mug with the bat and then jimmy more than capable of holding out at an end. Will never know but I really think there was at least 50-100 runs there. The risk vs reward of declaring was high risk to little reward.

Stokes can take a lot of the adulation for the success of baz ball but if it doesn’t go our way he’ll need to accept the lions share of blame for not putting on those runs.  

Even Stevens. A 30-50 run lead would have me feeling a bit better but hey ho. 

10 minutes ago, wilsdenrover said:

Would anyone have played Foakes at 8 and had Root as our spin option?

Personally considering bairstow was coming off a very bad injury I’d have gone foakes for bairstow. Gain a lot with the gloves lose a bit with the bat. I think over all the trade would be net improvement

Re the declaration. At the time I thought with root still in it was nonsense and a bit arrogant for the sake of 4 ish overs bowled. Might have got away with it if took a wicket or 2 but on a pitch they’re saying 450 is par strange coming in with root in and Robinson going well. Suppose feeds into the baz ball mystique just be different even if it’s stupid so long as it’s different.

They could still get away with it but like a footballer who deliberately smashes one into his own net but win the game 2-1 it’s still a ludicrous decision. 

I’d always play the best keeper even if he didn’t know which end of the bat to hold. A bad one who’s in as a batsman will need a 50 every innings just on missed opportunities of stumpings and catches. In this game bairstow has 78 and is already in a big net deficit. 

4 minutes ago, chaddyrovers said:

crazy. 

Used to do it no messing. I think it’s easily achievable didn’t change the field every other ball, etc etc. 

Robinson over jimmy. Behave Stokesy.

They don’t half faff about in the modern game.

Any excuse not to play cricket these days. Ludicrous water breaks every hour. New gloves for batsman. I’d say no substitute fielders (although Gary Pratt was great). If you need the toilet in the field, you go down to 10 men. Batsmen can replace the bat if it breaks nothing else. Just play cricket, no less than 110 overs a day otherwise the bowling team penalised.

Nearly 6pm and 74 overs bowled with the spinner bowing 27 overs. Its pathetic. 

I don’t think this test championship bodes well for the summer. I can’t see us getting them out twice many times. Can’t argue with the results of “baz ball” but at the same time I can’t see it giving Starc, Cummings, hazelwood many sleepless nights. I’ve always thought it was a recipe for disaster and here we are 10 wins from 12 from 1 win in 16 or something proving me wrong but I still feel it’ll all come tumbling down like a house of cards. Just hopefully not vs this lot. 

53 minutes ago, bluebruce said:

I'm not sure why you used Tugay as an example. Much more exciting signing than Niall Ennis.

I think the main reason this video is a bit cringe is the player in question is a freebie from League One, and we already knew about it hours before the announcement. If it was a genuine surprise and a marquee signing, I'd understand building some 'suspense'.

Ok. Not tugay then. Let’s say Lee makel. The point remains if anyone condones or even likes this embarrassing way to announce any player signing you’re a moron. 

15 minutes ago, Mike E said:

I’ll be sure to inform my nephew that he’s a moron because you said so 🤘

So long as you do. 😉 

If it makes you feel any better I told mine 

Can you imagine signing tugay and we made the existing players so something daft like play pass the parcel to ultimately reveal - We’ve signed tugay. No. It’s fucking stupid and anyone young or old that gets on board with this is a moron.  

Luton with one foot in the premier league. They were probably dabbling with the conference south when the Venkys darkened our door as a stable midtable premier league. Cheers again Venkys. 

That is an embarrassing way to announce a signing. I’d go as far as to say humiliating, certainly not as bad as the chicken advert, but why can’t they just be normal. Unless the social media age yoof lap this shit up. That chicken advert, “birdies date”, that. Probably hundreds more on social media I’m not aware of. Why. It’s all so amateurish.

Having dispatched two of the lesser sides in the t20 with ease lancs could make a statement today vs notts. Even as a pessimist Lancs have a fairly formidable side on paper this season. In the unlikely/impossible event can get everyone available and fit. 

Salt, Buttler, Jennings, Wells/Croft, Mitchell, Livi, De grandholme, Gleeson, Wood, Saqib anc Parky. That would take some beating.

As a side note I was pretty miffed on Thursday the game was moved to the middle of the afternoon on a workday to accommodate the women giving them an evening slot. I wish they wouldn’t keep tagging on women’s stuff on to the mens game. Today a more favourable Saturday afternoon slot. Let women’s sport stand or fall on its own merits not riding the coattails of the men. 

I think his level of performance is just a case of him not wanting to get injured. Next season he could quite possibly be playing in Europe or at the very least the nou camp or bernabeu. Whether it’s subconsciously or actively he won’t want to jeopardise that.

His story has been nothing less than a fanciful scrip from Roy of the Rovers. An English guy playing in the 2nd division for a small town team. Rovers massively overpaid for him and his form was on the range of shambolic to occasionally average. Some internet geeks discover he’s half Chilean. For some reason Chile cap him and he surprisingly does well scoring on debut and ultimately becomes a cult hero in Chile with streets named after him doing adverts all for 4 goals in 20 ish games. When he comes back to rovers from his Chile stint you could count on one hand the amount of times he’s looked a professional in blue and white halves but bangs in 20 goals in 19 games ish all before Xmas. After Xmas until present day his form pretty much goes back to what it was before his Chile debut. Nevertheless he gets a pre contract at Villarreal. It sounds too far fetched.

He’s always come across as a nice guy I hope he succeeds but for what it’s worth I personally think he’s a very average player who had a purple patch for 6 months of his career. I’d be astonished if he does well in la liga. 

Play offs have gone. Of course mathematically it isn’t and still in our own hands but we’re gutless wonders absolutely nothing about us when the going gets tough. 5 teams in and around us. I’ll wager won’t even get 4 points. 

5 minutes ago, joey_big_nose said:

I hope Gregg has got some top strikers identified and budget secured. 

He may well have but asking the dummies to spell the name right on the contract or file the paperwork in time is surely a bridge too far. 

We’re a team of bottlers that can’t cope with pressure, who when push comes to shove just don’t fancy it. This has been the same with different squads, under different managers but all under the Venkys reign. 

Just now, Boroblue said:

Diaz has returned to who he was. One great season. He must be the dumbest footballer I know. Give away free kicks when we have the ball in great positions. Why did we not take 8 million for him.

Not even a full season. 6 months of magical surreally good form. The rest has been utter detritus. 

In the future people will look back and think today was the day we bottled the playoffs with the games to come. In truth the playoffs were bottled in January and once again it wasn’t on the pitch. If can't beat teams like Hull and Huddersfield we aren’t going to beat the teams in and around the playoffs in our last few games. Particularly going in with 1 win in 7 form.

1 minute ago, BigBar said:

So static and slow. Going for promotion and you swear this is pre season. 

This what I was saying earlier in the context of the dingles game. These soft centres can’t seem to get riled up for any game.