Ripley

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Has anybody got the recent running stats? It may be the same for all clubs but our squad is in the sense of who Slot trusts) and depleted by a few injuries, but that core of players consisting of more than half of the regulars could perhaps be forgiven for thinking on December 19 that, from the next day, they were about to play 5 games in 19 days culminating in Arsenal away. That is Ali, Virgil, Ibou, Grav, Dom, Flo, Hugo all looking at the thick end of 500 minutes pitch time. Dom excused himself one outing but you could add Curtis and Mac also playing the bulk. Consciously or otherwise, they surely have to be thinking they need something left in the tank for the last in this series. Yes, all clubs have more or less the same matches in similar days but compare the numbers of internationals Arsenal, City and Villa will have rotated in or called off the bench for 30/45 minutes - sometimes because they have made the game safe! It was noticeable last night that Dom, even with the benefit of a match off, seemed very one-paced when he could have been setting the tempo. In fact only Frimpong and Ekitike made any "lung-busting" sprints.Throw in an absurd "subs by numbers" policy and we're at a point where I don't know how to finish this post other than to stand up and go and pour a gin and tonic. Nevertheless, Pip's post above is certainly not to shrugged off.

Very Trumpian. Shítstirrer in chief wants Nobel Peace Prize

Looking nailed on frrom here. I'm sure and Wirtz and Frimpong would be delighted.

He’s one of Mrs Doyle’s priests

Which is what should happen.

I am indeed on the square I'm not worried about who the ref is. In this case though, at matchday 19, I find it odd that we've got one of the Select Group 5 times when there are 19 in that group (3 geo barred, 1 returning from injury)

We have Chris Kavanagh in charge for the FIFTH time this season. VAR is once again Dazza England who gives good process.

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Can I be the first to say that Aaron Briggs may turn out to be the hero in all this?

The greatest of these twice-blessed creatures may have been Roger Hynd, Birmingham City stalwart of the early 70s, played in both positions, mainly CH, about 200 times for them and was inducted into the club Hall of Fame. His greatest claim to fame was that he was Billl Shankly's nephew, his mother being Bill's sister. He was memorably described as "the only slide-tackling centre forward in the First Division".

At least we've made them assume the brace position. Did Hughes stand outside their offices with with a megaphone shouting "BRACE, BRACE"?

It’s Fatty Hooper with Novichok Cathedral in the shed

I quite agree. I now cant find the conversation. A dream? But Hass above seems to know it happens. Does Rugby have an outcome based system?

You don’t have to speak Benny Hill Japanese just because it Endo.

On the Guardian pod Philippe Auclair made a point of which I was previously unaware. In France the punishment for a Serious Foul Play red card factors in the actual outcome if the opposing player is unable to continue. I may have too listen again, but as I recall, the red for Simons would result in the standard tariff (3 matches?) as VvD resumed, whereas Auclair was of the view that Van de Ven would receive an 8 -10 match ban as the extent of the injury caused and likely absence was known.

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On the ref forum i visit there were voters for all of those individually for a red. If you aggregated them from the community (all levels from national league down) they would have been down to 6 and abandoned. Well said, because off it he's the only Brazilian player to my knowledge that came out publicly denouncing Bolsinaro

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