Eames

That still might happen but the suggestion was they are conducting business early before it is decided on by the Football League. That will drag and drag and drag. There is good chance they'll be back in the PL before the lawyers stop fighting about who needs to pay what.

I think that's unfair. He never got a proper chance under Lambert to play as an out-and-out striker, which is clearly what he is. Agree. Give him a shot as the main man with decent service and he'll score goals. He was never going to set the world on fire stuck out on the RW.

Chance to work with a coach he has worked with before -in a team soon to be gutted of its "stars" in the Championship - its exactly the right move for him - he wouldn't be a first team starter here.

The World Cup WILL be in Qatar. They've got too much money and influence across European football for UEFA to start messing them about. Barcelona for a start.

Nike spent hours on that Inter kit then........

In the books she's pissed all the time and irrational. She agrees to the Faith arming because they forgive the crown's debt to them - she also tells the Iron Bank to **** off. She believes she is doing a great job and has no idea what she is unleashing.

I love that guy.

Relegated with two clubs two years in a row, thats a bad omen. Nah - the records 5. He's got a long way to go yet.

Only VISA have said they're off if hooky business is found. Everyone else released a bland PR laden holding response

Its purely for Sherwood. He never hated Villa before (apart from the odd dig that, let's be honest, we more than deserved) Sherwood is the new harry redknapp for them. To be honest, if it wasn't for the fact that hes manager of our club, I'd probably agree with every word. It does seem a bit grating when you're the target though. He's fast becoming the "Ramble Ruiner" for me. Talks waaaaaaay more than others, and as you said, if he's not spewing vitriol about Villa / Sherwood its vitriol about another team. He's easily the best of the four IMO. He and Marcus carry the show. Jim is very good as well but only really comes to life when talking about Arsenal apart from the odd pun here and there. Pete I could easily live without.

**Paging The_Rev**

I just hope to god episode 8 is not just the thing the title implies.

We're not setting ourselves up for disappointment much, are we? Nothing so magnificent would happen to Aston Villa. Even looking at it purely rationally it's a lot more likely that he'll be on the losing side, and not score Rationality can go suck a dick. I'll shed tears of joy when Jack bags the winner in the 92nd minute If that happens I won't be shedding tears. I'll be wailing like a little girl.

Big big call. Given the episode title "Hardhome" thats going to take some doing

I think if you were to look at Newcastle objectively you'll find that Ashley probably isn't the big meanie that the media and the fans like to portray. Newcastle's problem starts and ends with their fans. The fans have completely unrealistic expectations for their shithole club and whenever those expectations aren't met (i.e. every. ****. season.) then they hound out the manager or moan about the chairman who must obviously not be doing enough to meet their delusions. Ashley has spent money as you say. He also had a decent manager in place until the fans chased him away. Of course Ashley has made mistakes. Maybe more than most, I don't know. But when you have fans waiting to explode and you have a media who do seem more than willing to paint him as the villain then you end up with a very carefully constructed perception of a bumbling idiot which is the only depiction the rest of us ever see. Many thousands of times this.

Also from The Mirror Whilst Putin and his chums NEVER get up to shit on other people's turf do they? Lawyers/Tanks.....its all the same.

Whoops. My bad. As you were.

Small Heath have a Thai owner not a Chinese one. There is a world of difference between the two. I'd be more than happy with a Chinese buyout - being bankrolled by the PRC would be fantastic - think of the shirt sales alone.

I think that was the intention

Pay MPs £100,000 a year and how they get to their place of work (Westminster) is their problem. Just like it is for everyone else with a job. Build a halls of residence type thing for them to stay in when they are in London if they live more than 2 hours away by public transport. Anyone else within that 2 hours uses public transport to get to work. Ban MPs from employing family members Remove the bars from the HoC. And thats before I start on the Lords.

Watching the bloke opposite tuck into his 4th Grolsch of this less than 1 hour train ride. Impressive stuff before 8am.

Trouble is if its not Blatter, Valcke and that group its not worth it. Picking up a couple of minor players won't change things.

Swiss Police raid FIFAs hotel. Remove evidence. Arrest warrants for 5 executives apparently. NY Times (Paywall)

Also - not wishing to rake up old rows - but this episodes Sansa and Ramsey stuff showed perfectly why you didn't need to invent a rape scene to show that Ramsey abuses Sansa and isn't a very nice man.

I think part of the problem so far this season has been pace. They have absolutely bolted through plots at great speed to try and tell the story more efficiently than GRRM managed in the books. This has ruined Dorne, forced them to use dodgy rape scenes to short cut characters to where they need to be and crushed the Kings Landing politics stuff. I think the season will slow down again now. With 3 episodes to go we get actual plot and development again. Tyrion meeting Danny is good - Cersei being banged up in the chokey alongside Loras and Margaery will pay off across 3 episodes. I just worry that Episode 9 will be two snow battles - one with Stannis and one with Jon. Its got my attention again after that episode but even if the last 3 is 3 hours of the best TV ever made in the world ever it still won't rescue this season for me.