maqroll

The only reason this story has made headlines is because it happened outside a famous building. Meanwhile, in Chicago yesterday, 19 people were shot in multiple shootings across the city. It's total **** mayhem in Chicago. A city, by the way, that has the strictest gun control laws in the country. Guns are like drugs, if you want them bad enough, you'll get them. I wish all this gun violence would spark an honest debate about our drug laws. If drugs were made legal, and the profits taken from homicidal gang bangers and local kingpins, violent crime would plummet in this country.

This is quite true. However, Armstrong was regarded by many (including USADA obviously) as being a figure head and authority figure of drug taking in the entire peloton, and enforcing an omerta that meant if you were a professional cyclist you either took drugs and were therefore part of his gang, or you were clean and were therefore not part of his gang. If you were not part of his gang (see Christophe Bassons and Filippo Simeoni, Cunego etc.) and you spoke in any way out of turn to the media etc. with regard to 'a two speed peloton' or PED's you would be run out of town by Lance, not be able to win or even compete in races and struggle to find an employer for the next season because no one wanted to cross Lance, such was his influence in cycling. You were regarded to have broken the code of silence (spat in the soup) - Lance is widely regarded as being the enforcer of this rule. When Simeoni (who testified that Lance's doctor gave him PED's) got in a break in the Tour Lance himself chased him down an told him to go back to the bunch. Because Lance was there the break would have been chased down, so Simeoni had to drop back into the bunch where he was gobbed on by pretty much everyone in the bunch. Lance gave him the zipped lips sign - as in 'keep your mouth shut'. It's all on youtube. For the Armstrong years of the TdF journalists who knew rightly what was going on in professional cycling would not report it because Lance and Johann would blackball them from the Tour. Bruyneel had a notebook of name that weren't allowed into USPS press conferences because they were trouble makers. If you were one of his team mates you simply wouldn't be chosen to ride the Tour without being doped. The reason they've gone for Lance is because they see him as being the ring leader and there was absolutely no chance of clean cycling while he was around. What I can't get my head around is that 90% of the peloton is widely regarded to have been doped when Armstrong was around, and yet now we're supposed to believe that it's largely clean, despite many of the same riders and more importantly all of the same team managers, coaches and doctors - and governing body still being in place. Wow, I'd never heard about any of that. "Cycling Omerta" Greg LeMonde has been hounding Armstrong for years, convinced of his guilt. Once upon a time, LeMonde was considered the greatest American cyclist, so he's clearly got an axe to grind. I think that so many of these athletes from across the sporting world who dope, manage to stay one step ahead of the testers, it's just one big cat and mouse game. That's probably how Armstrong was able to pass so many tests. I wonder if it was the drugs that gave him nut cancer.

Just read the news. Feel awful for the kid. I expected to see more of him this season, too. The squad is still so thin, that if one or two key players go down, we're well and truly f*cked. Randy, how about some of that billion?

The USADA have no authority over the Tour de France, so I'm not sure they can "strip him of his medals"...you'd think that would be something the Tour would have to decide to do, or the International Bicycling Federation or whatever it's called. I'm not a fan of Armstrong as a personality, but I feel like he's being railroaded. The guy passed over 500 dope tests over his career....it's a bit baffling to me, but then again, I only pay attention to the sport once a year.

I have a feeling it's Andy Carroll

Old Timey Geordie Criminals

Kevin Doyle

Good news. Now Warnock.

You know what type of player we need? Someone like Roma's Michael Bradley, a tough midfielder with a nose for goal...shame we can't get good players like that...

I bet if we had Michael Bradley in the side against West Ham, the result would have been better. What a **** shame we got rid of him. Now he's on Roma, FFS. :x

I think it's fair to say he had an awful debut. And if he plays like that again, he'll be warming the bench. The 3 other new boys looked decent enough.

Toothless, uninspired, boring, mistakes all over the pitch....just total garbage from Villa, exactly the opposite from what I expected to see. Never a sense of urgency from any of the players...not the mentality you would have predicted...A loss yesterday was not totally surprising- it was the opening game away at a newly promoted side...but Villa had no guts, no imagination, and shit execution. Piss poor start, let's hope PL gets this sorted out quick, and hopefully Lerner will understand we need more signings.

"No" "Nonsense" Care to defend those very definitive declarations, or do you just disagree, and that's enough? If you think it's enough, that's fine, because frankly, I'm not overly interested in this

Sorry Brum, this post was from another thread that got merged into this one, didn't mean to thwart your recruiting!

Alright then. I'm finally satisfied with my team. Good quality throughout. Bring it on!!!!

Chomsky is very smart, but his delivery is so dry it can lull you to sleep. I like Hitchens because he was a bit of a showman, even though he could come off as arrogant. He was an articulate thorn in the side of religion, and he'll be sorely missed by those of us who champion reason over hysteria.

If you think Islam is in general quite a bad thing, that would suggest a degree of prejudice against Islam... Prejudice is a vital human tool, without using it, we'd get into all kinds of dangerous situations.

Our opening fixture always seems to be away to a newly promoted side, which is always a very difficult match, no matter who it is. Seeing as it's West Ham with Fat Sam, they will not be too scared...to be honest, I'd be content with a draw, given the fact that we are below optimum strength... But they are shit, so...0-1 Villa, Bent with the goal.

I haven't been this excited about a new season in what seems like a long time. I added the "soccer" package to my cable account after removing it last year, and will be watching Villa on delay... WOOOOOOT Come on Villa!!!!!!

That's kind of a shit team, actually.... Gonna have to tighten that up

That is **** classic

Krul TOT (H) Walker NEW (A) Coloccini TOT (H) Kompany SOU (H) Ireland WHM (A) Moses CHE (H) Lampard WIG (A), RDG (H) Bale NEW (A) Crouch RDG (A) Cisse TOT (H) Bent WHM (A)

Don't give money to the Sun, join my league instead

Can't see this happening, really. It would seem a very un-Lambert kind of signing.

Boston @ 0:23!