Chindie

The GITS stuff with Scarlett is completely unsurprising. It is a problem that Hollywood doesn't have an actress of Japanese descent that can carry a movie, and that is simply because they don't cast them in supporting roles in big films often enough or in more low budget movies in prominent roles, but without that Ghost in the Shell doesn't get made. As for whitewashing - Hollywood has cast a black man in a role that had a long-standing history of being whiter than white in the shape of Mordo in Dr Strange (following on from Idris Elba as Heimdall in the Thor movies), and they've cast a remake of Jacobs Ladder with black actors taking the main roles. They're getting there.

I'll be surprised if this is actually close. And I'll be astounded if the party that buys us, whenever that may be, is a 'good' owner.

I suspect Stann is on the money.

I hope Connor is done. He swerved very fast from invigorating the UFC to becoming an irritant, and he's not that good. He can be exciting, but a fighter like Diaz has beaten him with basics and Diaz isn't a champion. I suspect he isn't though and this is all about cash. Worst comes to the worst he buggers off to one of the other franchises.

This is true, I'd forgot that. This kinda thing, along with track records of looking after peoples data, is why I won't go anywhere near having my card details on any of the consoles. Sony's record is particularly bad and they're terrible to deal with on the customer services side. It's partly why an all digital future fills me with dread.

That's a more pertinent question now the football board has collapsed. I'd suspect one of the following happens We twiddle our thumbs until Hollis is forced to do something Hollis, with Little advising, are going about speaking to people as we speak Hollis and Little follow whatever was going on with the football board and try to get the names they had on the list. We try to bring back in 'football men' to bring the football board back to life and they do it. I suspect it'll be 2 or 3. Either way, I expect the appointment to be cheap, and I expect it won't be made before seasons end. Either way, Hollis appoints them unless we try to get the football board going again.

The title is neither here nor there I think. I work in an industry where some companies give people junior to me titles with the word 'president' in them, and I'm at the bottom of the ladder believe me. I stated my career at a company with a chairman who was literally a figure head, he visited the building twice a year and cracked a joke at company conferences. The business was run by the CEO. Whether he is chairman or CEO, he doesn't own the club and we don't have shareholders so he has to be subservient to someone simply because he's spending the owners money. The letters yesterday heavily suggest the issue is the owner and the obvious conclusion to draw is the money. Everything happening recently has boiled down to cash not being invested and the letters certainly tie into that even if it's not entirely spelled out. Hollis has the title Chairman and his remit is run the club in Lerner's absence. Bernstein was brought in to work with Hollis as a fabled 'football man' and to outline their positions Bernstein was head of the 'football board' to get things revolving around the pitch and players in order, and it was established he, and the football board, would report to Hollis. There's no reason that can't work. Hollis is a businessman, admittedly doesn't know football, so he has someone with him and their team sorting that while he focuses on the money based on Lerner's budgets. I think you're getting tangled in titles and a distrust of Hollis you've had since his announcement. I don't think he's done, or doing, much wrong. The letters weren't critical of him, and I think he'd be out the door if his remit was changed or undermined.

I don't think it's that either/or. The title is probably the most accurate he could have, because whilst he doesn't have ultimate say, as he ultimately reports to Lerner, he's running the club on Lerner's behalf. Lerner sets the budget, because only he can. Hollis therefore doesn't have ultimate power, but he's a regent. It's also fairly clear he's engineering the club for sale at the same time, hence the sackings and shuffles and, initially, the football board. Get the house in order to benefit it and help shift it.

Abyss Watchers down at third attempt...

This has happened numerous times, so you're not going to be the first that has raised this with Sony. Keep pushing back, and go to the credit card company.

Swamp 2 is an awful area. Poison floor is nonsense and every enemy in the area is irritating as ****.

The original Mortal Kombat isn't bad. It isn't particularly good either but it's not bad. I expect Warcraft to fall into a similar category, but because it's cost a couple of hundred million dollars and won't turn over enough to make a significant profit, it's going to be viewed as terrible.

A wild Iron Fist appears! Not in the suit of course yet through. Seems they might be Batman Begins/Arrow-ing it up with Danny returning to New York from mysterious travels.

I don't know the lore, and just saw it as very derivative fantasy stuff. It really really looks it. The orcs just look silly, everything looks silly... The storyline looks like it's trying to do something worthy and err... It doesn't seem to be working. That's a flop in the making, and it's looked it from the start.

Willem Dafoe has joined Justice League 1&2. Not as a villain surprisingly. Also there's a new Warcraft trailer. It still looks bad.

It was never going to be a huge leap. The GPU is a boost, but it's a 20/30% one that doesn't revolutionise anything. Because they couldn't.

Giant Bomb apparently have details on PS4.5, codenamed NEO. Basically as expected, performance and minor graphical tweaks for games over standard PS4, 4k output. No shocks there. Digital Foundry have corroborated this as well - the details there are going to be your upgraded PS4.

Buffalo rifle to the face was a great equaliser for the bears

I don't think his remit has changed, so I don't think he'll quit (unless it becomes clear he can't do his job at all). His job to is to run the club on Lerner's behalf, and work within the budget he's given to keep it going and help sell it for Lerner. Bernstein and King have gone IMO due to financial restraint ultimately. They've wanted to do things that have required cash Lerner won't sanction IMO, and have refused to compromise so booked it out of here. That doesn't change Hollis' position, although obviously makes his job more awkward. So I suspect he'll just carry on as before. For him to quit, Lerner would have to take direct action in things (which I doubt he will, everything he's done recently suggests he doesn't want anything to do with the club anymore) which undermines Hollis, or if Lerner just completely cuts the club off in all facets, meaning no interaction with Hollis and the money turned off wholesale. I don't think either of those will happen, so I don't think Hollis leaves. He could become a fall guy if the wheels fall off even more I guess also.

The Sun aren't above printing absolute twaddle on the front page over 'bigger' news of course...

You'd hope so but Hollis is employed to run the club within Lerner's budgets and get it sold, I don't think they care about afterwards. Lerner just wants to sever the ties, take his money and run. Hollis is largely employed to do that and in the meantime run the club so Lerner can wash his hands of it. I'll be very surprised if we come out of a sale (be that next week or more likely years from now) with a 'good' owner.

This concerns me as well. I think Lerner just wants rid now. He's going to sell to the first person that offers the amount he wants. He's not going to care what happens afterwards. He just wants out. We'll possibly be sold to the latest Venkys or Vincent Tan.

Swamp cleared, Sage down at first attempt, onto swamp 2...

Why raise it then? You're saying you don't think he's any more valid an opinion, then on the same sentence saying he is? I'd find fault with it logically if Dennis Mortimer said Pearson was a clearing in the woods who shouldn't be anywhere near the club, for the reason I've already outlined - it's just another opinion. It has no more weight to any other commentator. You may as well say Shearer thinks we should hire Joe Bloggs. It doesn't support an argument at all. As for being hard work...

I wouldn't read much into the sales discussion. It doesn't really mean anything until theres someone seriously ready to buy. The undermining thing is more interesting. Not good. Things are going to get worse.