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#1
Quote from: LC on March 15, 2024, 07:06:36 AMhttps://news.sky.com/story/mps-awarded-pay-rise-to-91-346-by-independent-body-13094588

When I think about people I have come across in the private sector earning in the £90k territory in terms of competencies, skill set / attributes and compare them to the MPs across all parties in NI it is night and day.  Our MPs are similar to our MLAs in that their career options / earning potential would be very low in the real world.

For good reason in most cases.
#2
General discussion / Re: Premier League 2023-2024
March 11, 2024, 11:57:05 AM
Quote from: lurganblue on March 11, 2024, 11:01:06 AMYeah Villa really imploded yesterday, in what was probably their biggest game of the year. McGinn suspension will be another blow to an already depleted midfield.

Hes out for City game unless they appeal
#3
Quote from: north_antrim_hound on March 10, 2024, 11:21:16 PM
Quote from: statto on March 10, 2024, 10:19:25 PMDoku challenge on Macalister is a bang on peno surely?Between it and Havertz not getting road for obvious dive Saturday night potential big swings in title race.

Penalty for
Sure, another double standards decision was Mc Alister being held back by jersey pulling for the Man City Goal. Var ruled out a Virgil goal v Chelsea in the league cup for something similar.

Different things. In the final Endo was penalised because he was found to be interfering with a player while in an offside position which is fair enough. I dont think it had to be  deemed a "foul" to be an offence, similar to the rule about standing in a keepers eyeline while offside.  Whether you deem it to be worthy of disallowing a goal is a separate point. Ake would have to have been adjudged to have committed a clear foul on MacAllister to disallow the goal as offside not an issue. For what its worth I dont think Ake did enough to warrant a foul being given.

The Doku incident on the other hand is a joke. Havertz also seemed pretty clear cut.

All in all I woudl probably have taken a draw at the start but given that second half performance, it feels like 2 points dropped.
#4
Tyrone / Re: Tyrone Club Football and Hurling
March 06, 2024, 12:02:50 PM
Quote from: W.A.G. Lover on March 06, 2024, 11:39:28 AM
Quote from: Goals_Will_Come on March 06, 2024, 11:28:34 AM
Quote from: superstar_ on March 06, 2024, 11:21:46 AMPlans being put in place to split the Division 3 league into two tiers. Junior Championship will remain the same. Unclear yet the format that the league will take but probably looking top tier of 8 and bottom tier of 9 with Home and Away fixtures.
I see potential in this change. Junior has the biggest gap between top and bottom and might allow some of the teams currently struggling a chance to start building again with more competitive games against those around them rather than taking drubbings from Strabane, Aghaloo, Glenelly, Killeeshil et al. and help with bringing youngsters through and establish themselves in competitive games rather than 20+ hammerings and pushing them towards other sports.
Also creates an opportunity for more thirds teams to enter and have more teams in Junior. In time this could lead to the Junior league expanding and potentially two groups of 10 with the bottom group made up with more thirds teams and this would make this more appealing to your Omaghs, Dromores, Carrickmores, Coalislands for entering a thirds team if it was at that level against other thirds teams.

More appealing to players yes, but i cant see senior managements been too keen. Was this not an issue before whereby senior / reserve footballers were opting for the more recreational "thirds" team football and therefore hindering the senior panel?
I still insist the current 3 divisions split across 4 divisions would work better. Even introduce a 5th if needs be for more "thirds" teams if they wish to enter. There is an equal gulf in difference in division 3 teams as there is between top half division 1 and bottom half division 1/top half division 2.
The so called "bigger" clubs dont like this idea as they are afraid they may loss their senior status, but if we still maintain 16 teams at senior championship level, then all they have to do is finish within top 16 teams of 1A/1B league to ensure qualification.

But that has nothing at all to do with Management? What right do they have to dictate what level someone plays at? If a player for whatever reason wants to play at a lower level for example because they cant commit to the crazy training regimes that club players are expected to, surely it is better that a player stays participating in some way than walks away completely?
#5
General discussion / Re: Premier League 2023-2024
February 27, 2024, 11:23:08 AM
Quote from: johnnycool on February 27, 2024, 11:00:50 AM
Quote from: trailer on February 26, 2024, 04:31:53 PM
Quote from: lurganblue on February 26, 2024, 01:48:26 PMThe Premier League dont seem to have a scooby doo on how to enforce these rules/sanctions.

It's independent.

6 points is still a fair wallop. Everton can have no complaints and I have little sympathy for them. They knew they were going to have a breech of FFP, told the PL that and then after the PL told them how to avoid it they continued to buy players. They took a short term view in order to keep their PL status. Essentially cheating. It has worked for them as they'll swallow this punishment, and most likely stay in the PL.


Everton were £20M over the FFP rules for the three year period in question and complied fully and honestly with the investigation and were still hit with the 10 points penalty.
A big part of that was how they were funding their stadium and whilst some of their transfer dealings were stupid and mad, they'd have been OK if the funding from our Russian Oligarch hadn't been rudely interrupted by Putin deciding to Annex part of Ukraine.

With even the reduction to 6 points, you gotta feel for Forest who are over £100M out of spec, so they'll get 5 times the punishment of Everton  ;)

All the while no one is looking at Chelsea and City and heck even United are still carrying a huge debt on their books annually but that's OK as they're able to service that debt!

https://theathletic.com/5006933/2023/10/28/manchester-united-debt-borrowing/

I get the need for financial controls within the premiership but stop going after the clubs on the margins of these rules when others are flagrantly well out of kilter.



I dont have a particular problem with United, as you say they are able to service the debt from commercial revenues so there should be no recourse there as to how to they fund. The fact the supporters have an problem with this is a seprate issue.  If anything it adds an extra layer of scrutiny as the banks are carrying out their own due diligence, cashflow modelling and stress testing.

City/Chelsea is more complicated as they (especially City) derive an awful lot of revenue from related parties on what is viewed as non commercial terms so it is shareholder funding by another route that does not show up in the metrics. If the PL/UEFA are serious about leveling the playing field this is where they need to target but I suspect they do not want to be too aggressive as you could start to see a few issues coming out from the like of Madrid/PSG etc as well as the UK teams.
#6
GAA Discussion / Re: Money is Destroying the Game
February 14, 2024, 02:22:36 PM
Quote from: ShutterinbyDayGAAbyNight on February 14, 2024, 02:00:30 PMWas recently chatting to a friend who is deeply involved in the local GAA club scene here in County Tyrone. He has been telling me that he is feeling overwhelmed by the amount of money his club is asking from him.

It's no secret that GAA clubs rely heavily on financial support from their members. Membership fees and occasional contributions for club run competitions are not only understandable but expected. However, recently the club in question has upped the ante, hounding members for money in ways that feel disproportionate and, in my own opinion, disrespectful.

While it's crucial for clubs to cover necessary expenses, it's been reported that this club is requesting members to foot the bill for their own presentation nights. Presentation nights, traditionally, have been a moment for clubs to come together and celebrate the achievements of their members. Asking attendees to pay for their own participation seems to go against the very spirit that these events should embody. Moreover, the practice of soliciting weekly direct debit payments from members has raised eyebrows. While consistent funding is essential for club operations, transparency and accountability regarding financial matters are equally important.

At what point do we draw the line? Perhaps it's time for a collective conversation about what constitutes reasonable financial expectations from our members and how we can hold our clubs accountable to those standards.

Its a difficult one. The cost of running a club has increased massively in recent years with things like floodlights, gyms, physio etc now expected at the same time as facilities costs like energy has skyrockted. Pitch upkeep is now no longer a couple of volunteers on a mower. That is before you get into payments to managers, S&C coaches etc.

A couple of local clubs round me have a combination of monthly DD to all members, players DDs, membership fees etc as well as corporate sponsors. A lot of clubs have moved away from fundraiser events as they are generally so much hassle.

Bottom line is that it has to be paid for and its up to the club to determine the most equitable way to raise funds. Taht being said, It will be a sad day if participation in GAA reduces because members cannot afford it so clubs need to bear this in mind.
#7
General discussion / Re: New Car Advice
February 14, 2024, 11:01:31 AM
Quote from: johnnycool on February 14, 2024, 10:16:14 AM
Quote from: Karl Kennedy on February 14, 2024, 09:35:30 AM
Quote from: johnnycool on February 13, 2024, 11:42:19 AM
Quote from: Jeepers Creepers on February 13, 2024, 10:46:47 AM
Quote from: Karl Kennedy on February 12, 2024, 09:13:52 PMCurrently in the process of changing car and trying to source the best 7 seater SUV. From reading reviews the cars that seem best in performances and reliability are Hyundai Santa Fe, SKODA Kodiaq, KIA Sorento, Volvo XC90.

Would definitely be trying to buy a used car at reasonable money. Price of cars obviously increased post COVID so wondering is it best to maybe buy in England instead of Ireland.

Anyone any advice on 7 seater cars that they may already have especially the pros and cons.

Been looking at these models myself recently. If I could afford it I'd obviously go with the xc90. Beautiful Motor and never a recorded fatality as far as I'm aware. Had an older model before but cost a few Bob to run. Newer models better fuel efficiency. The Kia and Hyundai have had face lifts in21/22 so are very pricey in the used market. Although have heard great reviews on both. Kodaq q probably cheapest option with decent reviews too. Top of the range ones a decently kitted out. The prices up North are crazy. I bought a year old kuga in 2018 for 18k. Now a year old Kuga is 23k

Work colleague is a big fan of the XC90's, buys them from somewhere in Scotland though and drives it home, says he can save a few K doing it that way.



XC90 and KIA Sorento definitely have better space in the 3rd row. Kodiaq not as good. All three drive better well to be fair but would say XC90 is best by far. Higher price but you get what you pay for I guess. with whatever one we go with, long term I hope none of the three give any long term problems and are easy to run.

JCool do you know the dealer your friend buys from in Scotland? Thanks

Arnold Clark mostly he says;

Arnold



Does he get much of a discount off list price from them? I spoke to them on a car i was interested in at about £20k and I probably needed about £500 off to make it worth travel etc and they were not for budging on the price.  I was not prepared to travel over and then try to haggle as the option of walking away becomes expensive then.

I have heard that there are much fewer dealers in the UK (and NI) prepared to move on price now because of all the car supermarkets that have a no haggle policy. Would be interested to hear if people's experiences back this up, particularly if trying to negotiate on phone before travelling to UK.
#8
General discussion / Re: The DUP thread
February 01, 2024, 11:55:03 AM
Quote from: tbrick18 on February 01, 2024, 11:32:12 AM
Quote from: trailer on February 01, 2024, 10:37:23 AMOne thing that maybe has flown under the radar is the possible reduction in Corporation tax here. Looking forward to that for sure. Would be a massive boost to business and the local economy if they can pull it off. Be interesting to see if we have the political ability to get that done.


I read that too.
I also read that as a reduction in corporation tax would mean a reduction in money paid to the British Exchequer from NI, the block grant would then also be reduced accordingly.
So it could be a case of giving on one hand and taking on the other with no net gain....and possibly even a net loss to NI Ltd.

And absolutely the right approach. It means our politicians will actually have to do what they are paid to do, i.e. do a cost benefit analysis and determine if the reduction in tax rate will have a net positive outcome, whether through increased employment or higher taxable profits as more companies relocate. Unfortunately an approach like that needs a stable political base and competent ministers, something I think we are sadly lacking.  It should not be a case of "cut tax for the sake of it and sure Whitehall will bail us out to make sure we are no worse off." This begging bowl approach has to stop.

I think this episode over the last few years has woken up a lot of Tories as to what a pain in the arse NI is to UK. And all thanks to the DUP.  ;D  ;D
#9
General discussion / Re: Broadband
January 29, 2024, 04:07:09 PM
Quote from: armaghniac on January 29, 2024, 02:12:44 PM
Quote from: TabClear on January 29, 2024, 12:54:34 PMI am with Fibrus a couple of years as was tied in after they brought fibre up my road., they did did a free connection.I had no choice as BT could only offer copper. Does anyone know if they have to allow competitors to use the lines after a period, i.e. can BT offer me fibre now using Fibrus infrastructure?

What do you want from BT? Fibrus offer a phone service for a small add on. All phones will be over the Internet from the near future in any case, even if you have a copper line,

Dont want anything from BT as such, certainly not a phoneline. What I mean is that that before Fibrus put fibre on my road, the BT copper line was my only option for broadband. If i decided to move from Fibrus when my contract is up, I dont know if other broadband providers can offer fibre as they would need to use Fibrus wires.
#10
General discussion / Re: Broadband
January 29, 2024, 12:54:34 PM
I am with Fibrus a couple of years as was tied in after they brought fibre up my road., they did did a free connection.I had no choice as BT could only offer copper. Does anyone know if they have to allow competitors to use the lines after a period, i.e. can BT offer me fibre now using Fibrus infrastructure?
#11
GAA Discussion / Re: Injuries in Young Players
January 18, 2024, 03:07:41 PM
Quote from: brokencrossbar1 on January 18, 2024, 02:47:57 PM
Quote from: Armagh18 on January 18, 2024, 12:02:11 PM
Quote from: Ethan Tremblay on January 18, 2024, 11:59:35 AM
Quote from: Milltown Row2 on January 18, 2024, 10:37:16 AMThere are a few things different from back in the day..

Pitches are harder
Shoes are different
Training in the gym
Kids are made of paper
Every injury now requires surgery!!
Players know about, hamstrings and metatarsals and ligaments (was a sore leg in my day)

Players are bigger
Diet plans

Few other factors as to why we have these injuries I'm sure..

The enjoyment I'm sure is still there but, seems like hard work in comparison to the, hill runs during the week preseasons and the drills with the ball at the weekend


Aye exactly this.  I find the young guys coming from our minor team to the senior team are all specialists in complicated injuries and are getting told they need surgery etc. 

There are no more "sore legs" its all hamstring tendinopathy this and osteitis pubis that. 

I think parents have a lot of input here putting it in their heads they are 'injured', rather than just sore. 



Yeah obviously theres going to be genuine cases of muscles going and stuff but I'd say a fair amount of the time players need to man the f**k up and play through a bit of discomfort.

Not allowed to say 'man up'. Get with the program!!!

While players now have greater conditioning opportunities etc I would question that they are any 'stronger' than we were 25 years ago. Could maybe bench press more but genuinely question their core strength. As for fitness,  I've trained teams the way we trained when I was playing and they could not do it. Simple as that

Agree with that. Not questioning that players are fitter now but it was a different gig. No floodlights, about 8 traffic cones with the emergency lights on top of them at various points on the pitch and not a ball in sight for midweek training until about march.

To be fair, most players turned up in Jan needing to lose about 2 stone which is not the case now but it was brutal going!
#12
GAA Discussion / Re: Injuries in Young Players
January 18, 2024, 08:49:37 AM
Quote from: intheknowhow on January 18, 2024, 08:29:07 AM
Quote from: TabClear on January 18, 2024, 08:19:10 AMInteresting article on the prevalence of injuries in young players with Liverpool and the reasons for it as they step up to the first team. I know in my own club there is a massive increase in longterm injuries in young players coming into the senior squad  compared to when i started about 20 years ago and the increased training intensity must be part of it, particularly when you consider the typical club player is not going to have access to the level of monitoring

https://www.thisisanfield.com/2024/01/liverpools-mystery-injuries-explained-bajcetic-doak-gordon-and-more/

20 years ago training was running and hard running and more running with drills ....

Absolutely agree. There is no doubt players now are on a different level fitness and strength wise. However, this definitely seems to be coming at the cost of players picking up more injuries and the article seems to give some indication of why this happpens. Not sure there is any solution if one of the best resourcesd sports clubs in the world is experiencing the same issues.
#13
GAA Discussion / Injuries in Young Players
January 18, 2024, 08:19:10 AM
Interesting article on the prevalence of injuries in young players with Liverpool and the reasons for it as they step up to the first team. I know in my own club there is a massive increase in longterm injuries in young players coming into the senior squad  compared to when i started about 20 years ago and the increased training intensity must be part of it, particularly when you consider the typical club player is not going to have access to the level of monitoring

https://www.thisisanfield.com/2024/01/liverpools-mystery-injuries-explained-bajcetic-doak-gordon-and-more/
#14
Quote from: gawa316 on January 02, 2024, 12:07:56 AMThought Jones and to a slightly lesser extent Endo were great. Gomez has slotted in nicely at LB.

That game probably should've finished about 8-2.

I for one love Nunez but if he was playing for another team I'd probably slag him off like others here. I used to do the same about Andy Cole cause there was not much else to slag when utd were winning trophies left, right and center.


Gomez has been excellent to be fair since he stepped in at left back.

Same number of shots (34) last night as the United game but a totally different match. Against United liverpool were really poor and most of the shots were speculative, last night they were really clear chances and a combination of bad luck, great keeping and poor finishing kept the score down. You do feel for Nunez, he has a couple of really good strikes that are well saved and then Gakpo comes on and scuffs one that completely wrongfoots the keeper.  ::)  ::)

City still the main danger and I fully expect them to go on a run but nice to be top for a few weeks! Hopefully Szoboslai's injury not too serious, even though his performances have dipped, we will need him with Endo away.
#15
Tyrone / Re: Tyrone Club Football and Hurling
December 19, 2023, 06:55:51 AM
Quote from: Eire90 on December 19, 2023, 01:50:48 AMWould solution not be to split junior league in two and have a home and away format in the two divisions.


THe championship should probably remain the same your always going to have some one sided games and you cant really have a 8 knockout team championship only 3 games to win a title (tho i think fermanagh senior championship is only 8 teams)

Probably the best idea even though it effectively creates 4 divisions. It would stand the teams better in both sections having more games that are competitive and would likely lead to tighter leagues if teams are playing each other twice. Too many matches this year that were a waste of time for both teams.