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Somebody the day said the UK tariff to the US was 6% or sthing, though showing at 39% (sorry 39 is the EU) so not sure where he's getting those % out off.

It had nothing to do with tariffs. It was a made up formula to suit their purposes. Any country whose percentage worked at at less than 10% was automatically hit with a 10% tariff anyway. Economists are scratching their heads given there was such a preamble about how all sorts of currency manipulation and point of sale taxes had been included in the calculation. All complete nonsense. 

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c93gq72n7y1o.amp

I just realised I am in the top age profile for the survey. Time is definitely ticking away

Joined in 2003. Living overseas for most of that time, it's been a great insight into developments in the game and gossip too.

1. Blue Skinned Beast
2. My Girl
3. Bed and Breakfast Man

Fisk..... I think it's on ITV or ITV X. Australian comedy show. Slow moving in ways but very funny. Similar vibe to "Colin from Accounts" for those who have seen it

Alonso who?

Was he even a Liverpool top player?

Yes he was.  Played in two champions league finals winning one and a FA cup. 

Class on the ball and dictated the game for Liverpool passing range off both feet top class, his influence meant Gerrard was pushed initially to the right of midfield and then into a more advance role. 

Moved onto Madrid after and Bayern and was a key player in the era of Spain's greatest midfield and won 114 caps. 

Gerrard adored him as a midfield partner. Said he missed him every day at Anfield when he went to Madrid. His importance was only emphasised when they tried to replace him .... With Aquaman .... Aquilani. Alonso was like a scrum half. Always behind the ball ready to receive and change the angle of play. He played a bit of GAA too if I remember correctly.... Stayed a summer with a family Meath I think

Keep it on topic or create your own Biggest shithole in England thread!

It was an anecdote not a contribution, based on previous posts. It's how debates tend to ebb and flow. We are back in Dungannon now, so all good on the discussion front on hope. Lived there too mind you.

BSHI winners wouldn't have a hope against BSH England winners. The North of England has been neglected for over 40 years.

Oldham and Stockport spring to mind

Luton and Birmingham.

Stoke

Have you people ever been to any of these places? Luton, Birmingham and Stoke all have decent parts, and other not so nice areas. You could pretty list anywhere if that's the case.. I'll start, Leeds, Manchester, Liverpool, Newcastle, Sheffield.

A big city will always have nice areas and very rough areas.

Years ago I was listening to a guy called Adrian Durham on the radio in England and he said he had just been to a town called Hayes in west London, and aside from Luton, it was the biggest sh*those he'd ever been to. Three months earlier, I had just moved from Hayes to Luton. Says a lot about me I guess 🤔. However, there are some very affluent parts in Luton, large grand houses and there are the poorer areas that used to be the factory houses... typical two up, two down terraced houses, a lot of them are in and around the area where Luton FC are. The town centre isn't the greatest. It's not the best place in the world  I must admit, but it's not the worst either.
I was in Middlesbrough back in the early 2000s and in a shopping centre one day there was a guy showing off the new Renault Laguna estate. I got chatting to him and asked the price and if memory serves me right the top of the range was in and around the high teens. The previous evening I'd been looking in estate agents windows and saw houses for sale for £20k in some parts of Middlesborough. I couldn't help but think that this guy was going to have some job trying to flog a 20 grand car in a town where you could buy a house for the same price. The north of England has been neglected for a long time. There are some crumby places in the south but you'll still pay handsomely to put a roof over your head in those places and people are more than happy to live in them. As the saying goes, location, location, location.

He was meant to take over as coach of Afghanistan in 2022 but declined the offer due to ill health apparently. Not sure if it was the same illness that he died from.

It turns out it was suicide. He suffered from anxiety and depression. He had attempted to take his life in 2022.

Yeah, read that today! Mental health support is ridiculous, 2 year waiting lists for poorly run programs.

Was chatting strangely enough today with a friend and the challenges they went through with their son's anxiety and depression. There's zero support straight away and they were told 2 years before they could be looked at, they went private and after many sessions he's in a better place, but still needs therapy but it's working for them.

Can you imagine not being in a position that you can pay and waiting 2 years? Madness.

Apparently he had made an attempt in 2022 which would coincide with his health issue which caused the Afghanistan about turn. He ended up in intensive care for a long period.
Huge sympathy for the poor man and his family and massive respect for his family too for coming out and telling the story.... Hoping I guess that it might help others

He was meant to take over as coach of Afghanistan in 2022 but declined the offer due to ill health apparently. Not sure if it was the same illness that he died from.

https://news.sky.com/story/joe-biden-pulls-out-of-speech-after-contracting-covid-13179594

Is this the start of a carefully choreographed exit strategy?

Or maybe a back-from-the-brink resurrection to prove that he is as strong as Trump physically.

Teddy Thompson's version of THe Future by Leonard Cohen.

I saw the thread and thought someone had hacked my account. I haven't posted anything here in quite a while. Impressive that someone could find the thread...... I'd long forgotten even writing it.

The years when the final was played in Parnell Park you might get a few hundred at the game, but that woudl include the other squads (or those that could be bothered to turn up). The last year it was staged the final was played in Naomh Mearnog and there were only a handful of people there, and a few big-hitters from Croke Park who were obliged to be there and that was about that.

One year our entourage consisted of our manager and that was all. We had fifteen players and a manager. As I say, it was hard to get lads to commit to a whole week of football away from work business and families.... that and the fact that at the time London were always rubbish at planning in advance and as a result would be ringing lads a week before the tournament asking them if they wanted to go.

In fairness to Croke Park they always treated us very well and as the the years went by things improved. We received All Ireland tickets at the end of the week (to be paid for) and also there was a welcome dinner at the start in Croke Park and then an end of tournament function.

The press never showed much interest in it mind you.... but it woudl have meant some of them getting off their arses

The competition was also played in 1994, that was the start of it. The teams involved at various stages over the years were London, Rest of Britain, NY, North American Board, Canada, Europe, Scotland, Australasia. A women's element was also introduced in 2000 and 2002 and I think the ladies one carried on for another year or so after the men's one finished.

The first one was hosted at DCU, the second at Ballyboden, the third at St Vincents, and the last two at Naomh Mearnog. The final was generally played in Parnell Park, although the last ever final was played at Naomh Mearnog.

The first two were great craic socially and all the teams practically lived in Copper Faced Jacks and no one took them very seriously, but the later ones tended to get a bit more competitive.
I played in the first four and was a selector in the final one.

It was a great concept but the reality was it was impossible to get strong teams there. The Aussies had the issue of the time away from home. Each time they travelled they came a week early to get some games in Ireland. The Americans had the problem with the illegal guys living in the States.

For these guys and everyone else, it was also difficult to get guys to take a week off work to go to play football in Dublin.

The London team of September 1994 contained just two players from the Championship team of three months earlier. It just wasn't possible for a lot of guys to drop everything, especially those with businesses or families.