Messages

From my perspective the emergence of City is a good thing. Throughout the noughties, United and Chelsea had a carve up for the best players in enhland or willing to come to England. Anyone joining either club was guaranteed silverware.  Adding City to mega money group has reduced that likelihood of guaranteed silverware and have actually made a move away from Liverpool, Arsenal or Spurs less tempting; or at least solely about money. So all told the gap closed between the top six clubs.

I'm well surprised that City have had it so easy this year, but I wouldn't be worried about it unles it continues for another 2+ seasons. I'd expect They've got too many outrageously rich players to keep up these performance levels once a few trophies are landed.

Always I find it odd when a Man Utd fan complains about the spending of other clubs.

As a club, United have spent the premier league era breaking transfer records and higherinh wages.

In past two seasons alone, £100m for Pogba, £75m for Lukaku. I don't care how you to try to justify this as a revenue spend, it's absolutely disgusting.

Thank you Boycey.
The thing I liked about it was it give me both of the free view options north and south.

thewobbler
So the tv must be full HD

Any recommendations for under 450mm in height restrictions that I have.

Both the tv and it's freeview antenna must be HD. Some HD TVs don't have HD Freeview which is clean mad but sure anything for Curry's to save a fiver

Get a tv with either Freeview HD (not Freeview +) or saorview on the box.

Saorview uses a HD signal. Freeview in UK doesn't require HD. That's the difference.

What's Boxing Day.

It's a public holiday in England, when traditionally all English professional football teams play matches.

I'm wondering if you describe Thanksgiving NFL matches as being played on the 4th Thursday in November?
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It's good to be a beer snob but in truth, as standard draught lager goes in Ireland, Heineken is the best by a distance.

£3.00 is the standard price in locals pubs in Newry but some have moved up to £3.20 in past few months. Entertainment bars on the town are around £3.60.

Banbridge tends to be around 10/20p cheaper for a pint than Newry. How bars are staying open and paying wages with the margin at £2.80 a pint I've no idea.

Harry Kane has now equaled Alan Shearer's record for goals in PL calendar year.

I follow spurs. But f**k it does my head in how spurs keep winning mythical calendar year awards instead of seasonal real ones.

Teams often reflect their most important players, and McClean sums up Irish soccer these days. Hardworking and committed, but fundamentally not good enough to compete at a high level, and generally unlikeable.

If that's the yardstick for an individual sporting award, then we have low standards.

Think they're taking the piss a little bit with Solo coming out so soon too. Audiences might have a bit of Star Wars fatigue and it could bite them a bit.

Rogue one was supposed to come out only 6 mths after TFA but got put back so you may find Solo gets nudged back to Dec also. One a year is about right. Disney paid big money for the rights but it really is a license to print money. Expect a follow up trilogy after this one. Bobba fett, Ben kenobi will defo get made and if the interest is still there expect every other character from the original trilogy to get their own film

They won't make a Boba Fett film. Iconic as he has become, he's a rather boring individual

Not so sure about the Last Jedi. It's probably a better story than TFA, but it's just not as enjoyable; it's too long,  has too much dialogue and has a fair number of unnecessary characters. Watchable but not really memorable. As mentioned above, the lack of background to Snoke is a cop out. One would have to assume he had a master at one stage in order to gain full control of his powers. But who?

Rogue One is still by miles the standout since Disney.

What other sport let's under 16s in for nothin?
And don't throw the amateur status at me as it is far from that.
I think he has a point

Smurfy we are talking about club games. It is the sport's secondary competition after County games. Let's remember that. Some games are of a high standard and involve supreme players , many genuinely are not, and some involve players who train no harder than under-6s.

You won't pay as an under 16 into any club rugby match.

Newry City charge precisely £0 for a season ticket for under 16s.

Does anyone pay in to watch hockey?

Tell me. What are the second tier and/or amateur sports in Ireland that under 16s do pay to watch?

Some u16s only go to the game with their mum or dad cos they get in free. what may happen is they may not go(or parent may not bring them), then the parent(s) might decide not to go

Might not have the effect they hope for.....

I'm thinking the same.

If you're at a championship match and all you can see is empty spaces in a stand, then a price hike probably isn't the solution.

I'd also think it a worthwhile experiment for the county board to shelve Thursday, Friday and Monday championship matches and run (in the earlier rounds) fixtures side-by-side across the county in smaller grounds in the plum slots of Saturday evening, Sunday afternoon and Sunday evening.

Okay they'd lose out on a few hundred die hards who like to go to as many matches as possible, but convenience in terms of time and location can surely only boost gates among club members and local communities.

Frankly I've no idea why they would expect a large crowd from Carryduff to make a 6.30 Thursday throw-in in Newcastle, or a large crowd from Liatroim to make a 6.30 Thursday throw-in in Newry. Whether we like it or not, modern lives are too busy for that sort of caper.

Lukaku has been a serious waste of money for Utd

Ah I f**king hate these comments.

Here's how United play against the rest of the top 6. They absolutely isolate Lukaku and provide no service to his feet, no through balls for him to chase into, no support for his knockdowns,  and no crosses for him to attack.

I don't care how much they paid for him. Today and all the other top 6 matches are not on him. It's simply not possible to be a matchwinner in these circumstances.

Try, just try to be rational about what you're watching.

I'll disagree with the both of yis

Lukaku's not been useless BUT the difference between really really good players and the rest is that they'll score from that one chance that comes their way in a tight game and from memory in both the Liverpool game and today he's had the chance to be the hero and if he takes them no one remembers anything else...

A bit unlucky today though, an auld dribbly one off his shin would probably have gone in but he caught it absolutely flush 

I'm not suggesting he's Gerd Muller. But it's truly unfair on a striker completely starved of service to then escalate any half chance he gets, into a gimme.

It's like blaming a woman when she gets raped.

It's a first defeat at Old Trafford in 41 games for United and no real surprise to see Manchester City win however I am surprised a record breaking City couldn't score from open play and had to rely on errors for goals. If Van Nistelrooy,Van Persie,Cantona,Rooney at his peak had that Lukaku chance on 86 minutes it would have been 2-2.

Much as you want to believe otherwise, Lukaku made a fine connection with a cross that was behind him, and faced with a defender and a keeper within the third of the goal that he could direct the ball towards, was very unlucky that it hit the keeper's face.

But apparently he's the 1st united centre forward to miss any sort of a chance since Peter Davenport.

Lukaku has been a serious waste of money for Utd

Ah I f**king hate these comments.

Here's how United play against the rest of the top 6. They absolutely isolate Lukaku and provide no service to his feet, no through balls for him to chase into, no support for his knockdowns,  and no crosses for him to attack.

I don't care how much they paid for him. Today and all the other top 6 matches are not on him. It's simply not possible to be a matchwinner in these circumstances.

Try, just try to be rational about what you're watching.