SpartyBlue

2 minutes ago, London Blue said:

Why is this taking so long?

Can’t find a jersey in his size

1 minute ago, c1982 said:

I did NOT know that. Tell me more..

2 minutes ago, EFC-Paul said:

I must admit I was rash to get miffed by it yesterday male PMT when it's nearing deadline day 

I think I had my hopes on Zaha and when we got linked to Smalling I couldn't bare it

Fresh head if it comes off I'll be happy with him, had a good nosey at him more today and if he can be a little more consistent he'll be a good buy 

One thing to keep in mind is that he came up through the youth ranks for Arsenal. Could very much be a "fresh start"type opportunity for him to stretch his legs and grow.

5 minutes ago, Ghoat said:

Look Sparty, if the man can run the whole county 140 characters at a time, then why should a briefing be any longer? I kid, I kid!

Honestly, given his background, I'd be surprised of much different - that's a CEO mentality.  If I have questions or need more info, I'll ask them. Broadly speaking, I'm ok with that - and that's not a defense of Trump per se, every president I remember has been accused of that. That was "reported" often about Clinton. But he also had an idiot savant-like memory when it came to names and places, he likely didn't need info repeatedly drilled and got a bit impatient (allegedly) when it was. Carter allegedly was prone to get down into the weeds and trying to micro-manage, bogging everything else down.

Frankly, I'm always very skeptical of "reports" like this. If for no other reason, it can only come from a source at the highest level of security clearance, with direct access to POTUS - at the risk of career suicide.

Do I think Trump is is a really impatient guy that could be an absolute dismissive prick to brief - yeah I can see that. easily  Do I think he routinely risks lives and US security if HUMINT and SIGNET doesn't come to him in the right color crayons... um, no.

 

 

 

Trump’s administration has been a sieve for stuff like this coming out so it seems plausible to me. It also corroborates quotes attributed to people who worked closely with him at one time or another. Just this week it’s been reported that the administration limited information on domestic terrorism within its assessments because “it would set off the boss”. Everything I’ve read paints the picture of a group of people who feel they need to walk on eggshells around Trump on issues that anger him (Russia, the darker corners of his base etc..). Beyond that,  some administration officials have been directly quoted as saying they feel the need to protect the country from his worst impulses. Consider the Mueller Report where there are multiple instances of his subordinates simply ignoring his demands because they felt they were crazy or potentially illegal. The historic turnover in his administration further makes the case that it’s a chaotic, difficult environment to work in (even for the west wing). I wonder who will play him in the eventual Disney+ series about his time in the White House. Perhaps Daniel Day Lewis would be willing to come out of retirement and portray a second famous Republican President.

2 minutes ago, Matt said:

Hope not. I’ll be very disappointed to see Bernard dropped. His workrate is essential for the high press. 

I suppose I don’t know enough about Iwobi to say whether he can do a job in the press. I worry about Bernard size’s resulting in getting worn down over a long season so, at worst, Iwobi should give us another option there if and when that happens.

7 minutes ago, markjazzbassist said:

i hope you guys are right i really do, COYB

We all do. I think of a winger as something of a luxury for us so if he adds anything that’ll be a bonus. Plus it allows Bernard to probably play more of a super sub role where I think he will thrive. 

Oh man, maybe he will be the polarizing figure we lack with the departure of Gana. Great job by Brands to get someone in for that vital role immediately.

4 minutes ago, markjazzbassist said:

just seen he's only 23 years old, that's the silver lining i'm holding onto, he will grow into a nice player.  cause when i watched him last year he was anonymous, hoping to be proved very wrong

Arsenal opinions seem pretty divided. I think they all recognize his talent but he apparently lacks some end product. Quite a few think he could be a good #10. He definitely will add creative flair. This will come down to whether that will ultimately result in production. Not there yet but at 25 or 26 who knows. 

1 minute ago, c1982 said:

Very good source - reassures me that £60m was a maximum bid for us.

I think everyone should be happy with this. Stuck to our guns. Good Window minus the CB but we must think Gbamin can do in a pinch until January so I'm not gonna ding them too bad.

9 minutes ago, Bill said:

Gbamin in an emergency, 

This. Should be alright until January barring some bad injury luck

Just now, Matt said:

It was Hodgson himself who says:

"We are looking forward to him doing this season, what he's done for the last two seasons. Everyone here has a good relationship with him. There's not a problem with that.

"His beef is with the chairman and owners of the club because he's wanted to leave and they haven't received the offer that they think is sufficient to allow him to leave.

"He has to come to terms with that, when you sign long-term contracts you are expected to honour them and we expect him to do that

might be nothing but why even mention he’s got “beef” with the owners?

This seems to prove what I'm speculating about. Obviously, he's had a falling out with the higher ups at the club. We simply don't know the details of that relationship or who is in the wrong. I'll agree that if he refuses to play for them now it would be unprofessional but until that happens I'll give the benefit of the doubt to him as he's given a lot to that club.

2 minutes ago, Matt said:

The fact that he has supposedly thrown a tantrum speaks volumes about his character if true and if he doesn’t knuckle down. If that’s the case, all the more reason to be grateful we’ve not panicked and spent stupid money. 

I don't put too much stock into reports like this as we don't know what went on behind the scenes. Perhaps he was promised that they would accept any reasonable offer and then management didn't follow through. It will be interesting to see if we go back in for him in January.

5 minutes ago, Bill said:

Staying at Palace, thank god.

For the prices quoted I’d prob rather take a shot on 23 year old Iwobi who is talented and may develop further and use that extra money in the future. Will be interesting to see if that move happens or we just stand pat until the next window. Winger seemed like a slight luxury position for us so I’m not too concerned if we don’t bring one in. 

39 minutes ago, Sibdane said:

100% this. A good president is one that considers all information received and makes the best possible decision.

I don’t want to make this completely about Trump but I suppose some mention is unavoidable. Of all the things I find alarming about him one of the most disturbing for me  is that he simply doesn’t like to read. It’s been confirmed on many occasions that intelligence  reports have to be boiled down to a single page in many cases with lots of visuals and he still gets bored and often doesn’t pay attention. 

26 minutes ago, Haiku said:

Тhe point is, if Zaha is really that good, I don't have opinion as I rarely watch Palace, and they want 60-70 mil for him, we better get him. In two seasons that will be a standard price for any above average premier league forward. As long as he lives up to our expectations, that will be a good deal.

I can never decide how the Premier League compares to American sports in terms of compensation. Salaries are significantly lower in most cases. For instance in baseball a decent pitcher is gonna be $10m-$15m and that can rise to over $30m for the top guys. Basketball is similarly absurd where avg starters command $100m contracts. That being said we don’t have transfer fees which is obviously where a lot of the funds go in football.

8 minutes ago, nutmegwolf203 said:

ATM?! I'm not sure what's made his week bad can be reconciled...

Ha. I’d like to believe that but it would not surprise me if many people explain it away to the point where it doesn’t significantly effect his legacy. I mean sure a lot of the founding fathers owned slaves but it was just a sign of the times, man..

1 hour ago, Ghoat said:

Honestly, I'm really not sure anyone is qualified job, it is so big and encompassing, and it's 24/7 at any given time. A former vice-president is probably the closest thing to a "qualified" candidate. A damn community organizer, a brash New York businessman/reality TV host, the son of a wealthy Texan/CIA spook (but governor of a large state) and the son of a bootlegger who is governor of a small Southern State. 

That's our last four presidents, and regardless of what they did and how well they did/didn't do it, none of those resumes even remotely prepare them for the responsibilities and enormity of that job. 

"Leader of the Free World" is in my opinion, a bit of an overstatement, but there is some truth to it. Who the hell has that ego to think they have the experience to be qualified for that? (Yes it's rhetorical)

You're not wrong. The job is being able to process information from (presumably) expert sources and making the best decisions you can. Of course that system breaks down if you ignore their information and their advice and decide to just wing it.

4 hours ago, Sibdane said:

Are you aware of our current president?

There was a small amount of sarcasm there.

3 minutes ago, Ghoat said:

lol yeah, bu that;s just  the Sheriff, consider this....

 

"Hey, I'd like to be, um, like president of the America"

"OK, qualifications - have you ever been the president of a country before?"

"Um, no"

"World leaders - are you friends with any, speak a foreign language maybe?"

"Sorta, I've seen Spanglish twice"

"Ok, well, have you ever been in charge of a military? Nuclear subs, stealth bombers, battle tanks, launch codes for MIRV's and such?"

"Um, what?"

"Are you 35, born in America, no felonies?"

"yeah"

"Fuck yeah dude, you're qualified to lead the free world, sign here!"

"Sweet"

 

Makes sheriff requirements seems reasonable, no?

Fair point. Luckily we have a system where any presidential candidates are thoroughly vetted by their competitors and by the media. If  they are found to be unqualified for the job of president they have no chance at all to win an election.

10 minutes ago, Romey 1878 said:

At least we only have to wait until 5pm (well 7pm really) for any news, instead of 11pm. 

Even better for me as I only have to wait until noon here in the states

2 minutes ago, Sibdane said:

Hoping my Bulldogs can finally hit the heights they're capable of. We reached number 1 for a week back in 2015, and have been bowl contenders since, and we had 3 first round draft picks for the NFL this year. We're finally recruiting good talent, and I think we're darkhorses for an SEC run.

We have some good competition at QB too, which somehow we've managed to be successful with for the last few seasons (see Dak Prescott at Dallas). Btw, @SpartyBlue, there's only one MSU, and it's Mississippi State.  

I'll believe that when they win something...anything. Georgia always seems to me the most likely one to knock Bama off their perch.

6 minutes ago, Ghoat said:

It's closed - but could always be reopened with an extension. But I guess with EEOC, it's a moot point.

Looking at Alabama, WTF? First you came for the front seats on the bus, then the water fountains, that whole voting thing...enough, we've done our part! (That would be a lot funnier if that slogan alone wasn't enough to get me elected county commissioner in some of the NE rural counties between Birmingham and Huntsville or NW between Birmingham and Starkvagas)

 

it's amazing how little qualification you need for some locally elected positions. I was watching something on the problems we have with coroners/medical examiners in this country that was pretty disturbing. In one case the sheriff of a town was also the coroner and routinely didn't bother to do autopsies when a death involved an officer. Apparently, in most places you just have to be 18 with no felonies.

45 minutes ago, Ghoat said:

NFL tangents are acceptable.

 

 

Buck Fama and War Eagle!

Auburn is loaded this year, maybe the best talent we have had overall in a decade. But we are either going to start a true freshman or a redshirt freshman at QB. And we play SIX of the teams that are in top 13 preseason....road games at Texas A&M, LSU and Florida, and the season with the Georgia Leghumpers and Alabama Cousin-Grinders at home. And we open the season with Oregon in Jerry's World with aforementioned freshman QB. 9-3 would be a hell of an accomplishment with that schedule.

Clemson is loaded with an easy schedule, not sure who can beat em.

Bama is $tocked as always and a favorable schedule, LSU at home, A&M and Auburn on the road.

Oklahoma with Jalen Hurts....interesting.

 

What about your team, conference, national thoughts, Heisman and such?

@SpartyBlue what's the chatter up there? Are they going to run Harbaugh if he loses to OSU again? What do The Fighting Dantonios look like this year? They are like the Auburn of the Big10 to me. Everyone knows them, they usually fumble around at 8-4 or so, overshadowed by the in-state rival, but then knock off OSU and UM randomly and rattle off a 10-2 and Sparty goes to the Rose Bowl. Then go back to 8-4. War Eagle.

I love college football, but it sure is nice to have 3 weeks of EPL to fill up August prior to kickoff.

Full disclosure first, I attended MSU. Harbaugh is definitely starting to feel some heat about his record vs his two main rivals but I can't imagine he's going anywhere. He's a legend there and has had success on both the college and NFL level. Who are they gonna get that's a better fit? Short of Saban deciding to head north again I think he's pretty entrenched. 

My boys are pretty hard to gauge. We were pretty decimated by injuries last season. We will be better no doubt and we have a lot coming back but it's hard to give a prediction. I learned years ago not to doubt Dantonio so it wouldn't surprise me if they surprised me. 

This is a great time of year for sports. The start of football and the start of futbol. Anyone in the SEC a threat to the big dogs?

1 hour ago, Ghoat said:

Not familiar with him, the cost of adding HBO is far more than my britbox subscription and I have more TV that I can watch anyway. 

I did do a quick scan over the amendments before I posted previously so I didn't say something factually stupid. When I did I noticed something interesting on the 27th amendment - I forget that one, I guess because when I grew up in school they were 26 amendments. it was ratified in 1992 and basically says when Congress votes themselves a raise it doesn't take effect until the next session. So in theory you're not voting yourself a raise unless you get reelected. The interesting thing to me was it was proposed in 1789, along with 10 others that became the Bill of Rights. That it took 202 years to ratify that is somewhat embarrassing.

But....A 19 year old sophomore at the University of Texas wrote a paper about it, claiming it could still be ratified. He got a "C". He was pissed off about the grade, and managed to launch a national campaign bringing attention to it and it was indeed ratified. That is actually a pretty cool story that I never knew.

That's very interesting. I believe the ERA is still open for ratification and if I'm not mistaken i think they are up to 37 states and need only 1 more. Looking at you, Alabama. Haha, I kid.

11 minutes ago, Romey 1878 said:

Hopefully he does enough to actually replace Coleman. If he can cross the ball then I’m up for that straight off. 

Looks good as an attacker/crosser from what I've seen. Not sure on his defense but French International so can't be too bad.