Ohh Tommy Johnson

I think there are a lot of issues at paly here. It is very rarely just one big thing that goes wrong in these situations. Injuries have left us without some of our best players, we have been unable to rotate when fatigue or loss of form sets in. The disruption of having LW leave, and SM come in. An inexperienced coaching team learning their trade, and some transfers not coming off as hoped. Also losing Jason Turner changed the culture at the club (I'm not saying for better or worse, but a change at the top always leads to a change in culture). The more I think about it, the more I think SM is the least of the issues. He must have shown something in the recruitment process - it wasn't a hurried process. So I think he will be given every opportunity to show what he can do. Sadly, given a large section of the fanbase have already decided he has to go (indeed many did before he even arrived), the pressure is already really high which can't help. Our current owners don't seem to be the panicking types, and Trew and Hardy show what happens when the owner flips and flops, so I don't think there will be changes there for a while. A couple of wins and a clean sheet will do wonders for fatigue and confidence, lets hope that starts tomorrow.

It was also the middle of summer and a lot of players could simply have been away. I can see why they didn’t go for wholesale changes. Stability and just one or two changes a season has served us well up to this point. I think we needed a leader at the back, uncompromising on the opposition and those around him. Someone who sets high standards and demands it of those around him. I think we may have seen a different outcome with even just one more defender in that mould. Right now I think a lack of confidence along with some players being on their last legs is a huge part of the issue. We haven’t been able to rest players or take them out of the firing line which can’t help, and right now they must be wondering where the next point is coming from. I don’t think many of them will have experienced Meadow Lane at its toxic worst, but judging from Tuesday night, I don’t think they will have to wait long. It’s been a while since I’ve seen one of our fans squaring up to another for a fight.

I think I would do something similar. You could feel the tension increasing on Tuesday, the longer it stayed 1-0. If Langstaff had scored one of his chances that a couple of months ago he would have buried, or we had made our periods of dominance pay then I think we would have kept a clean sheet. I also think SM is lacking in his own confidence. He should resist the temptation to chop and change as much. My team would be Slocombe, Macari, Baldwin if fit, Cameron or Chicksen, midfield of JoB and Bostock, Nemane and Jones, forwards Langstaff and Jatta ( but I would allow them to be a bit fluid) with Crowley just behind. Bench Colkett, Austin, Ashby-Hammond, Didzy, Saunders, Chicksen / Rawlinson, TAR. An alternative would be to go 4 at the back Macari, Cameron, Baldwin, Chicksen, JoB, Austin, Nemane, Crowley, Jones with Langstaff up front with Jatta on the bench. We need to get the game won as early as possible and not drop the intensity off if we score like we did Tuesday. 2 or 3 up and I bet defending becomes a whole lot easier.

Dover District Council in danger of bankruptcy over Brexit food health checks. I hope they just get the port to prevent food imports instead of impacting the locals. This is a National government issue and so everyone should pay, not just the locals.

Wordle 961 4/6* ???????? ???????????? ???????????? ????????????????????

I keep doing this; making a swap, realising it was an error and then swapping the letters back again. That cost me 2 stars today. #waffle745 2/5 ???????????????????? ???????????? ???????????????????? ???????????? ???????????????????? ???? streak: 6 wafflegame.net

Chris Heaton-Harris (Northern Ireland Minister and member of this Brexit government) was just on the radio extolling the benefits Northern Ireland have in their ability to access the EU Single Market, and how that gives them a competitive advantage over companies in the rest of the UK. He is hopeful businesses will relocate to Northern Ireland in a bid to take advantage of it's unique EU access. I have to say that is an odd stance to take given that Brexit is such a huge success.

I wish he would take on his man a bit more a la Jones on the other side. That would really give oppositions something to think about.

You will find that it's France who are keeping the EU from the permanent seats at the Security Council (as they are effectively their representative there), and I would imagine that's how it will stay... but make no mistake, we are only there for historical reasons and because we can be reliably counted upon to do whatever the US requires. Once the US stops seeing us as the useful patsy, we will be gone. We really have no business being on there anyway - our armed forces are insignificant, our economy is too small and we wield little influence now. India probably have a better claim.. I could have sworn it was the Tory party who installed Sunak, after Truss tanked the economy and all realistic chance of winning the next election disappeared. It had nothing to do with the IMF, just Tory self preservation and the financial institutions (pension companies and banks) losing faith. I think you see conspiracy in too many places, this was plain and simple cock up on the Tory party's part. Anyway, this is getting us nowhere... Little Englanders are in control for now, but at some point we will need to look to our friends abroad, if we have any left. I am happy to wait for the time when sense prevails again.

Incidentally, by leaving we lost all control over reforming the EU to make it better. We had a significantly greater than 1 in 28 voice as we led a coalition of north European states including the Low Countries, those Scandinavian countries in the EU often allied to Germany, in discussions against France, Italy etc. We were also the conduit for the US to work with the EU and so had a disproportionate influence in Washington. We have seen in the way Trump and Biden have treated May, Johnson and Sunak that we are no longer considered relevant there... we are handy for helping lob a few missiles onto Middle Eastern rebels when told to do so, but not a lot else. We are left with little influence and a weak negotiating position. Thanks to Johnson, we are seen as unreliable international partners who are willing to break international law and agreements. This further reduces our soft power and makes us less attractive to deal with. We are in a mess and that is entirely down to Johnson, Farage and their disciples (who have mostly done very nicely for themselves out of it).

Actually the US does if it wants to sell in the EU... as Apple found out. Look at why they had to change from Lightning cables to USB C, In my business, the US has to comply with EU rules on engineering design and standards. We won't be able to avoid these. I We don't have a free trade agreement with the EU, we have a trade agreement.. there is nothing free about it. The non-tariff charges are crippling our companies because the trade agreements with other countries don't compensate for the lost trade with the EU. It's not a positive of Brexit - our negotiating position is far weaker alone than as part of a large trading block. If we want a trade agreement with India we will need to accept free movement of people from India to the UK... sound familiar? I'm interested to know what foreign law overrides ours?

I was listening to a podcast of Prohibition in the US (history is a passion of mine). It was really interesting and you could draw many parallels to Brexit. There had been 3 separate but connected pressure groups - Ani-slavery, Womens' Rights and Temperance. They were all connected to the moral position of the US (slavery is obvious, women had no rights at all in the 19th and early 20th centuries, and drinking was a huge problem in the US). Drinking was partly put down to immigrant Germans (who saw a market for their beer) and immigrant Irish (who brought whiskey) with them. Slavery was quickly (relatively dealt with), but the other 2 struggled as their message was diluted because they had many strands. In the end the Anti-Saloon League became a 1 issue campaign which worked across political lines to ban alcohol, much in the way Farage and Johnson made the Brexit all about immigration. They consequently gained support from all sides and won the day. 12 years later Prohibition was repealed as it was seen for what it was a blunt tool to solve a complex problem, which harmed the country. One issue campaigns are effective in bringing change, but not at providing sustainable solutions. Tat is where we are now with Brexit.

Interesting read as I hadn't realised that these were from last season! I wonder if anybody has changed their view? I would have put us as Play-off / Automatic contenders last May, now I think we will finish just outside the paly offs. But, it is so tight, I wouldn't be surprised if we finished anywhere from 3rd to 10th or 11th. I think there has been a lot of disruption to contend with and we need to get our defensive shape sorted. If we can do the latter, then I don't see why we can finish above 7th. ... but I put 'Top Half' as I think this is more likely at this stage.

You say that the EU was bad for our country, but can't actually give an example of any laws that we have introduced because of the EU that have made your life worse. What are they? I think the EU ship has sailed anyway, which is why I chose my words carefully. They see us as a pain to deal with and some countries (Ireland in particular) have done very nicely from us leaving and don't want us back. Incidentally, they also see a united Ireland on the horizon, which I can see as a distinct possibility now Sinn Fein have the First Minister at Stormont and are increasingly powerful in Dublin. Necessity will force a closer relationship with Europe, especially as we are likely to be left between a rock and a hard place when Trump wins and takes an extreme isolationist position... or become a vassal state of the US (Trump will not allow anything else). My job involves working with sites around the world, those outside Europe think we were stark raving mad to leave, those in Europe are glad we did. We have just closed our UK operations (900 very well paid jobs gone) and are moving them to Ireland as we have better access to the much bigger EU market from there (luckily my 'office' is in the US so I am not impacted (yet) even though I live and work from here). Even the language schools that use to be so common around here have largely gone in the last 4 years, but I notice they have increased in Ireland as children go there to learn English rather than here. Anyway, we do have our blue (French manufactured) passports to wave as we wait in the queue.

Nice one. I scraped in again today. I think I need a rethink on tactics - swapping one letter at a time leaves little room for error. #waffle742 0/5 ???????????????????? ???????????? ???????????????????? ???????????? ???????????????????? ???? streak: 5 wafflegame.net

Wordle 958 4/6* ???????? ???????????????? ???????????????? ???????????????????? A tricky one today!

You would though wouldn't you... that would lose him his seat in Parliament and could be considered treasonous. Under those circumstances of course he would deny it. Legal opinion says otherwise. Anyway, as I say they younger generation will sort it out soon enough once the Brexiteers die out (sad, but looking at the demographics of that poll inevitable). As my daughters point out to me, our generation(the Tories as they see it) have screwed the planet (wait until you see the coming immigration from that disaster), we (the Tories) have removed their freedom to move and work where they want and we (the Tories) have screwed the economy here and removed their opportunities to work here too. Their generation doesn't have a lot of love for what we (the Tories) have done.

Said the guy who lied to the queen. He has zero credibility and really shouldn't be defending Brexit, surely the benefits are clear and abundant... if only we could find them! Anyway, I'm not going to get into this again. My daughters generation will undo it all anyway.

Brexit: The people’s damning verdict four years on (Evening Standard) The people of Britain have delivered a damning verdict on Brexit four years on from leaving the European Union. An exclusive Ipsos poll for the Evening Standard released on Wednesday found 57 per cent of adults in the country believe Brexit has been more of a failure, with just 13 per cent saying more of a success. The UK left the European trading bloc at 11pm on 31 January 2020, with the nation bitterly divided after a 52 per cent to 48 per cent referendum result to Leave in 2016. But now more than four times as many people see Brexit as having not worked than those who believe it has done so. Younger adults, Londoners, and graduates are particularly disappointed groups. The survey showed: 70 per cent of 18 to 34-year-olds think Brexit has been more of a failure, and 64 per cent of 35-54s, compared to 38 per cent of those aged 65+. 67 per cent of Londoners brand Brexit more of a failure, compared to 49 per cent in the Midlands. 73 per cent of graduates have this negative view of Brexit, double the 36 per cent of those without formal qualifications. 78 per cent of Labour supporters think it has been more of a failure, with Conservative backers split 28/31 (failure/success). Brexiteers promised the country that Leaving would mean taking back control of Britain’s borders, injecting £350 million more a week into the NHS, a free trade deal with America and more prosperous times ahead. The UK remained in a transition period until the end of 2020, to cushion the immediate disruption of splintering away from its biggest trading partner. But seven in ten Britons now believe that Brexit has had a negative impact on the current state of the economy which has also been rocked by the unprecedented Covid pandemic and Vladimir Putin’s Ukraine war. Just 12 per cent say quitting the EU has benefited the economy. More than half, 55 per cent, say it has harmed future prospects for growth, with just 21 per cent holding the opposite view. Forty-six per cent say it has hit their and their family’s standards of living, with 11 per cent stating it has improved it. Ministers talk up a so-called “Brexit dividend” but this argument was hit with a fresh blow as negotiations over a new trading deal with Canada collapsed. There are no signs of any imminent US-UK free trade deal, one with India is yet to materialise, though the Government did sign up to the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership. Rishi Sunak has sought to build bridges with Brussels and EU nations after the Brexit bust-ups under Boris Johnson and Liz Truss. But 54 per cent say Brexit has undermined Britain’s standing on the world stage, with just 17 per cent believing it has enhanced it. (Evening Standard)© Provided by Evening Standard Half of adults say Brexit has damaged the UK’s ability to control its own borders and immigration, with 13 per cent thinking it has improved it. While the number of EU citizens coming to Britain has fallen since the 2016 referendum, overall UK net migration hit a record 745,000 in 2022. Gideon Skinner, Head of Political Research at Ipsos UK, said that “2019 was called the Brexit election, and it was a key factor in Boris Johnson’s victory”. “Now consistently most Britons think it has had a negative impact on the country, and even those who were more likely to support the decision often feel that it could have been better implemented,” he said. Fifty-one per cent say Brexit has negatively impacted spending on the NHS, with 11 per cent stating it has been a benefit. A third (34 per cent) believe it has freed Britain’s ability to take its own decisions, but 32 per cent say it is hindering it. * Ipsos interviewed 1,003 adults in Britain by phone between January 17 and 23. Data are weighted.

Wordle 957 6/6* ???????? ???????????? ???????????? ???????????? ???????????? ????????????????????

#waffle741 0/5 ???????????????????? ???????????? ???????????????????? ???????????? ???????????????????? ???? streak: 4 wafflegame.net Squeaked in after a couple of silly moves.

If he's going on the wing he would need to be special to push Jones or Nemane out. I have no problem with them (whoever) sitting on the bench and letting them fight for a place. It also takes time to fit into our patterns. Williams and, it seems, Maynard are very detailed and I can imagine the players are drilled endlessly in patterns and so on. It isn't easy to walk into the first team in that situation. Look at Bostock, Jones and now Robertson non of whom have hit the floor running, took a few weeks to get into the team and then took a while to show what they can do (assuming Robertson does so). Regardless of whether they go straight into the side or not, they should strengthen the squad; more competition for places, more competitive training etc etc. Let's see what happens.

He wouldn't have scored that against Barrow, he would have been scythed down way before he got close.

I'm not sure Luke Williams will have much of a say, but I reckon the line up will be something like: Stone Warner Baldwin Cameron Nemane Jones Robertson Bostock Crowley McGoldrick Langstaff Bench Loan Goalkeeper (I have a mental block on his name) Brindley / Macari (if fit) JoB, Austin / Randall /TAR (3 of depending on Jones' fitness) Sanderson It almost picks itself at the moment. If Jones is injured, then Austin for Jones, if jones is fit then TAR drops out. It is going to be a tough old match, even with Mansfield suffering with suspensions and injuries. A draw would be a good result.

#waffle740 4/5 ???????????????????? ???????????? ???????????????????? ???????????? ???????????????????? ???? streak: 3 wafflegame.net