Ohh Tommy Johnson

We played with balls like that at primary school. Our headteacher was old school and made us play 2 -3 -5 with inside halves etc so the heavy ball was part of the retro feel of our team. We did come 2nd in the Newark Primary Schools league so it was pretty successful I guess. I'll look up some stuff on Horace Cope - he was my dad's uncle (I think).

I'm 55. In my youth I used to race my cycle with Long Eaton CC (and Southwell CC before that). I played hockey too, but a couple of serious back injuries gave me a forced 15 years off exercise. My wife became ill with Motor Neurones Disease in 2013, so I made a decision to stay fit to look after my daughters... I have managed to roughly achieve that, notwithstanding multiple injuries, and found I enjoyed running and was moderately OK at it. I hate marathons though, I just can't work them out!

Cross trainers and treadmills are sooooo boring. I take my hat off to you for managing 30 minutes!! I'm getting out about 4 times a week for a run, roughly 40 - 50km a week at the moment, but I am hoping to increase that as I start to get fit. I also do a couple of gym sessions when I remember / can be bothered. I'm getting slower and slower though!!

Looking at that video I tend to think he may be exactly what we need - a new perspective and ideas to tweak a system that has been very successful for us over the past few years.

This is the French, Dutch etc. We aren't doing anything our side. The checks we are bringing in are for goods inbound, particularly food, requiring additional checks and paperwork which were unnecessary when we were in the EU and only add costs which weren't there before. The food itself is produced to EU standards, so above ours, but we still need to do the checks. My understanding is that the EU are increasing their checks too putting more costs on our food producers compared with their European counterparts (I could be wrong on that point though). Which authorities? The water companies will do it (maybe) for a 40% increase (maybe) in the bills. The Environment Agency isn't set up to do it and the Local Authorities don't have the money. Also, since we left the EU our environmental laws have been relaxed to the point that it is unclear if the Water Companies are actually breaking the law as much as the media would have us believe. Certainly there aren't many cases being brought to court through Offwat or the EA. This Government is pretty anti-environment too, so there isn't any appetite to pursue offenders anyway and the Environment Agency has been cut to the bone and beyond. Fishing was one of the big lies (and truths) of Brexit. The lie was that we could claim the fish for ourselves post leaving, that was never going to happen (not all the fishing agreements were negotiated with the EU - for example the Belgian and Dutch fleets have rights going back to the 17th century, and due to the nature of the channel we have separate agreements with the French, then cod is negotiated with Iceland which isn't part of the EU anyway... incidentally if I recall the EEC backed the UK in the Cod Wars and prevented Iceland taking an even bigger share of the fish than they have). The truth is we eat very little of the fish we catch and so we export most of it and are reliant on a trade negotiation. The EU demonstrated the truth of Brexit when they just refused to accept any British fish into the EU unless we agreed fishing rights with them. We are so small in comparison that we had no negotiating power and our fishing fleet was thrown under the bus. All the vet and health checks that need to be done now we are a 3rd country means that the fish is going directly into EU ports (so that it remains fresh enough after the checks) having a detrimental effect on our ports. Luckily for us down here the difference between Dover, Ramsgate or Folkestone and Calais, Dunkirk, Dieppe or Ostend is such is only affects shore jobs, Humberside, the North East and Scotland are much more affected as they have to get from the fishing grounds down to their markets in Europe and then head back up north again. Alas, we don't have the negotiating power to change that... but Vote Leave knew this beforehand. FWIW, I don't think we will go back into the EU for a long time, as the terms that would be offered (i.e. the same as any new country asking to join would get) will be unacceptable as they are so much worse than we had as a member, however, if we don't move closer to the EU then we risk being left stranded, particularly if Trump gets in again in the States. I honestly don't think Brexit can ever be successful when measured against what we had, but it doesn't need to be the disaster it currently is, but it needs honesty from Politicians of all persuasions to come clean about what can and can't be achieved so the we have realistic expectations of what the future holds. In many respects that in itself would be a huge step forward rather than this ridiculous situation where they all deny Brexit has anything to do with the negatives, brandish the most minor benefit (real or imagined) as a massive breakthrough and refuse to engage in any meaningful conversation on the topic. Be honest with us and we can move forward. I don't get why that has anything to do with Brexit - the policy was adopted in 2023 by Shropshire council, surely we should be up in arms at the government for this? The EU isn't mentioned once in that clip.

I think this is the crux of the issue. The Premiership seem to believe that they can rival the Premier League in terms of income and that is simply deluded. They syphon off so much resource in an attempt to achieve parity with football that the whole game suffers from grass roots upwards. I hope Nottingham get sorted as a strong club in the East Midlands other than Leicester is important. I'm not sure whether Northampton really is an East Midlands club.

I live near Dover - there is huge worry about how these checks will be carried out and not cause huge delays at the ports. In addition, when the need to take biometric data from passengers comes in it will be a nightmare - everyone in the coaches and cars will need to provide finger prints and be photographed. Either people will need to get out or someone will need to get on the bus to check everyone. I think the expectation is everyone will need t get out of their vehicle. That will be fun! This shellfish thing is a red herring. I live across the estuary from Leigh and there is no way the shellfish will pass any vet/health checks as there is so much sewage pumped into the river (our beaches are regularly closed in the summer due to bacteria as a result of discharges). That eliminates the EU as a destination... then it seems that the argument is that we can sustainably fish, if only we removed the limits on how much we can take, or how young (small) we allow the caught fish (shellfish) to be. You have to remember Leigh was very Brexity and has been hit hard by the fallout. There is an election coming and the sitting MP is a Tory. I think that is the real reason this is being heralded as a Brexit bonus. I would be amazed if those shellfish are ever caught and sold.

I've been a rugby fan for quite a few years, supporting Wasps until their demise a couple of years ago. The long and the short of it is that rugby isn't viable as a professional sport in this country. The trouble is the Premiership is a largely discredited competition since the PRL facilitated the cheating of Saracens, and to a lesser extent Bath. There was a salary cap which if enforced would have sustained the competition, but a blind eye was turned to Saracens who managed to be able to field a matchday squad of 23 internationals (including 8 British and Irish Lions) with more in the wider squad. Everybody knew they were cheating but nothing was done. Eventually they were deducted a massive number of points but because they wouldn't allow auditors in to check their books, so they were able to continue in the Championship and then an extra promotion spot was found to get them back into the Premiership after just one year. The rest of the teams were overspending just to avoid being humiliated by Saracens. In retrospect they would have been better off not competing with them and just sending out a second or youth team... but then you have issues of player safety. As a result the Premiership has imploded with Wasps, Worcester and London Irish folding and the other owners having to guarantee, by committing their own funds, that their clubs will see the end of the season out. I would watch Newcastle Falcons and Leicester at the end of the season as both are in real financial difficulty. Exeter too depend entirely on their owner. The RFU and PRL had expected the fans of Wasps, Worcester and Irish to transition to other clubs, the truth is nearly all haven't watched a British game since most giving up totally (like me) or following French sides who took on their players. This has put more pressure on the finances of the remaining clubs, who then look to the RFU to help out at the expense of the Championship clubs. So, when you then look down to the Championship there is even less funding, and the RFU are happy to put all their resources in the England side and supporting the Premiership. They have no plan for the Championship and don't have the talent in place to change that. They have been talking about Premiership 2 for months, but nothing concrete is ever proposed. The Championship clubs have been left hanging, the remnants of Wasps and London Irish don't know if they will be allowed to reform. It's a mess and one I can't be bothered with any more (this information is from October / November time - I have no idea or interest in what has happened since).

Notts seem to want a Head Coach who understands the data and what it is telling them, is detailed, plans intricately, is passionate and a leader and has a good tactical acumen and style of play. Maynard fits all those s o should be a good fit. From his point of view, as Head Coach we have 'people' to look after the running of the club, ground improvements, transfers, media etc etc, so that can only help the transition into full time coaching. If you were an up and coming coach you could hardly hope for a better environment to start off in. On paper it looks a great appointment and if he can tighten the defence up to something like Wealdstone's then we could be laughing all the way to League 1... but one step at a time.

I got this second go... there are some stink words in there. Oddly I had less trouble with the top right (it's musical) than I did with a couple of the others. Still, the official score is wap, wap, oops! Not even close. #waffle728 X/5 ???????????????? ???????????? ???????????????? ???????? ???????????? ???? streak: 0 wafflegame.net

So many choices, so few guesses!! Wordle 944 5/6* ???? ???????? ???????????????? ???????????????? ????????????????????

I would always chose the tunnel over the ferry if it wasn't so expensive... mind you I do have a fear of ferries, so I'm a bit biased. That said, for day trips the extra is worth it as you get an extra couple of hours in France / Belgium on the tunnel which is worth a lot as you can get away from Calais and do your shopping cheaply a bit more inland. It's a shame you can't bring much duty free back any more, that really made it worthwhile (but I am a lot healthier as a result so it isn't a huge loss). One thing I have noticed is that the queues for the ferries are huge these days, but with far fewer lorries than there used to be. I used to walk on the cliffs above the port and you would see the cars and lorries in short queues waiting to board, now there are queues everywhere. Losing the stops at Ebbsfleet and Ashford on the Eurostar was a big loss. People could park easily at Ebbsfleet for a weekend in Paris / Eurodisney, and Ashford was good for commuting to Paris, Lille or Brussels (I used to do the latter occasionally). The stations were always busy, but since they stopped I fly as it makes no difference between getting to St Pancras or Gatwick.

Better today! #waffle727 3/5 ???????????????????? ???????????? ???????????????? ???????????? ???????????????????? ???? streak: 1 wafflegame.net

Boosh! Wordle 943 2/6* ???????????? ????????????????????

I don't think much will change - maybe Brindley or Macari in for Rawlinson and that will be it. I don't get this blaming Stone for the draw on Saturday. From what I can tell it would have been 7 or 8 -5 because he made a few good saves and had no chance with those they did score. I suspect even if we had Alisson or Edison people would still be upset that we let a goal in from time to time. When the defence is as over run as ours was at the weekend you can't blame the back 3 and goalkeeper if goals get conceded.

I have a Samsung S21 Ultra. As a phone / mini computer it is very good, battery is excellent and the screen has survived a couple of knocks relatively unscathed (it is cracked a little bit, but it is hardly noticeable). The one disappointing thing is the USB C port and cable charging. It just isn't very good and after a while the cable becomes loose a it stops charging (or transferring data). My daughter had an S21 and had the same problem. Mind you my daughter has had the same problem with her iPad twice now, so maybe it is the design of the USB port rather than the phone. I can upgrade in a couple of weeks and am thinking of going for a refurbished phone as a replacement - possibly an iPhone. I like the Samsung flip phones, but I am concerned the USB port will remain a weakness.

Accidentally double clicking on letters a couple of times let me down today (2 swaps lost). Without those I would have just about scraped through.

3 again.. I am feeling giddy!! Wordle 942 3/6* ???? ???????????????? ????????????????????

They should have the book thrown at them and relegated out of the league. A player would get a 2 year + ban for doping, this is doping with money and should be treated the same.

Another optimistic Wasps fan I see!!

I agree totally. I don't see why a transfer cap can't be introduced. Include everything that is involved - fee, agent's fees signing on fees, inducements and salary etc and then limit that per division. Then back it up with meaningful punishment and enforce it. If the top6 want to go to a European League where they play the same sides week in week out, fine let them go... just bar them from re-entry (or make them start as if they were a totally new club in the league structure) and any players that go are ineligible for international representation whilst outside the UEFA / FIFA controlled competitions.

@robbie Things have moved on... EVs have much longer ranges these days. My current EV has a range of 120 miles, which means I stop every 2 hours so is no bad thing. The new one I am looking at is over 400miles.. although if I get the 'performance model' it will be closer to 320. The charging network is better, but you are right it is much harder to charge than fill up with petrol. However, with the longer range I would be able to mostly charge at home so that would be less of a problem. A new car is eye wateringly expensive though.. and somewhat unnecessarily so, as they are far simpler than an internal combustion engine - the same goes for servicing. All they need to do is check the resistance on the cables, brakes, steering and tyres etc and yet they charge the same as for a full service on a petrol or diesel car. Insurance is also very high, probably as a result of profiteering as the Insurance companies have all the information to show that EVs do not catch fire as often as IC cars which they present as the reason for high premiums. The setting on fire issue is simply not true ( the risk is about 10x lower than an internal combustion car - Australian government, Norwegian and Swedish government figures show this. Our government doesn't produce figures). I can't comment on resale value, but I am looking to sell mine soon, so I will be able to tell you. One reason is that people think that the batteries degrade, which they do and they are expensive to replace, but mine has done 70000miles and I have noticed no degradation at all so far. The range is pretty much the same as when I brought it nearly new, maybe 2 or 3 miles less per full charge. My EV is a lot lighter than the lorries that use the same roads as me so I am not sure how much damage I do in comparison. Cheap, poor repairs is more likely the cause than EVs - water gets into the gaps around a poor repair and this then causes more holes. Chronic underfunding is the cause of this problem, not EVs, however, it suits the current governments anti-green agenda to push this as it provides cover for their failings. I have a feeling you may not buy into climate change, but if we are to continue to allow people to use fossil fuels, then there should be some levy to cover the costs of adaptation - flood defences, drought measures etc. Likewise, there needs to be something done to drive costs of green technologies down to make them accessible to all. I don't know what they would be, as grants and subsidies only result in price increases by manufacturers and suppliers. It is a tricky one.

woah - I'm in the wrong business, I used to take mine to a really good body shop, but they now take written off commercial vans with some cosmetic damage, repair them and then sell them on. They say there is no money in just doing the accident repairs as the mark up on the vans is vast compared to the repairs.

There are at least 3 teams that will get fewer points even if they are docked 10, so I think they will be OK. I would be peeved though as Man City seem to be flouting the rules with impunity. If you look at what happened in Rugby Union and Saracens, without a proper punishment the whole set up crumbles (from a disgruntled Wasps fan). Man City should have all their titles removed and relegated down to NL at least. Saracens were effectively relegated 1 division (but the gap between Premiership and Championship in rugby is similar from PL to NL in football - the Championship is half amateur). Then the rules were twisted to allow a promotion at the first attempt, they were allowed to keep all their internationals and B&I Lions (or loan them out for a season on favourable terms) and then they continued on their merry way. Clubs were forced to spend big to make the league competitive and several fell by the wayside (and I would expect more to go at the end of this season - Newcastle and Leicester appear to be on the brink and Exeter aren't healthy either). Any punishment needs to be severe to act as a deterrent for others.

Good point. There is a stack or criteria that these companies need to meet, some seemingly trivial but expensive, that it prices out smaller operators too.