Recent posts

#1

Off the Record / Re: Star Wars Megathread

Last post by Syt - Today at 08:17:28 AM

Simp that I am, I bought my ticket for Mando & Grogu for May 20th, 5:30pm at the IMAX (English language version).

#2

Off the Record / Re: Football (Soccer) Thread

Last post by Duque de Bragança - Today at 08:07:23 AM

I was sort of pleased that Nottingham Forest beat Porto last night. The Bednarek tackle on Chris Wood was simply ugly and was one of the clearest red cards I've seen in recent years.

Now awaits Aston Villa.

The Europa League is kind of the good minnows of Europe's competition. It goes to show the EPL's quality that two clubs are in the semis. Ferencvaros of Hungary had been on a rampage before the play-off game against Forest, but their lack of quality against players who week in, week out play some of the best players and teams in the world was showing. I have not seen a poorer team at the City Ground.

I am a bit afraid that the English dominance will be a bit like the Norwegian one in cross-country skiing. It may very well be what kills the sport.

Porto, however, will have every right to feel aggrieved that they did not get a goal, they hit the crossbar twice.
That stone cold, foolproof defence from last season is nowhere to be seen at Forest. I worry, probably with no real cause, that foreign coaches like Pereira are not great at getting their messages across to the players. Pereira's press conferences are at best confusing.

It's a self-inflicted lethal wound by Porto. The previous game should have been won, not tied, even taking into account one of the flukiest own goals I have ever seen. Red card was deserved and totally stupid for a brutal foul. The player is still young, hopefully he learned a useful lesson.

As for PL quality, Forest has still a bigger budget than Porto, among the top three in Portugal but still recovering from the disastrous, financially-wise, last mandate of the late yet cult president.
Money, money, money...
Where would be the French league without Qatari gas? Still without any legit C1.

OTOH, Porto would have really been in trouble, even on a normal day, vs Villa.

At least, Braga won 4-2 after starting by losing 2-0, with a great turnaround vs Betis, game which had the greatest attendance of all time in this Europa League so far: 66,694 people in Sevilla.

Third time only that one Portuguese club outside of the top three makes it to the semi-finals (first one was Boavista now bankrupted thanks to the Hispano-Luxemburguese-French crook Gérard López).
Braga made it to the final in 2011 before losing to Portugal but not after getting Benfica (!) out of the way in semi-finals.

#3

Off the Record / Re: Brexit and the waning days...

Last post by Duque de Bragança - Today at 07:53:55 AM

Reform party fueling the fuel protests? But no blockades I guess. 

#4

Off the Record / Re: Hungarian Politics

Last post by Legbiter - Today at 07:53:35 AM

Yeah he's a skilled politician. He's not trumpian, it's that every other European politician/leader except a handful of exceptions just has this aura of a mildly petulant gerbil.

#5

Gaming HQ / Re: Europa Universalis V confi...

Last post by crazy canuck - Today at 07:37:23 AM

It is one reason to try and build sawmills and masons when you can afford them.

Sometimes there are just too many cogs to watch out for.

Yes, on both statements

#6

Off the Record / Re: Routine Shootings at US Sc...

Last post by crazy canuck - Today at 07:36:40 AM

Marti would have just tripped him

#7

Off the Record / Re: Iran War

Last post by crazy canuck - Today at 07:35:42 AM

It's foolish to pretend that anything coming from the Russians should be taken at face value by third parties or anyone else.  This is not the first time Sheilbh has taken misinformation and treated analyzed it as if it were more valid than it is.  It is foolish not to call these things out when them happen.

It is foolish to refuse to look at information because you don't like what it says. No one is taking it at face value, but that doesn't mean that it has zero value. Virtue signalling is always a bad look.

You're right.  Baron please open the gates to all the Russian troll bots some can become more enlightened

Sure.  Because that's the only alternative to self-censorship. 

No, but it is the absurd result of your position

#8

Off the Record / Re: Hungarian Politics

Last post by Tamas - Today at 07:12:25 AM

Magyar, when talking about the nazi party constantly making demands with their 5-6 MPs said "they have what, 5 or 6 MPs? Point is they have fewer MPs than Snowhite has dwarves so they cannot launch committees on their own"

Same presser he turns to the journos to open for question he says "i see here is [rabidly pro-orban news tv channel] they haven't closed down yet"

 

He is kind of mixing pro-western moderate Right policies including very pro-democracy (in rhetoric at least) that are quite vanilla and classic with sometimes almost Trumpian levels of arrogance and bluntness.

It's amusing so far and it's the right attitude to allow hope for actually seeing some consequences for Fidesz cronies, but it is easy to imagine him drifting into becoming just the next Orban in time.

#9

Off the Record / Re: Brexit and the waning days...

Last post by mongers - Today at 06:58:55 AM

Over the next week or two it's certainly within the interests of Reform to encourage fuel protests, a bit of panic buying and so more price hikes in the run up to the local elections.

#10

Off the Record / Re: Football (Soccer) Thread

Last post by Sheilbh - Today at 06:42:55 AM

Honestly I'd really like Everton to qualify for the Europa League or Conference because I think it is a trophy we would have a realistic chance of winning which would be nice - and Moyes has experience with West Ham. And while there is the English dominance problem in the Europa League specifically there is also the very competition specific Emery supremacy

On the English dominance point I think the European competitions kind of demonstrate it. I listen to some Athletic podcasts and James Horncastle who covers Serie A always pushes back on any talk of a "big five leagues" in Europe and says there aren't five big leagues, there is one big league and a collection of big clubs around the rest of Europe. I think the Champions League kind of covers that up because you have PSG (who look fantastic and ominously still feel like they're building), Real, Barca, Bayern etc. But I think when you see the strength of mid-table (or lower) English clubs in the Europa and the Conference it really does show the strength of the Premier League to all others.