ClaphamFox

I’ve got nothing against him personally, but the prospect of the camera panning to him looking as if he’s about to cry after our fourth goal goes in makes me feel all warm inside. It’s what Christmas is all about.

Massive risk. I hope Enzo knows what he’s doing 😳

It would be typical of this Leeds team to follow today’s performance up with a loss against Preston that causes their fans to have another one of their collective mental breakdowns.

They set up like that every game. They won’t sit back against us.

Ipswich leave so much space at the back. We may have to deploy our reluctant counter-attacking skills on Boxing Day, after which Enzo can apologetically assure the world that it’s not really how we like to play.

I think they'll be looking to reinforce in January to strengthen their title challenge. There is definitely some logic in them going for Iheanacho, so it wouldn't surprise me if they do come in for him next month. As others have pointed out, whether the move ultimately occurs will likely come down to it works for us financially or not.

They are definitely focused on the commercial opportunities with the global ‘fans’ of the big clubs who watch on TV - the real fans who actually attend games are a minor consideration. To me that seems a perilous path to take - clubs are nothing without the fans who actually show up. But the owners of many of these clubs don’t seem to get that.

The UK government will prevent any English clubs taking part, according to the Times. Because of Brexit, the UK is not bound by the European Court of Justice’s ruling. https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/5430026e-bbf4-496b-8e17-b47351d37318?shareToken=a5965c110139b94f5ba1715b84e12136

Is there any reliable data on how long it might take for exposure to certain chemicals to cause AML? Could this have been achieved in months or would it have taken years? I’m completely open to the suggestion that this was state murder - just curious about how much actual evidence there is for it.

Ah - so the implication is not that the poison caused the AML itself, but rather the blood clotting that ultimately killed him? That sounds more plausible, although it seems he died within a couple of days of being diagnosed, which would mean the Indian government must have acted incredibly swiftly after learning that his health was compromised to sneak into the hospital and administer the poison to cause the blood clotting. I agree that the sudden death of a 35-year-old exiled activist looks very suspicious at first glance and should be investigated thoroughly. I want to believe that the UK government would not collude with a foreign state and permit the murder of somebody on our soil and then cover it up, but I tend towards the naïve in these matters.

Sound advice - thank you. I'm trying to curb my natural instinct to just buy a pair and get on with it and instead take the sensible approach that you advise. The inner turmoil is killing me, but I remain resolute. I will likely return to this thread for further advice as I resume running over the next few months - eg, 'is it normal to throw up violently after running for three minutes on a gentle incline?', etc.

Exactly. How did the Indian state give him leukaemia? Is that even possible?

Which is clearly why Maresca prefers him. I wasn't really comparing Souttar to Vestergaard, just pointing out that Souttar was regarded as a ball-playing centre-half before we signed him - he's definitely not just an old-fashioned stopper. The fact that Vestergaard is even better at passing explains why he's in the team instead of Souttar, but it doesn't mean that Souttar can't pass.

Passing out from the back is one of his key attributes.

Yep. Who cares if people are comparing Villa's season to ours in 2015/16? There are clearly some similarities along with some obvious differences. Does it really matter? I'd love Villa to do it, personally...

For the same reason that KDH was wrongly flagged offside early in the second half when he was about to score. No VAR means being exposed to the slings and arrows of real-time human judgment.

Watch his goals for Preston last year. He might not be quite as quick as Vardy or Daka, but he's definitely no slouch:

Why change a winning formula? The tantrums are a key ingredient of a successful matchday routine.

They might struggle as Vardy won’t be in the squad and probably won’t even be in the ground.

Does anybody know much about running shoes? I'm about to start running again after a long hiatus. I need to protect my knees as I buggered them both up a bit during my football-playing days so need a maximum cushion shoe. I'll be mainly running on roads but also on footpaths through fields, but won't be doing any serious trail running. I was thinking of getting some Hoka Bondi 8s - has anybody tried them? Alternatives include New Balance Fresh Foam or Brooks Ghost Max...

When are they playing themselves?!

We’re massive. Every team we play should form a guard of honour as we enter the pitch. It’s frankly outrageous this doesn’t happen, actually.

Gaynor Lord's erratic behaviour leading up to her disappearance would suggest that she was in the grip of a mental health episode and went into the water of her own accord. Unless she was having a breakdown and then happened to run into a murderer who was passing by, which seems unlikely. Re: Nicola Bulley, the police got loads of stick for revealing details of her personal problems and mental health issues. It would not surprise me if it turns out that Gaynor Lord also has mental health problems, but the police are witholding the information this time in light of the criticism they received over Nicola Bulley.

We were also playing in the Premier League against vastly superior opposition. You don't need world class or even Champions League-level players to get promoted from the Championship. The players Ipswich have are good enough to get promoted and they have an excellent manager. I expect them to push us all the way.

Ipswich will push us all the way. There's a reason we were after McKenna before we got Maresca - he's a brilliant manager. The only team capable of denying us promotion is Leeds - as long as we finish above them, we'll go up.