RoverAndOut

So...I've not followed every twist and turn of the whispers and rumours around Schumacher's condition over the years but to the best of our knowledge do we have any evidence that he has some level of consciousness? Is the mind willing but the body crippled? Is he in a vegetative state? Or is the truth somewhere in between? I mean, why would there be rumours of a comatose patient attending his daughter's wedding? Who is gaining anything at all from that? (And I do see that the wedding rumours may be false anyway, but how would they become so widespread if he was, indeed, a vegetable?)

Apologies for the radio silence recently, I've been busy with all sorts but have been keeping an eye on the managerial merry-go-round, and thinking in most cases we've already had hits with the teams sacking their managers - Hull, Wolves, Millwall. Will do an update probably after Christmas but @Great Uncle Bulgaria is still out in front I think, with 17 hits following the sacking of Martin and the leaving of Selles. Ian Evatt looks on borrowed time at Bolton and Ange could feasibly fall victim to the ENIC sword of damocles that consistently hangs at Spurs, even if the fans are on his side. That would leave Daniel Farke at Leeds, who are riding high in the Championship but blowing hot and cold. Not impossible that a post-Christmas slump sees Leeds pull the trigger if promotion it at risk. GUB has to be favourite, but we'll see...

This feels like something that would find an audience here...

Just to update for those not in the loop: The Charity Commission has issued a report on the dealings of the Captain Tom Foundation today and found that they have "damaged public trust in charities". This stems primarily from the £1.47m they were given as an advance for 3 books based around Captain Tom: his autobiography, "Tomorrow will be a Good Day", a kids book, "Captain Sir Tom Moore: One Hundred Steps" and the preposterous "Captain Tom's Life Lessons". All 3 books claim that proceeds from them would go to the Foundation. The charity says it has not seen a penny of the advance or the proceeds. You'll be shocked, I'm sure, to find this wasn't an isolated case of Captain Tom's name being used to personally enrich the Ingram-Moores, who still deny doing anything wrong, of course. This was always the inevitable end of the messianic cult that erupted from him doing those laps of his garden. The circus was always going end in ignominy, especially once they kept flogging him for cash after he died. The BBC's had a field day today, 3 articles: The Charity Commision Report: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c86qdq67dd5o An insider's view by the former Chief Executive of the Foundation: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cj6kg7wgw7no And "Captain Sir Tom Moore: What has happened to his legacy?": https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-beds-bucks-herts-66134840

First: HE'S NOT DEAD. Just some topical humour I thought some in these parts might appreciate...

Yes, and Trump won it. But as Crem (of all people) pointed out, the electoral college can do literally whatever they want. And it isn't representative of the true result of the election (i.e. how much support/votes a candidate received). You could lose by a single vote in 12 states and win every single vote going in the other 38 and the other guy wins the election and you have a landslide in the popular vote. The electoral college decides the winner, it doesn't begin to describe how people voted.

I know I'm better off not engaging but what the fuck are you talking about? She's got 73 million votes - only Biden 4 years earlier has got more as a Democrat. She's lost by 3 million votes - Trump lost by 7 million 4 years ago, Kerry was the last Democrat to lose by 3 million (and the last to lose the popular vote). She's got 48.2% of the vote - Hillary got exactly the same 8 years ago. Bill Clinton in 1992 (when Perot was a spoiler) was the last Democrat to get less (43%). She's lost by 2 percentage points - Trump lost by 4.5 four years ago. Kerry lost by nearly 2.5 20 years ago. She got 226 electoral collection votes - 1 less than Hillary 8 years ago. 4 Republicans have had less since the Democrats last scored less, when Dukakis scored less than half of Harris's total in 1988 (111). Only an idiot would base overall electoral performance on the electoral college. And you're not an idiot are you Mango?

Didn't see or hear her mentioned but there was a third balcony that I'm not sure was focused on. One had Kate and Sophie, one had the Duke of Kent and Tim Laurence, the third...I don't know. EDIT: Scrolled through the iPlayer coverage and found the shot of the three balconies. Think the left one has the Duke and Duchess of Gloucester in it. In which case, no sign of Princess Alexandra.

Cenotaph time, and his equerry laid a wreath on his behalf. Assumed this meant another non-attendance but then the camera cut to him standing unaided in full military dress uniform next to Tim Laurence on a balcony. Looked far better than he has recently, but at 90-odd, one bad chest infection or a fall could finish him off. But remarkably, doesn't look in immediate danger anymore.

I have barely looked at any election coverage from the USA this past year, the fact it was even competitive was demoralising enough, the prospect of the aftermath, whatever happened, was going to be awful. I've followed every election since 2004 to some extent, watched late into the night ever since until this year. There's nothing fascinating or entertaining about any of this, I would also recommend ignoring the news for the foreseeable.

And a year earlier they were a penalty away from the Premier League. Not a big Coventry fan (we've had some poor decisions and luck against them in recent years) but absolutely criminal they've sacked him. I'll post an update at some point in the near future. Ten Hag was one of only 2 Premier League managers not picked at the start of this game, the other being Eddie Howe.

Read an article on the BBC explaining why Trump won. Not difficult - of course you vote for the guy who offers simple solutions to complex problems. Who wants to vote for the ones who tell you it's complicated? It's a great gig too, because they're so complex that your simple solutions can't work but then it's all the other side's fault if only you give them even more power, then the simple solutions will work! Who cares that deporting millions of migrants will cost trillions of dollars? Or that it will deprive numerous American industries of their workforce? Just deport them! Who cares that the only way to end the Ukraine war is to cut off funding and let Putin have everything east of the Dnieper river (for now)? Who cares that the 2°C target is going to be obliterated when it's only your grandkids and great-grandkids who will suffer the consequences and you get cheap oil here and now? Who cares that you're going to finish that border wall you claimed you'd built 4 years ago (and Mexico paid for)? Who cares that the President is a sexist authoritarian demagogue when the other side are radical lefties (who are barely left of centre in reality)? Turkeys voting for Christmas, and the billionaires are delighted.

Getting rid of him altogether would make the forum much better.

It will. The worry is the damage that will be done in between. Ukraine, the Middle East, the environment, and that's before we consider the fact that the band of nutjobs he's assembled know what they're doing this time and how to game the system. They also have a compliant House and Senate and a conservative Supreme Court so they can run the table. And doubtless they'll somehow explain in 4 years time how the radical left have somehow stopped them doing everything they wanted and they must be re-elected for the sake of the nation, which will surely crumble otherwise. What an ungodly mess, and somehow this is still in some ways a better outcome than the armed gangs marauding the streets and Trump screaming foul on Fox News because Kamala won.

Just dared to look at the news. Guess it was a free and fair election then. Amazing given all the illegals voting and the ballot stuffing in the swing states...