RoverAndOut

16/4/24 63 Jeff Buckley — Hallelujah 36 Adele — Chasing Pavements 36 Michael Jackson — Man In The Mirror 31 Kid Cudi vs. Crookers — Day ’n’ Nite 31 James Morrison ft. Nelly Furtado — Broken Strings 30 La Roux — In For The Kill 29 Kings Of Leon — Use Somebody 29 Sam Sparro — Black & Gold 28 Taylor Swift — Love Story 28 Rihanna — Russian Roulette 27 The Script — The Man Who Can’t Be Moved 27 Jay-Z ft. Alicia Keys — Empire State Of Mind +4 21 Leona Lewis — Happy 20 The Saturdays — Just Can’t Get Enough 09 T.I. ft. Rihanna — Live Your Life 05 Britney Spears — Piece Of Me 05 The Saturdays — Forever Is Over -6 3 The Noisettes — Don’t Upset The Rhythm (Go Baby Go)

I still need to have a listen to some of these, but am I the only one who thinks Better in Time is a better Leona song than Happy? I'll need to listen to them both, Happy's vaguer in my head.

Number 10 Eid Celebrations Plan 1. Announce annual Eid Celebration reception at Downing Street. 2. Hear that several people and groups are planning to boycott reception due to response to Gaza. 3. Get Lord Cameron to insist people should go and engage with the government. 4. Talk about how much you're looking forward to hosting the reception and discussing the issues. 5. Wimp out of attending your own half-attended Eid reception claiming "business in parliament" made it impossible, making mugs of those prepared to meet you halfway. Rishi Sunak everybody! https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-london-68818484

Posting this as it popped up on Facebook. If I'm right, that's this Saturday's Times under his arm, so would back up the "very recent pic" description. Still walking to the shop, not sure he's changed much since the last pics? He sure likes that red waistcoat!

It is 3 years since the last round of this game started and nearly a year since it finished but with another season about to commence and sacking taking place at an astonishing rate these days, surely the next round shouldn't last as long! The last game took long enough to finish that I ended up coming out on top, and with no Miracle Aligner around, and the support of Buffalo Phil and Great Uncle Bulgaria, I am happy to step into the breach of running what should be a relatively stress-free game (for everyone apart from those whose jobs are at stake!) After all, I've lurked around here long enough without actually running anything, about time I did something useful! This seems to have crept up on us, such that the 2023-24 EFL season starts next Friday (July 4th), so time's ticking to get this up and running! Entries are valid until midday BST on Friday August 4th 2023 via DM or you can post on the thread - but your picks are liable to be stolen! That gives you just over a week! Rules are pretty straightforward: Submit a team of 20 names. (Plus subs, but with only a week to go until the game starts, one or two subs max should be all that's needed). The first person to have all 20 names they chose leave their club (this can be due to resignation, termination, mutual termination, changing club or any other form of sacking) wins. It's as simple as that. Valid Leagues are any 2023-24 members of: English Premier League English Championship English League One English League Two English National League English National League North English National League South Scottish Premiership Scottish Championship Scottish League One Scottish League Two Welsh Premier League Welsh Cymru Alliance League Northern Irish Football League Premiership Northern Irish Football League Championship (I'll be reliant on your notifying me if your picks have gone in some of the more obscure leagues, mind you!) The last round saw 5 entrants, but it would be great if we could get a few more of you involved - I know there are plenty of football fans on here and the fruit is ripe for the picking (14 sackings across 11 Premier League clubs during last season, more since the season ended, and only 32 of the 92 league managers have been in charge longer than last summer!) so feel free to get involved. The more the merrier, it's just a bit of fun and gives us something to talk about between deaths. Good luck!

Donald Trump supporter (woman) on the 6 O'Clock news saying if he's put in jail, millions of people will grab their guns and we'll have a civil war. Genuinely got to the stage where I said out loud "go right ahead love, we'll kill every fucking one of you". Sick to the back teeth of his bullshit and how people will work against their own self interests to enable him. It's a total messiah complex and it's not just dangerous it's insane. (Oh, and no, I'm not American, so I can't take part in a civil war, but would it really remain civil in that situation?)

It'll never happen in a million years. Unless open war was declared on the UK before January (which I cannot see happening) then there has to be a general election. And even if we were at war, it would require an Act of Parliament to suspend the election for another year (which would need renewing every 12 months) and there is no way, unless in the direst of circumstances, that Parliament would agree to that. It needs 26 Tory MPs to vote with the opposition to defeat the government, and there's way more than that standing down in the next 6 months who would kibosh a delay, not to mention those rare creatures "Tories with a moral compass" who would see it as the shameless power grab it would be. It's not going to happen. Sooner or later, Sunak the Squatter will have to face the music and give us a say on his party's decade-and-a-half in power.

Science fiction surely?

No doubt an inspiring tale of pulling herself up by her bootstraps to buy a pokey little terraced house, not a tale of how her lucrative media career and lack of dependents have allowed her buy a nice country pad for herself. These Gen X and Gen Z moaners just need to pull their finger out!

15/4/24 50 Jeff Buckley — Hallelujah 42 Michael Jackson — Man In The Mirror 27 La Roux — In For The Kill 27 Adele — Chasing Pavements 27 Kings Of Leon — Use Somebody 27 James Morrison ft. Nelly Furtado — Broken Strings 25 Jay-Z ft. Alicia Keys — Empire State Of Mind -6 24 Sam Sparro — Black & Gold 24 Taylor Swift — Love Story 24 Rihanna — Russian Roulette 23 Britney Spears — Piece Of Me 23 The Script — The Man Who Can’t Be Moved 22 Kid Cudi vs. Crookers — Day ’n’ Nite 21 Leona Lewis — Happy 21 T.I. ft. Rihanna — Live Your Life 20 The Saturdays — Just Can’t Get Enough 18 The Saturdays — Forever Is Over 17 Basshunter — All I Ever Wanted 15 Mr Hudson ft. Kanye West — Supernova 15 Leona Lewis — Better In Time / Footprints In The Sand 15 The Noisettes - Don't Upset The Rhythm (Go Baby Go) +4 08 Flo Rida ft. T-Pain — Low -6 05 H Two O ft. Platnum — What’s It Gonna Be Probably my last vote for the Noisettes as I'm sure they'll be too far gone tomorrow, but that song is great. Not sure it would end up in my final 4, but definitely shouldn't be going this early.

Following up on this, the news that Varada Sethu is joining Who was officially confirmed this week, but it seems Ruby's going nowhere and there will be 2 companions on the TARDIS in Season 2 instead!

Thousands of missiles fired at Gaza, we've not looked to shoot down a single one. A foreign embassy flattened, we didn't say a word. Now we're blowing up Iranian missiles not aimed at us. This is bound to end well.

Yeah, not saying I'd put them both (or either necessarily) through, but they're both good. Haven't yet settled on my 4 going through. Definitely the best version of Hallelujah anyway.

This is just what I've always done. I looked at the doubles and pick the one I like best. There's one in the 08-09 round for Leona Lewis.

14/04/24 46 Jeff Buckley — Hallelujah 40 Michael Jackson — Man In The Mirror 27 Kings Of Leon — Use Somebody 25 Adele — Chasing Pavements 25 Jay-Z ft. Alicia Keys — Empire State Of Mind 25 La Roux — In For The Kill 24 Kid Cudi vs. Crookers — Day ’n’ Nite 24 Taylor Swift — Love Story 24 Rihanna — Russian Roulette 24 James Morrison ft. Nelly Furtado — Broken Strings 23 The Script — The Man Who Can’t Be Moved 23 Leona Lewis — Better In Time / Footprints In The Sand 22 Sam Sparro — Black & Gold 21 Britney Spears — Piece Of Me 21 Leona Lewis — Happy 21 T.I. ft. Rihanna — Live Your Life 20 The Saturdays — Just Can’t Get Enough 20 The Saturdays — Forever Is Over 19 The Noisettes— Don’t Upset The Rhythm (Go Baby Go) +4 18 Flo Rida ft. T-Pain — Low  17 Mr Hudson ft. Kanye West — Supernova 17 H Two O ft. Platnum — What’s It Gonna Be 17 Basshunter — All I Ever Wanted 05 Wiley — Wearing My Rolex -6 Think it's already been mentioned but the two songs currently leading by 13 and 19 points respectively are not noughties songs. Although both are, undoubtedly, great tunes.

13/4/24 42 Jeff Buckley — Hallelujah 36 Michael Jackson — Man In The Mirror 26 Jay-Z ft. Alicia Keys — Empire State Of Mind 25 Kings Of Leon — Use Somebody 25 La Roux — In For The Kill 24 Kid Cudi vs. Crookers — Day ’n’ Nite 24 Taylor Swift — Love Story 24 Rihanna — Russian Roulette 24 James Morrison ft. Nelly Furtado — Broken Strings 23 The Script — The Man Who Can’t Be Moved 23 Leona Lewis — Better In Time / Footprints In The Sand 23 Adele — Chasing Pavements 22 Sam Sparro — Black & Gold 21 Leona Lewis — Happy 21 T.I. ft. Rihanna — Live Your Life 20 The Saturdays — Just Can’t Get Enough 20 The Saturdays — Forever Is Over 19 Flo Rida ft. T-Pain — Low  17 Wiley — Wearing My Rolex -1 17 Mr Hudson ft. Kanye West — Supernova -1 17 H Two O ft. Platnum — What’s It Gonna Be 17 Basshunter — All I Ever Wanted 17 Britney Spears — Piece Of Me 15 The Noisettes— Don’t Upset The Rhythm (Go Baby Go) +4 6 Soulja Boy Tell'em — Crank That -4 5 Robbie Williams — Bodies 5 Eric Prydz — Pjanoo Haven't voted yet today, so I'll slide one in before midnight.

Exactly that - not as good as Jeff Buckley's, manufactured pop protest. Really agreed traction the following year with Rage Against the Machine.

Well his brother's in the Lords already and he tried to ennoble his dad too, but, you know, that doesn't happen in a democracy.

The first extracts have arrived. It's the drivel you'd expect, full of explanations of why she's right, the deep state stopped her and so on. If you don't want to pay the Daily Fail (and why would you?) Someone on twitter posted this which is open access: https://archive.is/Z87Pz It's like a 10 step guide how not to run a government. Once you get to the end of the economic bit, the rest is "colour" but not very revealing, apart from Raab being a baby and Boris caving as usual.

Was literally watching part of Meet the Richardsons late last night on Dave. The perils of making your family into a sitcom. Sad, they seemed well-suited.

Newey to Ferrari is a deal 25+ years in the making, and feels inevitable. But I think he's always been happiest building a team up in his image. Would love the latest rumours that Aston Martin have offered him mega bucks to be true. He doesn't need the money, but the Aston project gives similar vibes to Red Bull in the mid-00s. Would it be enough to tempt him to have one more crack at turning a midfield team into world champions? First Ferrari World Champions in 20 years would make him revered by the Tifosi, but does it excite him? And does he want to work in Italy? Decisions, decisions...

Interesting move from Fernando. Think he's sized it up and decided Red Bull won't choose to put him alongside Max and Mercedes are lukewarm too. Also probably looking at Mercedes v Aston Martin and, as he suggested this week, "why would I want to be in their car? It's slower." In all seriousness, it's a statement of intent for Aston Martin. If their updates this season can get them back towards the front, and they've got Honda coming on board from Red Bull, they could become a force to be reckoned with. Think Fernando has at least one more win in him if things fall his way, he's certainly still performing well enough. Carlos is boxed into a corner unfortunately. He deserves so much better. But this is not the best time to be joining Mercedes, although they should be better placed than most to recover. But we've been saying that for 3 seasons. I'd love to see him in Checo's seat at Red Bull, but can see them hanging onto him if he keeps performing like last week.

Lord Ashcroft, is that you?

Should be a big clue, one would think. Can you imagine the Tories' dirty laundry coming out just before the election? Should be done by then. But, then again, early November is usually a big time for book launches ahead of the Christmas rush, so it could just be pencilled in for then and, should the election not have happened, it will get pushed back.