Minister for health is pro smoking. It’s so funny

https://www.theguardian.com/society/202 ... SApp_Other

Averaging £5b a day by the Bank of England so far to compensate for this freak show in charge. £300 per family, per day. That’s mental.

Oh and I’ve just read we’re the only G7 country not to have returned their economy to pre- pandemic levels.

To give myself a "high", I watched highlights of our match against pool again. My oh my, still sent shivers down the spine when Saka's penalty went in.

But don't forget Darren, it's all because of the Remoaners continually remoaning.

Nothing to do with people who just won't admit they got the wool pulled over their eyes, and who continue to back Brexit despite the overwhelming evidence showing how harmful it's been, and continues to be.

“The Party told you to reject the evidence of your eyes and ears. It was their final, most essential command.”

Saw an article with the headline ‘can Arsenal really do a Leicester and win the title?’ Sorry what? We were 2 points off champions league last year not 6 points above relegation as Leicester were.

I’m more than happy for us to be painted as underdogs for anything but that’s a bit ridiculous

Europa league is going to be tough to win.
Typical isnt it now we are back in it.
Looking at the current groups
Ajax are currently 3rd.
One of Barca , inter and bayern will be dropping into europa. Barca are currently 3rd.
One of frankfurt or spurs will drop down,
One of chelsea or milan will likely drop down and currently leipzig and sevilla are 3rd in their groups.
And lets not forget juventus who unless they go on a winning spree will definitely finish 3rd.
The way we are playing now we shouldnt fear anybody but it is frustrating the year utd won it it was relatively easy and of course last year we had a rangers v frankfurt final(though to be fair frankfurt did knock out barcelona)
We need to get the group won.
Really do not need an extra 2 games play off against a champions league drop out by finishing 2nd.

Private Eye suggest that Kwasi Kwarteng has been earning £20k a month from Crispin Odey's investment firm - this appears nowhere in the MPs Register of Interests - if it's true then this goes beyond a resigning matter given his status as Chancellor and is potentially criminal

Our government has been propping up the markets since 2008. They make up all kinds of names: Fed easing...monetization of debt...etc.

The shock to me is we didn't go into a full blown depression during Covid19 lockdown but they printed trillions of dollars out of thin air and pumped into the economy. The U.S. dollar is worthless.

The question I have is what happens when it all comes tumbling down? My guess? The shootings become more common, some mass shootings and others very targeted to whom the shooter(s) think are to blame. Our billionaires and multi millionaires know this. They have made bunkers
https://www.cnn.com/style/article/dooms ... index.html

Some plan to spend the economic apocalypse in New Zealand
https://www.townandcountrymag.com/socie ... w-zealand/

or private islands in the Caribbean.

The 1% and politicians will likely have a lot of private security. I don't have to tell you all there are likely thousands of Americans out there who are easily triggered enough to do mass shootings or targeted shootings. We all know it. Out in public spaces, at the counter, on the street, you are cautiously polite because you never know if that person will just kill you. Especially in concealed and open carry states. There is something in the air when there are long lines, crowds, Wal-Marts....avoid them.

We have a few economic bubbles we are juggling like circus clowns and its a domino effect if one pops. The government has had to stop things that they never foresaw before, such as the overnight lending and other very short term lending markets. This is the most liquid of all. Should be the last place to have to help out. Banks, insurance companies, whatever, major institutions and companies lend each other millions of dollars for a day, a few days, its very liquid, easy money, as you can make several thousands of dollars for a fraction of a percent by providing use of your excess cash.

You get it back very soon. For whatever reason, very few companies and institutions would lend money. Bank of America in California may need several millions of dollars to pay out a payroll to its largest customer. No one will lend it to them for 48 hours. Never been an issue before, but now is and the government has had to put billions into it to make it liquid..more than once!https://www.cnn.com/2019/10/25/business/overnight-lending-market-federal-reserve

The dollar stops being the world reserve currency and its a snowball effect, possible/probable very, very deep recession at best, likely a depression given the bubbles.

This might be worth a watch even if the kids aren’t of age

Should be hysterical

https://news.sky.com/story/amp/england- ... w-12717357

Our recruitment recently has been spot on. Rival fans will point out the amount we’ve spent since Arteta took over, I think it might be 2nd only to Man U - but if I have time I’ll work out how much money each of the top 6 has spent on average per player bought, as we had a lot more to do and I think we’ve turned over a lot more of our squad than the others.

Obviously Saka, Emile Smith Rowe and Nketiah through the academy is brilliant
Martinelli from Brazilian 4th tier for £6m
Saliba as an 18 year old, to be able to see the potential and be willing to invest big money in him
Tomiyasu - £16m, sky sports were sniggering at him on transfer deadline day saying he was being offered around every prem club and no one wanted him. Showed their lack of knowledge outside of the prem
Zinchenko and Jesus for just £75m is fantastic business when we also consider how long many signings take to settle - they were oven ready.
Ødegaard and Vieira for a combined £60m - or 1 Richarlison.

Ramsdale, Tierney, Gabriel for £75m combined. Very few bad transfers now

The players have been recruited to a specific plan and profile. Many other clubs just want the in form players but have no real plan how to make them a team.

https://twitter.com/talksport/status/15 ... PpyiZTx-pA

Good old David Moyes sticking up for Arsenal and Arteta here on talksport. Bet the presenters and producers were fuming at such a considered rational take

Yes a considered opinion. And both Arteta and him would have loved the win over Liverpool given the Everton connection.

I also think Moyes is being generally supportive of a manager who has been given time and trust by his board. I’m sure Moyes is still annoyed about his 8 months at Man U. The recruitment was awful and whilst he was left a title winning squad it was a squad running on fumes and there were more than a few creaking bones doing their last dance for Fergie.

https://twitter.com/thearsenal1913/stat ... QGH1vlCzkg

I find Gary Neville and his opinions on Arsenal very strange. It’s like he had an initial blind spot and now can’t reverse his opinion. Even more strange because I’m the final years of Wenger he was incredibly supportive and I’m sure he said something like those years wenger kept us top 4 with negative spend each year should be considered one of the greatest managerial efforts in prem history.

In recent times though he has said he couldn’t understand the direction or plan Arsenal had when we were recruiting exclusively U23 players and shipping out the overpaid, underperforming players with attitude problems.
In this clip taken mid last season he says if Arteta got top 4 that’s all he can do with this team/club. The idea that a group of U25 players all playing together more regularly is going to somehow reach its peak in year 2 of the manager??
Even now when he comments on our start it comes with a caveat that tougher times will come and there will be a blip. It’s as though people like Neville want to wait for us to lose a game so they can say ‘told you so’. At Arsenal we have to continually prove ourselves over and over again, no matter that you win 9 games, we’re not praising for that we’re waiting for the one you slip up in to tell you things haven’t changed at your club.

I get that there are plenty of pundits (and Carragher is definitely one) who can see the process and the progress and simply call it for what it is right now but also retain a sense of realism about the level of competition we face….but Neville seems to have a blind spot for sure

Hope nobody is relying on their pensions then. Project fear continues

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/articl ... books.html

If that increases the motivation of Arsenal’s players it could work in our favour. I’ve no idea at all how much notice our players take of Gary Neville’s punditry. For all I know it’s lots, none at all, or somewhere in between. But if it is lots, or even some, I don’t think it’s unrealistic to suggest that might heighten the determination of our players to shove his comments down his throat.

As I say, that would surely be beneficial to Arsenal.

Disgraceful behaviour. Your government f...up the whole economic situation and then attempts to shift it to the funds. The long term affect is a disaster.

Last 5 days I’ve made double digit losses across my pensions.

I’d urge people not to check their pensions online as it could be a cause of likely mild depression

Excellent point. One thing from our upturn in fortunes is the need to ensure that we manage to retain not only players but also Edu. There is also a need to recognise that our model used to reorganise can be incredibly expensive. We have been struck in the arse by a rainbow, with S-R, Saka and Martenelli all arriving at once for minimal costs. Otherwise we are talking an extra 170million. Long way to go but steering in the right direction. CL an absolute must this season.

At a guess that could be about 3-5 years to recover if it turns around soon. But that means you never get to where it should have. I am not sure there is much I can say.

Our economic situation is a mess but not as critical. My other fund last year lost about 3-5% but it was in a plan that basically should never lose money. But I already have a self funded pension so I am not affected. What I hate and I am sure it is the same in the UK is government waste on projects that don't add up. Basically it is fraud. Overpriced projects never properly delivered, old mates as tenderers, a wink and a nod from the old boys network and that is no matter who is in government. Australia has just become so expensive. Trust no one.

I don't see anything unreasonable in Gary Neville's comments. He praised us for the wins over Tottenham and Liverpool. To suggest that we will have a blip or go through a bad patch is hardly stern criticism, and how we deal with that will definitely be telling.

With Liverpool effectively out of the title race, Sky are looking for someone else to challenge Man City. We currently fit the bill because we have made a great start to the season. However, talk of a title challenge is a bit mad and that is why it is understandable for pundits like Neville to have some doubts With 10 games left last season we were 3 points ahead of Tottenham and we had a game in hand. We all know what happened. We haven't even played 10 games yet this season.

It’s literally this. Like yourself I always placed my money in low risk funds that should not really lose much however last 2 weeks that’s proved not to be the case

I have investments in property and shares (obviously property is affected too now )

You are right it’s criminal behaviour. In the private sector a CEO would get fired for all of this stuff. They can’t make inaccurate or basically lie to the markets without consequences. If I agreed to a contract on behalf of my company and it transpired the company was owned by a mate I could be fired. UK is being stripped and broken

I prefer to think like this. If we don't get 82 points from here we really have had a bit of disaster from here. Why do I say this. 29 games to go and average 2 points per game to give us another 58 points. In other words we could still lose 10 games for the season and get this. City will likely end in the 90's. But CL is a must, plus we will need to improve the squad.

I think most democracies are in the same boat with this problem. Don't get me wrong I don't want other than a democracy, but I want honesty is government. I won't see it in my lifetime.

Nothing unreasonable to say 4th place is as high as Arteta can go because Arsenal can't compete with Chelsea or Man Utd?

That was from mid-way through last season wasn't it? And we finished 5th.

If we are in a financial crisis why is the £ at 1.14 against the $ considered good?

Why is the stock exchange not crashing?

Why is the £ strengthening against the euro?

Why are we still in a better position financially than all the G7 nations barGermany?

Why aren't you blaming Biden and the US for strengthening the dollar to cover up for their domestic problems but nobody mentioned it?

Wtf are you all so gullible?

He didn't just say Arteta can't go higher than 4th that particular season, he was saying 4th is probably as high as Arteta can go period.

It’s not considered good you clown

Just more nonsense

https://www.igd.com/articles/article-vi ... g7/i/29959

The money in pensions is worth less

The money in my bank account is worth less because of the currency

https://www.economicsobservatory.com/ho ... f-sterling

The value of our houses are largely worth less

How *%^@*** dense do you need to be

Given you seem to be the only one arguing that all is rosy, against a few who aren’t, as far as gullibility is concerned I’d suggest a good look in the mirror.

Oh, and a major head wobble.

The Champions League Group C table currently stands as follows:

1) Bayern, Played 3, Won 3, Drawn 0, Lost 0, Points 9.
2) Inter, Played 3, Won 2, Drawn 0, Lost 1, Points 6.
3) Barcelona, Played 3, Won 1, Drawn 0, Lost 2, Points 3.
4) Pizen, Played 3, Won 0, Drawn 0, Lost 3, Points 0.

Bayern are playing the group laughing stock Pizen tonight. If they win, they’ll surely qualify in top place.

Barcelona.are playing Inter at home tonight. As much as I loathe and despise Barcelona I don’t want them slipping into the Europa League in third place as I think they’ll be the best team in it, rather than Arsenal. Inter are a good side but with them slipping into the Europa League I still think Arsenal would be the best team in it.

That’s exactly it. Neville was saying if Arsenal got 4th then Arteta should walk away to another challenge because in Neville’s mind there was simply no way that Arteta at Arsenal with that group of players could attain anything better than that - and he specifically mentioned this due to the strength of City, Liverpool, Chelsea and Man U.
Carragher rightly pointed out what Klopp did taking Liverpool higher and higher, there was simply no logical reason for Neville to categorically rule out Arteta and Arsenal doing any better than 4th this season, the season after, and after that etc. such a bizarre comment

I think the issue I have is we are constantly told we have to prove ourselves and a sterner challenge is coming. It’s too easy to be a negative pundit, it’s too easy to create a straw man argument or false narrative which will inevitably prove you right in the end.
We’ve won away at two clubs that rolled us over easily last year and we’ve just beaten Spurs and Liverpool. Of course City away or Anfield are harder tests than those games but it’s too easy to say judge them then and wait for us to lose and say ‘I told you all so’. Just like it’s too easy to say Arsenal fans shouldn’t get carried away with title talk, nothing is won after 10 games - and then claim your brilliance when we don’t win the title. No proper Arsenal fans think we’re title challengers after 9 games. Any talk of title challengers is coming from pundits not Arsenal or Arsenal fans. Before the season these same pundits didn’t have us in top 4, now they forget that and say we can’t win the title. If you move the goal posts enough times you’re going to be proven right eventually.
The thing is, when we lose or go through a bad patch loss of pundits will come out and say ‘same old Arsenal’ but it completely ignores all the times we’ve faced adversity and come through it with flying colours.
It seems sometimes that we can only ‘win’ if we actually win every game and every trophy

Klopp using his champions league press conference to moan about all the decisions from last weeks game.
He says the technology couldn’t tell if Saka was offside, so in his view that means he was probably offside. Strangely enough Juergen, in my view and the view of the linesman who was perfectly positioned I think he was onside!
He says the handball was a penalty when there is clear video evidence that shows the ball glanced off Gabriel’s chest before hitting his hand, and those sorts of deflections rule out any handball.
He thinks the foul on Jesus wasn’t a penalty - that’s fine I expect most Liverpool fans don’t think it was either and most Arsenal fans will say it is. For me it is a 50/50 that went our way. Did Thiago win the ball? No. Did Thiago kick Jesus? Yes. As soon as both of those things happen you are in danger of a ref deciding it is worthy of a penalty.

I’m well aware as chief ref moaner that we’ve had some big 50/50 decisions go our way in the last 2 matches. They are decisions I’ve seen not go our way and people come out in droves to back up the decision of the referee.

Just smile and consider it a little revenge for the way we were blatantly robbed in the Cardiff Cup Final years ago. The dish may be cold but it tastes good.

Given your hatred of the Conservatives and your love of anything Labour can you tell us why you want Keir Starmer to lead them to victory?

Reason one for not wanting them, All their Mayors are failing even Burnham has let down the public with his support of a Police Chief who is useless.
Reason two all the Pakistani Grooming gangs are active in Labour areas and they are keeping things hush hush.
Reason three all the major cities are traffic congested and all the money spent on cycle lanes was a waste as cyclists won'r use them.
Reason four London knife crime is going up and up. Even under Johnson it went down not up same as with crime.
Reason five immigration they will impose no limits.
Reason six they will not make any attempts to stop the boats in fact they support the Albanians etc who have criminal records and have repeatedly backed solicitors who encourage them to say they would be abused if sent back home.
Etc etc etc.

I think the pundits have got the Liverpool situation badly wrong. Short term (next 5 games) medium term (rest of the season) and long term (next season) they’ve got serious trouble. Short term they’re well off form and lacking confidence because of that, and have major injury concerns to their best players.

Medium term they’re badly off the pace points wise and will have to really pick up to even make top 4 with Chelsea looking much better under potter, Man Utd slowly getting better and Spurs being Spurs.

Long term even if they get back to an even keel the geriatrics in their squad I think will be finished next season, and those around 30 will be heading towards the age cliff.

For what it’s worth on Football Manager (where I get all my insights) Liverpool are perennial winners until Salah retires. When he was on form he was an astonishing player, like a step behind Messi good. They hammered long balls into his and Mané’s throats and they’d control it and attack teams. You don’t find players like that easily. Liverpool seem to me absolutely coming to the end of their cycle, and if they miss out on champions league their ‘ sign Bellingham’ plan won’t work either.

Yet you have pundit after pundit saying they’re a quality team and they’ll come good and be fine. They ARE a quality team but they’re badly misfiring and missing players til the World Cup.

They’re quality like a 38 year old Federer was quality: Some sublime play, some first round knock outs and just waiting for the day he’s finished. It’s a shame, and partly because I hate City so much and I want as many challengers to them as possible.

Hadn't realized no English manager has won the PL. Who might be the first?

https://www.facebook.com/reel/779543043 ... 5x8gs&fs=e