Rog, your presence on here, your class, your understated humour, your dignified responses. I’ll bet Meg loved you every bit as much as you loved her. I’m so so sorry for your loss. It isn’t fair. I pray you have every bit of strength you need for the next few days weeks and months and that you can draw family around you like a blanket. My thoughts are very much with you in this tragic loss. As others have said, and from your own words she seems like a beautiful woman inside and out.

When even Andrew Neil, who was a very staunch Brexiteer, says the games up, then the games up.

Link

...The biggest irony about the whole thing is that it seems to have made post brexit immigration and asylum issues way worse...

But how exactly has Brexit increased asylum seeker numbers? According to the House of Commons Library Report of March this year, in 2021, 48540 people applied for asylum, the largest number since 2003. Of those 43% were nationals of Middle Eastern countries, 28% were nationals of African countries, 18% were nationals of Asian countries, and just 12% were from Europe. After years of falling levels of applications asylum seeking is on the rise, but surely that is more to do with wars and the harsh political and repressive conditions people live under in non-European countries?

Looks like Qatar have invested in the VAR too. It’s their 12th man. Very dubious cancelling out of a goal against them in the 2nd minute.

Dodgy keeper, dodgy VAR.

I didn't see anything wrong with the goal. Will be interesting to look at the replay at half time.
Qatar 1 down now though, Ecuador are all over them.

The half time re-showing demonstrates what a ludicrous decision it was via VAR.

Nobody (at the time the ball was played) was anywhere close to being offside. But they got round that by not showing it to anybody.

Strangely the second goal was a far more valid candidate for being disallowed if one were that way inclined.

Thankfully it doesn't look like it will affect the result, hopefully at least. Rooting for Ecuador to get a third and put the game to bed.

Thanks everyone for the kind words. I don't normally post a lot of personal stuff but Judith suggested I do as the initial diagnosis was a possible kidney cancer which is what Steve Gleiber had. I am mostly upset that we didn't even get a chance to proceed further with anything to do with her potential cancer and instead just watch her not eat for so long.

She was in the outpatient section of the hospital. No one in there had any heart monitors or life support stuff on them as all the patients were meant to go home. We were very suspicious when they moved her into her own room 2 days before she passed but were assured that it was normal and there was nothing to worry about.

I've had to do many things that I had never even thought of the past few weeks. Arrange a funeral, wake, grave site, church, burial, her clothes to wear, death certificate info, relatives, emails, phone calls. We had no children so I am here on my own now. Also creating funeral videos, booklets, a picture to place on the coffin and some personal effects.

It's very tough. Her parents both lived over 25 years longer than she so I thought we'd have another quarter century together.

We had just bought a place after looking after her parents for 7 years until they passed away in 2013 and 2017. We rented a place for a year while I fixed their old place then we moved here. I fixed this place up for her with a new deck, full smart home stuff, cabinets and security etc etc. I did all the rooms. Everything was mostly done - then covid hit. But we just isolated as the place was very comfortable for us and we got on brilliantly. We were barely ever out of each others sight for over 3 decades.

The half time re-showing demonstrates what a ludicrous decision it was via VAR.

Nobody (at the time the ball was played) was anywhere close to being offside. But they got round that by not showing it to anybody.

Strangely the second goal was a far more valid candidate for being disallowed if one were that way inclined.

Even better was the cartoon characters that were used to 'model' the offside. But it seems that because the goalie is miles of his line does that mean the other defender doesn't count?

The goalie being miles off his line would affect it in that there would have to be two other defenders goal side/level.

But the timing of the cartoon is suspect. There was no connect to anything else. When the ball was played forward everyone appeared to be well onside.

Rog, your presence on here, your class, your understated humour, your dignified responses. I’ll bet Meg loved you every bit as much as you loved her. I’m so so sorry for your loss. It isn’t fair. I pray you have every bit of strength you need for the next few days weeks and months and that you can draw family around you like a blanket. My thoughts are very much with you in this tragic loss. As others have said, and from your own words she seems like a beautiful woman inside and out.

The England armband thing is hysterical

So English and a classic piece of stupidity from the FA. Announce in advance you are going to do it and send fifa a letter telling them, fifa then threatens to book the captain and the FA then withdraw the idea. We’ve made our point etc

Great protest lads

Sadly I missed the game because the electricity was off again
The situation here is a bit of a joke.

I like the energy and drive from the African teams

Hope all the chaos in the world drops a few notches, so life for us normal people can be better
Hope you get your electricity back soon

Interesting that the refs are actually adding on the correct amount of added time. 9/10 minutes and it’s absolutely right. The token 3 minutes in prem games never accounts for the actual stoppages in play

Just got to love xG.

Saudi Arabia’s is 0.13 right now.

And they are 2-1 up against Argentina.

Wow, despite 14 minutes added time.

Argentina unbeaten for 3 years. 36 games. Till now.

From what I saw Senegal were anything but that and were boringly playing for a draw until Holland ended that idea.

Wales played better in their 2nd half against US but boy oh boy am I glad we didn't go back for Ramsey who looked well past it. Bale was equally rubbish. Ref was ok though and justifiably handed out yellows for nearly every professional foul which is rare to see.

Thanks Gooner 7. I'm quite sad that I missed it.

Those that can, are going off grid. Unfortunately, most can't afford it. In our case, there is always some other major expense that has priority.

Kudos to Saudi Arabia, they played the second half with lots of drive. Every player played out of their skin to deny Argentina. IMO, Di Maria slowed Argentina down

Log onto bingsport.com for the highlights
It is a subscription channel for live games, but free when viewing the highlights

The England team did well yesterday – that’s high praise for me. However, it occurred to me that it could have been quite a different team.

Raheem Sterling was born in Jamaica and came here at the age of 5. Bukayo Saka’s parents hadn't long been in London before he was born so he might easily have declared for Nigeria.

Rice and Grealish both started their international careers playing for Ireland at most levels up to U21s. Declan Rice actually played for Ireland’s senior team.

How are they viewed over there?

5 Goalkeepers at the WC either play or have played for Arsenal. Name them.

Turner, Ramsdale, Szczesny, Leno, Fabianski and Martinez
[Edit, I see Fab is retired from international football]

Its almost more amazing that 5 of that 6 are first choice premier league goalies, and the other plays for Juve. Quite a crop.