tonyXIII

Thanks, JonM. I wasn't aware of that. Sadly, it's too late to get there now. Blast it!

I thought my birth certificate would solve this little conundrum, but it does not say "place of birth: Salford, Lancashire." Instead it refers to "County Borough of Salford". My question is, "What county?" It has to mean that Salford was, in 1953, a borough of the county of Lancashire. I think.

I know there are 5 minutes left, but "Well done!" to Crystal Palace.

I have the opposite problem here in Crete. We rarely need the heater, but air-con absolutely destroys the mpg (petrol car). We found a great solution - drive with the windows open. Just remember to close them when you park up for the night - it's a beggar having to dry your seat out if it rains, which it does from Jan to Mar.

I'm not sure that City will beat Bournmouth.

Whitby and Scarborough ('cod heads' and 'algerinos' respectively) have a bit of rivalry. Mostly friendly, but serious in sport!

That is well-observed. If a team relies on one 'star' player too much, it causes quite a few issues. Not just the risk of burn out, but the team's moves become predictable and easy to defend against, but also the other players don't get the chance to try the moves and tweak them. Sneyd is a very good half, but expecting him to carry the team was a risky strategy. We could well become a better team without him, though I would have preferred him to stick around as a coach/back-up player. Thanks for everything, Mark and 'Good luck'.

We have, indeed.

What? Do you mean they've been smoking it? (Joe Namath joke there)

"Unexpected results"? You can say that again!

I remember Dennis Law for his 'celebration' after scoring a goal. He would run back to the rest of the team with his right arm raised, index finger pointing skywards. He famously scored all six of City's goals in the cup tie against Luton (around 1961) which was abandoned with City winning 6-0 and only about 15 minutes left. City lost the replay, guess who scored their only goal. Thanks for the memories, Dennis. RIP.

Yes. Obviously lost his balance next to an open window. I must admit that Putin's men are becoming more imaginative in their choice of floor. They no longer use just the third floor. Perhaps we could play bingo - death dive floor bingo? Or perhaps not. Rather bad taste.

Only just spotted this thread, though I did respond to the thread on deviltalk. Ken Gill was a star in a star-studded team. RIP Ken Gill.

You poor devil.

"A glitch in their software", my arris! They are still lying.

I couldn't possibly comment. Sorry, Futtocks, that's a decision you must make for yourself. Interesting, though!

An interesting suggestion. No, I wouldn't advise that because I wouldn't deliberately infect myself in any circumstances. I am simply suggesting that the 'shiznits' are almost inevitable and that there are fabulous sights to see and things to do. How you deal with those two 'problems' is up to you. Personally, I'd book the trip early and take out some insurance against bad guts, plus take a load of imodium with me (or get some local stuff early on).

I'm always sad to see anyone get the sack. However, I'm gutted with ETH getting the sack. He was doing such a good job at United. Anyway, doubtless they will find someone to continue his good work. (For anyone who didn't know, I'm a City fan.)

A couple of bits of advice. Firstly, if there is anything you want to see, see it! I chose not to visit the Taj Mahal and now regret that decision as I am unlikely ever to go back. Secondly, trust the local pharmacies as they know what medicines work on their local versions of the various bugs. Finally, everyone gets "Delhi belly". It's inevitable but only lasts 24 hours. When it strikes, stay close to your hotel toilet. Enjoy all the experiences. Bon voyage.

Good news. Well done, Gurner!

That's far too positive a take for a true RL fan. Anyway, good luck from here on in.

No. If Salford had had to win to make the play-offs, I would have expected Rowley to pick his strongest side. We didn't have to win, so we chose to rest our best players and give the youngsters a run. (There will be more of this when clubs have to limit the minutes played for player safety). Best get used to it.

Why do we have play-offs? Because the fixture list has loop fixture which make the season lop-sided? Or because clubs aren't willing to share the Sky money over 14 teams and do away with play-offs? There are no simple answers. We play the cards we are dealt. Rowley's decision was spot on.

But the season is more than one week and we have to make practical decisions to maximise our prospects for the future. For example, if Bevan French were coming back from injury, would Wigan pick him against Salford, or would they rest him?

Blame Rowley for what? The RFL and Sky brought this about. Rowley is entirely blameless. Would you have played your 1st team and risk losing your best player to injury just before the play-offs?