Maximus Decimus
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Posts posted by Maximus Decimus
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17 hours ago, The Hallucinating Goose said:
When I was a teenager I was convinced that I was gonna be a writer in the future and actually wrote a couple of novels in school. They were rubbish and no one wanted to publish them but it is something I think I want to revisit at some point. I was a bit of a pretentious w
️ in my teen years and did have a bit of a superiority complex but I was also very immature and naive looking back.
I know it's not strictly on this thread but I think this is very normal. I once saw a video that referenced it (the personal fable I think after looking it up) and it made me feel a bit more normal.
I certainly had a high opinion of myself and thought I was destined for greatness, not in a vocal way but deep down. The main avenue of this was singing, and until my early 20s I thought I would be discovered out of thin air even after I finished all my gigging etc.
It also didn't help that I was pretty much the cleverest kid in primary school and one of in secondary. It wasn't really until University where I met people that I realised were operating on a different level to me.
Believe it or not, I'm extremely humble these days!
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1 hour ago, Gerrumonside ref said:
Finished reading ‘The Rise and Fall of the Dinosaurs’ by paleotolongist Steve Brusatte which tells their story and that of the digs and characters that made the science possible. This makes this former Sunday Times bestseller more than a dry textbook. If you have interest at all in the subject can recommend.
Currently reading ‘London Falling’ by Patrick Radden Keefe which is true crime book written like a good novel tracing the life of a young man who becomes weeved into the world of Russian oligarchy and the criminal underworld in London.
Next up is undecided really for me in terms of reading, I tend to sway more towards non fiction than fiction but quite fancy something funny.
I'm much more a non-fiction reader. Currently readings Stalin's War by Sean McMeeken which is a very interesting take on the events of WW2 from a different perspective.
I did recently read two books of fiction: L'Assommoir by Emile Zola which was surprisingly readable and The Long Shoe by Bob Mortimer. It was a bit of fun without being serious.
I find it hard to read crime thrillers these days, and this is what the vast majority of books appear to be. I feel like I've read so many over the years that I'm just done with them.
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On a separate note, I only know the score of the City-Coventry game and figured City probably dominated but just couldn't score more.
Then I check my FPL and noticed that Haaland got bonus points for defensive contributions
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2 hours ago, Sidi Fidi Gold said:
The Leeds 2nd goal was ruled out pretty quickly.
I was only looking at PL scores on Google, and then heard the radio flicking through and Forest had just scored.
You can imagine my shock, especially at the Leeds score. As far I was concerned they were coasting to an impressive victory!
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Gotta love modern football.
Go to pick my mum up and it's 2-0 to Leeds and Forest are beating Spurs 1-0.
I get home and Leeds is now 1-1 and Forest-Spurs is 0-0 .
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https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/articles/cgjql4w604eo
Ex-PL referee says he would play mini-games with himself mid match.
Personally, I find this hilarious, mainly because it is the sort of thing I would do but never tell anyone.
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17 hours ago, Trebian said:
A jar of Vegemite.
Was curiosity when I first moved to Australia. I had previously consumed Marmite when I was a kid so this was a novelty. I have seen Aussies eat it for breakfast but I simply cannot bring myself to try it.
One of my pet hates is when my wife gets something and then declares that she is "saving it for best". I know that this is a bit of a throw back to the 50s and 60s when people used to have special cabinets to put these "special" things in but this is the 21st century. Now I have best whiskey that was bought for a special birthday, best glasses, best coat (its now 30 yrs old) etc etc etc. I know that these are not strictly in the "never used" category but they are so close it isn't funny and what are they being saved for anyway ?
I was at my in-laws with the kids at Christmas and I was trying to explain to them why Granny and Granda have plates locked up in cupboards that are never used. They thought it was the craziest idea they'd ever heard of.
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2 hours ago, The Phantom Horseman said:
Prior to the winter of 2011 - an Icemaster 2000 deluxe* Snow Shovel. I live in the south of England, and it's never left my shed.
*I may have invented the brand name.It's why I'll never buy aircon.
The second I do we'll have 10 years of rainy summers.
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2 hours ago, Gerrumonside ref said:
Yes, no one managing the fight at all in that team, all caught up in the emotion.
Thats okay for Itauma but Davidson et al are more culpable.
I’ve seen boxers punch themselves out many times, in fact the Rumble in the Jungle is the prime example of it, but even so it was stunning to see a man so dominant collapsing just rounds later.
The more I've seen of it, he does seem to get caught a bit by Hrgovic, but obviously fatigue was the deciding factor.
Literally seconds after I last posted, DAZN released their behind the scenes bit with corner instruction. Naturally, Hrgovic's corner are telling him he's getting tired.
Davison is trying to get him to slow down but he is extremely mild in how he says it. He tries to get him to stop head hunting and go to the body. Itauma clearly doesn't listen but Davison wasn't nearly forceful enough either.
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24 minutes ago, graveyard johnny said:
a pushbike from Halfords and an exercise bike from Argos - both seemed a good idea at the point of purchase
Oh I once bought one of those sets of rollers that you use to cycle indoors.
Tried to get on once and never again.
I did actually make a small profit on eBay
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Anything to do with chopping or processing food. Gets brought out once, is a ###### to clean and gets put away.
I have real guilt over stuff that has been bought for the kids over the years that they've never used or used once, such wastage. An electric drum kit and VR headset being two main examples.
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11 hours ago, Gerrumonside ref said:
I don’t believe Itauma was wrong to accept the chance to fight for a world title at this stage in his career.
He was enjoying a great deal of success too in the fight and his punches were clearly having an effect on Hrgovic who was losing every round.
Tactically it all went wrong after the 6th when him and his team failed to manage the fight, but that’s with the benefit of 20/20 hindsight.
Apparently news has come out saying he's never even sparred 12 rounds. Seen a lot of criticism online of Ben Davidson.
Everybody knew the possible pitfall for Itauma in this fight was that he'd gas out and Hrgovic would have his chance. Even I mention it on this thread! It seems insane that they didn't significantly plan for this, as it seems that Itauma could've won pretty easy on points if needed.
Of course, maybe Itauma himself wasn't able to control his emotions but it didn't seem like the corner were instructing him to slow it down.
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I've had a couple of days to reflect and think this could end up being a positive for Itauma. It essentially means that he can have a reset and do it properly knowing he has a lot to learn.
A lot of people were comparing him to Tyson and I had a quick look at his record. Not only did he have double the number of fights before his first title shot, he also had three fights that essentially went the 10 round distance. Most of his fights were 1 or 2 round blowouts, but then he'd meet a guy he couldn't get out easily. Outside of the immense media pressure he learned how to adjust.
Essentially Itauma was confronted with this in a title fight for the first time and didn't have the maturity or experience to deal with it. Everyone could see a knockout looked unlikely after a couple of rounds, an adjustment should've been obvious.
I saw a clip where he was throwing bombs but missing and if one of those has finished Hrgovic, he would have stayed a ticking time bomb. They'd have been talking about Dubios or Kabayel or even Usyk or something and it might have been AJ mark 2.
Somebody mentioned that Haye's first loss was very similar and long term it did him little harm. Moses didn't get sparked out and his chin didn't look weak. He's going enough for it to be seen as that.
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On 29/08/2026 at 16:32, Sidi Fidi Gold said:
I bet he'd skip the queue at Snowdon as well.
It would be easy for me as an Evertonian to make out like this was indicative of Liverpool fans but I'm not gonna be a hypocrite as I hate it when people do stuff like that.
What I will say is that I couldn't help but notice how Liverpool have changed over the last few years. The reality of the PL is that there aren't many British players at the top clubs, but this has been the case for a long time now and in many ways it's a lost argument.
One thing I begrudgingly respected about Liverpool, was how they always seemed to have a very scouse identity and a bit like United they had local players unlike a team like Chelsea who were rich and didn't care.
I was shocked to see that Liverpool are now probably the worst example of this. Only one British player has started in the last two games and he was a lad I've never heard of. All the other big teams have a smattering of top English players who are key players in their team.
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On 29/08/2026 at 14:24, Sidi Fidi Gold said:
I think some people really have a problem with working class kid from council estates growing up to earn lots of money.
I think this is a tiny part of it, it's the sort of unfalsifiable claim that people love to throw out these days.
Footballers are just by far the most visible instance of celebrities who make a shed ton of money for doing something that is essentially trivial. We're not talking a lot of money, we're talking insane amounts.
Not only is it the most popular sport/pastime, but it is everywhere multiple times a week. They're not in a couple of high-profile tournaments, making a brand deal no one really knows about or bringing a film out every few months etc. Due to tradition, their wages are reported in a weekly format which is another oddity of it.
There have been plenty of working class bands that have made a shed ton of money without it being an issue like it is in football. It was only an issue for Oasis last summer because of the cost of the tickets.
I just put it down to to an it is what it is situation. Football is too global to ever control it, and there's is no alternative scenario where those millions go to poor people instead.
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34 minutes ago, Gerrumonside ref said:
Bad scenes at the end of Itauma-Hrgovic world title fight with Itauma requiring a stretcher.
Itauma dominated the fight and may have won every round including scoring a knockdown before completely punching himself out.
His corner threw in the towel and the ref saved Itauma as he gassed out completely, was shaking on his feet and was left vulnerable in front of Hrgovic who had been battered and cut for the vast majority of the 9 rounds.
But you’d have to say that Itauma and his team got the tactics wrong whereby he continued to push for an unlikely KO, despite being substantially up on points, leaving himself exhausted.
The only other world title fight that seemed similar was Homer Simpson’s brief boxing career in the Simpsons! (Maybe just maybe a nod to the Rumble in the Jungle too, without being on that level or Hrgovic asserting himself like Ali finally did to Foreman.)
Hrgovic spoke very well after the fight admitting he’d lost every round but had a plan to use his conditioning, granite chin and stamina to outlast Itauma despite the beating he was taking.
Hrgovic is the IBF heavyweight champion after the ninth round stoppage.
Such a weird fight.
Itauma won every round but essentially totally ran out of energy to the point where he was totally done. It wasn't like Hrgovic beat him. In a weird way it reminded me of the guy in the Decathlon European athletics who collapsed over the line due to exhaustion.
Gutted for Moses. He's going to come back but it feels like it'll always be a stain on his record.
A too big step too soon.
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7 hours ago, N2022 said:
You know you're getting old when parking apps are a source of confusion / anxiety / annoyance, according to one BBC article today. Sounds a familiar issue but I think it's not necessarily just age-specific ...
Parking apps are a nightmare purely because there are so many. I was in Llandudno a couple of years back and it had a parking app I'd never heard of but no signal with which to download it.
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12 hours ago, Gerrumonside ref said:
It doesn’t surprise me that casual PPV type boxing fans aren’t clued up at the moment, but anyone who follows it properly is.
Itauma quietly goes about his business and sees trash talking as beneath him.
As the earnings and profile increase, as the fights get bigger, then I think he’ll break out of his environment and maybe his shell too.
At the current time (cue upset loss tonight) his personality/character is definitely the weakest part of the overall package. IMO though, there is a level of talent where this stops being an issue. Itauma could be that good.
I have very casual mates (big fights only) and some who over the years have followed closer. It was the second category who'd not only not heard of Itauma but Hrgovic either. As I said, there can be a lot of reasons especially with age and life getting in the way and people losing interest etc.
I was watching a few highlights earlier and I thought I remembered Itauma slowing down against Franklyn and it being a potential issue at the time. I was following on BBC and there was definite concern around round 4/5. Not heard much mention of that.
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41 minutes ago, Gerrumonside ref said:
A real fight this weekend between Moses Itauma and Filip Hrgovic which should tell us a lot about Britain’s best heavyweight and his bid for a world title.
Hrgovic came very close to defeating Daniel Dubois not too long ago and should have beaten China’s Zhang for a vacant title.
Pundits are calling for a test of Itauma’s heart on Saturday in what could be a close fight before ruling that he’s the best young prospect in the division since Mike Tyson emerged in the 1980s.
I'm really hyped for this fight. You've got a young wonderkid who's never gone past 5 rounds against a seasoned guy who has never been put down.
Before it was a world title fight, I thought it was a big leap for Itauma as he is essentially untested adversity wise. There is a very real chance that he throws everything, doesn't move him and gases out.
My prediction however is that he'll get the stoppage. Cuts are a huge problem for Hrgovic and it's hard to imagine that in the early stages Itauma won't open them up. I suspect it'll lead to a stoppage.
On a different note, I've been surprised how many of my friends/family have no idea who either fighter is despite in the past being quite big into boxing. Obviously, life changes but I can't help but wonder if it is indicative of a certain decline, maybe fueled by recent celebrity boxing being so high profile.
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You know you're old when you used a fountain pen in primary school.
I only realised today that I haven't seen one for years. My kids (both over 10) had no idea what one even was.
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23 hours ago, Sidi Fidi Gold said:
Villa could potentially lose 6 players who won the Europa League in May, Digne, Konsa, Tielemens, Rogers all sold, Watkins almost certainly going and Martinez rumoured to be leaving, it wouldn't surprise me if Emery walks.
There's probably not much they can do tbh.
As I said, there's probably always been an element of this but a traditionally big club playing Champions League football being unable to hold onto players is mad IMO.
As an Everton fan it doesn't fill me with hope.
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I must say I find the developments at Villa pretty depressing.
Obviously, money talks in professional sport but I feel like if any team has a good season they just get gutted the next.
There's always been an element of this of course, but when you've got traditionally big clubs making the champions league (Villa, Newcastle) and it not being enough for players you wonder whether anyone will ever be able to break the monopoly of the massive clubs.
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1 hour ago, The Hallucinating Goose said:
That Newcastle shirt is horrible.
I'm an Evertonian but even I felt like the equaliser was deserved purely because of that shocking kit.
Man United's away kit was pretty grim too. Reminded me of a Liverpool one from about 1996.
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8 hours ago, Gerrumonside ref said:
I disagree, you have to take into account the opposition a bit more.
I think Brentford will finish much higher in the league than Hull City this year.
Carrick’s post match idea that United were somehow robbed was laughable.
United had more possession but their defence looked vulnerable every time Hull moved it wide and then crossed it.
I watched the entirety of both games - if Utd are going to struggle to defend against McBurnie then the better teams will really fancy it.
Spurs were woeful too, but against a better team is my argument and that Sangare in Brentford’s midfield had a dream debut against Tonali.
I should add though that one game in we hear too much about crisis and other such hype and nonsense from Premier League pundits/broadcast types.
I know it ‘sells’ to talk like this but it really is nonsense.
It’s one game!
I get this absolutely. Plenty of first game disasters that are long forgot.
That said, Aston Villa..... Ouch
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School Memories
in Any Other Business / Any Other Sports
Posted
As for school, I started primary with a headteacher who walked around smoking a pipe. Seeing as though it the early 90s it wasn't that old.
He also famously used to get children to box if they'd had a fight on the playground. It wasn't unusual to walk through the hall and see two kids having it out.
Secondary school I've tried to forget. I wasn't bullied or owt, it was just a bad time of heightened emotions, death-like levels of mortification and borderline cruelty. I can remember actually having known enemies who were would just argue with in the most personal way.