Wullie

Longstaff wasn't signed full stop.

4 points between them after 21 games

Nah I completely disagree, it does critically affect the integrity of the game either way if a player has a stake in a result beyond what he's employed to do. What if the team have a player sent off after 5 minutes, the manager's instruction is to sit deep and hold out for a draw, but the player keeps charging forward needing the win because he's got a huge amount of money on it? Now that the bookies offer foul, shot and tackle markets you don't even need to take a booking, would be so easy to do for any player who wanted to.

Glad I'm not mental, sounded completely ridiculous.

Did I hear that right on MOTD? The top 3 players for headed goals in the PL is now Kane, Wood, Calvert Lewin?! That seems absolutely mental to me.

Find myself fascinated to know what the hell has happened when I see a famous club in trouble. Ajax being 16th in Eredivisie and Basel in Switzerland are mental situations. Basel are on 10 games played, 5 points, rock bottom.

Massive credit to Howe, not for the improvement (well obviously that) but in even seeing that the improvement was possible. There isn't a single Newcastle fan who wouldn't have had Murphy on the "Sell ASAP" list and not even have given the lad a chance to prove otherwise.

Absolutely outrageous. I don't see how that's any different to me emailing them and saying "oh I never realised Haaland wasn't playing when I put the bet on Man City to win, can I have the money back?"

It's just flat out wrong, completely false.

A Super Sunday indeed

Remember meeting @Rich on the Metro home and agreeing that was brilliant and we'd been fantastic but Taylor had probably fucked it all up by conceding that daft penalty.

A lot of these seem to go nowhere, I guess due to lack of proof. That one where Xhaka took a yellow at Leeds for time wasting looked very suspect, he was charging round looking desperate to go in the book for a few minutes.

Aye I was just searching out the link for exactly that, absolute joke. https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/41181979

My view on things like the Trippier and Daniel Sturridge situations is that they are completely different to matters of sporting integrity on the field and frankly I don't even think they should be punishable. If a player wants to tell his mate that he's moving to a club and his mate goes and sticks a grand on it, imo that's the bookies' problem for offering a market where inside knowledge is obviously going to happen because these are people's private lives. Where does it end? Is his wife allowed to hand her notice in or does she have to keep it quiet to suit William Hill? Is he allowed to tell his parents or does he have to do a runner in the night in case his dad puts a tenner on? What if his kid tells a mate at school? Quick, call the FA! A bookie can open a market on whether a player is going to go for a piss but that doesn't compel him to hold it in.

Prepared to take back everything I've said about Karen Carney if I spend any more time listening to Jill Scott mangling her sentences in the only accent worse than Brummie.

What does "illegal platforms" mean exactly?

Is it right that's 2026 WC qualification? Do they normally do it this far in advance?

No idea but the first shake is definitely the Sassuolo captain. Why would he then turn to shake with his assistant when he hadn't shaken with the other one? She only puts her hand out instinctively because his is extended.

It looks terrible but I don't think it is. He shakes with the Sassuolo captain then turns to shake with the Lecce captain. She puts her arm out because he's got his out then they both realise their mistake. The reason it looks so bad is because you think the first shake is with his assistant on the other side.

Berwick Rangers a possibility if you're near Bamburgh.

Commentating, not commenting. Big difference which maybe I didn't make clear enough. My point was specifically about the main commentary gig where I think tone of voice plays a part and many people are more likely to have a preference for one sex over the other.

I certainly agree with this FWIW, and I don't agree with the initial point in bold, for clarity. Nobody's mentioned Kelly Cates who I think has been the best football anchor on British television for years.

Since you've accused me of being "snide", do you prefer watching men's or women's football? Venkman claims he has no preference whatsoever, would need therapy if he did, and that my assuming that people on this Newcastle United forum have a preference for one over the other is "bizarre". I certainly think this thread has gone bizarre.

Sorry not sure what you mean here exactly, probably my fault. My point was that you took issue with @St. Maximin for saying that there was "nothing misogynistic about preferring male commentators to female ones" but I think you (and I, and everyone else on this forum) have a preference for watching male footballers over female ones. Why is it misogynist to prefer watching/hearing a male commentator but not a male footballer? My disbelief was your claim that you don't prefer watching men playing football.