Move Over Matt Ritchie?

As we all know; Matt Ritchie was out of yesterday’s win over Cardiff. The Scotland star missed the game through suspension but his absence from the starting line-up was not missed.

On many occasions this season Ritchie has been hailed as Newcastle’s star player and has even sometimes been referred to as the best player in the Championship.

However, it should be said that whenever Christian Atsu has taken Ritchie’s place in the first team, he has looked no worse than fans favourite, Ritchie.

Atsu plays the game very differently to Ritchie. Where Ritchie will often slow the game down to play a killer pass or deliver a cross, Atsu usually likes to play the game at a high pace and with plenty of intensity. Again, though, it should be noted that the Ghanaian is more than capable of slowing the game down when needed.

Atsu impressed again against Cardiff and Ritchie may find his place in the side in more jeopardy from now on and in the week when Florian Thauvin was sold to Marseilles, Atsu made his case for a permanent transfer.

227 thoughts on “Move Over Matt Ritchie?

  1. Sham and Ice, I thought that might have happened in the summer with Gerrard, could have seen him come on maybe a 2 year contract with a coaching role, what a player coach he would be and think how the kids and others could learn from him

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  2. Simon: I think Gerrard was on about 4 million a year at LA, mate. That’s too expensive for what he brings. He couldn’t hack it in the MLS so is way past his sell by date anyway. Maybe a player/coach on much less money? Could you really stand that high pitched scouse voice in a press conference though?

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  3. Also for Stuart: there is no vast left wing media conspiracy. All of the newsrooms have had their budgets slashed and the papers are under severe pressure. Murdoch owns The Wall Street Journal FFS and Fox News is ubiquitous in Hotels and Airports. There is usually a pretty even split of endorsements for Candidates except for Trump. The Dallas Morning Star and Chicago Tribune didn’t even endorse him and they have always gone Republican. Hell, even his own party did not support him because he is a loose cannon.

    People will realise that Trump really isn’t concerned about running the country. He even said during the Campaign that he would put in surrogates to manage affairs of state, including his family.

    There is an anger at politicians and a perception that the media is left wing. Trump has tapped into this just like the Tea Party did. That resulted in a bunch of fuckwits with no clue being elected, many of whom served one term as they really had no ideas of their own except obstructionism.

    Trump is the same. He doesn’t have a plan, just a bunch of soundbite issues.

    And BTW, the Republicans have been in power for much of the past 20 years (Presidency and Congress) so must share any blame for the problems that the working class in this country are facing. The only thing that saved this country and probably the world from a depression was Obama’s stimulus packages that many Republicans wanted to block. Hell, they objected to saving General Motors which would have cost 1 million jobs that would have never come back.

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  4. “There is an anger at politicians and a perception that the media is left wing” You’ve just explained right there why the likes of Brexit and Trump succeeded. If there’s a perception amongst enough people to win two major votes then it’s more than a perception I’m afraid. Unless all the voters are stupid of course – which is another popular accusation from the liberals.

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  5. Eric – It’s also the whole political class. Labour, Tories, Lib Dems here and Republicans and Democrats there. They’re two politically correct, too worried about upsetting people and communities. Trump isn’t. He’s different, he thinks and talks like the masses. Same as Farage.

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  6. “the Mexicans are doing the jobs Americans will not do – farm labour in California and Florida, Bus Boys and Line cooks in restaurants in NYC and LA, Maids and Roofers in Chicago.” Again Eric, complete denial about reality. There is a reason why Americans won’t do the jobs – they’re low paid and immigrants (many illegal) will do them. It’s great for business but not the public.

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  7. America was well on the way to a Plutocracy where the rich buy power. I am no socialist but you have to prevent this because at the top there seems to be an insatiable appetite for money and power. Putting in a plutocrat at the helm with no plan will eventually make things worse for the working and middle class.

    And more for Stuart:

    1. Trickle down economics has been shown to be a failure. The Laffer Curve has been discredited. I will explain if you want, but not on here except to post a link or 2.

    2. There is empirical evidence over the past 70 years that the economy does better with Democrats in power than with Republicans.

    3. The last surplus in the US Budget was when the opposite of what Trump is proposing on taxes was done, that is, cutting taxes for the working class and raising taxes on the rich.

    Lastly, I think political correctness is a bit out of control but that does not mean Stuart can call people “Libtards”. To begin with that is crass and if he ever wanted to have a civil conversation I would advise against using that term which is reserved for only the most right wing crazies over here like Rush Limbaugh. Trump wouldn’t even use that term.

    P.S. Best to keep politics off a NUFC blog normally but yesterday was such a monumental day I think we can fit it in during the International Break.

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  8. I’ve only just heard the term “libtard” and as I am on a crusade to get political correctness consigned to history. People have no right not to be offended. If I have offended anyone then that’s there issue really – people need a thicker skin these days.

    Oh and actually the French tried raising taxes on business under this socialist government and all their job creators left and they have grown at minimal rate.

    Thatcher cut taxes for business and kicked started a huge boom for the economy in the 80’s.

    Although in reality business should be incentivised to employ more people and pay higher wages with reductions in Corp tax and then reductions in shareholder dividends.

    But you’re right – we should talk about NUFC.

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  9. Stuart: I am sorry, it is not just about pay when you talk about picking strawberries for 12 hours a day in California or busing tables in Chicago. Americans will not do those jobs.

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  10. Course they will, Eric. Same here. We have Eastern Europeans picking fruit and veg. The fact is that it should be better paid and people on welfare should be told to take jobs like this (that will have a better wage) or they will have their welfare cut. But then again, this is a sensible approach but main stream politicians darent say it for fear of upsetting people.

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  11. Eric,

    Know what you mean when you look a it that way about Gerrard, I just thought that new start for him in a new careeras a coach and coming to an end of his playing days, he might be up for reduction in pay and start of something new

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  12. Stuart: the French went over the top with their tax increases and that is just stupid policy. Clinton’s were much more targeted and did not punish the wealthy. The top rate went from 35% to 39.6%, hardly punitive.

    I totally agree that political correctness is out of control but there are some things that are just too crass and nasty to say like “libtard”. You know the etymology of that word, you are a smart man. Even if you are on a crusade against political correctness there are certain words that do not even belong in that discussion like not using n**g*r or r*t*r* and words associated with them.

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  13. Gerrard won’t be on any wage when he leaves galaxy and he can’t expect a new deal on the same level. I have no doubt we could afford him. I don’t think he could play every week and I don’t think we have anybody else in the squad that brings what Shelvey does to our game. He would be a good addition..you don’t need pace in that role, just a footballing brain. A short term deal is realistic with a view to retirement in the summer and a coaching role, probably at Liverpool.

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  14. Stuart: the situation in the UK is different to the US. You cannot just move an unemployed steelworker in Pittsburg to California to pick tomatoes even if you double the illegal immigrants’ wage. It doesn’t work like that and you know it. A Capitalist ideal is a free movement of labour but this cannot be achieved without severe hardship to the existing people.

    The problem of “welfare” here is more corporate welfare where they pay virtually no taxes because of loopholes. If you add up all Welfare payments in the US to the poor you would arrive at about a 10th of this amount and a 20th of the military budget. This is a “problem” advanced by right wing nutcases with an agenda to get themselves elected and fill their own pockets from the corporate elites.

    You are picking the wrong fight man. All the money has gone to the top and even if you take away the welfare cheats and workshy benefits this is a pittance compared to corporate welfare and tax cuts given to the rich in the past 30 years.

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  15. All of Donald Trumps’s arguments were simplistic. He cannot build a wall to keep Mexicans out, the logistics make it cost ineffective, and it is unnecessary anyway. He is advancing populist arguments to the people that voted for him that will actually hurt the people that ended up voting for him.

    It is their children who will fight the wars, not the Senators’ sons (thanks CCR).

    There will not be new factories suddenly spring up in Michigan and Maine because of his protectionist policies. It is much more likely that the opposite will happen and there will be a global recession.

    The tax policy that will give the average worker an extra $100 a year will give Trump and his buddies an extra $500 million a year and explode the deficit further.

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  16. I don’t even have a dog in this fight. I am a 50 year old white man with a Masters Degree in Chicago. It was likely I would do OK whomever was elected. I know bullshit when I see it though.

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  17. Maybe Stuart’s “invisible hand” will help the unemployed steel workers from Pittsburgh and shift them to California where they will make 10 times what the Mexican day-labourers make now?

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  18. Putins speech to be accepted head of Russia clearly stated he would put the soviet union back together.

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  19. We basically have a couple of sociopaths running arguably the two most powerful countries in the world now.

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  20. One of the things Stuart touched on illustrates why Brexit won’t work even on a basic level. They won’t be able to get immigration down because the jobs the ‘entry’ level immigrants are doing are jobs that Brits won’t do. Ask the farmers.
    Living in a field in a caravan, working 12 hr days for minimum wages. Brits just won’t do it. Farmers have tried and the best they got was kids lasting 2 days. Cleaners in hospitals. Care workers. Won’t do that either and most are so bloody obese they can’t do anything.
    The main reason Brxit won was about immgration. He he.

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  21. Georgio
    Brexit is not about the UK stopping immigration.
    After we leave the EU Britain will be able to CONTROL immigration.
    The farmers will still be able to get unskilled labour , not just from the EU but from other Countries as well. We will likely have a similar system to that of the USA where legal immigration requires you to have a job, a work permit and a place to live.

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  22. kimtoon:
    We basically have a couple of sociopaths running arguably the two most powerful countries in the world now.

    That what worries me. Putin is a war monger. Imagine if he invaded England like like and stole our resource’s like he has done to Ukraine, America would do jack **** because there afraid of him. And there right to be afraid of Russia.

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  23. Sorry Kim getting used to this quote thing. I preferred numbers myself. I’m not used to it. I wrote the second paragraph. Please bring back numbers Andy the Magpie don’t like quote.

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  24. Stem:
    Sorry Kim getting used to this quote thing.I preferred numbers myself.I’m not used to it.I wrote the second paragraph.Please bring back numbers Andy the Magpie don’t like quote.

    agree with you 100%,think a lot on here will also agree

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  25. Andy the Magpie if other people want to use quote that’s fine but I prefer numbers like Toonsy had it. Is there a way we can have both.

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  26. Icedog I don’t understand why you have to quote what someone else has said when you have already read there comment. Staurt@113 or Eric@115 was much easier, for example.

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  27. Sidekick – as I understand it the Brexit vote WAS largely about immigration and the Conservative promise to get the numbers down to tens of thousands. Your idea of control may give permits etc but will not get the numbers down because we actually need these people. Does a caravan in a field in the middle of nowhere amount to a place to live?

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  28. Lads I think Andy looked into numbered post but couldn’t for what ever reason re instate it.
    Maybe if we started our post with the time we write it that could work? Numbers won’t work cause someone else may post before you.

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  29. @ Stem at 13:29;
    Russia’s would not dare invade the UK. They are not as powerful as you like to believe. Certainly nowhere near the US. They have a large army and a lot of tanks, aircraft etc but it’s all outdated and nowhere near as capable of most of the military hardware in the West. Their actual numbers of army personnel who take part in regular training is about 100k. the other 600k are just cannon fodder. Its a daft argument really. The UK is vulnerable only by having no current serviceable aircraft carriers and a reduced air fleet, but this will all change in the next 4 years (we will have 2 top of the range compared to Russia’s 1 severely outdated one) and meanwhile we are part of NATO. Oh and we have Nukes. It would never happen and we not need to rely on the US to help, but they would anyway.

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  30. [email protected]
    Spot on, but you base that on someone relatively sane at the head of that country and with a modicum of perspective and self control, 3 things I do not see in Putin. He’ll hide in his luxury bunker and give not a second thought for his people, same with Trump. Meglomaniacs the pair of them. Both stinking rotten liars too, they will never admit to any wrongdoing . Just look at Liam and johns plane coming down, we know **** well that was down to Russia but they will never admit it.

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  31. Shamrock @16.30 that’s made me feel better knowing Russia wouldn’t invade England mate. I do see Putin as a bit of a terrorist who likes to pick on smaller country’s. And I agree about there man power over our man power sort of thing. Trump needs to put him in his place without war.

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  32. [email protected] that’s what I think to mate, he’ll hide in his luxury bunker and have a large army to keep him safe. Obama knew what he was doing in Ukraine and those innocent victim’s in the plane who lost there lifes and turned a blind eye. Good idea the date and times Kim 🙂 Much better than qoute which I tried replying to you and messed up.

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  33. Putin has been at the head of Russia for an extremely long time already and has done nothing directly to the West and he never will. He is ruthless and very intelligent but his interests lie in trying to return to the former glory of the Soviet years, in former Soviet Countries where he has a chance of winning the people. He is not daft enough to think that invading western countries would ever work for him. There is nothing to worry about.

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  34. Stem:
    Shamrock @16.30 that’s made me feel better knowing Russia wouldn’t invade England mate.I do see Putin as a bit of a terrorist who likes to pick on smaller country’s.And I agree about there man power over our man power sort of thing.Trump needs to put him in his place without war.

    ime going to try and go one better (cannot have Kim beating me lol) why dont we just put our own number on our comments,so the next comment i make will be 1 and so on

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  35. Ice, I thought of that but if someone else is posting same time as you then they may be putting same number on , if you get my drift like. 😆

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  36. kimtoon:
    Ice, I thought of that but if someone else is posting same time as you then they may be putting same number on , if you get my drift like.

    not really mate it would be ex; kim at 1 or stem and 1 and so on

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  37. Right I see what you mean, so there could be more than one poster at number 1 but they have their name by it. Yep that will work. You just have to remember your number last time you typed if you been off for a while or do you start from 1 again?

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  38. kimtoon:
    Right I see what you mean, so there could be more than one poster at number 1 but they have their name by it. Yep that will work. You just have to remember your number last time you typed if you been off for a while or do you start from 1 again?

    you would only start with 1 again on a new thread,i think it would be easy to quote a number from the last thread if someone wanted to refer back on a new thread,where else if you left the thread for a while you only have to look back at your number where you left off,yes??

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  39. No English Manager has ever won the Premier League. Yes, I know Scots have but that is not the pool that the FA is fishing in for England Manager. So, we are stuck with Southgate (after Fat Sam and Mr. Roy who had also done the square root of fck all in their careers) unless the Scots can somehow decide they can play football again. The most successful English Manager in the PL was Keegan who we all know finished runner up.

    Of course, before the PL there was the great Bob Paisley, Brian Clough and many others but it seems like there haven’t been any good English managers for a while. It got me thinking if anybody had done well abroad and I could only think of Bobby Robson (Barca, Porto and PSV) and Venables (Barca before the PL).

    So, does it make any sense at all for the FA to limit their search for an England Manager to Englishmen when they have all been so **** recently? Why are the suits at the FA being paid vast sums of money when a monkey (or me) could come to the conclusion that they should expand their search to non-English managers? Is it PATRIOTIC to set yourself up for failure by selecting a failed coach like Southgate? England will surely qualify for the World Cup from the easiest group ever, but Steve McClaren could probably qualify from this group. I don’t know why I care and I am not sure if these players are good enough whoever might be in charge. But, FFS do your jobs FA and buy a clue.

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  40. Also, if I am typing when others are posting I could put “4” when it had already been claimed, as it were, by another poster.

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  41. Just as a hypothetical, let’s say Rafa was appointed Spain manager tomorrow, would Southgate even be on the shortlist to succeed him. Hell, would he even be on the list for the Hull or Sunderland job? I cannot fathom why there isn’t an outcry in the press over this pathetic decision. I have actually seen a writer at the Telegraph say it is a good thing because of “continuity”. Continuity of what, FAILURE?

    The press are going easy now but just wait for the inevitable crash and burn at the next World Cup. The knives will be out ready to carve into the new “Turnip Taylor”. I know I have said this before, but what vegetable will The Sun pick to superimpose Southgate’s mug on? I suggest a cabbage even though there is no alliteration, maybe a small cabbage, a brussel sprout? I will come back in just under 2 years to tell you all I told you so (not that it takes a genius to figure it out).

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  42. Eric Sykes:
    Also, if I am typing when others are posting I could put “4” when it had already been claimed, as it were, by another poster.

    2 the number goes with the name,there could be ten number 4 but it’s got to tie in with name,got it yes ??, ex: Eric at 4 or Kim at 4 ect

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  43. 3 KIM @ 1 maybe Bruce thinks he can tame him,many have tried many have failed except maybe the Burnley manager but he’s said he doesn’t want him back

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  44. Icedog: 2 the number goes with the name,there could be ten number 4 but it’s got to tie in with name,got it yes ??,ex: Eric at 4 or Kim at 4ect

    I get what you are saying. But, you just forgot to number your own post 🙂 Sorry, mate I don’t think it will catch on.

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  45. 4. Who the hell runs the England under 20s,they win 8-1 so he leaves Armstrong out for the next they get beat 2-1 go reckon that? what’s with England,Southgate brings Rooney back and makes him captain wtf

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  46. 5. Ice: all will be right with the world when Rooney scores against Scotland and we will be well on our way to winning the World Cup under Captain Wayne who unilaterally declared he would retire AFTER the World Cup and after they give Southgate (who, he) 3 million quid a year to manage England.

    And Ice, I don’t know what you do/did for a living but I bet that barrow-loads of pounds were not shovelled into your lap for doing absolutely ****** all and being a failure.

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  47. 6. This is the man that England will appoint as Manager as long as he doesn’t lose to Scotland (or maybe if he does. I have said this before, but Southgate took these players to the 2015 U21 Euros and didn’t get out of the Group Stage:

    Jack Butland
    John Stones
    Alex Pritchard
    James Ward Prowse
    Harry Kane
    Michael Keane
    Jesse Lingard
    Danny Ings
    Benik Afobe
    Will Hughes
    Ruben Loftus Cheek

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  48. 6. ERIC & 5 I really hope Scotland really stuff England good and proper,and just for the record I was manager of a factory with a staff of 140 making hearing aids and pilot head sets which meant starting before everyone and the last to leave for no extra but a company car as a sweetener,loads of money nee chance 🙁 🙁

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  49. 7 ERIC @ 6 the press keep screaming for a English manager along with a lot of ex players,I cannot for the life of me think of a real top class manager that’s English,strange isn’t it how the top clubs don’t have a English does that tell us something

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  50. 8. You are not guaranteed success with a foreign manager especially with the current crop of England players, but at least it might give you a chance. There just aren’t any good AND experienced England managers out there. I think Capello was a failure but I also think he wasn’t really bothered and phoned it in and took the money when he realised exactly what he had for players (prima donnas) and how the press were.

    The press will get what they want and then scream blue murder when it fails. As always.

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  51. The international break is a real bummer. Even electing New York’s version of Foghorn Leghorn couldn’t keep people’s interest for long.

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  52. Russia will raid the UK for its resources 😆 the red army is coming, lock up your fish n chip shops! 😆 😆

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  53. Put it another way Stem, the UK spent just shy on its defense budget last year than Russia did. On top of that when you say the US is afraid if Russia – it’s budget is 10 times bigger than the UKs. The UK is the 5th biggest spender on defense in the world, just of f Russia at number 4. But the UK only spent 2% of its GDP on military compared to 5.4 for Russia. if we wanted to jack it up, we could easily outmatch them without consigning ourselves to poverty. Russia already has huge poverty problems and has an unstable relationship with its neighbours. The US spends about 150% more on its budget than the rest of the top 5 in the world put together. Modern warfare is not about troop numbers, it’s about technology, offensive capability and defensive capability. Russia is a big world player, but it’s not a serious threat to the west by any stretch of the imagination. It’s actually funny that people think it is.

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  54. Sham: The US spends more than the top ten other countries combined on the military. It is 50% of the Federal budget and yet you still have Republicans saying it is not enough and that Democrats are weak on defense.

    It is one on those lies that have been repeated long enough that the uninformed think it is a fact – that the military here is falling behind and needs more funding.

    They even pay the American Football and Baseball teams to have giant flags stewn across their pitches and fly-bys of jet fighters as a recruitment tool. I saw the other day that it was about $35,000 at each of their chosen games. Great use of tax-payers money 😯

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  55. Mental Eric. I know the Republicans like their guns and chest beating. Number 3 in the world is oil rich Saudi Arabia, but they spend 13% GDP and don’t come close to the US. Russia is not a superpower in my opinion, but China most definitely is. Russia has massive borders to secure and Is desparate to reclaim it’s Soviet power, which is a long and futile struggle imo. The Country is vast and mostly barren. Not a Country you want to invade but not a Country in a position to engage western powers without leaving itself seriously exposed to a large number of juxtaposed territories looking to take advantage and get their sense of self identity back.

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  56. Sham: this is my guess as to how this will play out. Trump is your quintessential demagogue. If the ISIS situation gets worse he will play up to the masses and “bomb the ****” out of parts of the middle east. Those were his words. He will not use nuclear arms because that would cause a Holy War but he will Dresden them using massive bomb raids to cause fire bombs and not care about civilian casualties (or collateral damage as the Generals refer to it). There are many precedents for this, Dresden as I said, Hiroshima and Nagasaki, Carpet Bombing, Agent Orange, McArthur in the Far East.

    If Trump’s popularity is waning, I promise he will do this in the classic “wag the dog”

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  57. Do you want to see the biggest pile of dogshit ever. This is the South American qualifying group for the World Cup. They have all played 11 games and I am showing the points. THE TOP 4 GO THROUGH. 5th place have a playoff against an Asian team. Argentina are currently 6th.

    Not a Solvenia, Slovakia, Malta or Scotland in sight. Even Venezuela and Bolivia would beat Scotland, and Peru have Nobby Solano as one of their coaches. It is almost certain that a very good team from South Ameirca will miss out whist England are given a Golden Ticket that even Southgate cannot fck up.

    Brazil 24
    Uruguay 23
    Colombia 18
    Ecuador 17
    Chile 17
    Argentina 16
    Paraguay 15
    Peru 14
    Venezuela 5
    Bolivia 4

    Yeah I know I have been a bit ranty lately but that is what the US elections will do to a person 🙂

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  58. I am not sure how the South American qualifiers could be altered to make sure most of the good teams go through though. Are there any principalities down there like Andorra or Lichtenstein that could join FIFA? Will they allow sea Iguana’s in the Galapagos to set up a team? Can they redraw the map and make Aruba or Trinidad part of South America?

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  59. Nowt political on this blog Troy.
    Try tuning into a Brexit blog , the remoaners are always good for a laugh.

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