Foden is a miserable git so it’s probably a good thing 😬

Foden also left out, Not happy.

Final one on global population (for now…) - Hans Rosling RIP was a brilliant demographic scientist, and this is one of his presentations that allays some of the fears about the future expansion (or likely otherwise) of the world’s total population - in short, falling birth rates in MEDCs and improved education in LEDCs mean that in the longer term (not our lifetimes I’m afraid), the total will stabilise at a level which the planet can most likely sustain [Link] It’s an hour, so patience is required if you want to learn more… 😌

I hope it’s a cracking final after all this crazy build up. I kinda like the idea of two teams playing each other with no time to prepare in detail how to best nullify their oppo.

It is all a done deal now. Come on you Tigers.

As for Southampton spying, the fact they used disguises surely means they knew the rules and that they were breaking them. They bought and wore Eastleigh training kit to spy on Ipswich when they trained at Eastleigh.

I'm guessing they want some of the Southampton population, since they aren't travelling to London now...😁

If the play off matches between Southampton and Middlesbrough had been put on hold to wait for the outcome of the hearing, and Southampton were thrown out of the playoffs, then Middlesbrough would get a bye into the final.

Sounds about right, particularly at some of the places I've worked Bolt CEO says he let go of his entire HR team for creating problems that didn’t exist: ‘Those problems disappeared when I let them go’ | Fortune [Link]

I remember they did special trips to littlehampton to Ryde a few years ago during summer season and to sandown as well

CW - no because they lost to Hull. If a team gets expelled from the FA Cup you do not get a the highest placed team that lost in that round re-instated. It is either the losing team or no-one.

RK - there are smart people who know how to fix this. But we and the politicians need to accept that they are smarter than us and listen to them rather than hold on to our ingrained beliefs.

If Millwall finished 3rd then surely they could claim they have a better case than Middlesbrough

Silk, indeed BUT the transition to lower birth rates, the differences in North v South and the ageing populations, in the north, create both economic and political problems. In so many years, an equilibrium of some sort will be found.

And I have zero sympathy for those cheats Southampton. Maybe for their fans but Boro v Hull is the right final.

It is a good thing that birth rates are shrinking. The estimated population in 1926 was 2 billion. In 2026, just a hundred years later it is about 8 billion. Doesn't anyone see this as a problem?

Harry Maguire has been left out of England's WC squad. He has confirmed it himself.

For Spit and Alan IoW - A new Hovercraft route is being trialed over the summer between Lee on Solent and Ryde on the Isle of Wight.

15 years ago, I thought i had cleverly factored in extra time & pens plus the presentation, in determining my train back. What i didn't allow for, was the very slow moving exodus of Looton fans blocking my way on those narrow paths. I only made that train with a Usain Bolt type sprint at the end.

15 years ago we were approaching extra time.

Kite - yep 👍

Lurker, was trying to play devil's advocate, as a cosy consensus seems to have formed

Most western nations are experiencing declining fertility rates. Russia, Spain & Japan the lowest the last time I checked. Part of equality means more females choose careers, it's also increasingly costly to bring up kids. Developing nations have high rates, read somewhere that Niger had 5.0. Hence understanding migration issues properly, developed national need skills and resources that they can't find at home, add an ever-growing populations in developing nations see their futures elsewhere

Southampton I’m talking about.

Surely the club should reimburse the fans since this is their behaviour.