djchapsticks

The shite aspect of it is that it simply doesn't work that way. If the opportunity to play first team games for SMFC presents itself against the opportunity to be on the books of a club the size of City or Chelsea, there will only ever be one winner. These clubs aren't looking at guys in the 19/20 age bracket up here for their academy and to progress to first team football. 16/17 is where they catch them so if there is firm interest in Ethan that becomes an offer then it's highly unlikely, even if he was to stay and shine in our first team, that those particular levels of club will still be interested in him in 2 seasons even with first team football under his belt. You'd be looking at English championship level clubs at most. If City or Chelsea make a bid then it's quite literally a once in a lifetime opportunity and I don't think there's anything that we could offer that would tempt a player to hang about. That isn't a sleight at us either. Even Celtic stood no chance when Liverpool decided they wanted Ben Doak.

He apparently signed a two year extension last summer so should be under contract until summer of 2026.

I get that. The New Day are more a straightforward tag team now though. Also Alpha Academy which will shortly be done but apparently Gable leading up a new stable with the Creeds will be happening.

Few good things going on, on Smackdown. The Bloodline stuff is pretty interesting and the way that most of it was shot feels fresh and new. The new tag titles are just unreal looking. Another QR code teaser as well giving coordinates to a cave in Slovenia that translates to 'Cross Cave' which probably suggests that Nikki is going to be part of the new Wyatt 6 group as rumoured. Also accompanied with the words 'I set them free out of the miry clay, opened their eyes while you did nothing'... in January of this year, 5 people were rescued from this cave in Slovenia after being trapped following flooding which is obviously unrelated as it was a real life event but again, plays into the symbolism of the Wyatt 6 and I'm sure it's no coincidence that they picked this cave that 5 people were very recently rescued from - why else pick a cave in Eastern Europe that bears no real relevance? Also known that Bray and Bo were keen cave explorers. Thing is that everything we've seen so far points to a pretty heelish and cult-like group but the fans want this so much and want it to work so much that there's absolutely no chance they are coming in and getting booed. Fans by and large want something, anything of Bray Wyatt to just sort of cling onto and if that's his brother carrying on at least part of his vision, then they'll buy in at least short term.

I'm all for a big conspiracy but that was last season.

I cannot go them at all. Not their promos, not any gimmick. They just strike me as perpetually small-time in a way that guys like Kenny and Hamgman simply don't. They can put on good matches, some great matches even and I do love a spot-fest on occasion as a spectacle but their matches are just that. Youve seen one, you've seen all. There's a total lack of cohesion and psychology in what they do. I roll my eyes so hard at everything they do. Whether it's their wee insider jokes, playing the plucky underdogs, pull the power hungry EVP gimmick out, it is all hard to buy into. Especially the wee ratty looking one who looks like a stiff breeze could put him on his arse.

Back when I were a lad, 'woke' was used as a term almost exclusively for or by conspiracy theorists. As in the rest of us were asleep and 'sheeple' and they were woke and could see what was really going on.

In competitive full contact sports, I fully understand the standpoint. Wrestling isn't MMA, Boxing or Kickboxing though. In a performative show such as Wrestling, where both participants are working together to put on a show and entertain first and foremost, not to hurt or physically maim their opponent. Intergender matches are a pretty standard part of wrestling and have been for a long time, so in reality, even if they classify it as a Male vs Female wrestler, there still isn't a leg to stand on here.

They are, I saw a 3pm KO and Parkhead and just took for granted it was the Saturday.

I'll add on though that whilst I understand the concept of 'back to back top six finishes is success', it's not a notion I share. Context is everything. If we'd been in a St. Johnstone position and milling about 8-11th all season, pulling off a massive run and sneaking into 6th, I'd definitely call it a successful season. However, we've occupied one of the top 5 places since week 1. In my head, I had 4th as a definite probable goal and something that we should have been pushing towards but always felt that 5th - if it came with European football - would also be a success for us given most of us haven't actually seen the club play European football. If we drop into 6th and stay there after spending 33 out of the first 33 weeks in a European spot, for me at least, it will be a massive boot in the stones and the season ultimately will not have been a successful one in my opinion, particularly with two of the teams ahead of us being clubs that were promoted after we were.

The draw at Dens last night doesn't change all THAT much. By the time we are next in league action, we'll know the outcome of Dundee's visit to Parkhead and if that results in a defeat for them, then we're going up against Rangers knowing that a (lets be honest, long overdue at this point) positive result against them will put us in a massively strong position for going up to Dundee the following week. I'm confident that we'll pull a couple of results out of the bag. The week off has probably come at a decent time for us after losing a few players to injury at Parkhead last weekend and we'll hopefully be at 100% for the run in.

On the subject, who do folk think WWE would/will be contacting when their deals are up from AEW? Aside from the obvious in MJF. Think Malakai Black and Swerve would be locked in for returns for sure. HHH would never have gotten rid of either. Always feel it's just a matter of time before Mox and Renee are back. Mox in terms of they will 100% want one last bite at the Shield at some point. Renee because she's good at what she does and admitted it was Vince's verbal abuse that drove her out., Adam Cole, Kyle O'Riley? Again with injuries has that ship sailed? Would they go all out for Cole so long as Britt was part of the deal? With regards to folk who have never worked there, Starks and Hobbs are both obvious. Darby, probably not so much as although WWE audiences would love him, they'd 100% curtail his insistence of trying to kill himself in a Darwin award level manner in his spare time. The Gunns, the Acclaimed, Anna Jay (maybe not if she sticks with Jungle Boy) and Julia Hart all would fit as well in terms of already having that look about them.

In a world where you have a young and fit Omega , I think WWE could pivot and make it work. Again though, there's too many other factors. Kenny Omega is in a spot where he's massively respected by hardcore wrestling fans for his ring work but doesn't have the profile for casuals to instantly recognise him showing up on WWE telly, certainly not on the reduced schedule he's need to work even at full fitness. He also doesn't have the body that will allow for a full time schedule any more and is pushing 40 so that 'grind' never will be for him, even before illness and injury had wrecked him. He's sort of in the spot that Danielson was upon joining WWE only a fair whack older. I think WWE would find something worthwhile for him though to be fair, he's good mates with a load of guys there and could offer up plenty.

Appears so. He's distanced himself from the whole EVP thing. Doesn't fancy it, never has, whilst you get impression that the Bucks revel in it. Though I do think that the 'other factor' he was alluding to that prevented a grown up conversation happening at Brawl Out between him and Punk was Ace Steel going tonto. Through everything that's happened though, it's notable that Punk has never, ever so much as alluded to saying a strong word about Omega. So you do get impression there is no issue between the two of them.

Is it any surprise Clement is a p***k? He's a whining baldy c**t when they win FFS. Was obvious how much of the 'canny take its' he'd have when they get beat.

Clement is both baldy and speccy

This season? Seems low.

I like to think that @Sonam has just spammed this into existence.

It will be 3 home, 2 away. The SPFL prioritise 19 home and 19 away games over the season ahead of a 2 home 2 away breakdown of head to heads. We currently have 16 home and 17 away games played. We will have Killie and Celtic at home and Rangers away which balances out fine over the season will leave us on 18 home 18 away. We then have Hearts and Dundee both of whom we are due to travel to but SPFL won't push us in 18 home and 20 away games so one of those sides will visit us for a third time (or get both at home and visit Killie a 3rd time which won't happen as that would mean 3 fixture flips for us instead of one) My guess would be Hearts visiting us for a 3rd time as this is a meaningless match for them and us away to Dundee in the interests of fairness... otherwise we'd then end up with 3 home games vs Dundee in a straight battle for 5th, something we'd be up in arms at if the roles were reversed and we were forced to visit Dens 3 times.

Grant is just full on yer da at this point.

We've apparently sweetened the deal a wee bit.

Agreed on the first three but Taylor hasn't been out the team for full post winter break until Motherwell. If he'd stayed in the side and performing to level he was, I'd agree that he'd be my leading shout for POTY but it's hard to put him in contention when he's missed a third of the season.

Strawman choo choos and them turning Alesteir Black's entrance from looking pretty cool to adding a creaky door noise when he enters up through the fog were the worst offenders

Thing is, I reckon most of us on here want AEW to do well. But in terms of development and storyline, they are so so weak and they definitely need help there. A strong scene in general helps everyone. Even HHHs perceived dig at Ospreay shouldn't be seen as such. Some folk love the grind, others don't so its good to have the option and not be like 'well you either do it our way or there is nowhere else for you'. I can guarantee if Lesnar was just breaking in now he'd pick an AEW schedule over a WWE one as he hated the constant travel and road life. Osprey taking it as a personal sleight against him is ridiculously thin skinned instead of accepting that 'yeah, that way isn't for me just now but this is'.

Again, it was neither an active jab at Ospreay nor was it on WWE TV, it was on McAfee's ESPN show. The comments were basically HHH being asked to assess who might be a good fit for WWE and said 'If you're at the point in your career where you're still pretty young and would rather pick the reduced dates and easier schedule than the grind when you are fit, healthy and able to do so, then this probably isn't the company for you and it's probably for the best we didn't hire you'. The fact that Ospreay in particular has reacted without being named suggests that there's an element of truth there (in fact, didn't Omega once call out his work ethic as well in this regard?) but personally I saw it more as a broad swipe at anyone WWE might have been interested in such as Jay White, Mercedes Mone, Ospreay, maybe not so much Okada as he's now firmly in the 'veteran' categor,y but the fact that Ospreay of all people has taken such umbrage to it despite not even being close to getting named is quite telling to be honest.