Salvo Montalbano

What's this stuff Elon's right wing echo chamber keeps pushing down my throat today about the Georgia election board "admitting" some ballots were scanned twice and others are missing? Just bullshit, I take it?

I didn't think the Wolves one was a penalty to be fair - I hate it when players are penalised when the attacker makes contact with basically their follow through, and not only do I think Alt-Nauri did anything that meant the Man City player wasn't able to get his shot away, I'm not sure what the Wolves man is meant to do. The Arsenal one is a bit odd in that it probably was a (soft) foul on the goalkeeper but it looked like Saliba fouled the Bournemouth player beforehand. I guess this is the problem with the barrier for VAR intervention. If the referee had given the penalty to Bournemouth I don't think that the VAR team would have overruled that either.

A second 10 of the week to finish up with. Given my shiteness at guessing the year, it was good to get 2 I knew.

They talked about this on the Richard Osman and Marina Hyde podcast The Rest is Entertainment - it seems that Netflix have a couple of potential issues: 1. They didn't expect this to become a big hit so didn't actually do much (if any) compliance stuff (nowhere near a BBC or Channel 4 production would have done) and 2. At the start it says "This is a true story" which is different from the usual "Based on a true story" or "The events in this programme actually happened" which allows more for producers to say that characters have been exaggerated, sequences have been changed, timelines have been compressed, words used may not be 100% accurate etc. Also, when it came out the guy said something like "we've changed the character quite a lot... I don't think she'd recognise herself let alone people working out who it is" when it took very little effort from Internet sleuths to find her. They're also in bother for casting a man who looks like a well known producer for the character who abuses him but the guy he looks like is 100% innocent (it's well known in the industry who the guilty party is apparently) and the innocent guy has had threats and folk hassling him etc.

To be fair to Meekinson I think he got a bad injury in either his first or second game and never actually played much. I think before we got Mochrie in that Meekinson was arguably thought more highly off, but not sure if that injury changed things?

A full house 10 in the league, and a PB of 8 in the Comedy.

We're going to sign Mark Birighitti, aren't we?

I'd imagine Raith will be in for Stevenson, if not both?

Is the regular setter away? Cos they were stinkers. 7

What? Since when? If you hit the ball at the 8 feet (2.44 metres) by 8 yards (7.32 metres) area and nobody blocks it, you score. Anything else and it doesn't go in. Am I being wooshed somehow?

Wow, every days a school day etc

They discussed this potential move on the Terrace podcast a few weeks ago I think. If they get the McKenna from the year Arbroath finished second then it's worth a punt, but that seems to have been a one off season and it's a weird move going full time at what 28/29?

An inspired guess on the poem means a super sexy TEN for Tuesday.

Yeah, some of the comments on the binfire that is Twitter/X has been mental. Like West Ham fans saying that they're delighted that Moyes has gone but can't belive they've got Lopetegui in... some have even said that it'll be a similar style of play. Mental to think these people are out there. Nope, training on his own in England. You'd think he'd have got a gig back in Spain or even in the Middle East somewhere to keep him ticking along. No doubt Celtic fans will be thinking they have a legitimate chance of him taking over from Hart next season.

League Cup I could just about get on board with, even though webdrew at Stark's Park this season and have e.g. beaten Hearts at Tynecastle on penalties and so on, but the Challenge Cup? I know Falkirk take it seriously (chortle) but does anyone else? And losing to Bonnyrigg in the Scottish Cup takes the shine off that. As said previously, going unbeaten in any league is decent, even if the standard is poor and the referee got you out of losing to Edinburgh with a penalty that wasn't in the 97th minute. I think you'll do fine next season, but hopefully the Falkirk support think that they'll be swatting aside everyone and they end up scrambling down the bottom again for everyone else's enjoyment.

It was interesting that the Giro organisers went for such tough stages so soon - no TT, sprint stage or procession to start here. Of the other contenders, only Thomas and to a certain extent O'Connor have looked like they are in any sort of form. Think Pogacar winning with Thomas on the podium was a popular prediction and at this early stage that looks a solid bet, injury/crashes and illness notwithstanding. Also feels weird not having a yellow train at the front after last year.

Exactly my thoughts on the matter. He should be bard. 9

I thought it was already illegal to park in front of an official dropped kerb? (As opposed to one done for a driveway or with something to allow a car to bump up). I think like parking in front of a fire hydrant sign, it wasn't often enforced but still technically verboten?

And Muslims in general. And all the while lying about how many mayors were Muslim. (I think 3 of the 10 or so he named were, the others were all white men and women?)

Yes, that's why it was brought in (at least a decade ago too!). To me, the prize is promotion and if they really do have to presentation behind a sponsorship board then other than a Premier League (or whatever) branded something, I guess they figured a trophy was as good as anything else. Still tin-pot as f**k though, as is giving the play off winners a trophy and having them schlep up the Wembley steps.

I think Falkirk will finish above us too. I think their squad this season is pretty comparable to ours last season, with us having the edge in goal, probably centre back and full back and the manager. They probably have a better midfield and up front. And scoring goals was our biggest problem this season, whereas Airdrie outscored us last season and finished in the top 4. They have some players who will be decent in the Championship (Lang, Spencer, Morrison, Miller) and the interesting thing will be if they can get a decent goalkeeper and if McIver can make the step up. Just hope it's not another Raith scenario and we lose all 4 to them...

I don't think he's got a particular case this week (it's not after a midweek round or an international break) but Liverpool have played in a lot more 12.30 kick offs than all of the othe big clubs combined, they are usually games that are slow to get started which doesn't suit their style of play and Liverpool's average time between games is by far the shortest in the league (Man City are next though in this table; Sheffield Utd have the biggest break between games and it's not helped them at all since they're shite).

Not watching and not at the game - are we playing a back three or a back four? Hard to make out with that line up.

GB News types saying that Hall was leading despite votes not being counted until tomorrow. Other loon balls calling conspiracy because it allows Khan to ballot stuff and get fake postal votes in. Think Khan will win by a good few % but it won't be a landslide.

Popular ex-Labour, now independent, North East Mayor Jamie Driscoll loses to local Police Commissioner Kim McGuinness (fun fact, she's the sister of my wife's boss) in a slight shock although Labour were throwing everything at is as a Driscoll win would have been seen as a bit of an embarrassment for Starmer.