forameus

Aye, I remember the evening of that Ireland game. We'd just been soundly beaten by both Ukraine and Ireland, and looked largely rank in doing so. I think people could be forgiven at that point for believing the sky was falling. Not in terms of being relegated, but if anyone was confident we'd be where we are now on that Saturday evening, I'll happily call them a liar. That's not to say that journalists and the media haven't got out the red paint for the front door before. I remember when we had that match against Israel, the radio commentator just about wanked himself into a coma getting out the stat about World Rankings and how awful it all was. If I'm not mixing up my games (which I might be given we played Israel 800 times) then that was also the campaign we ended up getting to Euro 2020 through. So I guess a very similar situation to this one, although I'd argue the playoff defeat followed by Ireland was far more demoralising than losing once to a side ranked below us.

It's really galling how that summer window went. Auntie had baws stuff and belittle the conflict, but if our game against Ukraine goes ahead as normal in March with no war, I think we're probably going to Qatar. The whole approach to the rearranged game was all off, and we may as well have just forfeited the way we handled it. One team arrived wanting to earn their spot, and it wasn't us. After that we were just an absolutely fucked gang of jobbers just trying to get to the end of the window. But it happened how it happened, World Cup's away, and now we've got an absolutely brilliant platform to build on for perhaps the next four years. Qualifying automatically for 2024 would be massive - and I really like how Clarke is already talking like that's the aim - then aim not to get relegated from League A, then who knows? 2026 World Cup goes from being just another long shot we might miss to something we genuinely stand a chance in getting to.

It's hard to think of a single change in modern football that has been as unanimously positive as the Nations League. UEFA don't deserve credit for much, but absolutely do for this one. It's also hard to think of a nation it doesn't suit, regardless of murmurs of "glorified friendlies" from (lol) the likes of England fans. Top tier nations get regular matches against other top tier nations that "matter", smaller nations get a tangible shot at qualification, whilst also getting games around their own level, diddies can go proper backyard wrestling on each other and actually stand a chance of improving. If there's a downside to the competition, you're either Bitter Barry from Bootle or you're just being contrarian. EDIT: If you're really pushed for a negative, you could perhaps point to the "Final Four" thing that always seems a bit pointless. A trophy is nice for 1 of the 4, but the rest probably end up feeling like it's a waste of time, particularly the two that have to play the third place playoff. But still, you can then argue that instead of playing a 6th seed side in qualifying, you're getting two matches against top tier nations. Is that not better?

Yeah, it was barely even worth projecting whether we'd get pot 2 from this group before this run of games, let alone who we might draw in a playoff we hopefully never need. If we secure pot 2, it'd be a massive disappointment if we gave a single shit about the playoff in 2024.

I'll probably relent and get it later in the year, but there's nothing I've heard from those that are already in suggests I'll be missing much if I don't. New chemistry system seems to be an absolute disaster.

Aye, the rest - for all parties - is probably a good thing. Omega certainly won't be 100% given how fucked up he seemed when he initially left, and it seems like they brought him back to get through the trios stuff perhaps without him being absolutely ready. Another wee break away from everything could be a good thing. Everyone involved will get huge pops when they finally return, as long as they can keep giving time to everyone else who has stepped up while they've been gone.

Aye, have to say that even though Khan looked like a complete dildo during the Punk media scrum, everything since then has been admirable. The show isn't going to struggle at all without Punk, and there's still the potential to make money out of him if they want to take a risk when he's back. They miss the Elite slightly more but they don't really need them back. Dealt with the issues at hand, moved on, put on solid shows. Have to hand it to them.

Nice to see our modus operandi has changed from stumbling to a "surely they couldn't" one off match and losing, to actually playing really well up to said match, and still losing.

And people on Reddit are raving about how adding Ted Fucking Lasso into the game is great fun, so EA respond by showing them exactly what they think of the community and their feelings.

I'd be interested to see what Wyatt could come up with if he's just left alone to get on with it. The Fiend was almost always great in the early days, but as soon as they decided he had to win a belt, things rapidly started to unravel, and it ended seemingly with him getting fucked off with the whole thing and punted. Carve out a section of your show (you've got a fucking lot of it RAW) that's basically Bray time. Let him f**k about with ideas, bring people in and elevate them, have feuds that don't necessarily revolve around wanting a belt

All these really good decisions make it all the more galling that they reverted to type with Roman/Drew in Cardiff. Only slight bad news is that presumably you now don't get a traditional 5-on-5 match there with having two Wargames matches, but as replacements go it's a pretty good one. Even the slightly watered down NXT2.0 match they last had was a great watch for the sheer chaos of it, so looking forward to seeing what the seasoned performers they'll have in this can do. Given it's Bloodline, you have to imagine Sami and the Usos will rise to the occasion, and potentially Owens on the other side, all willing to do some mad shit to put on a show. And abandoning the brand warfare stuff is one of the best ideas they've had in a while. In isolation it's not a bad thing, but when they were determined to have the first RAW in the run-up to the show be this massive tone shift where everyone in red are now pals and hate blue, and then suddenly go back to normal the show after, it was shit. Build up a proper story and feud and have it pay off there. No coincidence that one of the better modern Survivor Series matches was the authority one where Sting came back.

After feeling like I've watched the media scrum with all the coverage it got, I finally got around to actually watching it. Jesus Hogan Christ this is uncomfortable to watch. Khan basically whimpering beside him unable to stop his face contorting while he gets metaphorically teabagged by the guy that brought him back into the business. I'd say can you imagine someone doing the same but with HHH or McMahon next to them but that's the thing, you can't. If he comes back after this, Khan clearly has absolutely no backbone, and everyone will know they can just do what they like. They've got such a good roster, they don't need a middle aged, angry wee Punk having slapfights in media scrums.

The most sensible course of events - at least from those that have come out - seems to be that everyone descended on Punk's dressing room probably just to talk to him. Understandable given he'd just spent the previous hour or so publicly shitting on them. When they all got in the room, Punk believed - despite actual legal representatives being there - that it was going to kick off. So he kicked off. And in some descriptions, sucker punched Matt Jackson. Then - apparently in an attempt to protect his wife, who had a broken foot - Ace Steel lobbed a chair and bit Kenny Omega (who may or may not have just been trying to protect Punk's dog). I find this the most believable, as it paints Punk as being the sort of knob he's always seemed to be.. Expect all the Elite side of things will return without too much punishment. Question is what happens with Punk. It seems like there's no going back, but given how fond they are of mixing the real and the fake, can they resist bringing him back in 9 months time for a feud with Hangman/Omega/Bucks?

You're right. This'll all be decided after the final group games with everyone ranked by how they finished. I think the list above is what they'd be if no-one switched around, but some of the groups are a bit wild so in two games a lot can change. Table here shows the ranking - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2022–23_UEFA_Nations_League#Overall_ranking I assume Germany drop out of that as hosts, so spots 2-11 get Pot 1, 12-21 get Pot 2. So for us, we need to win our group (or potentially finish best 2nd place with the Germany example?). The amusing example is England (and Wales) potentially getting relegated and being consigned to pot 2. They'd still be outrageous favourites to qualify with two spots, and have a backup of a playoff, but it'd be nice to see something other than England dicking on lower seeds for a campaign.

And this is part of the wider problem around FM and why it's so incredibly sterile these days. It's incredibly difficult to model the little touches like that, so everything ends up incredibly static and rigid. There's no context or life to any of the decisions made by the AI, and even slight advances in that would make the game way better. Unlikely though, as it's probably something that's incredibly difficult to do at the sort of scale FM would need.

Yeah, you get that on FITE for breaks that happen during matches, but there's also long periods between segments where they put in the proper adverts. On FITE you get a title card and royalty-free music for 2 to 3 minutes.

It's really noticeable watching the likes of Dynamite how fucking brutal it must be to watch in the US. We don't get the picture-in-picture stuff so it flows quite well that way, but you've still got those long static shots to music that sub in for the 2-3 minute breaks you'll have in the US. The 2 hours manages to go at an alright clip though, RAW seems like it'd be a fucking chore right enough. Interesting that the one thing Trips always mentioned wanting to do was to turn RAW back an hour. Imagine they've got ironclad contracts with broadcasters that make this a non-starter, but maybe in the coming years it might become more possible. It's definitely something that would improve the product.

EPL have fucked it. Coming out that it wasn't based on anything other than a "show of respect" and clearly they wanted to be shown to be making a decision early. Presumably believing that everyone else would follow suit. All other leagues didn't really have a choice but to follow suit, only to look like complete dildos now that other sports are doing the sensible thing.

It definitely smacks of a decision they last had to make 70 years ago in how tone-deaf it is. The monarchy has likely. never been less popular, and if they decide to force an entire nation - regardless of their feelings - to undertake some mawkish mourning period, that's only going to get worse. I really doubt old Queenie was sitting in the past few weeks dictating all the things that couldn't happen when she was gone, it's all a group of people imagining up ways people should pay respect, because of their own beliefs. I don't doubt there's going to be plenty of people out there devastated by this. If you are, that's fine, and you can mourn in your own way, absolutely welcome in that. Forcing it on everyone else? f**k off.

I dislike the competitive mourning were about to get probably about as much as I hate the people desperate to show how much they don't care , but fucking hell, imposing a period of mourning for the vast majority, let's face it, who won't have any further thought than "oh that's a shame" is mental. It's like they've taken the worst parts of the poppy appeal and turned it up to 11.

After all the talk of Khan being a big wet noodle that couldn't manage his way out a paper bag, that was very well handled. A recap of the end of the PPV without mentioning Punk, vacating the belts without mentioning any of them, and then just putting into place a conclusion to one, and a path towards the other. Have to give credit for that. Although it all seems largely academic, because MJF should just be given everything immediately. Fucking hell he's good. Thought it was an interesting choice to have talent scrapping with employees as a segment when you've just suspended loads of talent for scrapping with employees certainly. Regal is having the time of his fucking life in this role. HHH must be fucking raging every time he's on TV because he was massively wasted in NXT. AEW has always been pretty good at using legends without over exposing, or asking them to do too much (or even too little) and having Regal come out and throw in his Northern England references, then slip into the serious proper wrestling stuff when he needs to, is brilliant.

Looks like most of the Elite side of things have been suspended, but tellingly nothing has been mentioned on the Punk/Steel side of things. I think they might punt them. Doing so would obviously need a lot more of a going over with legal than just a suspension, so could be a reason why they haven't just announced it already. f**k me, Dynamite is going to be must-watch tonight. Genuinely interested to see what comes out. Give MJF a live mic and put your fingers in your ears Tony. EDIT: Also reading stories that the head of AEW legal went to talk to the Elite side of things, then went to Punk's dressing room, removed Punk's dog from the room, before the Elite (all of them) descended on the dressing room. Be fucking hilarious if this ends up that they've tried to enact a 7 on 1 beat down on the guy and he's largely innocent in all of it other than being a complete dick.

This one understandably getting a bit lost in everyone talking about which overgrown child bit which other overgrown child. Seems a real sad one for him, doubt it can be anything else given he's not exactly been used badly since going over. Seems mental health related, so hopefully he gets the time away he needs. Wouldn't be surprised if he ends up back in WWE after a bit of a break. Like you say, being closer to his wife has to be a big draw, and HHH being back in charge has to be a massive carrot to a lot of people. Might be a Gargano type spell away before a return.

Yeah, that's always an option and not something you can really plan for. I still think they should have had Christian well away from things - at least in-ring wise - for a while starting at JB's return, but at least they found the right track at some point.

What a timeline we're on. WWE punt Vince and put HHH in charge, and he goes about changing a lot of wrongs from the last few years almost immediately (before fucking it in Cardiff admittedly) and now AEW - which is still the better show week-to-week - looks like it's a few promos away from completely dismantling. I know a decent chunk of it is probably a work, but I expect a lot of it - particularly the Punk stuff - is likely just Punk being Punk, and is a lot closer to a shoot. And it's not like Kahn looks anything like the sort of presence that could actually put a lid on this and get people to calm their shit. As for the show itself, another strong one, and not quite as long as it could have been. However, can't feel like this is more down to them rushing through a lot of the matches, rather than just booking a sensible amount in the first place. They've always struggled a bit with pacing, and as soon as a match is finished, there's always very little room for it to breathe before Excalibur and co are off with their next link and cutting away. On weekly programming it's not too bad but on PPV when you've got these big important matches, they need to let things breathe a little more. A 4.5 hour show where that extra half hour is pacing things a little better is probably going to be a better watch than the packed, dense 4 we got last night. Opening match is now obvious in hindsight, but it felt like it was far too short at the time. If you're going to play that story with the Joker, the format of the match kind of locks you in, and it felt like a match that should've been a lot longer before it ended the way it did. Trios Title match was good fun, tag title match too, but it did feel like there were quite a few matches in there that didn't feel quite big enough for presumably their WM/Summerslam. Also a bit disappointed with the Jungle Boy/Christian stuff. I said at the time when he returned that it felt a bit shit to have Luchasaurus just face turn immediately, and it feels like an even shitter decision now he's turned straight back. Should've had last night as the big emotional culmination of a feud between Luchasaurus and Jungle Boy, and then let Christian lie in wait for the next big show. Instead they've pissed about for weeks and we've ended up right back where we started. EDIT: Just reading rumours of there being "a melee" backstage after Punk went all Network in his presser. Big Dave Meltzer saying it, so f**k knows how much truth