forameus

And now the e-mail used for my Dad's season ticket (bought a good while after mine) has got a message advising that both tickets have a spot, at a different seat that I was told yesterday. What a club. Good to actually have it sorted though, looking forward to being back.

I've bought Moldova and Israel tickets, but swerving Denmark for now. Not much interest in watching a glorified friendly if we're already out, and I'll take the risk of getting one should it be a crunch playoff. Still, bit weird chucking up all the games at once. Must be hoping to cash in on everybody being desperate to get to a game and not risk trying to fill a stadium for Israel if we're already out.

I'm probably just being a grumpy dick, but you'd think with all this time to plan, they'd have come up with a robust system to make sure that for the first "proper" home game since we were all cast out of Firhill went by without a hitch. Should we really be relying on individual emails being - I assume - manually sent out? The one I got was from "Gerry Britton". Assumed that was just for show, but I imagine they're all sitting there in the office around mounds of paper and a corkboard diagram up on the wall trying to work it out.

Came here to ask this. I've organised my Dad's ticket, and he (well, me on a second address) has got his seat, but I don't despite being part of a bubble. Hadn't seen the 10am Saturday thing, so I guess that's something. Still though, seems about as well organised as you'd expect.

Does make you wonder just how bad the blood is between WWE and Punk if they're going to let him probably do massive business for a competitor. Of course, maybe WWE offered him a huge deal and he rejected it, but seems to me like one of those they'd be happy to bury the spite if it meant fucking over them over the fence.

"Launch on Sky" sounds ominous. Odd as well given that WWE now have a deal with BT - we going to see RAW/Smackdown and the like live on BT but Sky helping to host everything else? Unfortunately I can't see them keeping on the Network just for smaller markets. As long as the near-to-live experience doesn't change too much and I can still watch on pretty much anything doesn't change, I'll be happy enough.

But at the same time, Clarke didn't take us to the tournament all by himself in its entirety. He had a two game shootout (literally in the end) and got us there, which he obviously deserves credit for. But putting taking us to a tournament on his achievements doesn't really tell the whole story for me. You're right about the next campaign though at the very least. I fully expect him to get another two to be honest, unless things go really tits up. I don't think the World Cup is necessarily a reasonable target for us (at least not to sack someone over) but Euro 2024 in its current format is absolutely a sacking offence if we don't make it. Maybe we should start moving managers to 4 year cycle contracts from Euro to Euro.

Behind the scenes photos show the key courtroom scenes from the perspective of Vince

Boy looks like a burst balloon. Poor lad just wants a rest, but I expect they'll find another tournament for him to play in once the Olympics is done.

Interestingly, looks like Takeover 36 is going to be taking place on the Sunday after Summerslam on the Saturday. Quite a smart move, as NXT often overshadows the main roster, so hopefully a pretty solid show can then top the weekend off nicely with a brilliant Takeover. Because there's only one match properly announced so far apparently. WALTER vs Dragunov. oooooooooft.

I was quite impressed with the official article SI brought out to be honest. Only disappointing part is that there's no real timeline on it, but that at least shows that they're doing exactly what they should - treating it respectfully and actually doing it right, rather than just chucking up a women's database. Perhaps most interesting is them getting out in front of the money issues and saying that they just don't care. I expect this will run at a significant loss for them, but they clearly want to make it happen, so good for them. Personally, I don't think I'd be desperate to go and do a women's league save, but the fact that they're keeping the two side-by-side leads to some interesting possibilities to jump into what will essentially (hopefully) be a completely different world. I'd be interested in a save where you're flitting back and forth.

If I had a broken controller and needed some help with it, I'm not sure I'd have set up an account on a predominantly Scottish Football Forum just to ask, but fair enough

I think it's the potential of it (and GTAO) that gets me down. Go back to GTA3/Vice City and if you said that in future there'd be an online-only version of the game that's basically just a big sandbox you can do anything in, and people would be masturbating furiously over it. And it should be as good as that, but, particularly with GTAO (I gave RDO a few quick plays but never really got into it, maybe it's different) a lot of the notion of just going in and doing anything is lost. You're likely going to bump into someone wanting to ruin it for you, either in freemode or within one of the modes. And there's also the absolutely insane grind you have to put in to get somewhere. By no means just a Rockstar problem, it's just the way these online games are. Put in the hours, or be a jobber. I'm not sure it's possible to have a lot of fun just dropping in, and that's a shame. Not that I don't know exactly why it's done that way. They're making fucking bank.

Santino gets a rough deal with some of the shit they made him do. If you want a comedy-based wrestler, and let him go out there and be funny without the shite bits, he could be great.

Shite google drawing notwithstanding, I always used to park below. Residential bit, but usually a fair few cars parked on the pavement or close to it, and I've never had any trouble with people complaining about it. I can't imagine it'll be anywhere close to busy on a night like tonight, certainly wasn't pre-covid for a Saturday 3pm.

Can they not just keep to the format where a guy builds up in NXT, wins the title, has his run, tells the story of him getting defeated, then move up? Asuka got away with it because there wasn't really anyone worthy, but NXT is stacked at the moment. Just no need to have Kross come up, particularly if you're going to do that to him. Can only assume from what happened that it's going to be part of something larger, but why do that with your NXT Champion when you're seemingly building to him vs Samoa Joe?

By the sounds of it, you'll be waiting a while. I think they'll end up just canning it. Probably not before trying to scam some money out of DLC though.

Until he shifts off this mortal coil (if that's even possible) I'd have him do the sort of stuff you saw him do on Smackdown. I don't think he has any real appetite to be a proper on-screen character again. if they really want that, there's Stephanie, there's Shane, there's HHH, there's better options. But as a sort of out-of-storyline thing like the above, I don't mind it. Have to say, seeing him strut out was a good way to start the show.

What a fucking difference having a crowd makes. I think if that was a card put on in front of the Thunderdome, it would have been just alright, but absolutely every part of that show got elevated by the fans being in. Natalya coming out? f**k it, woooooooooooooo! It was absolutely great to see absolutely every guy and girl coming out there and looking like they're absolutely fucking loving it. Hard to argue with any of the results, and only a few wee niggles in a very good show. Cross is a decent choice to win, even if I don't think they'll do much with her. Finish was shite though, even if it was something new. Leaving all of them up there looking like tools is something that would never have worked without fans happy for the winner. Also interesting to hear the murmurs for Bliss' shenanigans. I wondered how they'd react to that stuff, and it's clear now. I feel for Bliss as she is throwing absolutely everything into making it work. I'd persuaded myself that big John wasn't going to make Summerslam for filming commitments, but having watched this morning, the time left showed that something was happening, especially with Edge and Rollins making an exit. I thought it might be Brock, but what a fucking pop. Couldn't even hear his usual chant over everyone losing their shit. I'd liked to have seen a little less clowning for the crowd, but that's forgivable I suppose given the circumstances. Wonder if they'll start blurring the lines a bit. Wouldn't be a bad thing for Roman to turn up and kick f**k out of him as a response to shock the crowd.

The money side of the game seemed a bit pointless to me. Don't remember ever struggling for it in the way that you probably should have given the setting. Worst part was (I'll spoiler for those still playing for the first time)...

I hadn't seen that Lampard goal in ages. It really is breathtaking just how in it looked even in real time, but still got disallowed. The fucker bounced behind the line, came visibly back out, then bounced again on the line before Neuer half-heartedly grabbed at it. I can only imagine we'd still be furious about it now if it happened to us. Granted, it's probably not worth it to them, given it would likely have meant they got pumped 4-2 rather than 4-1. It's all very well people trying to sit above all that stuff, and talk about how they won dirty, or are cheats, but fucking hell I wish both Scotland and Thistle could have people that are willing to be such unapologetic dicks.

I'd been so removed from the product the past few weeks that I hadn't even taken in who was there. f**k me that's an impressive list, and such variety. Morrison and Ricochet are going to die for the cause, McIntyre's no stranger to a big bump, same Owens, Big E tries to kill himself every time he tries that spear. Then hopefully they top it off by spiking Riddle through the mat and he heads back to his home planet. Rest of the card looks...meh. I can only assume we're going to get some unannounced stuff or returns, because that card just looks like retain, retain, retain. I wonder if in long-term planning they wanted Summerslam to be the big return of fans, but they've gone ahead of schedule due to AEW and the like returning. Of course just having them in there and naturally reacting is going to make an enormous difference to even a so-so match, but I'd like to have seen them go balls-to-the-wall for it.

All fair enough points. I think the biggest issue is indeed the way the places are divided. You're always going to get Europeans claiming we're underrepresented (which by quality, it's hard to argue against) but how do you do it fairly without it being reduced to just the same 32 (or 48, or 64 or 403) nations involved? If we're really going for a revolution, do we give the barest minimum spots to each confederation, then set up a massive intercontinental playoff for the rest? If, say, El Salvador manage to beat us in a playoff, they earn their spot. Plus who wouldn't want a good battle between Scotland and Syria, where one disadvantaged, poor side gets to experience a better way of life and the warner climate of Syria rather than Glasgow.

At the same time though, with letting diddies qualify, it's not a guarantee that they're going to stink the place out. These three team groups are probably not going to help, but if you're a nation on the cusp of qualifying but never quite making it, that one appearance at a tournament could be massive. Does that then push some of them to dream a bit more and lead to improvement over the years? The expansion to the Euros definitely made for a more lively qualification stage as people started to realise it was actually possible. But then again, on the same note is it then a bad thing for the likes of New Zealand and the other "automatic" qualifiers? Not going to be much incentive for them to kick on when they could probably play at 20% and still get there.

MITB looks to be another 1am start. Fancied staying up for it, but f**k that. I really hope they've got something decent planned rather than just the sort of solid show they've had for a year now. They're lucky in a way that the unimaginative stuff they've served up this year hasn't been criticised more, as fans would've shit all over a lot of it. This weekend should be a shot in the arm to them, and a decent MITB could really set them up for a run to Summerslam and, hopefully, them getting back to normal. Or it could be a shiter.