Diamond Scot

People have shown that they cant be trusted to make their own choices. Smoking has zero upside, massive downsides and costs millions to the NHS. The idea that free will equates to society being allowed to do whatever they want has never existed. If it did then why are certain drugs banned. Nobody can provide a single good reason for smoking. Its not like alcohol which is perfectly safe if consumed in moderation.

So do Israel then pay us back? Would seem strange if it cost us to defend Israel from an attack from Iran which came about because Israel attacked some Iranian commanders (rightly or wrongly)

When an RAF jet shoots down a drone / missle. Who pays for the fuel and RAF missle used to shoot down the drone? Does Isreal reimburse the UK or is it just chalked up to expenses of defending an ally?

If Hickey is back out on the grass doung light training now then he will be fine come the Euros. Brentford dont need to rush him back. If they were fighting for Europe or against relegation then it might be different. Hickey will just need to get his match sharpeness back but given how well he reads the game im not overly concerned. He also tends to keep things simple 2 friendlies and he will be good to go.

I was against VAR or technology for anything other than factual decisions. Ie ball crossing the line, offside or was a foul inside or outside the box. Ive softend my views a little as its good for correcting really bad errors however I think there needs to be a bigger review on the rules to start with (handball especially) and thereafter what VAR should get involved in. Ive always thought we shouldnt be slowing down replays. Certainly not to super slow mo. A few times full speed and then a couple 3/4 speed should be enough.

Im confident that Celtic will do the right thing and make a full apology for their part in what was a horrible period of their history (and other clubs). The reason why they havent so far will be on advice of lawyers. Its standard practice to not say anything whilst proceddings are ongoing.

Very sensible and well balanced statement. Can you imagine that had happened in the OF game at the weekend!!!

The problem is that legally it isnt clear that the boys club was a seperate entity to the senior club hence the compensation claim. The boys clubs and senior club were so closely aligned that it the senior club was felt to have control / influence over decision making, recruitment etc at the boys club.

Was speaking about this earlier. The problem from a refereeing perspective with Silva on Sunday and those who act like him is how you differentiate between diving / simulation and over reacting. I cant remember all the times Silva was rolling about like a twat on Sunday but for the ones I can remember he was fouled / there was contact. The one Johnstone got booked for example. Silva was blocked off, it was a foul but thats all it was. Silva the rolls about as if he has been shot. Now to the casual fan its easy to point the finger and say, he is clearly at it but in terms of the authorities it would be a minefield. For example I remember watching a game a while back and the player rolls about similar to Silva, replay shows minimal contact so he is clearly trying to get the opponent booked I was saying. Turns out he had broke a bone in his foot. As a general point I get the hatred. I hate that side of the game aswell but it how you address it thats hard. Its much easier to punish an actual dive. Ie where there is no contact. Authorities have stopped doing that it seems though. Remember the Hearts guy from Lithuania got a retrospective 2 match ban. What happened to stuff like that?

Thats what I was saying about Skys replys and Sutton consistently refusing to not see what was on the screen. Because he was adament it was a dive (that there was no contact etc which there clearly was) all the replays started after the point where Johnstone gets a touch on the ball. Ive still not seen a good replay to see how much he gets the ball. Although if the Brighton game midweek is anything to go by, skimming the ball and then connecting with the player is still a penalty these days. Im not sure how I feel about that. The ball skimming your arm and then hitting the post would be a penalty. Skimming the ball when in an offside position would still be offside so why is skimming the ball in a tackle not considered enough? (Assuming the rest of the tackle isnt dangerous / reckless.

Said for a while that the door shouldnt be closed on McBurnie however its probably too late for the Euros unless somebody gets injured. That being said, most games ive watched him in this season he does one or 2 things that would risk a straight red with foreign refs which would be a worry for me.

I comment on lots of games but few get into much debate cause other games fans can be rationale. The fact Silva is a diving wee C, whether he would get to the ball or not to take a shot at goal are all irrelevent as you well know. Again, even accidental doesnt come into the equation. If it was then most of fouls and almost all penalties wouldnt be given as few defenders deliberately kick other players rather than the ball. Its the missing of the ball and kicking the player that makes it a foul. Im sure you know this already.

If it wasnt careless or reckless, how would you describe making contact above the knee after swinging for the ball?

Absolutely disgusting behaviour. Ive never understood the thinking behind a grown adult acting that way but I suppose that also go for the songs sung. CCTV should make it easy to identify somebody throwing anything onto the pitch. Should result in a ban even when it doesnt hit anybody. You could be banning about 50 fans per game if you actually wanted to in these games.

Exactly, but whether and how much he connects with the ball is part of how the ref considers whether it was careless or reckless.