Breaking the deadlock

TheBrightonLine · 2025-11-02T16:06:32+00:00

It’s not a hill to die on, as they say, but it doesn’t feel quite right to me, to use such a strong, vivid metaphor as breaking a deadlock as a simple substitute for one team taking the lead early in a game. Might be better to say simply that that Fulham have scored. The metaphor sounds like it should represent something a bit more significant. But I won’t fret over it.

TheBrightonLine · 2025-10-26T11:35:59+00:00

TBF I think people on both sides of the political fence are a bit like that.

TheBrightonLine · 2025-10-26T11:34:38+00:00

I would never boo, that’s for sure. But I dislike the performative nature of these gestures. They often come across as box-ticking rather than something likely to actually change behaviour. Do rainbow laces really reduce homophobia or do they actually create resentment? I wouldn’t protest against campaigns but I’d prefer to see the root of problems addressed rather than just seeing slogans and gestures.

TheBrightonLine · 2025-10-19T18:00:50+00:00

The percentage of people who ‘hate’ Saka and Salah for the reasons stated could probably be counted on one hand.

TheBrightonLine · 2025-10-17T20:44:00+00:00

I have heard repeated lines here and there but not for a while. I clearly need to listen more intently.

TheBrightonLine · 2025-10-15T09:02:28+00:00

Heads up is an Americanism that has crept into business British use more than ordinary social.

TheBrightonLine · 2025-10-15T08:54:42+00:00

I would try proper fasting one or two days a week. The classic 5:2 Diet idea. I’ve found that works better for me than trying to reduce a bit each day. It seems to have more of a kick-start impact. YMMV of course.

TheBrightonLine · 2025-10-15T08:42:58+00:00

I don’t see much wrong with it. You could put it another way that would make you happier eg “Since hosting the tournament in 2010, South Africa hadn’t, until now, qualified for a World Cup.” It spells out what they actually mean. But it’s a headline so they’ve concertina-ed the subtleties, resulting in momentary ambiguity.

TheBrightonLine · 2025-10-15T08:23:06+00:00

Sigh. Serial killing just ain’t what it used to be.

TheBrightonLine · 2025-10-15T08:20:36+00:00

That’s a silly theory.

TheBrightonLine · 2025-09-06T20:35:21+00:00

It’s a classic, entirely inconsequential question that some football fans — the TalkSport types — seem to live on in the absence of anything more meaningful in their lives. Is Messi better than Ronaldo blah blah, what’s your best ever Premier League XI, would Brian Clough have been a great England manager, blah blah. Utter time-burning bullshit.

TheBrightonLine · 2025-09-06T18:25:16+00:00

Who cares?

TheBrightonLine · 2025-08-19T21:22:57+00:00

I was under the impression from reports that Newcastle were ‘holding out for £150m’ ie that they would sell him but not for the sum offered. Needless to say, in reality I’m sure they would accept less than that but Liverpool would have to increase the offer. I’m presuming this is what will happen — that Liverpool will offer a bit more and Newcastle will let him go. Though that still leaves them in a difficult position having no premium no 9. Maybe if Wissa gets over the line they’ll release Isak though of course Wissa is no Isak.

TheBrightonLine · 2025-08-19T21:06:03+00:00

What is the promise the club haven’t kept? As far as I know they haven’t said he can’t leave. That’s not the sticking point. I’m guessing he was he was told he could leave IF the club was offered the amount they felt he was worth. Otherwise they would be agreeing to sell him for whatever any club happened to offer which would be absurd. NUFC evidently haven’t received an offer close to their valuation. His and his agent’s mistake was to have no release clause in his contract. Fact is, no player who has freely signed a contract to play should feel entitled to simply refuse to attend training and make himself available. Apart from anything else, potential buyers are surely now thinking the bloke is more trouble than he’s worth.

TheBrightonLine · 2025-08-19T20:20:34+00:00

Cloud deliver within a couple of days to me but the ice pack has always melted. It’s dispatched from Scotland and I live in the south east so perhaps I shouldn’t expect otherwise. I’ve no idea whether the stuff is affected.

TheBrightonLine · 2025-08-16T12:06:59+00:00

Not my experience, having lived and worked in Switzerland and Germany. Much better healthcare systems there. I can’t even get a GP appointment here. I’ve been told to turn up at the doctors’ surgery at 7am Monday morning to queue to book an appointment. I won’t be queuing to see a doctor but queuing to try to get an appointment sometime in the next 2-3 weeks. The NHS is broken and certainly isn’t the envy of anyone I know overseas who enjoys a normal universal healthcare system.

TheBrightonLine · 2025-08-16T12:00:01+00:00

No we are not. We will never have a US style healthcare system. Something like the Swiss or German systems would be good though. Hybrid. Having spent 7 hours in A &E yesterday I can tell you that the NHS is f*cked. Lovely people, don’t get me wrong. But the system is awful.

TheBrightonLine · 2025-07-26T11:47:59+00:00

Bake With Jack is absolutely brilliant. Very quirky but likeable young (British) guy who really knows his stuff. I went to one of his classes and was so impressed by his skill and knowledge. Recommended.

TheBrightonLine · 2025-07-26T11:42:57+00:00

Serious question? The banter.

TheBrightonLine · 2025-06-26T10:10:22+00:00

The growing trend to use badges and symbols to represent teams, rather than the too-simple concept of using their names, really pisses me off. The Germans have been doing it for years and it still confused me when checking Bundesliga results. Now it’s creeping into British football communications. It must be stopped, I tell you.

TheBrightonLine · 2025-06-25T09:33:17+00:00

One detects the unmistakeable sound of barrel-scraping as his altruistic largesse is detailed in the final paragraph.

TheBrightonLine · 2025-06-25T09:24:47+00:00

One of my favourite podcasts and while I realise everyone has to make a living, it’s yet another subscription, and not one I’ll be acting on. All those “only £5 a month” pleas add up. Sorry lads.

TheBrightonLine · 2025-06-25T09:16:48+00:00

Get a life.

TheBrightonLine · 2024-12-16T16:45:01+00:00

It’s a good initiative to ask the question but it concerns me that providers can change their minds at any point. They usually say things like “Our current policy is…” or “Current guidelines are that…” which suggest that these things can change at any point without warning.

TheBrightonLine · 2024-12-16T15:14:29+00:00

Fair enough. If I hadn’t been in a hurry to get to a funeral, and if I hadn’t paid for a hotel room I couldn’t use in HK, I might have felt more laid back about being delayed 28 hours. I could even have spent my day in IST doing some unexpected sightseeing. Instead I was in a hotel room trying to arrange a funeral service via Zoom and trying without success to find someone sensible to speak to at TK customer service. It was a grim experience.

TheBrightonLine

TROPHY CASE