Michael*

Looking at the overall snapshot of the groups, I must admit to being mildly underwhelmed. With the possible exception of Portugal and Spain, there aren't many combinations there that I could see generating excitement among neutral fans. Although there's always England's inevitable defeat to Panama to look forward to, I guess.

Another imaginative appointment by West Brom there, and Big Sam poised to get the Everton job. I know the country is going backwards, but blimey.

I must confess I don't, but I always think that kind of sound is hard to beat when it's done well.

I'm not that familiar with Lauer but the troubling thing about this story (apart from the obvious) is the "executives believe there will be more" part. Between that and them just immediately getting rid of him instead of putting him on leave, it reads a lot like they were well aware of the situation and didn't act until it became public.

This should be a wild ride. Box office records are going to be shattered on the weekend it comes out. Random thoughts...

Full trailer comes out tomorrow, y'all.

And a reminder of just how long I've been here. Luckily, given the undoubted timelessness of Laura's music, the age of the actual thread is much less of an issue.

Home from home for Jordan Pickford. Watching Everton reminds me of Tim Sherwood's Spurs, but without Timbo's tactical nous. Nobody knows the future of course, but having Tony Pulis at the helm is a virtual guarantee of a lower mid-table Premier League finish and all the lovely money that brings. Of course the football is safety-first, but that's not a bad deal and it's hard now to see many managers throwing their hats into the ring for the job. No doubt Sam will be touted, along with Sean Dyche who seems to be linked with every club going, even though nobody actually wants him. Pulis will probably end up at Swansea when they get rid of Clement.

You're a little ahead of me then, I'm only up to the eighth episode. I'm enjoying it so far, though. I would say, out of all Marvel's Netflix offerings up to now, this might boast the best structuring, with no pointless episodes or boring subplots. The subplots we do get are very interesting, and one in particular feels like an incredibly relevant social commentary. No sign of the Hand either, so really, I couldn't have asked for much more.

I was a bit surprised to see that username still up for grabs. Anyway,

I think going forward, the secret to making decent comic book films is going to be for the studios to stop being so fussy about tone and let talented directors give us their vision. Growing up, I never read comics wanting them all to look the same, the different styles and approaches were part of what made them such fun.

Projections are putting the expected final gross at around 700 million worldwide or under, possibly a bit more if it has the same kind of legs Wonder Woman had. Which really seems like wishful thinking.

I honestly felt we were a little unlucky against a Villa side edging back towards the top of the table (there was a discernible shape for a change and we looked more accomplished in possession than we have in months), although we still appear to have a backline comprised of holograms rather than humans and are far too easy to score against. Being rooted to the foot of the table at this stage of the season isn't the end of the world, but we do need to start picking up points before January. Coleman should absolutely now be able to see what needs changing and where, he may or may not be the right man for the job but if nothing else, he and the team should be able to provide a little more entertainment. It's been grim.

So to summarise then I guess, the aforementioned site is a random mix-up of supposition and fiction, except for the bits that could arbitrarily be deemed somewhat feasible. I don't think any of the models I like would have questionable enough morals to sleep with rich men in exchange for money, but the models I'm less keen on probably do it all the time. I'm glad we cleared that up.

Welcome to the jungle Chris Coleman, if this goes horribly wrong you're going to look like an absolute bloody nutter for walking out on a such a decent gig with Wales. In comparison to some of the names mentioned in connection with the job, I suppose you'd have to say that this represents a bit of a coup for us. Hopefully everyone associated with the club gets behind him.

I don't believe in reducing complex and nuanced concepts down to absolute definitions, or in picking a side and sticking to it rigidly like a sports fan. But I do believe in the principle of making decisions in a sensible, adult way, with reasonable discourse and a willingness during the process to entertain the possibility that we may be wrong. Honestly, I think if we've abandoned that principle, then informed debate no longer has a place in mainstream politics. In which case, I'm not sure it really matters which faction wins the shouting match.

I think I'd find it easier to understand the 'every citizen for themselves' mindset if so many 'ordinary' people weren't seemingly so eager to screw themselves by voting against their own interests. I hear a lot of British people (obviously, I'm looking close to home again here) throwing around terms like 'the elite' and very vociferously, yet at the same time their devotion to the monarchy is more or less unwavering. During a so-called period of war on the elite, I would have assumed that the royals would be considered about as elite as they come. Apparently not though, because the class system remains untroubled. I struggle to wrap my head around things like that, because there are just so many massive contradictions at work.

Unfortunately, pragmatic policies that look after as many people as possible don't seem to be a thing in 2017, and too few people are prepared to think any deeper than "such and such a thing is going to irritate preachy liberals/out of touch conservatives, therefore it must be brilliant". For example, 29% of Alabamans recently polled have declared themselves as being more likely to vote for Roy Moore, despite multiple allegations of molesting teenage girls. The reasoning seems to be that if the dreaded 'MSM' are trying to 'smear' him, then he must be doing something right. I don’t know how one would even begin to change that sort of mindset, but surely what we need is more people who are prepared to straddle the divide between their own beliefs and those of their opponents. Listening to what others have to say, within reason of course, must be the first step towards bridging the gap.

Going to try and watch at least the first couple of episodes tonight. Still keeping my fingers crossed that The Hand stays well away, though.

Obviously, Trump winning was a shock, but it also followed a certain pattern of history. You have to go back nearly 150 years to find the Democrats retaining power from one President to another without a death happening in office. The pendulum swing dictated that a Republican win was always a distinct possibility. I don’t agree with those who suggest that Trump's victory was some sort of ideological triumph, though. I think I'm right in thinking that he took about the same overall number of votes as Mitt Romney, so a stronger Democratic candidate would have left him in the dust.

No more speculation of that nature, please. It's okay to express opinions, but only if you do it constructively without resorting to bashing or baiting.

Season three will start filming tomorrow and apparently, Vincent D'onofrio is back as Wilson Fisk.

The referee was probably trying too hard to show that he wouldn't take any nonsense from the players, but the really surprising thing wasn't that Sweden managed to sneak past Italy, more that they didn't especially have to ride their luck or do anything other than the basics for it to happen. I wouldn't anticipate Sweden being up to much at the tournament, though. I don't think their midfield is strong enough and they've no edge in front of goal.