Michael*

I was actually hoping for Phoebe Waller-Bridge but this is still something new and fresh, which the show had been crying out for for a while. Honestly, as much as I like Peter Capaldi as an actor, the last two series have been something of a drag for me.

Having joined AFC principally to avoid play-offs with the likes of Uruguay under the old format, I'd be interested to know if Australia feels aggrieved at New Zealand now having a virtual clear run to the finals. You'd hope not of course, since the current arrangement affords them the long term benefit of competing against better opposition and their club sides now meeting teams from China, Japan and South Korea in the AFC Champions League. The USA and Mexico could do well out of following a similar path, although they may have to burn a few bridges with CONCACAF in order to make it happen. Mixing it with South American teams would give them tons of experience, which will always be more conducive to making real progress at the highest level. It would be a good idea too to work towards having MLS representation in the Copa Libertadores.

Yeah, there's no option except to settle for conjecture at this point, but a lot will depend on whether there's a long term vision in place for their domestic league. The money they're ploughing into it at the moment seems to be going mainly on marketing and raising the standard at club level, which is only going to benefit the national team if there's similar investment in infrastructure and producing young talent. If that were to happen, it would probably only be a matter of time until they became a real force.

Absolutely, and that's an equally valid point because there's qualifying for a major tournament and there's what you do when you get there. As things stand, while Africa has more competitive nations, it's probably as difficult to imagine them producing a potential World Cup winning side as it is for AFC or CONCACAF, although there's still a chance of course that some of them could step up their game significantly before the new format is implemented. The scope for growth in Asia is going to be staggering though and with China pouring billions into the game, they may be a factor by 2026 or dare I say even a major power in the future. India could be dragged along too and the likes of Iran could continue to progress.

Here's a new publicity shot of Alicia as Lara, courtesy of Entertainment Weekly. Sadly, no pictures of her locking the butler in the cupboard have surfaced yet.

His form during Juve's Champions League campaign did seem to suggest that he's still got more than most, even at 34. If, as expected, Guardiola now has to settle for getting Kyle Walker instead, PSG's securing of Alves could start looking more and more like a bargain as the season progresses. Not that City will be bothered about the money of course, they make such purchases with the same deliberation that most of us apply when buying a loaf of bread.

Friday 12th June 2026 will be the day to mark in our diaries - England 1 Panama 2. For all the talk of African regression over the last few years, you could certainly still make the argument that extra spaces for them would be a good call. Since 1990 about a dozen different African sides have qualified and in that same time frame, only six different CONCACAF teams and eight from Asia, which suggests that the strength in depth of those confederations doesn't quite stack up. I would say South America has the most quality overall, all ten teams are in the top 50 of FIFA's rankings.

I'm not usually a huge fan of recasting, but I think enough time has passed since Alura was a prominent part of the show for this not to feel too jarring.

Hello, good evening and welcome @Daydream Nation Sonic Youth fan, I presume?

For all the talk of pushing on at Everton, selling a 24-year-old who notched 25 last season and replacing him with Rooney, who at 31, has looked a spent force for some time, doesn't exactly scream 'next level' stuff. Even assuming their forward line is made up of Rooney, Giroud, Sigurdsson and Klaassen, that's a quartet of attacking players who'll struggle to match Lukaku's tally. There's only so many set pieces they can take and, crucially, there's not a yard of pace between them.

I was hoping I'd be able to pick one up, but it looks like being a difficult task. Revisited the very first Resident Evil just recently, and was surprised how dated it felt. Good story, great atmosphere and the voice acting is a lark, but man alive, what a pain in the bum it is to play.

Young Master Wayne back for another spell at Everton, then. I have to say, it surprises me that Koeman would go for this, Rooney's main attribute back in the day was always sheer talent, which of course isn't transferable, and his development from his late teens and early twenties onwards was about as poor as I've seen from any player. He'd be the last guy I'd want my younger pros taking pointers from.

Pretty much this entire page.

I went this week and am happy to report that I really enjoyed it. Beforehand, I likened the setting to the first Captain America movie but when it actually started rolling, it reminded me a lot more of The Fifth Element. That's meant as high praise because it really is one of my all-time favourites. Perhaps inevitably, it lapsed into a Snyder-like CGI slugfest towards the end, but given that this film had a good buildup and allowed you to invest in the characters onscreen, I found it forgivable. The third act meant far more than in Dawn of Justice or Suicide Squad, the climaxes of which I personally didn't feel were earned. Overall, an important film for what it represents and fantastic that it's been so successful. The standard for all DC's future output has been set.

I think if two of the three teams are going to advance, it's going to be easier to qualify than to be eliminated, because you'll only need the one win. So I would perhaps anticipate that the overall standard of play might take a dip. Most of the teams will aim not to be best team in the group, just not to be the worst. A lot will depend too on whether the proposed penalty shootouts to decide group games, which I believe is the plan, will be preceded by the tedium of extra time.

It's going to make for some bulky Panini sticker albums, that's for sure. The biggest issue for me is less about the number of teams, more the fact that it's so much harder to have a sensible group stage when it doesn't convert smoothly into a 16-team knockout round. We had a similar situation recently at Euro 2016, where it was possible to advance by drawing three games and finishing third. It can't be right, when you're at such an early point in a tournament, to have so many scenarios where neither side is that fussed about winning.

It's hard to be sure without knowing exactly what Defenders is going to have up its sleeve, but probably not. Rand will be to this roughly what Thor was to the first Avengers movie, in the sense that he'll be the guy who brings all the elements of magic and mysticism to the group. So as long as the idea of him arriving fully formed with powers that are a little different doesn't sound too jarring, I dare say you'll be fine to just jump straight in.

It would be very sad if we'd seen the last of Peggy in the MCU. I can’t claim to be the source for this one ether, but I saw someone suggesting her as the director of the SSR overseeing Hank Pym and Janet Van Dyne as Ant-Man and Wasp. That would be fantastic.

Let it happen.

It was theorised not too long ago that Feige only agreed to make an Inhumans movie on the proviso that Captain Marvel was greenlit by the studio. In order not to use up tons of resources on something he never really had much interest in bringing to the big screen, he palmed it off onto the TV division, but struck a deal with IMAX to still allow it a theatrical release. Take that with a grain of salt of course, but I wouldn't be surprised if there was at least an element of truth to it. Despite being a fan of the characters, I'd swap Inhumans for a third season of Agent Carter in a heartbeat. Such a great show.

The best case scenario is that JT answers his critics by marshaling a solid backline and uses his experience to help the younger lads around him, perhaps then transitioning into a coaching role of some sort. The worst case is that he keeps missing games because he's too busy watching Chelsea play on Sky, then starts whinging about not being offered the chance to take over from Antonio Conte at the Bridge.

Fifteen goals in five seasons and winging his way to AC Milan as we speak. Never let it be said that Fabio Borini's agent doesn't earn his corn.

Lockjaw looks quite good, but that's about all I've got at the moment. There's very little in the trailer to set up the plot. I wouldn’t be surprised if the showrunner had been told to consider this a one-off miniseries and to tell a complete story in one season. It might even be pre-emptively cancelled, so to speak, unless something unexpected happens.

Thread cleaned. I'm starting to get a bit sick of having to clean up multiple pages of trolling and fighting every other day, you guys, so please consider this a last reminder that personal issues do not belong in this or any other model's topic. From here on out, and I'm letting you know now so that there can be no excuses later, if I catch anyone making direct attacks or see any posts designed to bait others into arguments, I'll be deleting them on the spot and giving out formal warnings.

As ever, the mainstays of the whinging community will make their voices heard, but generally, the mood among the fans seems to be one of quiet approval. Few people expect miracles from the players, all most have ever wanted is an organised group who look like they care. Hopefully, under Grayson, that kind of mindset will be how we operate as the club looks to stabilise itself.