Was it Monk who scammed a few clubs with his agent by getting a few kickbacks for signing dodgy players?

Not really interested, but if Christian Wade makes it into the Buffalo Bills team, I might have a look at how he does. It is just a crap imitation of rugby league though.

For Bolton's sake I hope the new owners have no connection with Jerome, otherwise their lack of players may mean Myles will turn up and play.

I can't help feeling that if Football Ventures does manage to buy Bolton, we'll be in a similar place in a few years time, as they run out of money and/or do a load of dodgy deals and leave the club in the lurch.

BBC saying Bolton takeover has collapsed.

I wouldn't mod any of them, as I have never been good at any technical things. I've been better at the theory than the practical. I also won't buy the new official mega drive mini as I have the atgames one, which still works. I like getting my money's worth out of anything.

It is that atgames mini one. I had lost a few of the leads for the original mega drive(s) so I bought that. Thinking about it, the mega drive 2 I have must have been PAL, as I got it when I lived in Hong Kong and that was a PAL region. We had an even older JVC TV we brought over that worked. Not that TV was much cop there. My primary school teacher had a side job presenting major sporting events like the Olympics.

That was genuinely interesting stuff. I have an 'Asian' spec mega drive 2 in my parents' attic, and possibly a mega drive 1 as well. However, at home I have one of those remade jobbies with the built in games that were sold a couple of years ago. The only games it hates are Virtua racing and the J league football game. I won't be taking the machine apart as I remember how shit I was at soldering at school and it won't have improved.

Rowett is a crook though.

The clean sheets are very welcome, but there needs to be more threat up front. It's like we can have a defence or a good attack, but not both. It's not promotion form anyway.

I'd only keep Burns, Root, Archer and Broad for the next test. Bin the 1 day sloggers living on past reputations and build for the future. And get a proper batting coach who can give them some steely resolve. The ashes have gone again unless some mad stuff happens for the rest of this game. Many need to be kicked down back to the county game to show they are not automatic choices.

It was going so well yesterday. Major surgery needed in the top order, though goodness knows who can come in. Root needs to be in at 4, as it is his natural position.

Send them Bell perhaps?

Roy falls again, and Root does badly. It's looking a bit awkward again with the bat. Burns rides his Luck a bit but he seems to be developing a knack for hanging around. Are there any top order batsmen doing the business in the county game?

Win with a clean sheet. No idea how well the team played but the result is progress.

When did they get promoted? It wasn't that long ago was it?

They also had to work 32 hours every day, and come home to their empty bean tin in the gutter and be murdered by their dad in cold blood. If they were lucky.

True, but normally Warner does a good job. I can see that the selectors have thought Roy could be a similar kind of player (1 day brilliance becoming an attacking opener), but so far it has not worked. Added to Burns being a bit hit and miss and a lack of a proper number 3 player and it looks uncertain. Australia have Smith who is almost always amazing. I do hope Roy can become a good opener, and work on his defensive problems. The Ashes is not the best series to adapt to test cricket, so I'd give him the winter tour as well. And get a decent batting coach.

Not in the way you'd want though.

If I was an agent, I'd be offering any experienced dobbin who is out of a job and on my books for low wages. It would get them playing again, put them in the shop window and you can soon use crap wages or no wages as an excuse to jump ship. It would be like football manager when you sign out of contract 37 year olds who you remember used to play for West Ham 10 years ago.

Are there any proper opening batsmen in the Cook mould? I hope Burns can be one who can stay in for a while.

Facebook would be upset. He needs more time and support according to quite a few posts.

It shows how biased the tosspot cup is when a semi finalist has to go through qualifying rounds, with a new squad, yet teams that have done sod all can breeze through to the group stages.

Sounds like we are talking about Dominic Matteo playing left wing all over again.

Dear god no, not Pulis. He had a run with Stoke, but the rest of his career has been pretty dire. I've been called a Burnley fan on Facebook by some guy who thinks the moon landings are fake and the Brexit Party are great. Make of that what you will.