Todays' games 2017/18

!st July, Transfers open, Champions League started. New thread headline needed.

Off we go

 

Mighty Glasgow Rangers have been knocked out of the Europa League losing 2-0 to Luxembourg's Progres Niederkorn and 2-1 on aggregate, the latest in a seemingly endless run of humiliating results...

 

Fantastic! Now we just need the mighty Linfield to get through and knock out Celtic for a complete humiliation!

 

Some pretty one-sided friendlies.tonight too....

 

Danny Baker's tweet;

"Rangers have been dumped out of Europe by a team from a country that you could completely carpet, with underlay, for under £75."

 

Does tennis count? Fognini taking Murray all the way and playing beautiful tennis. Swearing brilliantly in Italian too. But I still hope Federer wins the whole thing.

 

Just looking at the new Championship table
on the BBC football site( can't post it ) albeit we haven't kicked a ball in anger, l can't believe we're sitting in 19th spot.

Typical!

Ollie better get a cracking!

 

Might be our pinnacle this season!...

 

Does tennis count? Bravo Jo Konta, great game today, very tense, fine entertainment. No matter that you are a Hungarian Aussie trained in Spain, we're glad we gave you a passport. Because you're BRITISH now.

 

She really isn't British, which is a shame, as I think she's destined to be World No1!!
That match was absolutely brilliant. The Romanian girl was unbelievably tough, seeming to return almost everything Konta could throw at her, but ultimately lacking Konta's mental strength.

Would have been a great final.

 

It was a fantastic match and Konta was a worthy winner.

Is she less British than Chris Froome, Col?

 

Konta cuts out some of the unforced errors she'll be there or thereabouts, she's got everything else.

 

I don't follow bicycle riding, so I know nothing about Froome or his Nationality.
I find it hard to consider anyone British who doesn't at least have one British parent. I always struggled with the South Africans playing cricket for England and I don't agree that anyone should represent another Country because they've lived there for a certain amount of time. I was cheering for Konta today because I admire her as a tennis player, but she ain't British.

 

It's a tricky one really. Froome has British parents, but was born in Kenya, educated in South Africa and lives in Monaco. He's got UK citizenship, but has never lived or paid tax here as far as I can tell. Not sure I'd call him British.

 

But, having British parents, I don't object to him representing Britain.
Mo Farrah I find a difficult one. I was cheering him on like a banshee during the Olympics, but he's a naturalised Britain as well. Difference with him is he grew up here from a young age, but I still think he probably should have run for his native country.

 

Hmm, I'd say Mo Farah was more entitled to represent Britain than Froome. Konta has lived here since she was 14 too.

 

Have to say that the Konta match today was the first time I've been fully engaged in a women's match for years, it was great. With tennis (except in the Olympics and Davis Cup) I'm not too bothered about nationality. This year I definitely want Federer to win the men's, partly because he's old, but mainly because he's the greatest and we won't be seeing so much more of him. Not that I have anything against Murray, he's a more engaging bloke than he's credited for and was immense in Rio.

Broadly I agree with you on nationality and representing your country. I was thinking that Mo Farah might be a more challenging example but turns out his dad was born and brought up in Hounslow. We'll have him.

 

how many of the lions were born elsewhere

 

No different to the English cricket team ..... works for them, heck, how many of their captains have been South African?

 

See my comment about Farah above, I hadn't realised that his dad was born here. Konta, not that I begrudge her citizenship and in Wimbledon she represents herself, not a country, moved to Europe for tennis coaching, she was in Spain a lot of the time.

The examples I find most irritating are those players (rugby and cricket seem the worst offenders) who switch countries simply because they are not good enough to represent their homeland. In rugby and cricket you just need to live in your 'new' country for a few years (and not full time, only 183 days a year for cricket) and not play for your original country. You don't even have to be a citizen.