M_B

We are just 10 days away from 2 years of Putin's war. I'd say the Ukrainians are doing a lot better than the world expected. 2024 & 2025 will depend upon western support. If Trump gets in power, then it's the end of Ukraine as we know it and probably the end of NATO. But even if he doesn't, the Russian supporters in the Republican Party will do their best to ensure a Ukrainian defeat. It's not going to be easy.

The Zone of Interest - 10\10 - Brilliant film. Fly on the wall type film observing Rudolf Höss and his family while they lived at Auschwitz.

The main take was Putin was given a platform for an unchallenged speech by a Russian patsy. And frankly it doesn't matter who you believe - the Ukrainians chose to fight and the majority of their population still support the decision.

He has to say that cause the Russians took the other half of Poland and then murdered all their officers in the Katyn Forest. Edit: But Carlson would deny that because Russia isn't expansionist at all.

No, and Carlson rarely questioned his narrative. In fact Carlson may as well have not been there - I've only watched half so far, but it seems to be just a 2 hour guided speech. Was that Carlson's plan? I hope so, otherwise he has just exposed himself as a truly incompetent journalist. But then, we knew that already right? That's why Putin agreed to it.

"Russia is not an expansionist power" according to Carlson at 4:24. Jesus Christ, what a dick.

The first 30 mins is a tiresome historical big-me-up that started to feel like Hitler's Lebensraum argument - Putin wants you to think he's intelligent. I found myself skipping through it and I shouldn't so I'll give it more time tomorrow. To be fair to Carlson, he does warn you about it at the beginning.

The writing was on the wall. It's a brave move. Zelensky will be blamed if 2024 goes South on the battlefield.

Hardly a surprise. Putin is only leaving office in a coffin.

And plenty others have been killed.

The highs and lows of life in a week. RIP

It is awful - the script is comically bad. It's a shame because the first series wasn't bad at all.

They'll no doubt get a soft one in the final.

Can we give Bradley Man of the Match now?

I think it's something we've started doing this season - someone stands on the penalty spot to stop the opposition digging it up. The kicker has always been someone else.

Reminds me of when Gerrard broke into the first team. He's very, very good.

Fighter sweeps were termed Rodeos (apparently). Didn't know about the Paddy Finucane film, so thanks, but the trailer looks awful - proper b-Movie quality. Anyway, I realize I am hijacking the thread. Hope everyone enjoys the series.

Is that the real clip or a clip from the film? I ask because there is a real clip of a crew member spotting a jet - 262's were used against B-17's. The RAF performed daily fighter sweeps over the channel, but they were seperate to escort missions.

The airfields are depicted, but they were American squadrons only for the bombers. Fighters used different airfields. The RAF did provide escorts for some B-17's later on, particularly during Big week, but at first they bombed unescorted. Remains to be seen if that is depicted in the series.

Many Americans felt Monty was overrated at the time. No reason not to put that into a film. Anyway, stuff for another thread perhaps.

There were heroes on all sides, but this is a series about the 8th Air Force in WW2 so it is specifically focused on the Americans, basically because it is an American production. A bit like the reason there were no Americans in SAS Rogue Heroes.

It's a series about the 8th Air Force in WW2. Why would there be commonwealth soldiers?

I don't think they have re-written any history in the first 2 episodes as far as I can see. There was a divergence in strategy between the British and Americans, and it's represented in ep2 through their banter and fight - and at the end of the episode, he says the British are right. It's not Band of Brothers, but it isn't bad at all.

It's a possibility, but he's only 42. He could be at Liverpool for 8 years and still have decades for Madrid.

He is, but Arteta and Zidane had not managed anyone else before Arsenal and Madrid, yet they were both given a chance. Maybe we should do the same, especially if there is no other obvious candidate.