Nick

33. Charlton Athletic

[Nick @NickChallis92]

@Sean_C2 @PaulSpacey @TheBotterBaron @kendallbaker That's great for the self-selecting elite isn't it? They suck and still face no jeopardy.

Here in England we have hundreds of teams all connected in a giant pyramid who can face the thrill of promotion or the horrors of relegation. It's a meritocracy, not a closed shop.

[Nick @NickChallis92]

@Sean_C2 @PaulSpacey @TheBotterBaron @kendallbaker Why are terrible teams not relegated to give some fresh blood to the league?

American sports leagues should be a meritocracy.

[Nick @NickChallis92]

@Sean_C2 @PaulSpacey @TheBotterBaron @kendallbaker How are American leagues any different? It's a closed shop that doesn't allow any teams from lower divisions to compete at the top?

It's just a round robin for the self-selected teams at the top

[Nick @NickChallis92]

@leapsandbags @USMNTBaldEagle Per half. Don't play dumb

[Nick @NickChallis92]

@leapsandbags @USMNTBaldEagle Playing 45 minutes of football has literally never been a problem for a professional athlete in 99% of conditions.

[Nick @NickChallis92]

@AlexiLalas Please explain why hydration/commercial breaks are good for fans?

Nobody likes being made to sit and wait for commercials when the previous offer was not having commercial breaks at all!

[Nick @NickChallis92]

@AlexiLalas On that basis, why not have hydration breaks every 5 minutes?

This change needs to be resisted. It fundamentally changes the nature of the game. The 45/15/45 format has served the game superbly for centuries. It shouldn't be changed for the sake of networks wanting more money.

[Henry Winter @henrywinter]

This is the year when the game of two halves became the game of four quarters. And the greatest sport and event was damaged for fistfuls of dollars. Hydration breaks ruin the game’s flow and frustrates fans and viewers. If hydration breaks were solely about player welfare then they would be linked to the temperature in the stadia. It’s a nonsense having a three-minute break in an air-conditioned arena.

Fifa should long ago have established a working party of coaches, sports scientists, national team doctors and Fifpro to agree a set temperature at kickoff, say 25C, which triggers the breaks. That would prove the breaks were for player welfare. At the moment, and to nobody’s surprise, it is widely accepted that these breaks are for US TV to accommodate commercials. Big bucks for the small screen.

Fifa should have thought more about the effect on games and to fan (and viewer) experience when negotiating. Coaches’ desire for a mid-half tactical time-out masquerading as a drinks stop should be resisted anyway. Games have been played for 150 years without needing such intervention. Coaches can shout instructions. And who says that 22 mins and 67 mins is when a coach needs to intervene anyway. It’s nonsense. It’s about money.

Respected and sane footballing voices from Virgil van Dijk to Mauricio Pochettino have spoken out against the breaks. Fifa should listen to them not appear only to listen to the rustle of dollar bills. It’s important that there is resistance to this from all over. Because if we tolerate this, our TV games could be next. BBC can’t do ads, ITV says it won’t follow its US counterparts. But it has been discussed by TV people. It’ll come one day. #FIFAWorldCup.

[Nick @NickChallis92]

@ccummings5211 What? I absolutely love stuff like this

[Nick @NickChallis92]

@AlexiLalas Commercial break has killed their rhythm

[Nick @NickChallis92]

@AndrewD595345 @Austen I don't remember seeing 3 minute ad breaks in the Championship

[Nick @NickChallis92]

@joh90660803 @tombogert Nobody wants them

[Nick @NickChallis92]

@joh90660803 @tombogert No adverts though

[Nick @NickChallis92]

@AlexiLalas Are Fox the only broadcasters cutting to commercials during the Hydration Break?

[Nick @NickChallis92]

@Mileage_impo Tbf a E60 530d was the most reliable car I ever owned

[Nick @NickChallis92]

@EatEggFriedRice @MathcoreRS @CafcChunes @thew1nderer @secondtierpod @mjshrimper Do you mind educating us? I'm genuinely interested in hearing how you're going to justify the invasion of a sovereign country

[Nick @NickChallis92]

@Pseudo_Kieran @Saarituo @AVFCStatto I think increasing it is bad when NI contributions went up last year.

And yeah I trust the market to get the salaries right. That's my point - the minimum wage in the US is lower everywhere yet salaries are still higher.

[Nick @NickChallis92]

@Pseudo_Kieran @Saarituo @AVFCStatto Well the UK government tries to make people better off by increasing the minimum wage, when in reality that just increases unemployment (especially in the youth) as small businesses stop hiring.

The market should dictate salaries, not the government.

[Nick @NickChallis92]

Can't understand this at all. The First Officer was clearly at fault.

[BBC Breaking News @BBCBreaking]

Air France and Airbus found guilty of manslaughter over 2009 plane crash which killed 228 people

https://t.co/V9feulRosh

[Nick @NickChallis92]

@Pseudo_Kieran @Saarituo @AVFCStatto The fact their minimum wage is lower, yet their average salaries are much higher is just further evidence that the government meddling in the markets doesn't work.