Peter Smith

@AndyMitten Utter 🤡

Manchester United's players have been warned they'll be banned for up to 18 games if they breath air during the remaining fixtures. It's a new rule introduced this week. It will apply to United, but not opponents.

The lads are gonna crack up later when I turn up in the pub

Very well said Sir 👏

In 2019 #LUFC’s then manager Marcelo Bielsa sent a scout to watch Derby train ahead of their upcoming fixture. The scout stood on a public footpath and took a few notes. The modern equivalent of a dark ages witch hunt followed, spurred on by hyperbolic pundits. Keith Andrews accused Bielsa of not giving a damn and not adapting to the culture of England. In fact, Bielsa explained in a 45 minute impromptu press conference that he cared too much. In the extraordinary presser, Bielsa broke down a tactical analysis of Derby - showing that he had amassed such an unprecedented amount of information and statistics on them - that the training session the scout watched could give him no extra information that he didn’t already have. Bielsa explained that he sent the scout anyway because if he didn’t do everything he possibly could - within the rules - to help Leeds win, then he would feel irreconcilable guilt. And after spy gate had been investigated by the EFL - and Leeds were found to be in breach of the “spirit of the game” and fined £250,000 - Bielsa refused to let #LUFC pay and instead paid it out of his own pocket. What was that Keith Andrews said about Bielsa not giving a damn and lacking respect? Today, the ‘spirit of the game’ has never felt less vague. Was it in ‘the spirit of the game’ to drag Bielsa’s name through dirt on every show throughout the spy gate scandal? And where is the ‘spirit of the game’ now, with football club-owners-cum-charlatans taking fans for a ride on their get-rich-quick schemes of stripping a community’s cherished possession of its assets and selling to the highest bidder? Where is the spirit of the game in agent payments and state-funded sports-washing? Or in the ceaseless betting advertisements that ruin lives? Or Man City’s 115 charges and the PSR hypocrisy that fails to create a level playing field - PSRs sole reason for existence? Is VAR in the spirit of the game? Is making away supporters travel 100s of miles at midnight in the spirit of the game? I’m not sure I have ever seen, I’m not sure I’ll ever likely see, a more erroneous use of the term and law being applied to punish a club. Those few weeks in 2019 were bizarre. The media made an avalanche out of a snowflake and pundits and wannabe coaches got paid to lambast Bielsa from the rafters. And after hearing about how Marcelo has revolutionised the game wherever he went and was idolised by the world’s best coaches. And after seeing Leeds United become “everyone’s second team (for the first time in the club’s existence)”- these pundits and analysts finally had a reason to tear Bielsa down off that pedestal and they did so with relish. They talked of Bielsa in the scathing tones usually only reserved for war criminals. Yet his only crime was that he sent someone to stand on a public footpath and watch a football team train because if he didn’t he’d feel guilty. It was a ridiculous moment for the culture and the irony was compounded when Leeds and Bielsa won the FIFA Fair Play Award for letting Aston Villa score a goal in another bizarre story for another time. If anyone embodies ‘the spirit of the game’ it is Marcelo Bielsa - or at least, football would be lucky to embody his spirit. The Argentine will be back in the country this month as his Uruguay side play England. Tonight, Keith Andrews returns to Elland Road as manager of Brentford. A timely reminder of what Andrews’ said about Bielsa during spy gate ⤵️

@eaamalyon Are u having a laff ? What did Bijol do apart from exist? Maybe the only player who should have been sent off was Sarr for multiple instances of cheating

@paddypower He was the one who should have been sent off for 2 cheats in 2 minutes

Fair play to Sarr, he wasn’t going to rest today until he got a Leeds player sent off

@_billyreid No they don’t. Stop talking nonsense. If players are not available to play the game for whatever reason at the appointed time then they should not be playing. Simple.

Our fans booing Ramadan in the stadium need to have a good look at themselves tbh

@henrywinter Sorry . You have embarrassed yourself with this disgraceful tweet. If you are not able to fulfil your commitments for whatever reason then you don’t play. Simple. Nothing to do with religion.

Leeds United certainly not out of this. Have had their chances - Calvert-Lewin and Aaronson. Just punished when Manchester City accelerated for Antoine Semenyo’s goal. Another thing: Leeds have a famously passionate support. But those fans booing City players as they broke their fast embarrassed themselves and their great club. #LEEMCI

At first glance, the photograph looks almost like a trick of the eye — tiny shapes scattered across a pale slope, like ants resting on a mound of earth. But when you look closer, the illusion fades, and the truth comes into focus. These are not insects. They are men. They are British soldiers of the 137th (Staffordshire) Infantry Brigade, part of the 46th Division, captured in a quiet moment of exhaustion after the Battle of the St Quentin Canal on September 29, 1918, in Northern France. Victory had been won — but at a cost written across their bodies. When you zoom in, the details become almost unbearable to see. Their uniforms hang loosely, as if draped over frames too thin to hold them. Their faces are hollow, their limbs sharp with fatigue and hunger. These are the faces of men who have endured years of mud, shellfire, sleepless nights, and the constant nearness of death. They look less like conquerors and more like survivors — survivors who have given everything they had. And yet, in that moment, they are resting. Not marching. Not fighting. Not charging. Just sitting together on the scarred earth, breathing, alive. What makes the image even more haunting is what we know now: the war would end only weeks later, on November 11, 1918. Peace was already approaching, though they could not yet see it. Looking at them, one can’t help but wonder — how many of these skeletal young men lived long enough to hear the guns fall silent? How many returned home, shed their uniforms, and tried to rebuild lives interrupted by war? The photograph freezes them in that fragile space between battle and peace, between survival and uncertainty. It reminds us that victory is not always triumphant, and that history’s greatest moments are often carried on the shoulders of those who look the most worn. For a brief instant on a battlefield hillside, they were simply men — tired, fragile, human — resting together under a sky that, at last, would soon fall quiet. © History Pictures #drthehistories

Matt Weston take a bow son….take a bow. “Where were the Germans. Frankly who cares!” springs to mind.

@johnnyddavidson Good that. Weird isn’t it when I think there is less talk and coverage of rugby league the numbers say otherwise

York upset win, sellout Warrington defeat St Helens, sellout, Leigh beat Leeds, great atmosphere Catalans dominate in the mud and rain Loads of talking points, some excellent tries, individual performances and a bit of drama. Might be the best start to a Super League season in recent memory 👏

@MarkJSewards All well said. However, we have been waiting >30 years for mass transit. It is pathetic. Add the ineptitude of the current mayor of West Yorkshire who is making transport into the city and the train station impossible, you will understand if we don’t get too excited.

Supporting Leeds United 🤍💙💛 The Elland Road expansion will bring enormous benefits to South Leeds. We should amplify and extend these by completing the West Yorkshire Mass Transit project as soon as possible. My question in Parliament 👇

@afneil @DominicFarrell Correct.

Almost unbearable to watch, except through tears of pride and sadness. Britain’s best of the best who fell in Afghanistan — very much on the frontline. Donald Trump should be force to watch this. Then go down on his knees and ask for their forgiveness.

@itvfootball @BarnsleyFC @EFL Leeds goalkeepers!

Blackpool's Bailey Peacock-Farrell with an absolute gift for David McGoldrick 😬 The 38-year-old striker also went on to score a stoppage time winner for Barnsley! @BarnsleyFC | @EFL

@The_Forty_Four And your everything that’s wrong with football if you think that’s acceptable.

Shea Lacey getting sent off for this is everything wrong with officiating in this country❌😡

@footy_road Ekitike barges into Bijol without looking at the ball. That’s the first offence. And thus if anything it’s a free kick to Leeds.

Ekitike doesn’t dive, Liverpool don’t get the penalty. VAR checks it and clears it. Well done, PGMOL twitter.com/FloAnfield/sta…

I don't know of any way in which I can keep a free society and a prosperous society by saying, 'government must take an even bigger proportion to spend, industries need not be competitive, it doesn't matter what you do you'll be entitled to more pay if you've got muscle power.' Is that the way you suggest I go? No, of course it isn't. [...] The people who have got ideas, who can start up and employ other people are pure gold in our society. They are not the commentators. They are the doers. And I want to give the doers a chance because only that way shall I get real jobs for the unemployed.

Tax. We’ve all become so used to it, we forget how much we’re actually paying. It is relentless, even beyond death. And for what? If we had a semblance of functioning public services, I could maybe stomach it. But we don’t, so what are we actually paying all of this money for? We are subject to Scandinavian levels of tax for third-world levels of competence - what a toilet deal. Earn a salary. Income tax, a fifth gone before we’ve even started. National insurance, more on top of that. What for? A ‘world-class’ health service? The NHS? Ha. Good luck. Even getting to work costs - taxes on buying a car, running a car, insuring a car. Vast amount of road tax. Is that being well spent? Unless you want potholes you can paddle in, the answer is no. A road network built for half the amount of cars. How’s that going? It takes twice as long to get anywhere. Fuel duty and tax on insurance - whack that on top too. Congestion charges, tolls, fines and more. It goes on and on and on. Forget getting the train, that’ll cost twice as much and never runs on time - a season ticket into London costs thousands. Unaffordable. Yet the trains so often run empty? Maybe that system isn’t working… VAT on anything that moves - getting taxed to buy products/services, from already taxed money. Tax, tax, tax, tax, tax, tax. Then more tax. Did you go to university? Your ‘loan’ isn’t loan, it’s a tax. Interest is so sharp, you’re just paying that off each month. Hundreds gone, to pay for a sociology degree a decade ago. Ouch. Why are we saddling our youngsters with so much debt, with so much interest on top of that? Madness. Manage to put a few quid away to save? That gets taxed too - ISAs will be under attack in the budget. Profit made on successful investments, what happens? You guessed it. Tax. Somehow you’ve scrabbled a deposit together for a property. Well done. Paying half a million quid for a semi-detached? Not cheap. Stamp duty means you get slapped for thousands. Obviously first time buyer exemptions mean less and less as house prices soar. You’re in the house. Great news. Or so you thought. Council tax. Going up seemingly by 5% every year. Thousands of pounds a year. For what? To collect the bins? Really? Don’t forget the extra costs to have your garden waste removed. Brilliant. More insurance taxes, and of course VAT on any improvements you want to make. Bills soaring, with tax slapped onto every corner of it - green levies and the rest. How depressing. Time for a pint. Alcohol duty. Because of course. Why wouldn’t they throw extra tax on it? I’m not a smoker, but the same applies. Even holidays. Air passenger duty to put a few extra quid onto the price of a trip away. Just for good measure. You’re limping on through. Maybe you decide that starting your own business is the way to go? You get it up and running, starting to make a reasonable profit. Take a small salary - to pay for such luxuries as food and heating. As we know, that gets taxed. Alongside the costs. National Insurance. Business rates. Fees and licences. It is endless. What’s left after all that? A profit? Surely good news? Bang. Corporation tax. A big slice gone. After that, we can enjoy a handsome profit. Right? Nope. Dividend tax. With its brutal thresholds. What slivers you do take get taxed all over again when you want to actually buy something. Obviously. And the final kick in teeth. Inheritance tax. After everything, somehow, you’ve managed to put a reasonable amount of money away. After all that tax, you’ve succeeded in building a financial legacy to pass to your children - your business, and your own savings. Money you were taxed on the day you earned it, taxed when you saved it, taxed when you invested it, taxed to build your business. It gets taxed one final time. On both your personal savings, and also the value of your company. Even after death, it continues. What are we paying all this money for? Are our schools world-class? Borders secure? Police visible? NHS efficient? Economy thriving? Roads operational? No. No. No. No. No. No. NOTHING WORKS. Britain has the highest tax burden in most of our lifetimes, yet the worst services many of us have ever seen. If everything worked perfectly, there could maybe be an argument for such suffocating levels of tax. But it doesn’t, and hasn’t for decades, so there isn’t. When the taxpayers fail to fund this state monster of inefficiency and unaccountability, what do they do? QE. Print money. Creating inflation, devaluing our earnings and our savings. Yet one more tax. The people creating all of this, implementing all of this? £100k plus on the public sector, living in London. Comfortable salary, great pension, no job risk. Clueless about the real world. Maybe, just maybe, the current approach isn’t working. We need to urgently cut tax. Shrink government. Reward hard work. You just can’t tax a nation into prosperity. It never has worked, and it never will work. LEAVE OUR MONEY ALONE.

@mattylufc_ brilliant stuff

Outrageous standard. Some of the handling there is madness

This is what 6.30m looks like btw, outrageous. A 14th World Record for Mondo Duplantis. #WorldAthleticsChamps