CharlieH

Scottish Rugby is confident Gregor Townsend can improve the national team's Six Nations performances but this year's campaign was "not good enough", says chairman John McGuigan. Scotland finished fourth in the 2024 competition with two wins - against England and Wales - from five games. Townsend, who has been head coach for seven years, is contracted until 2026. "We've kicked around third and fourth place in the Six Nations," McGuigan said. "And from that point of view we need to elevate our position from there. "We still have confidence in Gregor that he can do it, that he's got the right coaching staff, he's got the right team in place and we need to go with it just now. That's what we believe to be the right thing to do." full story

England all-rounder Ben Stokes has asked to not be considered for selection for this summer's T20 World Cup to focus on his fitness. Stokes says he wants to use the break to ensure he can be "the all-rounder I want to be" across all formats. He had knee surgery over the winter and bowled just five overs during the recent five-Test series in India. The England Test captain, 32, has already opted out of the Indian Premier League, which began last month. England are defending champions in the T20 World Cup, which takes place in the West Indies and United States in June. That tournament is followed by home Test series for England against the West Indies and Sri Lanka, before a T20 and one-day series against Australia in September. Stokes said: "Opting out of the IPL and the World Cup will hopefully be a sacrifice that allows me to be the all-rounder I want to be for the foreseeable future. "The recent Test tour of India highlighted how far behind I was from a bowling point of view after my knee surgery and nine months without bowling. "I'm looking forward to playing for Durham in the County Championship before the start of our Test summer." Stokes has had a long-term injury in his left knee, which has often prevented him from bowling. He did not bowl in the final three Ashes Tests against Australia last summer and played as a specialist batter in the 50-over World Cup in India in October and November. The all-rounder had surgery after that tournament and recovered in time to captain the Test team in India earlier this year. Stokes only bowled in the final Test, taking 1-17, as England lost by an innings and 64 runs to complete a 4-1 series defeat. "You want to see Ben Stokes in any and every team, but you fully understand the journey that he's been on," said England and Wales Cricket Board chief executive Richard Gould. "He's someone that's put his body on the line literally for years for England. Particularly with the new operation that he had just before Christmas and the promising rehabilitation he's had since, there's really good news for us. FULL STORY

Raphael Varane says he has "damaged his body" because of the continued impact of heading the ball. Defender Varane, now at Manchester United, says he once finished a France World Cup game in 2014 on "autopilot" after playing on with concussion. He has called for greater protection and better awareness of the issue. "My seven-year-old son plays football and I advise him not to head the ball. For me, that's essential," Varane told L'Equipe. "Even if it doesn't cause any immediate trauma, we know that in the long term, repeated shocks can have harmful effects. "Personally, I don't know if I'll live to be 100, but I do know that I've damaged my body. The dangers of headers need to be taught on all amateur football pitches and to young people." Varane cites France's 1-0 quarter-final defeat to Germany at the 2014 World Cup and a Champions League last-16 match with his former club Real Madrid against Manchester City in 2020 as examples of when he played despite being concussed. The centre-back says he put himself at risk by playing against Germany in 2014, having been hit on the head in a last-16 match against Nigeria a few days before. "I finished the [Nigeria] match but I was in 'autopilot' mode," he said. "The staff wondered if I was fit [to play Germany]. I was weakened, but ultimately I played and rather well. "What we'll never know is what would have happened if I had taken another knock to the head. "As footballers used to playing at the highest level, we are accustomed to pain, we are a bit like soldiers, tough guys, symbols of physical strength, but these [concussions] are symptoms which are quite invisible." FULL STORY

Barcelona are looking to wrap up a deal for Sporting Lisbon boss Ruben Amorim as a replacement for the departing Xavi, while Liverpool and Bayern Munich reassess their options after Xabi Alonso decided to stay at Bayer Leverkusen. (Independent) However, the Barcelona board want to change Xavi's mind about leaving and are urging him to stay at the Nou Camp. (Athletic - subscription required) Arsenal have approached Bayern Munich about a move for their Germany midfielder Joshua Kimmich, but have been told the 29-year-old's future will not be discussed until the summer. (Football Transfers) Arsenal also appear to be in pole position to sign 25-year-old Real Sociedad's Spanish midfielder Martin Zubimendi, who has also been linked with Bayern Munich. (Caught Offside) Manchester City and Liverpool expect their attempts to sign Bayer Leverkusen and Germany midfielder Florian Wirtz, 20, to be hampered by Xabi Alonso's decision to stay with the Bundesliga leaders. (HITC) Manchester United have Everton and England's 21-year-old Jarrad Branthwaite, Boca Juniors and Argentine 18-year-old Aaron Anselmino and 19-year-old Barcelona and Senegal international Mikayil Faye on their wishlist for defensive reinforcements this summer. (Mail) Jadon Sancho, currently on loan at Borussia Dortmund, may get another chance at Manchester United if the club appoint Southampton's Jason Wilcox as their director of football. Wilcox worked with the 24-year-old England forward at Manchester City's academy. (Manchester Evening News) Manchester United have a concrete interest in appointing Ipswich manager Kieran McKenna as their new boss. The Northern Irishman, 37, used to work at the club as an assistant coach under Jose Mourinho and Ole Gunnar Solskjaer. (Football Insider) Real Madrid would like to sign 18-year-old Lille centre-back Leny Yoro - who has also been linked with Manchester United, Liverpool and Chelsea - this summer after the Frenchman told his club he wants a new challenge. (Athletic - subscription needed) Tottenham may be forced to sell Brazil defender Emerson Royal, 25, to help fund moves of their own in the summer transfer window. (Football Insider) Leeds United and England Under-21 midfielder and right-back Archie Gray, 18, is being watched by Real Madrid and Bayern Munich alongside a host of Premier League sides. (HITC) Barcelona and Spain left-back Marcos Alonso, 33, is in advanced talks with Atletico Madrid about joining on a free transfer this summer. (Cadena Ser - in Spanish) Barcelona have identified 19-year-old Fiorentina and Italy defender Michael Kayode, who also interests Arsenal, as an alternative to a permanent deal for Manchester City's on-loan Portugal international Joao Cancelo, 29. (Football Transfers) Birmingham are in pole position, ahead of a number of other Championship clubs, to sign Queen's Park Under-18s defender Darryl Carrick, having watched the Scottish centre-half on numerous occasions this season. (Team Talk) Tuesday's gossip column

I think many of the cost issues is that farangs make mental comparisons to costs in the west and if its same or slightly lower they just pay it. Not realising how cheap things actually are here in reality. Only those "fresh off the boat" usually get caught with what we know to be inflated prices.

Lazada and their sellers will not be happy given the proportion of good sold from China.

As mentioned hit the report flag on the message, or contact Support with a copy of the message.

Former President Donald Trump has put up $175 million as a bond while he fights the decision against him in the New York civil fraud case brought by state Attorney General Letitia James. This means that any action James could take against Trump’s properties because of the judgment will be on hold until at least September. That's when the state appeals court will hear his appeal of the $464 million verdict against him. The bond is backed by Knight Specialty Insurance, a company from California. However, the court document doesn’t say what Trump used as collateral to secure the bond. Last month, Trump mentioned at a news conference that he planned to use cash to cover the bond. But he also said he wanted to use cash for his reelection campaign. When asked if he intended to put his own money into his presidential campaign, Trump replied, “First of all, it’s none of your business,” and then added, “I might do that. I have the option.” The amount of the bond was reduced by a state appeals court last month by several hundred million dollars after Trump’s lawyers argued that coming up with the full bond for the $464 million verdict was not possible. (Trump himself was told to pay $454 million; the $464 million includes money for his adult sons Don Jr. and Eric.) In January, Judge Arthur Engoron fined Trump and others, including his adult sons and his company, $464 million, saying they had inflated the value of the former president’s assets fraudulently to get better loan rates. Trump had 30 days to post the bond for the full amount of the judgment while he appealed, as required by state law, but his lawyers said he couldn’t find an insurance company to back such a large bond. That made James prepare to take steps to seize Trump’s assets if he didn’t post bond. However, when the 30-day deadline arrived, the New York appeals court intervened and lowered the bond to $175 million, giving Trump an extra 10 days. “As promised, President Trump has posted bond,” said Trump attorney Alina Habba in a statement. “He looks forward to proving his innocence on appeal and reversing this unfair verdict.” Trump also posted a $91.6 million bond last month in the E. Jean Carroll defamation case while he fights that verdict too. Source 02.04.2024

MOVED to finance forum

Not the place for an eye test unless you have serious problems in my opinion. "The estimated cost of a primary general eye examination is starting from THB 4,500 (not including medication). ***This is only the estimated cost. It can be changed due to patient condition and situation."

Going on in this thread by some members more like !

Again, better suited to Pattaya Forum MOVED

I wouldnt bother just yet, clean your teeth and wash your mouth with anti-septic twice daily for 7 days, if it persists beyond that, then go see a Peridontist.

Get the prescription and order off Zenni.

I dont like Edge, I removed the icon off the desktop, disabled it in start-up sequence, so it exists as a dormant file only. Worked for me.

Reported post removed. Please stay on topic.

What a surprise.

Reported post removed

Better suited to the Pattaya forum. MOVED

Whilst acronyms/abbreviations can be used, they are not widely known by everyone. It is better where possible to use the correct terminology especially when referring to visa categories. Any acronym used should atlest explain (in brackets) the first time it's used so that it is clear to others what it is referring to.

Reported Troll post and responses to it, removed.

Houston Open, round two leaderboard -9 T Finau (US); -7 Alejandro Tosti (Arg); -6 Thomas Detry (Bel); -5 Chad Ramey (US), Stephen Jaegar (Ger), Scottie Scheffler (US) Selected others: -4 D Skinns (Eng), A Rai (Eng), -2 C Tarren Full leaderboard Scottie Scheffler's record-breaking streak of 28 consecutive rounds under par on the PGA Tour came to an end at the Houston Open. The world number one missed a simple putt on the 18th hole at Memorial Park to end his second round on a double bogey and card a level-par 70. The American, who is four behind leader Tony Finau, was asked by reporters if his miss was down to a "mental lapse". "No, I do that all the time," said Scheffler. "You watch me a lot, that happens a lot to me. You never really know what's going to be up there around the cup on 18. I felt like I hit a good putt on the first one, but the second one I guess just hit a little fast and didn't see a spike mark there." Full Story

Women's Six Nations: England v Wales England: (24) 46 Tries: Muir, Aldcroft, Botterman, Atkin-Davies, Kildunne 2, Dow, Galligan Cons: Aitchison 3 Wales: (3) 10 Try: Bevan Pen: George Con: George England scored eight tries to hammer Wales at Ashton Gate in front of a record crowd of 19,705 for a home Red Roses game outside of Twickenham. John Mitchell's side scored four first-half tries in a dominant opening period through Maud Muir, Zoe Aldcroft, Hannah Botterman and Lark Atkin-Davies. After the break Ellie Kildunne and Abby Dow scored tries for England before Keira Bevan finally got over for Wales. Lock Rosie Galligan responded and Kildunne grabbed a brilliant second. The previous record attendance was a crowd of 15,836 at Welford Road to watch England defeat Ireland 69-0 during the 2022 Six Nations. Victory means the Red Roses, who return to the top of the table after France's win over Scotland earlier on Saturday, remain on track to secure a third successive Grand Slam and a sixth successive Six Nations title. England play Scotland next on 13 April, while Wales travel to Ireland looking to claim their first win. Rugby Union Daily: England wreck Wales at Ashton Gate 'It never felt like we weren't in control' - England hammer Wales - reaction England start fast in front of record crowd The decision to play the game in Bristol ensured both sets of supporters - either side of the border - were able to easily pack into Ashton Gate. With the atmosphere rocking on a record-breaking day, England wasted no time in entertaining when Abby Dow took off down the right wing before prop Muir powered over close to the tryline. Head coach John Mitchell has been clear from the start of the tournament that he will rotate his squad heavily as he gets to know his player group before the home World Cup in 2025. Full Story

Scores, Results & Fixtures SATURDAY 30TH MARCH 2024 Newcastle4West Ham3 FT Bournemouth2Everton1 FT Chelsea2Burnley2 FT Nottm Forest1Crystal Palace1 FT Sheff Utd3Fulham3 FT Tottenham2Luton1 FT Aston Villa2Wolves0 FT Brentford1Man Utd1 FT View all Premier League results SOURCE