ProfessorFart

What is it with the English Tabloid Press and the England team? They have already hounded Sven Goran Eriksson out of his job by relentless cheap stunts to try and force a scoop as well as dog several other players such as Rooney continually.

There is no doubt that English players will continue to be fair game for their cheap sensationalist dribble until the World Cup begins.

Once the World Cup begins however, you can rest assured that the press will be full of jingoistic headlines especially if the side do well. We shall be encouraged daily to 'get behind the lads' etc. throughout our involvement in the competition. All the players will called by their nicknames, the same press which has doorstepped the likes of Rooney, Owen and Beckham for the last too years will talk lovingly of 'Becks' and 'the Boy Wonder' etc and the press will all claim a key role in any success!

Where does their hypocrisy end? It makes me want to vomit!

If England do not do well in the World Cup then I reckon that the English Tabloid Press should incur the Wrath of the English public for doing its dammnest to unsettle the team over the past few years before the tournament has even started. I bet a boycott of any paper having a pop at England players would soon put a stop to this nonsense.

The Aussies have had problems with teams which play fast football especially through midfield in recent years which is why they always came unstuck againt the South American teams until now.

The Japanese side has a good mix of youth and World Cup experience. Most of the best known Aussies are now on the wrong side of their careers and there is a huge lack of experience of a big tournament.

In my head I see Japan running out comfortable winners. 2 or 3 goals to nil unless Aus can dominate the midfield and break Japan's tempo.

However............ this is the World Cup!!

I can't see the Aussies managing a point if they don't get anything out of the Japan game. I think they should treat it as their 'do or die' game and throw everything into the game and try and get their campaign off to a flier. Three points from this game gives them everything to play for. The Brazil game is a classic 'no lose' situation. Everyone expects them to lose anyway so they can throw caution to the wind and put it up the Brazillians and if noting else set up a scrap with Croatia for second spot. Could you imagine the spirit in the Aussie camp if they have 3 points in the bag heading into the Brazil game?

Ok, the above is maybe a little fanciful but we all know that the Aussies don't play to lose and will probably lack the true class to get through the group but they could make it a lot of fun!

Drogba is good on his day but he seems to put in one good game in 4 which is why I reckon he'll move during the Summer. He reminds me a lot of Emile Heskey during his 'prime' years.

Its all entertainment!

Well done to Dave who is a sound bloke!

Out of interest, will you tell us, dear Prof, Where you are...I mean are, actually, you in LOS?

And now maybe we could ask Simbo, too. Sounds as though you could get together.

For me a vaguely interesting topic well and truly dead.

I'm living in Nonthaburi. If your argument is soley based upon where anyone lives then it becomes more feeble by the second as there are many posters on this forum who do not live here yet have extensive experience of the country.

Methinks that beyond the tip of your penis srisatch, your love affair with Thailand ends.

I'm no high horse moraliser, however I get sick of pathetic no marks who whinge on about <deleted> like the poor quality of swivel chairs etc in Thailand. If such things really upset you so then head off elsewhere!

oh dear, not that old line again. Do we have to conform and love everything without having a voice?

Yep, anything Thai made is <deleted>; just stay away from it. And you should expect a lot for a 2,000 baht chair. If you were talking about a computer, then yeah, tough titties, but 2k is not exactly pocket change.

Not at all but I am amazed at how many people come to the developing world for whatever reason and then moan about the fact that things are not the way they are at home.

If it grates you so much that you need to post about it on an internet forum about substandard swivel chairs then maybe the developing world is not for you and the US or Europe may be a better choice of domicile for you. I hear the swivel chairs there are beyond reproach.

Bottom line is that if you are as rich as Monochaser claims/dreams to be then go back home and spend your millions there.

I'm afraid that if life has bought you here for whatever reason, then live with the plusses and minuses or just go home whre everything is 100% to your liking.

Well done!

They should win it easily from here.

So you are saying that Rooney is responsible for loutish behaviour in the UK today?

What a load of crap!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Robi and Old Asia Hand's issues are that they don't have the bottle to venture off Sukhumwit Soi 4. They have massive jealousy problems with anyone who does, as experience away from Sukhumwit could undermine their barstool wisdom.

I usually do my browsing online in their database first, make a list of what I want, go in, hand my list over and wait. I'm usually in and out in 5 minutes.

As you have such a short amount of time I'd suggest making a rough itinary and then booking some internal flights through Asia Air or similar in advance especially for main routes e.g BKK Chiang Mai or BKK - Phuket.

I used to enjoy Songkhran but its become tiresome and has totally lost its charm.

I'm off to Lotus after work to stock up and that should do me for the next few days!

I'll watch the fun from my window.

Parents and teachers are responsible for the way kids behave, not Premiership footballers.

The fact that the UK has absolutely zero discipline in the classroom and laws which let unruly behaviour go unpunished are at the root of British social ills.

Its easy to make a scapegoat of someone like Rooney, especially to deflect the blame from the true source.

If you have a true gripe about the behaviour of Brits in Pattaya and wish to offer a solution then I suggest you contact Tony Blair not Wayne Rooney.

The Address is

The office of the Prime Minister of Great Britain

10 Downing Street

Westminster

London

SW1A 2AA

Westminster

Whatever wears with you or not is not relevant because when discussing Rooney you can not deny the fact that he is a young lad from a poor background who has suddenly found himself with incredible riches. I do wonder sometimes if people think that footballers should swan around in smoking jackets quoting Noel Coward and Oscar Wilde. Most of them have had little education having chosen to concentrate on football.

At least Rooney has a talent unlike some of the co called 'celebrities' who plaque our TV screens and newspapers in the UK.

He is a footballer first and foremost. As long as he performs on the pitch with the three lions on his chest this Summer I for one couldn't give a rats arse what he does off the pitch.

The Tetley Tea is on you for that slur!

Theres been a lot of unseasonal rainstorms here just north of Bangkok recently.

I hope they continue as they are keeping things cool at the moment.

I'm elegant, urbane and refined but I can slum it with the best of them!

Darjeeling in the morning, Assam in the afternoon.

Theres also a little cafe at the bottom of the building where STA is in on Surawongse (Name escapes me but it may be the Wall Street Tower) which does a range of very nice teas (as well as very nice cakes and sandwiches)

Shame they can't do anything about the tons of rubbish in Thailand's oceans which probably wreak far more havoc on Thailand's marine eco system.

He can bring his own!

Age old argument I'm afraid. If you don't like it then go somewhere which doesn't double charge. There are plenty of places which don't.

I was sat having a drop or two with the missus last night here in Muang Thong Thani when about 4 or 5 westerners in suits walked past throwing daggers at us.

I thought they were maybe teachers from St Francis Xavier or maybe some of the puritans on a scowling mission from Nichida Thani, but the missus is Canadian and picked them for Mormons straight away. Turns out that they have a church somewhere around here and regularly make a nuisance of themselves.

A great way of detering religious freaks like these is simply to spout a load of Exorcist style abuse at them and watch them pale. Never fails!