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@onevision and @CammyF were the big gainers yesterday, picking up 6 points from the ENG-SVK game with JOKER-applied Correct Scores! @Yorkie Bear and @der Berliner also picked up Correct Scores. Most picked up a point from the SPA-GEO game. @WorthingBear91's contrarian strategy not paying off as yet. It's tight at the top with only 3 points separating the top 5.

That absolute cocksocket, Ronaldo, cost me six points. Tosser!

No real reason to hate someone, as the name comes from ... Ajax (/ˈeɪdʒæks/) or Aias (/ˈaɪ.əs/; Ancient Greek: Αἴας, romanized: Aíās [aí̯.aːs], gen. Αἴαντος Aíantos; archaic ΑΣϜΑϺ [aí̯.waːs])[a] is a Greek mythological hero, the son of King Telamon and Periboea,[1] and the half-brother of Teucer.[2] He plays an important role in the Trojan War, and is portrayed as a towering figure and a warrior of great courage in Homer's Iliad and in the Epic Cycle, a series of epic poems about the Trojan War, being second only to Achilles among Greek heroes of the war.[3] ... and despite the initial pronunciations say so, there was no Germanic vowel shift in Greek like it happened with the English language. A small fact often forgotten and rather annoying if English-speaking historians (who should know) go about spreading English versions of ancient places and people. That said, more often than not, you do get a mangled pronunciation e.g. for Paris St. Germain over here too, where Paris is in the normal German way, while the latter two words are spoken like they do it in French. Yet, "PSG" is used only in its French pronunciation. And to round it all off, while these days German media people bend backwards to make all Ukrainian names sound Ukrainian and use Ukrainian pronunciation, Lviv (instead of Lvov), they don't like to twist their tongues all too often and just call it Lemberg like "in the days of old". Always raises a little chuckle this side of the screen. Speaking about Ukraine (yeah, I'll stop right after this), the Ukrainians "de-colonialized" a few places previously not Ukrainian like Charkiv or Siverskyi Donets (Ukrainian: Сіверський Донець) with the "i". Which at times even doesn't make sense. Sample here: Siverskyi Donets ... refers to the northern branch of the river Donets who goes over into the more famous Don. It is called Се́верский Доне́ц in Russian, meaning Northern Donets. There is no word in Ukrainian like Сівер for north, e.g. the Northern Thames would be called Північна Темза. But let's bend etymology plus reason and give it a nicer, Ukrainian sound instead. Next!

Dressed 'appropriately' were we?

Have a good trip and don't go upsetting DB and Idrisi!

If you haven’t read them already try “The Berlin Exchange” or “Leaving Berlin” by Joseph Kanon. Some of the locations mentioned by Idisi are featured. Our Berlin residents may disagree (and natives always know best, no argument) but Kanon seems to portray the city as I imagined it might be at the time of the stories. The author is neither sympathetic to the West nor over critical of the East. To Berlin never have I been but Frau7 has. She’s keen on history and architecture and says Berlin is a great place to visit. Her history teacher was a Marxist.

You need more than luck. Spain and Germany by far the two best sides. England consistently benefit from favourable draws.

Gutted I thought it was the result in the 90 😭

Okay. You will find all the usual bash-the-GDR tours and trips in each Berlin Tourist guide. They will lead you to any stereotyped trash the modern day Westerner "needs" to see. Not that you need this, since you know it all anyway 😝 On your way to the Alte Försterei, you will drive through a large part of former East Berlin. 90 % of the houses and buildings you will spot there are from those days, some feature a new facade. A large chunk of the East and South East is made up of one-family houses, indeed this part north of Köpenick has the largest area of one-family houses in all of Germany. And that was the case before the re-unification. On the map in the link, the area to the east of No. 6, stretching beyond the city limits. Not that interesting for a short-term visit, though. I will give you a few of links below, one from the local city service (the English version does not feature the sight-seeing). It features a number of places that might be of interest. https://sbahn.berlin/was-hast-du-vor/neues-entdecken/artikel/ddr-in-berlin-7-orte-an-denen-die-mauer-nie-gefallen-scheint/ If you want to get the hardcore DDR treatment, try the Ostel (i.e. Ost + Hotel = East + Hotel) to stay in a sort of GDR hotel. It is No. 1 https://www.ostel.eu/en/rooms Much of the rest there is standard fare, but No. 4 would give you an impression of the first (and last) big GDR parade street, i.e. the Stalin Allee (in the mid 1950s), nowadays the Frankfurter Allee. Have a walk from the Strausberger Platz to the Frankfurter Tor. The U5 subway goes right beneath it, leading back to the city centre and to the government's HQ. The cinema Kosmos is nearby too. (all on the map) Last, or first, would be the Alexanderplatz, where many buildings are still old GDR ones (new facade), aside from a few easily recognizable shopping centres. Top of the list is the TV tower, GDR build. If you go up there, you'd get a fine view over much of former East Berlin and a few bits and pieces of the western "island of freedom". Do pre-order tickets, or you end up in a pretty long queue with these irritating tourists! https://tv-turm.de/en/tickets-and-bundles/ I hope this helps.

Just having a nice Sunday dinner and that happens,still my glass's of wine will help numb things.😒

Leaders of the Gang. Come on, come on - do you wanna be in my gang, I'm the Leader, the leader of the gang I am. An exercise in taking a steaming turd and rolling it in Glitter. Let me explain. That was the Euros that was particularly for the Scottish national team. There appears to have been a deliberate coordinated move to provide leadership to the collection of Brigadoon refugees we all know and love as, 'the Tartan Army'. Senior PQ Producers and Gang Hut Leaders-Aff, Claire Kelly and Eamon Donoghue started with Chris McLaughlin on his four day recce to Germany, telling the foot soldiers what to expect in Munich, Cologne and, Stuttgart. To ensure the tartan terrors remained Sellik minded, each of the ten nights PQ broadcast, 'Late Night at the Euros with Martin Compston'. Singalong with Martin had Susie McCabe on as a guest twice, it is ra Sellik Way. The reason I say coordinated is because of the article penned by Herald Journo and current favoured recipient of Peter Relief, Graeme McGarry. Now, the latest incumbent of convenient useful idiocy is a claret and amber diehard but, is often chosen to initially present tricky Sellik minded thoughts. The article was entitled, 'Is Politics turning Rangers fans off the National Team'? This appeared a few days before the Germany game, it noted the declining presence of Rangers supporters within the Tartan Army. Reasons given were the SNP politicisation of the TA and the booing of three-four Rangers players representing their country in the last dozen years. Of course, simplistic nonsense but, it is true in that the Rangers support has become more disinterested in the fortunes of the national team. We can all add our tuppence worth and the two mentioned are part of the problem; however, reference politicisation there was a poll published in Nutmeg I think in the immediate aftermath of the 2014 independence referendum. It surveyed all 42 Scots football clubs and found the club with the single biggest Yes vote among it's support at 41% was Rangers. I was not surprised because providing leadership to the Rangers support is more difficult than herding cats. Rangers supporters think for themselves. The article was lazy but Sellik nature hates a vacuum and there was a rush to provide the necessary. BBC Five Live provided Connie McLaughlin, Pat Nevin, Chris Iwelumo and, Shebahn Aherne. The Herald gave us Gabriel McKay and PLZ Soccer nominated Hugh MacDonald. The Record has remained consistent with it's much warranted comedic credentials by presenting Michael Gannon as Commander of the Home Battalion of the Tartan Army, ............ The collective balaclava has been discarded and an ill fitting cock feathered adorned Tam-O-Shanter has been squeezed on to ra Yahoo beelin' heids, we will be hearing more renditions of, 'Lizzies in a box'. The responsibility of reporting on the team became more difficult when ra core of the team ie Andy Robertson, Kieran Tierney, Scott McTominey, Callum McGregor, James Forrest, Tony Ralston, John McGinn, ............ suffered injury, lost form, disappeared and, played wayward passes. Truth hurts and the roaring arse of a Yahoo Daftie, James Dornan MSP comes out swinging. He blames BBC Scotland for uber criticism of Sellik players particularly singling out Neil McCann. Apparently Neil was raging every time Tony Ralston touched the ball. The one Dornan utterance we can all agree on is, "Liam McLeod is an absolute disgrace". I urge the national broadcaster to give Martin Compston the microphone for a much longer time, Singalong with Martin has legs. Come, come on ........

Interesting to note that the Kop at St Andrews runs parallel to the pitch, i.e the main stand. One of the only stadiums I can think of in British football where the home ends on the sidelines!

East Germans are courteous, urbane folk, and can be very amiable companions when they have no pressing reason to kill you ...

The are nicknamed and name themselves "Die Eisernen" i.e. "The Iron(men)", hence you will see Eisern / Eisernen quite often. Eisern Union means "Iron Union" (similar to Iron Maiden) Machine translation ... We from the East always go forward Shoulder to shoulder for Eisern Union The times are hard and the team is hard That's why we win with Eisern Union Eisern Union Eisern Union again and again Always further forward, Always further with Eisern Union Who always plays at full throttle? Eisern Union, Eisern Union Who likes to score an extra goal? Eisern Union, Eisern Union Who lets the ball and the opponent run? Eisern Union, Eisern Union Who won't let the West buy them? Eisern Union, Eisern Union Victory in sight, looking far ahead Let's move through the nation together East and West - Our Berlin Together for Eisern Union Where does it smell like burnt grass? Eisern Union, Eisern Union Where we sound the attack Eisern Union, Eisern Union There can only be one Eisern Union, Eisern Union We will live forever Eisern Union, Eisern Union Eisern Union Always Eisern Union Always further to the front Always further with Eisern Union