Despite much speculation that he would retire at the end of the 2006 season, Hird played out the 2007 season, playing 17 of a possible 22 games.

Despite all the progress, there was speculation that Jim O ' Brien was not the coach to lead this team back to the playoffs.

Despite QPR's perilous financial condition in 2007 / 2008, the combined personal wealth of the club's new owners ( which included the world's then 8th richest man Lakshmi Mittal ) sparked speculation that QPR would receive significant further investment from their new benefactors drawing parallels to their wealthy West London neighbours Chelsea and Fulham.

Despite speculation that SPECTRE would return for the Daniel Craig era of Bond films, 007 has instead tackled an underground terrorist organisation similar to SPECTRE, known as Quantum.

Despite the dangers of speculation, many believed that the stock market would continue to rise indefinitely.

Despite speculation by the media, both arriving and departing flights are typically full.

Despite media speculation that the winner of the series was to become a new, permanent member of TLC, Watkins and Thomas have vowed to never replace Lopes with a new member.

Despite speculation of cancellation early in 2011, it was announced on 14 November 2011 that the remaining books would indeed be filmed in 2012.

Despite speculation that the group was splitting up, Krayzie and Wish are currently working with upcoming artists on their label The Life Ent.

Despite initial speculation that former Atlanta City Council president Cathy Woolard would be appointed, no replacement was announced until 2 March 2012, when American Foundation for Equal Rights co-founder Chad Griffin was announced as Solmonese's successor.

Despite constant speculation, she remains guarded about her personal life and is sometimes labelled a recluse by members of the media.

Despite speculation that the game would be based on Super Metroid, Ken Lobb, Nintendo of America's Director of Game Development, quelled rumors by stating, " One of the things I wanted to get across in today's meeting is that Metroid is not Super Metroid.

Despite the speculation of aquarium enthusiasts that the eggs are pressure treated to make them infertile, it has been found some GloFish are indeed fertile and will reproduce in a captive environment.

Despite Samoobrona's leadership's denial of such practices, the evidence supplied by the numerous victims leaves little room for speculation.

Despite this measure, factors such as a growing population, the division of plots among descendants, peasant debts and enduring reliance on revenues from working on estates, together with the widespread speculation of estate leaseholders and instances where political corruption was detrimental to the allocation of land, made the reform almost completely ineffectual on the long term, and contributed to the countryside unrest which culminated in the Peasants ' Revolt of 1907.

Despite speculation following the 2005 general election that he would return as a member of the Government, he did not do so, although in the post-election reshuffle there were reports that he was offered – and accepted – the cabinet post of Chief Secretary to the Treasury, before being told that the post had been assigned instead to Des Browne.

Speaking in the House of Commons he said “ Despite media speculation to the contrary, there has been no recent change to force levels ”, adding “ There is no evidence of any current credible military threat to the security of the Falkland Islands and therefore no current plan for significant changes to force deployments.

Despite growing reports of excessive speculation in energy markets, the CFTC has refused to take actions they have taken in the past.

Despite mounting speculation of a move to either Manchester United or Arsenal, he signed a two-year contract with QPR that summer.

Despite widespread speculation that he would run for mayor again in 2010, he announced in January that he would not be a candidate.

Despite speculation that she would be challenged for preselection in her seat of Mackellar for the next election, this did not eventuate and she later reaffirmed her intention to contest the next election.

Despite speculation to the contrary, switching from a mainline to a conservative denomination is not important in accounting for the trend, because it is fairly constant over the decades.

Despite translation into 30 different languages, the Russian original has never been published, prompting speculation from the critics that Volkov is afraid to publish it in Russian because " Anybody who has heard Dmitri Dmitrievich's living voice even once would realize right away that it is a forgery.

Despite speculation of a breakup, Screeching Weasel returned with a new line-up on October 29 at Reggie's Rock Club in Chicago with The Queers.

Despite the strong start, the team played poorly in May and June and entered the All Star break at 47 – 48, still leading the NL West.

Despite these improvements, a second invasion by the former Katangan gendarmerie, known as Shaba II in May – June 1978, was only dispersed with the despatch of the French 2e régiment étranger de parachutistes and a battalion of the Belgian Paracommando Regiment.

Despite a June 2008 certification by the United Nations that Israel had withdrawn from all Lebanese territory, in August, Lebanon's new Cabinet unanimously approved a draft policy statement which secures Hezbollah's existence as an armed organization and guarantees its right to " liberate or recover occupied lands ".

Despite the need to start back at the bottom of the naval hierarchy, Cook realised his career would advance more quickly in military service and entered the Navy at Wapping on 7 June 1755.

Despite his opposition to Operation Barbarossa and a preference for focusing the war effort against Britain, on 28 June 1941, Ribbentrop began a sustained effort to have Japan attack the Soviet Union without bothering to inform Hitler first.

Despite the drop-off of work in 1926, 1927 was another busy year, the Court sitting continuously from 15 June to 16 December, handing down 4 orders, 4 judgments and 1 advisory opinion.

Despite the existence of vi clones with enhanced featuresets, sometime before June, 2000, Gunnar Ritter ported Joy's vi codebase ( taken from 2. 11BSD, February, 1992 ) to modern Unix-based operating systems, such as Linux and FreeBSD.

" And in a June 2009 article published in the Journal of ECT, Iranian researchers observe that, " Despite the wide consensus over the safety and efficacy of electroconvulsive therapy ( ECT ), it still faces negative publicity and unfavorable attitudes of patients and families.

Despite his many marriages he did not have a son so on 30 June 1833 he was influenced by his wife to abolish the Salic Law so that her daughter, Isabella, could become queen depriving his brother, Don Carlos, of the throne.

") Despite some opposition from the Harms family, Schiele and Edith were married on 17 June 1915, the anniversary of the wedding of Schiele's parents.

Despite receiving a vote of confidence from his party, Alkatiri resigned on 26 June 2006 to end the uncertainty.

Despite the OAS bombing campaign, the FLN remained resolute in its agreement to the ceasefire and on 17 June 1962 the OAS also began a ceasefire.

Despite growing discontent with the National Convention as a ruling body, in June the Convention drafted the Constitution of 1793, which was ratified by popular vote in early August.

Despite Napoleon's pleas that he abdicate and leave Mexico, Maximilian refused to abandon the Mexican conservatives who had supported him, and remained alongside them until the bitter end, when he was captured by the Republicans and then shot on 19 June 1867.

Despite surgery, she died six months later on June 29, 2002, at her Beverly Hills home.

Despite their differences, William remained loyal throughout the hostilities between John and his barons which culminated on 15 June 1215 at Runnymede with the sealing of Magna Carta.

Despite Dundee's initial successes in the north, Gordon eventually surrendered on 14 June, due to dwindling supplies, and having lost 70 men during the three-month siege.

Despite these drastic measures, control of the streets was beyond the capacity of the city in the period between June 9 and Bloody Saturday.

Despite this legal obligation, member states owed approximately $ 1. 20 billion in current and back peacekeeping dues as of June 2004.

Despite this, the sons of a local Annonay paper-maker, Joseph and Jacques Etienne Montgolfier ascended in the first hot air balloon over the town on 4 June 1783.

Despite national and international pleas for amnesty, Juárez refused to commute the sentence, and Maximilian was executed by firing squad on 19 June 1867 at Cerro de las Campanas in Querétaro.

Despite this cut in funding, the project was able to reallocate resources and delay transportation expenditures to complete the License Application for submission on June 3, 2008.

For all that, in June 1961 Bray still decided to move and despite his recent marriage “ lmost every day went round, often spending a good part of the day or a large part of the evening there .” “ Oddly enough, this side of his life was well known about in Paris … natural reserve and well-developed sense of decorum were allied to his fear of giving offence to Suzanne .” Anthony Cronin notes that strangely – or perhaps not so strangely – during this time he was often to be found talking “ fervently and seriously about suicide .” Despite his unwillingness to do much about it he was clearly suffering badly from guilt.

Despite spirited opposition by Maldon, the bill became an Act of Parliament on 17 June 1793, creating The Company of the Proprietors of the Chelmer and Blackwater Navigation, with powers to raise £ 40, 000 by the issuing of shares, and a further £ 20, 000 if required.