Toonpack

Yes we fucking do - how fucking stupid are you? Look up "shock and awe" - the deliberate bombing of Baghdad and other cities whith the only purpose of killing civilians. Utter rubbish The purpose was to remove government, infrastructure and military targets, now undoubtedly civilians died, but to say the purpose was to solely target civilians is garbage. If they'd carpet bombed as per WW2 you may have had a point.

bit strong that, calling me a scumbag. It isn't as if I go blowing up innocent civilians ......... Well I was joking, but I'm sure you've celebrated innocent civilians being blown up on this board as well as suggesting that more bombing should be done. well, I'm not bothered like....... in fact, you are totally wrong, the blowing up of innocent people is a terrible business and has no justification in any form but the shooting of the scumbags before they do it would be celebrated wildly. The shame is, in any terrorist attack, victims will include people who defended the bombers "rights" etc etc....too late for them though. So you prefer shooting innocent people...like Menezes...to bombing them...like hundreds of thousands in Iraq, Afghanistan, Pakistan etc. Why do you see shooting innocent people with bullets as something to celebrate any more than bombing them? Do you gladly accept that you could be shot dead on the metro like Menezes was, because your 'rights' are less important than restricting the rights of criminals? Gross exageration in my humblest. The "west" will have killed a hell of a lot less innocents than their own folk have.

They were in Pakistan in 2007. That doesn't account for a forty fold increase in bombing attacks since then. At that time there were named targets for the majority of covert attacks. They sometimes even managed to hit those target along with the innocent bystanders which at least gave it some arguable justification. Of the 11 attacks in January, only 2 specific targets have been named and none are confirmed as hit. Bush put more thought into his bombing than Obama. Rather than acting on good intelligence to target valuable militants, Obama is leaning towards blanket bombing large areas and taking out a corresponding larger number of civilians. Maybe the army were using the inexperience and (possible) naivety of the new regime to ramp up there own agenda. As the Pakistan army is actively engaged in the counter insurgency, it might be they are specifically "calling in" the air-strikes hence the increase in number.

This. I hadnt thought about it but when you do think back you realise that back in the day, every minute of match day was concentrated on football. Match days for me would consist of: Grabbing a Journal to see the latest team news over breakfast Sticking Football Focus on while getting ready then heading into town Football talk in the pub, nothing else just football, basically you'd be catching up with people who you'd not communicated with for a fortnight. Two weeks worth of football news and rumour were discussed in those 2 or so hours. The game Back to the pub to analyse the match Grab a Pink on the way home to read about how the "experts" had seen it. Nowadays the match is virtually a distraction! I know personal circumstances etc have changed but generally going to the game is just that: park up, walk into the ground, watch the match, go home. Every move, every tackle is analysed on here, via text or on any one of the TV programmes/ channels dedicated to the game. My first realisation that it was going that way was the 98 Cup Final. To us it was special, a memorable weekend which couldnt be beaten yet on the tube there were Arsenal fans sitting reading the paper or nattering about gardening. To them it was nothing, because they lived close these blokes had washed the car in the morning, took the missus shopping and then wandered to the game. They were immune to the magic of the cup and that was a sad thing to see. The whole thing was then repeated a year later. Man U fans wandering out of Wembley not giving a shit that their team had won the game, it didnt matter to them, another day another trophy as such. My "suitable for the Mrs" version of the bolded bit was: "well we've got to let the crowds get away" No mobile phones, so you didn't really talk to your mates much except at weekends as monopolising the landline was a "girly thing", it was used only for short to the point "we'll be in xxx at xx o'clock" or "I'm getting the xx oclock train from Whitley" - train!! FFS . Aye was a totally different ballgame in ye olde days.

Agree 100%, the “venom” was the best catalyst for the atmosphere IMO – and I don’t mean racism either. For example - the worst ref’s get these days is “you don’t know what you’re doing” or “cheat, cheat, cheat, repeat and fade” Football is no longer the physical contest it once was either, raise an eyebrow at an opponent these days and get booked. Even in the case of a bad challenge, today the players sent of immediately, (thus removing the dirty bassa from the crowds gaze) previously he “may” have got booked at worst – but he usually stayed on the park and was a target for the crowds vitriol for the rest of the game. That said the definition of a “bad challenge” has changed as well as you never really saw (that I can recall) the nasty over the ball stuff that Stevie G’s so good at, it was if you fully play the ball first the man was fair game, and believe me, they did, straight through the meat of ball like an express train. Not saying it’s right by any means, but it added to the venom quotient and thus the atmosphere, roaring with outrage for one of your blokes to get the perpetrator back. The game today and the world today won’t ever let it come back. I also think the everyday “exposure” to the club/football and club news 24/7 has a diluting effect, quite often it was only on a match day that you’d get a decent chance to talk properly with all your mates about the game, and it was an event truly to look forward to, the craic (who’s heard what during the week) and the game. The Chronicle was the ONLY source of non matchday gossip/news. Today everyone’s done all their talking in places like this or by email etc etc, and to a great degree all that’s left is the game, and what a sterile thing it has become.

If it is a loan, it could be to do with the financial gymnastics at pompey. If we'd paid 1 mill for him didn't Pompey have a "pay Watford 1.2 mill" clause, he wasn't playing for them (alledgedly)because of a performance/add-on clause so maybe it was when he plays x games you pay us (Watford) x£ in add-ons and if he doesn't play that number of games but you sell him within x amount of time you owe us ££££££ Could therefore be a loan with a view to a permanent deal which is timed to end after the date the Watford clauses have expired. Total supposition, but plausible

Is your source any good? I dont need a source. I can say what I see So that's what happened to Russel Grant

Apparently he's def gone, a relative of mine has apparently been speaking to his family today (she works at RVI) and apparently he's leaving although it has 'broken his heart' so read into that what you will wether its ashley selling or him actually wanting to leave Don't doubt it at all, Taylor's mate with the bet is also the mate of someone I know pretty well - who was hugely unimpressed that the tip wasn't passed on before the stories in the press, which is how I heard about it.

Taylor is history IMO, one of his best mates lumped on at the bookies to the tune of over £2K at 3-1 on him going to Everton, if you don't have a ton of cash (which said mate doesn't), you wouldn't do that unles you knew something

In my youth (well early career) I was responsible for the banking arrangements for British Gas Northern, as was, and dealt with the Barclays corporate bods day to day, who were also NUFC's bankers, they (Barclays centrally) definitely were going to pull the plug mid-80's (pre Halls) and it was only strong lobbying (panic) from the local Barclays business hierarchy that prevented it,(as in how many branches do you want burnt down etc) it was a VERY close run thing. I have no reason to doubt they'd have threatened the same in the 90's. Interesting. My thoughts at the time were that if the worst came to pass, we could have just done a Boro anyway - Hall's talk of the club ceasing to exist was bollocks imo. Agreed, the first incident though was before "Boro had done a Boro" and the fear was very real. I remember I couldn't get near my bloke's for a few days, which was highly unusual, only found out afterwards what it was all about. As you know, no internet or email in those days so no rumours/news to spread like wildfire etc. so no-one ever really knew about it.

In my youth (well early career) I was responsible for the banking arrangements for British Gas Northern, as was, and dealt with the Barclays corporate bods day to day, who were also NUFC's bankers, they (Barclays centrally) definitely were going to pull the plug mid-80's (pre Halls) and it was only strong lobbying (panic) from the local Barclays business hierarchy that prevented it,(as in how many branches do you want burnt down etc) it was a VERY close run thing. I have no reason to doubt they'd have threatened the same in the 90's.

Interestingly, the skunkers rumour posters in this case aren't normally known posting shit. I'll still believe it when I see it mind.

I still don't get it though. How can these things drag on for so long? I'm not surprised the potential buyers looked at the books and saw that a lot about the finances was wrong, but that was more than a month ago, maybe even two months. What can possibly take the parties so long? Look how long the Portsmouth sale taking, and they knew the buyer from the start. We have had to try and find a buyer and then there's all the shit to go through, unfortunately I reckon it'll be weeks yet

Aye, this is the first time I've ever really scanned the sports news pages so obsessively and it's unbelievable how poor some if the so called reporting actually is. As far as I can tell they just trawl forums all day, copy n' paste any old shite, feed it back to us, (sometimes day's after we've all found out it was utter bollocks anyway!) and pass it off as 'direct from out man in the know' , the mackam wind up being a perfect example. Ha ain't a mackem

Was on Talksport, discussed by Saggers,Irani and Steve Curry. It is 100% weapons grade bullshit, started by Darryn on Skunkers Just shows how good the media is

I reckon Shepherd's is the only real bid and everything else is just shite to try and squeeze his bid up a bit more

Agreed, football as it was is dead. My lad and a couple of his mates have decided they're going to watch non-league next season, costs bugger all, you can take your pint to where you're standing and the players actually try. Get yourself along to see the Spartans. You can keep dry on all 4 sides of the ground now It'll be Whitley Bay Would be North Shields for me, was there in 69 when they won the cup

Agreed, football as it was is dead. My lad and a couple of his mates have decided they're going to watch non-league next season, costs bugger all, you can take your pint to where you're standing and the players actually try.

Aye and delaying the sale in the process, which is what we really don't need right now. True, but I don't hold with the deliberate spitefull delay stuff to be honest, if there's been formal bids that means the due dilligence etc is done, a "gentlemen, give us your best offer" excercise can have a pretty short deadline attached.

I actually take this as good news, in anouncing multiple bids he's trying to squeeze up the price, not worth doing IF there hasn't been serious interest.

So who was it ?? The Chief Football correspondent at the News of the World. Fits the m.o. Dave Kidd posted a few times and had a classic meltdown, thread sadly lost in the crash

So who was it ??

Who on Skunkers?? I can't get in from work I'm banned. Here from N.O. From Skunkers..... The new owners are based in Hong Kong, not Malaysia. The sale will be announced tomorrow and Gianluca Vialli will be appointed Director of Football. Shearer is expected to be named manager. There will be £30 million made available for transfers. Ashley is selling for £85 million up front with £100 million to be paid in the future in repayment of the loan. Barclays are owed £40 million which has to be paid within two years. Our first signing will be Jermaine Beckford from Leeds - the deal is ready for signing as soon as the sale is completed. Harper is to be made club captain and there are several offers on the table for our players including Martins, Gutierrez, Coloccini and Smith. Source is a mate that works in NUFC's legal department. No-one is banned from Skunkers man, have your e-registers after the crash ??? Depends on the alledged ITK, a few have decent contacts some just rpetend.

Who on Skunkers?? I can't get in from work

Annie !!! all these years there's me thinking Gemmill was a lad