Toonpack

You couldn't be more wrong

Word is, they're paying £500K for the loan period !!!!!!!!!!!

Don't know about songs but when a mate of a mate who was a pro comedian died and he insisted on no flowers but had a cabbage in a pot on top of his coffin

That's exactly what should have been done. But I feel more for the passengers rather than the project managers who have had a large part to play in the cock up. Thing is the PM's likely suggested caution (I would, as above) but the "management" won't have countenanced it, BUT it'll all be the PM's fault (as per your comments). Been there before myself, you're right like the passengers deserve most sympathy, but the real people at fault won't take the "hit".

Was crass stupidity going for a "big bang" opening, should have phased the opening in, 10 flights for a few days then another 10 then 50 and only THEN if all went well and the wrinkles were ironed out go for it all. Being one myself I feel for the project managers, they won't have slept last night

He would have got away with it but he was tackled by a roundabout

I agree totally with what you're saying, especially the thin end of the wedge piece. Unfortunately the fans who went were the most important because they had the only money that the clubs could get their hands on by getting them through the door. That distinction is forever gone.

It used to be, mainly because the only way to see the game and to establish a connection with a team was to go, hence it was local and by definition "tribal", it just wasn't accessible otherwise. How many Man U fans live in Surrey, how much of a leap is it for there to be as many in outer mongolia (if they have tellies in their Yak pens). Look at the number of foreign Toon fans who post on here.

Oh they won't like it, but money talks. There'll be a compromise somewhere, no FA cup replays or something

Is Football so different here these days. I've never been to a 4 hour game of football. I have, I've also been to an all day game of cricket, no difference IMO I wonder if cricket will take off in the U.S.? That wasn't the point, the point was that different sports attract different audiences. The danger for football fans is that the traditional fan is no longer the audience that is being persued.

Guaranteed. For burn out they'll figure something out like have bigger squads, more substitutions, or even a series of games over a longer period offshore. Lets face it flying 23 hours to Melbourne in cattle-class like we'd have to do will fuck you over, flying in luxury I would guess is a LOT less tiring. It's not our game anymore. Our local team is simply a cog in the machine that is the EPL, and money is the oil that makes it run. IF a club can make more money from playing "away" than it can at home, what do you think they'll do. The machine was created by the clubs themselves, all the power in the PL is in the hands of the chairmen. As for Australia, hypersonic jets are not far off. It was, but now it's the owners - and how many of them are "football people"

A member of the fanchised elite will never end up in the third division and the bodies comming through the door each game are of secondary importance, income income income the more the better. The only people who think this is a bad idea is the traditional supporter, and to be honest we are becomming irrelevant

Guaranteed. For burn out they'll figure something out like have bigger squads, more substitutions, or even a series of games over a longer period offshore. Lets face it flying 23 hours to Melbourne in cattle-class like we'd have to do will fuck you over, flying in luxury I would guess is a LOT less tiring. It's not our game anymore. Our local team is simply a cog in the machine that is the EPL, and money is the oil that makes it run. IF a club can make more money from playing "away" than it can at home, what do you think they'll do.

Is Football so different here these days. I'd like to think so. And people forget that more people attend matches outside than inside the PL too[/b]. I agree, I'd like to think so to, but I believe I'm wrong if I do. Emirates Stadium, Ford Super Sunday, EON FA cup etc etc etc 6 billion Johnny Foreigners just waiting to be plucked by the right product. Dwarfs the domestic market let alone that part of the domestic market that actually turns up at a game. Ok then. To take your earlier argument, why not just continue to televise the games. That's where the money is, no? Aye but you take the product to the audience to keep em hooked, and likely increase the customer base by the massive local (global mebe's) hype that'll surround "the event"

Is Football so different here these days. I've never been to a 4 hour game of football. I have, I've also been to an all day game of cricket, no difference IMO

Is Football so different here these days. I'd like to think so. And people forget that more people attend matches outside than inside the PL too[/b]. I agree, I'd like to think so to, but I believe I'm wrong if I do. Emirates Stadium, Ford Super Sunday, EON FA cup etc etc etc 6 billion Johnny Foreigners just waiting to be plucked by the right product. Dwarfs the domestic market let alone that part of the domestic market that actually turns up at a game.

Is Football so different here these days.

Football is too graceful and complicated for Americans. If things aren't exploding or beefcakes aren't running into each other at 30mph they don't really think it's a sport. The word you were looking for was "boring". Take your Newcastle supporting head off for a minute and look at some of the shite we've been served up of late. If you didn't have the emotional attachment of a fan, would you consider it entertaining? The biggest market for football is with the people who don't go to the games, the only difference to the clubs is the gate receipt, sell a couple of shirts to neutrals and you've covered a match attender for the week. In the US there are a lot of people who are what we call proper fans but the majority of viewers just "watch the sport" all the games are televised (sort of) and if the game you're watching is crap you switch to another one. Remember there's only 32 teams in the whole continent, local attraction and the associated fan feeling we have is limited. It's a bit like when you're out for a walk and there's a game of footy at the local park, you'll likely stop and watch for a while, just because there's a game going on. Commercially the big sports administrators just want people to watch, they don't give a shit whether they're there at the game or sat in front of the TV. BTW American Football is one of the most complicated games around.

The average age of supporters attending matches may be going up, but there's plenty of younguns who follow the game via the box, and that's where the real money is. There's a whole new flock of geese on the block, the old one has been culled.

1 - you'd be surprised 2- Totally different, as there is no local equivalent to support IF you like that sport. You can't apply traditional football fan values (sadly) to a vast marketplace. Big difference between the NFL and the Prem League in that there are only 32 teams in the whole of the continental USA and the game is built around TV because of the vast market that exists for the very few teams. The prem league are basically following the NFL model to promote the 20 teams (or however many it ends up) through TV and playing abroad to a vast audience. The need for local fans is becomming secondary and sadly I think that is irreversable. The local market is saturated. If you think about it how hard would it really be to top the income generated by 50,000 fans who actually attend games,with a global TV audience, 1 million viewiers anywhere on the planet paying a quid a game for TV would do it, and they'll get a heck of a lot more viewers than that. Thin end of the wedge this proposal IMO, Cue NFL style playoffs and a Superbowl equivalent for the Championship played abroad in the "highest bidder" city, it'd make gazillions.

Toast is the modern soldier the traditional soldier is bread A bit like traditional craftsmen used to have broad regional accents, now they all speak Polish

Modern revisionist bollocks !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I love the Eagle books very good historically. Me too until the 6th one, got very silly and characters became shallow. Sadly nowhere near the consistency of Cornwell. Try Conn Igguldens Emperor series absolutely fantastic (first one shows he's a new writer - the writting style - but he hits his stride towards the end of it and the rest are excellent)

Is the right answer Toasted soldiers only came about with the advent of wrapped machine sliced bread and electric toasters. Saying soldiers are made from toast is like saying football was invented by SKY

Not - They'd have let him walk with nowt