PaddockLad

If you're not in good health you're fucked in so many ways...if your first thought in the morning when you wake up is "is my body going to let me get to work today?" then its affecting everything, chiefly your earning potential. I went to the doctor yesterday morning, my backs been giving me a bit of jip lately, to the extent that its tricky getting out of bed some mornings. She started out by saying "mid forties now, you really need to take more excercise, walking 45mins 5 days a week would be good for you etc etc"..then I took my shirt off and she gave my spine a quick once over; "err...am sending you for an x ray, your spine appears to be a bit mis-shapen" Fuck knows whats wrong, but if I dont give it some attention it can only get worse. So..since I turned 40 I've had my gall bladder out, been diagnosed with chronic asthma and this year developed hay fever. And now this.It feels like I'm falling to fuckin bits. Am not unduly down about this, but if it starts to affect work then it would obviously be pretty bad. I'm self employed so no sick pay or paid time off for appointments etc.

Its just started this minute on bbc4...been watching the docu on europop in this country, as you also undoubtedly have

The thing that may fuck them over is the new stadium build. I understand why Levy wanted the Olympic Stadium. As you and others have said, have a big,clear vision and if you have a decent fanbase the big boys will lavish cash on you. I think Adidas took one look at Hall, Keegan and us lot in the 90s and saw ££££££££££ signs pinging up in front of their eyes. They cleared off as soon as they could after Ashley took over. And their last strip for us was the best we've had since the grandad collar/broon bottle 90s effort, apart from the big patch on the back. I got one bought for me, I've worn it maybe 3 times, its fabulous. I cant see the patch

All I'd ask is what have Spurs done in the last decade?...they're the blueprint for every half decent sized club in the league tbh.

Wages?....

Due for parole in 9-10 years, he'll be 35ish. His life story would be interesting, a homosexual in the US military with a conscience...if someone wrote a book or something would he get a cut to spend when he gets out?...

I was born where I live, Poole in Dorset. At the age of 10 our family moved to where my old man is from, which is a hamlet in the Cheviots on the Scottish side of the border. There was a fellah there who went to SJP every other week. He'd grown up with my old man and, for good or worse , I soon came under his influence. That was in 1980/81. I'd say I'm not a Geordie but I'm definetly a Mag

Before Llambias had a sudden pang of self respect he was fond of saying there's nothing more that can be done....apart from raising ticket prices. Do Puma pay more than Addidas? I hate being fair to Ashley but I think his tenure here corresponding with the recession has had an impact too.

What's worse? The rest of your life in a west London embassy or 35 years in a us military prison? http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/08/21/us-usa-wikileaks-manning-idUSBRE97J0JI20130821

Isnt that a bit of an oxy-moron though?...I take your point completley, but can you actually finance a decline in income?...do you mean he's kept the club going after relegation, and has (mostly) kept us off his back by freezing season ticket prices, which has lead to income being lower(?) than what it was in 2007ish when he came in?...

Having made the club more financially stable, along with the new TV deal, I think he may be in a posistion to start getting his outlay down to the level required to make the club sellable again. He needs another 100mill at least though.

Its not middle class though, its middle income. Thats the point, the people no doubt earn more than their parents could've dreamed of but their parents didnt send them to the local prep school in order for them to do so. Their kids might well go to very good schools though, thats where it changes I'd imagine.

I saw the O'Grady thing too, and tend to agree. I suppose if your lifestyle changes from standing on the Gallowgate to flying club class around the world on business you probably do go through huge changes, and with the no doubt monumental change in social circles that brings you probably do consider yourself to be "different". My life hasn't changed very much tbh, so I am possibly closer to who I was when I was a teenager. You dont come across as someone who's forgotten where he's from though so behind all the baubles and trinkets and the champagne lifestyle I'd imagine its fair to say you havent changed very much, and if you were brought up in what Frank Skinner calls the "working class First Division " you have more than enough tools to get on in life if you so choose; politeness,honesty,hard working etc. If you'd gone to public school and had a similar career path you probably wouldnt have stood on the Gallowgate though, which is where the difference is for me.

In the old meaning of the word, the aristocracy are the upper classes and for me they still are. Then you've got people with as you say the income to buy their way into whatever lifestyle they want to become accustomed to. Thats an infinetly huge amount of people, and those with an excess of income with which to obtain fancy trinkets and baubles may start as low as 35k. But that doesnt automatically make them middle class. Then you've got the proper working class, who could also earn in excess of 50k a year...builders are doing a working class job but a lot of them make a lot of money. Then theres people who dont want to work. The people in the middle two categories pay for them. Andprotect their homes against them. And thats it. Its all about income and mobility apart from the uppers. You've got to marry into them, which if you're from Hackney or Heaton would do their gene pool the fuckin world of good

I do actually think we're entering the final phase of his time here....but that could last 18 months or so. When he can sell for a realistic price after trousering the tv money and the odd 5mill or so that may be left over from selling the likes of Cabaye once we've spent the bare minimum to keep us in the division, then he'll sell.

Because if you're not putting any of your own money in thats how its done. As a few have said, if we were likely to "trade up" and bring a potentially better player in that Cabaye then I'd be all for it. But we're just buying to stay in the division.

Class is inherenty different to income though. You're middle income on 50k but it doesnt in any way indicate what social background you come from. I can name half a dozen people I know who were brought up on council estates who earn in excess of 50k. I imagine most people with a half decent career could among their own collegues. Your background indicates what class you are iyam.

Garlic smelling collaborating Vichy cunt. We should tar and feather him at greys monument, shave his head and then get Ewerk's in laws over with the horse and cart to ferry him round town whilst we throw rotten veg and excrement at him. That'll teach him. Yeah.

Cisse's performance last night reminded me of Owen's the season we went down..."back to goal, hold the ball up" isn't his game, so he keeps on making his runs, knowing full well the ball is unlikely to ever reach him in the right areas.

Think you're right. When Kinnears got the reigns again Pardew may well get viewed very differently. He is pretty much the best manager Ashley is willing to pay for. So...its either storm the directors box with flaming torches on Saturday, or wait a bit and resign ourselves to another complete cunt of a season, with quite possibly relegation at the end of it. How the fuck has it come to this in 12 months?

Indeed he is, but is the current management of the club likely to fork out the necessary money for a replacement?...they didn't even want one for free! Again, almost a decade of Taylor is just a symptom of what's wrong at the club, not the cause. See also Shola. And its got fuck all to do with where they're from.

Liverpool were just as dominant as manu in the 70s and 80s though on a much more even playing field. Would you have expected them to go without a title for 23 years? Why didn't we all just give up then? What you're saying is mind numbmingly logical and goes against the very concept of football fandom. Few things in life make real sense, least if all following a football club. It makes no sense but millions continue to do it.

I think if you asked a Spurs fan in 2013 if he liked where the club was going he'd say yes, very much so. They play pretty good football too, which is enough for most fans.

Gemmills right in a lot of ways, "financial doping" as somebody termed it a while back. Tooj is also correct, I actually though that after we finished 5th we were going down the same road as Spurs, and had high hopes for us. Got that one wrong

Demba unused sub for Chelsea on Saturday. If Ashley wants to protect his investment he should instruct Kinnear to bring him in on loan. If we can only live off scraps with no structured pattern of attacking play then Cisse and Remy aren't enough to keep us in the division. The manager is irrelevent in a way, because if there is a change we all know who the new one will be.