PaddockLad

Didnt Iran fund,arm and generally control one of the nutter Shia factions that contributed to the full on civil war in Iraq a few years back?...and didnt they kidnap 5 Brtitsh contractors from somewhere in Iraq and murder 4 of them?....don't know if that makes them fit for invasion like but I think the Yanks went into Iraq last time with less provocation

IF its a true story then this is the line that matters. This suggest a substantial operator rather than a JFK / Oleary personality. There is no way Ashley is going to get rid of LLambias because of Ewerks comments and also because he trusts him to run things for him. The have however, rightly, identified a huge gap at the club and if they find a good operator I welcome this move. I also think Hughton would welcome it. Ashley and Llambias have been doing the role so far so Im sure Hughton would welcome a proper football man to fight his battles upstairs. Well yeah, but name somewhere in this country where that has actually worked? The latest one is Billy Davies at Forest....he's a fuckin dick,granted, but he has to report to David Pleat. He wanted to bring players in in March to make a final push for the top 2 places but just eneded up in a slanging match with Pleat and other board members. Whatever my own personal feelings towards him are, he's got proven ability as a football manager.Why won't Pleat back him up, being a fellow "football man" as you put it? The bottom line is we are back in the big league, big fees, big (er) stars, bigger agents, bigger wages etc. Ashley will not want Hughton to take all that on and knows himself and Llambias cant. Hughton also comes across as the type who would rather be out there coaching than negogiating with Agents. As Alex mentioned other clubs have good CEO's that handle this. He wont sack Llambias so the next best option is too appoint a new CEO but call him a director of football. Im really excited about the summer months. ok fair one, but why does it have to be a football man as that would just undermine Hughton before he's even finished his list of players he wants? Appoint a deal maker,a good negotiater and someone who can close by all means, but dont send a "we dont trust you"message to Hughton before he even starts the job.

IF its a true story then this is the line that matters. This suggest a substantial operator rather than a JFK / Oleary personality. There is no way Ashley is going to get rid of LLambias because of Ewerks comments and also because he trusts him to run things for him. The have however, rightly, identified a huge gap at the club and if they find a good operator I welcome this move. I also think Hughton would welcome it. Ashley and Llambias have been doing the role so far so Im sure Hughton would welcome a proper football man to fight his battles upstairs. Well yeah, but name somewhere in this country where that has actually worked? The latest one is Billy Davies at Forest....he's a fuckin dick,granted, but he has to report to David Pleat. He wanted to bring players in in March to make a final push for the top 2 places but just eneded up in a slanging match with Pleat and other board members. Whatever my own personal feelings towards him are, he's got proven ability as a football manager.Why won't Pleat back him up, being a fellow "football man" as you put it?

To me it's irrelvent what the title is, as long as theres someone at the club responsible for going out and negotiating transfer deals once players required are identified, and is good at it. Did lambchop allow Given to go to Man City last January and told the richest club in world football it was ok to pay in installments? That alone should've got him the sack. If Ashley needs him there as some sort of "security blanket" then put him in charge of toilet rolls or paper clips in the office.

it does if this guy has more power over choices than hughton, that was the issue with wise/keegan MA was stupid enough to listen to wise rather than keegan when the two disagreed That's the pivotal part of the role. It provides a recruitment structure that doesn't rely on the least tenable position at the club - team coach/manager. Every new manager has their own ideas so the squad needs another £30m+ rebuild after each change. Ashley doesn't like that level of uncertainty. If it was any other way they'd be appointing a new scout. Thats all fair enough, but it doesnt address the bottom line in the system....who has the final say in which players comes into the club? If it is to be Hughton, theres no need for a DoF. If not, he's going to feel undermined before he even thinks about which players he could bring in.....and it will be his head of the chopping block come December and we're possibly in the bottom 3, not the dear old DoF.Why should Hughton have to take the responsbility for someone else's picks? We're not Real Madrid, and look how well it works there...the thick part of 300mill last summer and they're going to win fuck all. It just doesnt work in the long run, especially in this country.

Any appointment of a DoF undermines Hughton straight away, does he really need that in his posistion? I just don't understand it....will Chris be allowed to pick his own players to bring in?...the answer to us via the press will be a resounding "yes".Well in that case Lambchop and Ashley can go out and fuckin buy them then. Its not rocket science. If they trust Hughton, its a no brainer. Look at the mess it caused last time. If theres anything in this story it proves George Caulkin right when he says these pricks are incapable of making two good decisions in a row

Tricky doing Public Enemy's "black steel in the hour of chaos" is class

aye, or another way of putting it is "who truly runs things in the world?....the nominally elected governments or a few bankers?...."

I'm going to Alberfera for the first week of the World Cup so I'll let you know....we did the same for the Euros a couple of years back and it was really good, little sign of real bother, just the usual drunken daftness, which continental types look down upon. Can't say I blame them, but its much the same attitiude as we have about the Poles etc...nothing new under the sun

SCENE I. France. Before Harfleur. Alarum. Enter KING HENRY, EXETER, BEDFORD, GLOUCESTER, and Soldiers, with scaling-ladders KING HENRY V Once more unto the breach, dear friends, once more; Or close the wall up with our English dead. In peace there's nothing so becomes a man As modest stillness and humility: But when the blast of war blows in our ears, Then imitate the action of the tiger; Stiffen the sinews, summon up the blood, Disguise fair nature with hard-favour'd rage; Then lend the eye a terrible aspect; Let pry through the portage of the head Like the brass cannon; let the brow o'erwhelm it As fearfully as doth a galled rock O'erhang and jutty his confounded base, Swill'd with the wild and wasteful ocean. Now set the teeth and stretch the nostril wide, Hold hard the breath and bend up every spirit To his full height. On, on, you noblest English. Whose blood is fet from fathers of war-proof! Fathers that, like so many Alexanders, Have in these parts from morn till even fought And sheathed their swords for lack of argument: Dishonour not your mothers; now attest That those whom you call'd fathers did beget you. Be copy now to men of grosser blood, And teach them how to war. And you, good yeoman, Whose limbs were made in England, show us here The mettle of your pasture; let us swear That you are worth your breeding; which I doubt not; For there is none of you so mean and base, That hath not noble lustre in your eyes. I see you stand like greyhounds in the slips, Straining upon the start. The game's afoot: Follow your spirit, and upon this charge Cry 'God for Harry, England, and Saint George!' Happy birthday Will old son would he have been Villa or would he have stayed local and wached his football at Highfield Road/The Ricoh?

A mate says he got an email from the club......mind, he makes Pedro look like Brad Pitt so it could be thst like

Todays kit launch cancelled allegedly

Assuming Steven Taylor leaves in the summer (nailed on if you ask me) say we brought Titus back....do you think it would be a backwards step?....he's been a first choice premier league centre back for 10 years and 5 different manangers, he must have something going for him?.....

Did he fuck man And in terms of talent I meant he had the attributes - pace, power, strength etc. Obviously I've mentioned what let him down. he had attributes but droppped a bollock every other game because his brain hurt so much. He was better than O'Brien though. Unbelievable to suggest otherwise tbh. they were both garbage to be fair Did you see them in the San Siro then?.... Not that either of them were perfect but they played a lot in the sides that finished 4th, 3rd and 5th. Precisely.....Arsenal will finish 3rd this season with the likes of Campbell and Silvestre playing regularly....Bramble,Dabizas and O'Brien were/are miles from being top class players but I'll always think well of them for what we acheived with them in the side. To say "urrgh they were shite" is inaccurate and misses the point by a country mile....you can acheive a lot with the sum of the parts of what on paper may appear a mediore team.

Did he fuck man And in terms of talent I meant he had the attributes - pace, power, strength etc. Obviously I've mentioned what let him down. he had attributes but droppped a bollock every other game because his brain hurt so much. He was better than O'Brien though. Unbelievable to suggest otherwise tbh. they were both garbage to be fair Did you see them in the San Siro then?....

Did he fuck man And in terms of talent I meant he had the attributes - pace, power, strength etc. Obviously I've mentioned what let him down. he had attributes but droppped a bollock every other game because his brain hurt so much. He was better than O'Brien though. Unbelievable to suggest otherwise tbh. Not much to choose between them but you have to rememeber we got to the second stage of the champions league with them and Dabizas. None of them out ot the top draw but we acheived a hell of a lot with them, mostly due to Sir Bob being one of the rare coaches who genuinely improves players in his charge (Harry Redknapp is the same, pity he's a gangster too though ) We didnt need Franco Baresi types to keep us all happy a few years back and this revisionism is a bit galling to be honest. And if the World Cup had been last season Bramble wouldve been an outsider for the squad in the way Michael Dawson is being mentioned this season. But Bramble plays for Wigan and Dawson plays for Spurs so maybe not....see also,much as it pains me to say, Darren Bent and Jermaine Defoe.

What are the chances of the Plymouth DJ having that, the blaydon races and local hero in his matchday cd collection? Sky handed them to him or had their own man in the booth. There was real joy among the fans, no doubt about that, but sky went a long way to "manufacutring" the scenes at the end of the game. I fuckin hate feeling that if I've been manipulated by those fuckers

I think its all over my new white converse I reluctantly went on....fucks sakes the stupid pastie eating twats had just been relegated and their dj just happened to have his blaydon races cd with him?...I smell a sky job somehwere along the line there like...their lot were fuckin brilliant to us, fair play to them. And now I've looked back at the piccies I realise I was just being a miserable twat and we were fuckin mint too

thats lovely. naa...needs stripes on the arms...all our best kits have have had stripes on the arms...

It's ringing a bell with me from a comedy show with maybe a bishop character having a catchphrase along the lines of "I was taling to a man today" - Kenny Everett? Anyone remember? Sounds a bit like the spoof "pause for thought" Mark and Lard used to do in the mornings. The tories are not only using made up anecdotes to promote the comcept of "broken Britain", the phrase itself is lifted verbatum from a Sun front page headline. The former editor of the notw,Andy Coulson, is now head of communications for the tories. Murdoch has got his own placeman at the heart of the tory machine now, and he wants to destroy the BBC, something Cameron has mildly alluded to recently. The whole thing fuckin stinks. Murdoch is going to have as much access to the PM if Cameron gets in as the union leaders had in the 70s, in and out of no 10 every week. The thought of Murdoch having an even more significant influence on government then he does at the moment makes me feel ill Good point about Murdoch. Fuck that bastard, I'm going to cancel my Sky Sports subscription in protest tonight at around 10 pm. In all seriousness though, it's worrying. The loss of the BBC and the further growth of Sky is a horrific prospect, let alone the direct influence that Ozzie cunt will have on our government. Murdoch is evil basically. Why would any one man want that much power and influence over as much of the worlds population as possible?.... He doesnt need weapons or the threat of violence to make people see his side of things, he just appeals to the worst side of people's natures, and the weak and feeble minded repeat his catchphrases like sheep; "Broken Britain", "feral kids roaming the streets", "Freddie Star ate my Hamster" The thing is, he likes to back a winner. As Labour lurched to the right to make itslef electable he jumped on the New Labour bandwagon. When Brown was looking dead in the water last year he thought Dave was the man. I'd fuckin love it if Brown got another 5 years just to spite that fuckin meglomainiac . I think its largely irrlevent who does get in, we're all going to be fucked anyway

The Ark Royal has just been fixed after its last refit last year....it didnt get out of the channel before the engine room caught fire Its in Pompey dockyard at the moment, I'm willing to bet good money it won't make Calais

It's ringing a bell with me from a comedy show with maybe a bishop character having a catchphrase along the lines of "I was taling to a man today" - Kenny Everett? Anyone remember? Sounds a bit like the spoof "pause for thought" Mark and Lard used to do in the mornings. The tories are not only using made up anecdotes to promote the comcept of "broken Britain", the phrase itself is lifted verbatum from a Sun front page headline. The former editor of the notw,Andy Coulson, is now head of communications for the tories. Murdoch has got his own placeman at the heart of the tory machine now, and he wants to destroy the BBC, something Cameron has mildly alluded to recently. The whole thing fuckin stinks. Murdoch is going to have as much access to the PM if Cameron gets in as the union leaders had in the 70s, in and out of no 10 every week. The thought of Murdoch having an even more significant influence on government then he does at the moment makes me feel ill

The 50 grand Lexus was a solitary command vehicle carrying 30 grands worth of surveillance equipment, to be used to tackle serious crime, not to hand out tickets (a tinge of bitterness there?). What type of cars do you think people involved in organised crime drive? Seems like a sensible use of money to me, as a lifelong tory I'd have thought you'd want to have the police equipped with decent equipment so they can do their job? The other stories strongly cast doubt on the veracity of Cameron's personal anecdotes; either that or he has a memory problem. Besides, don't you find these stories just a bit cringeworthy? 'Can't wait til he's pm' - you're the first person I've heard that rates him at all. We're in the biggest recession in living memory and he's really struggling - seriously, casting aside your dislike of Labour, what gives you confidence in his ability to govern? Spot on...and he's had the best education money can buy....seriously if he can't put Brown and Clegg out of their misery next month he should just go back to being the vocalist in Keane,thick posh fucker

Think about MacLaren's last game in charge v Croatia at Wembley.....sure, they've moved on 100% playing wise since that night but the thought struck me during that piss poor performance in the second half that, when the going gets tough, these fuckers really dont know how to "want" it enough because theyve all been corrupted by fuckin money. And I still stand by that. It will be a major surprise to me if they reach the semi finals. Add to that Rio has been injured most of the season, Terry is a shell of the player he was 2 years ago, Gerrard is moving into the same category,Lamps has scored a few goals but is generally a bit meh...Rooney if fit will terrorise every defence he comes across but youve got to get the ball to him and I'm not sure that when you play the better teams in the latter stages England are a. good enough to keep the ball for more than 4 passes or b. have the passion and commitment (and the right refereeing interpretations) to get the ball back off Xavi,Iniesta,Schweinsteiger,Ballack,Cambiasso, and/or the other players of any other fairly useful nation who really know how to play tournament football, because if all the diasappontments in the last 44 years have taught us one thing, its that the England domestic season is probably the worst possible preparation for the World Cup or the Euros regardless of where its being held. I'd love to be proved wrong but I'm not holding my breath...oh and the Euros are usually better to watch anyway. Too many piss poor teams in the World Cup....32 fuckin teams and the jocks still cant qualify