NJS

I'm quite torn. The last two were certainly a vast improcement on Pop and Zooropa but both had a couple of tracks I thought were unlistenable along with a couple of stand out classics. I think this one has a more consistent quality without peaks and troughs - sort of instead of 8s and 3s it has 6s + 7s if you see what I mean. I'll definitely be going to Wembley though.

It will be interesting to see the effect of the proposed measures in Scotland - if large tracts of the population can't afford alcohol anymore I can see either more problems or more people turning to heroin - especially if dealers see the gap and drop prices. I honestly think that some excesses (including alcohol again) are a price worth paying for a free society and I'd much prefer the kind of country we have, warts and all, rather than Saudi or similar types of place. When I suggest a further relaxation I don't think we'd see that much of a long term increase in drug use after an initial teething period and it would certianly end the moral hypocrisy currently prevalent. Of course I don't think it will happen but we should at least be able to talk about it sensibly without outrage from the moral cowards in the press - perhaps somebody could implant all copies of the Mail with something to teach the fuckers some realities.

I think that we're heading for a stage where society only "works" because of so many drugs (counting alcohol and tobacco certainly) and I think we'd be fucked if the "war" was suddenly won. If people realsied how empty so many of their lives are without any kind of drugs whatsoever I think we'd see mass breakdowns.

What makes you think "hundreds of thousands" would take heroin? There are thousands who have taken the decision to use pot and ecstacy without any bad effects and I presume its not fear of the law that stops them progressing to heroin. In the past heroin and cocaine were used on a casual basis by the upper classes and the medical profession - it only became illegal when the peasants started using drugs - its all about control. If drugs were legalised and controlled and I'd add prostitution (drug or slavery based) into the mix the workload of the police would be reduced a lot more than increasing the price of alcohol as you suggest.

I've always thought it was fallout from the Milner deal where either promised players or promised money materialising as Gonzales and Xisco - more symptoms of a breakdown in working relationships.

I think I already said his "Who's been the best player?" was a classic lie setter upper.

They should use Northern Rock or set up a new bank - the BOE itself is not a retail bank. NR giving out 2% mortgages would soon get the other fuckers moving. These measures sort of worked in Japan though some argue other factors made it look as if they worked.

Ketsbaia/Mirandinha lunatic dream pairing - sounds good - get Tino back for a trio.

Thats an antibiotic - its doesn't work on pain it works on infection, unless you mean clear the infection get rid of the pain I did mean getting at the underlying cause - I then read back and saw he was in the middle of root canal treatment anyway - they usually give the antibiotics first before treatment in my experience.

I mentioned before that I heard he'd taken a cut for the new deal (35k > 20k).

If its an infected root the only thing that will fix the pain is amoxycillin.

I think I pointed out on N-O that anyone who was betting on HBOS shares rising in March 2008 is a grade one fucking imbecile.

They started pronouncing his name as Lerbu iirc but then admitted Molby should really be pronounced Molbu as well so backtracked a bit.

Reminds me of Phillips when the Mackems went down with Murray still there - holding on for his "loyalty" payment when he knew it would almost send the club to the wall. The same could be said of a few Leeds players too (probably including Viduka).

Without people with an agenda, these meetings would become exactly what the club wants - complete tokenism. Even the reasonable questions about the refund of VAT or the money "lost" by signing up for 3 years compared with the new prices were not quoted in the paper's reports - if inoccuous "gotchas" like that are censored then what's the point?

I'd also echo Stevie's view of N-O in that Ryder can't play his "I used to go everywhere years ago" card while lauding a forum of non-attenders.

So the biggest crime is to tell itsy-bitsy lies about Llambias' new lickspitel journalists.

When he isn't being "Mr Man U" and instead is talking about football in general or life in general I have a lot of time for him.

I'd add that the way the way the club (ie Hall/Fletcher) killed the old supporters club was another fucking disgrace.

Theres nothing wrong with taking a de facto adverseral position - I remember having a chat with Mark Jensen a few years ago outside Upton park (deciding whether to go in as the game was on the point of being called off) when he asked me what I thought of The Mag - I said it had become too much part of the establishment and gave the club an easy ride - he replied that we had nothing to complain about (at the time) to which I said theres always something. Even if Keegan was still here and Ashley had splashed the cash I think there would still have been a place for an "annoying" presence to keep the bastards in line - as it is I have no problem with hassling liars. you're right, quite a lot of people did complain about us qualifying regularly for europe, signing top class players, expanding the stadium and filling it every game. Amazing like. Especially with hindsight. Next time this happens - if it happens - hopefully people might appreciate it a bit more instead of whinging on about the odd PR gaffe which is totally irrelevant when put into context. Most of the time I think you have a point which you overstate but there you're implying everything was always rosy - heres a classic for you - me an my mates being kicked out of our seats for corporate cunts - your constant implication that a half decent team (which won nothing) excuses the shit we STILL had to put up with from Hall and Shepherd is fucking shite. certainly don't think everything was perfect - far from it - but I don't give a rats arse about "shit" from Hall and Shepherd when they back their managers, which is all you want from them. The way Ashley has set about running this club should be ramming that point home. I'm only 7 seats away from the area that was booted out of the middle of the Leazes End, and yes there is no doubt that it was wrong of them to do it. We may have won fuck all, but I wouldn't swap our last decade for someone like say the smoggies who did. We could have won the FA Cup but for the width of a post against Arsenal, we could have beaten Chelsea if Solano had tracked Poyet in the semi final. The margins in football are thin, but winning nowt doesn't mean they were shit because they were far from it. We played in the Champs League and qualified for europe twice as often in 15 years as we had done in the previous 30. If Ashley does half as well, those who are still behind him - not saying too many on here are mind - will cream their knicks. When it comes down to it, a few PR gaffes mean fuck all, they never bothered me personally and never will. The same goes for Ashley too, if he was successful or gave it his best shot I wouldn't give a toss what he does, he can do what he likes. You talk about thin margins - there were two occasions when Shepherd failed to spend that cost us dearly imo - January 2002 and Summer of 2003 - its another of your cliches that they always backed them - they didn't. I think the previous regime was better than Ashley but I have no rosy specs either - they were cunts in it for the money they could screw out of us the same way Ashley is - the only difference is they had a different plan which meant we saw some good football.

Theres nothing wrong with taking a de facto adverseral position - I remember having a chat with Mark Jensen a few years ago outside Upton park (deciding whether to go in as the game was on the point of being called off) when he asked me what I thought of The Mag - I said it had become too much part of the establishment and gave the club an easy ride - he replied that we had nothing to complain about (at the time) to which I said theres always something. Even if Keegan was still here and Ashley had splashed the cash I think there would still have been a place for an "annoying" presence to keep the bastards in line - as it is I have no problem with hassling liars. you're right, quite a lot of people did complain about us qualifying regularly for europe, signing top class players, expanding the stadium and filling it every game. Amazing like. Especially with hindsight. Next time this happens - if it happens - hopefully people might appreciate it a bit more instead of whinging on about the odd PR gaffe which is totally irrelevant when put into context. Most of the time I think you have a point which you overstate but there you're implying everything was always rosy - heres a classic for you - me an my mates being kicked out of our seats for corporate cunts - your constant implication that a half decent team (which won nothing) excuses the shit we STILL had to put up with from Hall and Shepherd is fucking shite.

Theres nothing wrong with taking a de facto adverseral position - I remember having a chat with Mark Jensen a few years ago outside Upton park (deciding whether to go in as the game was on the point of being called off) when he asked me what I thought of The Mag - I said it had become too much part of the establishment and gave the club an easy ride - he replied that we had nothing to complain about (at the time) to which I said theres always something. Even if Keegan was still here and Ashley had splashed the cash I think there would still have been a place for an "annoying" presence to keep the bastards in line - as it is I have no problem with hassling liars.

I got one from a camera whch was I think 39 in a 30 which was honestly at 5 in the morning pulling away from lights - I was heading to Stansted for a game - I think it was Everton when Shearer scored that goal. I think back now to when I used to drive to a few away games when I lived in the NE where if there had been any cameras I would have been fucked.

His "who's the top player" question is a giveaway as to laying the ground for bullshit.

That's my categorical view. I've been willing to accept a couple of games easing them back in from the bench (especially as we beat West Brom) but we now have to cut to the chase - any game where it doesn't happen is even more of a write off.