geordieshandy

At least they don't charge their ball boys like we do! 125158[/snapback] I heard about that like, fucking disgrace that is. 125161[/snapback] Is that serious? We charge them to be a ballboy? 125168[/snapback] The latest in businessman Fred's attempts to recoup the Boumsong, Luque, Owen money

They've got some tunes that you can almost sing along, but this is far too slow to be any sort of rousing anthem.

Not even a good Embrace song

I'll show off my (lack of) skills

It's the first time I've ventured near this debate, and probably the last, but here goes. Hall took over this club when he saw there was an opportunity to make something huge. He saw the money that Sky was about attract to into the field and realised he could turn a club that was trying it's hardest to enter the third tier of the English league into a brand. That's what the running of the club has to be seen as, the running of a company. SJH saw the best way to do this was to get the club playing attractive football, that way he could get the team to be one of the best supported in the country. Everyone's second team and that. The team managed to ride the crest of the wave set by that and reach the top (nearly). This was though, only the beginning of the life cycle of the brand. Everything that went before 1990 is completely different and not hardly even the same sport. This also happened as the town itself was setting up into a more affluent area. Also being a citycentre team has helped keeping the crowd since it is easily accessible. The crowd is also sustained by the fans believing what they shout at the teams down the road, and the media, billing them as the greatest. So the product is maturing and Shepherd takes over the reigns. This is now one of the hardest times and is very difficult to compare to when Sir John burst the team on to the stage (global due to the Sky television audiences). Now it's all about keeping the team going forward - difficult when you're near the top - and prevention of catasrophe - see Leeds. The choice of managers brought in relate to this. First a previously successful manager, and then someone Shepherd saw as being able to bring back that attractive football that won the team so many supporters (read investment). The hiring of SBR was a masterstroke seeing as in combined a talismanic and well loved leader and managed to bring back some success. Souness was probably the only time Shepherd really made a snap decision and that was to try and bring back some credibility to the brand he was pushing on the now global market. The bad press some of the players brought to the team has seen his company's stock fall, along with of course lack of year on year success. Last summer was probably the lowest ebb for FS, seeing the apathy that filled his stadium, that's why the money got shelled out on the likes of Owen and Luque. Again a canny marketing move - see how many turned up last August. Shepherd can't that bad a business man, look at his other interests, but the publicised stuff about his brothers warehouse etc doesn't really help matters. Never Again.

The test venues have just been announced for for 2007-09, can't see the Rose Bowl anywhere: England Test match venues 2007-09 (in alphabetical order by year) 2007 vs West Indies - Chester-le-Street, Headingley, Lord's, Old Trafford vs India - Brit Oval, Lord's, Trent Bridge 2008 vs New Zealand - Lord's, Old Trafford and Trent Bridge vs South Africa - Brit Oval, Edgbaston, Headingley, Lord's 2009 vs Zimbabwe - Lord's, TBC vs Australia - Brit Oval, Cardiff, Edgbaston, Headingley, Lord's 124661[/snapback] So bugger all up here after next June then?

Congratulations matey

Sorry, "for now", what is that supposed to mean? Do you know something we don't?

I think most teams would be saying similar things. The midtable is really so close this season that a couple of different results would change a lot of positions, as we've seen now we're up to 7th. All the teams from 6th to 13/14th are much of a muchness and could have finished just about anywhere.

I'm equally mystified but wasn't going to say owt. I like to keep my ignorance to myself

Is that right now?

Brought to my attention: 17...Birmingham City...........35..8...8.. .19..28...49...-21..32 18...Portsmouth.......... ..... .35..8...8...19..32...57. ..-25..32 19...Sunderland.......... ......72..6..13..53..43.. 126..-83..31 20...West Bromwich Albion...35.7...8...20..29...52 ....-23..29 Sunderlands last two premiership seasons combined wouldn't even have them out the relegation zone. Editted to include tonights fixture

my uncle eric gave workers partial raises T T L P O

Gah, I came in here to post the exact same thing. jwiafc. 123998[/snapback] jwiafc? 124078[/snapback] jesus wept i'm always fucking crap?

\o/ 123821[/snapback] o/ shirley 123826[/snapback] \o from the front

Should wait till he karks it, it's bad enough having a bar named after him but having a statue around when there's a possibility of him still having a role at the club is a bit much

They only really developed him in series 5 and brougt him to the fore in series 6. He's the massive whale like humunculous that hangs around the butchers. Chrissy had a go at him when everyone thought Adriana sucked Tony's cock. The lad he rapes is Finn, Meadows boyfriend who worked on the building site and saw Vito blowing a fella. It seemed like Finn and Meadow split up at the end of episode 6 so i don't know how much it will sway Tony toward Whacking Vito when it does happen.. 123594[/snapback] I remembered as soon as I read the hanging round the butchers, obvious really that he's into sausage. It comes back into the story. The kid'll not know his arse from his elbow once that fat wop is done with him. Poor lad. 123611[/snapback] His arse will probably be the one bleeding and in possesion of a cock

Can't believe this thread has so many replies and no mention of the trousers incident or that picture after the penelty on Monday

How is David Brent one-dimensional? He's: a chilled-out entertainer; a philosopher-poet; a singer/song-writer; a philanthropist; and the father of one big happy family! Can you give me an example of how it's predictable? Are you saying that a parody accentuating a person's most obvious flaw does not work? 123589[/snapback] You're wasting your time man. The real problem is as follows: the absence of a laughter track or a big Friends-esque sign saying "HERE COMES THE PUNCHLINE" meant that he had to work out for himself where the jokes were, and it ruined it for him. 123593[/snapback] You're becoming very dull, Gemmill. I'm beginning to see certain others' point(s) regarding you. 123600[/snapback] Overreact much? What points would those be then? 123605[/snapback] Predictable, one-dimensional etc

Oooh all you real men knowing about weights and things, I'm so jealous.

Sell it on Ebay?

Houllier seems to be being linked with a DOF role, or at least has linked himself with one, with Roeder manager. Bollocks more than likely.

Mind if we're talking proper class then James Richardson takes some beating.

Compared with Stelling he's a muppet. Actually compared with most folk he's a muppet, like most of them on there. Yet they still get to sit next to Alex Hammond. It's just not right.

Never a truer word spoken