Dolly Potter MD

Dekka: aggressive, confrontational, without any semblance of honour/whose 'word' means absolutely fuck-all/a con-artist, vindictive, and you can throw 'elusive' into the mix as well. This pretty much encapsulates how Ashley has run his retail enterprise. Ashley and Dekka are two peas out of the same pod, and Ashley has a kindred spirit (at least as a corporate razor cutter type, with the gutter level of ethics to match) of sorts doing his bidding. To suggest that Dekka is the real problem, as inferred in the OP, is laughable. Mort was going on about how 'Mr Ashley's priority was to purchase players with resale value' during the opening weeks following the takeover. The blueprint for us being a seller club was layed out early. Mort was more PR friendly. In addition to this, in the wake of Allardyce's departure/sacking, in one of Ashley's rare offerings to the press, he declared that he would be more hands-on in relation to the club's day-to-day running. Suggesting that Dekka is the real problem hereby creating a convenient scapegoat, is a load of crap.

Don't tell me, you and a few mates tried this last weekend. Boring and disappointing as this may sound, our level of depravity doesn't extend far beyond that of who can piss the highest up the backyard boundary/wall, where performance level is measured in bricks high. A calendar slot allowing the opportunity for sheer stupidity wasn't forthcoming last weekend - girls' nights outs aren't exactly a weekly thing. However the next chance we get may see a return of very old football trip/piss-up favorite, The Dance of the Flaming Arsehole.

Gangbang Taxi Driver #4: with regular guests Messrs Mike & Derek, and The Casino Crew.

Source Code: 4.5 out of 5. Wasted on the Young: set in a private school, where a student party goes off the rails, and the aftermath is the focal point of the story ie, destroying reputations via IT social networking - twitter/facebook etc. Worth a look, and a far removal from the atypical revenge flick. 4 out of 5. I saw Sin City not that long ago. The kid from the LOTR's (Wood) best work, and there was no dialogue, as the cat/cannibal boy.

......... and other great wildlife shots. This one was taken at a billabong in Australia. The big fella's lunch is 2.5 metres, or roughly 8ft long. Survival of the Fittest, at it's absolute finest.

Mancini: In the management game, he's the Italian version of G.Souness. More of a sideline sideshow tbh, with the ego to match. Of course a top footballer in his hey-day as well.

Re: The East Stand. Ashley/ShiteDirect practically has exclusive stadium naming rights & advertising sewn up already. If true there's little commercial value behind ripping down one significant emblem, and replacing it with another SD logo. This is born out of pure spite. As was the case with his hated enemy Whela n, whom he haunted for over a decade, the supporters are his bitch. It's another play, or reminder who is the boss.

Fair play to him for speaking out, as was the case with some other notable figures. A cheeky season-long loan deal, with a minimal permanent fee attached, is not beyond the realm of possibility. I think Ashley & Dekka would jump at the opportunity to rid themselves of another enemy (as will be the case with Barton) of their rule/policies, and with it remove a percentage of his wages from the books, as a last resort if concrete interest isn't shown up until the closing stages of the window. I wouldn't surprise me to see possible suitors play the waiting game here, watch the shite continue to hit the fan, and bide their time with the knowledge that we're probably desperate to sell now. Personally, with the knowledge that funds from his transfer will not adequately reinvested in the 1st team/a replacement anyway, i hope he does end up doing a Bosman, leaving Ashley and his balance sheets high & dry. The same applies to Barton as well.

As offensive as the evaporation of the singing section, after Ashley's very own Frankenstein's Monster/creation turned against him. There's a real pointedness, against the supporter, in the way this lot deals with it's paying customers. As well as being an opportunistic money grab i think it's a kick to the bollocks for the growing number of 'protest supporters', those who are voicing their unrest at the clubs running by limiting their own financial support, albeit in a calculated way. I speak of the bloke (or lass) who already has (or is planning to) jacked in his/her ST, will only attend away games, and will pick & choose when it comes to home fixtures - only buying a ticket at the gate from now on, and generally fucking off the club when it comes to shelling out that extra little bit for otherwise mostly useless perks. It's another confrontational move by an abrasive & aggressive operator, by that i refer to the Ashley M.O. which has been raised before. I wouldn't put it past this bloke/Ashley (and his court jester, Dekka) and perhaps it is a pre-emptive strike (to maintain ST numbers & revenue) to counter any potential & future enmasse supporter protest, thanks to what must be a growing chorus of anger at this lot when taking into account recent club statements and what is going on in relation to the distribution of the Carroll Money, or more to the point it being eroded by the cost of wages/agent fees (ie. those ludicrously expensive FREE transfers) and improving training facilities/basic club running costs. This was probably on the cards tbh, and they've used what is a pretty isolated incident to justify their actions - certainly as a well thought out act of damage limitation on the part club's hierarchy, as more pennies continue to drop, and more supporters make the pained choice of giving the club the heave'ho (and hitting Ashley in the hip pocket), whether that be out of spite, or for what they/the supporter believes to be a moral-based decision/protest for a greater good.

Warning Disclaimer: not recommended for people with heart conditions. Last weekend myself and a few workmates had a crack to see what the water boarding phenomena is all about. We set up a couple of ladders, and some trestles to get the appropriate table slope. Ropes, a blindfold, and the clingwrap (with holes punched in it) were also used. Terrifying to say the least. A panic attack of the greatest magnitude is a better phrasing tbh. You're totally disoriented, senses-wise, and as a result your mind does play tricks on you, despite not being under the actual physical threat of drowning. None of us barely scratched the one minute barrier, and it's not something you come back for seconds or thirds - although the competitive streak among us lads will result in us attempting the garage record as it stands. Hardened servicemen last a few minutes at the most, during testing. Astonishing that lobby groups etc jumped up and down when details were leaked. What did they expect the Americans to do when trying to extract intel from terrorists............ I suppose a more humane, psychological form of interrogation, to appease the powder-puff types, would be to serve up an unblessed Big Mac to some bloke named Muhammad, with an infidel produced can of coke thrown in.

Aye, I enjoyed that. Mel Brooks' son wrote it as well Max Brooks looks like a proper mad-hatter. As for the book itself, I'm into the 'Blame' chapter, so I'm only a third of the way through. Some great material for the film adaption, if it stays true to the book ie. how the Russian military disciplines it's troops who cannot carry out orders to shoot when little was known about the African Rabies Virus and the threat posed to healthy citizens. Brooks is stoked with the screenplay, as it has that 'global feel' in the story telling and that's where the book's effect lies, so it looks promising re: the upcoming film version. There's enough to conspiracy material (ficticious obviously) to please Parky. Patient Zero is another excellent example of a genre piece done well, and I'm sure there's plenty of tacky, gory shite in this particular genre.

Supposedly an often used torture technique during the reign of General Pinochet.

World War Z: Oral History of the Zombie War. A very intelligent offering to the genre.

Here we go again - in that 'sensational' documenatry, there were no instances of child labour. Freddie Shepherd boasted of paying 5 pounds to have 40 pound shirts made. The difference being that Shepherd and co, aren't in the manufacturing level in that game, and you're painting a key player (with clout when it comes to trade practice ethics) in the industry to be some sort of patron saint, or some kind of friend to the working class. Shepherd/the club simply sign up to a shirt deal, to them (or any club) it's another revenue stream sign, sealed & delivered. The ethics of some clothing manufacturing companies is secondary, same as it is for the likes Kenyon when he was no doubt tallying up all those profit margins upon release of all those alternate Man Utd kits year after year. At least the likes of Shepherd, Fletcher & Kenyon (despite those profit margins) went about the task of building an on-field football brand to be proud of, for the shirt & ST/ticket buying working class that is. You do know that Ashley/his companies deal with middle-men, or intermediatories, in these particular countries. They're no doubt very good at concealing evidence, or masking their true operation by setting up diversions for would-be investigators with their hidden cameras. It took years (via chance infiltration) to finally uncover China's dog & cat butcheries, and practices these zip-eyed arseholes use. That's despite all the dog-eating puns that went hand-in-hand with these 'animals' culture, such was their efficiency at hiding their operation. Pull your head out of the sand.

As others have alluded to, almost all Shareportfolios within the companie are usually distributed within upper management-executive levels as part of an incentive based salary package. So it's pretty easy to see how the profits will be divided up. If 600 quid is divided up three ways, with one bloke collecting 598 quid and one each to the other two suckers the average (strictly by the numbers, which doesn't take into account the disproportionate allocation of funds) will still to be 200 quid. Numbers have been twisted here, by the paper in the form of some lazy journalism, and in Polish Nick's case he's jumped all over like a jailhouse slut to simply shove his tongue up Ashley's arse again. A clearer indicator of sportsdirect'/Ashley's regard for the staff at the grass roots level is the fact that sportsdirect.com (and Ashley's umbrella of sports clothing companies) is the only major player in the industry (in Britain at the very least) that has refused to sign up to a treaty that forbids the manufacturing of such goods in country found to be exploiting child labour through so-called sweatshop practices.

Just read about Pardew's hint, that Enrique is holding out for a move to Arsenal. Would be ideal for the Gunners, particularly if they can add Cahill into the mix, with having a genuine 'defensive stopper' at one book-end of the defensive line, coupled with the defensive no-nonsense approach of Cahill. They've lacked steel along the backline since the retirement of Keown & Adams, and their all-out ball-playing back-four (which is more attack-minded) has been exposed since Viera's departure. They don't have a midfielder enforcer who is capable of resetting the balance of possession & turning the tide, when the shift in play/momentum in the midfield engine goes against them, and the lack of aforementioned steel in the defensive rearguard compounds what's going on further up the pitch ie. their 2nd half capitulations, against Spurs and ourselves/NUFC. I think Wenger is three players away from genuinely challenging for the title again. The addition of Cahill & Enrique (and they're efficient ball-users as well, and Wenger"s emphasis on box-work - re:posession retention & passing - in training will only improve them) would go a long way towards achieving the above.

Fire in Babylon: excellent cricket doco. Michael Holding offers a colorful insight into the mindset (and job requirements) of a genuine intimidatory, express paced fast bowler. Andy Roberts, that stone-faced leader of the hunting pack - he really an aura about him, provided some very witty quips relating to his reputation as the headhunter of the Windies four-pronged pace attack. Classic footage of Richards nonchalantly picking up his cap off the pitch, after nearly having his head taken off - that 2 or 3 second grab summed up Richards mastery of the mindgames that goes on between a top-class batsman and a strike-bowler. Brought back some great memories, from a great era. 4.5 out of 5. Faster: starring B.B.Thornton and The Rock. Reminded of the Kill Bill flicks a bit, although not as good. Bad guys had a bit of character about them, rather than just being a set of cardboard cut-outs waiting to be taken out in quick sucession, akin to a Sly Stallone action pic. 3.5 out of 5.

It's naive to think that contract negotiations are a one-way street, where the clubs attempt to call all the shots ie. they insist on trigger clauses, for minimal fees. The same applies to the area of bonus', and a player's image rights. There's no sensible logic in a club chairman drawing up a clause (of his volition, with the financial best interests of the club at the fore) which enables a youngster to leave for bugger-all, after a break-out year, to a bigger club. C'mon it's the agents who insist on these (for minimal fees) as a means of fast-tracking their clients' careers to the higher grades on a club scale, where there is a higher ceiling of earning potential. They push for an increased chance of player movement. Swansea probably had to play ball with the player's agent when they got their man originally, just as clubs have to do in order to retain their best players. This is why there is an arbitration process, to allow clubs the right of appeal when there are instances (in this case a contract, with a clause probably included in accordance to agent demands) that allow for an outgoing fee to not be reflective of a player's rate of progression. Nice sig by the way. A personal message would have sufficed, rather resorting to effort of changing profile settings.

Although it would probably knock a sizeable hole in our transfer target shortlist (it would probably obliterate it) I'd like to see the arbitration panel set a precedent here, by awarding Swansea something close to their valuation - swing the pendulum back into the favour of chairman who have begrudgingly agreed to such terms in the first place. Player agents only need to mention the word 'Bosman' already, to engineer a move away from an unwilling seller well before a contract's expiration ie. see Mandic mentioning 'we'll do a Bosman', to force Leeds' hand to get Kewell to Liverpool when there were better offers on the table - from other clubs. The Webster Rule is another that allows a powershift in the favour of players & agents. Players & agents already have too much ammunition at their disposal. Ashley's backers will no doubt praise our cleverness (by acquiring another target for peanuts) but minimum fee triggers/clauses further undermine the sanctitiy of a contract, and in the case of derisory amounts shits all over any financial rewards reaped in by developing players, and the transfer market is the cornerstone for the financial stability of lower league outfits/and low profile clubs with little in the way of income streams who yo-yo between divisions. It's a concern that we will leave another aggrieved club in our wake, due to our 'clever' way of doing business. As a club that's worth doing business with, our reputation as a respectful dealer has been muddied.

"Mer de Nons": A Perfect Circle.

there’s at least £500k difference in valuation between the 2 players. With the club turning off escalators et al to save money I can’t see them writing off that much any time soon. That will be magnified by the running costs relating to Ashley's soon to be installed Jumbotron screens/advertising billboards for shitedirect.com's television grabs. We may have to throw our great striking hope plucked from the great talent pool that is the Faroe Islands into any potential swap, to meet the gap & get the deal over the line.

One reasoned, football based response (to Armchair P) doesn't exactly translate to a blatant dummy spit, or a 'f**k off' on my part.

I worked for an arsehole a couple of days ago, who failed to disclose some details of a job re: dangerous substances. We - ie. The crew i work with - had to enough in the way of safety apparatus to get us through the pretty safely. I've been a moody bugger though since, the same can be said for the crew in fact - just brooding about this bloke who gave us the job. I'll drag some sort of cross dressing Madam persona next time. From now on you can refer to me as Madam Zero, Master Bitch.

I was thinking that like. He's blatantly spat the dummy out about that I couldn't two shits tbh, in relation to the responses to the said Shola threadstarter.

The posting timeline, between the above post and the Shola thread starter shits all over that like. As a self-proclaimed analyzer of cold hard facts, i would have at least expected you to check the relevant details before posting unsubstantiated rubbish like that. The need to take a popshot has overtaken the normally fastidious side of you (when presenting an argument) Chez.