Dolly Potter MD

Indeed, let's not complicate matters with far-fetched explanations It's only far-fetched (Shola being a poor student of the game) explanation if you fail to recognise the non-development of the most basic of fundamentals of forward play which are taught as you get older ie. around the 2O yr old mark, or thereabouts - knowing how & when to shake a marker for example, and it's not all about a display of brute power & quicksilver pace. Wenger has pointed out that the finer points of the game. He/Shola has had some fine exponents of the craft to learn from, and the opportunity to kick some bad habits/traits that were identified early on, yet nearly ten years on he's still trying to outmuscle defenders for position and this is just one example. With some fine-tuning (and the blame rests squarely on his shoulders) as alluded to in the OP, he should have been a greater aerial threat when taking into account his height. I'm not calling into question his perceived natural ability as a footballer, and whether or not he would've been a consistent A-List performer, or a star. But he hasn't picked up on the already alluded to fundamentals, or finer points relating to his position. He has been surrounded by a top teaching source (among peers, out on the training paddock) over the years and hasn't made the most of it. Had he got the aforementioned fundamentals right he would have at least been a serviceable role-player within the squad

It's very easy to simply dismiss as being shit/lacking in ability, injury prone and lazy. These are the dominant points raised when summing up his career, and each of them have merit in varying degrees. I think it goes a little bit deeper than that. A developing player would have killed to learn the tools of the trade alongside the likes of Shearer, Speed, Nolan, Kluivert & Owen. I know just by mentioning the latter two names will bend some noses out of joint, but all four brought one important attribute to the table -football smarts. This is a reach but it's possible Shola fell into the undeserved love-in for Tino, and somewhat modelled his game accordingly, and stuck to type over the years. Physically they are similar type of players, and both have a laconic signature about them on the pitch, which goes deeper than just showing some relaxed gesturing, bordering on an 'i don't give a fuck' attitude at times. I cite Asprilla's on-field demeanor as a possible source of Shola's problems, because there is a lot of power in imitation, when it comes to aspiring kids with talent looking to copy the stars of the day. And despite his overall lack of worthwhile productivity, there were scarce moments of undoubted brilliance (coupled with his zany personality). Tino was a magnetic figure on Tyneside. I can envision a young, lanky and skillful kid like Shola watching the tapes, and wanting use the Aspilla Game as a template to model he is own on. Their respective playing styles & mannerisms are eerily similar. Asprilla was the Jim Morrison of the Keegan Golden Years, he brought South American Cool to a new generation - to kids like Shola who missed out on the budget priced gimmick that was Mirandinha. But this still doesn't excuse his lack of progression in other areas, his movement off-the-ball in open play. This was an area which markedly improved in Shearer's game, post-Gullit after Robson smashed into AS's head that the was no longer the same physical force who could dip his shoulder and lean into a defender, to simply beat his man with a burst of pace & muscle akin to his days at Blackburn. The biggest on-field disadvantage Shola faced was that he was largely coupled with Shearer during Souness' tenure. By that time the aforementioned outfield play & movement had all but evaporated from Shearer's game through age & tired legs. With respect to Owen & Kluivert. There's one thing both guys used to do really well. Both used a defenders' tendancy to ball-watch (to try and read the play, and play for position) against them. Both players were very adept at dropping off their marker (just prior to a delivered cross, or ball into the box) before beating their man by angling in front or behind their man in accordance to the depth of cross/type of ball etc. It was split-second stuff but that sort of movement in the box, brief as it may be, is basic fundamentals and he had two of the finest exponents of this craft at the club. Particularly in Kluivert's case - you can put up strong case for his lack of motivation & subsequent issues with his physical conditioning, but some areas (as alluded to) remained intact. A strikers' natural predatory instincts (box awareness) by and large can't be taught, but it can be manufactured to a degree - that is being able create possible scoring opportunities by knowing how to shake a marker through utilizing movement, and sometimes that involves just a few yards here or there. Nolan's positional play in the box is exemplary, and as on-field & off-field mentor helped harness Carroll's raw potential. This is the same Carroll whom Stevie declared early on 'would never be a footballer' - with reason to, because early he was a physical battering ram, without any semblance of on-field football smarts to go with. Despite the off-field shenanigans he's showed himself to be an effective student of the game, that's what counts the most. Whether or not he was a fuckwit off the pitch is insignificant. I always thought that Bellamy was a great student of the game, which worked hand-in-hand with his reputation for being a great trainer. He had undoubted ability & pace in his locker, and the on-field workrate to accompany his football gifts. But he has worked with some really sound 'football minds', he has learned from them and became a much more rounded player. He became a more of a manufactured threat through the central corridor, in the opposition defensive line. This started to become evident in the first few weeks of 04/05, where he had clearly emerged as the team's all-round and most dangerous striking threat. I'm not a believer that he has shouldered the burden of great expectations (via Robson blowing hot air up his arse during his formative years) and has collapsed under the weight. There have been brief flashes of brilliance, sometimes against strong opposition, and under pressure in a hot-bed atmosphere. And fuck me he takes a good penalty. Maybe the modelling template was flawed from the beginning - if he did at least attempt to copy the Asprilla Game to a degree, Kanu is another. But over the course of his journey here, Shola has been surrounded by more on-field influences with an abundance in football smarts contained in their respective lockers, certainly more than Carroll during the latter's brief time here in the top grade.

I'd put Collo, Jonas & Barton in the same ship. These are heads that will be easily turned - conveniently so for the club's top brass, because they are larger earners, as they look to further reduce running costs.

When i saw 'USC' in the thread title, before opening it up & reading, i instantly thought 'from Pac 10 powerhouse, to conference makeweights - he'll shit on another major sporting institution'. Just as a discussion point The LA Coliseum would act as a nice advertising hoarding, and for his tacky & forever growing sportwear line would open up a significant door to major consumer market ie. the West Coast market. If it hasn't occured already, is it logistically possible for a tycoon to simply purchase, or buy into, a major college in the mould of Southern Cal, or a Notre Dame for example? These are collegiate institutions that have far & wide reaching scope, as advertising platforms. So what would be the cost of a stadium naming rights deal, or a prime chunk of advertising real-estate or exclusivity, akin to SJP. Given the importance of maintaining tradition i'd imagine there would be strong opposition at such move, from within the halls of power itself [from both a college itself, and the NCAA] and the college's state & city of relevance, at city & state goverment level.

Internet forums - contribution-wise - are an insignificant part of my social life on the whole, and my post count is probably refelctive of this. There are too many gutless & pompous dickheads for my liking, the ones who play the snide arsehole routine behind the protective veil of the internet, on both N-O & TT forums. If similar behaviour took place - ie. even just a well aimed emoticon sometimes does the trick: if some pissed & young little arsehole laughed in my face in person it would be on - in a social setting there would be some chinning going on. Besides i've got too many bases to cover in my everyday life, professionally & socially. During transfer windows however, or when something news worthy occurs during the season proper, i'll log-in and occasionally contribute something football related. Unlike N-O it's an excellent news source, because one doesn't have to trawl through pages of shite just to find an informative news update pertaining to a story at hand. But for the most part i can't be bothered contributing, and I'd take a speculative punt that the feeling is mutual - afterall there's a streak of 'rascist' about me, an obvious no-no on any forum, where there are unspoken rules, because views are layed out into a realm broader in scope than just a socail piss-up - among most regulars here. At the end of the day though i tolerate somebody who is more 'what you see is what you get', even if they're needle sits a little right of centre on the moral compass, over some sly little nerd who spends his days trolling through threads etc gathering ammunition to be used at a later time. There's no substitute for socialising face-to-face.

I'm surprised Hollywood hasn't tried to butcher Audition by now. The Bridge: if I'm thinking of the same doco, wasn't there footage of a bloke pacing back & forth (going through the psychological motions) near the railing, but ultimately couldn't go through with it and simply got back in his car and drove off.

It's all good & well to send them on loan to gain 1st team experience, or to acclimatise them to a more 'mature ' lockerroom environment but there needs to be a balanced reasoning behind where they're offloaded to, just for the sake of gaining 1st team experience. It's not just about giving them a taste of first team football (albeit at a lower level) so it can fuel their hunger, and fast track the mental side of the game/to mature into a professional who takes his craft seriously. Likewise it isn't about sending them off, so that they return as battle hardened & experienced 1st teamers. A loan move has to be advantageous to a kid's (especially a lad with a high ceiling level for improvement) on-field development ie. technique-wise, and actually learning how to play the 'team game' ie. passing & decision making on the ball, off-the-ball movement etc. There needs to be an exhaustive selection process put into place in order to achieve the sort of balance i speak of, which takes into account coaching philosophies and a league/country overall pattern of play. As such, for football based reason only, i see no point in sending young kids (with great potential - especially outfielders) to Scotland, it's a wasted exercise. The club would be better off entering into a 'player cooperative agreement' with a club on from the *continent (and co-op agreements are more expansive than just a big club using a lower profile club purely for player feeding purposes), from the Belgian leagues for example ie. a less physical competition/loose defensively, but offers a sound technique-based learning curve/development platform enabling youngsters (with talent) to harness their ball-using qualities during their early formative years. *as Arsenal have already done in the past.

Unknown, starring Liam Neeson: 1 out of 5. The Adjustment Beareau: 2 out of 5. Sanctum: 2.5 out of 5. I have a mate who is part of the cave diving community. It's a pretty select group, because the certification level is that stringent. There's a very interesting story (a gruesome one) about one of the film's stunt divers - a Dutch lass who died during a solo dive about two years ago. The press painted her out to be some sort of pioneer within the field, but in reality she was poorly thought of by much more qualified & respected divers. On to the story.The lass entered a cave, through a crawl space, without setting a guide-line. She also ditched her reserve tank prior to entering the crawl space - another rule thrown out the window. Once in the cave she accidently stirred up the cave bed/silt (and without currents that sort of muddied up water can remain that way for days), lost all sense of direction and without a guide-line became disoriented & couldn't find her way out, effectively shunting herself up shit creek without a paddle. She died within three meters of her reserve tank which was sitting at the other side of the crawlspace. The lass broke every golden rule in the book, but this was routine stuff with her, there was a nickname for her within the community. She was a reckless cowboy, and a lonely death was the end result. Some of these respected figures who carried out the retrieval dive had to break her arms & legs and zip tie them to her torso so that she was packed like a delivery parcel, as rigor-mortis and bloating had set in by the time it was safe to reach her (about two days). It was the only way the retrieval team were able to get her out through the crawlspace, and out of the cave where she met her fate. It was time consuming & risky dive, even with a team and back-up tanks. If a diver meets a similar fate in the Blue Hole (over in Africa) it takes alot of luck & skill to retrieve their remains. That's how risky a retrieval dive is.

It didn't do Tim Krul any harm being sent up there. Far too simplistic reasoning, and my original comment is more reflective on the type of players being sent out on loan, as featured in the article. Different type of learning process involved ie. skillset development. The Scottish leagues (with it's aforementioned pattern of play) does bugger all for an outfielder in developing their technique, under pressure in a matchday situation. Midfielders are routinely bypassed hence they can't hone their technique and off-the-ball movement to the same degree one would expect if a kid was developing under a manager/coache who adheres to a pass & move oriented philosophy. Strikers & forwards likewise see very little in the way of variation/build-up play, which also limits their overall skillset. In addition defenders don't learn to play their way out of the back, or to pass their way through a pressing attacking outfield, hence there is a noticeable void (when watching Scottish outfits) as per their short/mid-range passing game, and more importantly their decision making while in possession/reading a pressing set of attackers' positioning and identifying the subsequent passing lanes. A technique based outfielder (with something resembling a football brain, as alluded to), blooded and developed in Scotland, is a rare thing/species. A restrictive &dominant pattern of play, and matching football philosophy, sees to this non-development from a ball-playing, or technique based perspective. Therefore i stick to my original argument: the Scottish leagues, as a loan destination when a youngster is learning the tools of the trade at a more senior level, is the absolute arse end of the world.

Well, you have stripped away the mystique there. To think i was expecting something much more mysterious.

Will the Farter from Jack ass 3d.

Tomic: looks a talent, really pushed Novak.D. Unpredictable and varied from the back of the court and his two-handed backhand is worldclass , but can be too defensive at times - like to see him drive through the ball more often, ala Berdych, as he looks to be a flamboyant shotmaker. Needs to beef up his 1st serve though> Maybe it's his technique, or more about weight transferance into the court, but he doesn't maximise his height. And the lad has to learn to slow things down (ie. between points) in pressure situations, for example when he gave up break advantage in the 3rd set - that was the key turning point in the match imo, as Novak was up against it at that point. The latter point will come with experience though.

I listened to Tool's 'Undertow' today, it's been a while. Tool is my favourite alt band. 'Sober' is a mighty track, I'd say it's my top pick from all their albums, *although there isn't many albums to choose from over the course of twenty years. One of the very acts whose collection of work will retain it's credibility in another twenty years. *the hiatus' between albums (although one was forced, due to a contract dispute with one record label) have kept them creatively fresh.

Harper: arguably the best fieldsman I've ever seen. Wasn't a bad containment bowler either, during the middle overs. He was ideally suited the short game. Gomes was also underrated - unfashionable compared to the intimidators ahead of him, but a rock to have in the middle order.

Complete waste of time sending kids on loan, to Scotland, in a bid to further their football education - to get a kid one step closer to top flight football/level or playing standard. Scottish football, with it's emphasis on 'hoof it from the back & hope for scrappy chances around the box', is the antithesis of the environment that would benefit the technical development of a potential on-field playing asset. Such kids, if they're not deemed to be ready for our 1st team set-up, are better off loaned to another outfit in the top flight, should the opportunity arise.... with the exception being sent to outfit like Stoke, or West Ham (if they're promoted) under Big Sam.

The book is canny good. It's a zombie take on Studs Terkel's 'The Good War' which was an oral history of WW2, i.e. snippets as told by the people who fought in it / lived through it. On that basis the film is unlikely to be anything like the book and just another zombie flick. Mel Brooks' son Max wrote it. Brooks, according to a recent interview, is amazed with the screenplay's final draft. The story telling format (based on a series of interviews, via an official United Nations report) has remained faithful to that of the book - hopefully covering, in detail, the political & economic consequences that would be felt in the event of a viral pandemic (of any kind) of such magnitude. Thanks to the material, providing the studios don't butcher it, it should be a ground breaking film within what has become a tired looking genre, with 28 Days Later being the exception to the latter.

Scott Pilgram vs The World: filled with entertaining & larger than life characters, pleasantly surprised as i saw it more out of curiosity as it's a bit of a 'love it or hate it' movie. 3 out of 5.

Wrigley Park in Chicago is another baseball venue with rich history and quirks. They have ivy growing all along the outfield wall and have done for years. Something no other park has. Check it out. Is there a particular ballpark which is considered by neutral devotees (or the average sports watching American) to be 'the home of baseball', in the same way relatable to what Lords is to cricket, and what the old Wembley is to English football. I suppose it would be a close call between FP, WF and the 'old' Yankee Stadium.

why ? Serious question. And it's a fair question, with respect to both misses given previous statements offered by HBA's agent, about us being a supposedly preferred destination for Ligue 1 professionals. When we signed Robert (during a period of transition, or squad retooling) it was a two horse race re- capturing his signature, it came down to a choice between NUFC and Barca. We had a strong & ambitious 'football' based salesteam under the old regime, from boardroom to first team manager - it was a collaborative effort, they could sell a player the 'football dream'. It also helped that the club was held in high regard amongst it's peers in the game, a far removal from the easily swayed types that swallow mudraking journalism hook line & sinker and hold a lifetime grudge as a result. The point being it was a strong recommendation from Arsenal's French contingent (including Wenger himself) which helped get the deal over the line. Considering our league position at the time, and Robert's in-demand status - and he was a 15 goal attacking midfielder/sometimes forward... much like Gervinho, Robert's signing was considered to be a bit a coup. As alluded to earlier we had some factors that weighed strongly in our favour, factors which overrode our league position and Barca's status of Continental Giant/Royalty. The last point and it relates to preliminary & advanced talks between club & player. In an agent/money driven world of professional I'd put a fair wager that the question of money/weekly earnings was raised early in the peace, during any sit-down with Robert and his agent, as it did with Gervinho if we're to go reports that Ashley & Dekka were allegedly put off by the player's upfront attitude to his potential scope of earnings. Players in that enviable position of being courted by so-called big clubs have the balance of power tipped in their favour during preliminary & advanced talks, their asking price is reflective of their status in the market and high scoring/creative widemen are rare. The point being that there was hope that player word-of-mouth (through Tiote) would act as a scaletipper in getting us across the line, and lockerroom chat amongst international colleagues is a strong starting point to get a potential transfer move rolling along. I think what cancels out any benefit of any positive 'word-of-mouth' is Ashley and Dekka's affrontive, or fuck-off attitude when dealing with players and their representatives - they won't move that much needed extra yard to complete a key signing. Financial-wise (our wage cap re:recruiting, which is too restrictive & noncompetitive) and the aforementioned affrontiveness i see elements of both the 70's and 80's in the current regime ie. Westwood's tendancy to piss-off or earn the ire & disrespect of the dressing room/and player reps etc, and McKeag and Co's unwillingness to bend a little when dealing with the financials of professional football. Ashley brings together the worst elements of the aforementioned regimes, and both the football brand and recruiting punch have both suffered. It doesn't have to be this way, because as shown by Robert's signing a club of our standing can still land a knock-out blow when competing for top calibre signings, even during periods of transition. But it was a different playing field back then: a big football club, run by similarly thinking Football People, something which doesn't apply to the current topbrass, whose affiliation with the club adds prestige and commercial legitimacy (with the advertising clout to match) what is a tacky/no thrills primary business venture. He is running a Lillywhites'esqe operation here, hence my comparison at an earlier date, where much of the prestige and respect (previously attributed to the brand) has been sharply diluted. **** i posted using my phone, apologies for not adding paragraphs, amidst a long post****

I have to have a chuckle every time, when somebody highlights our inactivity in the transfer market during the Bowyer Window, and with it lay blame at the foot of the board/FF's door - the side's downfall in the 2nd leg against Partisan, with comments like 'if we had another 4.5m or half decent player to knock in that penalty etc, the club's fortunes could have been that much different'. That 4.5 million question is the great 'IF', and it's picking-at-straws argument is diluted into insignificance if they could recall the attacking balance of play pertaining to the aforementioned fixture, particularly the first half. Robson's tactics were too conservative, and allowed Partizan to dictate attacking terms. Robson handed them free ticket to get back into the tie (away from home, in a hostile fortress, which should have provided a minimum 1 goal advantage against a team, albeit a solid technical outfit but hardly world beaters from a 2nd or 3rd tier league comp), and with it handing them an opportunity to gain some self-belief. Robson was the real culprit that Summer, and the same could be a said for the first few weeks of the following campaign when we gave our rivals a headstart............ and Robert & Speed bought the playing group's concerns to the fore.

I have an admiration for sporting arenas, across the spectrum, which have defining features. I was channel surfing yesterday and Fenway Park is just a beautiful old stadium, or baseball park to get the labelling correct. In addition it looks typically Boston from the outside as well - as seen in The Town ie. crammed into a downtown/suburban enclave. I think it's the most beautiful stadium in world sport, history & heritage leap out you when you tune into any sort of coverage concerning FP. But alot of these baseball park do have alot of character about them, similar to football grounds. They have their own little quirks, or defining features, which gives them a bit of individuality. Fenway Park's Big Green Monster affects gameplay (or hitting tactics) as well. The Texas Rangers' relatively new stadium is also aesthetically pleasing.

Foreigners man, I wouldn't trust nen of them. Yourself excluded of course. In essence he was a former merchant banker who tried to dish out his merchant driven ideals onto a blue collar & hardworking crew. The result, there's nearly been a 100% turnover in staff. I actually work with a couple of former workrate, from the aforementioned business. But the biggest scam was how managed to jump to the front tip of the immigration line. He married a local lass, and this lass would later divorce him when she found he was gay. By then, or the time of his divorce, he managed to secure duel citizenship and the perks that go with.

Did you proceed to enquire what the fuck he was playing at upon hearing of said venture (that you alure to above) may i ask ? I carried out some minor detective work. The negatives that went against were: a/ the boss dealt with a private insurance broker so i couldn't latch onto any sort of paper trail, let alone where the repairs were carried out. Re: where body work took place: wasn't going to get info from our so-called drivers rep, as he was the true definition of a rat amongst the ranks/he was the boss' listening ear. Lastly, and this was my fault, wage deductions weren't taken directly out of my pay packet - i just coughed x amount for a few weeks, without keeping a written record/receipts. So there's no evidence, via the official payroll, that i even made a single contribution to the repair costs. I cut my own throat really, re- the last point. As to his scam, and how it came to my attention - an attentive & disgusted reception overheard a phonecall down in the office block.

Concerns a previous job of mine - 2am starts, and sometimes earlier, were the order of the day. I'd just returned from annual leave, so i sleeping routine and resulting concentration level weren't quite up to scratch. Anyway i was reversing a truck out of the depot shed, before docking up at the loading platform, in accordance to my usual turning circle. I was too half asleep (as eluded to earlier) to notice that some dimwitted dayshifter had parked the business' delivery van within my turning arc. It was an accident waiting to happen, and if i had my senses about me at the time i probably would have noticed the van before entering the trucks' garage *btw, this same accident has occurred again in the wake of my little binge. The back of this little van was caved in, and the damage bill was going to top two grand. I felt like a bastard, and halfway responsible, and i felt honour bound to pay for it. I coughed up over one grand up front, and the rest via salary sacrifice. My contribution covered 100% of the damage bill. I would then find out (at a later date, while still employed there) that the shifty little Filipino went on claim it on insurance, and was duly reimbursed by his insurance company - minus the excess of course. Gutting that the shifty little c**nt had jumped on what an honourable/noble gesture on my part, and saw it as an opportunity to pull in a minor windfall, of about 2k.

The book is canny good. It's a zombie take on Studs Terkel's 'The Good War' which was an oral history of WW2, i.e. snippets as told by the people who fought in it / lived through it. On that basis the film is unlikely to be anything like the book and just another zombie flick. Mel Brooks' son Max wrote it. I might have to ebay it. They're rare but well written apocalyptic/zombie novels are brilliant reads, particularly if they delve into a slightly different spin on the whole mythology of the genre (in it's delivery) but sticking to the basic & accepted rules ie. Patient Zero, and the Armegeddon series are canny reads as well. These three examples are the only notable ones out there - that i know of anyway.