NJS

I wouldn't have minded naming the ones I've been rejeceted from but not the ones in progress. If you assume as I did that he was fishing then getting 3 or 4 companies names that are recruiting makes sense - again not realising that a lot of the big firms have preferred agencies as suppliers. Don't know how you do things Stevie but my biggest complaint is the ones who butter you up then put your CV in for something then you never hear from them again. If its been rejected then fair enough - just send me a standard email which will take ten seconds.

Oh dear. Just oh dear. Without doubt he was ringing you to help you, perhaps do a canvass on you based on your skills, if you had've spoken to me in a snooty manner, I would've told you to fuck off. They are there to help you. To be fair Stevie, some of them are just salesmen arseholes. I've spoken to plenty in my time, and had them try to tell me I should take jobs I didn't want cos "I don't think you're really in a position to be choosy". All cos the prick wanted his commission. There's bad uns as well as good uns. Well that's not how I operate, I have candidates from three years ago ring me up just for a chat about life/football or whatever. It's shit that mugs get us a bad name. You have to build rapport. I've got one candidate in the toon who I meet for a pint and would class him as a mate now, even though he's a heed the baal, shags 50 different women a year - was last shaggin a mackem who he dumped in Gran Canaria. You meet some quality candidates in this game, it also strengthens the generic idea of what people are like from different areas, and the stereotypes are very often true. I've spoken to quite a few over the last couple of months and think I've got a feel for the lay of the land - some of them have been a different class when it comes to professionalism and genuine interest in helping you but this bloke blatantly had nowt. He started by saying he had lots of opportunities in Essex (probably based on my address) - one look at my CV would tell anyone that are a miniscule number of companies outside of the City or London that would satisfy my experience and skillset and expected salary. He then started asking if he could contact my references - in banking references are asked for after the contract has been signed as a formality and would never be even considered at the CV submission stage - what he was after was names. He then asked me who I'd interviewed with and I said that was confidential. He said he didn't want to put me forward for stuff I'd already applied for which I said was fair enough but if he could send me some specs even without mentioning the clients names I'd be able to tell him if I'd seen them before. That's when he hung up. Do you think I was fair in my assessment?

Just realised I've snapped at 3 people in the past 3 or 4 days - some kind of male menopause I think: 1. Saturday - finally snapped at a poor assistant in the co-op with the classic "Would you like a bag?" Me: "I'm standing here in a t-shirt and tracksuit bottoms, I've just bought about 10 things - what do you think I'm going to do with them - balance them on my head? - had to apologise which I hate. 2. Yesterday - somehow misunderstood the dentist into thinking he was asking me to make another appointment just to get x-rays so told him that after taking a half day off he was doing them there and then - had to apologise which I hate. 3. Today - took a call from a recruitment agent who it became obvious didn't have anything and was just looking for leads - asking me who I'd interviewed with etc - told him to either start talking roles or get off the line - he hung up - very satisfying.

Who seriously expects "I'm really pissed off to be here and will sulk about if for the next 5 years". Whatever the ins and outs are, now its done he has to move on and brown nose his new club/fans.

Just about before my time so probably true.

Peter Withe was great. Shoulder wasn't bad at that level - the problem that season was Mick Martin getting fucked. McGhee was abysmal first time around and fantastic second.

Reilly and Cunnigham (though we did have PB/CW for some of the period) Rafferty and Shinton Doesn't excuse the current crime.

There are a few posters on N-O who do.

Just offered to bet anyone at work who'll take it that he will - I never believed his "injury" from day one - shades of Given. In the cold light of day I still find people believing the club line to be astounding.

It's just a shame we've got 30 points which will be just enough. The only hope for this club is another relegation or a helicopter crash.

I'd also add that David Craigs/Sky Sports part in facilitating the deal is a fucking disgrace as well.

That's my view - I can't believe people are falling for the "transfer request" line from proven liars. Sadly I was also right with my view that we'd sign 2 less players than outgoing ones.

11-8 - look it up - even if you counted titles as worth 2 cups we still have more "points". Also 4 of your 6 were 2 centuries ago. Thats exactly what I'd expect a Sky boy to say, football didn't start in 1992 you know. Think the league is just a tad bit harder to win than the FA Cup, I'd take six league titles over your pathetic total any day. 6 to 4 - what a massive gap (You did actually know we'd won 4 titles didn't you?)

11-8 - look it up - even if you counted titles as worth 2 cups we still have more "points". Also 4 of your 6 were 2 centuries ago.

you're having a laugh are'nt you? clever guy that you are NJS, that view is unbelievably naive. Sorry I meant pre and probably now post-Blair. And to be fair the cunts leadership election are a lot more transparent than they used to be.

The Unions money comes from their members who get a vote - no dodgy backroom committees ditching or choosing leaders.

On the bright side Stevenage and Hereford both lost.

If you considered the carve-up of the Middle East atlas and the installation of several rulers by the US/UK governments and the Oil Companies after the first and second world wars then it I'd say it has been a contributor.

Been out for a lunch for a colleague leaving - to be continued as soon as he gets back to his desk - tomorrow is a write-off.

There are many good things about the UK but one of the worst imo is the deliberate way the rich have engendered such a meek populace, mainly by promoting a "we're your betters" line culminating in an obscene worship of the monarchy. One of the first times I went to London for a match I remember wandering around the West End and seeing the obvious wealth which has been there for centuries (which doesn't even include the wealth in the land) and I couldn't help thinking how much I'd like to travel back in time and put trips on for workers in the Industrial revolution who contributed so much to it to travel down to see it in the hope we'd have had a revolution. In the 20th centrury people did stand up for their rights and begin to fight back but perhaps Thatcher's greatest victory was killing the notion of fighting the system - now thanks to her and her successors the most people aspire to is to join that corrupt system rather than to change it. It's a depressing note for a Friday but it makes me glad to a certain extent I have no kids.

Does Portman get them out? Nope, but there's a nice scene with Kunis as Renton says. Which is available on various sites if you don't fancy a whole film about ballet. (I know it's more than that but still).

That suggests that it's more an engendering of a winning "ethos" that Grammar schools somehow have a monoply on when it comes to "normal" kids. I know full well that that it's one of the secrets of private education both in terms of coaching for Oxbridge interviews as an example and instilling the "right" to superiority perfectly illustrated by Cameron and Osborne. Again that sounds like a non strictly educational more "life skill" issue which I think could be distilled and applied to intelligent kids in whatever context. I think the point of generating "contacts" while still at school to help your career may by real world but its still fucking nauseating - you should be concentrating on proper friendships and maybe football.

Again admitting not seeing it, I'd argue that its not necessarily a failure of the school system that nepotistic systems exist within government and other walks of life. Obviously getting a few "poor" kids into positions of power would be good but going back to a system which simply wrote off the rest is a bit of a high price imo. I still think intelligent kids can make it within "normal" schools and even get as far as Oxbridge realtively easily but its what happens after that which represents the barrier imo.

Pissed off but strangely comforted that idiocy is universal... Went to the dentists this morning - appointment postponed from last week when the dentist was ill and they had failed to let me know. Got there on time - informed computer had crashed so there may be delays - nobody in waiting room at that point so thought it was okay. It turns out the person to fix the computer is of course the dentist I'm seeing so cue 25 minute delay before I get in the chair where the conversation then went: D: You have a huge hole in your tooth. Me: I know that's why I made the appointment. D: We'll need to have a proper examination of it, take x-rays and decide whether we can bridge it or do something else. Me: I know that's why I made the appointment. D: That'll need a 30 minute appointment- there isn't enough time now. Me: You've already proved you don't care about keeping people waiting and the only other person in the wating room is obviously only a student so how about it? D: No, sorry - no can do. Idiots.

I went to a grammar (after passing the 11+) that had just changed to comprehensive and I don't feel they dragged people down in the simplistic way people state. The "lesser" pupils obviously benefitted from the grammar school standard teachers and I never felt held back. I also consider it a good thing that I had to mix with kids from all backgrounds - probably what the programme wanted to suggest but missed (didn't see it). I think we've talked about this before and I said I do support streaming within a comprehensive system as happened where I went - I think that's the best of both worlds but obviously will only work if schools don't hog the best teachers and kids - the latter being the real problem now imo.