dubai_phil

Going back to here, they see it as a celebration. The damned place is only 42 years old, it changes weekly but they can still celebrate what it means to be an Emirati. While 50,000 get bladdered each time, we DO get involved in National Day, kids at shcools from all nationalities help get things ready and like I said we get the camels parade and teh 50k give it by far the biggest cheer of the weekend. It isn'y OUR culture & heritage but it we actually make an impact. The problem with the UK is the polarisation of understanding. A National Day does not HAVE to be about Rule Brittania, the Village Fetes would be as Bristish today by having Chicken Tikka & Wine stalls as they would a beer tent & Pies. Again, the PROBLEM with the "guilt trip" is still that it ignores the fact that that very history that everyone feels guilty about is what made the place what it now is (Oh yeah well...) The rights benefits freedoms and institutions that immigrants want exist in UK because of that history. This place has no history so has - Labour Camps, Dodgy Property Laws, going to Jail for giving a finger for a year.... The Olympics next year will, like the Royal Wedding, be about celebrating what is great TODAY about Britain. But again, so many people spend their lives being depressed and would insist that actually there isn't anything to celebrate any more...

Ah ha, that explains a lot then.... The man has Ducks on his wall. Haven't seen some of them for ages.....

Could of course be more simple than that. Nottreal could simply be looking for a freebie summer vacation, "look Lampy, this pre-season thing isn't going right. Can you book me a ticket to Washington, then New York and down to Florida. better stop off in LA as well. I'll get it all sorted out, should take 3 weeks. Oh I got some discount vouchers you can use for the 5 star hotels and limo transfers, but can you do it quick, there are a couple of BOGOF deals on Business class at the moment and the wifey won't let me go alone....." I've also heard there's a Big Global Money man who should be in New York for a few weeks, some French bloke. I'm sure I could get some help from his employers for next season.

We have a National Day. The local kidss all get to dress up their 4x4's and Ferraris with flags and tie Lion Cubs to the bonnet with Duct Tape and drive round at 250kph beeping their horns and stuff. The youngsters all have face painting and special cultural events at Schools and Colleges (and that part is sweet (NOT in a condescending way) as it helps them keep their heritage and culture for a last few months until the teenagers turn into Gangsta Rappers or Beauty Salon/Nail Spa addicts). We expats? We all join together every year, some 50,000 of us and get bladdered. Yep, the Rugby 7's is always over National Day weekend and so we get the day off and also get to see some locals doing sky-diving and camel processions.. Truth is, jokes aside, it IS a special day where heritage and culture is remembered and where we also get a gentle reminder of where we are. But then you can't possibly have it in the UK anymore, you're not alllowed to have a heritage, only guilt. Culture gets mixed up with Art and you end up with the annual compromise which always seems to be Morris Dancers. Which is to be honest, a shame

I sawe Super League on Sky News last night. We should deffo go for that Hull KR kit next season. Keeps the Sash and brings in the stripes. But ditch the stripes on the shorts that's ghey http://www.gettyimages.com/detail/112303830/Getty-Images-Sport Heck you could even have the sleeves with stripes. Wow that'll look good

April 1st/ Oh my bad that is when Poopey announce they signed a player. It'll be another 17 Year Old Academy star like Jack Stephens and could happen in a completely random date like 6th June Anyone else would likely be a week before Pre Season Training starts, daft to pay wages until needed

Michael Knighton try something daft like that after he failed to buy the mancs? Carlisle I think

DoF? The few haven't got any footballers left so why they need someone to direct them? DoF, hell they can't even afford a Guard DoG

West Ham massive financial trouble BUT they have a get out of jail card. Sell Upton Park for housing, rent Olympic Stadium. Gold & Sullivan will be eyeing that deal and will do whatever is need to get through next season, hell I reckon they'd even consider the Dutch experiment. Simply survive, make bucks and of course, to hell with the future of the club. Bad day to be a Hammers fan, but serves them right (like the few) for believing zillions on big names was the way to go under their equally creative (to poopey's) Icelandic owners.

Just viewing from a step back for a change that's all 8)

On the other hand is it fair and equitable to expect one fan who pays in full for their Season Ticket to not receive some "extra discount" or benefit for that as opposed to paying monthly? Both could be "a cause of unrest" amongst the finite client base. There can still be a discount as the club will still have guaranteed income over match day sales and less Tickets to process, but the cost shouldn't be the same - that isn't equitable at all

Strewth, that was sensible. Doesn't solve the emotive argument of so many but sensible. One thought I had, many have compared our lateness in getting tickets on sale to other clubs. Yes while it is "inconvenient" one point is that it shows we don't NEED the cash just yet. Smaller clubs (eg poopey) get ST sales out as early as possible and use every possible trick - not as a service to the fans but 'cos they are desperate for some money to pay all the costs during the summer months when they have no income. No not defending the club on this, sensible pricing for paid in full, a handling fee (or interest) charge applied to installments and a members scheme all need to be implemented because? It will make people happy and we all want to be happy fans as we fly up the NPC..... yeah right

I know what Granty means and that the concept is what football needs to aim at. I think there will be too many loopholes. But. And I think this must be helped by a couple of Ales. What I think he has done (inadvertently) is to create our first ever "Rupert was actually right" thread Radio Stations, Using the Stadium for other money earning ideas. Investing the cash it generates.... lol

From a different perspective but referring to the sense of shock, my youngest was here for a few months and was a surfer dude with his buddies. Couple of months ago they were out (4 of them) having (insert some surfer dude words for awesome time in mega waves). They heard shouts of alarm 3 were together, they paddled over on their boards & saw 2 guys in "distress" in 7ft waves. Son's 2 mates paddled and grabbed the guys. Son looked around saw someone face down nearby. Paddled over 120kgs of wet lump not moving. He had to get off his board and dragged him onto the beach. The guy was dead (big story in the UK press about it at the time). The lads have no choice but to leg it (last person to touch anyone who dies here can be arrested for manslaughter even IF you try and help unless you are a certified paramedic). He gets home and utters the words - Dad, I had to pull a dead guy out the sea today. That took one hell of a lot of effort to come to terms with and on my behalf simply to find something to say. In the end we sat for a couple of hours talked it through and he realised he did everything he could and should never get cut with what if's/if onlys. His buddies came round and were very down as well. It's the shock of being there and as my lad said - "You suddenly realise nobody else is coming". Liquid - you've done the right thing mate although in an odd way - the shaking & on the mind stuff stops when you talk about it.

Oh FFS Simon Cowell takes over Eurovision as well..... Saw the photos of the bands in the Torygraph this morning. Thank fook we don't get that show down here.

Magical stalking effort LVS. Good job. Great thread. Next mission mid-season break down here.... Eric - get to work

The PL debt figure is around 3.3 billion according to the article where Whelan was trying to get a wage cap introduced. Again that won't work in the PL as it will be a percentage of income so it will stop clubs overspending but it will also mean that obody will be able to challenge the big 4 with their extra CL incomes when it comes to players making the PL even more boring

Again the issue with the automatic relegation is that the people who made the bad decisions aren't the ones who suffer it's that fans. One concept UK labour Law may help with would be to allow a redundancy in the case of Admin for players. In poopey's case they couldn't have shifted the high wage earners if they had tried but like lots of backroom staff, applying normal redundancy to a player - 2 years service gets 2 weeks wages or whatever. Company Turn-Around status for a Director - that shouldn't be difficult to do - Administrator effectively is that anyway. Agree Directors should not be independently wealthy, the point is there MUST be a penalty system that punishes bad Board Room decisions. But my basic tenet in all this is Directors make bad decisions on running football clubs. They should get penalised first. No matter what rules you dream up. There will be get arounds. FFS how many on here have never tried to get around the tax system! (don't answer that Big Brother and all that)

OK so for example, a foreign based owner picks up a local football club in whatever league in a country not currently covered. Signs Messi for 200 mil including wages and lends him to Saints. Just saying the problem is that lawyers and accountants are always creative when rules are written down. More helpful would be to tighten up the rules on Admin. Any Director of a Club entering Admin is banned from any employment in football for a minimum of 10 years and from holding any Directorship in UK for a minimum of 3 years. All Football Club Directors must sign personal guarantees up to 20% of the net debt of a football club. Administration is a 15 point penalty in year one and a 5 point penalty in year two. Players contracts are automatically halved in remuneration in the event of relegation. Clubs retain the right to withdraw remuneration from players refusing to play. Whole raft of other routes to go down but there is ONE common denominator in all financial mismanagement in football. It is ALWAYS the fans that suffer, NEVER the Directors. Make THEM liable and you will not need these rules

Not that far off half of those in (many of our) our lifetimes as well

You left off the award for saying the same thing time after time after time after time the "They're going to get away with it" trophy goes to.......... Saint Lard, No not really it's yours. Collect it on Friday 10th June

Yep poopey are gonna be Soooooooooo screwed. Meanwhile the "let's all play by the same rules" movement is gaining strength, but so many ways of bend not break the rules still exist. As someone posted elsewhere, Saints could put up a signed shirt for auction on ebay and the Liebherrs could buy it for 10 mil. Also what constitutes the finance? Loans are one thing but Grants? (no not you) Donations? It has to come in but it needs to come in across all football everywhere at the same time and the sanctions need to be MUCH tougher even for bending rules

Shows what happens when you don't pay for a new Sat system for the PL :-) Here's a stupid stat that sums up why Football is fecked up. Mate of mine here is an egg chaser fan. Never been to a footie match in his 48 years. He gets a Corporate Invite from one of his suppliers including flight & hotel to go and sit and drink champers all day, and yet no doubt some true fans of either club don't get to go as there aren't enough tickets for them.

If he reads this thread he may well change his plea to Guilty....

This IS good news and also big news. Just because many fans were underwhelmed at his appointment, NA was a well thought of up and coming manager, hell even old saggy chops said he was one of the best of the new breed. (But then he does talk a lot) The trip to Vegas, the new contract shows that NC understands how to reward SUCCESS. That is a very important mindset to have - as opposed to rewarding past reputation. It shows people they will get more IF they stay with us. Also, many other club Chairmen will have seen NA come to Saints, THEY will have understood the scale and the pressures he took on and how he moulded someone elses players into a winning and consistent team. The new contract will make it much harder for a PL chairman to poach him AND will make NA happier to stay for the long term challenge. Good news, again shows foresight for once