dubai_phil

Village game many years ago..... Opening bowler steams in, hits the pads about 2 feet outside leg stump after taking a loud inside edge.... OWZAT Dad? yup, reckon that was out son... Oh how they moaned

Hell, even I could play right midfield compared to some of late... (but would a week off the beer be worth it?) I'm sure I crossed at least once in my career onto the CF's head, and I do remember more than one corner beating the first defender Meanwhile I think that getting the "production line" working again is the best way to ensure that Markus saves his cash for when we need it to "push on" in the PL in 4 years time

An ex customer of mine made that same mistake after a few beers in Bangkok once upon a time. Oh how we laughed (not giggled, laughed) Meanwhile, did Wotte get any replies to his text messages that were anything other than :smt116 you want a job as a COACH???

Reading Pilchards thread which without a doubt has been the best and most encouraging football thread I have seen on here since forever, I think there is one other person that our new owners should be trying to get back to help the "real football club revolution" I know he left for health reasons, and have no idea on how he is these days, but I did hear he was still working back home and with the right encouragement may be available to at least come back and advise or even pray return in a full time capacity. Georges Prost at the Academy. He presided over it's "golden years" there seems to have been a drop in standards over the past few years across the club's coaching structure, and he (if he is well enough) would be the only real candidate to come back and apply the necessary surgery.

From the moment that JP & BWP were quoted saying that our pre-season was "about ball-work" I was worried, even from 3,500 miles away FFS. Now a proper manager comes in to take training and whoosh.... Now I know that "spectators" weren't supposed to be at Staplewood giving reports, but Pilchards has probably done more in one afternoon to restore some properly placed hope and enthusiams in us fans than 10 years of corporsate press releases. I bet the players AND staff had a shock (and I expect so did AP). See what happens when you either 1) know what you are doing or 2) don't have an alleged hangover when you take training.

I was actually hoping more for some tips on some of those real in depth football stories, such as how to pull the chicks in the Perfume Counters in Debenhams in for few drinks and a roast dinner.

:cool: From the day his name was announced. The only time I felt he could have pulled it off was when there were rumours of one of the family giving him backing. Happily my sources indicated that it was just that, rumours, but they did thank me for pointing it out and did give me an upgrade on my trip back from Glasto IF it finally goes wrong I PROMISE to let the blue few have a little laugh about it all though, but I wouldn't be so nasty right now as my boys are enjoying themselves too much at the moment.

Now that IS an interesting comment, which PR agency made that up?! He is NOT important in the Arab World, he ran a legitimate quasi Government Real Estate Company in Abu Dhabi and pandered to his OWN ego. There are a trail of "issues" relating to the developments including Hydra Village. He is not a part of any of the "Royal Families" which means he is simply a businessman. There are a lot of those down here and at this time as I believe I HAVE mentioned quite often, there IS no money for "Grandiose" overseas projects UNLESS it is "Personal Sovereign Wealth Funds"

Al Fahim doesn't have as much money as was expected.... Wow that's a HUGE shock..... Another tick in the I told you so's column for DP

Great, can come back on here during the day now Until the next one... And a BIG well done to the TSW regular who chose today to go to his first Lords Test visit, we expect a full report Thorpie Oh and a big thankyou to Showtime Sports down here for giving us the Sky Cricket & BBC golf coverage this past weekend, an equally big thankyou to the locals for giving us a religous holiday yesterday so we could watch all day. Big dent in the sofa to be sorted out now and better go shopping for some food fridge is a bit bare!

The evil retort would be - wow, impressive start, what ALL of them? blimey. he probably needed a supply of that Syrian stuff... But then as it's Pilchards we know this means he's looking out his office window or via his spy satellite and is pretty much typing one fingered on his gooseberry to keep us informed, so we'll let him off with that amusing typo

Seeing as we are unlikely to need our players to do much in the way of "corporate" appearances, perhaps we could ask (them) if they could do a simple monthly, what it's like article for the main forum website. You know, sort of month one, what do they see as the changes in training Month two, how do they go about "bedding in the new guys" what they have learnt from them If it's a nipper, what they do outside of training, what they thought of things like media training courses or that they didn't know before, strains of being away from home etc. Doesn't need to be anything controversial, but something just a bit more human interest than the "looking to break through, looking for 3points" stuff that goes on the OS Shouldn't be too difficult or controversial or even take up too much time (perhaps one of our team on here is a journo who could make it a simple emailed Q&A thing) Has to be more interesting for our guys than waiting in the players lounge to shake hands and say hello to some sponsor's big client

And 6ft 2in and pace to burn..... Shame he was a total twonk, could have been useful this season, a big lump up front with pace.... Shame he showed a distinct lack of brain to go with it! Will likely get a chance in the CCC unless they get yet another manager in giving us the chance to have another round of one's that got away threads later in the year :-#

New, experienced manager, walks in, watches a friendly and states the bleedin' obvious. Oh happy days Just shows how easy this football malarky can be when you don't have to read prepared corporate media trained statements and actually KNOW what you are doing! I'll stick with the "it will take some time" feeling for the new season, but now for the first time ever there doesn't seem to be that nagging doubt at the back of the mind.

All sorted. Flying in Friday evening, meeting mates at a Heathrow hotel (60 quid a room and we're sharing inc breakfast and free parking for them) perfect Tube in at a sensible hour followed by a lift home so can do beers. Tickets in Upper Grandstand and then lol mate's missus wins tickets at work. Perhaps one of Dubai Duty Free's fine bottles of Kulov Vodka - 4 quid for 500cc and it comes in a plastic bottle that fits into a back pocket perfectly should see us right for the day. Was at the Ayling's blow in the dark, and the Warks game, also went to the rained off one.

OP is a fair question, possibly asked in an inflamtory way. Pardew is the most experienced "name" manager in L1. He had a good reputation, but things didn't work out at Charlton so he has a stain in his cv if clubs at the highest level had been taking a look at him. If he is successful with Saints, then his name will be linked when the PL starts to take shape and clubs start to panic. In many ways it is a similar situation to that of WGS, when he was here there was speculation that he would go to Leeds for example. Will he be tempted when somebody like Hull come calling in January? It will in reality all come down to the contract he is on and the rewards for promotion. It's reality, not negativity. After all, many posters on here were advocating "stealing the manager from lesser clubs", so it happens, it should be understood, planned for and the contract terms should safeguard us. Will it happen? - this season I strongly doubt it, a rebuild with funds is very different from a rescue job with somebody else's mess. But there is no loyalty in football, even the fans can turn against their club and go and buy season tickets for the Emirates Stadium....

As of today - none of the above. But, you can be sure that one of the names on that list that many of us say - WHO? to will be a roaring success and will move upwards during the season. Let us hope the deal we have with Pardew is good enough for him to not want to move to some "flailing" PL team for in late December, early January

Swiss - slow steady methodical reliable successful For us I would imagine Organised, professional and analytical to ensure that mistakes are learnt from and lessons learnt, resulting in slow gradual improvement in efficiency and accuracy that will eventually lead to quality and relaibility that comes at a price but that everyone aspires to and wants to have. Sort of like moving from the Sinclair Watch of Rupert's era through to IMHO a nice sporty classy Tag rather than a flashy egotistical Rolex clone However knowing the Swiss as management, they will have their plans and the employees will have theirs, expect some crunching when the emergency loan fees to cover injuries come in above budget. So IMHO a slow start, a few false starts but a noticeable improvement during the season. Will we be fast enough to do anything this year? probably not, but I think we will become good enough to enjoy the ride and the excitement and to be bouncing around at the edge of the mix. This season, quiet confidence in professionalism and processes versus last season's pure hope that the rabbit would come out of the hat bought at Oxfam But next season, oh yes as reliable as a proper Swiss Watch - not the cheaper ones that need batteires replacing, more like the ones that only stop working perfectly when you don't move for three days - this will so work Oh and other prediction We'll find a new DMG to moan about everyweek - that's been going on since the John Sydenham days. We'll have fights on here, pros and anti's and the you know who's will still be muppets/trolls or just acting their mental age - but that's why we love it!

Oh thank God, I was getting worried. Summer's here. Saints are the 4th richest team in England We have a new experienced manager We are playing a champions league team at home tomorrow England scored more than 400 at Lords against the Aussies for the first time since 1652 or something And yet forum heroes can still start a bar fight over nothing. Normality reigns unless they get sent to the lounge as part of the new world order

Guess we found our first boycotter of the new era then?

Another wise decision, based on what they no doubt could have done. No more experiments TBH at this time in our recovery we needed experience, not potential. I'm not jumping for joy, still do not think we will walk this league, but this is a good appointment after the nightmares of the Gray's Wigley, JP's and Wotte's. I think we're becoming a football club again, THAT is worth a satisfied smile this morning.

Luckily, last night was the 13th Birthday Party for our spiritual home, Rock Bottom. It was a 70's night, but by dressing as a cross between Bill Wyman when he still had hair and Jimmi Hendrix I was awarded the remarkably useful birthday gift of free booze all night. This means I was able to bang over what I saved when I awoke from my hangover about 4 minutes ago. And yes, being from an IT background, I followed the standard RTFM procedure so you even got my username

As revealed exclusively in the Forum match programme no less. Sounds like a good punt

Wow that boy Bin Trump sure knows his football

Yes, apparently a recording of Sir Trevor doing News At Ten and telling us Maggie just got elected, it's been THAT long.. Ooops sorry forgot, I was banned from a computer tonight by EoA as been to a 70's night birthday party at Rock Bottoms dressed as Jimmy Hendrix with free booze and annoyingly got my photo in the National Press, Timeout and Hello Magazine (local version) under most wanted. How odd - dress up like a **** in a silly wig and become most wanted - damn, should have done that years ago