dubai_phil

My favourite line was JP's resignation came as a shock, most especially to him

And the other worry I have is that those previous potential bids have all been played out in the media. I hope NSS is right and they do have the backing and can justify the investments needed, but I still fail to understand why with all the NDA's they actually felt it wise to play their games in the media? Surely IF they were dealing with Fry then they would be concentrating on what the due process and contractual issues are needed in addition to the money in order to buy the club, I simply cannot see why they would feel they gain anything by doing it in public, it is simply too big a risk. These deals are incredibly complex and much can go wrong. Surely having been splashed all over the media when the deal ISN'T done is a risk - they could end up having a lot of egg on their corporate faces. That bit doesn't compute, cannot see why they took the risk

Just shows once again, Pro Lowe Pro Crouch pro Corbett pro Lawrie pro anybody mattered not a jot Either they all worked together or they all fooked off together. The sooner the last of them disappears the better

Ah yes the old put it all on Red gamble. We have experience of that once or twice before... Fry has to get the MAXIMUM he can, and his career and lifestyle (Bentley etc) is impacted on how he achieves that. BUT, when playing poker it is possible to push too far and too fast and have everyone else throw in the towel. Now IF that happened on his watch then the creditors would have a very different opinion and his career prospects would look very different. I wonder at what point he'll start to doubt whether he could have taken the alleged bird in the hand some weeks ago or if he scared it off in favour of the two that followed into the bush. I wonder how twitchy Aviva and Barclays are right now, let alone us.

just telling it as it was Who was it nearly hit the tv screen?

At the moment things are bad. But it can get worse in stages. The first problem is Fry doesn't get a bid or enough to pay off the creditors in the right manner that means that the Football Club Ltd ALSO has to go into admin - THAT could happen if we cannot afford the wages next week. The PFA step in and all that BUT it would then mean pretty much a nailed on certainty that we get a further 15 point penalty. Starting next season on minus 25 would simply prolong our painful death. It would drop our sales value by even more and THEN make it harder to get the right amount of cash for the club to get out of admin at all... Then Liquidation starts I think the next two or three days are critical, one mis-communication or misunderstanding in negotiations and we're gone

Well I did say in the whole build up thingy that if I was to be a PROPER manager I'd need some Bald Headed Hard Looking bloke on the bench I also believe that one of our lot actually managed to hit the TV Screen above the Chapel from about 12 yards out..... I did manage to score with a rasping ground level shot. Well, when I say rasping, I think it actually crossed the line thanks to the earth's rotation..

It is good to know that some people actually do try and work very hard at saving the club, rather than watching as it dies. It isn't about anybody winning a popularity contest, or PR wars, it is simply about getting this club out of the utter disasterous mess it is currently in and then rebuilding for a sustainable and successful future. Whoever can get that done will no doubt continue to get sh*t from the cyber-warriors but at least we will have a club to watch. When I turned up for the Forum match last week the full enormity of the mess we are in hit me when I saw the Stadium again and realised that next year it could be empty or worse being demolished. Whoever is trying to save the club deserves support it is obvious there is a hell of a lot of work involved and I for one really don't care who it is as long as it is SOMEONE

OK finally esconced back in my cyber world at home and not on some ticking clock of an internet cafe, so time for my match report. Today's edition - Part one, The Build Up First disappointment of the whole day was that the Mega Store didn't have any tracksuits left, so I had to get a training top 25 quid and shorts (ouch 20 quid) in order to make my 1.50 car boot sale footie boots look the part in the warm up. (Mind you thanks to BOGOF I got one of those really neat Grey & Red Waterproof Lightweight Jacket thingys) The whole arriving thing, lots of us sitting/standing nervously in the reception, a few doing the Hi I'm xyz intro thing but most lost in a world of WTF am I doing here-ness Granty doing the green armbands and then the SECOND bit of bad news - No alcohol in the changing rooms arrgh there goes the whole spraying champagne thing and OH NO I'm gonna be stuck with the Jaegermeister again... But no time to dwell on that as suddenly we're off through the magic door into the hallway and first sight of THE DRESSING ROOM! The looks on the lads faces when they saw their shirts hanging up with their names on the back, the stunned stares as everyone photographed everything (including the cr*ppers FFS) and suddenly as manager it hits you - How the fook am I going to remember all the names & faces? and what names do I call them????. A few sheepish jokes about the tactics board (well I did lay it out in a 4-4-2 before Minty played with it for the photos) a big pose with the Dubai Saints Flag (that the execs banned from SMS) and then it is time to go out to warm up... Now what? Do I do the anal assertive bit and demand they all do proper warm ups? - or just let them (AND ME!) all do what we wanted? - BLAST THE BALL AT THE GOAL! So yep we did that and then I had the first Psyche warfare moment - The Flints were just kicking it around so we have a larf and off we go all proper stretching on the touchline some dancing across the pitch then get the youngsters in the middle for a game of tippy tappy - boy we sure showed them! Then it's off to get into the gear, have to say BOY I wished I could have been going out with them, but it was clear from the warm up - this was going to be REAL football! We get changed, a few words about this being the biggest night of their lives, play with brains not egos keep it simple but most of all ENJOY IT- some US Marine style HooYahs and the bell goes and whoosh off they go being led out by the captains. I tell you the Cheshire Cat had NOTHING on the grins on those boys faces, I swear most of them stood 7 feet tall as well, (ESPECIALLY Hamster) there seemed to be music and amazingly a roar from the crowd. Fair play to LLS & Co, they were sat behind the home team bench dispensing abuse and advice all night long, BUT to be fair they did deliver a couple of bottles of Magners to me (in each half!). I will admit I did respect my important position and made sure I was sitting in JP's seat when I drank it. Then suddenly photos are over, Granty has tossed up or whatever and whoosh Game on. I make a few jokes about being on TV and not conceding in the first 35 & 38 seconds and oh NO... 0-1 to them, we look a total mess WHAT TO DO???????????? Arggh Part Two when I've had some Cab Sav later tonight or after brekkie in the morning

IF we can get the big lump CF we need, and IMHO a wise old head in CM with LEADERSHIP skills, passing ability and a touch of pace then in fact much of this year's "crop" of kids will form the back-bone of our team next year. Then the youngsters like Gobern and McLaggon & Lancashire could be introduced PROPERLY a few games at a time as cover for the first teamers who are injured/suspended (you know - how OTHER teams introduce their kids) We talked about balance being wrong at the start of this season and next year we do have a chance to get that right. Hope we find a way to keep KD, & JPS and lose the "Flash Harry's" and we will be on the way to getting a good squad together

Good advice - Jump now - might beat the queues later in the week if nothing gets sorted out

44 players, some of them on about 400 quid a week and some on more than 8,000. All expected to do the same thing. TBH I don't give a damn if I had never heard of them or not, all I ever ask is that they perform when on a football pitch and at least LOOK as if they are footballers, not ballerinas with a broken toe (as someone described Euell) The squad was simply unbalanced, too much at both ends - overpaid rubbish and underpaid inexperience. Understanding we are now a League 1 club and building a squad for THAT with unity of purpose and no prima donnas is what I would call realistic

Mate gave me a copy of the Man U programme while I was over. I was shocked to see the back page Our squad is the same size as Man U's. Ouch - for me realism will come from having a sensible squad with a backbone but 44 players?????

So here we are, the crux of the matter. As fans we demanded success, the board and the manager tried to achieve that by spending money we didn't really have on players who they "thought" could do a job. Our whole mentality was that we were still a PL club and deserved PL players. So now the chickens have come home to roost and FINALLY we have woken up to how stupid the whole football and money thing is. IF we are to survive as a club then the high earners HAVE to be got rid of (ouch Rupert was right on that point if nothing else) The trouble is with contracts post Bosman - they cannot be got rid of so next year we could see the likes of Thomas being paid a sum that could actually pay for about 4 L1 experienced players. And the BIGGER problem is that the players continue to draw their salaries and us fans are in a HORRID catch-22 situation We have woken up to how obscene it is that they earn such money for so little, and yet UNLESS we stump up enough cash to PAY their wages, the club goes bust. There is a gap between being bought and keeping going and although we are being mugged by the likes of Euell, UNLESS we pay up we have no club to be saved and no new owners to kick them all out. Catch-22, pay them or die. And no, be honest gang, Blue Square is NOT a realistic option

The plane took off and it landed again - that always makes it a good trip:p But yes, there was only about 5 people in the whole biz class bit (hence their special airmiles offer I think) so got served to death from the whole champoo before takeoff and a nice meal and really good wine passed out and found myself over the top of Baghdad - eek - anyway got past there and slept like a drain when finally got home! Loved the photos when I finally saw them this morning - brilliant job Minty. How's everyone's aches and pains? I have to admit I had some on Friday morning - probably the large whiskies in Reflex at the after after party (how horrid is THAT place? Makes our Rock Bottom seem full of thin chicks!) Oh and what is that stuff they serve at Chick Inn? - was supposed to be KFC clone & chips but was bleah.......... Oh and on the structuring front, we won't have a tea lady next year - more a BullFrog babe

Chill guys, it has all been decided, next season will of course be the Dream Team of Dubai Phil & Nickh. Sartorial elegance, motivational teamtalks, subtle tactical shifts and substitutions and of course being able to do any and everything needed to get a result. Oh and of course the whole post match televised interviews - boy we were both SO good and of course SO modest in victory and gracious in defeat. What more do we really need? After all we are now both more experienced at managing in a big match situation than JP ever was... What's more with some work with the coaching teams we might have found a couple of useful players on Thursday

It seems that the main problem is that the PR bombardment has not of yet been backed up by a written bid by Pinnacle, leaving as Weston says, one bid on the table. Let us hope that the weekend has allowed ALL the real players time to reflect on what needs to now be done to sort this out and save this club rather than simply getting the most money for the creditors or justifying their PR management budgets.

Re-read the exact words that MLT used in the Echo. He was very clear and also very careful, as many are being at the moment. Weston has pointed out there is concern that the club is almost dead, the salaries have to paid before the end of May, that means normally somewhere in the early-mid 20th's. It is pretty safe to assume that Fry has received a written bid and discussed it - that was pretty well made public last week, and somehow it seems something went wrong at that meeting. BUT the process is clear (as I found from my host from the City at the weekend) that written bid HAD to have a proof of funds again. Apparently, the next step in any buyout from Admin will be for the buyers to ship truckloads of lawyers and accountants to check all the figures that the admin team have created, in case they missed something. That will all cost money and would only be done IF the administrator had accepted a bid and allowed them a period of exclusivity, as nobody in their right minds would commit to spend 100k and then allow themselves to be shafted by another bidder who offered say 5 quid more. The TIME is the critical issue, that process HAS to be done before the wages are paid, as the Legends match doesn't look like it is going to provide the 250k that the club probably needs. Fry wants to maximise the selling price, it is down to the last hands of poker this week. It is touch and go, but at the end of the day it is down to what Fry and the creditors will accept. As I was told IF that figure is actually finally decided then maybe something will happen

Which, as a fan who wants us to be playing fotball again next year in L1, is osmething that worries me about this whole Pinnacle thing. Why do they believe it is some sort of "election" campaign, where they have to make public statements all the time. I don't see how that can affect Mark Fry's attitude or approach, so what do they gain? We saw it so often before with stories and leaks about deals that never happened. I hope there are two or more bids out there, but surely the person Pinnacle should be addressing their communications to is Fry not the Echo, it worries me that they haven't yet appeared to have made a written offer and this "Barrister" thing could delay their bid past the date we have to pay out the May salaries... All they seem to have done so far is weaken support for the Legends Match as everyone is now assuming we will get bought this week....

Hmm what a co-incidental weekend. Spent it with somebody who completely by chance knows Fry from working with him....... Very worrying that he is the sort of guy who keeps pushing to ensure he gets the best deal for the creditors.... Which is of course what he is judged on, but my host indicated it makes him as easy to do business with as any other "Essex Wide Boy". Just when you think you have it all sorted he will think he can get some more out of you and tweak something and push again. Starting to worry he is playing brinkmanship. Lot of drinking to do on my plane in a moment, so not concerned too much but like Weston, I hear we have at least a secure profesional properly financed package looking to buy the club, just they now have to play a game that may not be what Fry wants to see. Personally, the less money someone has to pay him then I would imagine the more in the kitty to rebuild. Good week for all poker fans I expect. An extra million in the kitty for a decent lump of a centre forward for L1 or a happy Fry... Know which I want Boy am I looking forward to catching up on all the trheads and gossip of the last week while I have been offline - NOT

Ah well, all comfy in the lounge at Heathrow. Looking forward t getting back to the land of internet access so can start to catch up on the thousands of threads. Still buzzing over the whole evening and again well done to Baj & Granty. As for all the moaning, not once did we moan or try to point out that the penalty was ball to hand... As for the shuting from the touchline - lol even if we did remember the right player's name they didn't listen anyway! Only in the last 15mins did Fos1 start to look for and follow guidelines about pushing up.. So great time and a shame Nickh didn't see the circling hands motion and the wave from the ref for the miracle substitution. Must have been too busy rehearsing his victory speech:-) Looking forward to getting back home so can see the photos properly, and once again a HUGE thanks and respect to the guy who volunteered from the crowd and managed to get my lad to the station in about 4 minutes flat so he could catch his train back to Oxford. Now I got a pair of footie boots would be a shame to waste the 1.50 I paid at the car boot and never use them again... Hopefully we'll have a stadium to do this again at next year. Life is about collecting magic moments to look back on, the forum match was one priceless evening.

My Match Report We won. Think that's it really, look in the book as we used to say. Was an absolutely fantastic evening, from the open jawed stares as the lads went into the changing room for the first time and saw their shirts hanging on the pegs, through to the game itself which was really entertaining. Borrowed moment on the web will be back online Monday properly Brilliant job Granty

So, is Wednesday making a rousing attempt to be the new Friday? Or is it still too early in the Spring, the hedgerow plants are busy growing leaves and there are no Blackberries to pick yet An old wise mate once said the difference between patience and patients is purely mental, as in needing patience makes you a mental patient seems an appropriate summary for this thread. I'm off to find a golf course can't stand this

yeah but I enjoy coming on here for useful things.... like the global weather reports on matchdays Who's Ken Balrow?

No wonder you lot over here are so into soap operas months go by with nothing happening. I once saw an episode of Coronation Street 30 odd years ago. Saw another clip in relation to Red Dwarf & I swear nothing had actually changed in that time... TSW, The Twilight Zone.....