Micky

Indeed you are, congratulations Mack - what price West Ham in the next round eh....??? !!!

I understand your point - but if we are going to score 6 then I would prefer six 1 - 0 wins and settle for the points.

Ohhhh the country, sorry, right...!

You really are a perv....!

Me too, hate the pre, mid and end as well on this forum...!

If you had a similar complaint with any other company, or shopping outlet for example, would your first recourse be to stand in the middle of the shop, ensure you had an audience and then shout the odds about your complaint. Or would you perhaps politely and discretly ask to speak to the manager personally - just a thought.

EXACTLY, this is the crux of the matter. How they can fail to acknowledge this is, to be frank, quite dispicable. Yes, both of our clubs went into administration - but any other similarities stop there. We acknowledged the problem immediately and put into place measures designed to reduce our debt. They on the other hand decided to (hide) ignore the debt, continue to trade normally (although probably insolvently) and subsequently run up inordinate levels of debt, which the 'small man' now has to take the hit on (again). How they can fail to understand the massive difference between these two scenarios is beyond me.

I sort of admire your 'two fingers in the air' attitude towards everybody (probably just one finger for us - but hey ho - the feeling is mutual). The thing is though, if you actually read and analyse the last ten words of your post you might, just might, understand why so many think that you have got away with daylight robbery. I can honestly say that had our club behaved in the same manner as yours has then the stench would be too much for me - and I would have probably just walked away. I actually wish you all the best - but to feel any sort of satisfaction about how you came to be in your current position, frankly shows a complete lack of any class whatsoever. You are obviously a much better outfit than we are, your league position is testiment to that, you have won loads of trohphies - loads more than us, yet I feel very, very happy to support a club that is languishing below you. Damn strange that.

But to be fair he maketh a very very good point. Owed 200k by Cardiff and no sign of the 'cheque in the post', I'd be somewhat peed off if I found out that they had loaned a player who probably earns that in a month. It is exactley the sort of deal the the Blue Few were allowed to get away with on a much larger scale - there is no difference to what they did. It is amazing that the FL are taking no action - especially given Cardiffs recent history with the tax man. But at the end of the day - after the saga down the road, it appears that you can more or less do as you please when running a club these days. There are no ethics.

You are of course correct in that some of the people who died on 7/7 were not British, which sort of conflicts with your point about 9/11 not being an attack against this country. Those people who perpetrated the 7/7 attack did so with the express intention of killing British people. It is also interesting though that Bush, from the very outset claimed that 9/11 as an attack on Western Europe. At the end of the day, the British soldier (serviceman) is nothing more than a pawn to the politicians and their politics. It only remains for said soldier to decide whether or not that is a noble enough cause to conduct 'the job'.

Ahhhhh good old MACP TDD, or Military Aid to the Civil Powers to the likes of me and you, but often overlooked by civilians. It is in the contract mate - always read the small print, it's there somewhere.

I agree, it would indeed be fact - but I doubt in my lifetime I will ever see the day when, what, 10 - 20,000 servicemen and women decide 'not to go'. It would be an interesting concept - to have no Armed Forces whatsoever and rely on the good nature of the rest of the modern world to just leave us in peace. But not a gamble I would really like to take!

Great post - puts a very fair perspective on it. The only thing that I would say is, don't forget that many servicemen conduct multiple operational tours (sometimes in theatres other than Afghan) - it's not just a 'one off'. This, effectively is where the experience is gained, and why they should be applauded for knowing the risk yet agreeing to go again.

Wilco, very glad to see that you don't make any such sweeping statements...! You are absolutely correct as well - it is your right to hold such views. It is your right because we live in a free democratic society where you are afforded those rights. Just remind me again - who is it that keeps it so?

What town do you live in?

I take it you too were drunk when you wrote this. Most of it sounds pretty much like most major towns and cities in this country on a Friday/Saturday night - go take a look at Southampton on a weekend night - you've just described it to a tee. My wife used to work in one of the Restuarants in Below Bar and it was like a no go zone during the evenings when I used to pick her up. Take a look at some of the reality television cop shows - all you have described is, I'm afraid, the norm - or are all of these people squaddies as well? If you think that the Armed Forces are thick ****s running around playing with a gun - then you yourself are probably well qualified to join! Forget the fighting troops, forget the conflict - ask youself - could the company that you work for deploy ten thousand employees overseas in a foriegn country. Could your company transport them, feed them, cloth them, accomodate them, provide washing facilities, provide transport, medical cover, shopping facilities - all the basic things that we take forgranted in life. I doubt that you could - it takes a whole lot more than a bunch of thickos to conduct such an operation. Once you've got to where you're going - theres also the small matter of a war to fight - but hey ho, I'm sure you think thats just a case of a couple of thickos, letting rip with some 5.56. If you think that you are being represented by thickos - you do not have a clue, and nor do you deserve the service that these guys provide. Yes you live in a military town, yes the squaddies go out, drink, kick off and try to score with the locals - but that is absolutely no different to the locals, is it?

With comments such as that, believe me - I really am a whole lot different to you. Your post started with the word 'stupid'; sit and think awhile.

With all due respect, sticking my neck on the line, guessing and assuming for once, I doubt very much that the MoD went cap in hand to any of the various agencies that donate to this 'charity'. I believe all such tickets were offered as a token of gratitude towards the Forces personnel, and it has grown somewhat since it's inception. Perhaps the MoD should have just declined the offer if so many people think that unworthy workers are being treated to these perks - who knows.

The thread sort of went off track a little there - soldiers, nurses, pay scales and graduates, all pretty irrelevant really. The fact remains that our Armed Forces (particularly the Army, and more particularly our Infantry, Marines and Special Forces) are currently in one hell of a fight trying to help the people of Afghanistan. The nature of this work means that many of them will (and have) paid the ultimate price, and as a result many good minded folk feel the need to do thier 'little' to make life for serving soldiers (Sailors & Airmen) that little bit more comfortable. A way to show their appreciation, to give a little to guys who have given a whole lot more - it actually probably means more to the giver than the reciever, if truth be known. Do our Forces deserve such 'perks' - fukin' right they do: http://news.sky.com/skynews/Interactive-Graphics/fallenheroes How many nurses, police constables, fire fighters or McDonalds workers have died over the last 3 years in the course of their duty - a few. But whilst some of these people conduct some thankless and dangerous job roles, none come even close to what your average soldier on operations experiences on a day to day basis. For those of you that question our Forces, I really hope you are around on the day that this country gets invaded - you might then see first hand just how good these guys are at what they do, and appreciate them for the selflessness that they show. A few free tickets for putting your life on the line day in day out - scant, scant reward.

Personally I think that the readership figures are a complete red herring - it could be mandatory to read The Sun every day - who gives a toss. The point is they have resorted to making reference to the club and players by means of non-descript names in order to try to 'censor' our particular image. Each too their own. The last time I remember doing anything similar or likewise was when John Burgess stole my bike, let the tyres down and dumped it in a stream - after that I always, without fail, referred to him as 'Pongy Johny' - that showed him. Admitedly I was only young at the time, probably 9 or 10, definately pre-pubescent, but I hated Pongy Johny - mind you, I've since matured and grown up a little.

I like this idea, "The Markus Liebherr Football Academy", has a good ring about it.

When one individual can touch the lives of so many, especially in such a short space of time, then they must be blessed in some way. I never ever met the man, nor did I speak to him - the closest I got to him was while occupying seat 207, row 5 of block 546 at Wembley Stadium on Sun 28 Mar 10. That said, I feel immensely humbled and priviledged to of known of him, to be able to associate myself, through the team I love, to him. There is only one Markus Liebherr.

We (the cartoons) are presently one of the floating banner headlines on the front page of Sky.com....

Careful - we are on the Sky Front Page now....!!!!! http://www.sky.com/

Santa does chrimbo presents mate, not bloody miracles...!!!