Raconteur

Phil McNulty writes a decent analysis of Dalglish's reign after their draw with Blackburn (found here - http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/philmcnulty/2011/12/questions_for_dalglish_after_a.html) What makes it interesting, though, is the five pages of comments, from deluded Pool fans who think the King has just been unlucky and that they're playing the best football in England - and from fans of every other club trying to convince these idiots that their King has wasted enormous sums of money on mediocre shite and they're lucky to be in the lofty position they are. I found it astonishing that these Pool fans tried to claim, with a straight face, that hitting the woodwork more often than any other club made them unlucky. Um, no, it makes you inaccurate, you fucking idiots!!! One moron even tried to calculate their league position had these misses been goals. Nearly as crazy as RTG!!!

In Victoria, Australia there is a law on the books that gets the back up of all the conservatives - I think it's called the Racial Hatred and Villification Act. When properly applied, virtually any derogatory reference to racial grouping or heritage is a criminal offence. It's rarely applied though, but if (for instance) Michael Clarke or Lucas Neill spoke the way Terry and Suarez are alleged to have, then elements in the media would see to it that the racial hatred laws were applied. If Richie Benaud referred to "coloured" people live on air, the only thing that would save his job is his iconic status in the media industry - anyone else would be gone that day. But then, Australia is a fucking redneck wonderland, so we probably need laws like that to bring Australia into the 21st century - "boat people" have become a genuine political issue, but only because both major parties want to be seen as the toughest on "illegal immigration". We also had race riots as little as six years ago, while a neo-fascist party won a third of the primary vote in a Queensland election just over a decade ago...

Add to that he showed very little common sense and compassion in the way he handled sending him off. He figuratively kicked him when he was down. As opposed to Esteban, who literally did exactly that, kicking the fan while he was down. It's perfectly valid to say that Esteban should have the right to work in a safe environment, and the scenario of a weapon is not so far-fetched (for those old enough to remember Monica Seles). My problem is that Esteban continued to attack the fan - the steward knew that Esteban was out of control when he imposed his body between the fan and the keeper. And I'm not going to say Esteban should have been in full control, having been struck unawares and no doubt his initial reaction was to be scared witless. But while the primeval side of us enjoyed watching vigilante justice being meted out, to continue kicking the fan cannot be condoned It was a very ugly situation that will probably see the fan banned for life and possibly charged, the keeper's red standing and possibly even an extra slap on the wrist. It will get messy when the Dutch FA fines AZ and Verbeek and also awards the match to Ajax, which they will surely do. The ref, who certainly could and should have handled the situation with more tact, will almost certainly get a thumbs up for correctly applying the rules in an extraordinary situation...

Not just a great footballer, but after his career a great footballing intellectual. Was also a powerful figure in player's rights in an era when clubs and national federations held all the power. I'm sure I've read that he was better backheeling than most players passed normally, and that he backheeled penalties. RIP Socrates

You might find that some people who have had close contact with mental health issues, or had to deal with the so-called "mental-health industry" would find that astonishingly biased article quite offensive. I'm not interested in starting a blue with fellow Toon fans at this time, and I confess that I am removed from might well be hyperbolic coverage of this tragedy, but the way that person has attacked and ridiculed some perfectly valid issues is very distasteful. You're right to say that Gary was never suspected of suffering, much less diagnosed with depression. And it's perfectly valid to bring up that his family and agent, his friends and colleagues all say that he wasn't. But if it was suicide, and if it was not the... salacious alternative that has been trotted about, then depression is the most likely alternative - infinitely more plausible than a homocide made to look like suicide. Wullie, I don't have a beef with you. What I do have is a family history of mental illness and an insight into the so-called "industry" that is supposedly cashing in on this tragedy. Gary Speed: great player, great manager, great man... great loss

RIP Gary - Toon legend and one of the good guys

Sums it right up. Ridiculously overrated player, despicible person...

The answer to your whole argument is found in the last line of the page you linked - to use "niggardly" is perfectly reasonable when used correctly, but you'd be fucking stupid to use that word rather than miserly or stingy. Indeed, if you're smart enough to have the word in your vocabulary then you're smart enough to know not to use it. By the same token, all your sea-lawyer shenanigans are just that because, even though there is truth to then connotations and usage of "negrito", there are dozens of other Uruguayan-Spanish words that could be used rather than one that could (would) be taken the wrong way by a black man. (Having said all that, I think the powers-that-be will come down in your favour simply because to punish Suarez leaves them open to accusations of being unfair to the poor foreigner in a strange land garbage you've been feeding us! )

Now that's REAL hatred

It's been mentioned half a dozen times but ignored almost every time... That's not to say that Llambias is in the right of anything, just that it's certainly not unprecedented in our club's recent history. I personally thought Shepherd/Hall's behaviour was worse, but generating any debate on that matter seems impossible.

Can we have a poll - better or worse than Freddy Shepherd's "dogs" effort?

That's gold

Haha sydneycove - I think I started an "Australian football" thread two or three seasons ago. You'll probably find it after page 200, a place it crashed to about half an hour after every post I made EDIT: You should have done what Rupert's newspapers are doing and mentioning Harry Kewell and Brett Emerton in every single mention of the league. Kind of like "The Huyindi A-League featuring Harry Kewell and Brett Emerton."

At half time (nearly 1 am local time), I was faced with the decision of going to bed with us sitting pretty on a 2-0 or staying up another hour and seeing the game out. Having read 17 pages of post-game analysis, I have to say going to bed at half time was an excellent choice It meant I got to watch us dominate Wolves and see that rarest of sights - a (delightful) Jonas goal, without the stress and anxiety of watching us try to throw it away...

That was a good read - but one wonders whether their overwhelming praise for us is more of a backhander to Kean than a thumbs up to Pardew. They appear to be in full self-flagellation mode over there... Still, it's nice to read an "enemy" match report that praises us rather than blaming the ref, or individual mistakes, or luck etc...

Toon Ultra, I doff my cap to you, a true master of irony...

This whole 7% caper has me scratching my head - and I guess the problem is that Derek can (and probably has) chosen any two dates for his comparison. If he is comparing the wage bill of 31 January (when Carroll was sold but before Kuqi signed and Tiote got his new contract) to the wage bill of 12 August (after making most of our "big" summer signings but before Jose Enrique and Barton jogged on) then a 7% increase of our wage bill is credible, I guess. Our wage bill is so fluid - players coming and going all summer, new contracts here and there. I bet there was a 7% increase at some point, but I'll put a large sum that if Llambias said "There has been a 7% increase in our wage bill from the end of last season to the transfer deadline" then that would be a lie

All but the second one are cronyism rather than nepotism. And that example is hardly the most heinous example in the club's history. So I would say that the level of nepotism present at NUFC is perfectly acceptable...

FYP

I reckon I'm the only Toon fan in Ballarat - much too far for the FB Aussie Mags gatherings...

What he said

I'm sorry, but that's absolutely pathetic. Damaging for the morale of the entire team, watching their sometimes Captain made to train alone. Disgusting. I might be even more damaging to let him train with them TBH. I don't know either way, but it's certainly possible. Ashley's not being creative enough - if Barton really does have a problem with Cabaye (or Pardew, or anyone really), then having Joey train with the squad might precipitate another Dabo incident which would leave them free to tear up his contract with no compensation...

My thoughts exactly - in fact, at first I thought someone was taking the piss by paraphrasing Nolan's quote. Outrageous work from Llambias!