BTRFTG

In which case: If the aged Judge is of the Distaff persuasion I trust Wayne will be behind a thick, perspex screen.....

In all my years I remain to be convinced that was ever a factor (turnstile clicks and counts whether or not you've paid). More obvious were that weird bunch (regular couple of dozen at the Open End) who'd turn up half way through the second half and come in for now't when they opened the exit gates.

I can honestly say in my 55 years of following City I've only ever seen one Roller regularly occupying the car park; that's Harry & Marina's beloved motor. Never more does a car deserve to be parked at AG than that motor for without the both of them City definitely wouldn't exist. Moreover, two more self-deprecating and humble folks you couldn't wish to meet. Forget too the numbers. Even in the top flight City had no more than 20k fans but had many 'hangers on' who'd turn out if a big team came visiting. Nothing's changed.

Lest not forget besides Weather the latest Clickbait, User Generated Content that's doing the rounds: "UNRECOGNISABLE : You'll never believe what (insert OTIB member's name here) looks like these days !!!!" (Insert school photo here) (Insert 30 years older, married, kids, hard though not excessive living, here) Conclude: Yeah it's (insert OTIB member's name here) they've aged .....

To be fair that game was a mockery. Needed John Curry upfront to make it a spectacle. As you say everybody on tiptoe struggling to stand upright. Wasn't that also the game when, to keep warm, Spurs came into the Open End over the rear of the fence? It was a scene from 'Where Eagles Dare', they inching precariously along the top of the wall (fair drop in case you yung'uns never witnessed it,) then over the top of the spiky fence all whilst City did their best to propel them onto the roof of the old catering hut. Recall one Spurs fella being 'napalmed' with a freshly delivered Clarks to the mush.

Happened to us I recall. We were oblivious having drinks in the Avon Packet only to learn on leaving that the game had been canned (emergency service cover couldn't access the ground.) Given we'd come down from London I swore, ranted, turned back toward TM and immediately ended up flat on my **** proceeding to slide down Greenway Bush Lane faster than Tomba La Bomba ... I concurred they might have a point.

Forget the season but recall being there one year when for safety reasons the Old Bill moved us off the open terrace at half time (it had turned to sheets of ice and, to be fair to them, was quite dangerous.) Problem being they moved us into the lower tier of the stand on the side and within minutes some of our thugs had entered the upper tier to 'say hello'.?

Indeed, the players eventually split around £100k but, importantly, they immediately had their registrations such they could work elsewhere. At their ages, if lucky, they'd likely have been due statutory redundancy at 1 week average pay (£154) for each year worked. Picking up somewhere between £1,000 to £1,500 at best. That's what many workers in Bristol were picking up when getting laid off. If Merrick 'lost his house' so quickly perhaps he was one of the players who used to benefit from City's 'players houses', subsidised gaffs rented to players with families (as a kid they had a row just off Highridge Common,) but recall he went straight to chance his arm in Hong Kong so maybe he tried the ex-pat lifestyle, selling up here. Either way he didn't last long and was back home in the building trade within a few years.

I think where 'The 8' were concerned it highlighted an unfairness in respect of potential restraint of trade. Footballers may not play without registrations and it could have been the case, had they been worth anything, that any future employer or even players themselves would have had to buy their registrations from the administrators. City didn't look to go down that road offering the players their registrations such they could find employment elsewhere. As shown by Derby the PFA now grabs the registrations when clubs default (save academy players.)

Accrington before but recall after us they changed the Law by introducing the Football Creditors Act and everything changed, as it did again post Bosman.

'The 8' could have walked away by unilaterally terminating their contracts. They didn't. They spent days in hard negotiation nearly putting the club under. Altruism didn't enter into it, irrespective how much that rains on ideological romanticism. That the club these days sees fit to flog branded merchandise of the event - pass the sick bag Alice. I don't blame 'The 8' for so doing, just as I don't blame them for signing the stupid contracts they were offered by the club, after all it was their and the their families livelihoods at stake and their green eyes had seen what Collier had done when exercising his contract rights. But be in no doubt they were given Hobson's choice, where the stark reality was that had they not acted in terminating their contracts they would have received little by way of compensation and wouldn't have played football for a very long time (some might argue they never did as they were past it or never good enough in the first place.) No Football Creditors in those days. It's interesting, too, the PFA and players takes on the eventual outcome differed. Bitter, the players sure were. Lastly, attempting to garner sympathy by reminding 'The 8' weren't on sums commensurate with today's players cuts no cloth. With most clubs (including our own) stood at the edge of a precipice as a result of paying wholly unreasonable sums in wages, we should be questioning today's folly and why we haven't acted upon the lessons of '82? 'The 8' earned around 3x the national wage at the time, plus bonuses, not the 50x some of our players currently enjoy. It provided them a decent standard of living, but one might argue they also never lost out on that they never had. Better we celebrate trying to restore a sense of normality to today's game than powder coat the past.

On NO account accept a Werthers if offered.

I'd stay Southport (or Lytham) over Blackpool and though I've spent many an evening there it has to be said the boozers aren't up to much. That said you might also take in a visit to the Lawnmower Museum where, I've been told, they've a new exhibit - one 'grass measuring device' donated by an anonymous punter who apparently no longer has need of it.

Wholly concur. I used to visit Southport a couple of times each month and rarely recall there not being an incident on that stretch. The design of the in-feeds from the junctions are dangerous. Worse was given the volume of accidents the Traffic Wombles were always slow in getting things cleared and moving.

M6 on a Friday - try packing a tent and camping stove. For entertainment run a sweepstake on which junction the accident will be. I'd take 16 and would advise others to grab 17 or 15. If you fancy a double the spread on the Traffic Wombles clearing the carriageway is 2 - 2 1/2 hrs.

Thanks for the explanation but I began to get confused when hip-hop morphed into rap and other than Eminem my old-gimmer response has always been:"What's that they said ..."

They should have left it at the Crazy World of Arthur Brown as without a front-man sporting blazing antlers there's only one way to go (and it ain't upward...)

Lest not forget we were once interested in him......

Barton as Manager?

I'm old enough to be able to sing his Stones cover, though Atomic Rooster were never my bag. As to whether he's more Grime than Drill, wouldn't have a Scooby.

That single sentence confirms the sad realisation that I am, signally, a man out of time.

To those still not getting why Sunderland acted as they did, let's put in terms you may understand. There are two types in life: those who pay to take their perfectly performing cars in for service and those who think it wiser to save money and act only when the warning lights appear. They're easy to distinguish, the former putting miles very quickly between themselves and the latter who await rescue on the hard shoulder.

Must be photoshopped as Prince Andrew appears bottom (2nd left) and I know for a fact he was at a Pizza Hut in Cribbs Causeway that afternoon.

Haven't seen it, don't care to. My comment however, and in light of the Manure's unrequited assurance that as an 'innocent abroad' (sic) folks were out to get their starlet, would be that where sexual assault is alleged and even where wholly innocent there has to be an element of 'Lady Windermere's Fan'. To be once linked with an act of rape may be considered misfortune, to be linked twice, that's carelessness.

To those querying why Sunderland acted as they did tonight, (acted as we should have 18 months before he eventually went,) when in management it's never about where you are but where you aspire to be and how you plan to get there. A quick scan of the Sunderland forums leads one to the inevitable conclusion that one can't kid a kidder. Doubtless the Sunderland board also sounded out elements of the playing staff. From the gibberish he came out with post-match yesterday, would you stand up and back him? De Facto managers delegate to players on the pitch but any manager worth their salt will tell you you always ensure your charges know that when tasks are delegated and should they fail, you're the backstop. You stand up and carry the can 100%, never ones charges. If it isn't your fault your bosses will know, those you deal with will understand, your humility will be acknowledged and accommodated. That's the whole point of delegation. Yesterday, rather than highlight all that went right in his planning he should have focussed on what went wrong, even if it wasn't his fault, but fully accepting responsibility for the drubbing. Every pun intended but Johnson isn't big enough to do that. For all the stories Johnson had to tell there was always the nagging doubt that he'd never be able to back them up. As when he was on speed dial to some of Europe's finest managers whilst delivering his best managerial performances and did they place their trust their him? Like Ryan Kent they did. Sporadically playing a kid out of position, in a system nobody other than Johnson thought worth playing. Those actually on speed dial weren't shy in calling each other with dire warnings of how best to protect their talent. Again, the basics of management, whatever sector one occupies, is ones most important assets are the folks who work within and interact with ones organisation. Johnson's fundamental problem is he isn't a people person. It's easy to cast him with Napoleon Complex but that's because the prerequisite for stereotype is a deeply engrained element of truth. As many times before, the Sunderland board must have reviewed his antics against Lincoln, his posturing, his short-lived fuse, his running as quick for cover behind the nearest lump he can find when realising he's out of his depth. Biggest problem for him is he's probably never in his life been on the receiving end of a lamping. Nothing so useful as to focus ones actions and strategy. Does his going change my attitude toward him? Not one bit. He ruined this club, that's his legacy, that isn't for changing.