Grant(aka_eddy)

and contributed! Though you do have a valid point, Scrappy Doo really was crap.

She's pretty chunky too! And I cant mention Sccody Doo without thinking Daphne was hot! For a cartoon that is! :oops:

Surely you need a superpower to be a superhero? Scooby can talk, which is shit hot stuff for a pooch but he's still a whiny word removed!

Just the one for me too, NickTheFish. Have seen Cresswell ages ago at the fans meeting in the leisure centre, theboyangel i think in O'neills in Sutton and walked past stevenjos in the North stand carpark but he was with his missus and i wasnt 100% sure it was him. Nickthefish is a right bastard though, sold me a few gig tickets but then robbed some stella's i'd bought for a night in!

Thats the rant of the year so far! Good work CV

Whoosh!!! I think you may have missed the sublety of the joke before yours

Dunno........... We'd certainly be relegated if Ellis was still in charge! I'd still like to see what DOL could have done with an enthusiastic and supportive Chairman, (Risdale was a little too enthusiastic at Leeds). Perhaps from a clean slate he could have done well. However the situation at the time of him leaving was that he had fallen out with the fans and half the dressing room. In order to restore harmony to the club and have everyone pulling in the same direction, he had to go. There was no way back for him imo, not even the change at boardroom could have healed the rifts. I certainly feared relegation.

We were in decline under O'Leary (and Ellis), that has now been halted. Overall we've been a shade better than last season imo. But stopping that decline was the important thing.

Glad i'm not alone in feeling like that. Good point well made!

Ihave to go in a minute but all I want is the BEST manager, nationality means **** all for some it is the important bit, thats why I call it xenophobia I'm lost for words really. Well i probably ought to go in a minucte too. I have to stab a Zimbabwean at 10, then slap a German at 10:30 and possibly tickle an Andorran at 11 i fi'm not too tired.

Ian, just to clarify I dont want to change your mind about England having a foregn manager. I fully understand where you're coming from on it. I just want to you to understand the reasons alot of people have arent based on xenophobia and have nothing whatsoever to do with thinking foreign managers arent capable. Just that to some people it's almost like cheating and defeats the point. Fine if you disagree with that but those reasons are certainly not xenophobic.

English managers are shite at the moment and it's difficult to see any who will get a shot at the big four in the next 5 years either and that includes Villa breaking in there McClaren is though, the worst of the bunch!

Aha you are at last getting it. Even if you think it's daft, which is fair enough, i'll take that over xenophobic! In essence yes, I think the coaching staff should also be English because I dont make a distinction between them and the team, it's all one entity to me.

No Ian, no-one is saying that (i dont think). people are saying that a sport involving competition between nations, funnily enough should only involve people from those nations. I suppose it's a bit of a purists way of looking at it. But it certainly doenst make it xenophobic. You seem fixated on the idea that anyone who doesnt want an English manager thinks foreign managers are useless. I think i've run out of ways to explain myself now! :?

I agree with you competely on the ruling Rocafella. However I can see the point for it and it's one that Ian has touched on, basically the smaller nations can benefit by having a better coach to drag them up a level or 3.

P.s. are we still shit by the way?

Your point is? If these countries decided to engage Facism.... should we follow suit? Is Fat Sam the best and available candidate throughout the world for the England Job ? No, no-one can say that thus why want him ? Woudl you want a second rate manager for Villa Grant, it is xenophobis, did you read what the Daily Mail et all said ? did you hear some of the comments on the radio regarding 'foreign' managers best mangers in England are Fergie, Mourinho, Wenger, Benitz, MON not a single Englishman even close to these and Big Sam is the closest I feel like i'm banging my head against a brick wall here, but i'll refrain from using the smiley! Well i'm pretty certain i'm one of the most liberal people about so I really do take exception to be labelled xenophobic. If you're not prepared to retract it then it's up to you. Constantly repeating better candidates isnt really relevant to the point i'm making as i'm agreeing there are better candidates available. You dont get to choose the best available players, only the ones from your country. I think the same should apply to the manager too. i dont however think that means that there arent better managers available. Just that you shouldnt be allowed to employ them as the point of the competition is a battle between nations and that dilutes it to an extent. Ho hum.

I think you're missing my point somewhat Ian, apologies if i havent explained myself too well. I dont disagree that there are better candiadates for the job. There are im my eyes, yours too. But in a sport that is about pitting one country against another, some people choose to think that shoudl be extended to the staff as well as the players. Imo it would not be unreasonable for the rules to stipulate this. As i said, i think the reason they're not is mainly for the smaller nations. The thing i'm questioning is why you acuse people of xenophobia if they hold this belief? It's quite an offensive accusation, like calling people racist or sexist and in this case I think it's unjustified. I think it's the very point of the competition to pit what you have, be it the best or otherwise against other nations. Since the rules allow it then i think we should benefit but i wouldnt object to the rules being changed at all.

Ian, from the other recent England thread did you ever get to read the following response? I'm just wondering your thoughts on it as you seem to be having another pop at those who wanted an English manager again. Ta mate. I think that comment is way over the top. In fact it's probably worse than that Ian and really quite offensive. For alot of people the issue over coaching staff is not necessarily removed from the issue of playing staff...i.e. they are required to be English as that is the whole point, putting forward the best your country has to offer and competing with other nations. Even though the rules of the game do allow it (I suspect for the benfit of the lesser talented/experienced/developed nations) some people choose not to make a distinction and would prefer England to be represented by English people from top to bottom. If you wouldnt call it narrow-minded xenophobia to require Englands players to be English, I dont feel you can really make a massive leap and slap people with that for wanting to have an Enlgish manager. This is a sport that is intrinsically linked to making a distiction by nationality, xenophobia does not come into it. Personally I would prefer an English manager for the reasons above but I accept that if there is not a decent candidate then it is common sense to look elsewhere. I'd have gone foreign this time, rather than McLaren for instance. O'Neill would've been my choice by a long way.

Virgin out of principle alone although i have had sky before. SKy have easily the best product at the moment, i'll be seeing what Virgin can offer us to try and compete otherwise i'll have little choice but to switch. Telewest werent as good but losing sky one and ssn has been a big blow.

The fact that they have Sidwell for 4 mill makes me wonder how reliable they are as a source. Like i said just after that it was a big error in my part :oops: And no-one is letting you forget it either!

Isn't Sidwell available on a free this summer? But Sneijder would be a great buy from what i've seen.

I believe intent and ball to hand are actually the two most relevant factors for refs to consider according to the rules, so not too sure i agree with that Bicks. Having said that, it was a penalty in my book, arms raised in an unnatural position and contact with the ball.

Thats not a view that many people share and whilst you're entitled to think that Moore had 'the package' others are entitled to disagree. In fact it would seem most people see him as perhaps the most one-dimensional portrayal so far. If you happen to like that dimension then fair enough and i did enjoy alot of the films. Moores portrayal was perhaps most fitting with 70's light-hearted innuendo filled britain. Perhaps he was the best at the time for the role they wanted. I definitely couldnt see the same sort of 'actor' leading the role now and I think Craig's appointement was a step in the right direction. I'd actually praise many of Moore's movies and say they were what caused the longevity rather than the actor himself. You dont. You can if you want to and if you prefer the character that way, but equally you can want the character to stay closer to the books. Luckily for alot of us we're getting that now with Daniel Craig and you have Moore on re-run to keep you happy, so we're all winners!

Always stop by this thread and this is my favourite of your pictures so far I think Bicks. It has soul!