Frustration. I think that one word sums up being a Southampton fan at the moment. We've waited three weeks for the Pinnacle consortium takeover to go through, but the deal hit a snag yesterday, on the last day of exclusivity for Pinnacle, over negotiations with the football league. An emergency meeting on Monday concerning the ten points deduction imposed on Saints by the football league looks likely to make or break the deal.
I can't stress how much I want the Pinnacle deal to go through, for the simple reason that Matt Le Tissier looks set to become chairman if negotiations can be completed successfully After having to put up with Rupert Lowe for so long, its important Saints are now looked after by someone who actually cares about the club and its clear Le Tissier loves Southampton FC as much as the fans love him.
A rival consortium is waiting in the wings should the Pinnacle bid fail, fronted by businessman Marc Jackson. I'm wary of this Marc Jackson character, not just because he looks like Newcastle owner Mike Ashley (who has had a disastrous tenure at St James Park), but Jackson was linked with a takeover of AFC Bournemouth less than a year ago, which suggests he just wants the novelty of owning a football club.
Lets hope the Pinnacle bid is triumphant and the ever growing complicated situation can be resolved in the next few days.
In other Sport news, the Wimbledon tennis championship begins on Monday, with huge pressure on Scotsman Andy Murray to be the first Brit to win the mens tournament since Fred Perry in 1936. After world number one Rafael Nadal dropped out due to injury yesterday this may be Murray's best chance of winning Wimbledon and he'll be full of confidence winning the Queens tournament last weekend. Ladbrokes have put Murray as second favourite behind Roger Federer, but with Nadal injured this a huge opportunity for Murray to win his first grand slam title.
Saturday 20 June 2009
Thursday 18 June 2009
Thursday 18th June 2009
I've awoken this afternoon to the sensational news that Kevin Keegan may be installed as new Saints manager if this Matt Le Tissier backed takeover is finally completed tomorrow. This would be great news for the club after a dark period. Keegan is a huge name in football, his teams have a reputation for playing attractive, attacking football and older fans will remember his brief, but successful spell has a player on the south coast in the 1980s. Attendances at St Marys have been dwindling recently, but the "Keegan factor" could be just what is needed to get the crowd back watching their team, who this season play third tier football for the first time in 50 years.
One of British football's most decorated players, "King Kev" has had mixed results as a manager. He's fondly remembered at Newcastle, but his time in charge of the England team is probably best forgotten. He has experience at this level of football, having helped Fulham to the old division one championship in 1999, before leaving to takeover the national team.
Keegan's second spell as Newcastle manager last year started poorly, but he was starting to turn things around at St James Park before a disagreement with owner Mike Ashley saw him walk out. I'm confident Newcastle wouldn't have been relegated last month if there had been more stability and Keegan had stayed.
Of course, this is still only speculation, but it could realistically happen. Keegan went to third tier club Fulham in 1998 after managing a Premiership club and he'll be welcomed with open arms by the majority of Saints fans I'm sure. Lets just hope we're not all getting excited for nothing, Saints fans deserve some good news for once after recent events. Tomorrow is judgement day, as the Pinnacle group's 21 day exclusivity period will expire if a deal is not sealed. Talk about leaving things to the very last minute! Lets keep our fingers crossed over this news, I shall most probably update over the weekend.
*Facts in this post were checked on www.soccerbase.com, a great site for football anoraks such as myself!
One of British football's most decorated players, "King Kev" has had mixed results as a manager. He's fondly remembered at Newcastle, but his time in charge of the England team is probably best forgotten. He has experience at this level of football, having helped Fulham to the old division one championship in 1999, before leaving to takeover the national team.
Keegan's second spell as Newcastle manager last year started poorly, but he was starting to turn things around at St James Park before a disagreement with owner Mike Ashley saw him walk out. I'm confident Newcastle wouldn't have been relegated last month if there had been more stability and Keegan had stayed.
Of course, this is still only speculation, but it could realistically happen. Keegan went to third tier club Fulham in 1998 after managing a Premiership club and he'll be welcomed with open arms by the majority of Saints fans I'm sure. Lets just hope we're not all getting excited for nothing, Saints fans deserve some good news for once after recent events. Tomorrow is judgement day, as the Pinnacle group's 21 day exclusivity period will expire if a deal is not sealed. Talk about leaving things to the very last minute! Lets keep our fingers crossed over this news, I shall most probably update over the weekend.
*Facts in this post were checked on www.soccerbase.com, a great site for football anoraks such as myself!
Saturday 13 June 2009
Saturday 13th June 2009
Looks like David Miliband has been stirring things up again! The Foreign Secretary has claimed in The Guardian that he nearly resigned from the Cabinet along with James Purnell last week. The timing of this has been criticised by John Prescott, who questions Miliband's motives. We all know that David Miliband wants to be Prime Minister, something which became clear last summer when he outlined his vision for Britain in an article in The Guardian without mentioning Gordon Brown. However, Miliband won't stand against Brown any time soon when he knows Labour have very little chance of winning the next general election no matter who leads them.
I predict, as do Labour supporters I have spoken to about this matter, that Miliband will bide his time and attempt to become leader of the Labour party in a few years time when the party are in opposition and Cameron's Conservative government start to become less popular with the electorate.
I'm confused as to why David Miliband has come out and said now that he "nearly" stepped down as Foreign Secretary. The Convention of Collective Responsibility means that all members of the government must agree with the policy of the government and if they don't they must remain silent in public or resign. Miliband seems to be sitting on the fence, making it unclear whether he agrees with government policy and its leader or not. To me it looks as though he's only staying in the post to protect his future leadership ambitions.
There's a worryingly lack of news on the Saints takeover front, but the big football story this week has been Cristiano Ronaldo's likely transfer to Real Madrid, after Manchester United accepted their £80 million bid. I think its about time United and Ronaldo parted company, its obvious the relationship between club and player has been under strain recently and this was made apparent when Ronaldo threw a tantrum after being substituted against Manchester City last month. For me, it looked certain he would be leaving Old Trafford this summer when he criticised Sir Alex Ferguson's tactics after United's Champions League final defeat. Jaap Stam, David Beckham and Ruud van Nistelrooy to name but a few will tell you that when you face up to The Boss then you don't tend to stay at Manchester United much longer!
With the transfer looking inevitable, United are already planning for life without Ronaldo, with reports today claiming they're after Wigan's Antonio Valencia as a replacement. I haven't seen too much of Valencia, but his statistics of just seven goals in 83 appearances suggests they'll need to buy someone else as well as Valencia to replace Ronaldo's ability to score plenty of goals. After all, I imagine £80 million could buy almost any player in the world (with perhaps the exception of Lionel Messi), so watch this space...
I predict, as do Labour supporters I have spoken to about this matter, that Miliband will bide his time and attempt to become leader of the Labour party in a few years time when the party are in opposition and Cameron's Conservative government start to become less popular with the electorate.
I'm confused as to why David Miliband has come out and said now that he "nearly" stepped down as Foreign Secretary. The Convention of Collective Responsibility means that all members of the government must agree with the policy of the government and if they don't they must remain silent in public or resign. Miliband seems to be sitting on the fence, making it unclear whether he agrees with government policy and its leader or not. To me it looks as though he's only staying in the post to protect his future leadership ambitions.
There's a worryingly lack of news on the Saints takeover front, but the big football story this week has been Cristiano Ronaldo's likely transfer to Real Madrid, after Manchester United accepted their £80 million bid. I think its about time United and Ronaldo parted company, its obvious the relationship between club and player has been under strain recently and this was made apparent when Ronaldo threw a tantrum after being substituted against Manchester City last month. For me, it looked certain he would be leaving Old Trafford this summer when he criticised Sir Alex Ferguson's tactics after United's Champions League final defeat. Jaap Stam, David Beckham and Ruud van Nistelrooy to name but a few will tell you that when you face up to The Boss then you don't tend to stay at Manchester United much longer!
With the transfer looking inevitable, United are already planning for life without Ronaldo, with reports today claiming they're after Wigan's Antonio Valencia as a replacement. I haven't seen too much of Valencia, but his statistics of just seven goals in 83 appearances suggests they'll need to buy someone else as well as Valencia to replace Ronaldo's ability to score plenty of goals. After all, I imagine £80 million could buy almost any player in the world (with perhaps the exception of Lionel Messi), so watch this space...
Tuesday 9 June 2009
Tuesday 9th June 2009
Leading on from my post about Nick Griffin yesterday (sorry to sound like a broken record), I was glad to see him pelted with eggs by anti fascist protesters outside Westminster this afternoon.
This has been the big debate of the day; were the protesters right to deny Griffin the chance to conduct his press conference? Well, maybe his location for the press conference could've been better. The lawn outside Westminster is usually only used by the big political parties to speak to the press. His sheer arrogance is so apparent here by the fact that he thinks he and his fascist party are now the political mainstream, just because they now have two elected MEPs. If Griffin wants to preach his racial hate like Hitler he should've chosen a more private location.
And the protesters only threw eggs at him, not bricks or hand grenades. If I was there at that moment I would've happily joined the "Nazi scum off our streets" chanting. Well done to the anti fascist group who organised the protests. They weren't denying free speech like many people have suggested, they were stopping a fascist leader from preaching is immoral and socially unacceptable views.
Nick Griffin was on more4 news tonight being interviewed by Alex Thomson. He denied that he ever claimed that the Holocaust never happened on The Cook Report in 1997. Footage of The Cook Report all over YouTube suggests otherwise (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6X8QQwU00Jk).
I don't wish to spend any more time blogging on this scumbag, so will move swiftly on...
I'm still checking the Internet several times a day to see if the Matt Le Tissier backed Pinnacle group have successfully completed their takeover of Southampton Football Club. It will be difficult to relax until the deal is set in stone, but meetings last week between the prospective new board and current manager Mark Wotte suggest the Dutchman won't be in charge of the first team next season.
I would love to see Paul Tisdale become Saints manager, a young manager who has won back-to-back promotions with Exeter City and a former Saints player in the Premiership years. Of course, a return to St Marys for Gordon Strachan would be a dream come true, but we have to remain realistic. A few people have suggested Paul Ince should take charge next season, as he has a proven track record in the lower leagues with Maccesfield and MK Dons. However, I would be very skeptical of this appointment, as he may jump at the chance to move to a club in the divisions above, like did when in charge of both Maccesfield and MK Dons.
Just as long as Rupert Lowe doesn't ever return I'm optimistic the long road to recovery for Saints can begin from next season.
Off to watch Jack Dee Live at the Apollo now (its on Dave, I'm not actually going to the live event unfortunately), I seem to be on a roll with updates, three days in a row now, lets hope I can keep this run up!
This has been the big debate of the day; were the protesters right to deny Griffin the chance to conduct his press conference? Well, maybe his location for the press conference could've been better. The lawn outside Westminster is usually only used by the big political parties to speak to the press. His sheer arrogance is so apparent here by the fact that he thinks he and his fascist party are now the political mainstream, just because they now have two elected MEPs. If Griffin wants to preach his racial hate like Hitler he should've chosen a more private location.
And the protesters only threw eggs at him, not bricks or hand grenades. If I was there at that moment I would've happily joined the "Nazi scum off our streets" chanting. Well done to the anti fascist group who organised the protests. They weren't denying free speech like many people have suggested, they were stopping a fascist leader from preaching is immoral and socially unacceptable views.
Nick Griffin was on more4 news tonight being interviewed by Alex Thomson. He denied that he ever claimed that the Holocaust never happened on The Cook Report in 1997. Footage of The Cook Report all over YouTube suggests otherwise (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6X8QQwU00Jk).
I don't wish to spend any more time blogging on this scumbag, so will move swiftly on...
I'm still checking the Internet several times a day to see if the Matt Le Tissier backed Pinnacle group have successfully completed their takeover of Southampton Football Club. It will be difficult to relax until the deal is set in stone, but meetings last week between the prospective new board and current manager Mark Wotte suggest the Dutchman won't be in charge of the first team next season.
I would love to see Paul Tisdale become Saints manager, a young manager who has won back-to-back promotions with Exeter City and a former Saints player in the Premiership years. Of course, a return to St Marys for Gordon Strachan would be a dream come true, but we have to remain realistic. A few people have suggested Paul Ince should take charge next season, as he has a proven track record in the lower leagues with Maccesfield and MK Dons. However, I would be very skeptical of this appointment, as he may jump at the chance to move to a club in the divisions above, like did when in charge of both Maccesfield and MK Dons.
Just as long as Rupert Lowe doesn't ever return I'm optimistic the long road to recovery for Saints can begin from next season.
Off to watch Jack Dee Live at the Apollo now (its on Dave, I'm not actually going to the live event unfortunately), I seem to be on a roll with updates, three days in a row now, lets hope I can keep this run up!
Monday 8 June 2009
Monday 8th June 2009
The European election results last night was a very sad day for British politics. I'm not talking about Labour's dismal, though somewhat expected, showing in the polls. Or the fact that only a third of the electorate in Britain turned out to vote. What makes last night's results so terrible is that Britain will be represented in Europe by two fascists of the British National Party.
I'm all for free speech, its the most important concept of a liberal society, but the BNP's view are simply racism disguised as politics. I understand voter's anger over the recent expenses scandal in Westminster, but there are alternatives to voting for a modern day Nazi party. Aside from the three main parties in Britain, ballot papers up and down the country included the Green party (which I voted for), the Christian People's Alliance, the Socialist Labour party, Libertas and many more. As much as I disagree with UKIP, even they would've been a better choice than the BNP.
What makes this whole ordeal worse is that Britain will be represented in Europe by perhaps the worst human being in the country, excluding murderers, rapists and paedophiles, Nick Griffin. If you thought your MP was bad, you should be lucky you haven't got this c**t (my apologies for lowering the tone, no other word describes Nick Griffin better) representing your constituency in Westminster. This is a man who claims the Holocaust never happened and has been arrested on suspicion of incitement to racial hatred, though unfortunately never convicted.
In Southampton in the early hours of this morning the results of the European election for the South East region were announced. When it was announced the BNP had amassed 101, 769 votes in this region there was huge uproar in the conference room of St Marys stadium, followed by a man shouting "f***ing fascists". I'm glad to know I'm not the only one who views the British National Party in this way and it was comforting to see anti racist protesters attempt to stop Nick Griffin from entering Manchester City Hall on television last night.
Hopefully the electorate will see the BNP for what they are and despite now having two MEPs it is only the minority who agree with their extreme right wing views. However its a shame that on the weekend in which commemorate the 65th anniversary of the D-Day landings against a fascist enemy it is a new, modern fascist, this time British enemy to equality and liberalism which will be celebrating election results.
I'm all for free speech, its the most important concept of a liberal society, but the BNP's view are simply racism disguised as politics. I understand voter's anger over the recent expenses scandal in Westminster, but there are alternatives to voting for a modern day Nazi party. Aside from the three main parties in Britain, ballot papers up and down the country included the Green party (which I voted for), the Christian People's Alliance, the Socialist Labour party, Libertas and many more. As much as I disagree with UKIP, even they would've been a better choice than the BNP.
What makes this whole ordeal worse is that Britain will be represented in Europe by perhaps the worst human being in the country, excluding murderers, rapists and paedophiles, Nick Griffin. If you thought your MP was bad, you should be lucky you haven't got this c**t (my apologies for lowering the tone, no other word describes Nick Griffin better) representing your constituency in Westminster. This is a man who claims the Holocaust never happened and has been arrested on suspicion of incitement to racial hatred, though unfortunately never convicted.
In Southampton in the early hours of this morning the results of the European election for the South East region were announced. When it was announced the BNP had amassed 101, 769 votes in this region there was huge uproar in the conference room of St Marys stadium, followed by a man shouting "f***ing fascists". I'm glad to know I'm not the only one who views the British National Party in this way and it was comforting to see anti racist protesters attempt to stop Nick Griffin from entering Manchester City Hall on television last night.
Hopefully the electorate will see the BNP for what they are and despite now having two MEPs it is only the minority who agree with their extreme right wing views. However its a shame that on the weekend in which commemorate the 65th anniversary of the D-Day landings against a fascist enemy it is a new, modern fascist, this time British enemy to equality and liberalism which will be celebrating election results.
Sunday 7 June 2009
Sunday 7th June 2009
Its been a disastrous week for Gordon Brown, but the worst may be yet to come, as tonight the results of the European election are announced, with Labour themselves expecting "terrible" results.
I think the real key moment this week was when Secretary of State for Work and Pensions James Purnell resigned. We had already seen Jacqui Smith and Hazel Blears step down from the Cabinet, but the feeling is they were pushed rather than jumped, after being implicated in the recent expenses controversy. It is true that Purnell was also involved in this expenses scandal, but so were most of the Cabinet, I'm sure Gordon Brown wouldn't have wanted a bright young Minister such as Purnell to step down.
The real dagger in the heart for Brown was James Purnell's resignation letter, printed on the front page of Friday's edition of The Times, in which he states he believes Brown's leadership "makes a Conservative victory more, not less likely."
Purnell then calls on Brown to resign as leader "to give our party a fighting chance of winning", a direct plea for our Prime Minister to step down from a now former member of his own Cabinet.
Whether we will have a new Labour leader in the next couple of months in hard to tell, but I would think with Brown's stubborn personality he'll want to fight on until next May and call a general election in which he'll have no chance of winning.
And I imagine after this week Tony Blair is sitting at home with a great big smile on his face.
I think the real key moment this week was when Secretary of State for Work and Pensions James Purnell resigned. We had already seen Jacqui Smith and Hazel Blears step down from the Cabinet, but the feeling is they were pushed rather than jumped, after being implicated in the recent expenses controversy. It is true that Purnell was also involved in this expenses scandal, but so were most of the Cabinet, I'm sure Gordon Brown wouldn't have wanted a bright young Minister such as Purnell to step down.
The real dagger in the heart for Brown was James Purnell's resignation letter, printed on the front page of Friday's edition of The Times, in which he states he believes Brown's leadership "makes a Conservative victory more, not less likely."
Purnell then calls on Brown to resign as leader "to give our party a fighting chance of winning", a direct plea for our Prime Minister to step down from a now former member of his own Cabinet.
Whether we will have a new Labour leader in the next couple of months in hard to tell, but I would think with Brown's stubborn personality he'll want to fight on until next May and call a general election in which he'll have no chance of winning.
And I imagine after this week Tony Blair is sitting at home with a great big smile on his face.
Thursday 4 June 2009
4th June 2009
Hazel Blear's resignation from the Cabinet this week will come as a surprise to few after Gordon Brown singled out her expenses claims as "totally unacceptable", but now Blear's may have to give up her seat before the next general election for the good of her party.
Last night Channel 4 news went to her constituency in Salford and interviewed working men who had voted Labour their whole lives who said they wouldn't vote for Labour if Hazel Blears stood for re-election. With polls hinting at a possible hung parliament after the next general election, every seat may prove to be crucial, so the Salford Labour Party may have to ask Blears to step down if they wish to hold onto the seat.
Gordon Brown has come under great pressure, with backbenchers asking for a leadership contest, but is any one going to step up to the challenge. I believe Jack Straw and Alan Johnson are the only Cabinet members who could take on the role and this won't happen until Brown voluntarily stands down , as both have publicly supported his leadership recently.
The other big political story this week is the news that Jacqui Smith will quit the Cabinet. Sam Elliott has been reflecting on her tenure as Home Secretary at www.partlypoliticalbroadcast.co.uk.
Many apologies about not updating this in months, with no university to keep be busy over summer I have no excuses now, so will try harder!
Last night Channel 4 news went to her constituency in Salford and interviewed working men who had voted Labour their whole lives who said they wouldn't vote for Labour if Hazel Blears stood for re-election. With polls hinting at a possible hung parliament after the next general election, every seat may prove to be crucial, so the Salford Labour Party may have to ask Blears to step down if they wish to hold onto the seat.
Gordon Brown has come under great pressure, with backbenchers asking for a leadership contest, but is any one going to step up to the challenge. I believe Jack Straw and Alan Johnson are the only Cabinet members who could take on the role and this won't happen until Brown voluntarily stands down , as both have publicly supported his leadership recently.
The other big political story this week is the news that Jacqui Smith will quit the Cabinet. Sam Elliott has been reflecting on her tenure as Home Secretary at www.partlypoliticalbroadcast.co.uk.
Many apologies about not updating this in months, with no university to keep be busy over summer I have no excuses now, so will try harder!
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