mcgoo_84

After his 1st 3 performances we need to snatch some cash for him now. His value is decreasing rapidly with every season, he's been :censored: & uninterested in the 3 games so far!! He gave a 'goodbye' applause at the end of the game today too. Waited until all the rest of the team had gone & came right over alone.

Didn't someone once say you never win anything with kids?? I'm sure I remember that!! :-)

Mark Tyler in an FA Cup Replay for Peterborough on a freezing cold Tuesday night at BP. If I remember correctly they went one up early doors & didn't get another kick for the rest of the 90 minutes - he was brilliant & single handedly got them through, to make matters worse they went on to play Chelsea at Stamford Bridge in the next round!!

That's about right - scousers trying to nick someone else's prized asset!!!

I'm sure many of us would take a 0-0 draw now!!

I'm fine Paul, thanks.

Maybe instead of coming to catch or punch a ball he should try to head it clear as he has shown that he can clearly get higher with his head than he seems to manage with his outstretched hands!!

And appears to be staying until the end of the season too, great news!! Glad to see someone else within the camp who is enjoying life at Latics!! All of a sudden BP seems to be a good place to be again!!

10th of January 2004 is a day that will be forever embedded in my memory. Brighton away and the last time I ever went on official club transport. Approximately 9pm on the way home Barlows fan belt bust on the M6 about a mile from Hilton Park Services. Managed to limp the coach into Hilton Park, which proved to be a terrible mistake. About an hour after getting there the shops shut and we all remained sat in the cafe waiting for the AA. It was at this point that a coach full of City fans arrived on their way back from Portsmouth (I later found out that a couple of my mates were in fact on this City coach), one City fan got off and staggered into the services as the coach drove off. From the safety of the cafe this City fan was funny to watch as he fell over at least twice before getting to the door of the services so bladdered was he. As he entered the services however it became quite apparent why he'd been left, the smell of faeces was unbearable! That's right, so bladdered he had shat himself and been chucked off his coach!!! Spotting a group of football fans however, he decided to attempt to come over and make small talk with a number of people off our coach, I've never seen 60 year old women scarper as fast (my gran included!!) Over the course of what felt like a number of hours this individual kept leaving the services and then coming back accompanied by a police car, as he kept attempting to walk up the hard shoulder of the M6, the police however wouldn't put him in their car so kept making him walk back!! Eventually sometime around midnight he disappeared into the night, never to be seen again, the smell in the services however remained until we left on a replacement coach at about 2:30am! Returning back to Boundary Park at 4am!! All after a horrendously boring 0-0 too!!

That's the problem with MVoto though - Keane signed him when he was splashing stupid money all over the place! Hence JYM's wages which could be a major problem for us, let's hope the pair of them enjoy it so much here that they want to stay here together!!

Interesting discussion this!! IF what I hear is true (and it is an IF) then Oumare might be the more realistic of the two in terms of who we can afford. Between them I understand that they earn around £8500 at Sunderland, of which £7k is JYM!!! I'd love it if we could keep them both, both have made a massive impact so far this season and clearly love being here, which is great to see.

Exactly. With our game being all ticket there was no need for anyone to do anything. Forward thinking Bury (apparently) handed out a voucher to everyone entering the ground on Tuesday just in case their game didn't finish.

Where do other clubs make their money on matchdays? Catering - We have sold out our catering to an outside company so no matter how much extra tucker is sold on a matchday there is no extra money for the club. Bars - Same as above!! Programmes - Same as above!! Ok the club have a guaranteed (sp) income from all of these but are simply not going to do anything to increase sales in any of these departments as no extra money will come to the club from it. Apologies if any of my information is no longer correct!! Additional Information re above comments:- Having had a chat will Alan Hardy today about this and some other points that I made in my earlier post Alan has confirmed that the club DOES have all these run by outside companies BUT the club DO make money on each of them depending on sales and that the initial payment by far outweighs the losses that they were previously experiencing. The club previously (when running these "in house") were losing money on each of them but Alan can now confirm that each "franchise" pays the club a fixed amount and there is also an agreement that the club get a percentage of sales above a certain level. Sorry if my earlier comments were misleading. Dave Hudson

Having read through this the lot of this I feel that I need to say something. Where do other clubs make their money on matchdays? Catering - We have sold out our catering to an outside company so no matter how much extra tucker is sold on a matchday there is no extra money for the club. Bars - Same as above!! Programmes - Same as above!! Ok the club have a guaranteed (sp) income from all of these but are simply not going to do anything to increase sales in any of these departments as no extra money will come to the club from it. Hospitality - In my view at our club this is poor (at best). Having been in hospitality at other clubs and seen how they do things I think that we are quite backward thinking and losing touch even further over recent years. At Grimsby & Stockport (to name 2) every player (unless seriously injured) is told to report to the ground at a specific time (not just the players in the matchday squad), and all the injured, suspended players have a role to play on the day. At Grimsby part of the hospitality includes a stadium tour where a couple of players tag along with the group. Other players have to go into the hospitality suite where they walk round shaking peoples hand and speaking to and having photos taken with the guests. They can then disappear when the guests sit down to their meal but are expected to turn up again after the match were they are involved with after match interviews (how did you enjoy the match from the stand as opposed to playing? etc) and more photo opportunities until the chosen Man of the Match turns up for his presentation - OK we do not have the right facilities to involve all non playing players but why do we not get a few involved?? Similar at Stockport but without the stadium tour with players being involved with the hospitality package. We are paying all these players so why not use them for something worthwhile?? My view is that we should get the catering and bars back under club control and get them open early - especially in the away end. I sell programmes behind the Rochdale Rd end and the amount of away supporters that arrive early wanting a drink and some food and then have to be directed to a local pub or mcdonalds when told that the turnstiles will not be open for another 30 / 40 minutes is unbelievable. This is because usually the turnstiles will not be open on most matchdays until nearly 2pm. Sean Jarvis was heading in the right direction with wanting tv's on the concourses (if you can call them concourses!!) and the bars. Get the fans in early, provide them with the early ko game on a Saturday dinnertime or Soccer Saturday and get them spending their money in the ground!! I would also have the bars re-opening after the game for a good hour to let the fans have a drink and watch the results whilst the traffic dies down. Hopefully when / if we do ever move to a new ground then all these things and many other things that come under the "match day experience" will be included and sorted out. Apologies if any of my information is no longer correct!! Dave Hudson

PS - on the Feeney topic (I knew there was a reason I looked at this thread!) Delighted when we signed him, I saw a Paul Warne type who would work his knackers off for the cause but that would score more goals than Warney, up to now I agree that he has been a disappointment, however, I am witholding proper judgement at the moment as I would like to see him with a run of 7-10 games in the team with Tounkare (sorry if spelt wrong, it seems to change daily and I can't be bothered checking!!) to have the opportunity to settle into his knew surroundings at BP and strike up a proper understanding with Oumare without constant interruption from NI internationals and niggling injuries. I fear we may never get it though!

Maybe, but the effort, the desire to win the game both on and off the pitch was there, the not accepting a point and sticking 'big Jean' up front as well was something we definitely would not have seen last year!

Simple answer - they can't! And therefore won't!

Bound to be a whistle happy tosser then with absolutely no common sense or understanding of the game!! I'd be quite happy to be referred back to this post and take it back if he has a blinder!!

Damn, I've been busted!!

I don't know who the author of the article is or what she does for a living but it's pretty vague. Most of the time arson will end up in the Crown Court but technically it is an offence that can be heard from start to finish in the Magistrates Court. When charged the Magistrates will take a number of factors into account when deciding whether they feel they can deal with it, they will take an early view of the evidence and decide whether they feel their sentencing powers (max 6 months) are sufficient should the defendant be convicted. Even if the Magistrates accept jurisdiction the defendant can elect for the matter to be heard in the Crown Court (which is normally the route taken) as there is statistically more chance of an acquittal in the Crown Court and even if convicted (by jury or on a guilty plea) while Crown Court judges have much stronger sentencing powers it would be likely that they wouldn't be as harsh as the Magistrates would if given a chance.

Not necessarily, it's an either way offence which means it can be heard in the Mags or Crown, depends on the individual circumstances of the case as to whether the magistrates feel their sentencing powers would be sufficient in the event of a conviction. Arson is 'criminal damage by fire' so it shouldn't be charged as anything else, if charged at all. Depending on how old they are,it could end up in the youth court but even from there it could end up in the Crown Court for sentence (but don't ask me about how it gets there because I don't do youth court work!)

You wouldn't want me to represent them, I'd get them off!! If charged of course! If it gets to court I'd be surprised if Magistrates accepted jurisdiction given their limited sentencing powers (they can only give a maximum of 6 months) and given the value of the damage they may see their powers as insufficient. It will be interesting to see where this goes - obviously I'm making these comments without having a clue what the evidence is, what they said / didn't say in the police station etc so it's all just speculation for now.

They could just have been bailed for CPS advice as the police don't make the decision whether to charge. That decision can sometimes take a number of weeks. Their ages and what they did in the police station may have some impact on the decision, if they are under 16, had no previous and admitted it straight up in interview there may be a chance they get away with a caution, but the court treat offences of arson very seriously and given the value of damage caused I'd be surprised if they only received a 'slap on the wrists'.

She looked pretty special to me to when she had her arms round me after handing over £80 after the Fenners Tenners round!! A rather lovely young lady!!!!

Just for your information for anyone planning to travel to this game. There are currently £19 rooms still available at various Travelodges in the area!! Dave Hudson