New stadium update...

[desertscouser]

Hope you're right mate. I'm encouraged by recent developments but still remain to be fully convinced by them and will continue to strike a note of caution.

The press and their obvious anti-Rafa agenda is pissing me off no end. Rafa's paying the price for not being media-friendly and not having the media running scared of him a la Ferguson. I really hope our fans do not get taken in by it, and that the yanks don't rise to the bait.

As long as Rafa gets our season up and running again all the ****e in the press should subside. A good match winning run and a victory against Inter in the CL should suffice.

[tomasjj]

Just got back from Manchester (had to drive). We met in Wetherspoons on Oxford Street which is one of the favourite drinking dens of the AFL people (the Paramount next door is another). By the time I'd dropped the wife and daughter and their friends off at the MEN for the 'High School Musical on Ice' bollocks it was gone half six so there were only a few of the lads left.

Anyway... the two directors who did the presentation in NY (I know their names but I won't name them here for obvious reasons) were back today and are very confident that they've got the job as they used a specialist firm to do an expensive and hugely impressive "walk through" presentation (not a Powerpoint presentation as somebody had previously claimed) and apparently it went down really well.

HKS did the morning presentation followed by lunch with G, H & P then AFL did the afternoon presentation followed by an evening meal and a few drinks. Going on second gave them a big advantage as did being able to relax with a few Buds in the evening. AFL's design comes in around £290m inclusive of fit-out (£10m under budget) so HKS have had to radically compromise to get anywhere near as their original plans came in at around £400m plus fit-out.

My mate says the walk-through presentation is amazing and he'll get me a DVD next week (it's too sensitive right now) and we won't be disappointed with the new design which is nothing like the original AFL "Parrybowl".

Whether we go with the AFL or the HKS revised design it sounds like we're getting a great 70,000 seater modern stadium which will be unique and yet won't break the bank so we can still afford to buy some decent players. I'm sure all the usual 'doom & gloom' merchants will carry on moaning like **** but I feel far more positive this evening than I have done for a long time...

That's all for now - sorry there's nothing really new to report but, hey, let's be happy...




Oh, and I had to break my January booze abstention and have a pint of Guinness. The ****ing sacrifices I make for this site...

Respect Iain.

[Dhav]

As long as Rafa gets our season up and running again all the ****e in the press should subside. A good match winning run and a victory against Inter in the CL should suffice.

Yep, and hopefully another sucker throws himself in the firing line to divert some of the attention off Rafa. It's a shame Allardyce has gone already.

[kurtangle01]

HKS did the morning presentation followed by lunch with G, H & P then AFL did the afternoon presentation followed by an evening meal and a few drinks. Going on second gave them a big advantage as did being able to relax with a few Buds in the evening. :

So when did the conversations about Rafa's future take place?!?! Perhaps the press were lying and the meetings in NY were solely based on the new ground and not about his future afterall. WHO'D HAVE THOUGHT THAT THE PRESS WOULD LIE ABOUT SUCH A THING?!?!?!

[desertscouser]

Yep, and hopefully another sucker throws himself in the firing line to divert some of the attention off Rafa. It's a shame Allardyce has gone already.

Prays for McClown to get the Newcastle job

[kurtangle01]

Cheers Iain

It's been a very positive week all round. Seems like these Yanks aren't too bad after all as many of us have been saying/hoping. Where are all the doom merchants now?? I'm sure they'll find something to whinge about.

Amazing how none of the doom merchants respond to positive news like this, isn't it?!

[desertscouser]

Amazing how none of the doom merchants respond to positive news like this, isn't it?!

It's always been the way.

Where's Rashid these days??

[Shaggy]

It's always been the way.

Where's Rashid these days??

Next defeat.

[sonsofthedesert]

It's always been the way.

Where's Rashid these days??

Too much positive stuff being posted for him.

[desertscouser]

Too much positive stuff being posted for him.

I reckon if we sign Mascher it will be the straw that breaks the camel's back. He'll probably become an Everton fan.

[kurtangle01]

It's always been the way.

Where's Rashid these days??

Next defeat.

Too much positive stuff being posted for him.

I reckon if we sign Mascher it will be the straw that breaks the camel's back. He'll probably become an Everton fan.

Never mind Rashid. There are more than a few regular posters on here who are dying for the yanks to fail so that they can be proved right.

[desertscouser]

Never mind Rashid. There are more than a few regular posters on here who are dying for the yanks to fail so that they can be proved right.

Check out AF's latest post. They will all be out in force within the next 12 hours.

[sonsofthedesert]

Never mind Rashid. There are more than a few regular posters on here who are dying for the yanks to fail so that they can be proved right.

Some people have let themselves down bigtime over all of this. I am not saying everything is perfect but I'm suprised how many people went off the deepend over the past month or 2.

[Dhav]

Never mind Rashid. There are more than a few regular posters on here who are dying for the yanks to fail so that they can be proved right.

I'd certainly hope not mate, because if someone would get any kind of pleasure from seeing the club in trouble just because they are able to say "I told you so" then I'd seriously question their allegiance to the club.

As you know I'm a confirmed yankoskeptic, but nothing would give me more pleasure than to be proved wrong because it means the club is in safe hands. And I look forward to being able to come on here, hold my hands up and say "fair play, the yanks kept their promises, they've delivered, and I was wrong".

[Shaggy]

I'd certainly hope not mate, because if someone would like to see the club in turmoil just to be able to say I told you so then I'd seriously question their allegiance to the club.

As you know I'm a confirmed yankoskeptic, but nothing would give me more pleasure than to be proved wrong because it means the club is in safe hands. And I look forward to being able to come on here, hold my hands up and say "fair play, the yanks kept their promises, they've delivered, and I was wrong".

I have my doubts over the Americans too. It's been a bumpy ride so far but, from where I'm sitting, it looks to me like we've had a good week and things are most definitely looking up. As kurt says, Rafa has been backed this week, but that's obviously not good enough for the rags.