So Middlesborough have sacked Gareth Southgate. Now, he is neither here or there to me personally, but this is ridiculous. These managers are hired and fired on a whim, and shit, the fans are pissed off so they are not supporting the team, well, when you sell all your good players and bring in players past their prime, that's what happens, it's not the manager's fault, most of the time it's the owner. We are having huge issues here, because the Redskins are shit, they are the laughing stock of the NFL, some are blaming the coach, but he shouldn't have been hired as head coach in the first place. Most though, including me are blaming the owner Dan Snyder. He is a bastard of the highest order. He bought the Redskins when he was 34, and is a billionaire. Before he bought the team he was a huge Redskins fan, and he doesn't understand that he has to step back from running the team and leave that to the experts. Now the games aren't selling out because the fans are pissed with the results, and if the game is not a sell-out the NFL blackout the game to the local viewers, so if they don't sell out we won't get to see it on TV!!!! MONEY, MONEY, MONEY!!! The Redskins are one of the biggest franchises in the NFL. So this is huge. All the local sports stations, and newspapers are making a huge deal out of it, but Snyder refuses to talk to the press. Meanwhile ex-players and ex-employees are spilling shit about Snyder and what a bastard he is. For example, his wife lost a diamond earring which she thought she lost in a suite at a Redskins game. They grilled the cleaning crew, and accused one of them of stealing it, no-one admitted to it, (probably because no-one stole it, more likely it went up a vacuum cleaner hose), so he fired the whole cleaning crew and hired a new one!!! Another story, (I heard this one a couple of years ago on the radio),the lives in Bethesda, one of the most expensive neighborhoods in Maryland, it is also one of the oldest too. When ever there is ice or snow or severe weather, they tend to lose power. All of the neighbors were in the dark when the power went out, and it was out for a couple of days, he got this souped up generator, and turned on all the power that he possibly could, basically to taunt the neighbors and to say that he could. Neighbors said his house was lit up like a Christmas tree, like more than it would be if they had power.
Wow, Cambodia and Vietnam, that's freaking awesome, the boys will love it, and I bet that the foood will be awesome. I'm sure that the flight will be expensive, but once you get there everything will be dirt cheap. Joe told me that squid and octopus are plentiful in Vietnam, I love both of 'em. I am soooo looking forward to the World Cup next year.
Been busy trying to catch up with the work I didnt do while in France.We had a lovely time and N insisted on 2 hotels with a view (I'll send you the views when I get them off my phone because they were spectacular)- I am a bit tight and my new phrase is "thats 2 nights on the mekong" Ask J what we should not miss in Vietnam. The pound/euro exchange rate was appalling- £6 for a bier grande in the front cafes. So I insisted on going to the supermarket and sitting looking at our view with some bottles before venturing out for food.....bloody gorgeous food.....Oysters,Moulles frite and veal with goats cheese;I'm dribbling now. I think the cutting off of the TV for the Redskins game is a good idea for getting the stadiums full, though if ST is on the telly its a full house anyway.Everyone wants to be on the telly. But I do pay for the boys (not H, he hates football and says "what would I want to go to see ST play for )to go to a home match, whenever, because you should support your local team. Redskins must be big if I have heard or them. Dont you have employment laws do prevent unfair dismissal?
Gareth Southgate is a strange one. They are 2nd in the Championship, but cant win at home, and they won the night he was "released" The Chairman is THE best bloke in football and has supported Bryan Robson and SOuthgate through bad times and it is generally recognised that managers at Middlesborough have the best relationships with their Chairman. Do you remember when Ravenelli and Juninhio and Emerson were there, and Craig Hignett was the Capain. We howled when he was interviewed and said " Yeah, Rav, Emo and Juni have really brought something else to the team"
I am giving Raffa til Monday, after they have played Man utd on SUnday, then I expect transfer requests from Gerrard and Torres. They have leaked bad stories about their relationship with him. Torres was unhappy with Raffas reaction to the news that he was expecting his first child. Apparently he just started talking tactics and did not make any attempt to congratulate him.
