Brucie Bonus said:
mackenzie said:
JohnMaddocksAxe"]Until the end of last season, when everyone has to admit that there were excpetional circumstances, these players have consistently been hardworking professional players, not scared of hard work and willing to put everything in for the shirt they are playing in.
Please remind me again about these "exceptional circumstances."
They're all over the place this bunch. Bring on the bugles, sound the retreat. The most transparent and childish debating tactics I have witnessed in a long time. He thinks if he says something often enough it's gospel.
"Everyone has to admit"...that you and yours have made arses out of yourselves. You're a joke.[/quote]
Mack, I'm surprised you are asking that question. I presume it's in the knowledge that you know what the answer will be, but I'll press on.
The exceptional circumstances, and I don't seek to justify the Middlesbrough performance by stating them or to condemn it, were these engineered by a despotic chariman taking every opportunity post January to undermine the manager and to prolong a whispering campaign about him being sacked at the end of the season. You know that I considered this to be disgusting behaviour at the time and I still do. It gives me little pleasure (well, ok, a bit of the pathetic 'I was right' type, I suppose) to recount that I had numerous arguments at the time with people who clamied that he was doing nothing of the sort and that no decision had been made at all. In fact, it was said by some to be only code for a complete review of everything from the tea lady up.
Now it is generally accepted that Thaksin had made his decision. I contend that he was a totally inappropriate owner of our club and an awful decision maker, interested only in his own short term popularity on the other side of the world and this is what motivated his every action and statement. I accept that's just personal though.
Regardless, my main point was that to compare the (alleged) intentional throwing of one match in reaction to this to the now alleged concerted attempt to get rid of a manager, whilst putting their own careers on the line, for nothing more than a disike of hard work (something which contradicts the character previously exhibited by many).
Bruce, I'm not sure if I've ever addressed you. I can't remember doing so in anything that resembles depth. I've noted that you have addressed me a couple of time, both on this thread and elsewhere. It has always lacked anything like detailed argument and is usually a sixth form esque attempt to mix insults with a general misplaced impression of superiority.
It doesn't wash with me as I can match that ego in my sleep. At the same time I'm not seething, fuming or any other term that you might wish to attach or achieve. I'm slightly perplexed.
I've had minor disagreements on here before with leewill and Billy but I think I've managed to put them to one side. Especially in Billy's case who, although we disagree on a lot (and here's the patronising bit), can forumulate a fine argument when the insults are left at home. By the same rule, I may have slipped into a slight insult phase in my conversations with him myself. Regardless, any insults from both sides were almost always surrounded with argument and not just a schoolboy attempt to boost our respective egos.
Sadly, with your posts, and I'm not just refering to the few addressed to me, there is no such argument on the whole. There is a limited ability as a minor wordsmith but, hey, who hasn't got that.
I'm willing to admit that I may have missed the sparkling debate and argument but I don't believe they have been directed at me so what can I do?
So, forgive me if I don't responsd or take anything that you are posting seriously until I see anything approaching something worthy of respect (and by that I don't mean something that agrees with me, I mean something that rises above a teenage English student angst fest impression). As I said, please don't take this as indication of some sort of moral victory, inability to 'fight' back or lack of suitable answer. There's nothing to answer. I am completely indifferent. Completely.
I may change my mind, it's something to be respected. Unfortunately, I'm not going to be going out of my way to look for evidence enabling me to do this.
Regards
X X X
