Dick's book officially not stocked at the club shop.

[B.W.]

Ok, thats fair enough, my analysis is trying to pigeonhole people's emotions into a few narrow categories. However I never suggested anything was an act? - he is trying to make Brighton as good as he possibly can. However he is doing it in part by shutting out DK, by raising prices, by introducing 'memberships' and so on that means its not just a 'gift' to the community.

Translation: The club was run like Dick Knight's plaything, amateur-hour personified. Now its run extremely professionally by big-hitting businessmen as a big-hitting business.

 

[B.W.]

The "gift" is currently c. £150m give or take a few tens of millions...

Careful. How dare you use facts.

 

[Goldstone1976]

Sorry, have you actually read the rest of this thread?

Indeed I have. What I've seen is that there is a Daily Mail report that the club has banned the book and a few posters commenting on it. Forgive me for being slightly circumspect about whether the Mail have their facts straight. I'm not definitively stating that the club haven't banned it from the shop - just not being totally convinced they have because the Mail says so.

Besides, my main point was asking whether Walt could see the irony in his post which he criticised posters for commenting with "unshakeable authority" on topics and then starting his next sentence which contained an unsupported assertion with the words "Certainly the case...". Unless, of course he does actually know why the club aren't stocking the book. In which case, I invited him to tell us.

 

[The Large One]

My take would be, if - IF - Martin Perry and Ray Bloom have enough concerns about the accuracy of the book that it's enough to not stock it, they could surely issue a right of reply and set the record straight about X, Y and Z event. From there, people can judge for themselves.

I know that there is one paragraph in the book where Dick wasn't correct - I know because it involved something I did; it's not a material point, more it's indicative of the whole concept of recollection.

Having read the book, the main concern I'd be looking at is that Dick was unpleasant about Martin towards the end of the book over what he feels were loyalty issues. However, I don't think it sets Martin in a bad light at all. In the context of the rest of the book, it seems an unnecessary jibe.

I'm sure there are a few inaccuracies - Dick taking credit for things others did, not giving credit to others, and so on. But what autobiography is 100% accurate? That aside, it's a good read.

Having said that, the reasons being published in the Mail haven't been revealed to be the club's reasons nor those of the directors in question. So they are open to interpretation.

 

[B.W.]

I think the "gift" is a bit different to the money.

IMO, the "gift" is a successful, sustainable, stable football club for now and for future generations of Albion fans. As such, the "gift" is not yet complete, it's work-in-progress. Also, the cash injections are simply the means to achieve the end that I've outlined and are not the end in themselves.

When viewed in the light I've suggested, it throws a different light on some of the decisions that have been made about, for example, Gus and DK....

DK outstayed his welcome. He had to go.

As for Gus...

 

[Not Andy Naylor]

Translation: The club was run like Dick Knight's plaything, amateur-hour personified. Now its run extremely professionally by big-hitting businessmen as a big-hitting business.

I don't know about anyone else, but I find it encouraging to know that such an amateur production can gain three promotions and win serious planning battles against determined opposition. Because you'd really expect "amateur-hour personified" to have sunk into non-League, especially playing at Gillingham for two years and then Withdean for 12. It gives all of us amateurs considerable hope.

 

[Man of Harveys]

The last thought before you go to sleep each night should be "Thank God for Tony Bloom...!!".

Right, we definitely need an NSC OBE: a Private Eye-esque Order of the Brown Nose award given to desperate and frankly slightly disturbing posts of such extreme sycophancy that they attempt to wedge their tongue so far up Paul Barber or Tony Bloom's affluent recta that they can taste what they had for breakfast. Congratulations.

 

[Goldstone1976]

DK outstayed his welcome. He had to go.

As for Gus...

I'll be a little clearer in my statement. It might be that TB viewed DK and GP as in some way threatening the aim of achieving a successful, sustainable &/or stable club and that this viewpoint is what has motivated decisions in the recent past. This would be an entirely different thought process than "I own the club so can do what the feck I want", which is the motivation that some posters seem to posit as being accurate.

 

[B.W.]

I don't know about anyone else, but I find it encouraging to know that such an amateur production can gain three promotions and win serious planning battles against determined opposition. Because you'd really expect "amateur-hour personified" to have sunk into non-League, especially playing at Gillingham for two years and then Withdean for 12. It gives all of us amateurs considerable hope.

There were some seriously amateur-hour antics:

Think about promised transfers that never materialised. I especially liked DK's '5 players in' one (after repeated failures to sign), then being forced to sign some useless Irish player to make up the numbers.

Think about DK lording it on the pitch as if he, rather than the manager and players had won promotion.

Think about how leaky the club was in terms of 'inside' info.

And so on...

 

[B.W.]

Right, we definitely need an NSC OBE: a Private Eye-esque Order of the Brown Nose award given to desperate and frankly slightly disturbing posts of such extreme sycophancy that they attempt to wedge their tongue so far up Paul Barber or Tony Bloom's affluent recta that they can taste what they had for breakfast. Congratulations.

Maybe one for the DK lickers too then!?

 

[Not Andy Naylor]

Indeed I have. What I've seen is that there is a Daily Mail report that the club has banned the book and a few posters commenting on it. Forgive me for being slightly circumspect about whether the Mail have their facts straight. I'm not definitively stating that the club haven't banned it from the shop - just not being being convinced they have because the mail says so.

Besides, my main point was asking whether Walt could see the irony in his post which he criticised posters for commenting with "unshakeable authority" on topics and then starting his next sentence which contained an unsupported assertion with the words "Certainly the case...". Unless, of course he does actually know why the club aren't stocking the book. In which case, I invited him to tell us.

I repeat my earlier point - and I believe that, for example, Tooting Gull will back me - that the Charlie Sale column is one that every sports writer reads. While a bit of a Lunchtime O'Booze character, he is ludicrouly well-connected. And it's highly unlikely that he would have plucked the names of two obscure football club directors out of nowhere. As for the club deciding not to stock it, Walt and the Mail are correct. The publishers issued a press release to that effect early this week, and they should know.

 

[B.W.]

I'll be a little clearer in my statement. It might be that TB viewed DK and GP as in some way threatening the aim of achieving a successful, sustainable &/or stable club and that this viewpoint is what has motivated decisions in the recent past. This would be an entirely different thought process than "I own the club so can do what the feck I want", which is the motivation that some posters seem to posit as being accurate.

OK, fair enough.

GP's actions gave TB little choice. Let's not go there.

DK is still life president, but rightfully lost control of the club when TB invested the amount he invested to make DK's dream a reality.

Yes, in both cases, TB made the right decisions in the interests of our club.

 

[Goldstone1976]

I repeat my earlier point - and I believe that, for example, Tooting Gull will back me - that the Charlie Sale column is one that every sports writer reads. While a bit of a Lunchtime O'Booze character, he is ludicrouly well-connected. And it's highly unlikely that he would have plucked the names of two obscure football club directors out of nowhere. As for the club deciding not to stock it, Walt and the Mail are correct. The publishers issued a press release to that effect early this week, and they should know.

Fair enough. I'm happy to accept that the club have decided not to stock the book. It wasn't the main point of my post. The main point was, and remains, either there was delicious irony in Walt's post, or he has inside information about why the book isn't being stocked. If the latter; why isn't it?

 

[The Large One]

Think about DK lording it on the pitch as if he, rather than the manager and players had won promotion.

In the same way that Tony Bloom did after the last Withdean game? Nothing wrong with a chairman doing that...

Think about how leaky the club was in terms of 'inside' info.

Like how everyone knew CMS and Vicente were coming...?

 

[Not Andy Naylor]

There were some seriously amateur-hour antics:

Think about promised transfers that never materialised. I especially liked DK's '5 players in' one (after repeated failures to sign), then being forced to sign some useless Irish player to make up the numbers.

Think about DK lording it on the pitch as if he, rather than the manager and players had won promotion.

Think about how leaky the club was in terms of 'inside' info.

And so on...

So you agree with me. It's brilliant that we somehow hung in there against big-time professional outfits.

 

[The Large One]

Maybe one for the DK lickers too then!?

How old are you?

You're still peddling this childish story about some mythical group that only exists in your perspective-free imagination?

 

[B.W.]

In the same way that Tony Bloom did after the last Withdean game? Nothing wrong with a chairman doing that...

So you think Tony hogs the limelight? And Dick doesn't? Fair enough. I beg to differ.

Like how everyone knew CMS and Vicente were coming...?

Post-DK the club let the media know, when they want to let the media know. Not before.

 

[B.W.]

So you agree with me. It's brilliant that we somehow hung in there against big-time professional outfits.

Absolutely. Amazing achievements in the face of extreme adversity. I'll say it again, I'll always be grateful to Dick, for being the leading figure in saving the club (and for contributing to the success we achieved on the pitch).

 

[Man of Harveys]

Now its run extremely professionally by big-hitting businessmen as a big-hitting business.

Overall reminiscent of Vic Reeves' Graham Lister's fondness for the company of doctors and architects. High quality fawning. OBN awarded.

 

[The Large One]

Post-DK the club let the media know, when they want to let the media know. Not before.

No. Everyone on here knew they were coming.

It was on here for two days beforehand.