Trueorange

That's all!

Many years ago I served on an RAF base in a place called Rheindahlen close to Monchengladbach. During my four years there, I took every opportunity to get around and see as much as Germany as possible. Forget about the war, Germans are generally great people. Polite, clean, tidy and very respectable. I visited Munich, Frankfurt, Koblenz, Stuttgart and West Berlin (in those days, it was still a divided country). However my favourite city was Hamburg as it was a bit different from the rest, a wee bit wilder and crazier. My German is far from perfect though I can hold a reasonable conversation. I quit the RAF about fifteen years ago, but always promised myself I would go back some day. That day was last summer. I went into the Reeperbahn which is the old red light district and they have some great pubs, clubs and discos (The Beatles actually made their name there). I had one particular pub in mind which was a great haunt for British servicemen, squaddies on leave, etc. It was great for a sing song and a night out. However, when I returned my eyes could not believe what they saw. I kid you not, there were Irish Republican memorabilia everywhere. Flags, banners, poems dedicated to the hunger strikers and worst of all, non stop IRA music on tap. I honestly thought I was in some Republican slop house in West Belfast or the Gallowgate. The worst of all was that the bar staff and the customers were all Germans, not Irish or plastic paddies from Scotland. One hundred percent German. I am not backward at coming forward so I told the guy to turn it off and when he heard my accent, he screamed and I quote; " I will not turn off the music, you are a dirty h@n, go somewhere else if you don't like it". I was quickly surrounded by about five of them and they were giving it to me in German and I feared the worst, I am no Hollywood hero!!! Luckily this older guy came across and pulled me away from them and sat me down at a table and got me a beer. He was trying to calm things down and after about five minutes, peace returned to the pub. I probably then had one of the most amazing conversations in my life with this German. He explained that this was a Sankt Pauli pub, to be honest I had never heard of them as far as I was concerned there only is one team in Hamburg. He explained that Sankt Pauli was the team from that part of Hamburg and they were big Celtic fans. I still was none the wiser till he explained that the locals and timmy had struck up a big fucking love in. Many of the Sankt Pauli fans were 'alternatives' and were unique in German football. As the pub filled up, I began to see what he meant. They were filthy, dirty and smelled rotten not like your normal Germans. The sort of cnuts that you see in Glasgow hanging around shopping centres with dreadlocks and filthy clothes usually with a big dug and a pot ugly bird. Sankt Pauli was for the underdog and the working class, they hated America, Israel and capitalism. But what the f#ck did that have to do with Rangers or Celtic for that matter? The auld guy explained that Celtic had played against Hamburg several years ago and took a hammering on and off the field ))))) However, on his travels Timmy had found his natural ally in the wasters of Sankt Pauli, the German equivalent of giro takers and professional victims. They had also poisoned their minds against Rangers by describing us as Nazis and Fascists, I kid you not. By the time they had finished with them, they were ready to fight for the IRA!!!! I learned later that the Sankt Pauli chairman was a woofter who lived with his Cuban boyfriend and held hands openly in the main stand at every home game. A marriage made in heaven with Celtic:)))))) There is a serious point to this story, if Timmy can manage to hoodwink and pervert a small club like Sankt Pauli, what does it say about their leaders like Lawwell and Reid who are first class, professional liars?? They have created a myth ( a lie in proper English) about their club which they have perfected to a work of genius. If Murray and Bain could show a quarter of their ingenuity, we would not be in the state we are. They depict Celtic as the 'people's' team, the wee man standing up against a hostile, evil world. They effectively control the Scottish media whether it be the televsion, radio or nespapers. You DARE say anything negative about their club and they will come after you. Can we learn from them? Yes. Should we copy them? No. I believe that their propaganda will come back to haunt them in the long turn, people will see through their lies.

The SPL augurs a long cruel winter for English football by Jeff Randall It seems that as today's transfer window opens an unholy, (some might say indecent) race begins by England's top football teams to spend obscene amounts of money on new players, that financial meltdown is just around the corner. Critics of this particular view point will point to the seemingly healthy state of the national game. Attendances are holding up, television revenue remain at mind blowing levels and of course, the national team is undergoing something of a renaissance after years of criminal under achievement. However, just below the calm, still waters lurk huge icebergs which threaten to sink the biggest show in town. A cursory glance north of the border however might serve as a sobering lesson to the big shots down south as the New Year hangover kicks in. Scottish football has had to live with the harsh realities of having a fraction of the revenue that their English cousins enjoy. An uncompetitive league, small attendances and virtually no television money have conspired to cast Scottish football in the Cinderella role of European football. There are no big star names in Glasgow, Edinburgh or Aberdeen. Downsizing has been the name of the game for some time, and their fate might just be the writing on the wall for many English Premier league teams. Livingston is a small new town just to the west of Edinburgh. Livingston football club is stoney broke and cannot pay the players' wages. There is no doubt that they will go into administration and they are just the first of many who are sure to follow. Far more worrying is the future of Heart of Midlothian, a relatively big fish in the small goldfish bowl of Scottish football. Maverick chairman, Lithuanian banker Roman Romanov is struggling to serve the club's massive and growing debt and has already met with two Scottish banks in crunch meetings which, as I understand it, resulted in a harsh ultimatum for the Edinburgh club. "Sell your main assets or we shut you down!". Options are running out for Romanov who has not enamoured himself to the Scottish establishment with a series of bizarre and very public gaffes. The question is, who will blink first Romanov or the men in grey suits from the banks? When outsiders look at Scottish football they tend to concentrate on the Old Firm of Rangers and Celtic. Even there however, problems are not far to seek. Celtic is perhaps the only club in Scotland which is run on sensible business principles. They have worked assiduously at cutting their debt and reducing their wage/debt ratio to the extent that they are virtually debt free. Rangers which enjoyed a massive spending spree in the nineties are now having to face the consequences of unsustainable spending in a small market. Sir David Murray the high profile owner of Rangers has made no secret of his desire to sell up and move on. However, in a recent interview he revealed that one prospective buyer (an anonymous Iranian/American consortium) made what he considered an insulting offer; " I have made it quite clear that my time at Rangers is coming to an end, I know that and the Rangers support knows it. However, that should not mean that I will take the first daft offer that comes in and I also have to ask the basic question, are these people right for Rangers? There is absolutely no way I would sell the club to people with dubious business credentials. They will only get Rangers if they can demonstrate to me that they have the best interests of the club and its supporters at heart. It isn't just about money, I haven't invested so much time and money to simply see it blown away by people who want to asset strip the club". There is no doubting David Murray's sincerity in securing the best deal for Rangers supporters and it is something that English football might wish to take on board. Today Livingston and Heart of Midlothian and tomorrow.............???

It would be a foolish man who would dare to write off Rangers as a going concern, but there is something akin to terminal illness besetting the Glasgow club. Yesterday's Celtic triumph at Ibrox confirmed what many of us have known for a long time, namely that Celtic has become a bigger club than Rangers in every sense. On the field as yesterday's game proved, Celtic has the stronger pool of players with greater determination and self belief. Rangers had to win the game and yet failed miserably. They can point to an appalling miss by petulant striker Kris Boyd, but the sad fact is that Celtic controlled the tempo and dictated the play for most of the game. Perhaps the most disturbing aspect of yesterday's game for Rangers was that their bitter rivals did not have to play particularly well to win. They had enough nous and know how to suppress any endeavours by the men in blue and white. Robson, Hartley and Brown constantly harried, hustled and ultimately bullied the Rangers midfield, where club icon Barry Ferguson has now become a pale caricature of the player he once was. In one comical cameo, lanky Greek striker Georgios Samaras humiliated Ferguson by pretending to throw the ball at the Rangers captain. It went down well with the Celtic support massed in the Broomloan stand, but for the majority of home fans was almost symbolic evidence of Rangers' timidity and lack of fight. Ferguson was not alone in incurring the wrath of Rangers fans, and the abuse directed towards Charlie Adam in particular was especially vicious. He may not be the greatest player to don the light blue jersey, but frankly he was no worse than some of his team mates who brought shame to the colours. Celtic for their part, played like a team that knew exactly what it had to do. In short, they played like champions and as if to rub salt into the wounds, they came to Ibrox with a decimated squad. The flair players McGeady and Nakamura were missing as well as the likes of a string of other players who would surely have walked into any Rangers starting eleven. The conclusion is evident, Celtic can only get stronger in January with a string of new signings already announced, and with more to follow. Rangers by way of contrast, have to contend with the unpleasant prospect of divesting themselves of at least seven players surplus to requirement. Just what this says about the general stewardship of Sir David Murray is a very moot point. He has his own very personal affairs to deal with outside Rangers, and the coming months promise to represent his biggest challenge in his business career. Rangers won't go the same way as Woolworth or MFI, but it will certainly be demoted from the top range to the bargain basement in the footballing world. The question is, will the consumers remain loyal to the brand name?

FFS, I can' t speak Hebrew. It is from that paper somewhere!!

Here is the original!!! It is written in Jewish or Yiddish or Hebrew or whatever you call it! I haven't got a scoobie it looks like Chinese to me ! My mate got his Israeli girlfriend to translate it for him. Check the date, it came out this morning. Also, don't forget Jews don't celebrate Christmas so it is a normal day there. יום שישי 26 בדצמבר 2008 00:04 מאת: ירון פריד, הארץ בחדשות 2 לא טרחו להתייחס למותו של המחזאי וזוכה פרס הנובל, ובערוץ 10 סימנו על הידיעה וי סמלי. בחדשות סקיי לעומת זאת, זכה פינטר לכבוד הראוי לו פינטר, מתוך רשת סקיי ניוז פרסומת פרידה מהרולד פינטר, כל הערוצים "העולם חולק לו כבוד, וגם אנחנו", אמר חיים אתגר בחדשות 10 על מותו של הרולד פינטר. כבוד כמובן הוא עניין יחסי, אבל מדויק יותר היה לומר: "אנחנו עושים וי על הידיעה שבאמת העסיקה את שאר העולם, ומקדישים לה כעשרים שניות, אחרי אייטמים על הפגנה, תערוכה וסדרה חדשה על בית המלוכה, ולפני כתבה מורחבת על נשרים בסכנת הכחדה". אפילו הפירור הזה היה יותר ממה שחדשות ערוץ 2 הואילו להעניק לפינטר בדרכו האחרונה – דבר מותו לא הוזכר במהדורה המרכזית ולו ברמז - מה שמבהיר שוב שלא רק הנשרים נמצאים בסכנת הכחדה. אם לענקי הרוח של "האח הגדול" הרבה יותר קל לקבל שערים במגזינים והתייחסות תקשורתית רצינית מאשר לחתני פרס נובל, יש פה בעיה. הבעיה היא לא של פינטר, שגם בחייו לא הוטרד במיוחד ממי אומר עליו מה, אלא של צרכני תרבות מקומיים ושוחריה, שערוצי הטלוויזיה המובילים, איך לומר, משתינים עליהם בקשת. וברשת. ובכלל. על תוכנית תרבות אמיתית מתוצרת מקומית הפסקנו לחלום כבר מזמן. הנמכנו ציפיות לאפס, אבל לא ציפינו להגיע כל כך מהר אל מתחת לאפס. מה למדנו על המחזאי הדגול בהספדון החפוז-בעמידה של ערוץ 10? שהיה יהודי, אם כי "לא יהודי חם" (אז הוא לא חגג את חנוכה כהלכתו לפני ש"סיים את חייו", כהגדרת אתגר?), ששם משפחתו המקורי הוא פינטו (טעות), ושמחזותיו היו "אניגמטיים ופורצי דרך", ניסוח אניגמטי למדי בפני עצמו. אפילו לסרטן שלו לא קראו בשמו, והסתפקו ב"מחלה קשה" הכללי, הישן והרע. במגע מקרי אך הולם של תיאטרון אבסורד, עבר ברקע האולפן מישהו עם בלון, כרמז למסיבה שאליה לא הוזמנו. סדרי העדיפויות של חדשות סקיי, לעומת זאת, היו אחרים. הסתלקותו של פינטר פתחה בהרחבה את מהדורת הערב של חג המולד, עוד לפני נאומיהם של המלכה, בסוודר עם דוגמה פרחונית, ושל הארכיבישוף מקנטרברי. כך עושים כבוד למי שהעולם האמיתי חפץ ביקרו. מבקר התיאטרון והביוגרף מייקל בילינגטון ישב בסלון ביתו אשר בצ'יזיק, למרגלות עץ אשוח זוהר באור נגוהות, דיבר על ה"דומיסטיקציה של הפוליטיקה" במחזותיו של המנוח והכריז שכמו איבסן וכמו צ'כוב, גם פינטר הוא קלאסיקן שיצירתו תשרוד לנצח. בסקיי לא חששו להזכיר את סרטן הגרון של פינטר, והביאו קטעים מהופעותיו הפומביות האחרונות, שבהן נאבק במיתרי קולו שבגדו בו ונראה כחוש וקמל, אף על פי שעיניו בערו כתמיד. גם אם מוות בחג המולד אינו שמור לצדיקים ויחידי סגולה בלבד, פינטר זכה במותו למעמד של גיבור לאומי, ולא רק גיבור תרבות. אחר כך כבר מצאו זמן לדון בזקן החדש והשנוי במחלוקת של הנסיך וויליאם, בתרנגול ההודו המלכותי וקשקושי חג אחרים, אבל הרוויחו את זה ביושר. רוצים Sno said something similar recently. I think it was the Evening Times that had it in an early edition, but pulled when Liewell paid an emergency visit.

This was from a previous article AFTER he had returned to Israel. He has a reputation for shooting his mouth off and is supported by that article. I'll try and get the original.

And don't forget he was shipped out quickly by O'Squeal and made to sign a 'gagging' clause. I assume that after almost eight years it has expired. The story about Lieweell and co is true, they have tremendoud power.

Here, have a look at this!! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cbiaXYLD-Ok

I got this e-mailed to me from a mate who is working in Israel, how come we never get to read this stuff in Scotland? Berkovic lifts the lid on latent racism at Celtic Park by Robert Miller. The years have may have rolled by but Eyal Berkovic retains the looks and spirit of a man which belie his thirty six years. Sitting relaxed in the rustic tranquility of his spacious villa in the outskirts of Tel Aviv, Berkovic radiates a certain calm and peace which is at odds with his colourful, and at times tempestuous career as a professional footballer. "Looking back, football has been good to me and my family. It has enabled us to achieve a standard of living that would not have been possible had I followed my original path as a chartered accountant. I was pretty academic at High School and good with numbers. My father especially wanted me to go into business and establish myself with a reputable company. He saw football as nothing more than a diversion from my main focus in life. Years later, he recognizes that I made the right call, though the old man would never bring himself to admit that I was right and he was wrong!". Within Israel Berkovic remains a controversial figure with his constant, and at times acerbic criticism of Israeli football in general, and the national team in particular. Just about every major figure in that sport has received the sharp end of Berkovic's vitriolic tongue. " Look, I am not proud of what I said but the fact is somebody had to speak out. We were amateurish in the past and were led by people who as they say in England, "could not organize a piss up in a brewery". In recent years Israel has become a far more professional team and that is seen in our results. Nobody and I repeat nobody, likes coming here, as they know they will get a tough game. I would like to think that by putting my head above the parapet, I have in some way helped address the deep seated problems that beset our team". Berkovic's career can serve as a paradigm for foreign players and their growing influence in the English Premier League. He moved from team to team and from North to South with alarming regularity. " My arrival in England coincided with the big bucks from SKY television and for that I will always be grateful. We literally saw our salaries double overnight and with the right agent, we were able to command excellent wages operating from a position of real strength. I think that you have to realize that a footballer's career is relatively short and you have to make your money while the sun shines." Berkovic is convinced that the SKY money has been a force for good in football as it has helped make the Premier League the best in the world. It can offer top salaries and can therefore attract the very best from all over the world. He spent two troubled years outwith the EPL and it is at this point that his mood changes as the conversation takes an unexpected and dark path. " Celtic was a big mistake for me, that's for sure. Celtic never understood me , and I for sure never understood them. It was a club with an image which was full of its own self importance and role in the world. The club was going through a troubled time and when manager John Barnes got the sack, my days there were numbered. It's hard to say this but I feel that I have to point out that Celtic, certainly at that time did not react well to people who they did not consider were 'one of them". I am Jewish and proud of my religion and background, Barnes and Ian Wright felt the same as me, and they were quickly ostracised when results went against us. After one midweek game which we lost, Wright and Barnes were subject to really disgraceful racial abuse in the car park. It was at that point I knew I had to get out. I found it really disconcerting having to play in front of a huge crowd where many fans had PLO flags and celebrated terrorist actions. They were backing an organization which, after all, wanted the destruction of the State of Israel. How could I give one hundred percent for such a club with an ethos like that? The Celtic Rangers games were utter madness, and I had to remind myself for which club I was playing! I always stood up for the sovereignty of the nation and the right of law. Celtic seemed to be going for the opposite, by supporting terrorist groups from Spain, Ireland, the Middle East and Africa. It was crazy!". As if to underline Berkovic's anger, was the fact that shortly after his departure from Celtic, (the man who released him) Martin O'Neill signed John Hartson who had assaulted the slight Israeli at a training session when both men played for West Ham. Even a quick glance on youtube years later, does nothing to dampen the sheer brutality of the unpremeditated attack on Bekovic. "The signing of somebody like John Hartson by Celtic did not come as a surprise to me. It was a marriage made in heaven. The fans finally had found somebody who embodied everything they stood for, and I for one was not astonished that he went onto become a cult figure at their club." As for tomorrow's derby in Glasgow, Berkovic will be tuning in to watch the game though it comes as no surprise at all to learn that he will leaning towards the blue side of Glasgow tomorrow. Berkovic, like him or loathe him, usually gets the big decisions right.