Spineless Linfield Management Committee Dance to BBC's Tune Part 94

...or: Kerr Out.


This non-story appeared on the BBC's website earlier:

Club removes 'provocative' pics

Linfield Football Club has removed a number of sexually provocative pictures from its website, BBC Radio Ulster has learned.

The pictures showed a female model in the club's new home kit, some of which had been ripped in a revealing manner.

The six most revealing pictures were removed from the website after board members discussed the matter.

In a statement, the club said a concern had been highlighted and it had now taken action.

Chairman Jim Kerr said he was not aware of the offending pictures, but would raise the issue at Monday's board meeting.

Here is a segment of one of the offending pics (saved onto his pc by a linfield fan, without the 'offensive' bikini bottoms and belly button) as well as one of the 'risque' pics:





Now this 'story' raises a number of depressingly familiar issues:

1. It is clear, demonstrably, that the BBC have an anti-Linfield agenda, no doubt driven in no small part by their friendliness with the NIO and wish to promote the Long Kesh Stadium proposals.

2. Who made the complaint, weeks after they first appeared online?

3. Who removed them? Conn?

4. Why were they removed? So as not to offend the sensibilities of the anti-Linfield lobby?

5. When is the burqa going to be introduced for women at our matches (in some of the Linfield Ladies cases, maybe not a bad thing :) )

6. Why was our erstwhile chairman unaware of the pics?

7. Why does our club feel the need to pander to our critics at EVERY turn? Castle Street, Windsor Roar, Hatchets and Hammers, St. Pat's away, now this. Why did they feel the need for them to be removed?

8. When is our club going to be dragged into the 21st Century with regard to our dealings with the media and approach to the world wide web? Our website is an embarrassment at the moment, club shop down for months, full of viruses, website down at regular intervals, parts not updated for months.

9. When is Mr. Kerr going to do the honourable thing, accept the collective responsibility, and resign?

Jim Kerr: the new Stafford Reynolds. No wonder the rest of the IL is laughing at us.

Linfield 0 Dinamo Zagreb 2

Champions' League First Round Qualifier, Windsor Park, Wednesday 16th July 2008

Team:

Some observations:

-That was hard to watch
-Tino saved us from an absolute trouncing, that could be him snapped up by an English side now, then we're well and truly Donald Ducked next season, with no keeper and no strikers
-It's the first time in my life I remember Linfield taking the field with no (recognised) strikers. Playing 5-5-0 is an absolute embarrassment
-Linfield are pointless without a big player upfront to hold the ball up, ie Spike
-Watched the game in a city centre Portsmouth bar, the only person watching, with no sound
-Our players really did look amateurish at times, big rushed sliced clearances and passes all over the shop, no composure on the ball, like it was a hot potato
-Zagreb never really broke sweat, but I was still disappointed with the timing of the second goal, 1-0 would have given us the illusion of something to play for in the second leg
-Think we'd one shot on target all night, O'Kane from an acute angle. Shame really as their keeper looked a right flapper
-Downey is the best player in the world in his head. In reality, he cannot pass 2 yards away from himself
-Maccers is as unfit as ever, and needs shipped out
-The Dougster excelled at LB
-Lindsay is a liability, sell-the-ranch player. Why the fuck did we give him a 2-year deal?
-Hagan did ok
-DJ leaving Thompo on the bench. Wise up Davy.
-Kudos to Wintz for making DJ react in his usual arrogant 'how dare you' way right when the cameras were filming him :)
-The new HnH flag looked shit with no ties on the bottom. Should look better in Zagreb next week.
-Mile-long queues for tickets and only printing a minimum of concessionary tickets is a fecking disgrace and sums up our two-bit club with their new two-bit team.
-All the best, Thompo, thanks for the memories

Live: Linfield vs Dinamo Zagreb

On Sky Sports 1!

Thompson to Stockport?

As reported on the BBC and in the Bel Tel.

Well, after 44 goals last season and doing the running of 2 strikers, as well as a first international goal and 2 goals in the Cup Final, it was to be expected, especially with him entering into the last year of his contract. We shouldn't stand in his way, he deserves a crack at English full-time football.

Should he sign in the next week, or even tomorrow, it leaves us with ZERO strikers for the biggest games of our season, the Champions League qualifiers. Since the turn of the year:

January - DJ foolishly let Stephen Garrett leave 'cos he said he wanted to leave'. As he wasn't get a look-in due to Ferguson's undropability.

April - Adamson leaves, Linfield seemingly too big a challenge, his face not fitting in the dressing room, apparently not the tight personality for DJ's Linfield.

May - Dickson leaves, a lifelong Blueman remember, but seemingly the wrong personality, not helped by being woefully off-form for much of the season and constantly being played out of position at RW, a victim of his own success from the previous season and not getting a look-in due to Ferguson's undropability at CF.

June - Tommy Stewart declines a new contract offer and signs for Derry (one game, one goal, one assist thus far) after having seemingly the wrong personality, and being constantly played out of position at LM, not getting a look-in due to Ferguson's undropability... you get the picture.


Now for Europe, Ferguson is yet again unavailable as this is the only time of year he can book Disneyland, which left us with Thompson. Oh, and McSkimmon (first team appearances - one).


There is only one man to blame for the position we find ourselves in, Fearless Leader, the folically-challenged, pie-loving one. Short-term success and blinding devotion to Ferguson in his quest for the 600 is obviously valued greater than long-term dominance and development. Bravo, DJ.

The Pre-Season That Just Keeps On Giving

Carrick 2-1 Linfield

-yes, experimental 4-5-1 with Zagreb in mind, but What. The. Fuck. Dinamo must be pissing themselves. Oh, and I'm going after all, along with at least 20 HnHers.

Transfer Rumours:

IN?:

Kevin Kelbie: rumours of a possible swap deal abound, but unlikely to have any basis in reality

Albert Watson: one-time target handed in a transfer request. Missed the boat, I think.

Mandy Smith: wants to leave Portadown for a IPL team. Still wouldn't take him.


OUT?

Conor Downey: handed in a transfer request. If we recoup close to the 10k for him, see ya.

Phil Mulryne: trained with us, DJ FINALLY realised after losing 4 strikers in 5 months and having only one available one for our CL games that strikers are our priority, so said no to Mulryne. Good.

Peter Thompson: Kilmarnock apparently showing interest with 2 bids. Seeing as he's only 1 year left on his current deal, why don't we try and sign him up? Our current situation demands that he stays, but as for the player himself, I wouldn't blame him one bit for leaving and trying to better himself.

Oh, and we rewarded our manager with a new 3-year contract, 2 years before his old one was due to run out. What a joyous club of double standards we run, one rule for the managers, one for the players. We've already lost players this summer due to FDJ's ridiculous prehistoric 'medals win contracts' policy, and we're due to lose our 3 best players, all homegrown, all NI internationals, next summer if we don't get them signed up soon. Can't see it.


We are in big big shit if miracles do not happen on the transfer front soon. Our manager has finally realised there are no available IL players of sufficient standard and has turned to the Eircom and England. Whoopy fucking doo. We have one shitty system of scouts, and one downright amateurish man in charge. But look at his record.

Champions League Qualifier Draw

Linfield vs Dinamo Zagreb.

Crap. We'll get skinned, and flights are excessively expensive, if I could go on holiday to Croatia for 2 weeks and visit Split and the coast, it'd be worth it, but 240+ bills for 2 days is too dear. Could be a bit spicy there too.

But as some said, Modric must be counting his luck that he left and doesn't have to face the white Vieira!

Ah well, always next year.