Barry P

Guilty pleasure is a good way to describe Wilbur Smith. I could argue that if it wasn't for him I wouldn't have got into historical fiction, and such authors as Cornwell, Forrester, Scarrow and Iggulden. However I could say the same for Nickleback, the first band I really liked aged 15, thanks to listening to them I discovered Nirvana, Pearl Jam, Smashing Pumpkins, Sonic Youth. As an aside, I recently read an interview with Smith and concluded he is obviously not a very nice person, I think that is something I find reflected in his writing.

The basis for appointing him as manager seemed to be based around the fact he makes good points on the radio and talks sense. What a truly stupid reason to call for a failed rookie manager to be appointed at your football club.

At the risk of going off on a tangent, (the thread has served its purpose after all). But what are your views on Wilbur Smith? Having read several of his books a few years back I found them gripping and enthralling, and they really got me into reading fiction (I generally only read none fiction history up until then.) Yet at the same time, and having glanced at the odd book of his since, I have found that I despise the arrogance of his writing, the way he regales detail like some kind of encyclopedic know it all historian, and the fact I often find he gets very basic things wrong. I met an unknown author named V.Campbell at a book signing in Waterstones a few years back. She commented on him being very sexist and that he pays people to do his research for him. Quite a contrast to Mantel who described the depth of her research to try and get things right, and Igggulden who actually went and lived in outer Mongolia or Cornwell who insists on visiting all of the battle sites where his stories are set. Sorry about the random rant.

Anyone remember this pivotal victory? https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=ltfQGU8Yf2k Still annoys me that I didn't make it to the game.

Dear oh dear, I read the first one. The bit that sticks in my head is early on when there is a Jewish businessman in France who is arrested for treason or witchcraft, after torture and to save his wife and daughters he signs a confession. His sentence, death by being flayed. In the author note Iggulden revealed this element of the novel came after he found record of this actually happening to a Jew in France at the time and he intwined it into the story. A truly brutal time. Cheers for the review, I'll stick with it based on this excellent review. Rylance was excellent in the series. Did you read Iggulden's Genghis Khan series btw? Any author influenced by Bernard Cornwell must be good by default.

I thought you already knew about our ST and their record low sales.

Sean Bean was in it thus I had to watch it. Growing up seeing him as Sharpe he was always my hero. So seeing him take a turn as a priest was strange. It was an excellent performance from him though.

No, Hopper played in the doomed Blackwell season. He didn't bag many but created enough chances for himself and got in the right position many times. I would be intrigued to see what he is like now as back then he was a young, raw lad who had little experience of first team football. Though I should add, these are the types of players we should be trialing rather than just signing.

The initial replacement was Jones, a right winger, who was not much better and he was injured before we knew it. That left us without an actual right back until January, aside from the youth lads that Flitcroft refused to play. Taylor-Moore slotted in very well at right wing back when signed granted.

Had a small ladybird picture book when I was a kid 'Warwick the Kingmaker' it really got me into the war of the roses. Such fascinating characters and people, Henry the VI a weak king who was blamed for England losing the territory his father had won. His wife Margaret of Anjou, was she called the she wolf? Richard Neville 'the kingmaker' and his and Margaret's hatred of each other. The cunning Duke of York and then his sons. Edward, correct me if I am wrong, was 19 or 20 when he defeated the House of Lancaster and became king. Then there was the fighting itself, with the war swinging one way and then another. My favourite part of the book was where it depicted Margaret fleeing to France and then returning via Scotland and defeating York's army with an overwhelming force reinforced by 'wild Scots.' Unsurprisingly I would often get my sword and shields out after and play out my own fictional war with my brothers. Happy days.

The game would have lost all credibility if you had taken the low budget Day claimed at face value.

I thought that the club did not get back to you on that, or was that a different season?

Has anyone else read it? Just curious as I am giving it a go at the request of my dad who really rates it. Currently struggling to get into it. Did anyone else have this problem and is it worth me soldiering on? Sorry, a random question and topic I know.

Seconded

Day claimed last summer the ridiculous spending and recruitment was self sufficient, he pointed to the sales of Beadeu, Miller and Vaughan to demonstrate this fact. Like most things he says regarding our finances, I took the comment with a pinch of salt.